I love discovering a new detective series to get stuck into and so far, Jackie Cooke is a detective I can get on board of it

Great read!

Excellent new series! I was hooked from the very beginning and cannot wait for the next one to come out. The author did a great job of introducing characters and still leaving room for intrigue.

This was brilliant once I started reading it I could not put it down. I am so happy that this is the start a new series. It is also the first book I have read by Marnie Riches, needless to say I am now a fan.
Detective Jackie Cooke is a cop with a backstory and frankly these make for the best detectives. She is six months pregnant with a messy home life. We are introduced to Jackie and her team as they hunt for a serial killer - reader beware Riches does not hold back when describing a murder scene. This book is a police procedural novel and it excels at it. The characters are all well rounded and fleshed out. As first books go it could not have been any better.
I really cannot wait to read the second book in this series

In this new series début, DS Jackie (Jackson) Cook a veteran detective for the Greater Manchester Police and her partner, David Tang attend a murder in a pub backyard. The victim, seventeen-year-old Chloe Smedley, is missing body parts and she has Downs Syndrome. The case is a very difficult one for Jackie as it reminds her of the disappearance of her little brother several years ago. Jackie is heavily pregnant, already has two sons and is struggling to maintain her home life and solve this case. A great read with an interesting main character in Jackie who is feisty and determined. A super, solid, intense police procedural.

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

4.5 upped to 5*)
Gut instinct made me read this arc and gut instinct was right as it's a gripping and well written mix of twisty thriller and family saga.
It brings you to some very dark places, alternates the pure horror of the mind of a very warped serial killer with scenes from family life where not everything is perfect or happy.
i loved Jackie's strength: she's heavily pregnant, a serial killer is taunting her, and her family life is not at her best but she wants to overcome difficulties and catch the killer.
The thriller is twisty, gritty, and I was surprised by almost all the twists. It's a fast paced and gripping story and the last part left me breathless as the pace gets even faster.
I think this is the excellent start of a new series and I'm very curious to read the next one as discover what's next in Jackie's personal and professional live.
There's a lot of potential and this one is highly recommended even if it's not for the faint of heart.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Lost Ones is a good place to start, if like me, you are new to Marnie Riches.

This novel starts a new series, introducing D.S. Jackie (Jackson) Cooke, a veteran detective for the Greater Manchester Police.

As with the start of any new series, there is a fair bit of 'setting the scene' that won't necessarily feature in future novels. As such, the reader is given a broad overview of the life and history of our main character.

I found the story of the investigation to be engaging and fast paced whilst still highlighting police procedures that need to be followed.

I made a connection with Jackie and her team and despaired at the less than delicious apples in the detective barrel. However, with Jackie's leadership, they worked together to pick at every thread in order to unravel this mystery.

There were some parts that were fairly predictable but I think that there is a bit of detective in us all that pats ourselves on the back, when we're found to be correct, in these instances.

Ultimately the unpicked threads are woven expertly together to produce a completely different picture to the one I expected and was even tied up with a pretty bow.

I looked forward to returning to Manchester and 'helping' D.S. Cooke and her team solve, what I'm sure will be, many more heinous and seemingly unsolvable murders.

Bookouture has become one of my favorite publishers recently! They publish a lot of quality thrillers, suspense, and crime novels from British authors.

I just finished reading “The Lost Ones” by Marnie Riches which is the first book in her Detective Jackie Cooke series. I loved the main character, Jackie! She is smart, spunky, tough, and caring, while being a total bad ass detective and mom! Her latest case has her chasing a serial killer around the Manchester area of England. He has a very specific signature that may have been missed by police for decades! I also liked that the characters in this story had diverse backgrounds and perspectives. If you are like me and love a good female detective series or novel, then I highly recommend checking this book out!

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new to me author.
This one conflicts me, as the plot was riveting but for me personally I couldn't connect with it/the characters which was a crying shame and the twist got me good but by the time it was revealed I had mostly lost interest but had keep reading as I needed to know the answers.
So as I said very conflicted.
So I'll keep my review short and let you come to your own conclusion.

