Luke is trying to pull his life back together as his wife Debbie’s disappearance turned into a cold case. Four years after her disappearance a baby is abandoned on a cold, rainy night. After an anonymous tip, police decide to run a DNA test. The results point to Debbie being the mom, so the case isn’t reopened. I really enjoyed reading this book. It jumps between three story lines: Luke, Debbie and the main detective. It was a quick engaging read that I did not want to put down. Is Luke’s family in danger? Will they be able to apprehend her capture before it is too late?

Enjoyed this fast paced, tense thriller. Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

The Next Girl by CarlaKovach is the first book in a new female detective series.
Gina Harte is a lead detective . She has been trying to find Deborah Jenkins, a missing wife and mother who vanished several years agowith no leads to go go on. Then a baby is left in front of the town library and they discover this baby has Deborah's DNA.
After this shocking discovery , Gina and her team of detectives go into overdrive to solve this case.
Is Deborah being held against her will?
Is she right here close by?
Is a monster living in their town?
THe story develops throughout the book as you understand and feel for the characters.
This is a great read. I think it is a good beginning to a new series. Thank you to the author , publisher and NeGalley for allowing me to review the ARC.

Carla Kovach’s first installment in The Gina Hart Series, The Next Girl is an excellent way to start off a new series. Deborah Jenkins is kidnapped while on her way home after working late. Four years later, after her husband and everyone else is sure she is dead and won’t ever be found, a baby is left on the doorstep of a building and the DNA of the baby matches Deborah. Everyone is shocked, but hopeful, since it proves she is still alive. Gina Hart, who has had her own demons to work through, is the detective who is investigating the strange circumstances, and is trying to solve not only where the baby came from, but also where Deborah is.

Set in Britain, the novel is well-written, and will grab readers from the first chapter. The characters are well-developed, and Detective Gina Hart is likeable and a character with human flaws that many readers will be able to sympathize with. It’s always nice to find a character that seems like a real person, and Gina Hart is one who will be believable and likeable through the subsequent novels to come. Kovach has done a good job with the other characters in this novel, as well.

While some of the scenarios are a bit far-fetched, this is fiction, after all, and they fit with the storyline, which is good enough that this novel is one that is hard to put down. The twists and turns, as well as the building suspense will keep readers’ glued to their seats until everything is clarified at the end of the novel.

The Next Girl is well-organized and easy to follow. It doesn’t include graphic violence or language, but does have some adult situations. It is a good thriller, and will most likely be enjoyed by readers.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

The book got an interesting plot, it is heartbreaking but very compelling, too. I was immediately hooked. It was told on multiple POVs: Gina, Luke, Debbie, and the kidnapper, which gives us wider scope on what’s happening not only on the detective working the case but also the missing woman and her family. The characters felt realistic and well-developed and it was easy to sympathize with them. Not only with Debbie’s horrific experience with her abductor but also with her family’s loss. Gina is another flawed detective and our main character. Deborah’s case affected Gina in so many ways. Not only because it was her unsolved case from years ago but it also brings back a past she’d rather forget. She has been in an abusive relationship and though her husband is dead for a long time, she still can’t tell her daughter about it.

I pretty much enjoyed this police procedural and the details that were put into it, albeit the slow pacing and lack of any surprising twist. It is predictable and I even had an easy time figuring out the bad guy, still, it kept my interest. I could do without the cold and mucus talk, though. The last few chapters of the book are thrilling and exciting and quite satisfying. I was a bit disappointed at the ending as I was hoping to read more about what happened after to Luke and his family but instead was focused on Gina and her daughter. Their issue still isn’t fully resolved so I guess it will be resurfacing on the coming books. Overall though, it is a decent thrilling novel and I’m looking forward to getting to know more of Gina Harte.

One stormy night Deborah Jenkins doesn't return home from work. The only evidence left behind is one of her shoes. It is assumed she's been abducted but none of the interviews lead to anything substantial. She seems to have disappeared into thin air and the case goes cold. Four years later, the family is starting to think that perhaps Deborah is no longer alive and they slowly start to move on with their lives. A newborn baby is abandoned on the library steps and an anonymous caller urges the police to check the DNA of the baby. The results show that the baby belongs to Deborah and Detective Gina Harte reopens the case to close in on her abductor.

This is a great start to a new detective series. I think that the call urging the police to check the DNA of the baby was a little bit far-fetched but, otherwise, I really enjoyed the story. I look forward to reading the next book.

I received this book through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Carla Kovach for this opportunity.

The Girl Next Door is Carla Kovach's first novel in her new DI Gina Harte crime series and I am already looking forward to the next one in the series. The Next Girl was fast paced, yet it was not rushed. There were two clear storylines to the plot: the police procedural storyline along with a plot line set four years previous when Deborah goes missing on her at home.

Great crime series need a strong police lead and I really liked DI Gina Harte. She is a strong woman, who cares about her profession and gives the job her all as she strives to get justice and find out who committed the crime. There is a tricky relationship between her and her daughter and this plays a part in the book - I look forward to reading more about Gina and learning more about this history.

I recommend this to any of my blog readers who are looking for a new series of books to try,DI Gina Harte is one to watch.

I have read that the author, Carla Kovach, lives in Redditch and as I grew up there I hope she has the opportunity to do local events in the Worcestershire area so I can chat with Carla about all things DI Gina Harte.

Thank you to the publishers, Bookouture, for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.

