I really enjoyed this book. Audible version had wonderful narration and made you feel like you were there in the story.
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Great story line, bringing all the characters togethers. Even while some were facing difficult challenges to complete their jobs Tess gave them the opportunities to do the job they loved in another capacity. Chasing the bad guys to help find Ashes parents after they were kidnapped and held captive. How many more people need to die before we can find them and get to the bottom? I love that the story also showed that whatever your challenge or disability you are still an important part of a team. Good detective work with twists and turns never knowing what the outcome will be.
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I am excited to read the rest of the series as they come out for DI TESSA BURNS this was book #1. I am thankful to @netgalley and S.A. Dunphy for the advanced copy of this audible book. #littlewitness #Netgalley

I really liked the book! Tessa, the main character, is super likable. The audiobook kept me hooked, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next with Tessa's unique team. Having a strong character in a wheelchair was a nice touch. It's not a super twisty-turny story, but I enjoyed it, and I'm excited for part two!

This fantastic book starts with a dramatic child rescue, which gets DI Tessa Burns a promotion. The DI is a firm but fair Irish cop, who was orphaned when her parents were murdered and their killer was never caught. I warmed to Tessa immediately, and enjoyed getting to know Tessa’s old friend and fellow cop, Maggie, Pavlov and Danny, the final piece in the jigsaw of Tessa’s new team.

And then, the team are thrust straight into the action with another child rescue. I was gripped! Aisling is too traumatised to speak and her parents are missing. I loved how the author drip fed a few little hooks linking to the murder of Tessa’s parents and I hope this will be an ongoing mystery in the series.

A great pace, brilliant characters and an intense plot make this a compelling read and I can’t wait for the next one in this series.

I listened to the audiobook and thought Melanie MacHugh was an excellent narrator.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, S. A. Dunphy and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was the first book in an Irish police procedural thriller series centring around a very likeable lead detective, Tessa, and her purposefully assembled side-kicks.
When a couple disappear the only witness is Ash, their young daughter, who can't remember what happened. As Tessa and her team race to find the couple all sorts of twists and turns occur and links to the past involving traumatic events related to Tessa's parents surface. Tessa's decision to recruit particular characters onto her team pays dividends as they each show their unique abilities and personal characteristics throughout the investigation. Even the wonderful service dog belonging to one of the team has a huge part to play!
The audiobook was beautifully narrated and the Irish accents enabled me to fully immerse myself in the book and its setting.
This is the first book in the series and I can't wait to see how the characters develop in future books.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

3.5 stars.

Well-paced, with interesting and sympathetic characters, and a tight plot that grabs you from the beginning and keeps you hanging on throughout. The thriller/mystery plot was compelling, and as the reasons for the kidnappings are revealed, it's a fascinating leap from home brewers to... that. It's nice to see a wheelchair user of the police force who is also a badass and highly capable, and she was an interesting element of the team. They all had deep, personal struggles they were working on while trying to solve the crime, and I can see how this is a decent start to a series I'd come back to.

This part isn't a criticism in that I don't know how realistic it was, but I was astonished at how the crime-fighting was carried out. I get that as an American, it seems weird to me that guns aren't as prevalent in other countries, but do you send 3 people to raid a compound of organized criminals holding hostages, who have skilled mercenaries? Without going into spoilers, it seemed like amateurs going up against established criminals. I was blown away by how that was all handled and I have no idea if that's how it's done in Ireland or if the author didn't do any research. I'll leave that open-ended. I was agog. Bad guys are a lot nicer elsewhere, apparently.

Little Witness follows DI Tessa Burns, as she sets up a new team aimed at helping and protecting the more vulnerable victims of crime. In this case, it's the turn of 7 year old Aislling Connolly who is found hiding in a secluded building on her missing parent's rural farm.

I loved the setting, the range of characters across both sides of the criminal line, and the way that this newly put-together team slowly blended, as they began to understand what each of them brings to the success of the case, plus what's not to adore about a team that includes a dog?!

It's a good mystery, and with plenty of nuggets of information about D I Burns and her teams' backgrounds, this promises to be a team to watch.

The very epitome of page-turner with a chilling storyline that grips from the first and kept me guessing right up to the heart-racing denouement STUNNER ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧4.5-4.75⭐️ which I have rounded up

DS Tessa Burns book 1

I had the audiobook narrated by Melanie MacHugh I absolutely loved the accent and her great narration.

There’s a body to go alongside the kidnapping of a couple. It manages to tie in some Irish mythology into the story which I enjoyed.

Theres good character depth with our protagonists, there’s refreshing diversity in the team. My favourite character is Maggie who has cerebral palsy using a techno electric wheelchair and an intuitive assistance dog called Pavlov, who I loved. Her relationship with Ash, a plucky young girl who evades being kidnapped alongside her parents is just lovely. I really liked the team dynamic, they are very supportive of each other.

I was fascinated by the plot line too, it felt a bit different to the usual procedurals. It has a good pace throughout which I always enjoy.

I’m really looking forward to book 2 in audio, as I feel this format has enhanced my experience of the book. It’s one I’d highly recommend.

