Publisher: Bookouture
Little Lost Souls: https://geni.us/B0BMB1SFVLsocial
The Girl in the Cabin: https://geni.us/B0BMB3MH9Bsocial
The Lonely Girls: https://geni.us/B0BMB8PM5Lsocial
My baby girl. This morning she was so excited for school. I bought her new shoes last night. Pink, sparkly shoes. She loved them so much. She wore them for the first time today. And now she is gone…
It is every mother’s worst nightmare. Eight-year-old Kailey Richardson skips out of the school gates in her brand-new pink shoes and never makes it home. Between the school and the safety of her shiny red front door, someone has taken her.
Private Investigator Lucy Kendall sees the fliers of a smiling gap-toothed Kailey and knows she won’t be able to sleep until the little girl is found. Having lost her own sister to the darkest evil, she is determined to help find Kailey before it is too late.
As Lucy talks to Kailey’s friends, desperate to find out who has taken the happy little girl, she begins to form a worrying picture of the days before Kailey’s disappearance. The blue car idling in the street outside the school. The friendly man across the road. And Kailey’s mother, Jenna, hollow-eyed and jumpy, clutching Kailey’s teddy bear and not telling Lucy everything.
Lucy has promised Jenna she will do everything to find her daughter. But then she discovers Jenna has a connection to the prime suspect in Kailey’s disappearance… and one which brings Lucy’s past rushing back to haunt her. Time is running out to find Kailey, but will Lucy be able to save this innocent little girl before her own demons destroy her?
You won’t want to stop turning the pages of this unputdownable crime thriller. Fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot will be reading The Girl in the Pink Shoes late into the night.
MY THOUGHTS:
Lucy Kendall is no ordinary PI. She is a former CPD Social Worker and has seen horrible injustices done to children time and again. Now she is on her own, doing her own thing. In fact, more than being a PI, Lucy has become a vigilante. The victims she choose are pedophiles and she is eliminating them one by one. She chooses her victims carefully, and the justice she serves is more than deserved as far as she is concerned.
Having this first book in the four-book Lucy Kendall series gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Lucy's story and to see a character different from any character in a story that I have read to-date. While she painfully recalled horrific things children experienced, when she discovers that a teen girl named Kailey has gone missing she has a dual purpose in mind. In her role as a PI, she is determined to find Kailey and to return her to her family. In her role as vigilante turned killer, she has picked her next victim
She takes no pleasure when it comes to killing, but feeling that she has no choice, she powers through. Her guilt is assuaged somewhat in the good she does when it comes to locating the missing. As things turn out, before Lucy can choose her next victim, something prevents her from following through. While at a bar where she thought she would do the deed she set out to do, she is approached by a stranger named Chris. He informs Lucy that he knows more about her that she would imagine, and Lucy knowing Chris will affect her future actions.
While it is more than apparent that this book is not for the weak of heart, I would be remiss if this review did not include trigger warnings. They are pedophilia, child abuse, suicide and murder. Stacy Green does a fabulous job at dealing with these sensitive issues in this book as well as the other three books in the series without being too graphic, and manages to handle each case and situation that Lucy faces with dignity and sensitivity. For a crime thriller that will keep you turning pages until the very end, and for a book that will not disappoint, The Girl With the Pink Shoes perfectly hits the mark. This first book leads right into the second book in the series, Little Lost Souls.
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Little Lost Souls: A totally addictive mystery and suspense novel (A Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller Book 2)
To save the lost children of the city, she must put herself into terrible danger…
On the streets of Philadelphia, as the snow falls and black ice settles in dark back alleys, lost and vulnerable teenagers are being snatched off the streets. When one of them is found alive, Private Investigator Lucy Kendall knows she will never forget the sight of the boy’s brown eyes, forever dulled. She vows to find the monster behind the suffering.
Desperate to save the lost children of the city, Lucy goes into the dark places where the police cannot. But when a key witness is found dead, and a strand of Lucy’s long red hair is located near her body, Lucy suddenly finds herself under suspicion and on the run.
