The Lost Ones by Marnie Riches is the first book in the new Detective Jackie Cooke series and what a great start this was. I have loved all of Marnie's books and this was just brilliant! It had great twists and turns throughout that just had you sitting on the edge of your seat.I was gripped from the beginning till the end. I am looking forward for her next book that hopefully comes out in WoW November!

I highly recommend this book and all of her books.

5 Stars from me

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness ... what a cracker of an opener to a new series!

There is so much to like about this book - the characters, the plot, the pace, the twists, the back-stories, the inventiveness of the murders, the writing style - pretty much all of it to be honest which made this a particularly hard book to put down. Luckily, I was on holiday so didn't have the usual work and life distractions so was able to devour the pages at my leisure.

Jackie is a strong, female character; she might be heavily pregnant, the mother of twin boys, with a musician for a husband, her mother living in her basement and a boss that clearly doesn't like her but she doesn't let these hold her back or prevent her and her team from investigating what is a horrific set of murders.

The book is packed full of tension, secrets, lies and the twists and turns and the scenes of peril just keep coming. A warning here though, the descriptions of the murders are quite graphic so if you don't like to read that sort of thing, you might want to skip over those bits.

My verdict - an excellent new series to get my teeth into and I can't wait to see what happens next with Jackie and her team and I must give my thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Lost Ones and to share my thoughts.

TERRIFIC beginning for a new series. well written with a very different lead detective, dealing with the murder of a child with Down Syndrome. Great characterization with lots of suspense throughout. RECOMMEND fully. Thanks to #NetGalley & #Bookouture for this ARC in return for my honest review.

When Detective Jackie Cooke is called to investigate the murder of a young woman found sitting just staring left in a cold back yard carefully posed it brings back memories of her dead brother who went missing years ago. As she understands this anguish, she vows to find the person responsible. She finds footage of cctv which shows the young girl waving at someone on the day she went missing, Jackie thinks she may have known her killer. Then a second body turns up in the same circumstances Jackie knows she’s on the hunt for a serial killer.

I enjoyed this book, however there were parts that I found a bit Wishy washy, and it was difficult sometimes to relate to some of the characters.
I would read the next one in the series though.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Lost Ones' by Marnie Riches.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Marnie Riches, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 7th June 2022.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Detective Jackie Cooke series'.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Kendra Elliott, Rachel McLean and Val McDermid will love The Lost On' I am a huge fan of Kendra Elliott so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 48 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Manchester, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in third person perspective and main protagonist is Detective Jackie Cooke and the perp. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

'The Lost Ones' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Marnie discusses/includes death of disabled children.

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and kept me on the edge of my seat. The cover and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly.

OMG!!! MIND ABSOLUTELY BLOWN!!!!

Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolute page turner!! It may be the first book I have read by Marnie but I can promise you it won't be the last!!! As soon as I've written this up I'm off to add all her books to my wishlist. The storyline is absolutely ram packed with mystery, deceit, secrets, lies, romance, tension, suspense and OMG the twists just kept on coming again and again!!! Just when I thought everything that could happen had happened BOOM there was another shocker around the corner. Every time I kept telling myself one more chapter the one I was in ended at a point where there was no way I could stop reading so I absolutely devoured it in one sitting!! I will say thay the fact that the victims being disabled or vulnerable hit a bit close to home but it didn't stop me loving the book. Once I had ignored the fact that the victims were disabled/ vulnerable I absolutely loved the gore and the discovery at the end. Completely sick, amazing and unique!!! I'm a bit morbid and love gore in books and Marnie you did this perfectly!! I love the fact that although this is a crime thriller there is some light hearted moments throughout so it's not all darkness. I WAS absolutely blown away and considering I read approximately 30 books a month that is certainly no easy feat so a HUGE congratulations on that Marnie. Marnie mentioned Frederick Ruysch and Gunther Von Hagens so looked them up and found the information intriguing. Love it when books include names and places I can look up as helps me picture what's going on. I really could not recommend this book any more. If you are looking for something unique, filled with suspense and that will blow your mind then this is definitely the book for you!!