This one of those books that I could not put down. Debbie has gone missing, her children are without a mother, her husband Luke is without a wife and Cathy is without a daughter. They are trying to move on but its hard. When a baby is found with Debbie's DNA they know she is still alive. The detective Gina who herself has had a traumatic life is doing everything she can to find Debbie. This book does so well at trying to explore the emotions a family would feel. Loved the characters of Luke and Cathy. The description of how Debbie is treated and manages to stay sane is so good. I loved this book and cannot wait to read another one by this author.

This story took a while to develop. The suspense built slowly but the ending was definitely good. It would make a great movie. I'm sure Gina will make many more appearances on my book shelf!

I really enjoyed this title. The main character GIna Harte is tough, but yet likeable, and the story of the missing woman keeps you gripped throughout!

Read it!

The description of this made it a must read for me. Who doesn't enjoy a mystery surround an abandoned baby and a missing woman? And, this fast paced, UK police procedural (which I am typically not a fan of) lived up to my anticipation!

After reading the prologue I was slightly confused as to where the book was going. This continued until about halfway through the book when everything came together. Once it all came together for me, the mind of the kidnapper opened and the plot took off. I hit this point and could not put the book down.

I have to say that I am getting a little of the flawed female lead with a back story that will "break your heart." As much as Detective Gina Harte was flawed, she was also strong and independent, which was a refreshing change from what I have been reading lately.

The book is told from different points of view. There is the family of the missing woman who finds out that she is alive after all these years, just as they start to move on. Did she leave intentionally, was she kidnapped? Most importantly, where is she? The emotions of the ordeal are strong, drawing you in from the moment you meet the family.

There are the detectives trying to solve the case of the abandoned baby, and, in turn, the unsolved missing persons case of the baby's mother. A couple things bothered me with this point of view. First, why are all the detectives sick? I can handle one of them being sick, but every time the book turned to the detectives someone was sniffling, or talking about snot, it was slightly off putting. Then there is the fact that the detectives had to be begged by and anonymous caller to run a DNA test on the baby. Isn't that standard procedure? This portion of the plot felt like a filler, a space taker.

The third point of view is that of the kidnapper. It really got into the mind of the man and how sick and twisted he really was. He epitomized the "if I can't have her no one can" ideal. He was not very compassionate in the end, and when the detectives started moving in, he truly started to panic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to the next in the Gina Harte series.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, the author, Carla Kovach, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a great first book in the Detective Gina Harte series. Very strong plot line & Gina is a great lead character. Looking forward to reading more

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, Deborah sets out to work the short journey to her home but vanishes and is never to be seen again, or so her friends and family thought until four years later an abandoned baby is found on a door step, after DNA testing the baby is infact Deborah's which means Deborah must still be alive! Detective Gina and her work colleagues are determined to find out what happened to Deborah and where she is, and why she was taken. I really enjoyed this rollercoaster ride of a story and looking forward to trying more books from this author.

Being new to detective fiction, I'd say this was a great read.

Detective Gina Hart gets put on Deborah Jenkin's missing person's case, and after being unsuccessful for 4 years - they presumed Deborah was dead. They pinned a dead body they found in the waters to Deborah and the case was dismissed. However, now a baby was found at the steps of a library on a cold, rainy day. And, the kicker? Her DNA matches that of Deborah's. Hart stops at nothing to retrace her steps to her missing person's case from 4 years ago to find any clues as to Deborah's whereabouts.

This novel was filled with many surprising twists and turns and definitely keeps you guessing until the very last page. Like many others have shared, I'm glad this is only the first book to a new series, because I'm hooked and will be coming back for more! A promising new series indeed.

I am a sucker for a strong, kick ass female main character - and this one nailed it! I enjoyed following all the different viewpoints in the story which kept it fresh, interesting and moving forward. Action packed and fast paced.

Four years ago Deborah Jenkins went missing on the short walk home from her work. Her family has never got over it although as far as the police are concerned the trail has long gone cold.However when an newborn baby is found abandoned and a DNA test reveals that it is Debbie's baby, Gina Harte and her team decide that this has certainly sent them back to the case for re-examination.

Told through the perspectives of Debbie, her family and Gina the pace of this book never slows down. The reader is desperately rooting for Gina and her team to find Debbie before it's too late.

Gina is a welcome addition to the many excellent female detectives that have arrived on the fiction scene in the last few years. I'm looking forward to hearing more about her in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for this five star read!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was a great thriller. I loved the twists and turns, I did not correctly guess the end game and enjoyed the adventure of getting there. Gina is a great character, I feel like I have been set up to have to read the next book as I need to know what will happen next for Gina, in her professional life, as a DI, in her personal life and with her past.

Great start to what I hope is a great series.

A good strong start to a series. Gina is a really interesting character. I read this book in one sitting. I was totally gripped from the start. I wanted to know what happened to Deborah and her baby. This is a really good read with a lot happening. I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

So glad this is just “book1” must mean there are more to come!
Carla Kovach has an inviting writing style that has you turning the pages desperately to see what the next page holds!
The characters are well created and draw you in to their own storyline as well as the main crux of the plot.
A great plot well executed and highly recommended read.

I did enjoy this book and I did like Gina Harte,the book kept me guessing who the kidnapper was.....maybe a bit too long for the plot ??? and too many references and symptoms of a cold but a good start to a series and I would definitely read more..........