Member Reviews

Detective Lottie Parker takes on another case that hits too close to home. It's a great book with lots of excitement and plot twists. Gibney has written another mystery worth reading. You won't be sorry.

Was this review helpful?

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Patricia Gibney is the undisputed queen of the nerve-shredding thriller and she is at the height of her storytelling powers with her latest novel, The Guilty Girl.

Detective Lottie Parker is the first one on the scene of a secret party that ended in the tragic murder of seventeen year old host, Lucy. As Lottie breaks the news to her distraught parents, she begins her investigation and discovers that just hours before the party, Lucy had revealed a terrible secret about her friend, Hannah. When Lottie finds Lucy’s blood-stained clothing hidden in Hannah’s bedroom, she has no choice but to call the teenager in for questioning. But could shy and terrified Hannah really be capable of murder? Is she Lucy’s killer? Or is there more to this case than meets the eye?

Hannah has no recollection of the night Lucy died and the more she interrogates her, the more Lottie is convinced that she is telling the truth. When a fifteen year old who also attended the party is pulled from the canal, the case ends up taking an even more sinister twist, but there is worse to come for Lottie when she discovers that her son Sean has been keeping secrets from her: he was also at the party. What other secrets is Sean keeping from her about Lucy’s murder? Does he know more about what happened that night than he is letting on? Could her son have something to do with Lucy’s death? Is he a witness? A suspect? Or a cold-blooded killer?

Patricia Gibney just continues to get better and better with every book she writes! The Guilty Girl is an electrifying, chilling, harrowing and nail-biting crime thriller that once I started, I couldn’t put down. As always with a Lottie Parker thriller, Patricia Gibney imbues her characters with flaws, layers and depths that draw readers in the second they appear on the page and keep their interest throughout.

Patricia Gibney is at the very top of her class and with The Guilty Girl, she has once again penned a stellar thriller which kept me glued to the pages of her book until the early hours of the morning.

Was this review helpful?

Patricia Gibney https://patriciagibney.com is the author of almost a dozen novels. The Guilty Girl was published in 2022 and is the 11th novel in her Detective Lottie Parker series.

Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R. The primary character is Irish Garda Detective Lottie Parker.

Parker is called to the murder scene of a teenage girl. With her parents out of town, the 17-year-old Lucy McAllister throws a party. Her body is discovered the next morning. The initial evidence points towards another teen, Hannah Byrne.

Three factors complicate the investigation. The suspect, Hannah, was apparently drugged and has only limited memory of the party. The body of another teen is discovered. The 15-year-old boy had been at the party and is thought to have been selling drugs. Then Parker finds that her own son had been at the party as well.

Can Parker discover who is behind the murders before more teens fall victim? How deeply is her son involved? Is he a witness? Will he be targeted by the killer?

I enjoyed the 10.5 hours I spent reading this 507-page mystery. This is the second novel that I have read that was written by Ms. Gibney. The first was The Stolen Girls. I have enjoyed both of these mysteries and will be looking toward reading more of them in the future. I like the chosen cover art, but it doesn’t strike a chord in relation to the story. I give this novel a rating of 5 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Was this review helpful?

The Guilty Girl, by Patricia Gibney. What an extraordinary suspenseful crime journey I traveled down while reading this anticipated book. Lottie and team did not disappoint me at all. The crimes and darks secrets were beyond the word of shocking. How Lottie held it together I have not a freaking clue. I was very impressed by the dynamic writing from the author. Each hidden story oozed with realism that grabbed on the excitement of the plot/ twist of the story. I thought with the many different characters that I would get lost in the story, but guess what? I didn’t! The writer did a wonderful job of keeping each characters story separately.
This story reads with a clear direct dialogue and narrative. The story moved very quickly for me. I love moves very fast. I had to keep my detective hat on to follow all the clues. Yes my friends, I was not disappointed with this book.
What a terrific read this was. I give this book two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

Was this review helpful?

