Was a little hard for me to get engaged in the book at first, but by the middle I couldn't put it down. Read into the late night, had to figure out who the bad guy was. Well written, no spoilers, not so transparent that you can guess the ending. I found myself actually enjoying the book. The ending was less fulfilling, the killer kills herself, after all the planning she does, seemed a weak escape. But it was an enjoyable ride.

https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/little-girl-lost-di-robyn-carter-1/

<i>Little Girl Lost</i> got me from the first line. That prologue had me gripping my Kindle.

Then we meet our DI, who is working for a private investigation company. I immediately liked her.

<i>She was a results woman. She would catch this guy no matter how long it took to collect the evidence.</i>

Yes, we are told that she is patient and persistent, but more importantly we are shown that through her actions.

There are a few things that I wasn't sold on: The child voice did not seem that age. Some things didn't make sense to me like <spoiler>Abigail not trusting that she saw something or heard certain things. I would have to be really messed up to think that, and she was lucid on a couple of occasions. And there were several other details like during the first phone call the perp was supposedly holding a baby and there were no noise at all to indicate that; also, it shouldn't be that hard for the police to get ahold of the approximate location of a subject using their phone; and the death of Paul was related before Christina's, which is not chronologically correct.</spoiler>

There were surprisingly little repetitions. Other than variations of Jackson not knowing Abigail's secrets and that he was really good at solving puzzles, I don't remember much.

There isn't a lot I can tell you without giving away the story. <i>Little Girl Lost</i> is full of twists and turns that will set your head spinning and have you turning the pages as quickly as you can. 
I had a clue of who was who but I was never 100% sure because the narrative is ambiguous like that, and I really love that, that I was able to put 2 and 2 together but that it wasn't too obvious - and also that those things that I didn't get by then didn't feel under-explained afterwards, which happens to me frequently, endings getting rushed.

I would actually have been happy with the story finishing at like 80%. It felt like the book dragged on a bit after that, especially in the last 10 percent, although there were still plenty of revelations and tension.

Highly recommended, a gem amongst others of the genre. I will definitely be looking out for this author in the future.

A debut novel for a completely different genre for Carol Wyer. And what an excellent book!

It kept me guessing right to the end and there were enough different threads to weave a tapestry! 

I look forward to more from Carol and Detective Robyn Carter (and Ross of course). 

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A PERFECT FAMILY HIDING DISTURBING SECRETS.  A KILLER WHO WANTS THE TRUTH TO BE TOLD.
A teacher goes missing under suspicious circumstances. 
A millionaire is murdered at a local reservoir.
For Detective Robyn Carter, there is no obvious link between the men. But as she starts to delve into the cases,  her investigations leads her to Abigail, perfect wife and mother to beautiful little Izzy. What was Abigail's connections to the victims? And why is she receiving threatening messages from an anonymous number?

But as Robyn inch closer to finding the killer, Izzy is abducted.

Unless Robyn gets to the twisted individual in time, a little girl will die...

One of the first things I have to say is, I have never read anything by Carol E. Wyer before this and I can honestly say "What was I thinking?" Her development of her characters makes you fall in love with them. Yes, even the killer. "How?"  Well, I can really say I felt sorry and almost an empathy for the killer. 
Robyn had been working for her cousin Ross, taking a break from police work and doing some private investigating on her own timeline. Her last case for her cousin works its way into being her first case back on the job. 

Mary Matthews husband has gone missing. He told her he was going to Thailand but hasn't returned any of her messages she has left on his phone. 

Abigail and Jackson Thorne had a magical marriage. Jackson was everything Abigail could hope for and more but something just isn't right. Since the birth of Izzy, their beautiful daughter, Abigail has been different. Tired and worn out Abigail just isn't like she was before. She knows it, he knows it but they can't quite put their fingers on what is behind it.
Then the note showed up, the phone calls started, and Abigail is scared but she is afraid to tell Jackson everything. The voice tells her she needs to tell the secrets or else.

