Lost Lives

I am already a fan of Lisa Cutts and was delighted to receive an ARC of her latest, Lost Lives.

DI Harry Powell and his team are called to a drive by shooting where thankfully nobody was injured. As the case moves on, they discover they are dealing with human trafficking and slaves in the modern world as the intended target of the shooting was protecting two escapees. The story also follows the plight of two young Hungarian women, Lili and Anna who try to escape from their “controllers”. With constraints of budget cuts to policing and little resources to protect the witness, can they win out?

This book is a real gripper, I read it within the day, I couldn’t put it down, it was fast paced and chilling in what is a realistic situation.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really like DI Harry Powell and his team. This kept me hooked right from the beginning and read it in one sitting.

Lisa Cutts is another new author to me (thank you, Netgalley, for introducing me to so many different authors!) and I am so glad I have discovered her. Lost Lives is a great thriller that I just couldn't put down. It is a believable, realistic story and Cutts' writing style is great. It is a book in the DI Harry Powell series and I shall be reading the previous books now (although this can be read as a stand alone too).

DI Harry Powell is back in the latest book in the East Rise series.

With short, snappy chapters, this is a novel that is guaranteed to keep you on your toes!

This is definitely a compelling read, what starts off with a shooting, zooms in with a focus on trafficking. You will find it hard to put this book down.

What I love about Lisa's writing is that it is truly believable, using her own knowledge from working within the police, there is an abundance of detail that at times is quite harrowing but all the more engaging.

And although this can easily be read as a stand alone, this is a series where one book just won't be enough!

Authentic, gripping and moving, Lost Lives is an expertly written crime thriller that I can highly recommend.

Lisa Cutts has written this book from the heart. It deals with people trafficking in the south of England, the area in which she works as a detective constable. The horrors of this dreadful trade are well described as we follow two "workhorses" as they try to escape from their captivity. In parallel we have the story of an attempted shooting of someone who tried to help an escapee and the police's attempts to protect him. The effects of government cuts to the police service also feature prominently in the book which is well plotted with credible characters and bursts of nerve-racking tension. A must read!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon & Schuster UK Fiction for an advance copy of Lost Lives, the third novel to feature DI Harry Powell of East Rise police.

Harry and the team respond to an incident where shots are fired at a flat but fortunately there are no casualties. When it is suggested that the intended victim is people trafficking the team start investigating but with few resources and a growing caseload the investigation is overtaken by other events.

I enjoyed Lost Lives but not as much as the previous novels. I may be unfeeling but it lingered overmuch on the plight of the trafficked workers and not enough on the investigation for my taste. The plight of these poor people is appalling but it's not something I want rammed down my throat when I'm reading for entertainment, especially as the novel does not offer anything new on the subject and I'm sure that I have read some of the situations in another novel (just can't remember which one). The narrative is mostly told from Harry and trafficked worker Anna's points of view but switches to other characters from time to time, making it difficult at times to keep up.

There is, however, a real authenticity to the police actions, constraints and errors which goes a long way to mitigate any other failings in the novel. It portrays a long suffering service doing its best in reduced circumstances with its people being its strongest albeit demoralised asset.

I like DI Harry Powell who is normally a strong leader and good investigator but events overtake him and he starts to show some frailty. He is a very human protagonist.

Lost Lives is an ok read.

Another brilliant read from one of my favourite authors.
This book is utterly gripping. I read this book in one sitting actually finishing it at 2.30am. A very good police procedural. A taboo subject which is harrowing, horrific and heart breaking. Modern day slavery and people trafficking not very nice subjects but Lisa Cutts treats it with compassion and heart.
This is masterful storytelling from a writer who is at the top of her game.
Another great read from this author to add to her shelf in my library.
I would like to thank the author Lisa Cutts, Simon and Schuster UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.