A fantastic read, 2nd in a series this one was gripping, love getting to know the characters more, and the dogs. Can't wait for more in the series.

A police procedural with police dogs! My favourite kind. The book is exciting and mysterious and the characters were hard to get to know. The plot is tragic and I loved how involved it made me feel.

Thank you Canelo for the ARC. All opinions are my owns. I am a HUGE Louisa Scarr fan; I've read all her books—yes even Dream Wife and the DS Munro series. I was very excited to see what was next for Lucy, her dogs, and Jack. Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me. I found Theo's case to be kicked off by the coincidence of all coinkidinks and then bum rushed to an anti-climactic resolution. It should've been the main case in one of the books, not the amuse bouche in book #2. I also want more tension between Lucy and Jack. Okay maybe it's cliche to have the MMC and FMC be in love in the club, but give the people what they want. Idc about Jack and Theo's sister! I want Jack being spooned from both sides by Moss and Iggy while Lucy looks on fondly. Anyways, Scarr can definitely write, but this one was a bit lacklustre for me.

When starting this novel I was initially worried as I was starting on the second of the series but this reads well as a standalone and actually has convinced me to read Gallows Wood which is number 1 in the series. The characters are interesting and well constructed and the storyline kept me gripped throughout. Twists and turns throughout kept the action going and as a dog lover I loved the inclusion of Moss and Iggy.

Dog Handler Lucy Halliday is back on the case of a missing 3-year old who disappeared under her mother's nose in a park. DCI Jack Ellis heads up the investigation, finding it hard because of his history, friend Theo disappearing when Jack was 11 and never found. Moss and Iggy, the cadaver and search dogs respectively are brilliant. Rosie, the missing girl, has a disingenuous family, never telling quite the whole truth and there are plenty of twists and turns to investigate here. Th characters are well written and understandable; none is perfect, but all try hard. Intriguing, suspenseful and well worth a read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Loved this second Pc Lucy Halliday book from Louisa Scarr (who is now my favourite author). I enjoy a police procedural thriller and she absolutely nails it every time. Lucy has got her 2 police dogs and it was also great to have a window on their roles. When a small girl disappeara in a local park, the search is on for her and it seems like everyone in the family has something to hide. In comes Jack Ellis from Major Crimes, but when a link comes up to the disappearance of his childhood friend in which he was suspected as the mirderer, Lucy decides to investigate it herself against his wishes. It was great to have a resolution to that aspect of the characters lives whilst Louisa also dropping in hints for the next storyline for Lucy.
I love the relationship between the 2 characters of Jack and Lucy and the fact that they are good friends, not romantically involved. I absolutely whizzed through this...desperate to finish and desperate for it not to be over!

I randomly picked up Louisa Scarr’s Gallows Wood on holidays in September which started the PC Lucy Halliday series and I really enjoyed it. Recently I’ve noticed that an ARC was available for the second book in the series - Memorial park and I was happy to receive it the day after!

Now, my bad, I did not look into the blurb (I generally like to go into such books blinds to spoil as little as possible). It’s a story about not one, but 2 individual cases of missing children. For some reason the missing child trope is my least favourite in crime books so I did struggle a little. However the writing remains very good, the characters are quickly becoming some of my favourite + police dogs!

I also don’t tend to get very emotional over the bodies found in police procedurals but this book did make me tear up. It was very raw in some parts and I was really surprised how it impacted me.

Overall I definitely recommend this series! It’s very fast paced, high stakes and I will definitely continue and pick up the next book when it comes out. I’ve rated this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and it comes out on the 6th of February.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a strong sequel in the PC Lucy Halliday series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the first book in this series. The characters had that element that I was looking for and was invested in what was happening. Louisa Scarr wrote this perfectly and am excited for more.

I was hesitant to start a new series by Scarr because I loved Butler and West so much. I didn’t want anyone to take their place. However, once I read the first few words of Gallows Wood, I was absolutely hooked. This series is about a dog handler officer who is dealing with her own personal crisis and is thrown into solving crimes that bring all her emotion to the surface.

Once I finished Gallows Wood, I needed more right away! Memorial Park is the perfect follow-up. Louisa Scarr has an incredible gift of taking a police procedural and making it something unique and full of heart. The setting is perfect, the characters are well-developed and yet show beautiful growth, and the story is compelling. She doesn’t use shock value as a cheap trick - my jaw genuinely dropped several times during this book, but each time was sincere and surprising. If you like crime dramas and thrillers, you’ll definitely want to pick up this series.

