The Missing Ones: An absolutely gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist

Patricia Gibney

Mar 2017 · Bookouture

About this ebook

The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.

The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’

When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation.  Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs.  It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?

The trail leads Lottie to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history.  Suddenly the case just got personal.

As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing.  She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?

Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.

Fans of Rachel Abbott, Karin Slaughter and Robert Dugoni will be gripped by this page-turning serial killer thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night.

What everyone is saying about The Missing Ones:

'I had been looking forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed. I will certainly be reading more books in this series.' Angela Marsons

'This debut novel from Gibney is just EVERYTHING!!! This was THE BEST book I have read in quite some time. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!' Butterfly's Booknerdia Blog

‘Totally riveting and 100% engrossing.’ Books From Dusk Till Dawn

'A gripping read from beginning to finish.' Deja Read

'AMAZING! Really well written and kept me itching to read the next page. It was unputdownable! Cannot wait to read book two when released.' Goodreads Reviewer

'I was immediately grabbed by the opening paragraph and was so enthralled that I read it in two sittings. I only put it down when my eyes refused to stay open!' Goodreads Reviewer

'It's one of those stories where you look at the clock and you think just a couple more chapters, and then you look again and hours have gone by. It was well worth the lack of sleep.' Goodreads Reviewer

'A phenomenal read for a debut novel – when I say good, I mean gooooooooood.' Page Turners Nook

‘Gibney definitely is a writer to watch and an exciting new voice in crime fiction.’ But Books are Better

'This story has it all, compelling characters, a strong plot, a lot of action, suspense, and tension. Reading this novel was fascinating and totally engaging.' Carol's Place

'I have found a new crime author to add to my must read list. I find it incredible that this is a debut novel, as it's polished, well plotted and gripping.' The Book Review Cafe

'Thrilling ... filled with twists and turns that surprise you out of nowhere; it is dark, mysterious, and gripping.' The Reading Lodge

'Wow! Thrilling and tense, with so many twists. A page-turning, unputdownable read. The suspense builds up throughout the book and the pace never lets down. And the ending - wow! I did not see it coming! I am in awe of this author. Five amazing stars.' Renita D'Silva

'If I had to describe this debut thriller in just one word, I'd choose engrossing.' Book Reviews by Monnie

'Every now and then something good comes into your life. Well in this case two things have. Detective Inspector Lottie Parker and her team; and the author Patricia Gibney who has written a brilliant page turner of a crime thriller. Let’s hope we hear a lot more from both of them.' Nigel Adams Bookworm

Ratings and reviews

A good start with the selective plot.The author squats' & more after half of the story'.While abruptly 'ends', thou rare.& unnecessary flirting when it shud hv been serious as also otherwise.But not forgetting to humor wherever it fits. The only thing I dislike the most is being naive to establish beforehand so as to who's Father Con/ Brian when there's one each named after & in lead places.Portrays the main character as half witted @times like this that she couldn't consider Father Con*** to be the same Father Con, leave alone suspecting Brian to be from the same school.Unnecessary repetitive questionnaire all the time with each n everyone rather enquiring into the minute to major details.& y didn't they seize the building in the first place itself immediately after gaining knowledge about the first of the instances?Or @least seemingly?

Not a bad read. Interesting enough to make me want to finish but some things are predictable. If the names weren't so obvious, it would have been a better mystery but it's pretty obvious who the killer and bad guys are. Some actions from the characters are frustrating because they don't seem like genuine human reactions. Overall not bad.

Detective Lottie Parker is investigating the death of a woman found murdered in a church. Shortly after, a man she worked with was found hanging from a tree. Possible suicide? murder? Both bodies have a tattoo on their inner thighs ..and a lead takes her to St. Angela's. St Angela used to be be a children's home run by Catholic nuns and priests. It's also a lead to a missing boy from 40 years ago ... a personal connection to Lottie. Lottie and her team piece together clues, one by one with all roads leading to, not only a missing boy, but a murdered child as well. Throw in Catholic priests who are shuffled from one city to another ... and a possible victim back to take his or her vengeance. Deep into the investigation, the son of a suspect goes missing. And then another young boy disappears which makes the case real personal to Lottie ..it's her son. The closer she comes to answers, the more danger she and her team face. This debut serial killer thriller is guaranteed to keep the pages turning, The story premise is suspenseful with lots of twists and turns. Every other chapter or so, the past is remembered by the children who were living at the home. There are plenty of suspects to go around. The ending came fast and furious. Lottie makes a great series character. Her husband died two years ago leaving her with 3 teenagers to raise on her own. She and her mother have an on again - off again relationship. Lottie is a little sassy, but totally human. After her husband died, she turned to alcohol to ease the pain. These days, she drinks rarely, but when she drinks a lot, she calls one of her team ... Boyd ... who helps the nightmares go away. I like that there is a balance of personal and professional life. I hope there is more to come. I would love to explore Boyd's back story and watch the two of them interact with each other. Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE MISSING ONES. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.