EXCERPT: Death was a fresh start for them; that's how he saw it. Others might not agree, but they were wrong. He could understand why some would think of dying as the end though. In one sense, that was true. It was an ending. But it was also a beginning. A chance to go on to a better place. Somewhere you no longer had to suffer the torments that your earthly body had endured.

Somewhere everything would be okay for evermore.

ABOUT 'LOST SOULS': Standing at the school gates, he waits until the last child leaves the safety of the playground. And then he follows at a distance, keeping to the shadows. Only he knows what’s going to happen next.

In a quiet church, on a busy London street, 12-year-old Donovan Blair is found dead. His hands are clasped together as if in prayer. Just hours ago, he was happily playing with his friends at school, but now his body is lifeless, and his killer is long gone.

Detective Dan Lockhart is working alone on his wife’s missing person’s case when he receives a call telling him to get to the crime scene at St Mary’s Church immediately.

Bringing in psychologist Dr Lexi Green to help profile the murderer, Dan is convinced that the killer has provided a clue by leaving the body in a prayer position, and Lexi agrees. As they try to get into the mind of the person responsible, another victim is found. A 13-year-old girl, left in a different church, posed in exactly the same way.

Fearing the murderer may already have another child in his sights, Dan and Lexi work together to establish links between the two deaths, and soon discover that not only were both children in care – they had attended the same school. And when it emerges that Lexi’s new boyfriend works there, things become difficult between her and Dan. How much can he tell Lexi about the case? And could she be at risk?

As Dan makes a breakthrough in the investigation, he receives devastating news about his wife, Jess. But with children’s lives at stake and Lexi in danger, Dan must put his personal emotions aside and chase the killer. Can he and Lexi work out who is behind the murders before another vulnerable child is taken?

MY THOUGHTS: I have been a little disappointed in Chris Merritt's Lockhart and Green series. I love this author's Zac Boateng series, and I was looking forward to more of the same. WRONG. The Lockhart and Green series is very different. Where I found the Zac Boateng series to be fast paced, suspenseful and thrilling, Lost Souls seems to be drawn out and, to be quite honest, I found passages where the author seemed to be pontificating/procrastinating, and repeating himself. Don't get me wrong - this is not a bad read, but it needs to be tightened up, to be not quite so bogged down in repetitive psychological analysis.

I liked the characters: Dan, Detective Lockhart whose wife has disappeared without trace; Maxine Smith, a strong character inclined to follow her instincts; Lexi Green, psychologist, who also has trauma in her past. Even the lesser characters, the supporting cast, are an interesting if not always likeable bunch.

The basic plot is sound, and there are a few interesting twists and misdirections, but I didn't find the read particularly suspenseful or thrilling. I did have fun trying to guess the killer - I didn't. There are plenty of suspects to choose from. I thought the chapters written from the POV of the murderer were a little repetitive and didn't, after the initial insight, add much of value to the book.

And I do have just one small quibble with the blurb where it states 'with children's lives at stake (true enough) and Lexi in danger'......wait - did I miss something?

Lost Souls is a good read, just not a great one.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#LostSouls #NetGalley @cjmerritt81 @DrCJMerritt @bookouture
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction

THE AUTHOR: Hello! I'm a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while 'thinking' about writing novels. When I'm not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Lost Souls by Chris Merritt for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This was a great read. I had read the first in the series, Knock Knock and really enjoyed it, but somehow missed the next installment "Who's Next" so I was a little trepidatious going into this one, wondering if it would limit my enjoyment and understanding of the story so far. It definitely didn't. Merritt does a fantastic job of reminding readers of the back story of the detectives and the side plot of the disappearance of Dan's wife, Jess. I am a sucker for missing persons' stories (fact or fiction) and this was a great addiction to the series.
The characters Lockhart and Green are like old friends, and still complemented each other perfectly. I now wish I'd read them in order to see their full character development!
The last quarter of the book was incredibly gripping and I raced to the end with barely a breath!
Excellent installment!

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is the third book in this series but they can be read as stand alones.

Detective Dan Lockhart is a real gritty detective. He's not one to beat around the bush. He gets thing done, even if it's not the 'right' way it will be for the right reasons. I love Dan and Lexi's working relationship. There's clearly some sort of chemistry there but circumstances mean that I don't expect a relationship any time soon. Dr Lexi Green is an excellent psychologist and has provided some very accurate profiles in the past for Dan. I love the profiling element. It's really fascinating.

