The Girls Left Behind
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From Headline Publishing Group: by Emily Gunnis.
1985. Separated from her little sister at the children's home where they are taken as orphans, Holly Moore is a troubled teenager in need of love. When she meets a man who promises to take care of her, she hopes her luck has finally changed.

2015. The clock is ticking for Superintendent Jo Hamilton when the discovery of a young woman's remains takes her back to an unsolved case from the past. As a constable, Jo was often called out to deal with runaways from Morgate House, but when Holly Moore disappeared - after another female resident fell from the cliffs - Jo was convinced the home was hiding something. Now, with only days before her forced retirement, Jo decides to track down Holly's sister and re-open the case. But will the trail lead her disturbingly close to home?
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My review: I'm not that into thrillers (true crime, yes. Go figure). But I was interested from the start here. The book starts with Jo as a new cop and a night that leads to tragedy. We quickly jump ahead to the end of her career, and a case that may be connected to that fateful night. The in between was the bulk of the story.
I had my suspicions and many questions. I love the way the author slowly brought it all together and connected characters and clues subtly.
All of the characters were flawed or broken in some way and piecing together their histories was an interesting puzzle. Olive's WWII history was especially fascinating and helped me understand her trajectory and how her relationships came to be.
The book definitely kept me engaged and wondering and wanting to see it all come together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Publishing for an advice digital copy in exchange for my review.

Interesting read involving 3 eras, 3 women, all with interconnecting stories. Jo, a Police Superintendent, in her last working week, has tormented herself with one unresolved case for nearly 40 years. Daisy is still desperate for news of her sister Holly, not having seen or heard from her since they were separated as children in foster care. Olive is dying, she knows it, but she isn’t afraid, she just wants to be with the man she has loved for so long but could never be with.

I really enjoyed this, even with the different time and story lines, everything was put together so well. Jo is about to retire, but is determined that she will finish what she started all those years ago, despite the attempts from others to stop her. I’m not sure such a senior police officer would really go to the lengths she does, but I can understand the passion she feels about solving one last case. She’s also trying to be a better mother to her daughter, her career possibly having gotten the way of parenthood. Daisy has obviously suffered for years, with not being able to get on with her life, not willing to commit to anything or anyone for fear of losing them too. The story is so well researched, with some really good story lines and an excellent tying up of the ending. The treatment of female police officers in the 70’s felt very real, as did the portrayal of the couple managing the children’s home; there were definitely a few rogue homes like that during that era. And the care that Daisy gave to her patients in the home was heart warming. A really enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The trauma of a heartbreaking case for new PC Jo Hamilton back in 1975 has always haunted her. Now, in 2015, in her last week at work before retirement, the past has returned. She wants to resolve the case before signing off but her seniors appear to be alienating her from the case. And she has added pressure with her mum Olive in a hospice and her daughter seemingly only looking forward to Jo's retirement so she has free childcare.
Spanning many years and with 4 points of view you'd be forgiven for thinking this may be a complicated read, but it's far from that, each POV and timeline fits seamlessly into the story, interlinking with no problem.
I really enjoyed it, a great read

This is a good mix of historical fiction and thriller. It moves between several different narratives of key female characters set at different points in time and they are intertwined really effective. The central character is Jo, a policewoman who has days left before retirement, before being confronted with a case relating to two young girls that had haunted her throughout her career. The strengths are the vivid account of life as a policewoman and the misogyny of the 1970s/80, the twists and carefully knitted together plot - there were some things that I did not see coming - and the complex narratives that are woven together very cleverly. For me, the drawback was the dialogue, which felt overdone and not always convincing or plausible from the characters.. Nevertheless, this is an absorbing read that will keep you guessing and perfect for those who appreciate historical fiction that doesn’t look through rose tinted glasses.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I was excited to get approved for this book, Loved Emily Gunnis other books, so this one moved to the top of my list and it did not disappoint. The story was told from different POV over the course of 40 years. It drew me in from the beginning and I enjoyed how the characters intertwined and the twist you won’t see coming. The main story of two sisters separated from their parents due to a domestic dispute so they ended up in a home for children. Definitely recommend!!

