I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good who-done-it mystery. Perfect for Halloween Month 🎃.

This story shows what’s happening in the world right now, with addictions, human traffic, prostitution, murder, and the everyday guy dragged into this case. Will he be able to find the truth about the girls?

So I'll preface this by saying that I LOVE a good murder mystery. I like heroes with quirks, heroines with a tough streak and supporting characters that make you like them as much (if not more) than the main characters.

Enter "Throwaways". The main character, Jake, is definitely quirky, with a past that makes you ache for him a little. He's likable in a "he's kind of a douche, but not in a BAD way" way. The female lead, Tess, is tough but tender, smart and vulnerable.

Toss in a gruff old cop and an overbearing, but loveable mother figure, and you have a great cast to help solve this very sad mystery.

All told, I'd read a sequel. It is a bit sexually charged, but nothing graphic is mentioned.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher fire allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Triggers: Violence, guns, mentions of underage prostitution, drug use

Jake Savage a research volunteer for ClearSeas  is photographing lion fish population in the Gulf waters off Key West when he finds a dead body of a young girl floating face down above him. The girl appears to be around 13-14 years old and scantily dressed. Jake's inner voice tells him to ignore the body and let it pass but he knows he can't--Jake feels strongly about getting the girl some closure since he still has to live with unsolved murder of his own mother who was stabbed to death 23 years ago. He is sure that the girl's death is not an accident but when the police decide to term the girl a random throwaway and her death an accident and close the case, Jake takes it upon himself to find out who the girl was and how did she end up dead. He finds unexpected help from Detective Murphy who was incharge of the case, his adoptive mother Edith, her carer Tess and many others in his quest which he soon finds out is far more dark and sinister and involves rich, powerful, famous and dangerous people and the world of sex trafficking of underage girls.

Covering a period of one week, the story moves at a break-neck speed with an explosive ending. The ending although a bit unbelievable in general terms was still satisfying for me. Jake's mother's murder still remains a mystery in the end so I am thinking maybe this is going to be a series.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bancroft Press and the author Elliott Light for the e-Arc of the book.

Publishers book description:
“The body of a young girl drifts over a reef where Jake Savage is photographing lionfish, beautiful, brown-striped creatures with feathery pectoral fins that could almost make one forget their venomous spines. For an instant, Jake thinks she might be watching him, but she has no snorkel or mask. She isn’t wearing a swimsuit, but rather is clad only in a shirt and panties. And she can’t have looked at him because she has no eyes. What has this child done to die so young, to be forgotten and left to drift until consumed by the creatures of the sea? A voice whispers to let her go, but he can’t leave her to the whim of the wind and the tide . . . a simple decision with deadly consequences.”

Review:
Throwaways is a new thriller by Elliott Light that takes place in the elusive world of obscenely rich, powerful men where they take advantage of marginalized women and girls, who, for all intents and purposes, have been discarded by family, community, and society.

Jake Savage is a research volunteer, who, after turning down a job offer to look after his adoptive mother Ethy after she has a stroke, spends parts of each day counting and photographing the invasive lionfish in the Gulf water off Key West. He is doing just that when a shadow floats above him. The shadow is cast by a young, dead girl, scantily dressed and floating face down. He wants to let her go, but knows that he can’t, and he is quickly thrown into a world of trouble, along with a cast of complicated and interesting characters.
Terrific descriptions, great character development and several clever lines keep the story moving along at a brisk pace. By page 24 I was well and truly hooked into the story, and I did not put the book down until it was done.

The introduction of Detective Murphy, the description of his presence and personality, were so well-written that I had to (wanted to) re-read that page several times. I had my favorite line in the book before reaching Chapter 2. OK, I hoped for more great lines and personalities, and I was not disappointed, but my favorite line is still on page 24. To quote the author “Impressions are what happen when information is filtered through lenses of experience, bias and, to some extent, wishful thinking.”

My favorite line is in the next paragraph. Check it out and see if you feel the same way, or if you like some of the other terrific lines. Four out of five stars for me because I enjoyed the story, the pace and the characters.

Many thanks to the author, Bancroft Press, and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. Read and reviewed voluntarily.

The subject of child trafficking is not something I normally read. However it is really straight from the headlines isn't it. I actually picked this up as a thriller action book. It is truly a suspense action. Evil rich men, naïve young girls and several do gooders make the story one you won't forget. My stomach twists at how badly the girls are treated. The rich that misuse their good fortune is sad and wrong. The author took headlines and made a story that was well worth reading.

Throwaways is a great thriller about the world of the rich and powerful and the crass manner in which they indulge their basest desires, at the expense of helpless and unfortunate throwaways, youngster who have run away from home and are unwanted. A portion of the book relating to the crime is deeply distressing and may act as a trigger for sensitive persons.



Jake is a research volunteer with an organisation called ClearSeas. He is looking to photograph an invasive species called lionfish when the corpse of a teenage girl drifts into view. Against the backdrop of his own mother’s unsolved murder 23 years ago when he was only 4, Jake is troubled by the police’s dismissal of the case as an accident.

Detective Trent Murphy has good intentions, but he’s close to retirement and fears losing his pension in the quest to solve the mystery of the death of a throwaway, a child no one wants.

