Thanks to Shane and NetGalley for allowing me to read Little Witness before the publication date.

This is the first book in the D.I. Burns series and it is the first book by the author which I have read.

When Tessa Burns was 10 years old, she witnessed her parents being murdered by a “faceless” man.
Never sure whether this was what she really saw or if her mind had blanked out the killer’s features to protect herself, it continues to haunt her.
Now 38, Tessa is newly promoted to D.I. with the Irish Garda with her own small team whose remit will be to investigate crimes which involve children or vulnerable adults.

Their first case is a report that Joe and Daisy Connolly, together with their 7 year old daughter, Aisling, are missing.
It transpires that both Joe and Daisy are members of crime families.
Did the family leave of their own accord or were they abducted?
The investigation will take the team into the world of illicit stills and paid killers.

This is an interesting start to a series as the reader learns about the characters and their back stories.

I'm so thrilled to have discovered this new series! "Little Witness" is an Irish detective procedure novel full of evil and brutality along with caregiving and tenderness. Since the story focuses on children, it is particularly poignant and I could not put it down. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I will be following this author and series. #LittleWitness #NetGalley

Little Witness starts a new series featuring Irish detective DI Tessa Burns and her team. Tessa is tough and fearless, ex army and care experienced after her parents were murdered. When given the chance to set up a new team aimed at helping children, she sets to the task in style.

The new unit's first case involves the kidnapping of a pair of Monaghan moonshine producers, the brutal incident witnessed by their young daughter. Tessa and her team support young Ash while attempting to find her parents, finding themselves in the middle of an underworld dispute.

Little Witness is well written and engaging, with a compelling cast of characters. The contrast between the brutality of some scenes and the tenderness with which the children are treated is the cornerstone of the novel. This is going to be a series to follow.

I cannot wait to see where this group goes! I love the issues these characters have - discussed supportively, encouraged to heal and adjust. The best feature is a woman with physical limitations utilizing her disability to kick butt. I could not applaud her enough.
Intense, fast paced and to the point - great start to a new series!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "Little Witness" in exchange for my honest review.

Having enjoyed the Boyle & Keneally series by Mr. Dunphy, I was looking forward to reading his new DI Tessa Burns series. I read it in one sitting, it was so well written it was impossible to put down.

We are introduced to a new team from the Garda Síochána. Tessa Burns who is quickly promoted to DI from DS after saving the life of 5 year old Bettina Watson. She is given powers to form her own team and she picks her old friend from her residential unit days - Maggie Doolan and her dog Pavlov. Maggie has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair but it the toughest cop you ever want to meet. The other member of her team is Danny Murphy, he was a uniformed Garda on his way to prison but Tessa saw the potential in him - if he keeps his temper in check.

In the Village of Mullan in County Monaghan Joe and Daisy Connolly have been abducted from their farm. A neighbour called in a disturbance but when the Guards arrived they found no one in the farmhouse. In the fields they found a shipping container with their daughter 7 year old Aisling (Ash as she likes to be called) hiding in it. Joe was a master of distilling Poitín - could that have brought about their abduction? The team learns that there are several "families" distilling Poitín illegally and there could be a rivalry growing.

Parts of the story are told from the viewpoint of Daisy Connolly. She gives bits of background as to what is happening but she doesn't give the story away. We also learn a lot about the backstories of each of the team members. Especially Tessa whose story will probably continue in future books.

Every member of the team comes into extreme danger as they try to keep Ash safe. She forms an incredible bond with every member of the team. The story moves along at a fast pace and is a thrilling read. There are shady characters, gangs, faceless men and high drama as to whether Ash's parents will be found in time to save them.

An incredible first book in the series, if only there were more than 5 stars to give this book. It's more of a 10 star read.

I was excited to read this book as it really intrigued me. Overall I felt drawn into the world of book and was hooked by the tension and twists / turns.

Tessa assembles a team and is quickly called upon to find a missing family. Having witnessed her parents die as a child, Tessa has quite the compelling reason to protect others. With a little girl who needs protection and a cast of potential suspects, as the body count increases, can Tessa and her team find the answers before it is too late?

What a ride! I finished this in one day as I was gripped from the start!

The author did such a great job of developing each character, that I can't pick a favorite. This rag tag group of misfits somehow gel together and Tessa as the leader certainly provides a model to follow, proving to be tough and courageous as well as insightful and supportive.

As a side note, it was extra special to see a character with a disability being written to focus on the abilities, and not the disability. I also love the vivid descriptions of the local culture which made you feel as if the backdrop was actually a part of the story.

It is easy to forget the supporting characters in a book like this, but just as the emphasis in the book was on them being equals, they were given equal attention and somehow that didn't diminish any one individual.

There were no "weak links" in the chain, and everyone has a part to play. Non stop action! I can't wait for the next installment!

I am privileged to have been invited to review the first two books in this exciting new police procedural series, by S. A. Dunphy.

This fantastic book starts with a dramatic child rescue, which gets DI Tessa Burns a promotion. The DI is a firm but fair Irish cop, who was orphaned when her parents were murdered and their killer was never caught. I warmed to Tessa immediately, and enjoyed getting to know Tessa’s old friend and fellow cop, Maggie, Pavlov and Danny, the final piece in the jigsaw of Tessa’s new team.

And then, the team are thrust straight into the action with another child rescue. I was gripped! Aisling is too traumatised to speak and her parents are missing. I loved how the author drip fed a few little hooks linking to the murder of Tessa’s parents and I hope this will be an ongoing mystery in the series.

