I was very disappointed in The Lost Child by Theresa Talbot. Right from the start I thought the novel was way to confusing. There was no real backstory, it just jumped into the storyline. It was almost expected that the reader know who the characters were. I think what is most frustrating is the ideas and overall story could have been really good but the way it was presented was so flustered.

Thanks to Aria and Theresa Talbot for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

When Father Kennedy drops down dead during mass, Father Tom Findlay who is officiating with him thinks no more about it than that this priest’s time had come. Father Findlay has been going through his own crisis of faith, not helped by the fact that he has been helping T.V. journalist Oonagh O’Neill who is putting together a programme on the Magdalen Institutions, many of which were owned and run by the Catholic Church.

Oona believes that Father Kennedy knew much more than he was prepared to tell, and when he dies, she is convinced that there is something suspicious about his death. But the old man was riddled with cancer, so she has no hope of convincing anyone of her suspicions, not even her friend, D.I. Alec Davies.

The Lost Children is a contemporary novel, with flashbacks to the 1950’s where we learn of the horror of the Magdalen Institutions in Ireland – and in Glasgow – and what happened that forced young women to go there along with the horrors they suffered while they were there. The Glasgow Magdalen Institution may be a fiction, but such places were once all too real. The severe cruelty and often fierce brutality are harrowing to read and the stories of the babies born dead or given away for adoption are hard to think about in modern Scotland, even although we are only half a century on.

Oonagh O’ Neil has been looking at Glasgow’s Magdalene Institution and tracking down the women who went there, documenting their stories for her programme. The Institution closed down after a riot and the burning of the building and three young women were the ringleaders .

The Catholic Church has assigned Tom Findlay, not so much to be helpful, as to keep tabs on Oonagh, but Tom is glad to have her to talk to, even if he knows little about the events she is investigating and the pair develop a friendship.

But there are people who do not like what Oonagh is doing and who would like nothing more than to see her brought down a peg or two in the process of stopping her pursuing her story. One of those is a lowlife freelance journalist who is not above a bit of pilfering if it helps him get what he needs – and he is no fan of Oonagh’s.

Oonagh is also involved in a relationship with a married man so when she is attacked in her own home, is it her pursuit of the story that has puts her life in danger, or is her extra-marital relationship giving her grief?

Tom Findlay and Alec Davies are at loggerheads as each tries to make sense of what is going on – and when another dead body turns up in Tom’s church, suspicion points at him.

I really enjoyed this book. Talbot doesn’t shirk from tackling some very difficult subjects and she does so within a well plotted and nicely written book. Her characters are believable with a nice mix of light and shade, virtues and flaws and I liked the central character of Oonagh O’Neill a great deal.

The Lost Children is a very good read and I would certainly recommend it.

I liked this book a lot but I did not love it, the way I normally do with a thriller.

I found the story a little bit long winding and I struggled at times to keep my interest with it.. All in all, it is not a bad book, I just think it was not my cup of tea

I would like to thank Aria and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Lost Children’ written by Theresa Talbot in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Oonagh O’Neil works for a television station as an investigative journalist and is contacted by Father Kennedy who shortly after collapses during Mass. DI Alec Davies and DS McVeigh of the Govan Police are sent to investigate after a large amount of penicillin is found in Father Kennedy’s body, but as he’s known to have cancer could his death be suicide or is someone trying to stop him from talking to Oonagh?
I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy this novel. Although the plot was interesting I found it hard to get into and couldn’t empathise with the characters. I’m sure there are many readers who will love it but I’m sorry, Theresa, it just wasn’t for me.

I quite enjoyed this book, well written and evenly paced, I read it in a couple of days.
It followed a female journalist called Oonagh as she tried to uncover an old scandal regarding the church and child trafficking, but found more than she bargained for.
Oonagh is a good character, full of life and wisecracks and I quite liked Father Tom too even though he was a bit useless at times, his heart was in the right place.
The premise is truly horrific and sad to think that things like this did used to go on but the plot is sensitively handled and hopeful.
I will read more by this author.

Just okay. The evil deeds of the Church in Ireland as it relates to unwed pregnant women has been done plenty. I didn't think this story brought anything new.

I really loved this book! Excellent story with brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Aria for an advance copy of The Lost Children, the first novel to feature Glasgow based investigative journalist Oonagh O'Neill.

When elderly priest, Father Kennedy, dies at the altar Oonagh suspects foul play because he had something to tell her about, she thinks, her investigation into the Magdalene laundries and he has refused to co-operate with her before. Oonagh's friend, DI Alec Davies, takes charge of the investigation.

I enjoyed The Lost Children, not least because it is set in my hometown and it adds a certain something to the read when you can identify the streets and locations named. The plot is fairly complicated with a host of suspects and different motivations. It may just be my mood but I found disentangling some of the twists difficult, if not incomprehensible at times. It does, however, have a well disguised perpetrator and an unusual motive.

The narrative and timeline slip between Oonagh's present day account, well near enough as it is set in 2000, and Irène Connelly' experiences in the Glasgow Magdalene laundry in 1958. Without overly politicising the subject Ms Talbot does an excellent job of describing the conditions there - horrifying is being kind about them and the Church's desire to cover it up as much as possible, including the usual excuse of times were different. It makes for very interesting, if repulsive, reading.

I must admit that I did not find Oonagh a particularly likeable protagonist. She is a bit of a princess, prone to hissy fits when things don't suit her, and extremely secretive for various reasons. On the plus side she can be empathetic to victims but I never knew if it was genuine.

The Lost Children is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

(Previously published under the title PENANCE (UK)

First in a gripping new thriller series featuring investigative journalist Oonagh O'Neil. Travel from Ireland to Scotland.

When an elderly priest drops dead on the altar of his church, it is thought to be a heart attack. But the medical examiner finds that the priest had in his body a substance that he was highly allergic to. Was it an accident? Suicide? Murder?

Oonagh O'Neil is a TV journalist looking into the truth behind the closure of Magdalene Institution. The priest had called her the night before he died ... so did someone want him silenced before he could talk to her?

With a little nudge from Oonagh, DI Alec Davies is leading an investigation into the priest's death. He and Oonagh share a history, but will they be able to work together to expose some long-standing secrets?

The author, herself, is a journalist, so what you get is a very credible story line with believable characters. Oonaugh is a complicated woman with some personal issues that need some work. She's intelligent and knows what she wants ..and usually always gets it.

The book moves from the present to the past and back again. It's written in such a way that it is easily followed and not confusing.

This is the beginning of a new series and I look forward to seeing Oonagh's adventures in the future.

Many thanks to the author / Aria / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.