This book was really good and days later I am still processing it.
This takes you through many years as retiring Jo is pulled back into a case she worked on years ago after a missing person is discovered. All the twists and turns of the story as we go back in time and experience present day. All the while we see how Jo is dealing with Olive( who I didn’t realize until near the middle who she even was) as she nears the end of her life.
This book has twists, turns and spirals that move along at a good pace although I was confused a few times in the beginning and had to reread a few parts. The the ending, oh boy I did not expect that..
All in all an enjoyable book especially if you like detective mystery books.

I received this book as an e-arc from NetGalley and am very appreciative of the opportunity to read and review it.

I have not read anything by Emily Gunnis before and police crime mysteries are not my usual genre of reading but as I’m trying to branch out of my typical reading choices I clicked on this book as it intrigued me.

I must confess I felt rather smug for approximately 60% of the novel feeling that I’d worked it all out and wanted to keep reading to prove myself correct. So I really wasn’t prepared for the excellent and surprising elements which caught me completely unaware so kudos to Ms Gunnis!

The book itself is made up of intertwining stories from Olive in 1945 as a Bletchley worker for the WWII efforts, Gemma in 1975 in a sad tale of a forgotten orphan at a cruel children’s home. Holly in 1985 as an orphan at the same children’s home a decade later, taken along by our protagonist Jo, who had turned up at an address to respond to a call, and then Jo and Daisy in 2015.

The writing was done very well and Ms Gunnis skilfully wove the various plots around the characters together, bringing the story to a dramatic conclusion which had me reading as fast as possible to see what happened next.

Once the last words were read I put down my kindle and had to take a moment to process what I’d just read…. It’s a story that will stay with me. And would make an excellent tv adaptation starting Sarah Lancashire! I felt as though I had a movie in my mind reading through this book. I don’t tend to be emotional when reading but this book wrung tears from me and I was very impressed with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 1/2 stars from me.

This was such an excellent read, and a very unusual police procedural. The story spanned several decades, and generations.
The inhuman treatment of children in care earlier in the 1960s was chilling, and heartbreaking. This story grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until its conclusion, when I admit I shed a tear. Fantastic writing, strong plot, and excellent characterisation, all made for an unforgettable story. Highly recommended.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I liked the characters in The Girls Left Behind. They were strong women, and their stories connected in an interesting way. However, although I don’t usually mind multiple points of view, I had a little trouble keeping the story straight. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to Emily and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Girls Left Behind before the publication date.
Where do I start without giving away any spoilers?

From the summary, it is tempting to think that this book is a police procedural. In reality, it is more about the human side of the characters.

Emily has woven a story in which she gradually reveals details about 4 generations of women, each of whom have each been influenced by the culture of their time and in turn have passed on their views to the next generation.

Supt. Jo Hamilton is the 3rd generation. As the clock runs down to her retirement, she faces the time when the role, which, as a single mother, she had to fight hard to attain, will be left behind.
Her senior officer seems determined to isolate her from her team and push her out even sooner.
Jo is determined to resolve cold cases which have troubled her for nearly 40 years.

Meanwhile Jo’s personal life is demanding her attention. Her mother Olive, who has always favoured her son, Charlie, over Jo, is terminally ill in a care home.
Jo’s relationship with her daughter, Megan, has always been difficult. A demanding character, Megan views Jo’s upcoming retirement as a solution for her child minding problems.

Emily’s personification of Morley House was superb, drawing the reader in.
As secrets were revealed, my initial views of the characters changed, not always for the better. (I will say no more).
The story looks at the culture of years gone by through the prism of the current day, leaving the reader to ponder whether things have really improved or just changed.

A disturbing discovery takes a retiring police superintendent back to a case she was involved with in the 1970s and now she must race to find the truth behind the historic disappearance of a young girl. Jo Hamilton has just a matter of days to piece together this unsolved tragedy before she hangs up her police badge - and of course there is a twist.

