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D.I. Lottie Parker #12
Three Widows
She kissed her daughter, turned out the light and entered her own room. Too late to run, she stood frozen as a figure stepped out from behind the door and a hand covered her mouth. Fear was a bomb in her chest ready to explode. Her children. They’d already lost their daddy; they couldn’t lose her too.
When young widow Éilis Lawlor disappears in the middle of the night, with her two little children asleep in their beds, it is a chilling case for Detective Lottie Parker. Since her husband’s tragic death, Éilis is all her children have, and when Lottie sees Éilis’s house keys and phone still lying on the kitchen counter, she is terrified for the vulnerable mother’s safety.
Then Éilis’s broken body is found by a nearby lake, wrapped in an unfamiliar yellow dress, her mouth sealed with duct tape – and Lottie’s worst fears are confirmed. Someone wanted this beautiful widow dead.
Desperate to find the person behind this brutal crime, Lottie discovers that Éilis was a member of a support group for widows. And when Jennifer, a close friend of Éilis’s from the group, is found on a rubbish heap, wrapped in a yellow dress, Lottie vows to get justice.
Lottie dives into Jennifer’s past, and learns that she had lived a reclusive life since her husband died. She hadn’t been seen at work for months and had sheltered inside her immaculate home, only emerging for meetings with the group. But when Lottie questions the other women about Jennifer’s isolation, they claim to know nothing.
Lottie is certain that the remaining widows are hiding something. Can she uncover the truth before another innocent life is lost?
When young widow Éilis Lawlor disappears in the middle of the night, with her two little children asleep in their beds, it is a chilling case for Detective Lottie Parker. Since her husband’s tragic death, Éilis is all her children have, and when Lottie sees Éilis’s house keys and phone still lying on the kitchen counter, she is terrified for the vulnerable mother’s safety.
Then Éilis’s broken body is found by a nearby lake, wrapped in an unfamiliar yellow dress, her mouth sealed with duct tape – and Lottie’s worst fears are confirmed. Someone wanted this beautiful widow dead.
Desperate to find the person behind this brutal crime, Lottie discovers that Éilis was a member of a support group for widows. And when Jennifer, a close friend of Éilis’s from the group, is found on a rubbish heap, wrapped in a yellow dress, Lottie vows to get justice.
Lottie dives into Jennifer’s past, and learns that she had lived a reclusive life since her husband died. She hadn’t been seen at work for months and had sheltered inside her immaculate home, only emerging for meetings with the group. But when Lottie questions the other women about Jennifer’s isolation, they claim to know nothing.
Lottie is certain that the remaining widows are hiding something. Can she uncover the truth before another innocent life is lost?
507 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2023
1837 people are currently reading
1097 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Gibney
31 books1,346 followersMy name is Patricia Gibney and I’m from Mullingar, County Westmeath. Right in the heart of Ireland. Surrounded by lakes, Mullingar is damp and wet most of the year but when the sun shines it is a little piece of heaven on earth. I’ve lived here all my life. I’m widowed, seven years in May, but was married to Aidan since 1982. I’ve three children who keep me sane, or maybe keep the madness at bay, just a little bit! I say that because I am an artist and a writer. I started writing, for therapy, when Aidan died.
I secured an agent in January 2016 and she is fighting my corner in an effort to get my debut novel published.
Three years ago, I decided to get serious about it. I joined The Irish Writers Centre. Started doing courses. I love reading crime thrillers so it was obvious to me to start writing in the crime genre. And let me tell you, it is not easy. A crime novel needs to be tightly plotted and plotting is the bane of my life. I prefer to write straight off the top of my head. Oh, Oh. Feels good when writing but then comes the editing. I lost 20,000 words in the process. But at least I am proud to say I got it done.
I am now writing the second novel in the series, featuring Lottie Parker and a host of credible characters. They are all part of my extended family, you know the kind – people you love one minute and want to kill the next!
So join me on this journey and lets see where it leads us.
I secured an agent in January 2016 and she is fighting my corner in an effort to get my debut novel published.
