The first book in a new detective series. Sometimes these type of books are all very similar but this one in.my opinion was slightly different, I loved it .

The start of a brand new series coupled with a well known DI. Great partnership.

Yes this is about a missing child......it’s unlike any other as there are dark, yes, very dark twisted things happening.

Mum goes off on holiday for the first time since she’s had her son. He’s now ten years old. Encouraged by her husband to take a holiday break and have some down time.

When she arrives back from holiday her son is nowhere to be seen.

He’s now a Missing Person.

Lots of darkness, lots of puzzling things and twists that will tie you up in knots.

It could be anyone.

Because the story is so well written it reads in no time at all.

Great start to a series (although book 2 is out.......I’m late)

And now to the first instalment of another new series from the wonderfully prolific Mari Hannah, introducing the crime detecting duo of seasoned copper David Stone, and keen as mustard sidekick Frankie Oliver. Hannah’s trademark is the sheer believability of her characters, and how quickly she envelops her reader’s interest in the world they inhabit, and she does this with her usual flair and empathy. I loved both characters, and although there is the necessary concealment of certain darker aspects of their lives that needs to be gradually teased out, unlike other pure police procedurals this never felt hackneyed or trite in its deliverance. They are both genuinely likeable, dedicated, refreshingly human protagonists, and the way they interact with and challenge each other throughout this investigation, leads to some brilliantly realised moments of confrontation, and the growth of a greater understanding of, and empathy with each other. The plot itself is probably the closest I’ve come to reading my bete noir of domestic drama, with a family on the brink of destruction leading to some very uncomfortable revelations for all, not to mention murder. As always Hannah’s timing and pace in The Lost is assured and compelling, and there’s some nice dramatic reveals, and emotive scenes, adding to the overall feel of an authentic, and hugely engaging police procedural. I also appreciated the title of the book itself, and how closely it represents and reflects most of the characters within the story. Once again, highly recommended

I’ve managed to read the other titles in this series. They were all very good. This one is the best so far and sets the bar even higher. The different twists and plots sustain interest and with the good pace of the book retains the reader to the end. Highly recommended.

This book was ignored on my current reads for some 3 weeks. “Discarded on my bedside table.”
After 37% all I’d read was a extended family drama where the characters clearly knew more than they were willing to share. It is setting
story and plot for the action to follow in the last two thirds but I hope other readers will sustain their interest better than I did initially. In the process we were introduced to the extended family, nanny and wider business partners. None filled me with any enthusiasm to read more about them as the whole episode seemed a waste of police time.
However, the Police officers were interesting; Oliver a third generation copper and Stone her boss recently returned home to Northumberland and his roots in the NE, but losing a rank, so ‘under a cloud’.
Their issues seem an interruption when a lad is missing but add to the general mystery which although left me wanting to read on did not excite me greatly.
When I picked up the book after my hiatus I was rewarded with the intrigue of a rather nasty murder. Now all the preparation could unravel with each character who to a person had something they were not being completely honest about. Having finished the book I realise not one line or sentence was wasted as the rest of the novel grew out of this pedestrian start.
I think that was brave and perhaps shows the emerging confidence of this talented author. I love Mari’s writing and joining a series at book one a good deal of background character building is necessary so I was always going to finish the book. I hope others will crack on too as the overall piece is a wonderful police procedural set in a beautiful part of the country.
In Stone and Oliver we have a fresh couple of detectives who have a brilliant relationship which is tested to its maximum here. A reader will want to share their journey into the areas MIT Murder Investigation Team. Stone as the senior investigator SIO and Oliver as his loyal, faithful and determined DS. Happily book 2 is due out, I for one can’t wait for it - The Insider is published on 1st November 2018.

After using her baby Alex is persuaded to go on holiday by her sister but on her return she discovers her ten-year old son missing. Although Daniel turns up relatively quickly the police officers in charge feel there is more to the case than meets the eye. However when the child's nanny is found murdered in an incredibly cruel manner, Stone and Oliver are increasingly looking for answers from Alex and her husband Tim. The case seems to be going nowhere until Alex's sister is also murdered and then as Oliver closes in, her life in endangered.

At first glance this seems like a standard police procedural and indeed it follows a well-worn path. However Hannah is proving to be a developing writer of some talent. I love the setting in the North-East, there is a genuine sense of place and a love for the area - some of the references and in-jokes are great. This is the first in a proposed series of books and as such there is a lot of scene-setting and character introduction but the characters are interesting and I look forward to more.

In this first novel we meet a new team, who learn to work well together. The DS is planted in a large group of other cops and, indeed, her father and grandfather (both ex-cops). Her boss is a Geordie who has returned to the North. He has his secrets. As with police procedurals all over the world, this assumes a great deal of commitment to murder enquiries, and complicates inter-police cooperation. That includes old-fashioned second (and, indeed, subsequent) murders.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group for an e-arc in order for my honest review!

This was my first book by the writer and so I was very intrigued by the synopsis and ready for a new detective series + I enjoy the cover. The book has over 300 pages, but it has small print layout, so it took me more than regular 300 over pages read, be ready for a chunky read! The book starts slow but soon it builds up very well written and interesting. This is my first read book written by the author.

The Lost is a new detective series that shows two main characters, Frankie Oliver and David Stone. Stone is Frankie's boss and has recently started to work within the team, although having a great career in London before. They both work as partners in investigation over a boy called Daniel who went missing right after his football practice. Leaving everyone at the edge, especially his step-dad who's been left on charge while his mum, Alex left for a week long holiday in Mallorca with her sister. Daniel is a boy who's not a stereotyped boy his age, he is very responsible and there is no way he would have planned something adventurous or left on purpose...  

The book is great as it brings new suspense and new, much more in depth, perspective to what's happening. The plot took me by surprise, oh, it was sooo good! I can't write it as it would ruin your interest to read it. There are many sides to each of the suspects and reader, be ready to questioning each of them on your own, flipping pages to the very start and thinking who's behind what! The book touches various topics such as family relationships, loss of a baby, lies, financial breakdown,  and plot twists and turns.

The book also touches David's and Frankie's personal lives, their secrets and how those influence their team.... can they trust each other, how much have each of them learned from each other and observed.

I really enjoyed the read and I am looking for the second book # The Insider being published on November 2018, so few months only left for waiting. That's what I like, having not that long time in between the books.

I can’t quite put my finger on the reason that this book didn’t convince me but I’m sorry to say it didn’t. I loved the two main police officers Frankie Oliver & David Stone and would hope their partnership will last as I’m sure given a better plot to go with the two would work well.
The twists in this story felt too contrived especially (without spoiling the plot) the saga over the missing text messages. I would still say buy it though and give it a try... you may well love it.

The Lost got off to a bit of a slow start, but once the intrigue started to deepen I was galloping through the book.

Featuring a new duo of detectives from Mari Hannah, Stone and Oliver are on their first case together in Northumbria Police CID, dealing with the case of a lost young boy.

This is just the start of what ends up being a murder case, where nothing is quite what it seems...

The Lost has a great sense of place and believable characters.

Mari Hannah begins another thrilling series, this time with Oliver and Stone investigating when a child goes missing. From the off, you know that something is amiss; are one of the parents involved? Hannah is great at characterisation; I took a shine to the central duo straight away. The sense of place is strong, and I loved that my local area is in the spotlight. There were plenty of twists and turns and as the book progressed, the pace really increased to breakneck speed. A great start to what I'm sure will be a popular series. I'll look forward to more.

This is a great start to a new series and the relationship between Stone and Oliver is one to watch.
Stone left London and moved up North and despite hints about what happened we don’t find out why. Frankie is desperate to know but respects Stone’s wishes not to discuss it. But I wanted to know and will now have to wait for at least the next book to find out!
This book starts off with a young boy going missing and the father calls into the station desperate for help.
The family are all under suspicion but the father comes off worse as it seems he’s been lying.
The disappearance is soon followed by a murder and Stone and Oliver are convinced it’s linked to the family of the boy.
There’s lots of suspicion and this book will keep you guessing right until the end.
This is a gripping story and one which will have you on the edge of your seat during the final chapters.
I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series.
Thanks to Orion and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really loved this book! Excellent story with brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book.

The Lost by Mari Hannah

When her sister Kat persuaded Alex to come away with her for a few days to Majorca, Alex was ready to be convinced it would be a good idea. She hated being away from her son Daniel but at least it would give her the chance to do some serious thinking about her relationship with her husband (and Daniel’s stepfather) Tim. Things haven’t been so good lately but, through missing Tim, Alex comes to realise how much she loves him. She flies home full of happy expectations but these are crushed when she is met at passport control by the police. Tim has reported Daniel missing. The nanny Justine was supposed to pick Daniel up from sports after school but she received a message from Tim to say that he would pick Daniel up instead. But Tim insists he didn’t send the message. And now Daniel is gone.

DI David Stone is new to Northumberland. He left the Metropolitan Police under something of a cloud and headed north, losing a rank in the process. DS Frankie Oliver on the other hand is firmly established, the third generation to police Northumberland, she’s warmly liked, has a mischievous twinkle in her eye, but she too has her ghosts. It’s Frankie’s instinct that persuades Stone to take the missing child report seriously. This is the first joint case for Stone and Oliver. Both have much to prove but the case is about to take a turn that nobody could have expected.

I am such a huge fan of Mari Hannah. Her two series featuring firstly Kate Daniels and secondly Matthew Ryan are firm favourites of mine (I have a tradition of taking the Kate Daniels books on holiday) and it was good news indeed to hear that a new book was on the way, featuring new detectives but set in this most stunning part of the world that Mari Hannah brings to life so beautifully.

A potential difficulty here is that Mari Hannah has established characters that so many of us love deeply and it’s not that easy for us to leave them behind and move on, especially when there have been some explosive cliffhangers along the way. We’ve done it before when Matthew Ryan came along but it wasn’t long before he won me over. Stone and Oliver have two hard acts to follow but I’m pleased to say that they’re given here a very promising start. It takes time to warm to Stone. He’s a man with too much hidden inside. It’s difficult to break through the barriers, and nobody knows that better than Frankie. But the chemistry between the two is instantaneous. I fell for Frankie immediately but I think it was only in the final extraordinarily fabulous final third of The Lost that I fully realised how much these two have to offer the reader. But the suspects and victims are every bit as interesting as the police. This is much more complex than you might at first think.

The mystery here is cleverly developed and it is almost entirely character-driven. We spend time moving between characters – suspects, victims and police – and they all have much to offer. I did think that the novel flagged a little in the middle, largely because I had no idea in which direction it was going to take me, but, as previously mentioned, the final third is so breathtaking and thrilling I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough.

I suspect that Stone and Oliver will hit the floor running in the next novel. There is a lot of back history that needs to be teased out of our two detectives. I think that once this is all in the open everything will move along with a freer pace. I love the setting and I’m really enjoying getting to know the police team. More than anything, though, I know that Frankie Oliver is well on the way to become one of my favourite detectives. She’s a marvellous creation and I can’t wait to see her again. I suspect that Stone feels exactly the same way.

Other reviews
Gallows Drop (Daniels)
The Silent Room (Ryan 1)
The Death Messenger (Ryan 2)

This book drew me in straight away and I was pretty much hooked from the start. Its the type of book that you just want to keep reading. Its full of twists and turns and nothing is as it seems. I love that its not predictable and keeps you guessing from start to finish. The main characters were complex and interesting and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Alex Parker returns home from holidays with her sister Kat to discover that her son Daniel is missing. Recently arrived home after 15 years with the Met David Stome and partner Frankie Oliver are called to investigate. The more the pair delve into the lives of this family the more secrets and lies they find.

This is the first in a few series featuring Stone and Oliver. I look forward to reading more f rom these 2, a great team who seek the truth. Thanks to Orion Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions

Another winner from Mari Hannah.
As a huge Mari Hannah fan , I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read her latest book. I would like to thank Net Galley and Orion Publishing for that. All I can say is strap yourself in for a roller coaster of a ride. We are introduced to 2 new characters in this novel, DI David Stone and DS Frances (Frank/Frankie) Stone and the chemistry between the 2 of them is great. The story starts with the disappearance of Daniel Parker, the 10 year old son (step son) of Alex and Tim Parker, this event is only the tip of the iceberg. So starts a sequence of events that draw you right into the story as if you were there witnessing it first hand. Relationships are explored and laid bare throughout. You experience an array of emotions from beginning to end. This is a fast paced, gritty sometimes emotional story with just the right amount of Geordie humour (coming from the region - totally loved it). Although Mari Hannah has an extensive knowledge of police procedure , you are not bogged down with the science of it. I have no hesitation in recommending this book and cant wait to read more in the lives of Stone and Oliver. First Class !!!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Orion for sending me a copy of this fabulous book. Never having read any of Mari Hanna's previous books I had no idea what to expect, all I can say is I wasn't disappointed.
The characterisation is first class and I quickly felt an affinity with the two main characters, detectives David Stone and Frankie Oliver. They are realistic, and well fleshed out and I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpses into their backstories. The plot has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, the writing style is effortless and this makes for a cosy yet compelling read. The Lost is set in my favourite part of the country, Northumberland, An added bonus.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series and will be looking for previous books by this brilliant author

An exciting new pair of detectives who work well together. Like the detectives I got a bit lost in the middle but gradually worked it out. Excited for the next one.