This was such a great read. It was a fabulous crime thriller and it was so well done. I already downloaded book 2 as I honestly fell in love with Sally and I need more. The pacing of this book started off low and just kept going higher and higher until the final act.

It was honestly the perfect blend of police procedural (which to be honest I don't love), but Larkin did a fantastic job of weaving it so perfectly with the thrilling aspects, that it made it so enjoyable. The thriller aspects were spot on, suspenseful, scary, unnerving and all through it I was on the edge of my seat.

As I mentioned I fell in love with Sally she's such a fierce, strong main character after all she's been through and endured. You will love her too. She does do some things that are questionable regarding her safety, but once you read about her you'll know why she does it. The hardships this family has been through only ups the amount of fear they have due to the recent events. I also cannot wait to see how much more she grows in the second installment.

The writing was great, I felt it flowed perfectly, kept me intrigued and the emotions were felt through the pages.

The ending shook me and I would've never guessed who the serial killer was. I really recommend this one!

If you're looking for an amazing crime thriller with a serial killer pick this one up you won't be disappointed.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @bookouture & @lalarkin for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was sucked into this book by the original idea of finding your own face on a missing poster. What kept me reading was Sally. She is an ex police officer turned victim advocate who is undeniably a victim herself.

Still haunted by a cold case which now seems to be hotting up again, she is summoned by the man who was the original prime suspect.

I liked the blend of crime thriller/police procedural/serial killer and the thoroughly likeable and believable protagonist. The use of flashbacks fills in her past traumas and helps showcase her growth throughout the book.

Tense and gripping with real emotional clout this was a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to read the next book to see what’s in store for Sally.

Dark and disturbing psychological suspense with a courageous main protagonist. Still suffering after years in an abusive marriage Sally Fairburm, an ex-police officer turned victim advocate, is at the centre of a series of cold cases that personally threaten herself and her son. This is an atmospheric crime fiction with elements of police procedural, psychological suspense and family drama, delivering an impactful story. Whilst the themes are familiar, this story has some original twists. Sally is likeable, and her characterisation is good, reflecting her journey from victim to avenger. I like the chilling ethos, the psychological suspense and Sally's emotional journey this story portrays.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was just okay. Overall, the plot felt pretty similar to a million other thrillers. I enjoyed it but wasn't particularly invested/shocked.

Next Girl Missing by LA Larkin is a chilling and gripping crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story revolves around the abduction of six young girls from a quiet suburban town, and the investigation that follows. The protagonist, Sally Fairburn, is an ex-cop and former victim support advocate who becomes a private investigator. She is haunted by the case and their inability to bring the girls home.

The author’s writing style is engaging and the plot is well-developed, with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Sally Fairburn is a strong and determined main character, and her personal struggles add depth to the story.

The book is the first in a series featuring Sally Fairburn, and it is off to a fantastic start. The ending leaves room for more stories to be told, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series Her Deadly Truth.

Overall, I would highly recommend Next Girl Missing to anyone who enjoys twisty crime thrillers with fantastic characters and a gripping plot!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Unfortunately I am unable to give a full review as I did not finish this book. I thought the main character was childish and difficult to sympathise with. I didn’t dislike her but she was written in a very childish clinical manner. The son Paul is also unlikeable and I wasn’t able to get into the story.

I disliked the writing style and found it difficult to stay engaged. As I didn’t finish the book I will rate it 3 for fairness.

Thank you to Bookature, NetGalley and the author for a copy of this arc. Apologise I didn’t like it more.

My review will not be posted on other sites to be fair to the author.

Next Girl Missing – 3 stars

I was quite intrigued when I read the synopsis for this book and was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get into due to the constant flashbacks. I understand we need to know the back story but I felt it was just jumping around and not really explaining what was going on. I am sorry to say that I did not finish this book.

Wow! What an incredible start to a brilliant new series - my new favourite! I absolutely loved this book. Could not put it down. absorbing, gripping, fast paced, cleverly plotted, Loved, loved, loved.

An exciting new series featuring former cop, Sally Fairborn.
Sally has almost been defeated by life with a failed marriage, a dead daughter, and the unsolved murders of 6 girls.
An imprisoned slime ropes her back into the case.
It’s a fast action packed story with a carousel of clues and culprits that are thick and viney.
I didn’t figure out the killers until late in the game.
Sally is bad ass and she has more avenging to do!

Unfortunately, this book was just okay for me. I really didn't like most of the characters. Even if the story was captivating at times, my dislike for the characters was just too great. I'm not sure yet if I will continue reading this series.
Still, a big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture!

2015, & Sally Fairburn has taken early retirement in her late forties. Sally was a police officer originally & then moved to work in victim support. Her ex-husband Scott blamed her dedication to her job for the death of their oldest child (daughter Zelda who took her own life several years before) & the subsequent break-up of their marriage, & Sally still visits the mother of missing girl, Anna Moorhouse. Anna, & five other young girls were kidnapped off the street four years ago by a serial killer known as the Poster Killer. A 'missing' poster of each girl always appeared on bus stops just before each one was taken. The killer was never found but Anna's mother believes her daughter is still alive & waits every day for her return. Sally is certain that Anna & the other girls are dead, & when she receives a phone call from a convicted criminal in prison offering a deal - get him moved into witness protection & he will tell her who the Poster Killer is. Sally reluctantly agrees to speak to him to get closure for the families but on her daily run she sees a 'missing' poster which looks like the ones the Poster Killer used before, only this one has Sally's face on it.

The synopsis to this drew my attention & I was expecting a fast-paced thriller. It is well-written but I found it difficult to get into this book for the first half as it seemed rather slow-going to me. That changed in the second half which had more pace & action. It's not really a spoiler to say that Sally's marriage is quickly revealed to be an emotionally abusive one. Flashback chapters set the scene as to why 2015 Sally is hesitant & lacking in self-confidence to begin with & the reader sees Sally begin to believe in herself more. Her teenage son, Paul, lives with her & their relationship also undergoes a transformation as they begin to understand the experiences of the other one. It was a good start to a series & I intend to read the second one at some point, but it didn't have the wow factor for me. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

TWs: child death, kidnapping, toxic relationship/gaslighting, swearing.

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

I usually don't like reading about meek women, I almost put down my Kindle, I'm glad I didn't. There are some parts in the story that have me shaking my head in confusion, maybe in the next book they will be addressed?

Sally Fairburn has had a hard life. She was a cop for 3 years before she married her partner, Scott. Scott knew how to gaslight Sally. She was quiet, a little shy, and had had years of verbal abuse from her father that he acknowledged. Scott had turned on the charm right up until their wedding day; then the real Scott emerged: controlling, narcissistic, and abusive. Scott wanted Sally to quit her job and stay at home with the kids, instead she decided to work with the DA's office, becoming a victims advocate.

Five years ago, a serial killer called the "Poster Killer" had abducted six young girls. Only one body was found in the water, she was raped. Sally sat with each family day and night, waiting to hear anything. He was called the "Poster Killer" because before the girl was even kidnapped, there was a fake "Missing Person Poster" of the girl on the bus stop she took to get home. The killer knew everything about her life. They lured her into a car and the girl thought she was safe with them; she wasn't.

During that time, her daughter, Zelda, was friends with all of the girls who were kidnapped. Zelda had stopped eating, she was depressed, and wouldn't talk to anyone. Sally was concerned, Scott blamed it on bullying at school. So Sally secretly took her to a psychiatrist behind Scott's back. But he found them and stopped it before the session could even start. Months later, Zelda killed herself and Scott blamed Sally. After the funeral, he packed his bags and left. He never ever said goodbye to his 9 year old son, Paul. Afterwards, Sally took an early retirement, grieving Zelda's death, Scott's abuse, and realizing with the help of therapy how much damage he had done to her.

While making a birthday visit for a parent of one of the victims, she gets a phone call from a maximum security prison inmate, Theo Durrant, demanding her to visit. Sally begs the inmate to get a cop instead. He tells her that he'll tell her the names of the killers if she helps him. Her fear wins instead and she doesn't go, calling the cops. But when she's followed by a car, she changes her mind fast. Durrant is in for life, but he has his hands in everything on the outside. He wants witnesses protection in exchange for the names of the killers. He tells Sally that it's not just one person, it's two, and that Sally knows them personally. Durrant needs to get out because there's a hit on his head.

Sally pulls Paul out of school because she's scared. They both go to the Detective who was in charge on the case, Fred Clarke. He thinks it's a scam, but hears Sally out. Paul's proud of his Mom for standing her ground for once. He knew everything his dad did to her, he hates the man.

But Clarke doesn't act fast enough and Durrant is killed anyways. That's when Sally decides it's time to get involved herself. But when she finds evidence that cops were involved and her daughter's death was a result of her ex-husband's actions, Sally will do anything to bring justice and peace to the victims and their families.