The chief of police knows all about Lucy’s own dark past and is convinced she’s guilty. Hiding in the shadows, unable to trust anyone, Lucy continues her search for the real killer. At last, in a dangerous suburb of the city, she befriends vulnerable fifteen-year-old Riley, who claims to know who the murderer is.
But when Riley disappears, Lucy must race to find the twisted soul responsible for snuffing out the lives of these little lost souls before another innocent girl is taken. Lucy is determined to get justice even if it costs her freedom… or her life.
A gripping, page-turning thriller full of mystery and suspense. Perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni.
MY THOUGHTS:
Undeniably unapologetic Lucy has become judge, jury and executioner when it comes to ending the lives of the pedophiles she manages to trap. She has become a vigilante and executes her mission despite her conscience not being clear. However, her self-appointed job that goes much further than being a PI, as the former CPD Social Worker is now facing something huge - there is a sex trafficking ring at large and Lucy is determined to bring it to an end.
Meanwhile, her new friend Chris tries to steer Lucy in another direction, and this is due to his disturbing past. While Lucy and Chris are drawn to one another there are several issues that take more importance than a relationship. Meanwhile, there is a detective named Todd Beckett who just might be on to Lucy and her dark activities. Both Todd and Lucy recognize that recent women that have been killed worked for a local Senator. As this second book in the Lucy Kendall series shows, there is a connection between Todd and Lucy that is explored.
The serious nature of this series is one that bodes the reader's attention as Lucy has her methods of achieving justice, but also the connected characters bring the story along as well. As this series continues, Lucy continues to work her own form of justice while other characters such as Chris, Todd and Kelly add an additional layer to this intriguing and sensitive crime thriller series. This thrilling book brings attention to the depravity leveled on children and other innocent victims. Although Lucy's methods might be unorthodox, she presents herself as someone to root for, while this book and all the books in the series prove to be stunning reads.
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The Girl in the Cabin: A completely gripping crime thriller with a heart-stopping twist (A Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller Book 3)
She can stop the killing. But at what price?
When the body of a sixteen-year-old girl is found in a remote hunting cabin in the middle of the snowy Maryland woods, a shiver runs down Private Investigator Lucy Kendall’s spine. The handprints around her neck, her broken bones, and the incense left burning at the scene are vital clues to who committed this terrible crime—Mary Weston, a notorious serial killer. She has outwitted the police for many years and left many parents without daughters. Is the girl in the cabin a sign she is killing again?
Working closely with the police, Lucy is determined to catch this evil woman. But when the bodies of three other teenage girls are found in remote locations, it’s almost like Mary is toying with them. Lucy is determined to bring her to justice before more innocent lives are snuffed out.
But then Mary’s son Chris—one of Lucy’s closest friends—disappears. Lucy is convinced Mary is responsible, and she will do anything to find him. So when Mary sends Lucy a message asking to meet her alone, Lucy knows that she must face her darkest fears and risk her own life. She is the only person who can stop Mary. But what will she need to sacrifice?
You won’t want to stop turning the pages of this unputdownable crime thriller. Fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni, and Kendra Elliot will be reading The Girl in the Cabin late into the night.
MY THOUGHTS:
Mary Weston is a brutal serial killer who has evaded the law for years. She is connected to former social worker now PI/vigilante-turned-murderer Lucy Kendall since she struck up a friendship with a man named Chris. In fact, Chris sought Lucy out at their first meeting, and she cannot help but to be drawn in about the story of his dark and upsetting past.
Not only is Lucy facing the dangers of meeting Mary Weston, but she has begun to question her vigilante activities that has cost the lives of several men who harmed children and did not get the justice that she felt that they deserved. But now that her friend Chris has gone missing, Lucy is desperate to find him. She is not alone in this. The police are searching for Chris as well. In fact, they allow Lucy quite a bit of leeway when it comes to the search for Chris.
