This is a common review for both Little Witness & Only the Children.
I love S.A. Dunphy's thrillers and I always read them in one sitting as the fast paced and twisty stories kept me turning pages.
A serious case of just-one-more-chapter and the books in the series are very high in my chart of books-that-caused-sleep-deprivation.
I don't feel any remorse for reading till 3 am as I wanted to know what was going to happen.
i loved Tessa, Maggie, Danny and I think that Pavlov is a strike of genius as he's the best way to reach the heart of children and reads.
The characters are all damaged as they had to face a very hard life since a young age. Maggie is a great character and I'm happy to read about a kick-ass heroine who uses her wheelchair as a weapon.
There's a lot of darkness in these stories, there's children who were abused or had to face horrible situations.
The author never uses a pathetic tone and there's a lot of empathy.
I hope to read other stories soon as I love these two.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Yay, back reading about Tessa and her team. Great character development in this book! I have a feeling that even though the team would have no personal connection to the case and the people, when its is about children, it will always somehow be personal.

The member's of the team have all seen and experienced things in the past, which makes them stronger, even though they might not always feel like it. I like it how Dunphy is not afraid of writing about issues that are not well accepted and talked about in society in general. It gives the book a bit more of a kick. There might be uncomfortable truths - things that happen all the time, but we prefer not to acknowledge. Really enjoyable read!

Only the Children is book two in the DI Tessa Burns series by S.A. Dunphy.
Another gripping and atmospheric thriller that seamlessly blends suspense with a captivating story.
Full of action and suspense, the case twists and turns to keep you guessing right up to the end for a compelling conclusion.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

WOW!
After reading the first book in the new DI Tessa Burns series, Little Witness, I wasn’t sure if Only the Children could get any better. Well, if I could give it more stars, I would. It was that good.
The story was gripping and intriguing. I was kept guessing throughout the story. Literally read non-stop which may or may not have irritated and annoyed my husband more than I want to share.
I love Tessa and her team. I am looking forward to getting to know more about Sheils.
So glad I found this Irish detective crime thriller series.
I am hoping author S.A. Dunphy doesn’t keep us waiting toooooo long before book 3 comes out.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ok, first read Little Witness (a five star read for me) and then move onto book two in this new series, Only The Children.

This time DI Tessa Burns and her team are called in when three children are found alone and terrified on a ship that has run aground on the Irish coast. The captain is found on board with his throat cut, all the crew are missing and the children are the only ones alive and they're not talking.

Can Tessa, Danny, Maggie and Pavlov the dog find out who the children are, reunite them with family, solve the murder of the captain and the mystery of the disappearance of the crew.

They'll get some help from coastguard officer Jim Shiels and the mysterious Eric Stafford who's on the payroll of the shipping freight company.
They certainly need all the help they can get as they come up against criminals involved in trafficking and smuggling, corrupt politicians and a mysterious woman who appears to be a kidnapper and assassin and is known as the Merrow, the gaelic name for a mermaid.

The character work is again fantastic and for the most part the plot is completely gripping. It slowed down for a while and that's only because the plot is much more complex than the fast moving story in book one.
Apart from personally feeling that it was overly convoluted I was slightly frustrated that Tessa was saved more than once by outside help.
She's resourceful and smart and shouldn't be making decisions that would get her killed more than once without timely intervention.
I know it was done for added plot excitement and it's only a little detail but in a police procedural details matter.

The epilogue teases us with details of another case so hopefully Tessa and the team will be back for a third crime thriller.

I was instantly hooked on the writing in the first DI Tessa Burns book, prompting me to quickly grab the sequel from NetGalley. I've developed a quick love for this series because it satisfies my craving for a good crime story. These detective thrillers are precisely what I look for - action-packed, highly engaging, dark, and filled with intense suspense. While "Only the Children" can be read on its own, I don't recommend it as you won't fully grasp the character dynamics. Knowing the team beforehand made a big difference in how much I enjoyed this sequel.