The story is very realistic. Dan has to chose what resources he can use. He has the restraints from the top brass, he's not allowed to use expensive resources due to his thin evidence. I like that Dan is determined and creative in how he catches the killer. The case is very complex, the killer's motives are not what you might expect from a killer.

I liked seeing Lucy get a bigger role in this book. It was nice to see more of her. She is clever, passionate and hard-working. Lucy has been a good background character so far in this series and seeing more of her was a nice touch. I hope we get to see more of other team members.

One thing I didn't like about this book were the COVID references. I thought they felt a bit clunky and awkward. It's a real damned if you do and damned if you don't scenario with COIVD. I have seen so many people complain that it's not been in recent books but then also complain if it is. I don't expect authors to put it in and here it didn't add to the story so it felt like it was added unnecessarily.

Chris has me hooked from the very beginning and I can't wait to read more of his work.

Lost Souls is a book that takes the reader on the ride together with Dan and Lexi. It switches among three perspectives, Dan's, Lexi's and the killer's. What I enjoyed most about this book was that I thought I knew who the killer was about halfway through the book and was matching all the clues to him. However right at the end, I was unfortunately proved wrong. For me, there is nothing better than a thriller which can make me so confident about one theory and then be able to completely prove another.

The writing style was simple and easy to read. I really enjoyed the overall pacing because enough clues were dropped at the right timings to keep threader interested but at the same time, enough information was kept from the reader to ensure the final plot twist.

I am very curious about the overarching storyline about Dan's wife Jessie and I hope that the storyline continues in the next book. I would definitely pick up the first book and the subsequent books to figure out the whole storyline about this plot.
Overall, I gave the book 4 stars and would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller read.

After the dead body of a young boy is discovered,posed in front of the alter in a church, Detective Dan Lockhart and his team find themselves investigating a complex maze of dead ends,red herrings and multiple suspects in this, the third instalment in this addictive, police procedural series.

As the team race against time to uncover the identity of a very clever,twisty killer, Dan not only has to deal with being acting SIO but also with his every move being scrutinised by DSI Burrows. She has made is abundantly clear that she doesn't approve of Dan's rule breaking during previous cases and it is common knowledge around the station that she is just biding her time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself so she can get rid of him. As the twists and turns of the investigation lead Dan and the team into the world of the underprivileged,missing, misplaced and exploited, Dan is shocked when it emerges that one of their suspects is dating his close friend Dr Lexi Green.

Dan Lockhart is one of my favourite fictional detectives, I love him and his loyal, dedicated team who work really well together and each have their own unique personality and character traits. I love how every member of the team was given the opportunity to contribute in some way to the investigation. In this book, even analyst Lucy Berry gets her chance to shine when her investigation into a report into missing people uncovers some shocking secrets and causes her to behave completely out of character.

Whenever he has had the opportunity, Dan has been continuing his investigation into the disappearance of his beloved wife, Jess. He has always suspected that his brother in law Nick knows more about her disappearance than he is letting on. By the end of this book it appears that Dan's patience and perseverance is finally starting to pay off when he learns some shocking information.

Meanwhile, Dr Lexi Green is dealing with her own personal demons as well as her conflicting feelings for Dan. She has been dating Tim for the past eight months and the relationship appeared to be going well. But him being a possible suspect not only jeopardizes Lexi's involvement in the investigation but also her friendship with Dan. The reader can't help noticing during Lexi's interactions with Tim that he has some issues but is he a killer like Dan suspects and is Lexi's life in danger?

Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were voiced from the perspective of the killer and gave the reader insights into their thoughts, backstory and the reasons why that person targeted their victims. I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit of sympathy for this person as their story unfolded. Although that person's actions were most definitely wrong and two wrongs don't make a right, in a twisted way,the motive behind their actions kind of made sense.



This is a gripping,addictive,twist packed thriller that had me hooked in from the first page and glued to my kindle. The story was intricately plotted,there was numerous suspects and had a breath taking, intense conclusion. The author has created a fantastic cast of recurring characters, individuals that the reader takes to their heart and enjoys investing their time with. Despite this being the third book in the series and the continuing storyline of Jess's disappearance, this book can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. I love this series and can't wait to find out what the author had planned for Dan, Lexi and the team in book 4.

Back with book 3 in the series of Lockhart and Green and things are getting real now! Yes, we have the horrific murders of the lost souls occurring but the real story is Lockhart’s missing wife, and boy is there a clanger in the works there!!

