I enjoyed this book. It’s the first book in a series.
Detective Lottie Parker and her team are called to investigate 2 deaths that seem connected. The story is told in two time lines and great twists are revealed throughout.
Lottie is a fiesty mom of 3 teens. She struggles between her personal life and work life after losing her husband to cancer.
The story is a bit long but kept my attention and flowed nicely. At one point, every character was a suspect in my eyes. I love that!
I will definitely read the second book in the series and can’t wait to see how these characters continue to develop.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!!

I really enjoyed this gripping detective novel. The narration was outstanding and very engaging throughout. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I listened to the audible version of this book, and wow, I found the narrator just on point with the characters and their personalities. The book itself I always wanted to listen more to find out what was happening, coming from and Irish background when I found what it was going to be about at first I was alittle "oh here we go again" but Patricia made it more emotional then what I've read about before making sure we new each story from the characters back when the things happened this made me feel attached to them. When it finshed I went onto my audible account and bought the next one in D.I parkers story can't wait to carry it on though.

Detective Lottie Parker is leading a team on a chilling case involving two mysterious deaths. A woman is brutally murdered in a church, and another man's death is staged to look like a suicide. Both deaths seem to be connected to the dark history of St. Angela's, a former Catholic children’s home.

I found the storyline challenging to get into. The back-and-forth between characters sometimes confused me, and the lack of urgency combined with Lottie’s personal demons slowed down the pace. I love police procedures, but I found this one to be a little lacklustre.

In saying that, the book did pave the way for wanting to know more about Lottie and the potential for more in the series.

This book has heavy trigger warnings. Child sexual abuse and murder. Religious trauma. Catholic Church. Please consider this before reading.

The narration is great. I recommend listening at 1.25 or 1.5 speed.


Thank you NetGalley for this audio arc.

4/5- I would not say "An absolutely gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist" as some other reviewers wrote but I appreciated the twists and turns in this story. It kept me guessing throughout half of the book who the killer was, The end started to drag on for a bit, it is why I would give a 4/5 stars. The narrator does a good job but I had to go back several times as I lost track of who the main character of the chapter was. The transitions were quite unclear. Not sure if it was on the narrator or the author' side.

Thanks to Net Galley for the audio ARC!

I really enjoyed the narrator for this audio book.

The story overall was average.

I feel like the story is heavily character driven but I unfortunately couldn't connect well with any of the characters. Also, the amount of character often made the story a bit difficult to follow. I eventually had to keep a list next to me so I could keep everyone straight.

The mystery/twist is also average.

I did like that it felt like all of the characters' arc felt real and lived in, nothing felt too clean or like every loose end was tied up in the end.

I absolutely adore police procedurals and this one did not disappoint. I love a mystery that provides you with all the evidence and you are watching the story unfold as the characters do.

When two bodies are found with similar cause of death and both with mysterious tattoos Detective Lottie Parker begins looking into the cases. the current case leads her to ones from the past and a children’s home with secrets.

There is something about listening to police procedurals that really bring me into the story and I thought the narration was spot on for this one. The narrator did a great job with pacing and a range of characters that made the narration immersive. I also loved that the story was set in Ireland so we got the accents.

Lottie Parker had the wonderful addition of a family dynamic, she has three children and they play in the story as well and are important figures. I will say that this book wasn't as fast paced as some of the other police procedural's I've read and I think that's because there was so much set up about Loyyie's family dynamic and her past, I don't think this will be an issue in other books in the series. I’m excited to see this is a series with lots more mysteries for Lottie Parker to solve.

Thanks to Net Galley for the audio ARC.

Firstly, thank you to the author, #netgalley and #bookotoureaudio for the opportunity to listen to an arc copy of this novel.

Lottie is a recently widowed, single mother of 3 with a demanding job as a detective. Following a murder in the town, it unravels a whole host of challenges from her own personal attack to the murder of a few more people and what seems to tie them together is St Angela’s. A home for children ran by the Catholic Church. But why would they be targeted?

This book has a great main character. She’s strong willed, likeable and relatable in many ways. I appreciated the authors portrayal of the challenges she faced as a single working mum. Not only that, but she’s a tenacious detective, keen to do anything to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The story was slow to start I personally found. Trying to keep up with the numerous characters and how they tied together alongside the jumping timeline listening by audio I found difficult. This could be due to my own difficulties in staying fully present as I listen to audiobooks while doing other things. The book also at parts seemed to drag and wasn’t as fast paced as I would have liked. Some details seemed to be a non addition to the story but later on it would become clear why it had been added earlier. It did pick up and once I became a bit more familiar with the main players in the story it became easier to keep track of therefore later in the book was more engaging than the first half.