Every single character is developed, even down to Abigail's cat Toffee, and Mary's yapping dog. I laughed at poor Ross, Robyn's cousin, who is suffering from the diet changes his wife has inflicted on him for his own good of course.  To how Ross develops a fondness for Jane Clifford, Ross becomes one of the good 'ole boys I hope to see more of in following books in the series. 

Robyn is worried that she has lost her gut instinct that has is recognized in the force for having. As she works the puzzle pieces of the case she is thrown off by what she is sure is a clue at all the crime scenes.  

I was completely impressed with how the characters come alive and dance across the pages until the final climatic finish.  This is one that you really don't want to miss. I am starting to think that 2017 is going to be the year for psychological thrillers. Wyer promises to be a strong voice in this genre as well. 


My thanks to NetGalley, bookouture and Carol E. Wyer for my copy for an honest review.

Nice story overall. Realistic detective and enjoyable plot. I liked following the twists and turns in the story though I had figured out some of the elements a bit early on (about 60 or 70% into the book). However, the author still threw me for a loop until about 85% in when it was pretty clear to me. I liked that. Many of the characters and their backstories were well developed. Enjoying sunday or rainy day read.

"Little Girl Lost" is a terrific start to a new crime thriller series which introduces us to detective Robyn Carter - the main character in the series. This particular installment also closely follows the lives of a girl named Alice, as well as Abigail along with her daughter Izzy.
The story in mainly narrated in 3rd person with the exception of chapters describing Alice's story, which are written in 1st person.
It would be hard to briefly summarize what the book is about since multiple characters mean multiple stories and different points of view. Now, this may seem a little confusing and I must admit I am not a great fan of stories being narrated by a few different characters. But "Little Girl Lost" is an absolute exception. It is a real gem among the books I have read this year and I am so glad that I have found it. 
Having said that, I would feel bad if I didn't give you a little warning. It's with regards to the prologue, which can be found disturbing by more sensitive readers. I had put the book away and only returned to it a few hours later, when I've had a chance to cool down. But that's just the prologue. The remainder of the book was different and not as disturbing. Also, the prologue itself serves it's purpose. It's not there to shock the reader. It really sets the background for the whole story.
To tell you the truth, this novel kept me at the edge of my seat until the very end. I'd like to say I knew who the "bad guy" was early on. And in a way I did.  The only thing is, throughout the book, there was not one character left that I did not suspect. 
 I finished reading "Little Girl Lost" yesterday and I still find myself thinking about it throughout the day. To me this is one of the marks of a great book. It stays with you for a long, long time. I hope Carol Wyer writes more books in this series. I'll make sure to have them on pre-order.
Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this amazing book. This is the one I will not forget.

This book had me hooked, I just wanted to know more and I knew there was more. I thought I had guessed the end but nope I hadn't! 
I liked the characters especially the female police officer, she had lots of levels to her. 
I would recommend this book to friends and I look forward to the next instalment.

Sadly couldn't get into this book .. I enjoy books that flit from one character to the next but this style was messy .. impossible to keep up with who is who! Got to just over 30% and had to give up ..

Sorry 1 star from me.

LIttle Girl Lost is an excellent psychological thriller, well written with a host of characters good bad and just plain evil.
The police detective Robyn Carter is the 'good' character, having returned to the force after loosing her partner and still grieving , she has a lovely personality and is well liked and respected.
The other characters are Paul the father of Natasha and Lucas, and Alice and her mother. I don't want to go into anymore detail as I would only give away spoilers, others can probably write a much better synopsis without giving too much away.
Although I worked out who was responsible for the terrible events that occur, I did keep doubting myself due to the way the story unfolded.
A brilliant imaginative tale that kept this reader turning pages long after lights out!
Thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book

LITTLE GIRL LOST (DI Robyn Carter #1) is the start of an excellent new psychological thriller series by Carol Wyer. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I'm sure it won't be the last.
Detective Robyn Carter has just returned to work following a bereavement leave of absence. A teacher goes missing and a man is murdered while on a run. There is no connection between these two deaths, but that soon changes.
There are several suspects and they all seem to be hiding something ... from each other, from the police, from themselves. The first chapter is a killer .. sets up the entire story. Alternating chapters give the readers an opportunity to read the killer's thoughts and memories of things that bring them all to this point.
Excellent psychological thriller. Kept me turning the pages.  I figured out half-way through who did it, just couldn't figure out "who" was.  Sounds silly, I know but read the book and you'll understand.
The only thing I regret is that I really wish my knowledge of British slang were better (said by a 100% Texan).  My Kindle dictionary/Wikipedia worked overtime during the reading of this book.  I mean - good grief!  Who knew what a bonkbuster is.  lol  I do now.
Thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this spine-tingling thriller in exchange for an honest review.

