5 stars out of 5
What makes a winner in my book? One way I can tell is when life intervenes - like fixing dinner or putting laundry in the machine - I'll do whatever it takes to keep on reading, if only for a few more minutes. That certainly happened here. If you don't believe me, just ask my husband, who's rather hungry by now (on second thought, don't; my "Just one more chapter, hon" defense is starting to wear thin).
Not only is the book very well written, but it's reminiscent of another of my favorite series: J.D. Robb's "Death" series that features life-scarred Lt. Eve Dallas and her hunky Irish husband Roarke (the latter near the top of my all-time list of favorite book "heroes," BTW). Here, it's the debut of Detective Rachel Prince, with a hint of romance-to-be from another Irish hunk she works with on occasion from a neighboring law enforcement agency in England.
Rachel may not be as emotionally damaged as Eve, but she's every bit as irascible and dedicated to her job. She bristles when things don't go her way, banters with her partner Mark Brickell and fights on through injuries that would put me in a hospital for months. Here adventure begins with the disappearance of Lola Jade Harper, a 6-year-old whose mother insists was abducted by the girl's father (from whom she's estranged). Although he strongly denies any involvement, the belief that he's the culprit intensifies when he suddenly disappears.
As the investigation continues, though, Rachel's nose keeps twitching; clues just aren't adding up right. Then, a local woman with possible ties to the abduction is murdered - followed by the abduction of another young girl. In between, subplots of a drug ring investigation, career-threatening actions by Rachel's partner and the dogged appearance of a person of interest from Rachel's past are interspersed, adding to the interest.
As a devout champion of women's rights, I admit I was less than happy with Rachel's handling of the issue related to her partner's possible job loss. But that doesn't change my love of the book as a whole - nor my eagerness to read more in this series. Reportedly, next up is Unlucky Ones - and I'm hoping to see it soon!
The Missing Child by Alison James (Bookouture, February 2018); 315 pp.
4 stars out of 5
The first book in a new series never fails to be exciting for me - especially when I get to the end and am disappointed that I don't have the next one at hand. Such is the case here, and I'm already hoping the author is well into the writing of book No. 2.
The star of this show is Josie Quinn, a detective with the Denton, Pa., police who's been put on leave following allegations of use of excessive force (where she lives is of some relevance to me since in about 15 minutes we can be in the Keystone State). There's not a lot of question that Josie did the deed; but it's also true that she had a traumatic childhood that has left her with serious emotional scars, so I suppose it's understandable that she's got a hair-trigger temper. She's still married to childhood sweetheart and fellow cop Ray, but only because he refuses to sign the divorce papers; in fact, she's now engaged to hunky state cop Luke (thus jumping from the frying pan to the fire a bit too fast for me to have much sympathy should things go wrong).
As the story begins, Isabelle Coleman, a beautiful and popular girl from town, goes missing. Not long thereafter, Josie narrowly misses being struck by a car that's occupants are being shot at - a car filled with gang-type guys and a local history teacher, the latter of whom lives long enough to utter the name "Ramona" as Josie tries to help.
Next comes another stunner: Another girl turns up, unresponsive and near death - a girl no one realized had been missing. Even more confusing, she's got a tongue piercing exactly like Isabelle's. Does that mean the two cases are related? Could Isabelle still be alive? Who in blazes is Ramona? Wondering minds, especially Josie's, want to know; but since she's currently prohibited from taking part in any official police investigation, she's got to figure out how to get away with on-the-sly sleuthing.
She does try to convince the police chief to let her work the case, but her pleas fall on deaf ears every time. So, she relies as best she can on Ray, Luke and an ethically challenged TV reporter - at least, until some buried facts come to light that change everything she's believed about the case - and about many of the people she's known and loved. Worse, what she's learned puts her square in the crosshairs of some people who will stop at nothing to keep their long-held secrets secret.
There's no shortage of action (sometimes a bit over the top), so the whole thing kept me pretty much on the edge of my seat throughout. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review it.
Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan (Bookouture, January 2018); 336 pp.