I have a penchant for reading true crime and crime fiction series. But this new series made my hair stand on end. It’s so twisted, warped, and heinous, my stomach churned. How does a writer come up with such a diabolical plot and unspeakable crimes?
It’s good. Jackie Cooke has to be the strongest, most determined and grittiest female detective of any series I’ve read. Heavily pregnant, with two young sons at home she deals with a sarcastic mother, a surly husband, and a hostile superior. I loved how she stood her ground and boy does this character have guts. The final showdown is one For the books.
The snake that everyone sought slithered right under everyone’s noses, including mine, until halfway through the book.
Get lost in The Lost Ones.

wow what can i say this was fabulous so many twists and turns i loved it. Kept me guessing and reading all night. look forward to reading more Jackie Cooke stories.

I really enjoyed this book. There, I've said it. Perhaps ruined the suspense for the review to come but what can you do? Featuring a lead character who is as far from the normal svelte, twenty-something new career detective as you can get, Jackie Cooke is a character I can really get behind, a good steady copper who works from instinct and knowledge, has the full respect of her team (if not necessarily her boss) and who really has a knack for the job. Mostly, anyway.

This is quite a twisted story - a case of a missing teenager whose body is eventually found in a grotesquely posed manner, one which leads to a most disturbing discovery and brings the whole case a touch too close to home for Jackie. Yes, she is a cop with a past and a very complicated home life, but her history is not necessarily the kind you may be expecting, and nothing else about her character fits the typical nature of fictional detectives. In fact there is one, glaringly obvious reason she doesn't fit the profile of a 'brand new to a series' character, but you need to read the book to find out what that is. She is a dedicated mother, and daughter, and although her life has been beset by trials and tragedy, she has a really sensible head on her shoulders. I liked her a lot and can't wait to read more of her investigations in the future.

The story is packed with mystery, and a lot of dark twists that certainly keep the attention on the story and the nerves just on edge. Staged crime scenes, chilling messages, and scenes told from the killer's perspective all add to the tension and keep the pacing of the book just right. We know as readers that there is a very real threat that is always present, we also know what the killer wants, we just don't know the full extent of why just yet, although I could hazard a very macabre guess. Those scenes really added to the intrigue for me and made me feel compelled to read on to see if what I suspected was true.

There are plenty of clues abound that, given the extra context we have from the killer's point of view, any if you want to try and get ahead of the investigation, you may well be able to figure out the whys if not all the wherefores of the case. There are plenty of surprises in store, plenty of twists and moments that will have the jaw dropping, as well as times that will send shivers down your spine. There is a real skyrocketing of threat and urgency towards the end of the book too, a moment where all seems lost that will have you moving ever nearer to the edge of the seat. But don't despair - the book is packed with Marnie Riches trademark humour too, and she lands the perfect blend of light and shade to keep this on the right side of darkness whilst still imparting a very clear message about the seemingly expendable nature of some of the victims.

A great start to the series and I can't wait to read more. Jackie Cooke is one of those characters who really did just gel for me and given her personal circumstances, complications at home and at work, it only looks as though there is a lot more fun to come.

This story kept my interest and I enjoyed reading it.
I was able to figure out who the murderer was fairly quickly which is why I gave it 3 stars.

I think this story could of had more thrill but I did enjoy it. Wish I could of given it 4 stars.

I must give credit to the writer for a very imaginative suspense story. I was on full alert as I read each heroine page of the crazy chases that Jackie and her partner Dave were on. I really like the plot to the story. I was really engrossed to the the vivid details of the crimes committed by the killer. The suspense was definitely insane, but good. The dialogue among the characters was ok, but it came across as dry humor in some cases. The verbiage in the book was a bit flamboyant. Leaving trudging through the words trying to understand the meaning from the characters sentence or the narrative. This left it hard for me to really have that good connection as a reader to the book.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Lost Ones’ written by Marnie Riches in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DS Jackie Cooke and DC David Tang of Greater Manchester Police’s MIT are called out when part of teenager Chloe Smedley’s body is found posed on a bench in a pub’s back yard. Despite being well advanced in her pregnancy, Jackie’s determined to search for the person who’s abducted and killed Chloe as it reminds Jackie of her brother Lucian who also disappeared and was never seen again. When another body part belonging to a young man is found beside a busy road Jackie realises there could be other victims not yet found.