At first Jake wants to give the dead Jane Doe the dignity of an identification, but soon he gets caught up in the need to save Alicia, another runaway who might have been the friend of the dead girl and who has run away with a crucial bit of evidence: a laptop. Jake’s investigations point him towards Giles Horan, a filthy rich sexual pervert who may know a lot about the death of Megan Jones, the dead Jane Doe, and is after Alicia to silence her. The effort signs his death warrant for Horan is a vindictive man.

Meanwhile Andre Mitchell is working on behalf of his client who is also interested in calling a halt to the investigation. Andre tells Jake to get the laptop that Alicia stole and give it to him in exchange for protection from Giles but to forget about Megan’s death.

For Jake, caught between two antagonists, as well as for Ethy, his adoptive mother, and Tess, the girl hired to look after Ethy, and Detective Murphy, this can only end badly.



The antagonist is really evil, and we know early on that Jake is in a bad mess. They decide to take small steps but as Jake says, The problem with steps of any size is that it’s hard to know when you’ve gone one step too far.



The story is written in the past tense PoV of Jake Savage. One feels the pain of a young man who, as a child, found the dead body of the only parent he knew.



The descriptions are beautiful and give us a peek into the character and history of Jake. I found myself caring not only for him but also for Detective Trent, for Ethy, so oblique with her affection, for Tess, who is equally twisted in terms of past baggage, and even for Jake’s adoptive father, Maurice Savage, who is dead when the book begins.

The setting comes alive with the simplest of words. Despite knowing zilch about the geography of the place, I could picture it based on the details provided and I liked the picture my mind built up. I was impressed by the research around oceanography, the currents, tides etc. The details of the boats and the building and renovation feel intuitive and real.



The entire story takes place over 8 days, from Sunday, October 18, to Saturday, October 24. The author, in the person of Giles and Andre, kept pushing Jake into one predicament after another. It was well done, and it kept the pace going fast and smooth.

I’d first opted to read this book after reading the description and seeing the cover. I was touched by the incongruence of the cover image, the dead girl floating ethereally in the great blue with the lionfish surrounding her. Having suffered at the hands of humans while she was alive, it seems that she is now fodder for another invasive species below.



I loved the ending. It felt right, without seeming unbelievable or hurried or even forced. I only wish the author had given Jake, and us, some closure on the one mystery relating to his life. Perhaps a second book could throw more ‘light’ on Jake’s past.

Following a research dive in the Florida Keys, Jake Savage finds himself hellbent to uncover the mystery of the death of a young girl, whose body he encountered. This leads Jake down a dangerous path, where he finds himself facing some very unsavory characters and a sex trafficking ring.

Throwaways is a fast paced mystery with a great cast of characters. The focus is on Jake, his foster-mother Ethy, and her part caretaker Tess. Their lives becoming increasingly more involved with what they discover about young girls who are victimized because of their station in life, or lack thereof. Jake fancies himself a bit of a savior and quickly learns that there are times where it may not matter.

Elliot Lights builds a world with highly developed characters, with backstories that allow the reader to easily feel like you know them. The mystery of the throwaways is both fascinating and uncomfortable, disturbing and sad. Overall the plot plays out and explosive ending ensues, providing a sense of justice to the culprits. 4 Stars and Recommendation.

This book was a different type of read for me. Jake Savage finds a dead teenage girl in the water while filming Lionfish. Even though it brought him a lot of grief he just couldn't stop himself from digging to find out what happened. Good characters with lots of action. Great writing with descriptive scenes in Key West.

Thanks to Met Galley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

The Throwaways was quick paced. I enjoyed this action packed thriller . The story opens up with Jake Savage taking pictures of lion fish when a body shows up in the water of a young girl. Jakes on a mission to find her killer endangering himself . Thanks NetGalley for gifting the arc for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bancroft Press for the eARC.
Jake is shocked to find the body of a young girl hovering above him in the water in the Florida Keys. He's so tempted to swim away, freaked out by the sight of her face, eaten away by marine creatures, but he can't in all conscience do that and phones the police.
This is a fast paced story about 'throwaway' teens and the wealthy, powerful men who use and abuse them.
I liked Jake and the actions he takes and especially the relationship he has with his adopted mother, Etsy.
I enjoyed this book and the setting of the Keys was a treat.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting-a young man in the Florida keys taking it upon himself to investigate the death of a young girl- fast-paced action, and engaging characters, with some keys history along the way. I definitely recommend it!

An interesting story of what happens to people ( teenagers) that have no one who cares about them. A man goes scuba diving in his research for lion fish and discovers a body of a young girl ..... a Throwaway. He has lost his mother to murder and the case was never solved. He is determined to find out who the girl is and what happened to her. His search for the truth leads to involving people close to him and the threat of he and them losing there lives. This story would make a great movie.

Jake Savage is doing some underwater photography when a shadow floats above him. Much to his surprise, it is a young girl, scantily dressed and floating face down.

The police are called ... and they are calling it an accident. He takes it upon himself to find out who she is and how she wound up dead.

He's learning that he has all kinds of help .... his elderly step-mother, her care taker, a cop who is terminally ill, and assorted strangers he happens to bump into. It gets dangerous when he find that the girl was somehow involved with a crime that was committed against someone high up in the government who has ties to a crime lord.

Attacks come fast and furious .... and Jake and his 'partners' find themselves in deep trouble.

Great character development keeps the pace of this mystery racing at a break-neck speed. It's a complex plot with hints of deeper, darker crimes committed. The conclusion was unexpected ... and explosive.

Many thanks to the author / Bancroft Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.