It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but strangely I find it important that I like the pathologist too. In this case the pathologist was Nick Swinton and I am pleased to say that I really liked him and his personality.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT READING THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!

I wasn't just 100% invested in the storyline but also in the characters. Every single one of the characters were well defined, realistic and strong. I absolutely LOVED Jackie who is absolutely kick a## and I cannot wait to meet her again. I couldn't stand Venanbles and although I loved the way Jackie stood up to her I just find her to be a horrible cow who doesn't give a monkey about people and is just concerned with rates, figures and making herself good. The fact that Jackie had twins made me relate to her being a twin mum myself. I also loved her sons Lewis and Percy and can also relate to something that Jackie suspects with one of them. God help if I have orange juice in cereal to look forward too 😂. I found it hilarious that Beryl (Jackie's mum) got them mixed up as my twins Gran does the same thing 😂. However I wasn't a fan of Beryl and think that she not only lives in the last but could do so much more to help Jackie. I thought Ted was so lovely and sweet especially the way he was with Lewis and Percy. I couldn't stand Gus from the start and my feelings were right about him. However I completely misjudged another character and was gob smacked. I won't say who as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I adored Nick and am hoping something will spark between him and Jackie, they would definitely suit. Cave makes a fantastic partner and they work perfectly together. The fact that he is there for Jackie at all times is so lovely and I'd love to have a friend like him in my life, Shazla also made a good member of the team and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. Jackie, Dave and Shazla make an absolutely fantastic team and I cannot wait to meet them all again, hopefully very soon! 😉
Gus arse hole. Nick lush
. Ted (beryl partner) lovely so sweet

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Marnie on what promises to be a massive best seller!!! I WAS absolutely shocked by so many events but OMG what was said by a certain person at a certain time was absolutely shocking!!! I can't say anything else but when you've read it you'll know!!! Welcome to my favourite author list Marnie and here's to your next explosive success 🥂!!!

Overall an absolutely addictive, mind blowing page turner that will keep you up with a racing heart until you've finished!!!

Genres covered in this book include Thriller, Psychological Fiction, British Detective Stories, Police Procedural, Suspense, Thriller, Women's Detective Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Women Sleuths, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Thriller and Mystery amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Kendra Elliott, Rachel McLean, Val McDermid and anyone looking for a red hot crime thriller!!!

324 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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There are some authors I always enjoy reading. If you look back over my past reviews you will see I have read (and always enjoyed) many books written by Marnie Riches – she seems to nail that perfect balance of pacing, humour, darkess (oh what darkness) and tension packed thrills. Anticipation ahead of reading The Lost Ones was high. I was not disappointed.

The Lost Ones is the first in a new series which features Detective Jackson (Jackie) Cooke and we first meet her in a state of some discomfort, very pregnant, at a murder scene and without her regular partner who has finally secured a long-overdue holiday. The murder is a particularly nasty one; a young girl has been left posed in a location where she will be easily found. Her body has been mutilated and some of her limbs are missing.

Jackie cannot help but be reminded of her own brother who she lost many years earlier when he vanished when he and Jackie were both children. Her brother never returned and Jackie’s mother and her often absent father struggled on with a constant feeling of loss and heartbreak. The family dynamic is fractious and Jackie’s own family are seemingly also chaotic. She has many plates spinning in her home life and with a third child, their happy accident, on the way there seems no let up.

The murder investigation takes the majority of the story and it’s a great police procedural – even if the team are not the best at following orders. Jackie’s boss (and apparent nemesis) wants to bench her but is struggling to cover her position. Her colleagues are too busy to give the case the attention Jackie thinks it needs and she does not rate their ability to investigate this unusual murder properly.

We see Jackie covertly trying to keep working on the murder case and enlisting some willing colleagues to support her. An astute reader will definitely have that impending feeling of something about to go badly wrong, it certainly kept me reading!

I read The Lost Ones in two sittings, didn’t want to stop as there was always something in the story which kept me pushing through “one more chapter”. It’s got more than a few dark moments as I have come to expect (and look forward to) when I read Marnie’s books and this new cast of characters were wonderfully realised as I felt I had been reading about them for more than one book.

The Lost Ones is out now and I cannot think of a single reason as to why you shouldn’t buy a copy immediately.