We see the investigation unfolding not just through Lockhart’s frustrations or Green’s profiling but also through Lucy’s and the sadistic murderer. I really did enjoy Lucy being more at the forefront, the investigation had become more personal for her with the children that were targetted that, shockingly she oversteps the mark. However, I liked this side of her because she was acting as any mother would have done. Protection of your children is key, above all else. I do worry however that her actions may just come and haunt her later on in the series.

Lockhart struggles more in this book, we feel the intensity of the case ramped up here because his personal life is trickling through. He has a boss breathing down his neck, which never helps but the lack of belief they hold is shocking. Lockhart yes does operate sometimes by his own rules but he gets the results we need. Although, that ending, well it might have just pushed him too far.

Each story by Chris gets darker and darker, and here he tackles a solemn subject. One that would worry parents, carers and people generally. The killer’s mindset is off-kilter, believing that they are working for the greater good when that clearly is not the case. It feels that in this chapter everyone is battling some kind of demon, where it be religious, history or just present-day relationship. Each character takes a battering in some way and has decisions to make that could and will alter their future. Always makes for an interesting read for us the reader. The conflict that these characters here and the decisions they make in effect make us the jury on their decisions. We hold the power in our minds to decide if what they are doing is right or wrong, and if it is wrong is it for the right decisions. As you can see this book offers a lot more than just a murder investigation, we have thinking to do!

One thing I loved is the number of red herrings that are thrown in here. I had someone in mind for the murders, I would have in fact happily pinned my money on them, but nope I was proven wrong and I fell at the last hurdle. The scary thing to take away from this story, is sometimes they hide in plain sight!

This story begins and ends with Dan Lockhart, I do worry for the people who are about to enter his crosshairs because he is not someone you want to be on the wrong side of for sure. It is another strong instalment in the series and I can’t wait to see where we go next. Hopefully Lockhart and Green might get a nice sunny holiday at some point!

# Lost Souls # Netgalley

Wow what a read absolutely fantastic I stayed awake all night because I genuinely couldn’t put the book down, the character where good it’s like you get to know them personally. At one point I thought I knew who the killer was. That soon changed with so many twist and turns the numbers of potential people who was the murder. Yet when it was revealed not once did he cross my mind. I am normally pretty good at guessing who it was but definitely not in this book. It’s the first book I have read by Chris Merritt and definitely will not be last absolutely bloody brilliant. Fantastic reads. So now I am going to find very mystery thillers and psychological thrillers by him. Also I will have to read all books with DSI Lockhart. Fantastic book

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

He did AGAIN!

This is the second book I have read from the author and the third book of the Detective Lockhart and Green series. The story begins with a murder of a eleven-year-old, Donovan who is in the foster care system and who was found murdered inside a church with a Bible verse next to him. While finding out what happened to his wife, Detective Lockhart along with his MET team and Dr. Green sets out to find this deranged killer who is targeting children in the foster care system.

The story was well written, and again, I loved reading the parts, going into the minds of the killer (I know it's creepy but wouldn't it make the story juicier?) and the story was fast paced with thrills going on and twists and turns. Too many suspects with questionable backgrounds in the books that you don't really know which one of those suspects can be the killer and that makes it more and more interesting! Not predictable which I like about the thrillers. Overall, it was a great thriller, unputdownable and fast paced. Worth five stars in my opinion!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is solely based on my honest opinion.

Lost Souls is the 3rd book featuring Chris Merritt's detectives Lockhart and Green.

The story begins with the killing of a schoolboy found in a church on a busy London street. At St Mary the Virgin church in south-west London, Donovan Blair, 12, wearing clean-looking clothes, is knelt in front of the altar beneath a gold cross on the wall, with his hands clasped under his chin as though he is praying. Called to the scene, DI Dan Lockhart notices the ligature markings on the victim's neck, underneath white ribbon. Dan alerts a member of his team, DC Mohammed Khan who is house-sharing with psychologist Dr Lexi Green. Dan, realising he needs to get inside the perpetrator’s mind, contacts Lexi. A week later a girl is targeted with the same positioning of the body at a church a few miles away.

With its steady pace, Lost Souls had a terrific plot and I had plenty of time to become re-invested in the main characters. An ex-soldier, Dan Lockhart is working as part of the Major Investigation Team (MIT) in London, as well as continuing with the search for his wife Jess who disappeared seven years ago. The characters of both Lexi and Dan are fabulously crafted by Chris Merritt and the two have a great working relationship. I also enjoyed the contributions from civilian analyst Lucy Berry, examinating data compiled by a graduate student’s algorithm, who was easy to like.

This is a tense, exciting and superbly crafted police procedural, and I appreciated the MO of the serial killer as it made for compelling reading. The use of a psychologist to create a probable profile of the killer was captivating and there are some shocking twists in this dark tale. Chris Merritt managed to keep me guessing right up to the riveting conclusion. A remarkably good story I can confidently recommend that will have you reading late into the night. Lockhart and Green make a brilliant duo and I can't wait to read more of them.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is the third book in this series.

This is an excellent crime thriller book and it definitely won't be my last book from this author.

This had me hooked from page one all the way to the end. It was full of suspense and twists and turns.

Highly recommend.

After the cliff hanger of Who’s Next, I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next in the crime saga that is the series of Lockhart and Green.

But first there is a small matter of murder. But not just any old big standard murder (if there is such a thing). No, this is the worst of the sort, the murder of children, teenagers. Those who have their full life ahead of them, those who have been abandoned by their family and in the care system. Why would someone do such a thing? I had to find out.

The sporadic insight to our killer’s mind was chilling. They genuinely believed what they were doing was right. This deranged individual really needs to help…. stat!! I spent the whole book praying Lockhart and the team would crack the case and get justice for these Lost Souls.

This is a hell of a read. With Lockhart battling with his personal investigation by night and the murder case by day lead to some compelling narrative. Another cracking crime thriller from the keyboard of Merritt 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Lost Souls - 5 stars

This was a good read that kept me intrigued. When I wasn't reading this book, I found myself thinking about it, which tells me the author did an incredible job of making the characters realistic and the plot, engaging.

The author inserts a lot of possibilities for the identity of the killer (red herrings) throughout the book, and I found myself curious who it would end up being. No spoilers here, though, so if you want to know who turned out to be the murderer, you'll need to read the book.

I enjoyed the chapters from the killer's POV, and could feel his conflict, but also his bit of compulsion. Despite the media giving him the moniker of "Church Kid Killer," this killer doesn't take out the children because he's some deranged lunatic set on violence. To him, he was a maker of angels. I found his thinking to be chilling, interesting, and unique.

This was my first book by this author, but I'd definitely read his work again. I received an advanced reading copy. Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for making this possible.

*4.5 stars *

Around ten thousand under 18’s go missing every year in London alone, this then is (in part) the backdrop for ‘Lost Souls’.

Two investigations come under the spotlight, in this excellent police procedural, one of them unofficial, (the cold case of Detective Dan Lockhart’s missing wife Jess), which is carried out in his own time, and the other being the distressing case of a serial killer who targets children. There is also a sub plot that adds much to the storyline.

In addition to his usual team, Lockhart brings in psychologist Dr Lexi Green, in order to get into the mind of the killer. The dead children have all been left in a church, and their bodies posed in a praying position. Both Dr Green and Lockhart believe the killer is leaving them a message - but what, and why?

This is a complex plot, with excellent use of smoke and mirrors, lining up many suspects for the reader to consider, and very good reasons why any one of them could be the killer. The investigation constantly hits dead ends, but the tension hots up as the pieces eventually fall into place. Great characters, and a gripping storyline, makes Lost Souls, a must read!

I understand there’s to be a stand-alone from Chris Merritt in September 2021 - look forward to it!

Lost Souls is the third instalment in the Detective Dan Lockhart and Dr Lexi Green series, set in London. It's January 5th and Lockhart is on a stake out outside his brother in law Nick's haulage company on the Darent Industrial Park; something he has been doing for 9 months in his spare time. 11 years ago Dan's wife, Jess, vanished from their home while he was on a tour of duty in Afghanistan and following a sighting matching her description in Whitstable, Kent, Dan had eventually found a trawlerman who recognised her photograph saying he saw her in the harbour 2 years earlier with someone who matched Nick's description. His phone rings and it's DSI Burrows who needs a Senior Investigating Officer at a murder scene in Mortlake. Called to St Mary the Virgin church in south west London where a boy is knelt in front of the altar and beneath a large gold cross. His hands are clasped under his chin as though praying when he was found by verger at the church Eric Cooper. He also has a dark ligature mark around his neck. His name was Donovan Blaire, an innocent 12 year old boy. Dan then discovers that the bible on the altar has a section that has been highlighted. It reads: "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Donovan had recently stayed with fosterers Roger and Trish Hughes who had brought him along with them to Sunday services but apparently he ran away and had not been the first to do so while under the care of the Hughes'. A week later a girl is targeted with the same posing of the body at a church only a few miles from their MIT base at Jubilee House. This time the victim is Charlotte Mullins and another bible verse referring to children is highlighted next to her body. Now Lockhart, Lexi and team know they have what appears to be a ruthless serial killer on their patch, although the killer sees his actions as "making angels." Can they stop him before he takes the life of another innocent child? This is a compulsive, riveting and action-packed procedural overflowing with tension, mystery, intrigue, twists and reveals. It's pacey and well written and before you know it you're fully immersed in the story alongside the characters. The cast is comprised of fully rounded characters and we get a little more of both Dan and Lexi’s backstories. The plot is complex with Merritt making superb use of smoke and mirrors to pull the wool over your eyes and the large suspect pool is used to great effect to bamboozle us readers, as many people have motive. An enthralling, exhilarating and thoroughly gripping page-turner. Highly recommended.