I really enjoyed listening to this author and the narration and it really worked for me. The author has captured, in my opinion, the Irish background and the different crimes.
At first whilst everyone gets introduced I got a little bit confused but it worked out well and looking forward to reading/listening the next book in the series.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and bookouture but the review is entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this detective thriller and am looking forward to future books in this series.
While I loved DI Tessa, the real MVP is Maggie and her dog, Pavlov. I’ll probably catch some flack for saying this, but I’m getting a bit tired of every book in the past 5 years having a gay couple and a beautiful redhead thrown in. They typically are some thrown in side characters, but for some reason, those boxes need to be checked in every thriller and romcom.
ANYWAY- what I love about this book is that it brings a differently-abled person (Cerebral Palsy) into the picture AND that person can kick some ass in a wheelchair; not to mention she has a service dog that saves the day a couple of times.

While there is a child involved in this book, there are no uncomfortable details about abuse or anything of that nature, so if that’s a trigger for you, you’re pretty much in the clear.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would be happy to read book 2 of the series.

Narrator- one thing that could be improved is the narrator’s voice when speaking g male parts. The tone doesn’t change much, which makes it hard to figure out a different person is speaking at that time.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this Advanced Reader Cooy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to S.A. Dunphy, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was great! I was leery about requesting it because I was afraid I would be out of my depth reading about Irish procedure and culture, but I was interested and gave it a shot. So glad I did! It wasn't inaccessible at all. To me it read pretty much the same as US crime fiction, except a few things had different names, like the police force there is called the Garda.

I found it rather implausible that Tessa would be allowed to create her own unit as a reward for disobeying orders--yes, she saved a child, which was wonderful, but she DID disobey orders--but it was fun to think she was given that honor and to watch her recruitment montage.

The downside to the recruitment montage was that too many characters were introduced at once, and I lost track a bit of who was who. I knew Maggie and Danny, of course, but we were introduced to some other men about that time and I don't remember who they were. There was the cop with Alzheimer's--that was fascinating--but there were other men, too, ones Tessa had known growing up, and I'm not sure of their significance. They could probably have been cut? And there were the cops who found Ash--that scene probably didn't have to be broken up like it was, but it didn't bother me too much. I understand it was maintaining tension while Tess got her shit together.

I loved Maggie's spirit and strength. I loved that Danny had a good heart in spite of his temper. I loved Tessa's fierceness and self-confidence. None of them had much character development, just demonstrated their faults and abilities while they worked the case, but they were likeable and sympathetic.

So the story wasn't perfectly executed, but the stakes were high, the pace steady and quick, the setting new yet familiar, the narrator talented, and overall I enjoyed listening to this novel. Unfortunately Dunphy's fiction isn't available to my library, so I'll be watching to see if more titles appear on NetGalley. I'd love to see what's next for the Burns Unit.

Tessa assembles a team and is quickly called upon to find a missing family. Having witnessed her parents die as a child, Tessa has quite the compelling reason to protect others. With a little girl who needs protection and a cast of potential suspects, as the body count increases, can Tessa and her team find the answers before it is too late?

What a ride! I finished this in one day as I was gripped from the start!

The narration was top tier. I loved the accent and it added to the overall feeling of the story. The locale descriptions were very vivid and made you feel as if the backdrop was part of the story.

The author did such a great job of developing each character, that I can't pick a favorite. This rag tag group of misfits somehow gel together and Tessa as the leader certainly provides a model to follow.

As a side note, it was extra special to see a character with a disability being written to focus on the abilities, and not the disability.

It is easy to forget the supporting characters in a book like this, but just as the emphasis in the book was on them being equals, they were given equal attention and somehow that didn't diminish any one individual.

There were no "weak links" in the chain, and everyone has a part to play. Non stop action! I can't wait for the next installment!

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Seven year old Aisling Connolly was found hidden away in a cabin on her families farm by DI Tessa Burns. As a former child witness herself, Tessa is determined to find Aisling's parents with the help of her best friend, a fellow officer and a dog.

This was a good book with a great storyline. There were many things happening, which made it a bit difficult to follow at times and the narrator had a thick accent that was often times hard to understand. But I liked the storyline and the characters.

Little Witness (DI Tessa Burns Book 1) by S.A. Dunphy is a new Irish police procedural series. I had the audio version of this book. The narrator was good, and the story held my interest.

Hidden away in an isolated cabin on the edge of her farm, seven-year-old Aisling Connolly shivers as the cold night air whistles through her thin jacket. It’s been two days since the men came, since her mom told her to run like she’d never run before, to not look back. She hasn’t seen her parents since. And she’s terrified.
But when Aisling is finally found by the police, she knows instinctively she can trust Detective Tessa Burns.

Tessa uncovers much more than she’d bargained for—another murder, clearly a horrific warning to Aisling not to speak. But time is running out, and any hope of finding Aisling’s parents alive is rapidly fading. And Tessa must do everything in her power to ensure the little girl isn’t next.

