A gripping and brilliantly conceived book Tessa is an amazing detective with a great team. I liked them all, Maggie, Danny, and the adorable dog. Story unfolds at an intriguing pace. Daisy's point of view added an additional intensity. Aishling is a sweetheart and a brave kid. Looking forward to reading more of the series. Highly recommended

Little Witness by S.A. Dunphy was the first book by this author that I've read. I really enjoyed it and I would love to read more books by this author. I loved it that the main character is a strong, energetic, determined but also kind woman that really cares about everyone she crosses paths with. One of the main characters is a person with a physical disability that is a complete kick-ass and I really liked how the author was able to diversify the cast of his characters. I think a lot of people that are differently able would be pleased to read this book.

The narration by Melanie MacHugh was great even though a bit unusual to my American ear. It took me a bit to get used to the Irish accents but that's a 'me' problem. The narrator did a great job.

The story is interesting and kept me engaged. I'm looking forward to the 2nd book! I highly recommend it if you enjoy police procedurals.

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this audiobook.

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! New-to-me author, but right in my sweet spot of British police procedurals (though this one is Irish). Engaging characters, compelling story. I started listening to this title immediately upon download and could not put it down. Finished the whole thing in less than 24 hrs.

The main character is a totally kick-ass detective who gets so underestimated as a women but continues to prove she is intelligent and not afraid of danger. We get enough of her backstory here in book one to be very sympathetic and proud of how she has exceeded expectations. When presented with a golden ticket due to her bravery, she doesn't ask for the typical hotshot DI role, but requests to form a unique unit aimed at protecting vulnerable adults and children who are victims of crime. Then she populates the unit with "misfit" toys. The male detective who she redeems from potentially going to prison for beating up a suspect is not the typical male detective. He is a giant of a man who is sensitive about his size and suffers from serious low self esteem. Watching him grow was delightful.

Another member of the team is her best friend, a family liaison police officer. She is something I cannot ever recall seeing in any other police procedural. She suffers from cerebral palsy and is mostly stuck in a wheelchair. But she is not to be underestimated! She teaches self-defense for handicapped/vulnerable citizens and she is truly a bad-ass who gets a chance to shine while thorough kicking a murderer's butt. But she is also soft, gentle and sweet with kids and is a trained counselor/psychologist. Plus she has a super=cute, super-smart dog sidekick.

Overall, the team just "works". It doesn't feel like one character has all the best moments, but they truly work as a team. I cannot wait until book 2!!

I listened to this as an audiobook. For some reason, I prefer my Irish police procedurals to be auditory, maybe because of the gaelic that is usually peppered throughout and I hate not being able to imagine the correct pronunciation. The narrator for this book was excellent and easy to listen to without any over-exaggeration of dramatic tone. Perfect for this story.

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley and am leaving an honest review.

This was a gripping crime thriller with a very lovable detective lead and, overall, a cast I could root for. I loved the diverse representation here - the detective is wheelchair-bound, but doesn't let that hold her back!

Premise - a couple disappears, but the only witness is their young daughter, who can't remember what happened. Detective Tessa races against the clock to find the couple before it's too late (along with another officer who she's given a second chance at a productive life).

What I really liked:

- disabled DI who was bada** anyway
- bada** female DI (mentioned above) who still is a normal human/woman with feelings, memories, emotional availability, etc. I'm so tired of the hardened cardboard cutout female DI and this one was an actual human. Yay!
- very satisfying ending
- drama without being gratuitous with the violence
- the theme of redemption, second chances, imperfect humans not being automatically doomed that we found throughout this
- getting to know a bit of Ireland

This is the first in a series and I can't wait to read more!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Little Witness (DI Tessa Burns Book 1)
By S.A. Dunphy, Narrated by Melanie MacHugh

The book begins with the incident that leads to Tessa Burns moving up in the ranks to become DI Tessa Burns. The long ago events that made her an orphan toughened Tessa and also made it impossible to not help a kidnapped child despite the danger to herself. Tessa's bravery and calm wits under fire got her the promotion and it also got her a special team that she requested.

Tessa and her team work cases that involve children, especially children that might end up in foster care or children who have suffered from the loss of their parents, in the past. This first book involves the disappearance of the parents of a little girl named Aisling. I adore little Aisling, a brilliantly smart and brave little girl who has been traumatized by what has happened to her and her parents.

Tessa's team is made up of two other people, both formerly in foster care, too. Oh, and there is a one other member of the team, a little dog named Pavlov, who can follow commands but also serves as a comfort dog for any who need help dealing with the hard times they've been through. Any time a scene contains Pavlov, he is mentioned along with the human members of the team. I loved getting to hear Pavlov's name mentioned, showing he is just as important as anyone else on the team.

This story is a character study of Tessa and her team members. It's also a complex mystery and involves a lot of action. As the enemy becomes a tiny bit clearer (and really some of the faces are never clear), it can seem like danger is all around because it is, except it's not clear who is friend or foe. Melanie MacHugh's accent put me right there in Ireland, allowing me to never forget the location or the people of the area. This story is complete but we know there is more to come and I'm looking forward to the next book and spending time with this team, again.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.