A family built on lies.
Someone knows the truth…
– Buried Angels
[ About the Book ]
Bubbles of cold sweat trickled down Faye’s spine. The hole wasn’t empty. Before she could turn and run, she caught the two sightless eyes staring up at her. Only then did she scream.
When Faye Baker discovers a fragile child’s skull behind the walls of her new home, Detective Lottie Parker is called to investigate. The house has been owned for years by the family of Faye’s boyfriend Jeff, so when Jeff starts acting suspiciously, Lottie wonders what he might be hiding…
Lottie doesn’t have long to dig deeper before a child’s bones are found by eleven-year-old Gavin on nearby railway tracks. The bones don’t match the small skull behind the walls, but Lottie can’t ignore the coincidence. Someone out there must be missing their loved ones and it’s up to her to put right a terrible wrong.
Unable to shake a feeling of foreboding, Lottie goes to speak to Faye, and discovers that she hasn’t turned up for work. When Faye’s body is found stuffed in the back of her car, Lottie needs to find out who wanted her to keep quiet.
As Lottie hunts for Faye’s killer, the case takes a darker turn when Gavin goes missing. Faye and Gavin are connected only by the grisly body parts they discovered. But who are these little victims and why has their killer come back? Can Lottie find the answers before another precious life is taken?
[ My Review ]
Buried Angels by Patricia Gibney (a D.I. Lottie Parker novel) will be published February 3rd with Sphere (first published in 2020 with Bookouture) and is described as a novel that ‘will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end’.
I barely came up for breath reading Buried Angels with its shocking premise and fast-paced action. Headstrong and tenacious D.I. Lottie Parker returns in the eighth book in this crime fiction series set in the fictitious Irish town of Ragmullin. Lottie Parker has her hands full, both professionally and personally, and is feeling the pressure as the walls close in a little on her. Her relationship with her partner Boyd adds a very human side to Lottie’s character, as Boyd is under treatment for cancer. Lottie wants to be there for him at all his medical appointments but the job doesn’t always allow for personal issues to get in the way of police work.
When Faye Baker reports her discovery of a skull behind the plasterboard of a house she intends to make a home with her partner, Jeff, it triggers a series of events that sends shockwaves through a community. At the same time a headless torso is found on the railway tracks by two young boys playing with a drone. Are the two cases connected?
The prologue of the book is of a very horrifying scene over twenty years earlier and, as the book progresses, we get small hints as to the who and the why, but at no point are we convinced we have it solved. Plenty of red herrings are littered throughout all seamlessly knitted together into a very neat and satisfying conclusion.
Lottie Parker is not favoured by her superiors due to her rather unorthodox approach to her investigations. Always mindful of affecting the outcome of a case, Lottie oft-times walks a very fine line between how a case should be investigated and how Lottie herself determines the best action in the moment. Lottie is a renegade with some of her colleagues unsure of her decisions but in this recent complex investigation every member of the force is flummoxed and appalled at the sights they see. The death of a child will always trigger emotions but the possible murder of a child is a trigger of a different sort. Certain scenes were beyond heart-breaking as the terror jumped off the pages. Patricia Gibney creates very strong visuals where the smells filter through to the senses and the pain and anguish leaps off the pages.
Buried Angels as a title is relatively self-explanatory and, as a mother herself, Lottie is determined that these angels are given the respect in death that they deserve. There are collateral victims in this novel but for Lottie and her team, the murky waters of the guilty and the innocent delay the findings and the eventual traumatic results.
Being deliberately cryptic is a necessity with this review as I am being very careful not to reveal any important information. If you have already read a Lottie Parker novel you will know what to expect. If not, don’t be afraid to jump in as you will be completely riveted from the opening pages.
Buried Angels is a challenging read in many ways due to the horrific and distressing nature of the crimes committed but it also an extremely addictive read that feels so stomach-churningly real and authentic.
With a seriously twisty and disturbing plot, Buried Angels is an action-packed, very intense and tense read, one that I am very happy to recommend!
[ Bio ]
Patricia Gibney is the million-copy bestselling author of the DI Lottie Parker series. She always yearned to be a writer but between her full-time work and raising a family she could never find the time or commitment to fulfil that ambition. However, tragedy was to intervene which caused a major shift in her life. In 2009, after her husband died following a short illness, Patricia had to retire from her job and found that writing helped her cope through her grief. She then started to write seriously. Fascinated by people and their quirky characteristics, she always carries a notebook to scribble down observations and ideas. Patricia lives in the Irish midlands with her children.
Website – http://www.patriciagibney.com
Twitter – @trisha460