Book 11 in the Lottie Parker Series is finally here and it’s a good one! 17-year-old Lucy McAllister is dead in what appears to be a disagreement gone wrong. This quickly becomes more than what it had originally seemed as two more teenagers are murdered. Lottie and her team struggle to put the pieces together while Lottie as is standard, struggles with her tumultuous home life.
This is very cleverly written with little shots of humour thrown in here and there. There are drugs, teenagers that can stand up for all the lying and a link to the seedy world of the dark web. The plot is knotted so tightly with a big sparkly bow at the end that ties it all together in a “now I see it” moment. This is a brilliant read.

Was this review helpful?

I am addicted to Lottie Parker and the trials and tribulations of her family and police life. well written, twisty and thrilling. I relate to Lottie - doing her best to juggle work and family, muddlng through and struggling with relationships.But i hope things work out better for Lottie and her family in future books!

Was this review helpful?

I just love the Lottie Parker series
Its fantastic and the stories follow through with Lottie's family and her personal life
This in itself is fascinating
Then you have the Detective sagas. which are always on point and really gritty and realistic
Thank you Patricia
Definitely my favourite series ever

Was this review helpful?

I’m such a fan of Lottie and want to see her on screen urgently. She never fails to drag us through her maelstrom life and her joys and fears. She has integrity and like the author is consistent and fair thanks for access

Was this review helpful?

In book 11 of the Detective Lottie Parker series, Lucy is found murdered after a party she held at her house while her parents are away. Lottie is called on the scene to investigate and quickly discovers that Lucy had revealed a horrible secret about Hannah only hours before her death. to make matters worse, she finds Hannah's bloody clothes in her bedroom... She also knows that her own son was at the party. What are they hiding from her?
Check your trigger warnings with this. I liked it, but there were a lot of characters to keep up with, and although the story is good, it was a tad too long. I also didn't get the first person parts from the killer's POV. This was my first book by this author, and I will definitely go back to the beginning of the series to get some backstory and see character development.
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Bookouture, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

Another amazing book by this incredible author. Wow what a book! What a series! Loved. Loved. Loved. If you read one book this year maje it this one. I promise you you won't stop at this one but breathlessly race through the rest of the books in this wonderful series. Just wow!

Was this review helpful?

5 stars because the reason I struggled was no fault of the author... it was simply too long for me. I have adhd so take this with a grain of salt. The writing was superb. If it was a 100 pages shorter or so, I would've felt more engaged with the novel. I skimmed ahead. Once again, no fault of the book itself... just me and my adhd :)

Was this review helpful?

Lottie Parker, my favourite Irish detective and sometimes bad mother/daughter/partner is back in her 11th novel. And it has to be said Patricia Gibney really delivers yet again. In this addition to the series Lottie finds herself under a lot of pressure. She has a boss who really doesn't like her, a mother who is difficult at the best of times but now has failing health and bickering daughters. Just to top it off she doesn't have her rock Boyd with her - he's in Spain getting to know the son he didnt know he had.
And then of course there is the murder of 17 year old Lucy. At first it seems fairly straight forward. She'd argued with her friend Hannah and Lottie finds compelling evidence that Hannah I'd the perpetrator. But soon secrets are revealed that cast doubt on every aspect of the case, including the revelation that Lotties own son Sean found the body but didn't report it. Lottie has to dig her heels in to keep control of the investigation. But the sight of the young girl cut down in her prime is haunting her and it soon becomes apparent others are in danger too.

These books are very long for this type of story but it never feels padded out. Patricia Gibney is a brilliant storyteller and somehow has created a really likeable if very flawed character. Lottie really is a liability to herself and everyone around her, and throughout the series has made decisions that have made me think "what the actual..." But I still love her. Looking forward to many more!

Was this review helpful?

This is the first book I read by this author. This is book 11 in a series and I think it is a good stand alone but I am wondering if there is some interwoven background information that I missed that would add to the story. I liked the story as is but I will visit some of the other titles in the series to see if there are connections. Crime thrillers are one of my go-to genres so I really liked this one! Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Guilty Girl' by Patricia Gibney.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Patricia Gibney, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 10th June 2022.