A story of family with secrets and the repercussions of things swept under the carpet. I really enjoyed this book. There were a lot of intertwined events and interesting characters.Told through two different time frames, one from the first person perspective, the reader gets an insight as to the 'why' The true identity of the narrator keeps you guessing. At times I did get confused  as to the real identities of the other characters as well- but that's probably just me! 

I liked Robyn Carter and her approach. I'm looking forward to reading about more of her cases. I thought this was a good start. Thanks to Netgallery and the publisher for introducing her and look forward to more from this author.

The opening chapter creates a great background on a sensitive subject for later events. Alice is a little girl who copes with the death of her father and her mother’s remarriage by communicating with her dead father via a toy rabbit called Mr Big Ears.  Her mother marries a well known actor with a teenage son and daughter.  One night Alice is molested by her step brother after the parents leave to attend a function and her step sister is downstairs watching TV.
The story then switches to some time in the future.  DI Robyn Carter has taken a leave of absence from the police force (a job she loves) to recover mentally and physically from a series of personal tragedies.  Temporarily working as a private investigator is the lifeline she needs until she is ready for a return to work.  Through this job she becomes involved in the search for a missing husband, missing child and the investigation of several murders.  Her senses tell her the crimes are connected in some way and she battles to find the common thread.  Time is something she doesn’t have a lot of when a little girl’s life is at stake.
I swayed between one or two suspects working together until close to the end when all was revealed.  Also for a while I was puzzled what, if any, connection the mother of the missing child had with past events.  You will have to read the book to find out!  I was very empathetic when she discovered her child was taken, such an emotionally packed time for a parent.  It was very interesting reading how she was manipulated while in her weakest psychological state.  It made me think how easy it would be to do the same in real life (no, I’m not planning on doing it any time in the future).  I also couldn’t decide if the killer wanted to be discovered or was just intent on seeking their own form of justice.
The ending wasn’t a total surprise but the author did throw in enough twists and turns to keep me engaged and make me doubt if I had the right suspect/s.  I found it a tad hard to believe a little girl would use the word member to describe a sexual organ. Perhaps this was altered prior to publication?  Overall I did enjoy the first book in the series and would be keen to read others by the same author.
This book is recommended to readers who enjoy serial killers, mysteries and psychological thrillers.

A great start to a new detective series. Detective Carter has many typical detective personality quirks but also a great deal of orginality as well. This chilling tale is both gripping and haunting. A must read for crime officiandos or the casual reader who just wants an exciting read.

It took me a little while to get into this book because it was confusing for a while, but once you get a little further into it, you see where the story is headed, and the pace picks up. There are a lot of twists and turns, and just when you think you have it figured out, something else comes up and changes your mind. Enjoyed it a lot!

Where the hell do I start with this one?
I'll begin by being honest I suppose . . . I wasn't sure what to think when I heard that Carol was moving to the dark side. I mean, have you read any of her other books? Have you spoken to her? I've had the pleasure of getting to know Carol over the last six months and let me tell you, she is the sunniest person alive! Always smiling, always happy and always making me (and everyone else) laugh out loud!
Now I'm not saying that nice people can't write crime, there are loads of uber nice people behind some seriously disturbing books, it's just we're talking about Carol E Wyer! She's the last person I'd have thought would have turned to the dark side!
And dya know what? I'm bloody glad she did!
Little Girl Lost is one of the slickest crime thrillers I've read for a long time, there is not a hint of it being written by a newbie to the genre, none whatsoever!
I know that Carol was like a debut author when writing this book, and why wouldn't she be? She was completely out of her comfort zone, but let me tell you lady, it does not show at all in the book! Not in the slightest!
You have done a sterling job!
Little Girl Lost is the first in the DI Robyn Carter series and what a start it is! From the first page to the last, you will be utterly gripped. Now chapter one is hard reading, like really hard reading, now I'm not going into details, nor am I going to lie, it may put people off in terms of the content, HOWEVER, the subject matter doesn't continue throughout the book, but it sets up the plot perfectly and it actually makes the book even more credible, in fact, it makes Carol more credible as a crime writer, she dared to go there and she did it with style and respect.
Robyn is a brilliant character, she is damaged (who isn't?!), she's had a really tough time but she's getting there, wherever there is for her and she's doing it with a great team of people around her and a fascinating case to dig her teeth into.
The plot is intelligent, clever and brilliantly executed, there are twists and turns that will keep you guessing the whole way through, from the first page to the last, you will be gripped! Utterly gripped!! Do not start this book if you have any pressing plans cause let me tell you, you will cancel them! You will not want to stop reading, in fact, you won't be able to stop!
Little Girl Lost is the ultimate sleep-stealer!
I doff my hat to the author, Carol, you have done a stupendous job and I cannot wait to see where else the dark side takes you!

Brilliant start to a new series.
I will be keeping my eye open for future books of this author.
Very good and highly recommended.

Thank you.
Enjoyed it.  Good read.       
Will read more books by this author.                                                                           
Will get copies for family and friends

Little Girl Lost – 1st in the DI Robyn Carter Series, in stores now.  I absolutely loved this book!!!  I would give it 100 stars if I could.  This is THE BEST thriller I have read in a while.  Hands down.  So let’s get right to it, shall we?
 
A local teacher is missing and a millionaire is found dead at a local reservoir.  At first glance, they don’t seem related.  As Detective Robyn Carter begins to dig into the circumstances surrounding both the disappearance and the death, she uncovers a family hiding very dark secrets.  But how is it all connected?  Can she put the pieces of the puzzle together before the killer strikes again?
 
I will be honest and say that I almost put this story down.  The first chapter is a very hard read.  If child abuse is a trigger for you, you may want to skip this one.  It was not at all what I was expecting three pages in to the story.  That being said, I appreciate the fact that Wyer wrote the chapter the way that she did -- enough to set the tone and the back story of the main character without being gratuitously graphic.  I am so glad that I kept reading because the plot for this story was FANTASTIC.  There were so many twists and turns and every time I thought I had the identity of the killer figured out, Wyer would expose another clue and I would be thrown completely off track.  There are a LOT of characters involved in the story and the chapters are told from alternative viewpoints.  This type of narrative is my favorite but can also be very difficult to pull off.  Wyer nails it and once you get to the end and all the pieces fall in to place, and you have picked your mouth up off the floor after the killer’s identity is revealed, you become aware that you just went on a journey with an author that is destined to become one of the great voices in this genre. I can not rave enough about it.  Hopefully she is already working on Book 2.

Thoroughly enjoyable and will keep you gripped through to the end.  I love it when I cannot preempt the finale to a thriller and this one did not disappoint!  I had sympathy with Abigail, and although I knew what the ultimate act against her was to be, it didn't detract form the suspense at all - Read this!

This well written twisted tale has two strands.  At the beginning of the book we meet a little girl called Alice who suffers abuse at the hands of her stepbrother and reacts by stabbing him in the eye.  It seems no-one will help her and as the book develops we see how this incident and its repercussions have affected her life.
We then meet DI Robyn Carter as she returns to the police force after personal leave.  Following the death of her partner and the loss of her unborn child, she has been working as a private detective but she decides it is time to return to the force and she becomes involved in investigating two murders and the abduction of a little girl and she needs to see the connections first. 
The two strands inevitably meet and become entangled.  Thinking back, there were clues along the way as to what was going on and who was involved, but the book was very clever in the way it drew the reader in DI Carter’s thought processes and solving of the case.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy.