Irish detective Finnegan Beck is called in to investigate the murder of a young mother and the disappearance of her baby daughter. A horrific crime but with a strong connection to a deserted village where a baby was murdered in the 1950s. Has this baby met the same fate?
This is the second book to feature Beck and this time it focuses much more on the solving of the crime and police procedure whereas the first book was more connected with Beck’s personal life. Once again though, he is forced to confront his own demons and the lines between personal and professional life are blurred.
I liked the flashback chapters which describe the 1950s and they contrast sharply with the modern day in terms of the attitude of the police and the way that a case is handled. It left lots of mystery as the reader waits to find out how that case relates to the one in the present.
The style of writing is easy to read and I enjoyed the Irish lilt to the dialogue. The chapters are short which makes the book fast paced and suited me perfectly as I could fit a couple of chapters around motherhood and work commitments 🙂
The emotional background of the police detectives is explored to give depth to their characters. The focus isn’t just on the lead detective but also his colleagues who are dealing with personal battles.
I expected there to be more fallout from the previous book but there was little so this book works well as a stand alone read. The character of Beck continues to evoke sympathy in the reader as he fights alcoholism and supports his colleagues.
I wonder what the next book in the series will bring…
Title: THE CHILD BEFORE
Author: Michael Scanlon
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Publication Day: June 5th 2019
Description:
She began to sing, the girl. Her voice was soft, so soft it was almost of the wind. It was a lullaby. She cradled her arms, rocking them gently back and forth. As if she was holding a baby. But she was not. Her arms were empty.
On a cold morning a cyclist finds the brutally-slaughtered body of a woman in her car, on a remote lane leading to the long-abandoned Irish village of Kelly’s Forge.
But when Detective Finnegan Beck arrives from the nearby town of Cross Beg to investigate he notices there’s a baby’s seat in the back of the car. A bottle of baby’s milk lying in the footwell. And no child.
Little Róisín isn’t the first child to go missing from that same remote location though. There was another baby girl, taken more than fifty years before, who was never found. Has too much time passed for there to be a connection, or does something – or someone – link these two crimes?
Beck claims he does not want to stay in Cross Beg. His heart is back in Dublin, with the woman he loves. But, knowing that a child’s life depends on him changes things. He knows he has to find the missing baby girl. Because if he doesn’t, he fears there’s a chance everyone will give up the baby for dead, just like they did before…
This dark, twisted page turner will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Patricia Gibney, and Rachel Caine.
Author Bio:
Michael Scanlon is a civilian employee of the An Garda Siochana (the Irish police force), but a life threatening undiagnosed illness that struck while travelling in Spain in 2014 has rendered him on long term sick leave. He is married to Eileen and has a daughter, Sarah. He lives in the countryside outside the town of Ballina in County Mayo. The town has arguably the best salmon river in Europe, called the Moy.
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This book is a fascinating read about morality and the ethics of using violence for avenging the innocent.
We are introduced to Ellie and Mia. They are on different sides of the law.
Ellie wins the lottery and sets up rescue centres for animals but also hires a team to get revenge on those that abuse and kill animals. Mia is a doctor helping the police with their investigation into the human murders and acts of terrorism. She goes off on her own and searches for the killers at the behest of the lead detective who is in love with her.
Halfway through the book is a major development (I won’t spoil it!) and Mia finds herself with an unthinkable dilemma.
The author Chris Clement-Green has really spun a good tale. This book would be brilliant for a book club as the opposing viewpoints would provide an excellent debate. It is so thought provoking and relevant to today’s modern society as well as my own personal journey to be vegan and cruelty free.
The title She Will Rescue You has multiple meanings. Ellie is rescuing animals as well as saving humans from their own worst excesses. She is saving those who work for her by providing a safe home and a reason to live. In the second half of the book, Mia is trying to rescue and protect others (no more details, my lips are sealed!)
I admit that it took me a while to get into this book as the two strands seem worlds apart to begin with. However, it is definitely worth persevering as the twist is fabulous and the whole book is stunningly intelligent.
SHE WILL RESCUE BY CHRIS CLEMENT GREEN
TWO WOMEN ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE LAW WILL DO ALMOST ANYTHING FOR WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT
Dr Mia Langley is a criminal forensic psychologist working for the National Crime Agency. Elegant, intelligent, and ambitious but lonely. She works among society’s darkest minds in perpetrator profiling.
A man is murdered in a Norfolk turkey shed. Just another violent incident or something more?
Ellie Grant is a lonely young woman. She works for minimum wage at an animal shelter and nurses a simmering hatred for all those who abuse animals.
When she “finds” a winning lottery ticket, she face a terrible choice: use the money for what she believes in or give the ticket back to its rightful owner.
THE TWO WOMAN WILL BECOME LOCKED IN A BATTLE WHICH WILL TEST ALL THEIR BELIEFS. HOW FAR WILL EACH OF THEM GO?
And both women fall in love with the same man.
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Discover a race-against-time thriller which will have you gripped from the first page to the last.
THE AUTHOR
Chris(tine) Clement-Green retired from Thames Valley Police after sixteen years as a uniform sergeant followed by five as a civilian investigator on serious and organised crime teams in Humberside and Wiltshire – which included working on several murder incident rooms and national drug operations. She is the author of the memoir, “Into the Valley.”
Chris Clement-Green Author Bio
I retired from Thames Valley Police after sixteen years as a uniform sergeant followed by five as a civilian investigator on serious and organised crime teams in Humberside and Wiltshire – which included working on several murder incident rooms.
My serious writing started in 2007 when I entered the National Association of Writer’s Groups annual short story competition. It was my first competition so I was astonished to win with Pebbles. This win encouraged me to undertake the Open University Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing courses, which I completed with distinction. In 2013 I was accepted onto the prestigious Bath Spa University Creative Writing MA, where I completed a humorous but gritty life-writing manuscript Into the Valley which was subsequently published by Mirror Books in 2017.
I have had several articles and letters published in national UK magazines, most notably Writing Magazine, and in September 2016 I was published in The New Guard Volume V a literary journal based in New York. I have also been short listed in the Literature Works First Page Writing Prize and in several Writing Magazine competitions. In 2016 my fantasy short story, Layla, was published in Divinity Fantasia Magazine and I won the Oriel Davis Prose Competition with Cosmic Tiger and was also a finalist in the Women in Comedy Festival with my monologue Queenie. This year my article Food for Thought was runner up in the Scribble annual article completion, and I co-wrote a piece on the subject of Mentoring with James McCreet which was published on the 6th September 2018.
My recently completed debut novel She Will Rescue You is being published on the 30th May 2019 by Joffe Books and I am currently working on a new crime novel – Rage Hard which is another police procedural set in Oxford revolving around a white WPC and black criminal during the race riots of Thatcher’s Britain.
I also run tutored and untutored writing retreats from my home in mid Wales – thewelshwritingshed.co.uk
Katie Scott leaves the army and returns home. Her uncle arranges for her to join his police department and she is soon upsetting the locals with her drive and determination which makes them feel inadequate.
She struggles to adapt to civilian life. I was surprised that she is so used to taking orders during her army days but frequently goes off on her own to investigate, therefore breaking the rules and disobeying her superiors.
We have a little insight into the mind of the killer as some chapters show his perspective and psychological state. There are red herrings to misdirect the reader into suspecting particular characters.
Katie is a wonderful character and lead for a new series. She is strong and passionate but also caring and deeply affected by her time in the army. She is ably supported in her investigations by her army dog Cisco and I look forward to seeing how her relationship with her ex Chad develops later in the series.
I was a little disappointed by the ending because I wanted to know more detail about the killer’s motivation. I felt that this book was an excellent way of introducing Katie to the world but that the crimes were secondary so didn’t quite get the coverage they should have done.
Little Girls Sleeping: An absolutely gripping crime thriller (Detective Katie Scott Book 1)
He looked down at the little girl, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped around a teddy bear. He knew he was the only one who could save her. He could let her sleep forever.
An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea.
But as Katie starts to investigate, accompanied by her loyal ex-military dog, Cisco, the case reveals itself to be much bigger and more shocking than she feared. Hidden deep in the forest she unearths a makeshift cemetery: a row of graves, each with a brightly coloured teddy bear.
Katie links the graves to a stack of missing-persons cases involving young girls—finding a pattern no one else has managed to see. Someone in Pine Valley has been taking the town’s daughters for years, and Katie is the only one who can stop them.
And then another little girl goes missing, snatched from the park near her home.
Katie’s still haunted by the friend she failed to protect, and she’ll do anything to stop the killer striking again—but can she find the little girl before it’s too late?
Compulsive and gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Katie Scott’s first case will have you on the edge of your seat and gasping with shock.
About the author:
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
Jennifer Chase was born and raised in California and still lives there with her husband, dogs and cats. In addition to writing and consulting, Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors, both at the beach and hiking, and engaging in some amateur photography.
Motherhood, broken relationships, mental health, suicide, alcoholism, , shoplifting, adoption.
Big subjects but all sensitively dealt with in Invisible Girl.
Three women are brought together through a twist of fate. Becca is struggling financially and emotionally after leaving her husband. She accidentally leaves her money at the cashpoint and fears the worst but the cash has been kept safe by a homeless woman Maddy.
Becca invites Maddy back to her home for the night as thanks. Her friend Sarah has grave concerns about this but is hiding her own secrets and doesn’t want to risk her friendship with Becca.
Later, Maddy is attacked on the streets and Becca takes her in longer term. This helps both Becca and Sarah by providing free child care so they can work. But can Maddy stay sober and stay part of the family?
There is really good character development over the course of the book. Despite their flaws, I found myself caring deeply about the women and wanting them to find the happiness that is missing from their lives.
Invisible Girl is a deeply emotional book and Jill Childs has cleverly spun the narratives together, giving each woman a voice and an insight into their psychological state which explains their motivations.
The twist is quite obvious the whole way through but this didn’t spoil the book at all. In fact, I was waiting eagerly for the characters to discover the truth so it actually increased my anticipation.
The topics mentioned in my opening line may seem overwhelming but they were all handled gently and without judgement. I am pleased that the author didn’t shy away from tough subjects or sugar coat them. By focussing on the individual strands, she presents the women’s experiences in a delicate but powerful way.
Title: Invisible Girl: A heartbreaking page turner with an unexpected ending
Publication Day: 30/05/2019
Author: JILL CHILDS
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Description:
A heartbreaking story of family secrets from the USA Today bestselling author of Gracie’s Secret. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.
I know you. I know you in a way you can’t even imagine. I have been searching for you in the years since you wrote that letter – the letter that told me you were looking for me too. But now that I’ve found you, I don’t know if I can say the terrible truth of what I am. It would ruin your perfect life. It would hurt your beautiful daughter.
So, I hesitate – bide my time, for now. This morning, you’re running late and your little girl, tugged by the hand, scurries to keep up with you. She’s clean but a little scrawny. Maybe that’s because you strugglewith the bills; maybe she’s just made that way.
I know what it is to have lost a child. I pray you never learn how that feels. But I can’t wait forever… and when I finally tell you my secret, will it break you like it did me all those years ago?
Author Bio:
Jill has always loved writing – real and imaginary – and spent 30 years travelling the world as a journalist, living overseas and reporting wherever the news took her. She’s now made her home in London with her husband and twin girls who love stories as much as she does. Although she’s covered everything from earthquakes and floods, riots and wars, she’s found some of the most extraordinary stories right here at home – in the secrets and lies she imagines behind closed doors on ordinary streets, just like yours.
If you’ve enjoyed reading one of Jill’s books, please do leave a review.
For latest news, follow Jill on Twitter (author_jill) and Facebook (Jill Childs)
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