This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the eleventh book in the 'Detective Lottie Parker' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read book 10 in this series 'Little Bones' and would highly recommend it!

I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I am a huge fan of Patricia and if this is even a quarter as good as 'Little Bones' it is guaranteed to be an absolute page turner!! The synopsis stated that 'If you love Karin Slaughter, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine, you’ll be hooked by this heart-stopping thriller from Patricia Gibney.' I am a huge fan of Karin Slaughter 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 83 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 Ireland 🇮🇪 , UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact been to Ireland several times and love it there so am looking forward to "visiting" again.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Detective Lottie Parker and Mark Boyd. 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. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.

'Guilty Girl' discusses some topics that may trigger 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 Patricia discusses/includes child abuse, child exploitation, child murder and strong language.

WARNING ⚠ ADDICTION ALERT ⚠
Wow!! What an absolutely riveting, non stop action packed crime thriller!!!

I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last!!! This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that absorbs the reader into the storyline. The cover, title and synopsis suit the plot perfectly.

Although this is the eleventh book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

This was yet an explosive addition to this fantastic series where Patricia completely emerges the reader into the storyline. I have only read this book and the previous book but cannot wait to get my hands on the previous books on the series as well as any new releases. The storyline is filled with suspense, crime, friendship, lies, romance, murder, secrets, family and lies and filled with tension which left me on the edge of my seat biting my nails with my heart pounding throughout. It is very fast paced and rammed with action and loads of red herrings. I loved the fact that you get to see what was going on from so many perspectives. The main ones are Lottie and Mark but you also get to see what happens through the eyes of potential suspects along with possible victims but not only that you also get to see through the eyes of the killer too!! Patricia has absolutely everything covered and I absolutely love books like this as you really do get to see so much that it means you get further and further emerged into the storyline leaving you shocked and bewildered when you look up to discover your reality!! Patricia manages to drip feed the reader with tid bits off information to allow you to try to solve it yourself without giving too much away. It is like you are Lottie trying to discover what so going on with your team surrounding you! However, I had no idea who was involved and was shocked when it was revealed so a HUGE well done to Patricia on shocking me. I have read so many crime books it is getting harder and harder for me to be surprised but you achieved it so congratulations!! Also congratulations on an absolutely fantastic book and if this book is anything to go by then an absolutely fantastically explosive series!!!


It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE FIRST PAGE WITHOUT CLEARING YOUR SCHEDULES AS THIS WILL KEEP YOU HOOKED!!!

I really like Lottie, Mark and the majority of the team and they are slowly becoming like family members to me. It was quite sad coming to the end of this book and knowing I am going to have to say Goodbye to them for a while. However, I was pleased to read that Patricia has already started writing book twelve in the series which I cannot wait to delve into! It is vital for me that I 'clcik' with the main protagonists and I liked Lottie's kick butt attitude and that she doesn't take any CRUD. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better from the previous books. Mark seems to be a sweet guy and it will be interesting to see how his and Lottie's relationship develops or if it will even survive with Marks son in the mix and his ex wife in the unknown. I enjoyed the fiery team dynamics and enjoyed that there was tension and fights in the team as it portrays the truth that a team won't always get along. The only team member I was not a fan of was McKeown and I think he is definitely up Farrell's backside and I don't trust him one bit.


Congratulations Patricia on a fantastic read and this is exactly why you are on my favourite crime author list!!! I am looking forward to reading your previous and future successes and here's to your next 🥂!!

Overall a page turning and addictive explosive crime thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat throughout!!


Genres covered in this book include Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Hard-boiled Mystery and Crime Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Angela Marsons, CL Taylor, Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine, Carol Wyer, Karin Slaughter, PJ Tracy and anyone looking for an explosive new series to sink their teeth into!!!