This is not a light read, there are some parts some might find challenging in terms of abuse of children. Whilst not overtly graphic it is something readers should be aware of in advance. There are also heavy themes, for example the Catholic Church is not presented well in the book and it hits close to home how realistic this life must have been for many individuals in similar establishments. The abduction of children and inferred sexual assault was also evident.

For me I think the narrator had a great voice and I loved the Irish accent, I think it fitted the novel well. However, my only criticism was the voices of the characters, for me personally I think just reading the novel would have enhanced the audio and made it easier to listen to. The voices weren’t particularly distinctive and as a result it was difficult to try and establish which character was being presented to begin with. My biggest challenge was with Lorrie’s boss, the voice just didn’t match the energy conveyed. For example when Lottie was getting berated for her choice to go off on her own to chase a potential lead and he was angry, the voice tried to convey anger but it wasn’t done well and took away from the scene in my opinion.

Overall it was a decent audiobook and I would rate it 3.5 out of 4. It had a solid storyline with some interesting views and themes. It kept you wondering how it tied together, how everyone was interlinked. The overall murderer I had a fairly decent idea who it was about 80% into the book which turned out to be right however the last couple of twists I definitely hadn’t anticipated. There’s a lot of scope for Lottie (and in particular her potential love story with Boyd!) that could be explored in further novels. I wonder if it would be easier to read rather than listen but if you are able to stay on track and not get distracted it’s a good one to try.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/The Missing Ones (Detective Lottie Parker Book 1)
Patricia Gibney
The body of a woman is found murdered in a cathedral. A short time later a man is found hanging from a tree. At first it was believed the man committed suicide. Something didn’t add up. The autopsy revealed a primitive tattoo on the inner thigh of each body. All clues lead to St. Angela’s, a home for troubled children. Several of the children went missing and were never found again.
Detective Lottie Parker is widowed; she misses her husband who died of cancer; she tends to drown her grief. She is the mother to three teenagers, two girls and a son. Her boss is constantly belittling her. Detective Sargent Mark Boyd was a friend of Lottie’s husband. He wants to be more than friends with Lottie, but while she is interested, she isn’t sure she is ready. Lottie is trying to find a balance between her children and her work. She knows her children are home alone too much. She tends to come off as grouchy to everyone.
The things that happened at St. Angela’s are unthinkable. The cruelty and abuse the children/teens faced was unforgiveable and many did not live to forgive. This book does not shine a good light on the Catholic church.
The first half of this book was a bit slow. I struggled to stay focused, but the last half is superb. WOW! I stayed up late in the dark of night to listen to this tale. Lottie dug in her heels determined to figure out who the culprit was. I had a pretty good idea who it was but that didn’t stop the thrill of the ending.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of The Missing Ones.

I just finished listening to The Missing Ones and I have to say, I’m a sucker for an Irish accent and can’t help but love a listen with an Irish narrator. The story was also really good. Lottie Parker, the main character, is a bad ass. She’s got this tough-as-nails exterior but also shows her vulnerable side, which makes her super relatable.

I also appreciated how the author highlights the real struggles that single moms face at work. It’s refreshing to see these challenges portrayed so honestly. Lottie’s juggling act between her demanding job and raising her kids really resonated with me.

The story was engaging, though there were a few moments where the pacing felt a bit off, which is why I’m giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Overall, it’s a solid thriller with a great main character.

A strong, dark start to the series.

„The Missing Ones“ introduces the reader to Irish D.I. Lottie Parker (the latest installment in the series, number 14, is slated to be released on September 2020, 2024). Recently widowed and a mom to three children, Lottie tries to juggle her demanding work and her family life. She is likeable and a capable detective, yet very flawed, and a great character to base a series on. Even when she is being insubordinate, I found myself rooting for her, though I could have done without the casual police brutality.

In „The Missing One“, the discovery of a murdered older woman in a cathedral leads Lottie to a now defunct local Catholic children‘s home for wayward kids. Sadly, with the way the world is, once you hear „Ireland“ and „Catholic children‘s home“, you can already picture a lot of the dark and disturbing subject matter in this book.

While this is not a light read, and not a quick one either, it is a well-done mystery / suspense novel. I didn‘t quite find the final twist as „jaw-dropping“ as advertised by the cover, but I can agree that this was a gripping, often horrifying, and frequently heartbreaking thriller. I will definitely be reading more books from this series.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„The Missing Ones“ was published in 2017, and the audiobook version is slated to be published on September 20, 2024.

A murder (or murders), a snappy detective with a complicated life and a lovely, wintry Irish setting? I'm in! Lottie (named for Charlotte Bronte...yay!) pushes through her life's sorrows to be an excellent and thorough detective. People are being murdered one after the other, ties are beginning to be formed between the victims, but there are still many layers to unfold as you begin to try to figure out who is responsible. I felt that it was not predictable and the plot was cleverly laid out. There is some abusive content within that might be unsettling to some readers, but overall pertinent to your emotions toward the characters.
I'm intrigued to get to know more characters along with Lottie, like Boyd. I'll definitely be waiting for the next installment.
As always I could listen to someone read anything with an Irish accent, and this narrator was superb in capturing all the characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARL! All opinions are mine.

I loved this audiobook.

The narration was spot on for this, so many times you excitedly start listening and realise that for whatever reason you will not make it past the first chapter. Not so in this case.

Speaking of cases this was gripping, dark and thought provoking. In part set in times not that distant but horrifying in the extreme.

Characterisation was good and gave a good overview of the majority of them.

I was very impressed with the quality of writing for the first in the series, imagine my delight when I realised that although the audio is a new release there are other Lottie novels ready and waiting. All I have to do now is decide if I can wait for audio or if I should devour them in written format.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this audiobook.

Whew... this book was a massive emotional undertaking. Very well written, but much more graphic in its content than I had anticipated, which could be hard to get through at times.

For anyone who reads this review and plans to read the book: massive trigger warnings for child abuse, alcoholism, rape, attempted rape, pedophilia, and religious trauma.

Detective Lottie Parker has a difficult investigation to lead following the discovery of a woman’s body in the cathedral. Followed soon after by the discovery of a man’s body. What is going on and how is this linked to the former children’s home that closed years ago?

Very well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Strong characters must use their skills and stamina to solve what is going on before even more deaths. Lottie’s family will be drawn in to the danger and mystery to these killings. Only book one so I look forward to book two.

A great debut in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to listen to this audio book.

Ms Moran does an amazing job of narrating this debut. I loved the accents and as always, there is something about the narration that successfully describes the settngs and the emotions, with an "Irish" twist.

Lottie is investigating two deaths that are seemingly tied to each other and to the past. As she goes deeper, she is surprised to find that they are also tied to HER past, and not in a happy way.

Lottie is navigating being a single parent, and the effects of losing her husband while trying to be a leader at work and involved at home. When the killer hits close to home, she is in a race to unravel not only the past, but figure out what or who is threatening her in the present. The church is involved, which means there are a lot of loyalties and people who have a vested interested in the past remaining the past.

I was interested in her relationship with her team and the different dynamics. I am excited to see the next book in this series to watch Lottie and the team evolve.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this audiobook and offer my thoughts.

Title: The Missing Ones
Author: Patricia Gibney
Series: Detective Lottie Parker Book #1
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Michele Moran
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook Release Date: September 20, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages 424

This is the first book in the ten volume Detective Lottie Parker series. Book #1 was published back in March 16, 2017 - there are 38 editions available.
The audiobook release date is scheduled for September 20, 2024.
This story starts when two bodies are found at two different times; however both have the same distinctive tattoo on their legs. There seems to be no other connection.
Lottie and her team must work from that first clue. As Lottie investigated she finds a connection to her own past; she fears that her children, Sean, Chloe and Katie, might now be in danger.

The burb plus the 4 & 5 ratings from readers I usually agree with had me interested in this story.
However, I sound found it dragging and I was struggling to keep interested. I found Lottie annoying, rude and unlikeable and wasn’t interested in hearing her yell at her children – Note: I am listening to an audiobook, sometime the narrator’s performance is not what I imagined however as I continued, I believe the narrator Michele Moran got it right.

I hung in there as often the ending saves the story for me and I end up liking it; however, this ended just okay.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 20, 2024.

Lottie Parker might just be my new favorite female detective! The audio version was exceptional, with the perfect Irish accent, authentic without being too thick to follow. Lottie herself is brilliantly written, coming across as a real, relatable person. Her imperfections make her all the more captivating. As the first book in the series, it delivers a strong start, and I’m excited to continue the journey. If you’re a fan of The Women’s Murder Club or James Patterson’s Harriet Blue series, this is a must read! 5/5 highly recommend for your next detective thriller binge!

Good listen with plenty of twists and turns I also liked the characters and as this is book 1 in the series I am so looking forward to more in this series