What a dark, twisted and suspenseful read!
What a ending! It took me completely by surprise.
Great start to a new series. Can’t wait to see where the author takes Jackie Cooke.
Can’t wait for next book in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The 1st in the new, #DetectiveJackieCookeseries, I love it & glad I got in on book 1! Reeled in from the start & what an ending!

Thank you, Marnie Riches, Bookouture & NetGalley for my copy! All opinions are my own. Thank you, #TeamBookouture for including me on the tour!

This is the first in a new series by Marnie Riches and I am already looking forward to the next one.

Detective Jackie Cooke is an excellent character, she is what I expect from a Detective in North West England, over worked, under paid and under appreciated by her family. She has a lot going on both in her work life, trying to catch a serial killer while being held back by her boss and in her personal life, trying to cope with her mother and her errant husband as well as twin boys and a pregnancy. How she’s holding it all together is beyond me!

When Jackie is called to investigate the brutal murder of a teenager with Downs Syndrome, it brings back memories of her brothers disappearance when they were children. She’s barely got started on that murder when more body parts start to appear, not belonging to Chloe.

I loved that this included humour and that Jackie wasn’t a stick thin, can do it all detective. She was more real (more my size) and a lot more “normal” than some characters tend to be.

When is the next book coming out?!
Great start to a new series - loving the main character.
Jackie's life is a mess - she's carrying her household with little support from her husband or family. Weeks away from giving birth, Jackie is called to a brutal murder scene. A serial killer just getting started.
Dry humor. Vivid images. So many twists and turns - and great characters.
This is a new to me author - and I'm ready for the next installment!

YES, YES, YES, YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

Okay, review done!!

Just kidding.

Absolutely flipping brilliant. Sorry, being straight to the point on this one, no beating around the bush or anything! You simply MUST read 'The Lost Ones', you must!

Detective Jackie Cooke is one hard-nosed individual who, if she were to tell you to jump, you would simply reply with 'how high?'. She demanded respect and she gave it back. Look I'm not saying she was perfect, but she was the police procedural version of Mary Poppins - PRACTICALLY perfect in every way. She had her flaws, she admitted those too. Granted that doesn't make them any easier to swallow, but what the heck.

I want to know just how Cooke managed to keep up with her fast paced, risky job while she was heavily pregnant! Are we sure that there is a baby in her belly and not a huge amount of fire?!

'The Lost Ones' is a chilling and momentarily graphic read, both of which added to the storyline and gave it that dark factor, that hook. I loved the fast paced nature of the novel and the way that the story flowed, with each individual situation paving way for the next or setting the scene for any potential misgivings. It worked. It all bloomin' well worked. I also thought the randomly placed humour was such a brilliant idea, with Cooke and her colleagues not afraid to have a laugh once in a while. They were such a mixed bunch, yet if you asked me to choose her a different partner or different colleagues to work closely with, I honestly don't think that I could.

'The Lost Ones' is atmospheric, chilling, fast paced, gripping, and downright incredible novel. I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the next book in the series. Simply one of the easiest 5 stars I have given to a book, ever.

Marnie Riches, you STAR!

I was SO excited to read this book, the first one in a new series, yay! I knew I would be in for a great read, as I have really enjoyed previous books by this author.

Jackie Cooke is a police officer with a very stressful life. She has a demanding career, twin boys, a mother who lives in her basement (and who seems more than a bit flaky, to me) and a husband who can't really be relied upon to keep the home fires burning. Oh, and she is 6.5 months pregnant as well.

I read this book very quickly, reading it whenever I had a spare moment. I loved the character of Jackie - flawed but strong. I really liked her colleagues Dave and Shazia as well. I even liked her boss, even though she was not a likeable person, it was good to have someone to boo under my breath! Couldn't stand Jackie's husband Gus though. So, therefore, characterizations done really well.

When I read crime thrillers, I try and figure out who the murderer is and I did not see this one coming at all!

Great read. Can't wait to read the next one!

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Thank you to Bookotoure for my copy of this book and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the first book I have read by this author. I'm always looking for new authors to add to my collection (yes I collect authors :D) so I was excited to read this new series.