472 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon 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.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

#The GuiltyGirl #Bookouture #PatriciaGibney #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@PatriciaGibney @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86

https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhitlock86/

Was this review helpful?

This book is the 11th book in the Detective Lottie Parker series. After a house party when her parents are away, high school student, Lucy is found murdered. Detective Lottie Parker is on the case, and her own son attended this party where Lucy was murdered. One of the guests, is the prime suspect as she had been bullied by Lucy and her friends. However, is she truly the murderer or is something more sinister going on? Why was Lucy, a high school student, left alone for weeks while her parents were vacationing countries away? There is much more to this mystery than a single murder. This book was engaging, fast moving, and left me guessing. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The Guilty Girl Patricia Gibney
This is book 11 in the Lottie Parker series, and wow, what a book it is.
Murder, mystery and family drama with Lotties son being a guest at a party where a girl was murdered kept me turning the pages.
Any time I thought I worked it out, I was wrong.
I part read and part listened to this book, I enjoyed the narration of Michelle Moran, although I think I got more into the book while reading it.
Patricia writes so well, that you can build a whole picture of what is happening as you read, you just get lost into the story (in a good way) Patricia is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
Bring on book 12!!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I have read all of the previous Lottie Parker books since the first one so I was really pleased to see there was another.

Although this is book 11, it can be read as a standalone. However, it does have continuity with the characters and their back stories which I like so I would recommend reading them in order from the start.

I always enjoy books with detective work, the police interviews and looking for clues. I liked that all of the partygoers could have been the suspect, they all had alternative deeper links to Lucy, aswell as being at the party so it kept me guessing. I like the familiarity of the main character, Lottie Parker, she will always go with her gut, rubs people up the wrong way and won’t let anything stand in the way of her finding the truth.

One thing I didn’t particularly enjoy about the book was the occasional first-person thoughts from the killer…it felt a bit daft and it didn’t bring anything to the story.

A great storyline, fast-paced and an all round, easy to read detective book. I’m already looking forward to book 12.

Was this review helpful?

''The Guilty Girl", Book 11 in the Lottie Parker series and like all of her previous books, is fast paced and difficult to put down.

The book starts with a murder of Lucy Mc Allister who had hosted a party in her home in the absence of her parents . All of her classmates and a few others were present in the party which was filled with fun, drinks and a few fights. It seems Detective Lottie has seemingly found the murderer with Lucy's blood stains on her clothes,. But is she real murderer and what actually happened at the party. Read the story to find out.

This time Lottie is working in the absence of Boyd, Her partner . He is away in a different city due to personal reasons. The story is fast paced and also has her personal story line along with the case. This keeps the story connected and very interesting bringing out the human side of Lottie. She is driven and focused and also simultaneously balancing many situations in her personal life. This brings out her true character and I have loved her for this. The cryptic narration in parts from the supposed murderer is very interesting and made me stay invested in the story. As usual the ending was surprising and difficult to guess and definitely worth it.

If you love to read action packed, murder mysteries that are more than simple murder mysteries and have story lines that run deep then this book is for you. I am awaiting for the next book in this series.
I thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy and the opinions expressed are all mine.

Was this review helpful?

Whilst her parents are in Spain Lucy decides to throw a party as well as get at classmate Hannah. The party seems to have got well out of hand. When the cleaner arrives the place is a mess. As well as broken glass there is a lot of blood & most horrifying of all is the discovery of Lucy's body upstairs. Detective Lottie Parker is not just horrified by the loss of such a young life, she also picked up her son from there the night before. Is this a conflict of interest & will this stop her from finding the truth behind Lucy's death?

As always this is a terrific read, with lots of false trails. Lucy comes across as a really awful spoilt brat, but is that all she is? This series of books continues to go from strength to strength & I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. The latest in the Lottie series, this was (as usual) a very good read. Plenty of twists, the continued development of the characters and well written, this was another great story from Patricia Ginny. Looking forward to the next one!

Was this review helpful?