This is a good start to a new police procedural series. I enjoyed listening to the book, and the narrator did a good job of holding my interest. The story had good drama, intrigue, and twisty turns.

I would recommend this book.

#LittleWitness #NetGalley @bookouture

A great start to a new detective series. We meet DI Burns as she joins a new team investigating the disappearance of wee Aisling’s parents. Great kid, written brilliantly, loved the addition of a no shit disabled character, and there’s the brilliant wee dog Pavlov!
Looking forward to the second in the series of what was a gripping page turner.

The narration was excellent, a well deserved 4 stars 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This is a promising first in series. Detective Tessa Burns is a flawed but strong lead character whose primary concern is for children impacted by violence. After risking her own life to save such a child, she is afforded an opportunity to build a team to rescue more children while also combatting the violent offenders. What separates this series from other police procedurals, even those set in Ireland, is the team she builds and their focused mission. Not all members have law enforcement backgrounds, but each one brings her or his own unique strengths to the table, and each has her or his own weaknesses to overcome. Some are more likeable than others. The confidence that the commissioner has in Tessa, and the professional relationship that confidence allows, provides a much needed foundation for this story and likely for the books to come. I recommend this book to fans of Melinda Leigh's Bree Taggert series, sans the romance. Whether or not I continue with this series depends on how well S. A. Dunphy continues to develop the characters and their camaraderie and the level of violence, particularly violence against children, portrayed in future books. (Clarification: While children are in danger in this book, there is no specific brutality. However, there is the potential for that in future books. Just be aware.)

What a delightful new protagonist -- Tessa Burns. This book is voicey, suspenseful and twisty, with a tender hearted but tough as nails protagonist and investigative team, who team up for a mission readers can root for. Plus the great ongoing backstory regarding the death of Tessa's parents. Yay! Love love love!

I am so glad that I received an early review copy of Little Witness (DI Tessa Burns Book 1) by S.A. Dunphy. I loved this first book in a new series about DI Tessa Burns and her team of investigators who focus on the vulnerable and children. The action gets going from the start and doesn't stop.

Although this is a police procedural, it feels fresh and unique. The characters have many layers, and the relationships between them add so much to the story. Background is woven in to the story throughout in a way that adds context but doesn't slow down the action. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't reveal more, but I will say that I am very excited for Book 2 in the series.

The narration was great as well!

Thank you too #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for a free copy of #LittleWitness by S.A. Dunphy. All opinions are my own.

I was fortunate enough to read and listen to the audio of SA Dunphy's latest Irish crime offering, the first of a new series featuring Tessa Burns, a woman with her own traumatic history when as a child her parents were murdered whilst she had hidden, the culprits never caught, and with foster care experience. The audio is just over 8 hours and 15 minutes long, and is marvellously narrated by Melanie MacHugh, who brings the Irish flavour of the story alive with the drama, tension and suspense that made this such a gripping listen. After a recent operation in which Tessa showed exceptional bravery, she is promoted to DI and granted permission to set up a new police unit focusing on the vulnerable and children.

Tessa recruits the wheelchair bound Maggie, a family liaison officer who is no pushover, with her remarkable dog Pavlov, wonderful in providing comfort and protection to small children and adults alike, and the huge, troubled Daniel with his self esteem issues. The team's first case begins when a emotionally traumatised 7 year old Aisling 'Ash' Connolly is rescued after having been in hiding for many hours at a rural farm where her parents have worryingly gone missing, and the signs are not good. Who has taken them? To get any headway into finding the parents, who had been involved in the business of making illicit liquor, the police need the little girl to open up with her memories of what happened. This will take time but is aided by both Maggie and Pavlov gaining her confidence, and her beginning to believe in Tessa and Danny.

In a story with more murder, ruthless criminal elements, faceless killers and other dangerous events, the unit must save Ash from further grave dangers and urgently race against the clock if they are to succeed in having any chance of locating Ash's parents, if they are still alive. Additionally the case has implications for Tessa's past and the possibility of making progress in finding her parents killers in the future, despite the setback she faces at the end. This was a well plotted, dark and entertaining start this new series, one that the many fans of the author are likely to enjoy, along with any new readers who like the Irish crime and mystery genre. I can particularly recommend the terrific audio. Many thanks to the publisher for the ALC and the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

If you like cozier mysteries, this is for you. While there is a fair amount of action in this crime novel, I find the main character almost impossibly kind and optimistic. She assembles an intelligent team of law enforcement officers with experience in the troubled foster care system - each coming in to the case with their own set of talents and struggles. All of the characters surrounding the MC are quite likeable- Maggie being one of my favorites. I liked the strength demonstrated between the missing mother and daughter. I also appreciated reading an Irish crime novel, as so many are set either in England or America, so it was a nice change of pace and setting.

My main critique is the unflappable MC made me want to see her fail, just to see how she'd respond. And when we're met with a (maybe) misstep by the detective, she doesn't reflect on it at all. I read this book in audiobook form, making the flipping POV in the beginning a bit confusing, but only for the first couple of chapters.

I'm definitely going to read the second, and look at more by the author.