Detective Jackie Cooke is being pulled in so many directions. Mum of twin boys whose dad is useless, lead Detective in a serial murder oh and she's in the late stages of pregnancy. So you know no big deal! I really liked Jackie as a Detective. She stands up for herself and is determined to do right by her victims. I found the fact that she was in love with someone so useless and irresponsible a bit of a turn-off. I imagine there are some insecurities at play here given her life experiences but damn girl you can do so much better!

I really liked the diversity of the characters in this book with Jackie's partner Dave Tang and the rookie Shazia Malik. These three will make a really good team as the series progresses.

The case itself was creepy AF. There were some parts that were a little hard to believe but isn't that why we read these books. We like to be shocked, creeped out and thank god that these situations aren't real. The police procedural aspects were well written and showed some real truths to what goes on. From Clever Bob to Tina Venables.

This was a solid, gripping crime story and I look forward to the rest of the series.

This is the first book in a new detective series by Marnie Riches. I have to admit I’m always a little bit apprehensive when starting a new series. Will it live up to my expectations. Well this book certainly did that. Right from the prologue I was captivated and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. A completely gripping police crime thriller with a great storyline and excellent characters. I did guess who the guilty party was quite early on but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of this book. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

Knocked it out of the ballpark!!!

This is the first book in a new series by Marnie Riches. Woohoo!!! It was fantastic!

DS Jackie Cooke has a lot on her plate. She is a pregnant detective and mother of twin boys. When she is called to the scene of a young woman's murder, she is rocked to her core. The young woman has been dismembered and posed. Seeing the victim’s face, reminds Jackie of her missing brother who also had Downs Syndrome. She begins her investigation when another body is found, posed on the side of the road. Could this be the work of a serial killer????

Her boss wants these cases solved NOW Jackie is already stressed, and that stress intensifies when she finds a brightly colored bracelet on her counter - the same bracelet her brother was wearing when he went missing.

This is how you do it!!!! This book was fantastic. I found it to be a riveting page turned that captured my interest from the very first page! This was a brilliant police procedural that had me flipping the pages and glued to my seat. Fans of police procedurals will not be disappointed.

I both cheered for and felt for DS Cooke during the book. As she worked to solve the case, I was feeling the tension and dread. I said it before and I will say it again, this was fantastic! I enjoyed being introduced to the supporting characters. I look forward to getting to know them and Jackie more in future books! There were also characters in this book that I was booing and hissing at due to their behavior.

I have not read Marnie Riches before and can't wait to read more of her books. Finger crossed she writes fast because I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

Gripping, captivating, dark and tense.

#TheLostOnes #NetGalley.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own

Oh wow. What a fantastic introduction to a brand new series.

Jackson Cooke is a strong, feisty, headstrong character who lets nothing, not even being heavily pregnant, get in the way of pursuing the truth.

The plot was dark, sick and gruesome and kept me hooked beginning to end. I wanted to devour this brilliant crime thriller in one sitting.

This is the first book I've read from this author but now I cannot wait to read more.

A brilliant 5 star read.

Introducing Detective Jackie Cooke, mom of twins, 6.5 months pregnant and main breadwinner in the house, to top it off she has a boss who has it in for her and likes to cases quickly tied with a bow.
Jackie and her partner get called to a gruesome scene of a dismembered body staged behind a pub, not all body parts are there. This case hits close to home as it is the body of recently missing girl with Down’s Syndrome, Jackie’s Down Syndrome brother disappeared when he was very young, never found. Before long another ‘staged’ body is found.
This book keeps you guessing until the end! Great start of a new series, looking forward to many more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an early read.

Detective Jackie (Jackson) Cooke is in her last few weeks of work before she goes off on maternity leave. At almost eight months pregnant (this is the second or third book which I have read recently where the investigating officer is heavily pregnant, seems to be a popular trope at the moment), Jackie is stressed dealing with her obnoxious boss, irritating mother, feckless husband, & their rambunctious nine-year-old twin boys alongside being the only one bringing in any real money. To top it off, her reliable partner, Detective Dave Tang is about to leave on holiday for two weeks, so when the body of a young woman is found outside a local pub in Manchester, Jackie is going to be snowed under.

The body of Chloe Smedley is left carefully posed but is missing her limbs. The murder of anyone is horrible but this one strikes particularly close to home as Chloe had Down's Syndrome, as did Jackie's younger brother Lucian, who disappeared one day from a playground & was never heard of again. CCTV from outside Chloe's school seem to show that she knew her killer & went willingly to meet them, & they knew how to hide from the cameras. As Jackie & her small team start to investigate, the case widens out into a possible serial killer case as it comes apparent that vulnerable people have been going missing from the area for years but a pattern has never been established. How many victims have there been & was Lucian one of them?

I found this one difficult to rate. On the one hand, the plot itself is good, tightly written, & the main character is easy to like, but on the other there are some annoyances. First of all, is the obligatory conflict between two women (Jackie & her boss) - oh to read a book where women actually support one another. Secondly - Gus, not sure I have ever hated a character as much since I read Tess of the D'Urbervilles & developed a loathing of Angel Clare. Gus is a father of two (soon to be three) who leaves it to his wife to bring in the all money whilst he faffs about with his band doing the odd gig here & there, who thinks its babysitting to look after his own kids (no love, it's called parenting), & seems to do nothing except whine & freeload off his wife.

Overall I'm rating this 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on sites which do not accept half star ratings) mainly because I really did think the plot was well done. I did work out whodunnit as it was fairly obvious. If this is going to be a series though, I think Jackie & her team have great potential.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

4.5★s

Detective Jackie Cooke and her partner Detective Dave Tung were called to the scene of a bizarre murder, a posed body at the rear of a pub. Chloe Smedley was a young Down Syndrome girl, murdered and discarded – her death brought Jackie’s past back to her in a rush, when her young brother Julian, also a Down Syndrome boy, went missing. Jackie, over six months pregnant, vowed to get justice for Chloe if it was the last thing she did.

As more bodies – and body parts – were discovered, the horror of a serial killer with the fetish that was showing, sent the force into overdrive. But Jackie’s boss was demanding a quick resolution to the case, wanted Jackie to hand the case over to others and work behind the desk. Jackie refused. Meanwhile her home life – musician husband Gus and nine-year-old twin boys, plus her mother – were creating havoc. Jackie was having trouble doing it all, and Gus wasn’t helping. As the killer hunted, he was also stalking Jackie – but was she aware? The danger she was facing – she and her unborn child – was astronomical. And as the days and weeks went by, Jackie was more and more determined…

The Lost Ones is the 1st in the Detective Jackie Cooke series by Marnie Riches and it was a doozy!! Brutal murders, a very pregnant detective, a vindictive boss, a lazy, ineffective husband – and that was only the beginning! I thoroughly enjoyed my first by this author and will look out for #2 to read when it’s released. Plenty of red herrings, twists and chilling moments, I did pick the ‘bad guy’ not long before the reveal, but thoroughly enjoyed it regardless! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I saw Marnie Riches speak as part of an online panel last year and when she described her books as "gritty Northern crime" I had a feeling they would be right up my alley. I was not disappointed! The Lost Ones has absolutely everything I need in a crime novel: a gutsy protagonist, a brilliant sense of place, a few grim murders and tension so fraught I only started breaking properly after I'd read the last word!

Jackie Cooke is a detective I was really able to get behind. She's determined, she doesn't do as she's told and she's trying hard to balance her job with her family life. There are so many facets to her character and it was really interesting to unpack them and get to know her better. She has a brilliant partnership with Dave and I liked that she tried to bring Shazia into the fold too. I look forward to seeing more of them as the series continues.

The Lost Ones is set in and around Manchester. It's clearly an area the author knows well as there is so much detail, which really helps to set the scene. I was taken to Manchester and able to visualise everything and I loved it.

I usually like to try and guess who the murderer is in books like this, but I had absolutely no idea! The first chapter begins from the perspective of the killer and this gave me an idea straight away as to how twisted they were. The methods are incredibly gruesome so it won't be for the faint hearted but I absolutely loved the tension it created. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through, although I did grip a little tighter towards the end as everything came to a head.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series already!