‘The Lost Ones’ is the first in a new series featuring DS Jackie Cooke and working with her team of David Tang, DC Shazia Malik and IT Genius Clever Bob, Jackie brings a new and exciting dimension to a police thriller. From page one I’ve been totally gripped with the suspense, drama, and twists and turns of what’s happening with every single character playing an important part, and the further I’ve read the more shocking the revelations sending my heartbeat racing. I love everything about this thriller, from Jackie’s wonderful manner of speech to learning about her dysfunctional family. Normally with a new series we’re gently led into the format but this time we’re thrown it head-first and I for one can’t wait for the next book.

So I have to say I really enjoyed this book. I've personally had a lot going on and my mind couldn't 100% get into the book. And even at that this story was still so amazing. I kind of figured something was up with one of the characters, just by something he said. So when it turned out he was the killer I was not 100% shocked. But still enjoyed the twistedness of this book, and the determination of Jackie for trying to hunt the killer down! (She obviously didn't disappoint). Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced e-copy of this book. This is definitely a series I look forward too.

Book one in which I hope will be a developing series and this was has set the bar and expectations of hopefully what's to come.

I really liked the characters in this one and will be intrigued to see how they develop in further education
the camaraderie and relationship between Jackie & Tang is wonderful they've got each others backs.

A gruesome, chilling , entertaining crime thriller that was engaging and well balanced.

Detective Jackie Cooke #1

The young woman was sitting like she might get up at any minute, her dark brown hair hanging over her shoulders, But her blues eyes were staring into the distance, into the future she would never see,,,,

Despite all Detective Jackie Cooke's experience, the murder of vulnerable teenager Chloe Smedley shakes her to the core. Chloe's body had been left in a cold backyard, carefully posed to make it look like she could get up at any minute. As Jackie studies her innocent face, she vows to find the monster who did this.

Detective Jackie Cooke is heavily pregnant. Her husband doesn't really support her or their twin boys. Her brother had disappeared without trace when they were children. Jackie gets called out to investigate the gruesome murder of a young girl with Downs Syndrome. Some of her body parts are missing. Then more body parts turn up, but they don't belong to Chloe.

Detective Jackie Cooke and her team are looking for a serial killer. The plotline is gripping with a mixture of likeable and unlikeable characters. With so many twists, I didn't know if I was coming or going. I did guess eventually who was behind the killings, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. What a great start to a new series this book is. I can't wait to see what the next instalment has in store.

This is not just your ordinary police procedural book. It’s a psychological thriller police procedural. And it is fantastic! There are fully formed characters, family drama, an unreasonable boss, a very pregnant lead detective and lots of twists and turns. It is scary and suspenseful. I did not guess the ending at all. I cannot wait for the next Jackie Cooke book. The author better write fast. I read this straight through. I have not read this author before, but I am definitely tracking down her previous novels.

I enjoyed this well written read in a new detective series by Marnie Riches. The main character of Jackie, a DS, is heavily pregnant and investigating a grisly series of murders. Although, it was a but unbelievable that she would be so actively involved in all the chasing around involved in the investigation! That aside, the plot was pretty original and I liked the side stories as well as the twists and turns. I look forward to seeing where Jackie goes in the follow up. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Detective Jackie is a tough Cook(i)e. Heavily pregnant, having a boss from hell, a husband who has moved on, a mother with a new life... and a mad killer on the loose. A great beginning to a hopefully long series introducing a heroine who has her flaws, and one of them is that work takes up all her life.

I liked to get to know the quirky team and all the other intriguing characters, including the evil culprit, because he gave this book a piquant flavour to the story. I can't wait to get to know the characters better! I like how the past and the present are intertwined, and how the story unfolds towards the great ending. Bring on the next one, I'm waiting!