The story time hops between the 1940s (Bletchley Park) and the modern day, and visits the 1970s and 80s on the way. It’s fast paced - each chapter has a purpose and edges you nicely towards the final outcome. It’s twisty and entertaining with some good characters. But it is also a dark and brooding story with some violent elements and looks at the treatment of vulnerable children in care. The way the children’s home - Morgate House - was written was clever; it had its own character and its presence loomed large over the whole story.

I really enjoy this genre and so this book was an easy win for me. I’d not heard of the author before reading the book and I’d now be very happy to go and explore her other books based on my reading of The Girls Left Behind.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Headline, for letting me read this ahead of publication in November 2023.

I enjoyed this book very much. I could picture the scenery due to the author's very descriptive narrative.

This book, unfortunately was just not for me. We follow our main character who is a detective in a smallish town which has a dark secret from the past. This consists of a home for children that was, expectedly, not a great place and shocker, there was abuse of the children (not "shocker" towards the author, just in general places like that do tend to be really awful places for kids).

Unfortunately, I could not finish this book as it very quickly became very formulaic detective thriller and that's just not my niche. I think it has enough intrigue that if you enjoy this genre, then it will absolutely be worth a read. It is dark and sets up many complex character relationships which show some really fantastic family dynamics.

This novel starts with a very exciting fire scene which will you grab your attention right at the start of the book . My attention was kept throughout, as the story was suitably fast, paced and interesting throughout.
The novel looks at the treatment of vulnerable girls and women by the police force and this makes this a very topical read . I personally would’ve preferred a trigger warning. I might perhaps not of picked the book if I had known .
I did work out the major plot twist quite early on in the story that the visit did not spoil my enjoyment of the book.
I enjoyed the historical Bletchley Park sections and would’ve liked more about this character. These sections are rather different in nature to the rest of the story, which is set in the present day and the sections about this person were an interesting comparison to the rest of the novel.
The cast of characters of the story are well described, and their character developments seem natural, making them all feel like real people.
The author has a clear easily,read prose style, making the novel an enjoyable read.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK the book is released in the UK on ninth of November 2023 by headline books.

This review will appear on NetGalley, UK, Goodreads and my book dog bionicSarahsbooks.wordpress.com

Excellent read. Well written with a storyline based on a 40 year old series of events but reaching back even further into the war years. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This book instantly grabbed my attention with a date in the past that gave a backstory to present day. I found it interesting that present day was 2015 as it was a newer book; however as you read about how Jo, one of the main characters who is retiring from the police force that timeline makes more sense. I love how the author only gives you just a glimpse of the story and each chapter as the characters and timeline get closer to present day, you learn more and more. I appreciated the different storylines woven together that seem unrelated until they were not. I could not put this book down and had to find out who the remains that were found was as well as if Jo would solve the case before her retirement date.

I really enjoyed this multi generational story which had the sets of characters intertwining and the ending was suitably unexpected! Well written and enjoyable. Would recommend!

Wow I loved this book.

It's told from 3 main POVs with 2 more short ones thrown in.

The storyline had me intrigued from the start and it kept me intrigued and hooked until the end.

This isn't just a murder mystery. It's got historical parts mixed in with Olive working at Bletchley Park in WWII and the present timeline in 2015.

The twist at the end of the book was also quite shocking aswell.

This is a very well written multi generational story with many threads that come together well. Told primarily from the viewpoint of police superintendent Jo both in the present day and back when she was a young wpc in the 1970s when she was haunted by several tragic events including a fire that took the lives of Daisy and Holly’s parents leaving them to face life in a care home which Jo has concerns about. This is well balanced by chapters from Daisy’s point of view aim present day as well as some featuring Jo’s mum back in wartime when she worked at Bletchley. These are all really strong female characters which combined with a great storyline make for a great read. The author does a great job of hinting at the direction things are going in but it’s interesting to see the characters uncover things and the conclusion is dramatic. 9/10

Disappearances and deaths all linked to a children's home. A policewoman must revisit her past and an unsolved cold case to try and figure out what links all the past and present crimes.
A good pacy thriller with a few twists and turns. I would recommend.