Book #2 in a series featuring PC Lucy Halliday (and her police dogs) & DCI Jack Ellis. While a second book, this one could be read as standalone but I'd highly recommend starting from the beginning and getting to know these characters, plus it's just a fantastic and well written series. I picked this up after much to my delight finding out that Louisa Scarr and Sam Holland are the same person and that she writes under both names. I'd read the Sam Holland series and loved the gritty, grusome and well-written police procedural series. This series is just as well written and easy-to-read with rich and interesting characters, dual POV and some intriguing mysteries. The first book focused more on Lucy and her backstory whereas this one focuses on Jack and follows two mysteries, one a cold case from Jack's past. I hope the author continues this series as I'd love to see what comes next for these characters. Perfect for fans of Jane Casey, Angela Marsons and Joy Ellis.

Review is up on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon Australia on release day. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

I loved the first book in this series and was so excited to have more of Lucy and the dogs. What could be better than a police procedural book with dogs!! for me that is just heaven 😊

This time Lucy and the boys, Moss and Iggy, are called to Memorial Park where 3 year old Rosie has gone missing. Her mother is beside herself but there is no sign of the little girl. The investigation is not an easy one, especially with the family being less than honest with them.

This is a much darker book than the first one, dealing with some very heavy topics. It is also very emotional for these characters. It had me reading late into the night and I was getting teary as well. The case was not at all straight forward and had plenty of twists. The ending was not at all predictable which is always a win for me.

I do love Lucy and her dogs. Anyone who loves dogs is always going to be my friend. It is interesting seeing a different side of policing and how they train these animals.

Absolutely loved it. Published on February 6th, 2025. Thanks so much to Canelo on NetGalley for my early copy to read.

I really enjoyed this one, if anything I preferred it to the first. There was something more gritty about this one and I found it much darker. I loved the development of the characters and how they all have so much depth, Lucy, Jack and Pete are top notch, there best be another book, I don't know how many are intended for this series!

I'd highly recommend.

This was just truly incredible. I absolutely adored Gallows Wood so i had high expectations for Memorial Park and oh my goodness it did not disappoint. The characters and their backstories are just addictive and you can’t not want to discover the mystery of what happened to Jack’s best friend Theo. The writing is fast paced and the plot throws twists out where you least expect it. It’s everything that i love about a detective thriller book. Louisa Scarr, I love you!

Memorial Park follows the abduction of three-year-old Rosie Logan, and the story dives headfirst into the turmoil faced by those tasked with her search, primarily PC Lucy Halliday and her trusty police dogs, Moss and Iggy. From the outset, the author establishes a sense of urgency as Lucy, under the watchful eye of DCI Jack Ellis, navigates a labyrinth of secrets surrounding the Logan family. Each revelation not only propels the plot forward but also adds layers to the characters, particularly Jack, whose own painful past resurfaces with the investigation. The haunting memory of his childhood friend, Theo, who vanished without a trace, fuels his determination to rescue Rosie, creating a compelling emotional resonance throughout the narrative.

The interplay between the probing nature of the investigation and the underlying personal stakes for the characters creates a gripping reading experience. The inclusion of the police dogs adds a unique element to the search, emphasizing both their loyalty and the critical role they play in law enforcement.

The only flaw in the book was the actual character of Lucy. For some reason, I found her abrasive and arrogant in this story. But, overall, Memorial Park is an absorbing read that delivers a heart-pounding mystery and delves into the complexities of human relationships and the weight of unresolved guilt.

#NetGalley

My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Louisa Scarr can do no wrong, I am super into this series!!!

This is the second book in the series, and while you can read it as a standalone you do miss a little of the backstory to DCI Jack Ellis and the previous case.

I think for me this one wasn’t quite as strong as book one, but I still really liked it. I think that Lucy and Jack needed to work together more… and the whole Logan family need a punch in the throat (except for Rosie of course).

Louisa’s writing is as always captivating I love it… and I have no complaints there… I don’t really have any complaints at all if I am honest just that it wasn’t quite as good as book one but I still ate it up with no leftovers… so there you go.