A great pace, brilliant characters and an intense plot make this a compelling read and I can’t wait for the next one in this series.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, S. A. Dunphy and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow. What a rollercoaster of a storyline with an explosive ending. I find Tessa Burns an interesting character and I look forward to reading more about her..
Thus is a great start to a series and I'm moving onto book 2.

Great start to what I believe will be a brilliant new detective series for me! Loved getting to know Di Tessa and her team. The crime was shocking, intense gripping I was on edge with the twist and turns can’t wait for book 2 !

Vivid, expansive and richly imagined….. An absolutely heartbreaking and unforgettable read, perfect for fans of gripping family dramas, and for those who enjoy great storytelling. Looking forward to the next one ……

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Tessa, Danny and Maggie as well as Pavlov the dog are a newly formed team in the Irish police. They specialise in cases where there are children involved and need to act as an advocate for them.

When Ash Connelly is found and her parents are missing, the team are called into investigate. This leads to them following the Connelly’s illegal whiskey business and their many associates.

The first chapter of the book is set in the past and didn’t really light me on fire. This meant I was surprised as to how much I actually enjoyed this book.

The new team and their budding relationships was enjoyable. And it was good to see that everything didn’t just mesh immediately. The events flowed logically and the team made steady progress with little dead ends. A nice easy read that kept me engrossed throughout. Ready to start the next one in the series!

Aisling's father was reading her a story when strange men knocked at the door. Her parents were taken while Aisling hid away.

Detective Tessa Burns and her team are looking for the Connolly's, and trying to get Aisling to speak. They know that her parents have to be found soon, before the little girl becomes an orphan.

A fairly twisty Police Procedural with a feisty female lead. Tessa has a tragic past which still haunts her. She has a hand picked team, and together they are dynamite.
The book is fast paced and tense. I really enjoyed it.
I did, however, guess where "The List" was hidden, long before the end.

I recommend, and am already reading the second book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

I am so glad that I received an early review copy of Little Witness (DI Tessa Burns Book 1) by S.A. Dunphy. I loved this first book in a new series about DI Tessa Burns and her team of investigators who focus on the vulnerable and children. The action gets going from the start and doesn't stop.

Although this is a police procedural, it feels fresh and unique. The characters have many layers, and the relationships between them add so much to the story. Background is woven in to the story throughout in a way that adds context but doesn't slow down the action. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't reveal more, but I will say that I am very excited for Book 2 in the series.

Thank you too #NetGalley and #Bookouture for a free copy of #LittleWitness by S.A. Dunphy. All opinions are my own.

I was fortunate enough to read and listen to the audio of SA Dunphy's latest Irish crime offering, the first of a new series featuring Tessa Burns, a woman with her own traumatic history when as a child her parents were murdered whilst she had hidden, the culprits never caught, and with foster care experience. The audio is just over 8 hours and 15 minutes long, and is marvellously narrated by Melanie MacHugh, who brings the Irish flavour of the story alive with the drama, tension and suspense that made this such a gripping listen. After a recent operation in which Tessa showed exceptional bravery, she is promoted to DI and granted permission to set up a new police unit focusing on the vulnerable and children.

Tessa recruits the wheelchair bound Maggie, a family liaison officer who is no pushover, with her remarkable dog Pavlov, wonderful in providing comfort and protection to small children and adults alike, and the huge, troubled Daniel with his self esteem issues. The team's first case begins when a emotionally traumatised 7 year old Aisling 'Ash' Connolly is rescued after having been in hiding for many hours at a rural farm where her parents have worryingly gone missing, and the signs are not good. Who has taken them? To get any headway into finding the parents, who had been involved in the business of making illicit liquor, the police need the little girl to open up with her memories of what happened. This will take time but is aided by both Maggie and Pavlov gaining her confidence, and her beginning to believe in Tessa and Danny.

In a story with more murder, ruthless criminal elements, faceless killers and other dangerous events, the unit must save Ash from further grave dangers and urgently race against the clock if they are to succeed in having any chance of locating Ash's parents, if they are still alive. Additionally the case has implications for Tessa's past and the possibility of making progress in finding her parents killers in the future, despite the setback she faces at the end. This was a well plotted, dark and entertaining start this new series, one that the many fans of the author are likely to enjoy, along with any new readers who like the Irish crime and mystery genre. I can particularly recommend the terrific audio. Many thanks to the publisher for the ALC and the ARC.

Such a good book. Fast paced, twists and turns.
Tessa burns manages to turn a bunch of “broken” officers into the perfect team. Each member’s back story is explored in time, and explains why, for them, their job is important. Each new development left me wanting more.
Such a good first story in what, I’m sure, will be an amazing series.

Well, it was an interesting read. Following the DI Tessa Burns while she tries to uncover the truth about the disappearance of a couple. At first, it was a bit confusing to follow with the different POV, scene change. But in the end, all ends well, I'd say.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I read through this book so quick. It was so good. A great little team. Kept me guessing all the way through.
I really enjoyed this.

A new DI series taking place in Ireland. DI Tessa Burns has just been promoted & starts a new team. She recruits her fellow cop & best friend, Maggie ….and her dog. Plus, a new guy she takes a chance on. These three (plus dog), are sent in to investigate the disappearance of Ash’s parents. There’s a lot of enemies, including monsters, & in general a lot of bad people. I liked Tessa & Maggie ( & Pavlov), not sure about Danny, yet. There was quite a bit of action, literally from the beginning. Pace was also good. I would definitely give the next book a try.