April 1994, the small community of Toller Bridge is thrown into chaos when a young girls clothes are discovered next to the Rochdale canal a week and a half after 11 year old Sarah Barrett went missing. The same community that eight years previously had been torn apart by the abduction of three girls and a boy all from the local area. An eyewitness saw one of the girls with someone dressed like a lollipop man prior to her disappearance and picked up by the media, the name stuck. The girls were never seen again but the fourth child, a boy called Matthew was released a couple of hours after he was taken and the abductions stopped. The lollipop man was never caught and the case remains unsolved.

The press are having a field-day, TV anchor for Yorkshire Tonight, Sheila Hargreaves had been there as a rookie reporter for the first abductions and she's determined to be front and centre for this one too.

Working for a local newspaper is Adrian Brown and he's also got a keen interest in this one, but unlike Sheila he shrinks away from the spotlight not wanting anyone to focus their attention on him, he used to be called Matthew.

A fast moving novel with a colourful cast of characters this novel was a good portrayal of a small community where gossip reigns supreme, everyone has their suspicions and away from the spotlight Matthew helped by friend Gav is looking for answers.

My thanks to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the advance review copy, all opinions expressed are my own

The Lollipop Man is the first book by Daniel Sellers that I have read and ultimately it was a good murder mystery story.

The book starts off relatively slowly and feels slightly disjointed but once it is into it’s stride the story moves along at a good pace and kept this reader turning the pages all the way until the whodunnit was resolved.

So overall an enjoyable read.

Set in Yorkshire back in 1994, The Lollipop Man is an engaging thriller. With a good sense of time and place, the novel revolves around several missing young girls - and the young boy who got away. With the names Brady, Hyndley and Sutcliffe on everyone's minds, there is a real sense of community fear and foreboding throughout the tale.

Adrian Brown is eighteen and was almost the victim some years before. Now he finds himself reliving the tale as it seems The Lollipop Man is operating once more. Adrian investigates in a most amaeteur way, assisted by his best friend and a local tv reporter. The set up is intriguing and the angle of not following the police investigation makes this an unusual novel. It's well written and has several twists as the true story is eventually revealed.

A young girl is missing - could the lollipop man have returned?

Eight years ago Adrian was taken by a man but he was returned. Why?
Several young girls have gone missing and witnesses have all described a man in a white coat with a traffic lollipop.
Journalist Sheila Hargreaves was there when Adrian was taken but did not cover the case as she should have and now wants to make amends. Adrian is now a journalist and they start working together.
But more deaths occur and they all seem to be connected to the lollipop man. Who is he and can they find him before more murders occur?

An atmospheric and pacy thriller that comes to a satisfactory conclusion. I was gripped from the first page!

I really enjoyed this especially being born in the 90s
I found it interesting to see what it was like then especially the phone boxes and the no worries about finger prints.
This was fast paced interesting with some great characters I like how much information we found out as journalist as I tend to read detective books so loved the difference.
Over all a good thriller book I enjoyed and would recommend

Yorkshire 1994. Eighteen-year-old Adrian works at the local newspaper during the day and in the evening, He works at the local gay pub called the Jester. I lives quite a normal life this day but not 8 years a go when he was ten years old. He was abducted by a child killer call the ‘Lollipop man’ and he was the only child survived. Then he had long hair, and the killer usually only takes young girls so that how he managed to get away.
When news comes in that a little girl called Rachel has disappeared similarities of how Adrian was abducted and the other two children all of them years ago. That media frenzy occurs when they think that the Lollipop man has returned. Journalist Shelia Hargreaves that reported the previous abductions goes out of her way to find out what happened to the children.
Even Adrian tries to do his own bit of digging to help in the search for Rachel but, this leads him in all sorts of trouble.
I thank Alison & Busby for a copy of ‘The Lollipop man’. This is my first book I have read by the author Daniel Sellers and by reading this book I am sure to look out for more.
This is a great read full of tension and a quite complex plot trying to find killer. But the characters are well developed and relatable and you quite feel sorry for the protagonist on what he went through past and present. It also has a surprising but satisfying ending. 5 stars from me.

I was invited to read and review this book by the publishers

What a great book it was, set in the 90s with flashbacks to the 80s when 3 young girls were abducted by a man only known as the lollipop man.
We follow a young lad working for a newspaper and a tv presenter as they try to crack the mystery after another young girl is abducted years later.

I raced through this book and could not put it down. I will be looking out for more books written by Daniel Sellers now I have read my first one.