In order to find Chris, Lucy must attempt something that could be extremely dangerous. Knowing that Chris has been captured by his own mother, Mary Weston presents a real challenge for Lucy. Mary wants to meet Lucy. By so doing, Lucy’s life could definitely be on the line.
What a tense read! As this thrilling series has progressed, Lucy has been on the line about the decisions that she has been making regarding her vigilante activities. She does not measure to the depravity that the serial killer killers and child molesters that she has killed, but yet she questions her actions. With Chris now having gone missing, Lucy wonders whether or not she would be able to do harm to Mary Weston in order to save Chris. However, the decision as to what to do could be taken right out of her hands.
This exciting third book in the Lucy Kendall series follows The Girl in the Pink Shoes and Little Lost Souls. This is an interconnected series that really should be read in order, and by so doing it will definitely help readers to understand Lucy and her motivations. This well-written story shows the dangers that are facing Lucy, especially when it comes to her desire to right the wrongs of the past and some of the decisions that she has made. Suspense and danger go hand in hand in this book, making this easily a one-sitting read. With shocking twists and turns and a pulse-pounding conclusion, this book set the groundwork for the final book in the series.
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The Lonely Girls: A totally gripping serial killer thriller (A Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller Book 4)
The room spun and my legs gave way as I looked at my name scrawled in blood-colored lipstick on the mirror above the girl’s broken body. Was this young girl dead because of me?
When the body of a vulnerable teenage girl is found on a remote farm in the Maryland hills, Private Investigator Lucy Kendall knows her past has come back to haunt her. Lucy’s sister died when she was a young girl, and the dead teenager looks exactly like her—her dark hair dyed blonde, her wrists slashed.
Lucy’s name is scrawled on the bathroom mirror above the girl’s body, and the dead girl is clutching a silver coin in her small, fragile hand, identical to the one which has just been mailed to Lucy. Lucy is shaken to her very core, determined to find out why a cruel murderer wants her to feel responsible for this girl’s death.
Lucy vows to track down this twisted killer who seems to know so much about her family’s tragic past. But when her closest friend Kelly is abducted and Lucy receives a phone call saying she has forty-eight hours to find her, she knows the evil perpetrator won’t stop until she comes face to face with him. As the clock ticks and Lucy frantically tries to track him down, she is sent messages showing her friend growing weaker and weaker. Lucy cannot let another innocent life be taken. But can she find Kelly in time? And what will her abductor want in return?
Gripping and spine-chilling, The Lonely Girls will keep you up all night, unable to put it down until the final heart-pounding twist. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner and Robert Dugoni.
MY THOUGHTS:
Perhaps Lucy Kendall’s life has come full circle. She had been a PI/vigilante turned murderer, but Lucy has the chance to change the course of her life. She has taken on a new job, now she is working at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This is indeed a perfect job for Lucy, because she still gets to work for the benefit of children, but this will give her a chance to stay on the right side of the law. However, when her dear friend, Kelly has gone missing, Lucy again feels that she has to take matters into her own hands.
For years, Kelly and Lucy have worked closely together when it came to Lucy looking for men who escaped justice for harming children. She is now in a race against time as Kelly’s kidnapper has given her only 48 hours to arrive at a certain location and order to save Kelly.
In addition to finding out about Kelly, Lucy is also finding that a recent murder nearly mirrors a tragic event when she lost her sister when they were children. Although desperate to figure out the past, Lucy is also desperate to find Kelly. What an incredibly tense read as Lucy’s past and present begin to collide at amazing speed. This last book in the Lucy Kendall series was just as compelling as all three previous books. In fact, I read all four books back to back in just a couple of days as they were impossible to put down.
Stacy Green has done a remarkable job with each and every book in the series, and has made Lucy a relatable character. The conclusion of this amazing series could not have been done any better.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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Please enjoy my YouTube combined video review -
Stacy lives in Iowa with her husband, daughter, and fur babies.
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