In this sequel, the story unfolds in a different part of Ireland, and I had a wonderful experience traveling to the coast. The descriptions are superbly executed, and this series unquestionably portrays authentic Irish crime. I found the ship scenes to be especially remarkable, creating a captivating atmosphere and a thrilling beginning to the story. Nevertheless, the supply of intense and dangerous moments is never-ending.

An amazing second book and I am impatiently waiting for the next one.

Many thanks to @dunphyshane1 @bookouture & @NetGalley for the chance to read it.

Three children, two brothers and a sister, are found on a boat. Everyone else on the boat is apparently dead. The children have been instructed not to speak, so it is unclear where the children were from. DI Tessa Burns must do what she can to get the children to trust her enough to let her know who they are, why they were on the boat, who their parents were, and why the murders took place.

Just as the children might be able to trust Tessa, one of them is taken. There was a mystery person on the boat and it appears that person is the one that took one of the boys. Meanwhile, Tessa and her team find themselves in danger. In fact, Maggie, a wheelchair-bound family liaison officer, and Tessa's good friend, finds herself in a very difficult situation during the investigation.

What a great book! Having met Tessa, Maggie, and the wonderful dog Pavlov in the previous book, The Little Witness, really helped to make this second book in the DI Tessa Burns series a truly fabulous read. This is the fifth book that I have read by Dunphy and I find myself intrigued and entertained with every book I read. I look forward to this series continuing, especially as these first two books had children among the protagonists, and I love just about any book that includes children.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Tessa, Maggie, Danny, and Pavlov (Maggie's dog) are back in another gripping, hard to put down, and pulse pounding addiction in the DI Tessa Burns series. Woohoo! This new series hits the spot! This series has a great team, a wonderful dog, a shocking mystery, great detective work and lots of tension! What's not to love?

When three children are found locked in a kitchen aboard a cargo ship where the crew are missing, and the captain is dead. Initially the children would not speak, Tessa didn’t know who they were or where they came from. Camera footage shows a small, framed woman on board, who is she and what was her purpose on the ship?

As the investigation progresses and more is learned, the danger mounts for all involved. Whew!

One of the strong points in this book is the characters on the team. Maggie has Cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound. Pavlov is her service dog. Maggie and Pavlov are a huge asset when it comes to dealing with traumatized children. Both are fierce yet nurturing, warm, and caring. Danny was in foster care and has some rough edges but is dedicated to his job. Tessa is strong, smart, brave and determined to solve her cases. They are all committed to helping children and finding those who have brought them harm. Each brings something special to the team.

Having three children in peril also grabbed my attention and had me feeling for them. My concern only grew as the book progressed as more was revealed. I thought S.A. Dunphy did a great job depicting the trauma the children experienced.

As I mentioned above, this was a gripping, perfectly paced, and well written book. There were a few twists and reveals along the way. Only the Children kept me on my toes and turning the pages. There is a lot going on in this book and I enjoyed doing my own super sleuthing while reading.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Well thought out, well written, gripping, tense and hard to put down!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love these books. The detective team is awesome. I love how they have Maggie in her wheelchair with her service dog! She is so tough! This book got a little slow in the middle, but picked back up. Overall, I enjoyed it.

🌊🛳A lot of threads to pull together🤔

I really like the police team around whom this series is built. Tessa, the senior member, is tough and no nonsense; DS Danny is a bit of a loose cannon at times but is working with Tessa to rein himself in; Maggie and her dog Pavlov are the emotional heart of the team and the first ones to gain the children's trust. I preferred their previous case, but this book was good too, with scary action and danger built in.

Only the Children is a complex mystery built around the arrival of three young children on a beached "ghost" cargo ship on the southeast Irish coast. DI Tessa Burns and her small Garda (Irish police) team are dedicated to helping the kids, but this case is a twisted mix of criminals, greed and politics. Threats and attacks on the team abound. It kept me confused, and the children being so tight-lipped made the reason for their transport on the vessel even harder to figure out. And the dead and missing crew members, the sabotaged ship? So many questions to be resolved and, yes, they eventually were and I never could have guessed. My idea of the good versus the bad guys kept shifting, especially with the shady Merrow character who kept popping in.

It's a good plot though maybe had a few too many threads for me to untangle. The intriguing Eric Stafford began an enigma and I am still trying to figure him out! I don't know that the romance for Tessa was needed, but it was a light enough touch that it did not take any of the focus off the investigation.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A ship has run aground with a dead captain, missing (and presumed dead) crew, and three young children on board. There are rumours that the mysterious mythological merrow is responsible, but it is up to DI Tess Burns and her team to solve the mystery of who these children are and why they were on board this particular vessel. The only issue is that the children are refusing to speak.

Only the Children is a follow up to S. A. Dunphy's previous Irish crime novel, Little Witness, and the second book is just as good as the first. Unlike many other series, I feel like this could be read as a stand alone, though you may miss some background information on the central characters. The story delves into Irish gangs, Irish folklore, child trafficking, and political corruption. The web is nicely woven, and as a reader it was just as tricky to put all the pieces together as it was for the characters. The plot moved along at a good pace, and the ending was satisfying. I really look forward to reading more of this series.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @bookouture for the advanced copy. Only The Children is set for publication on February 12, 2024.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

oh my goodness me where to start with this one... as i am fast becoming us to this authors style of writing there is so much more going on than one case...

tessa and her team are called out when a ship goes aground and on board are 3 children, and nobody seems to know why they were there... plus the childnen arent talking and also the murdered dead body of a man is found at the wheelhouse....

with no identity for the children forthcoming and more and more people getting interested in their case...things start to get murky and when one of the childnen is abducted from under their care and in a hospital bed... things are starting to get nasty very quickly

oh my word i cant even begin to process all that happened in this book. .but its safe to say this author is now on my watch list and i cant wait for the next book in this series to come out

This is the second book in this series starring Tessa, Daniel, Maggie and Pav the dog. They are police detectives and they are on the new case about three children being found on a ship. The captain is dead and they need to find out who and why these kids have ended up on the shores of Ireland.

A brilliant read that keeps getting better with each page you turn. I can’t wait to read more about Tessa and her crew.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Another stunning story in S.A.Dunphy's second of the Tessa Burns series! Impeccable plotting as well as characters who rock and roll through twists and turns with an unexpected ending. Well done!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I recently read the first DI Tessa Burns book and instantly fell in love with the writing, so I went straight back to Netgalley to get the sequel as well. I do love a good dose of Irish crime, and this series has quickly turned into a new favorite. These books are exactly my kind of detective thriller: action-packed, highly engaging and both dark and extremely suspenseful. Only The Children only reconfirmed to me that S.A. Dunphy will be appearing on my list of favorite new author discoveries of 2024, and I loved this sequel even more than the first book.

Only The Children can technically be read as a stand-alone, although I personally don't recommend it because you won't fully appreciate the dynamics between the characters otherwise. I definitely got so much more out of this sequel by already knowing the team well! This sequel is set in a different part of Ireland, and I enjoyed traveling to the coast. The descriptions are really well done, and this series is without doubt proper Irish crime indeed. Especially the scenes set on the ship stood out for me, as they were atmospheric and started the story with a bang. There is no shortage of intense and dangerous moments in Only The Children though.

Things can be said about the credibility and the plot can get a bit over the top, but I personally didn't mind at all. The entertainment factor was through the roof, and I couldn't turn those pages fast enough to see how it would all end. The plot gets quite dark with mentions of child abuse and trafficking as well as a lot of action and fighting... But I found these elements to be well balanced with the banter. There is also an introduction of a romance in Only The Children, but it didn't distract from the main plot and I liked what it added to Tessa's character.

I think that one of the reasons this series works so well has a lot to do with its main characters. Tessa, Danny and Maggie are all so easy to warm up to, and they each add a little something extra to the story. And Pavlov! How do I adore that little dog, and I love just how present he is in the plot as well. The writing itself is extremely engaging and the pace is fast, and with everything that is happening it is VERY hard to stop reading. I literally read until the early hours because I HAD to know how it would all end!

All in all, Only The Children turned out to be a very satisfying Irish crime thriller sequel, and I already can't wait to see what the author has in store for Tessa and the rest of the team. Guess who will be browsing the author's backlist in the meantime?

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Only the Children, the second novel to feature DI Tess Burns of An Garda Síochána.

When a cargo ship runs aground off the Wexford coast Tess and her team are called in due to the mysterious circumstances. All the crew members are missing except the captain who is sitting on the bridge with his throat cut and three young children are found in a locked storage room. They are saying nothing but gradually open up to team member Maggie until one of them is kidnapped again.

I thoroughly enjoyed Only the Children, which is a fast moving procedural with plenty of action and twists and a rather complicated plot. The novel is mostly told from the team’s point of view with other voices contributing as required. None of these other voices hint at what is going or who is behind it, so the reader remains immersed and hooked in a deep mystery. The reasoning behind it all is clever - unbelievable that people could behave that way, but, equally, believable when some of the rabbit holes they have burrowed into are uncovered.

The novel moves along at a fast pace with Tess and the team initially flailing in the dark, not least in trying to identify the children and work out what happened to the crew. This, however, is no simple tale of kidnapping as there are red herrings, threats, danger, more bodies, more kidnappings, politics, gangs and a lack of trust. And did I mention three scared children? I was impressed by the way the author combines so many events with an ability to keep the reader engaged and puzzling over who fits where. To be honest there is quite a cast of characters to fit in, so occasionally it got murky, but on the whole it is easy enough to follow.

I like the way Tess and her team of Danny, Maggie and Pavlov the wonder dog are shaping up. They work well together with each bringing their own strengths to the work, literally in Danny’s case. It is a team I would gladly spend more time with.

Only the Children is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Read this second in the series straight after the first book and enjoyed it immensely! This book is introduced in the closing pages of the first novel. Ideally you would read both as Tessa and her team are introduced in book one and this police procedural series is based upon the work of her child focused police investigation team. A team which is a a well balanced team of different characters with flaws and all, ‘The Burns Unit’.
When a cargo ship runs aground off the Irish coast, the police are horrified to no crew but three children abroad. Lots of twists and turns with this story with the path leading them close to home.
Great series, look forward to book 3.

This second in the “Tessa Burns” series hits it out of the ballpark. I was immediately caught up in the novel and kept reading just one more chapter. The story takes the team into decidedly dark areas of people trafficking and child abuse. It is shadowy and murky and violent, full of secrets, and races at a fast past. The supernatural is introduced in the “merrow’ who may or may not have the children’s best interests in mind. The team works well together and grow closer to their full potential. Altogether a really good read.

So great to be back in “The Burns Unit” again, with Tessa, Maggie, Danny and Pavlov. 🐶

Three children are found on a container ship with the deceased captain and the rest of the crew missing. The traumatised and terrified children won’t speak and then one is kidnapped again! I was gripped!

As the team start to dig into the case, they all find themselves in danger and it’s super tense as the twists keep coming.

DI Tessa Burns is a fantastic character who relates to others so well and I love the balance of police procedural with the development of Tessa’s personal life and past history, which is built into the plot effectively.

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

I picked this up right after Little Witness, to see where the “Burns Unit” would go next, and this second novel in the series was as enjoyable as the last. Only the Children was a quick read and I was engaged the whole time but there was A LOT going on– there were lots of tertiary characters involved and trying to remember who was who and how they were connected to the overall plot– it got a little convoluted. I enjoyed continuing to get to know Danny, Maggie and Tessa’s backstories, though I didn’t care for Tessa’s romantic side plot (to be fair, I never care for unnecessary romance in my thrillers/mysteries). If the author writes a 3rd book in this series, I would pick it up but I’m not clambering to do so.