4 stars

Eight years ago, in Yorkshire, 1986, Adrian was abducted by The Lollipop man, he was ten-years-old. He managed to escape … he was the only one who did.

It’s now 1994, and Adrian is eighteen-years-old, and works at the local newspaper. When a young girl goes missing, rumours abound that The Lollipop Man has returned. Why the long gap?

Adrian manages to get himself in lots of bother, and turns to celebrity journalist, Sheila Hargreaves for help. The more they look into the cases, the deeper the mystery becomes.

This is a fantastic read, it is one of those books that you don’t want to put down.

I liked Adrian’s character, he was complex, but likeable. Sheila is one of those people who doesn’t let anything go, determined to have her way, but struggles a bit with her behaviour in the past.

A well-written and enjoyable story, that left me feeling tense and nervous as the story drew to a close. I did not expect the ending, the twists in the story were well-thought-out.

This is a new author to me, and I’m looking forward to reading more from him.

My thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book intrigued me from page one. A first time author for me, there are characters to love and hate. The writing style had more dialogue than my usual reading genre but the plot was full of twists and turns to keep the reader curious and entertained. There is a lot going on in this storyline. Set in 1994, Yorkshire, a young girl is snatched from a West Yorkshire town and there are similarities to a cold case 8 years earlier.

Adrian, 18 years old works as an admin assistant at the local newspaper. Gav, Adrain’s best friend, is a great character. Adrian Brown’s character, for me, really developed with each page. His anxiety is palpable throughout but he also grows in confidence to the very end.

Other characters, Sheila, journalist & TV host, and Jeanette,(Sheila’s sister-in-law) added humour to the story in the midst of murder & mayhem. With short chapters it is a quick read. The last few chapters were super fast!

The characters are still racing around in my head and I enjoyed the book.

I give a 4 star rating. I would recommend this book.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND ALLISON & BUSBY FOR THE ADVANCED READING COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. ALL MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Aiden Brown is working at the local newspaper but he’s not who he seems to be. At 10 Aiden was kidnapped by the notorious lollipop man and got away but it seems the lollipop man is back again when children begin to be missing closer to home for Aiden but what can he remember ?
Great thriller well written and gripped you from the start.
Will be looking out for more from this author

A really good murder mystery with many twists and I loved the character Adrian as he tries to find out who kidnapped him when he was 10 years old but managed to escape but murdered 3 other girls known as the Lollipop man as they wore a white coat.
Now eight years later another child has gone missing has the Lollipop man returned Adrian feels compelled to try and find the truth and save the child. Meanwhile journalist Sheila Hargreaves who covered the story has her own reasons to try and find the person responsible and bring them to justice.
Thoroughly enjoyed the story kept me wanting to read more would highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The Lollipop Man is a dark and disturbing but brilliant story about a series of kidnappings occurring in 1994, which bear an eerie resemblance to those of eight years earlier. Adrian is the sole survivor of those earlie attacks by the Lollipop man and his hidden memories could prove crucial in stopping the attacker now.
I really enjoyed this novel, and while the overall theme is dark, there are several intersecting storylines that add to the overall intrigue and elevate this novel above the usual murder mystery. The characters are believable and written to be compelling and sympathetic - the reader will find themselves supporting and siding with Adrian and his friends throughout.
This is my first Daniel Sellers book, but I will be catching up on his previous novels now.

Thank you to Allison and Busby for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The story begins in a town in West Yorkshire, when a young girl is grabbed off the street by an unknown person. We learn soon after that the abduction is similar to crimes that happened about 8 years ago and the lone survivor is Adrian Brown, who was taken by The Lollipop Man and he was lucky in escaping him. The police must investigate and see if the crimes match the earlier cold cases where 3 victims were declared as missing after being taken. What happens next is the media start to ask questions looking for answers themselves, especially Sheila Hargreaves, as she wrote a few pieces for newspapers. It had brilliant and believable characters and I loved the relationship of Adrian and his mate Gav! I felt the book had excellent plotting and the sub plots all came together with a dramatic twist! It was unputdownable and I was glued to my seat as I lived through their experiences of trying to find the identity of The Lollipop Man. All in all, it was an engrossing and nail biting rollercoaster of a read! I will be recommending this book!!!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is 20th Feb 2025. Wow, this plot was page-turning, heart-pounding and nail-biting!

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and now I’m a firm fan! This book is a must read for 2025!

I read this book within a day as it was fast- paced with many twists and turns that kept me turning the pages at speed. I’d highly recommend this book!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars