Cover Image: The Guilty Girl (Detective Lottie Parker Book 11)

The Guilty Girl (Detective Lottie Parker Book 11)

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Love the Lottie Parker novels. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Was this review helpful?

Oh, what a delightful rollercoaster of a read this book in the Lottie Parker series is! This is book 11 and, I think, the best to date. A young girl is murdered at a house party in her home and two more deaths quickly follow. As Lottie and her team investigate, they uncover a web of lies and secrets. The plot is mostly centred around the case, so little about the personal lives of the characters in this book. It's a dark, chilling and compelling read, which I highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This is now the eleventh book in this terrific crime series and is one of the best yet. In this episode DI Lottie Parker and her team are called in to investigate the murder of seventeen year old Lucy McAllister at a party she threw in her house to celebrate the end of exams and school. Lucy’s parents have been away in Spain for the past three weeks and Lottie wonders why they would leave their daughter on her own, especially while studying for her final exams. Lottie’s own son Sean was at the party, although she had picked him up at midnight, some hours before the murder took place.

As well as interviewing all the kids at the party, Lottie has her hands full following up other connections. Lucy is far from being an innocent teen and had invited an underage boy to man the bar and sell drugs, while also carrying on a personal vendetta against another girl she invited to the party but wants only to shame and humiliate. With Superintendent Farrell breathing down her neck, Lottie and her team were struggling to find enough hours in the day to follow up all the leads and connections in this complex case. As she is run ragged and not spending enough time at home with her kids and sick mother. She is also missing her right hand man and boyfriend DS Mark Boyd, who is away, also in Spain where he is getting to know Sergio, the son that his ex-wife has only just told him he has.

This turns out to be a more complicated crime than first thought and with the deaths of two more kids takes us to some dark places. Lottie as always shows great compassion to the kids’ their families and doggedly hunts down those involved. With the plot centred more on the case than usual there was less emphasis on the secondary characters and no room for further development of their stories. With Boyd and his son arriving home at the end of the novel, it will be interesting to see how this impacts on his relationship with Lottie in the next novel.

Was this review helpful?

What a mind blowing book! So many twists and turns and strands leading us in every direction but the right one! Cleverly written with wonderfully crafted plot and characterisation. Detective inspector Lottie is such a wonderfully normal and flawed human being, we can all relate to her. Juggling a chaotic home life while trying to solve the murders of three young people , she is drawn into a web of child abuse and exploitation. One of the best written and most enjoyable murder mysteries I have read. J can't wait for the next instalment but for now I will be buying the preceding ten books in this series.

Was this review helpful?

God I love the DI Lottie Parker series, each time I get an ARC I cannot wait to curl up with some chocolate, my blanket and whichever Patricia Gibney novel is in my inbox. I can't believe that we are at book 11, I've got everything crossed that we still have a few more books to come from the author.

My heart goes out to Lottie handling her madcap family and her demanding career as a Detective Inspector especially while her better half is in Spain with his new found son, Sergio, the family and a poorly mum . Admittedly she handles it all with her usual single mindedness, although this isn't helped by what she thinks is interference from her boss. Personally I think that her boss only gets on her case so much is because she knows that Lottie is an exceptional officer with a first class team that get the best results in the station but that Lottie sometimes sails a little too close to the edge and puts herself in the danger zone.

In #TheGuiltyGirl we follow Lottie and the team investigating the murder of seventeen year-old Lucy McAllister at a party she threw whilst her parents were away on holiday, parents who left her home alone for three weeks at a vital time when she should be studying for her exams. Sean (Lotties son) doesn't tell her the whole truth of what he saw, he allowed her to think that when she picked him up at midnight that was as much as he knew. Hannah the most unpopular girl in the school was invited by Lucy, sadly she was only invited to be used by the cool kids for a cruel scheme.

While Boyd is away in Spain he ends up with a link to the crime (no spoilers here) and does what he does best and begins to ask questions discovering vital information, not that we realise it at the time of reading..Talking to Lottie is when Boyd realises that Jackie, Sergios mum has been living a double life to find out more you'll need to read the book.

There's some topics in #TheGuiltyGirl that are very relevant in the current climate, underage drinking and drug dealing as well as drug taking, not to mention the grooming of young females, preying on their shame and embarrassment to keep quiet, quiet to such an extent that they feel unable to help with the murder inquiry of their school friend.

Although I enjoyed that this book centred mostly around the crime I did miss learning more about the additional characters, the dynamics between the team has settled a little, but I'm hoping that there will be fireworks to come, I don't want them to be too happy.

If you love books by Carol Wyer, Angela Marsons and Kerry Barnes grab the first Lottie Parker and buckle up for a rollercoaster of a read. This is an easy earned five star book.

Thank you to Patricia Gibney, Netgalley and Bookouture for my ARC

Was this review helpful?

Lucy is a 17 year old whose parents are away, and she has a house party. After an altercation with a guest she has bullied and shamed, she is found murdered.
Detective Lottie Parker's son also attended the party, and she is doing her best to avoid her boss who is certain to take her off the case.
There are two more murders, and these seem to be linked to the murder of Lucy, and Lottie is exhausted trying to look after her family, solve the murders and find out who is using young children to peddle drugs.

After many twists and turns and wrong turns, eventually the case gets solved with Lottie's tireless police work.

I enjoy the Lottie Parker books very much, she is a dedicated policewoman, who has unconventional ways of solving cases. This book is long, but is jam packed with action.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

What a great read. I loved it!

DI Lottie Parker has another murder case to solve when 17 year old Lucy throws a party which ends with Lucy’s body being discovered the next morning stabbed to death. But the case turns out to be about much more than the one murdered victim.

It’s a dark, chilling and utterly gripping read, just unputdownable, complete with twists and turns. You are immediately drawn into the story which moves between several different characters, giving small bits of information to keep you guessing till the end. The ‘magpie’ thoughts add a sinister feel to the story.

A sublime, page turning crime thriller, highly recommend.

Thanks to #NetGallery #BookOuture #PatriciaGibney for a ARC of #TheGuiltyGirl in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book further confirms Patricia Gibney's reputation for the masterful treatment of the "procedural" novel. The characters are vivid, believable, and their interactions with Lottie add to a multidimensional book. The plot is intriguing and the playing out of the detection, plus developments within Lottie's family, make it a "full" read. I have a personal preference: that mystery/thriller authors would keep their books shorter and a bit simpler. My guess is that books have gotten so expensive that authors have to justify this (which is not their doing) with thicker books. One murder would be plenty, several suspects fine, more than one police detective necessary, a cranky OR avuncular senior officer can add a lot. But when the reader needs to keeps a list to keep track of all the people running around in the pages and their changing relationships to each other, it becomes a bit more like work. Still, I'll always jump at the chance to read a new Patricia Gibney book!

Was this review helpful?

Pateicia is an amazing author. I am really loving this series, it gets better with each book. Once I started reading I couldn't stop and now I'm finished I'm looking forward to the next.

Was this review helpful?

How I love a new Detective Lottie Parker book! This latest instalment is as ever, twisty and un-put-downable.
A local girl is murdered at a party which Lottie’s son Sean was at while her parents are on holiday abroad. She’s sure there’s something he’s not telling her.

It seems that shy loner Hannah is in the frame. She only wanted to be accepted by Lucy and her friends, but they only saw her as someone to ridicule. It seems that she’s been drugged as she can only remember snippets of what happened that night… When another young party goer is found the race is on to find the killer..

Who is behind the gang of young drug dealers on the bikes and should she be looking closer at who runs the boxing gym?

Lottie is missing Boyd, who’s on holiday getting to know his son in Spain and asks him to do some investigating for her connected to the case there..

Everything is so cleverly interwoven and it’s an edge-of-the-seat read. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend. So good.

Was this review helpful?

This is book is #11 in the Detective Lottie Parker series but can easily read as a standalone. It’s the first book I’ve read in the series and enjoyed it so much that I’m now going back and reading from book #1.

Lucy held a party in her parents’ home while they were away in Spain and the following day, her body is found in one of the bedrooms. Lottie’s sidekick, Mark Boyd, is also in Spain so he’s able to some sleuthing there.

Then a teenage boy’s body is discovered in the canal, and Lottie finds out that her own son was at the fateful party.

There were so many twists and turns that I was totally gripped, and just couldn’t work out exactly who was behind the whole thing. A fantastic read, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was a pretty good read. I enjoy the characters in the book, but I have to once again question how much Patricia Gibney traumatizes the family members of Lottie Parker. This one wasn't nearly as bad for Lottie's kids as the first two books in the series (I have not read books 3-10), but her son still discovers the body and is at the party where it all takes place. It defies any logic that he would STILL not go straight to Lottie and tell her EVERYTHING. Come on. You know nothing good comes from keeping secrets in a murder investigation.

Also, I thought the overall story was really good, but I do sort of wish that the great reveal at the end of the who/what/why wasn't just given in a straight confession by the culprit. You'd think there would be some more digging required.

Still, fun read. Great setting. Interesting characters.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Poor old Lottie Parker! She has one hell of a life and yet she is expected to solve crimes and track down murderers! Her daughters are squabbling, her son is connected to a crime and her mother is old and very demanding. And to make matters worse, her partner Mark is in Spain. The plot revolves around the death of a girl at her party and the list of possible culprits is seemingly endless. A very enjoyable story even though there are a few too many coincidences.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Without NetGalley, I don't know if I would have ever become a Lottie Parker fan. Without a doubt, here we are at book 11 and this series remains one of my absolute favorites. The Guilty Girl focuses more on the crime(s) which Lottie and her squad have to solve. It is a tough one for the whole team as it begins with a local teenage girl being murdered after a night of partying. A party that Lottie's son, Sean, also attended. In addition, Lottie misses her lover and right hand man, Mark Boyd who is in Spain adjusting to some changes in his life while also coming to terms with her mother, Rose's growing need for more care.

Although I mention the family issues, the bulk of the novel remains centered around the case and I was relieved there wasn't a lot of distractions for Lottie and her team. A team that for the moment seems to be getting along, but make no mistake hard feelings still remain. It will be interesting if Gibney will put some gasoline on the fire or if we shall see one or two characters disappear from the page in the next book. Because I have been with the characters since book 1, I appreciated the humanity that Gibney gives to the police as they try to solve the murder(s). For both Lottie Parker and Maria Lynch, they are both mothers and in a case dealing with young people being harmed, there are a couple scenes where Gibney shows that even in the job with everything they have witnessed, some cases really get under the skin of police officers.

If I had one complaint, it was probably that I missed the banter between Lottie and Mark. Although Mark is able to help Lottie and the team as the investigation widens, it wasn't enough. As I reached the end of the novel, I have a lot of questions as to what type of future these two characters will have. Hopefully, those answers will come in book 12.

#TheGuiltyGirl #NetGalley.

Goodreads review published 23/05/22
Expected Publication Date 15/06/22

Was this review helpful?

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this brilliant book

end of school celebrations in a house with the parents away can only mean one thing....
trouble with a capital M, for murder

when the house cleaner finds the dead body of lucy the owners daughter its obvious to the police that they are dealing with a murder

but what isnt clear is what else happened and with no one telling the truth lottie and her fellow detectives have their work cut out for them

oh my word, this storyline was one jaw dropping murder after another....you never knew what was going to happen at the turn of a page

brilliant written and i never saw the twists and turns coming....
cant wait for the next one in this brilliant series

Was this review helpful?

Calling detective Lottie Parker's life in Ragmullin, Ireland, chaotic somehow seems like an understatement, and I admit to wondering how anybody could live, much less thrive, in that kind of environment. But by this time, though, I think I've become accustomed to all the goings on, because this very hectic one is a favorite of the bunch I've read previously (this is the eleventh).

On the work front, Lottie is called to investigate the murder of a teenage girl at her fancy home following - or perhaps in the middle of - a clandestine party she hosted while her parents were away. One of the guests, the victim's friend, had been the subject of online bullying and becomes the primary suspect. Problem is, she's apparently been drugged and has no recollection of anything that happened during the event - making Lottie less than certain about her involvement in her friend's death.

The investigation continues with little progress, but Lottie also knows her teenage son Sean was at the party as well (after all, she found out, waited outside and drove him home). There's no doubt that he isn't the killer, but on the other hand, Lottie is pretty sure he's not telling the whole truth about what he knows. And then another, even younger partygoer turns up murdered - and the possible motive is that he knew too much. So what does that mean for Sean? Could he be next?

Amid all this are secondary plots involving a gang of drug-dealing kids on bikes and a local boxing gym where some of the kids hang out, both with possible connections to both murders. Lottie's husband, detective sergeant Mark Boyd, usually can be counted on for support - but not this time. He's in Malaga, meeting up with the young son who, until recently, he never knew he had. Alas, at least for readers like me who love Boyd, he's around only for the occasional phone consultation until the very end. And as if all this isn't enough to drive Lottie bonkers, her mother Rose, with whom she has a sort of like-dislike relationship, isn't doing well and moves in with the rest of the Parker clan.

Given the multitude of suspects and need to resolve the story lines takes Lottie - and readers - for a thrill-a-minute ride complete with a few twists (although I won't call them totally surprising). It all makes for another installment well done plus the hope that another one will be out soon. Until then, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. Well done!

Was this review helpful?

The Guilty Girl (Detective Lottie Parker Book 11) by Patricia Gibney had lots of suspicious characters to choose from. The Guilty Girl was a good read but not great. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, which sometimes took me out of the story and having to go back to remind myself of the character.

I would read more from this author. I would give this story a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

#TheGuiltyGirl #NetGalley @bookouture

Was this review helpful?

So, so good. This struck a lot of chords for me. A teenager has a party whilst her parents are away, there is a lot of alcohol and some drugs involved so what actually happens is blurry and then there is a (very) bloody murder in the house and the mystery starts to intensify. Next a teenage drug dealer is found dead and he was also at the house party, but as was the son of the detective leading the enquiry…..
Lots of tension and uncertainty and I absolutely had to finish the book to see where it was going and who the perpetrators were. The writer draws brilliantly on teenage insecurities, friendships and bullying and modern themes such as cyber bullying. The darker sides including paedophile rings are also sensitively and well written. A must read for me and a great addition to a brilliant series.

Was this review helpful?

This is book 11 in the wonderful DI Lottie Parker series and it is still going strong! DS Mark Boyd is on leave in Spain connecting with a son, Sergio, he didn’t know about after his ex wife Jackie dumped him with Mark and promptly disappeared. As Lottie’s team lands the case from h*ll she misses Mark’s calm and solid presence.

Lucy McAllister, 17, throws a party to celebrate the end of the school year while her parents are away, coincidentally also in Spain. Gatecrashers arrive, the kids get drunk, the 15 year old bartender, Jake Flood, is also selling drugs. In other words things get very out of control. And when the cleaner arrives early on the Saturday morning she finds the house in a state of total disaster, drops of blood all over the floor and, upstairs, the body of Lucy stabbed to death!

This is just what Lottie needs with Boyd away and the need to corral a bunch of teenage witnesses. Even worse, her son, Sean, had been at the party although she had driven him home just after midnight before all the mayhem kicked off, she didn’t know he had snuck back to find his precious leather jacket putting him squarely in the frame. One of the girls, Hannah, appeared to be in a bad way. She thought she had been drugged and couldn’t remember anything about an apparent fight she had with Lucy. She also had Lucy’s blood under her nails!

Naturally police want to interview Jake but he is not to be found until much later, and it is his body they find.

This case has Lottie stretched to breaking. There are so many moving parts, so many suspects, underage drinking and drugs and possible grooming of young girls and more death to come. It is a very tragic story and one that is, unfortunately, all too familiar with older men preying on young girls and utilising their shame to keep their silence. It should have been a 5 star read but I honestly thought that Lottie must have been superhuman to keep going the ways she did. It just wasn’t realistic and was, actually, irresponsible and dangerous. I know she was desperate to catch the killer or killers but a few hours rest would not have hurt.

Anyway, it was certainly a dark and chilling and utterly gripping read and, as I said, tragic. Don’t miss this one! Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly. And on second thoughts I will give it that fifth star! It was just unputdownable.

Was this review helpful?

Another engaging instalment in this well established series with the return of several characters and the chaos Lottie Parker always brings. The subject matter is dark but well written with a good balance of humour.

Was this review helpful?