Lost Girls

BLUF: If you can get past rough main character, pick this one up.

I was provided a copy of this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review

After reading the description of this book, I had to read it.

Series: This book is third in the D.I. Kim Stone series, but can be read as a standalone. That said, the characters are not introduced and the reader is expected to understand them from previous novels. For me, this wasn't a major issue, but it did negatively affect the amount I enjoyed this book.

Plot: Nine-year-old best friends are kidnapped. The families of these girls are very close and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get both their daughters back. Well.. they were until the kidnapper determined that only the girl whose parents bid the highest will be freed. Can D.I. Stone and her team deter the parents from giving in long enough to try and save both daughters?

The bad: Because this is a series, the characters aren't introduced in this book and, as a result, felt a little flat in comparison to the characters new to the series. I wasn't able to pick up the personality of Stone's team and I wasn't exactly fan of Stone's bad attitude. The other thing I really didn't enjoy was that a crude sexual act was used to help build the evilness behind the kidnapper. I know many authors use this tactic, but I really hate it. The evilness is well described without this incident. Another minor concept, but there weren't many clues leading up to figuring out who/where the kidnapper was. It was like one minute they knew nothing, then the hypnotism happened, and suddenly they are at the barn.

The good: I couldn't put this book down! Despite disliking Stone's attitude it didn't stop me from enjoying the book or her role in it. I enjoyed the dynamics between the new characters and adored the dialogue. This book is fast paced and I definitely will be reading more from this author and this series – preferably from the start so I can better understand Stone's selfishness.