I really like Lucy as a character, she can accept when she makes a mistake and she also knows when she wants something. I think she has grown from book one as well which is great. Her friendship with Jack is awesome, and seemingly not going to be a romance which I am actually ok with (who knows with Lousia though she is tricky). I think that the love interests in this one are actually really good.

The Theo storyline was interesting and I was really keen to know what happened, it was all tied up nicely… but still had some twists enough to keep me guessing.

Overall, if you liked book one I do recommend continuing… it was worth it. I love LS writing and her storytelling is awesome.. I am super keen for another Butler and West though please!!!

Thank you to Canelo Crime, NetGalley and Louisa Scarr for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the authors first book Gallows Wood and Memorial Park is another great read that really hit the mark with me. Lucy and her police dog are called in to search for a young missing girl. Are the family being honest with the police though? The authors writing is very good and the story flows well. I think the pacing is perfect and Lucy and DI Ellis find themselves in a race against time to find the young girl. There are lots of different story threads here that really held my attention and interest and made this a very moreish read full of intrigue and suspense. I like the growing friendship between Lucy and Jack and the glimpses the author gives into their personal lives is a lovely touch. They are both likeable, relateable characters each with a back history and the author portrays them realistically.

I think this series is shaping up to be a very good one, and it is a refreshing change to have a police dog handler as a main character. Overall a very good read which I'd recommend although you need to read Gallows Wood first. Really looking forward to the next book.

I love Police procedral books and it's rare that they include other aspects such as dog handlers, so this book about missing children was very very real.

Rosie is missing having disappeared when her mother 'looked away for a moment'.

This is a brilliant but emotional read. It covers difficult subjects that go hand in hand with children and their abductors.

It is superbly written and I loved how the story progressed.

Memorial Park is the second book in PC Halliday series. It tells a gripping story of a missing child and brings back Lucy and Jack into readers lives. This book contains multiple mysteries with lots of turns and surprises along the way. Furthermore it brings readers into the world of dog handlers and their police dogs.

The start of Memorial Park is little slower with lots of information that someone who read the first book already has. This allows a new reader to not be lost but I found myself wishing to get to the main story and find out what will happen next. Once I got past the first couple chapters I found myself struggling to put the book down.

Louisa Scarr creates such a smooth read it's a pleasure to jump into her story, she brings in factual information about the police system that makes it that much more interesting.

Her characters are consistent although I did find myself frustrated few times with how easily one of the main characters is seeing holes in people stories where everyone around her seems to be missing them. Nonetheless I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of mystery in their life and is not overly disturbed by mention of child pornography or sexual abuse.

This book was not what I expected. The books I usually read are more to do with serial killers and murders, but I loved this one just as much.
There aren’t many books focusing on police dog handlers, but this seemed to nail the idea on the head. It brought everything from the first book and tied it all together nicely whilst leaving room for anticipation for the next book.
Memorial Park is a book with lovable characters (Moss and Iggy take the cake for that obviously!) and a plot that is just as good. I was hooked from the first page and often found myself wondering what would happen next time I opened the book.
Louisa Scarr is an incredible writer who takes immense effort to be accurate and do her research. There are many links to famous events and people such as Madeleine McCann which really immerse you in this book. The link to “our” world only makes everything that the characters go through more real.

I would recommend this book, and all other books by this author, to any reader who wants to get sucked into this immersive, emotional and heartwarming series, whilst second guessing everything you know about these people and events.

When Maria Logan is distracted by a phone call while at the park, her three-year-old daughter Rosie goes missing, sparking a major police hunt. Newly promoted DCI Jack Ellis and dog handler PC Lucy Halliday are determined to find her.

The action is well-paced, and I was gripped with the various case and plot developments. The various secrets of the Logan family were certainly not what I guessed (one character did give me the ick though for the pressure they put on another character). Set nine months after the first book Lucy, has started to heal, with a new romance with fellow dog handler Pete. Loners Lucy and Jack, who is still triggered by the loss of his best friend Theo when they were 11, have also formed a supportive friendship. Both see in the other a doggedness to find justice for victims. I appreciate that Jack has a chance to reconcile his past. However, I really hope we're spared the same drama that Scarr’s Butler and West experienced in book four, which seems to be foreshadowed at the end of this book (please see it isn’t so!).

I’m hooked for more. These books are addicted and I’m highly invested. MORE PLEASE!

Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for the ARC.