The Next Girl Missing by L.A Larkin was one of those books that kept you guessing until the end even though I was convinced I knew who the perpetrators where I will admit I was completely wrong and was totally thrown by who the real bad guys were.
This was the first book I read by this author and I can’t wait to read the next boot in this series. If you can’t handle a few vulgar words here and there and some very emotional topics this is not the book or author for you but if you like deep subjects and some adult topics this author is not afraid to touch them in this book. I really liked Sally as a character and how she grew throughout the book. She is one of those characters that you can’t help but cheer for. I can’t wait for book two to see if she gets the answers she did not get in this book.
As for this book I was convinced I knew who the killer/killers were and I was not changing my mind until the end when the author proved me wrong in an exciting fashion. I loved how this book unfolded and how it ended. It was an excellent read and I can’t wait to read the second book to hopefully get more answers.
Next Missing Girl gets five out of five stars from me.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this book
I rarely have a DNF but I tried and just couldn’t get into this book. I saw good reviews so I am sure there will be plenty of people happy with this book.

It took me a little while to get in to this book and before I was properly invested in the story. However, I think this may have been more because I was forced by life to keep stopping reading this book at the beginning so couldn’t really get a chunk of it under my belt in a dedicated fashion. However, once I did get to sit down and spend a bit of time with it, I lost myself in the story and then I was absolutely HOOKED. I thought this book had a great premise. I mean, look at the blurb, who isn’t intrigued by this storyline?

I thought Sally was an absolutely fantastic character. A former police officer turned victim advocate, Sally is dealing with a multitude of issues of her own – ex-husband, children, her own past – and the author has done a brilliant job of feeding the fall out of these personal issues into the story naturally and in a way that informs the story. They aren’t just shoehorned in, it feels natural and necessary and that’s a hard thing to do. It makes Sally a complex and fully rounded character who makes sense as the protagonist of this story and the person who had to be the one sorting this out.

I thought the plot was really creative and gripping and the author did a wonderful job with the tension and keeping the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the story. The story itself was original and fresh and rewarding once we got to the solution and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. It deals with some difficult topics, including marriage breakdown and suicide sensitively. I am impressed by my first read of this author new to me and I really look forward to seeing where the series featuring this protagonist goes.

This book is great, the story captivated me from the first pages, it is not a slow burn story, which is great, because I was afraid that it would be something like that.

According to the plot, the main character, a woman, who is a former police officer, independently investigates a case from the past about missing girls, which is strangely intertwined with events from her personal life. I don't want to reveal too many details.

There were a couple of shocking plot twists, and I didn’t guess the main villain, but I was sure that I already knew who is he, so that's an indicator of a really decent detective story for me.

If you also like this kind of story where the investigation of the case takes place throughout the book, you will definitely like this book and it will not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I didn’t feel engaged in the story, and didn’t care about any of the characters. I’ve seen many four and five star reviews for this book, so I think this is a book many people will enjoy, it just was not for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley,Bookouture and L A Larkin for my ARC of 'Next Girl Missing' in return for an honest review.

Sally has been through problems herself and was formerly a well respected cop but is now a victims advocate.

New information becomes available from a convict about young girls going missing four years before with no resolution. There are numerous twists and turns with suspense and shocks throughout.

Great read and highly recommended.

4.5⭐

Next Girl Missing introduces readers to Sally Fairburn. Who was once a beat cop before she gave it up to advocate for victims and found herself supporting the families of the victims of a serial killer nicknamed the Poster Killer.

Yet, in the midst of her offering support to the families of six abducted girls Sally's own teenage daughter Zelda takes her own life, and a heartbroken Sally walks away.

However, she never forgets those families or the girls themselves and is visiting one such family member. When she gets a phone call from the man convicted of the abductions and killings.

Only he claims the Poster Killer is someone else. In fact he reckons there is more than one killer.

Which sets Sally of on a quest to find answers and bring the girls home to be buried.

And then missing person's posters begin to appear. With Sally and her son Paul amongst the targets.

But Sally doesn't realise just how much danger she's in and what terrible secrets she will unearth.

And with big shocks, twists and a killer I never expected. Not to mention an edge of your seat confrontation. This was a story I found hard to put down, and it's one I would happily recommend to others.

“Wow!! Stayed up late to finish this one… By far one of my favorite books… L.A. Larkin you are a literary genius!… You will not want to miss this captivating, edge of your seat thriller.” I can't wait to read book two!