Book 3 in the Lockhart and Green series and it's the best one so far.

Dan and Lexi are great characters and I love the mix of professional and personal in their stories.

The plot in this book was quite heart breaking. I was hooked from the start until the very last page. I can't wait for the next one.

Will definitely recommend this series to all crime thriller fans.

Another brilliant book in the Dan Lockhart series.
Dan is called when a child’s body is found posed as if in prayer in a church. The team are shocked that someone would do this to a child so they’re all determined to find the killer.
Dan calls on psychologist Lexi Green to help out with the profile of the killer as she’s helped on two previous cases.
Soon another child has been taken and killed, and yet again positioned in prayer in a church.
Sections of the Bible are highlighted at each scene so they know it’s someone with good religious knowledge.
Dan and the team investigate local youth groups and schools and seem to be hitting a brick wall until one of the victim’s phones is found and it all pieces together.
There’s a race against time to stop him taking another life and it was a real nail biter of an ending.
I love this series as we also follow Dan’s search for his wife who disappeared two years ago. The ending of this book will have ramifications on future books so I look forward to what comes next.
This is a brilliant book and I highly recommend it to crime fiction fans.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the 3rd book in the Lockhart and Green series but the first book I have read by Chris Merritt. I read the book easily as a stand-alone without knowing all the back story and I will certainly be reading more by this author.

This is the first book I have read that mentions covid 19 which is interesting.

When a child is found dead at an altar in a church Dan Lockhart and his team are sent to try and solve the crime. The plot thickens when another child is found in the same way and they have more to deal with than they thought. How many more children will be murdered before the killer is caught?

There are lots of characters in the book who are all believable and work well together. The story twists and turns and goes off at different angles to keep you guessing and wondering what will happen next.

There is also the subplot as Detective Dan Lockharts wife has been missing for 2 years and he spends all of his spare time trying to find out what has happened to her.

The chapters are short which keeps the book moving at a fast past

Really enjoyable I can’t believe I have never read any of this series before. I will certainly be reading the rest now.

Detective Dan Lockhart is still searching for his missing wife, trying to take care of his children and also track down a potential serial killer.
Dan brings in Dr Lexi Green, a psychologist, to help build a profile of the murderer who is kidnapping and killing children.
They discover links with a local school and investigate potential suspects, including Lexi’s boyfriend.
Dan is under pressure from his wife’s family to declare her dead - something he really doesn’t want to do and is convinced her brother is pushing this for his own reasons. Dan starts to follow him and his contacts determined to find out what happened to his wife.
There is a definite attraction between Dan and Lexi which may develop in future books but he is still desperately trying to find his wife.
Chris Merritt writes believable characters and interesting storylines with lots of twists and turns- setting up a lot of suspects to keep the reader hooked.
Another great book in this series.
4.5 Stars

Chris Merritt has brought us another great thriller with troubled detective Dan Lockheart and physiologist Dr Lexi Green trying to advise him along the way by helping him track down and catch another killer, this time, one who is targeting vulnerable children.
The writing is great, as there are lots of well written characters that add to the story and just when you think you have worked out who the murderer is someone else pops up which keeps you engaged and wanting to keep reading right to the end.

I also like the will they won't they relationship between Dan and Lexi and the backstory of Dan trying to find his missing wife adds another dimension to the story, my only hope is it's not dragged out through book after book like some writers do as I personally find that becomes annoying to the plot. I

I am definitely looking forward to reading book 4