Three years ago, I decided to get serious about it. I joined The Irish Writers Centre. Started doing courses. I love reading crime thrillers so it was obvious to me to start writing in the crime genre. And let me tell you, it is not easy. A crime novel needs to be tightly plotted and plotting is the bane of my life. I prefer to write straight off the top of my head. Oh, Oh. Feels good when writing but then comes the editing. I lost 20,000 words in the process. But at least I am proud to say I got it done.
I am now writing the second novel in the series, featuring Lottie Parker and a host of credible characters. They are all part of my extended family, you know the kind – people you love one minute and want to kill the next!
So join me on this journey and lets see where it leads us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
January 9, 2023
Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, and Bookoutune, and the brilliant author Patricia gibney for an early copy of her book.
A fantastic series, still to read a few books in this series, This is one of my favourite authors. DI Lottie Parker home life is hectic her mother suffering from Dementia and shes on another case a woman has been murdered, who is she? Not long after another woman murdered with two young children left behind..Theres only one connection the group for widows. Will Lottie find the killer in time..her colleague Boyd ex wife is on the scene trying to get her son back...Highly recommend this series looking forward to reading more of her books....
A fantastic series, still to read a few books in this series, This is one of my favourite authors. DI Lottie Parker home life is hectic her mother suffering from Dementia and shes on another case a woman has been murdered, who is she? Not long after another woman murdered with two young children left behind..Theres only one connection the group for widows. Will Lottie find the killer in time..her colleague Boyd ex wife is on the scene trying to get her son back...Highly recommend this series looking forward to reading more of her books....
February 10, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an egalley in exchange for an honest review
3.5 stars
Since 2017, the DI Lottie Parker series has held me in its grips. The Irish Inspector, widow, mother of 3, grandmother of 1, and lover of her police partner, Mark Boyd has definitely kept me riveted for 6 wonderful years. Each case could be treated as a standalone but if you really want to understand Lottie and all her ticks, you might want to peruse the series.
In this latest installment, Lottie and her team have to solve a series of baffling cases that surround the disappearance and murder of a group of women. Women, who belong to a grief support group. On top of that, Lottie's growing more concerned with her aging mother's health. While Mark Boyd grows closer to his young son and deals with the return of his ex-wife, Jackie.
The murders in this story are quite brutal and I was as shaken by the violence as much as the characters. Patricia Gibney manages to give readers quite a range of suspects and that kept me turning the pages.
Until....
The suspect was revealed and the motive was unveiled and I was like "Ummm...but...yeah...okay, I am speechless."
Don't get me wrong, I have considered my possible review for quite a few hours and tip my hat to Patricia Gibney. Because I don't think of a long list of motives, I would have grabbed onto the one she gives us. Heck , even Lottie Parker was disappointed!
*Those who've read the book get where I am coming from and those who plan to read book 12 are hopefully intrigued.* I also still have plenty of questions.
Other thoughts as a long-time fan:
1) Lottie needs to put her big girl panties on and forgive Lynch.
2) The macho man competition between Kirby and McKweon- entertaining shit
3) The Rose storyline is going to make cry hard.
4) In a review of one of the previous books in this series, I once declared Mark Boyd as my fictional boyfriend. Fellow fans, I have to straight up say it, I am sorry but he's fizzling for me. It's getting lame. I either want Patricia Gibney to make Jackie one of her next victims. Or she's going to have to pull a Shonda Rhimes and Mark is going to have to write Lottie a letter and go raise Sergio with Jackie. Honestly, I can't take it anymore!
Not sure if giving an author of crime fiction an ultimatum is a good idea but "nothing ventured nothing gained, right? "
Overall, a page-turner but not one of my faves.
#ThreeWidowsDetectiveLottieParkerBook12 #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 10/02/23
Goodreads Review Pub. 23/01/23
3.5 stars
Since 2017, the DI Lottie Parker series has held me in its grips. The Irish Inspector, widow, mother of 3, grandmother of 1, and lover of her police partner, Mark Boyd has definitely kept me riveted for 6 wonderful years. Each case could be treated as a standalone but if you really want to understand Lottie and all her ticks, you might want to peruse the series.
In this latest installment, Lottie and her team have to solve a series of baffling cases that surround the disappearance and murder of a group of women. Women, who belong to a grief support group. On top of that, Lottie's growing more concerned with her aging mother's health. While Mark Boyd grows closer to his young son and deals with the return of his ex-wife, Jackie.
The murders in this story are quite brutal and I was as shaken by the violence as much as the characters. Patricia Gibney manages to give readers quite a range of suspects and that kept me turning the pages.
Until....
The suspect was revealed and the motive was unveiled and I was like "Ummm...but...yeah...okay, I am speechless."
Don't get me wrong, I have considered my possible review for quite a few hours and tip my hat to Patricia Gibney. Because I don't think of a long list of motives, I would have grabbed onto the one she gives us. Heck , even Lottie Parker was disappointed!
*Those who've read the book get where I am coming from and those who plan to read book 12 are hopefully intrigued.* I also still have plenty of questions.
Other thoughts as a long-time fan:
1) Lottie needs to put her big girl panties on and forgive Lynch.
2) The macho man competition between Kirby and McKweon- entertaining shit
3) The Rose storyline is going to make cry hard.
4) In a review of one of the previous books in this series, I once declared Mark Boyd as my fictional boyfriend. Fellow fans, I have to straight up say it, I am sorry but he's fizzling for me. It's getting lame. I either want Patricia Gibney to make Jackie one of her next victims. Or she's going to have to pull a Shonda Rhimes and Mark is going to have to write Lottie a letter and go raise Sergio with Jackie. Honestly, I can't take it anymore!
Not sure if giving an author of crime fiction an ultimatum is a good idea but "nothing ventured nothing gained, right? "
Overall, a page-turner but not one of my faves.
#ThreeWidowsDetectiveLottieParkerBook12 #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 10/02/23
Goodreads Review Pub. 23/01/23
August 27, 2023
Patricia Gibney's series featuring Ragmullin, Eire (Ireland) Detective Inspector Lottie Parker is one of my favourite current police procedural series. While Three Widows was a good read, I have to admit I was left a little underwhelmed by the resolution of the mystery.
A short prologue depicts someone disposing of a body, an "evil person who hurt good people, making me complicit in the crimes.", which foreshadows events a year later that form the major part of the narrative. Ragmullin women Éilis Lawlor, Jennifer O'Loughlin, Helena McCaul and Orla Keating meet regularly as a support group for widows and other women who have suffered a form of loss. But Jennifer hasn't turned up to a meeting for a while, and has been out of contact for a month. When a body is discovered on a deserted carnival ground, clad in an oversized yellow dress, readers anticipate the worst...
Meanwhile, group member Orla's husband Tyler has been missing for a year, neither he nor his car having been seen since he left home early one morning for an accounting conference. The reader is privy to the fact that Tyler was an unpleasant character, exerting coercive control over Orla in their relationship. It becomes clear that there are undercurrents in the "Life After Loss" group, a secret that has to be maintained and a fear of too many questions being asked in the wake of Jennifer's murder. Then Éilis too becomes a victim, leaving her two young children orphaned. Who is behind the attacks and what has motivated the targeting of these women?
The first three-quarters of this book met my expectations as a series reader, a good character-based plot with an intriguing backstory and plenty of added drama arising out of the dynamics within D.I. Lottie Parker's team. But the last part of the book, in which the killer and motive are revealed, seemed to veer off into quite bizarre territory that had me scratching my head and wondering if I'd missed something. Without wishing to include spoilers, I found the purported motive for the crime ill-matched to the rather theatrical modus operandi of the killer and inconsistent with the well-developed characterisations of the earlier part of the narrative.
Patricia Gibney creates an immersive setting in central Eire (Ireland), and a compelling cast of returning characters surrounding series lead D.I. Lottie Parker, including her partner D.S. Mark Boyd, the members of her investigative team and her multi-generational family unit. Both Parker and Boyd are dealing with increased personal pressure in this outing, as Parker's mother Rose is exhibiting signs of dementia and Boyd's ex-wife reappears, threatening his new relationship with his eight-year-old son Sergio. Personal tensions remain high between the detectives in Parker's team, frequently involving the uniformed gardai officers who assist them. Detective Larry Kirby plays a more central role in this instalment, as he becomes involved with an attractive local woman who has links to the "Life after Loss" group at the centre of the investigation.
I'd recommend Three Widows to lovers of the series and any reader who enjoys tightly-plotted character-driven police procedurals. D.I. Lottie Parker is an engaging protagonist and there is important series character development contained in Three Widows.
My thanks to the author, Patricia Gibney, publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
A short prologue depicts someone disposing of a body, an "evil person who hurt good people, making me complicit in the crimes.", which foreshadows events a year later that form the major part of the narrative. Ragmullin women Éilis Lawlor, Jennifer O'Loughlin, Helena McCaul and Orla Keating meet regularly as a support group for widows and other women who have suffered a form of loss. But Jennifer hasn't turned up to a meeting for a while, and has been out of contact for a month. When a body is discovered on a deserted carnival ground, clad in an oversized yellow dress, readers anticipate the worst...
Meanwhile, group member Orla's husband Tyler has been missing for a year, neither he nor his car having been seen since he left home early one morning for an accounting conference. The reader is privy to the fact that Tyler was an unpleasant character, exerting coercive control over Orla in their relationship. It becomes clear that there are undercurrents in the "Life After Loss" group, a secret that has to be maintained and a fear of too many questions being asked in the wake of Jennifer's murder. Then Éilis too becomes a victim, leaving her two young children orphaned. Who is behind the attacks and what has motivated the targeting of these women?
The first three-quarters of this book met my expectations as a series reader, a good character-based plot with an intriguing backstory and plenty of added drama arising out of the dynamics within D.I. Lottie Parker's team. But the last part of the book, in which the killer and motive are revealed, seemed to veer off into quite bizarre territory that had me scratching my head and wondering if I'd missed something. Without wishing to include spoilers, I found the purported motive for the crime ill-matched to the rather theatrical modus operandi of the killer and inconsistent with the well-developed characterisations of the earlier part of the narrative.
Patricia Gibney creates an immersive setting in central Eire (Ireland), and a compelling cast of returning characters surrounding series lead D.I. Lottie Parker, including her partner D.S. Mark Boyd, the members of her investigative team and her multi-generational family unit. Both Parker and Boyd are dealing with increased personal pressure in this outing, as Parker's mother Rose is exhibiting signs of dementia and Boyd's ex-wife reappears, threatening his new relationship with his eight-year-old son Sergio. Personal tensions remain high between the detectives in Parker's team, frequently involving the uniformed gardai officers who assist them. Detective Larry Kirby plays a more central role in this instalment, as he becomes involved with an attractive local woman who has links to the "Life after Loss" group at the centre of the investigation.
I'd recommend Three Widows to lovers of the series and any reader who enjoys tightly-plotted character-driven police procedurals. D.I. Lottie Parker is an engaging protagonist and there is important series character development contained in Three Widows.
My thanks to the author, Patricia Gibney, publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
December 29, 2022
Three widows by Patricia Gibney is the 12th Book in the Lottie Parker series and another fab read.
Lottie is trying to cope with her job and her relationship with her mother which was always difficult. But now her mother is showing signs of dementia. Boyd is also having problems of his own in the shape of his ex-wife. She dumped their son who at first Boyd didn’t know existed but not he has fallen in love with his son Sergio. But his wife is back and threatening to take him back.
The investigation starts when a brutally murdered women is found with her eyes cut out in a yellow dress too big for her. The killer has washed any DNA so they cannot be found. When a second body turns up of a woman which has left two young children orphans Lottie and the team is dealing a race against time to find the killer before they strike again and the only clue, they have they are all members of a women’s group.
Thank you Bookoutre for another stellar episode in the series. Three Widows is another gripping, grisly, unpredictable thriller that kept me hooked throughout. The personal live element of the team made the story more realistic it shows that Police are just like you and me. 5 stars from me.
Lottie is trying to cope with her job and her relationship with her mother which was always difficult. But now her mother is showing signs of dementia. Boyd is also having problems of his own in the shape of his ex-wife. She dumped their son who at first Boyd didn’t know existed but not he has fallen in love with his son Sergio. But his wife is back and threatening to take him back.
The investigation starts when a brutally murdered women is found with her eyes cut out in a yellow dress too big for her. The killer has washed any DNA so they cannot be found. When a second body turns up of a woman which has left two young children orphans Lottie and the team is dealing a race against time to find the killer before they strike again and the only clue, they have they are all members of a women’s group.
Thank you Bookoutre for another stellar episode in the series. Three Widows is another gripping, grisly, unpredictable thriller that kept me hooked throughout. The personal live element of the team made the story more realistic it shows that Police are just like you and me. 5 stars from me.
February 14, 2023
It’s been exactly six years since I read my first D. I. Lottie Parker book. We’ve had our ups and downs but we survived them, and six years later we’re now in her 12th case. I flew through it but I have to confess that there were so many moving parts in this mystery that my brain hurt a little bit 😅.
Éilis Lawlor is a young woman that, after a night out with her support group for widows, disappears leaving no trace behind. When a couple days later her body is found with injuries similar to those of another woman who was a member of the same group, Lottie and her team will immerse themselves in a complex case in which everyone is keeping secrets. Will they uncover them before there’s another body?
If you’re familiar with Patricia Gibney’s work, you already know what to expect from this latest installment in the series. She’s a master at delivering gripping police procedurals with plots so convoluted you can’t even begin to imagine how she’s gonna be able to fit all the puzzle pieces together. But she does it time and time again, and Three Widows was not the exception.
As I said at the beginning, there was a moment when I thought I’d have to do a diagram to keep straight all the character and their multiples ties to each other. Once again I take my hat off to the author for being able to create such a complicated story while keeping the reader on tenterhooks right until the end.
I was a bit let down this time about the villain and their motive. I don’t think all the hints we were given throughout the story about the big secret and the expectations they created, were met when it all was revealed. To me, it all felt too out of proportion.
Lottie has grown a lot since we first met her. She’s had her moments, going from belligerent and controlling to respectful of her team. I think now she’s back in the middle. It’s already time for her to let go of certain things. It’s so off putting how she talks to some members of her team, asking them for complete focus on the case when she’s the first one who has left everything hanging when it was her family on the line. Someone should tell her that she can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! In her defense I’ll say she has a lot of open fronts.
I devoured this in 24 hours, so get ready to get completely hooked on yet another fantastic investigation by one of the queens of the police procedurals.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Éilis Lawlor is a young woman that, after a night out with her support group for widows, disappears leaving no trace behind. When a couple days later her body is found with injuries similar to those of another woman who was a member of the same group, Lottie and her team will immerse themselves in a complex case in which everyone is keeping secrets. Will they uncover them before there’s another body?
If you’re familiar with Patricia Gibney’s work, you already know what to expect from this latest installment in the series. She’s a master at delivering gripping police procedurals with plots so convoluted you can’t even begin to imagine how she’s gonna be able to fit all the puzzle pieces together. But she does it time and time again, and Three Widows was not the exception.
As I said at the beginning, there was a moment when I thought I’d have to do a diagram to keep straight all the character and their multiples ties to each other. Once again I take my hat off to the author for being able to create such a complicated story while keeping the reader on tenterhooks right until the end.
I was a bit let down this time about the villain and their motive. I don’t think all the hints we were given throughout the story about the big secret and the expectations they created, were met when it all was revealed. To me, it all felt too out of proportion.
Lottie has grown a lot since we first met her. She’s had her moments, going from belligerent and controlling to respectful of her team. I think now she’s back in the middle. It’s already time for her to let go of certain things. It’s so off putting how she talks to some members of her team, asking them for complete focus on the case when she’s the first one who has left everything hanging when it was her family on the line. Someone should tell her that she can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! In her defense I’ll say she has a lot of open fronts.
I devoured this in 24 hours, so get ready to get completely hooked on yet another fantastic investigation by one of the queens of the police procedurals.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2023
The 12th in the Lottie Parker series and unfortunately one of the weaker ones.
Someone is gruesomely murdering members of a local widows support group and Lottie and her team are at a loss to what the motive might be, never mind who may be behind it.
The team are also at loggerheads with each other, be it from personal stuff or personality clashes. There is a lot of bitching and back biting in this book.
Look I love this series and it has been very strong overall but this one didnt do it for me at all. The story is overly complicated and the book overly long. When the team arent fighting they seem to be constantly at a loss as to what is going on. The story gets so complicated that they every so often do a bullet point presentation of where they are with the investigation and I cant help thinking that was as much for the reader as it was for the story.
The ending I have to admit I found a bit daft and the whole book just didnt have the soul of the other ones.
I think perhaps the author out thought herself here with a story that has too many arcs, too many characters, too many improbabilities and too many words.
Heres hoping book 13 is back on form.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
Someone is gruesomely murdering members of a local widows support group and Lottie and her team are at a loss to what the motive might be, never mind who may be behind it.
The team are also at loggerheads with each other, be it from personal stuff or personality clashes. There is a lot of bitching and back biting in this book.
Look I love this series and it has been very strong overall but this one didnt do it for me at all. The story is overly complicated and the book overly long. When the team arent fighting they seem to be constantly at a loss as to what is going on. The story gets so complicated that they every so often do a bullet point presentation of where they are with the investigation and I cant help thinking that was as much for the reader as it was for the story.
The ending I have to admit I found a bit daft and the whole book just didnt have the soul of the other ones.
I think perhaps the author out thought herself here with a story that has too many arcs, too many characters, too many improbabilities and too many words.
Heres hoping book 13 is back on form.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
December 24, 2022
The day-to-day life of Detective Lottie Parker in Ragmullin, Ireland, is such an unholy mess that it almost makes my head hurt, but over several books (this one makes an even dozen) I've come to love reading all about it. And this one fits the pattern perfectly. Not only must she oversee an investigation of several sadistic murders, she and her police partner and significant other, Detective Mark Boyd, must deal with the sudden and suspicious return of his ex-wife, infighting and over-the-top infatuation within the department ranks and her mother's ever-worsening dementia.
All three situations get substantial page time, but it is, of course, the murder investigation that takes center stage. It begins with the discovery of a woman's body - one that's been severely beaten (ante-mortem) and had the eyes surgically removed (thankfully after the fact).
The victim had lost her husband recently, and she'd hooked up with a relatively new widows' support group dubbed Life After Loss. Lottie's team is still working on that investigation - and Boyd is still agonizing over his ex-wife's motives for return to Ireland and Detective Kirby is still trying to make sense of his new relationship - when another woman from the widows' group goes missing. And so the cycle goes until the end, when the case is (mostly) resolved. All told, it's another engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.
All three situations get substantial page time, but it is, of course, the murder investigation that takes center stage. It begins with the discovery of a woman's body - one that's been severely beaten (ante-mortem) and had the eyes surgically removed (thankfully after the fact).
The victim had lost her husband recently, and she'd hooked up with a relatively new widows' support group dubbed Life After Loss. Lottie's team is still working on that investigation - and Boyd is still agonizing over his ex-wife's motives for return to Ireland and Detective Kirby is still trying to make sense of his new relationship - when another woman from the widows' group goes missing. And so the cycle goes until the end, when the case is (mostly) resolved. All told, it's another engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.
January 23, 2023
Detective Lottie Parker book 12
When a young woman's body is found badly beaten and dumped on waste ground Lottie and the team have their work cut out trying to identify her and why anyone would do such a barbaric act.
Then another woman is reported missing.
I am usually a huge fan of this series but for some reason this book just didn't grab me. There was a lot of characters introduced and none of them were particularly likable. I read the book more to get it finished rather than having to know who and why.
Hopefully this is a glitch and the next book will be back to its gripping best. Other people have loved it so obviously it's just not grabbed me this time.
When a young woman's body is found badly beaten and dumped on waste ground Lottie and the team have their work cut out trying to identify her and why anyone would do such a barbaric act.
Then another woman is reported missing.
I am usually a huge fan of this series but for some reason this book just didn't grab me. There was a lot of characters introduced and none of them were particularly likable. I read the book more to get it finished rather than having to know who and why.
Hopefully this is a glitch and the next book will be back to its gripping best. Other people have loved it so obviously it's just not grabbed me this time.
July 6, 2024
Lottie Parker vuelve con una historia que te tendrá pegada a sus páginas.
"Las tres viudas" es la duodécima entrega de esta saga policial. Está más centrada en el caso en sí que en la vida de los protagonistas, así que se puede leer casi como una novela autoconclusiva. La trama tiene una pizca de novedad, un entramado complejo de pistas, posibles sospechosos y muchos diálogos, algo que disfruto en este tipo de novelas. Menos es más.
La autora tiene un estilo actual, muy centrado en el crimen a resolver. No se anda con evasivas ni vueltas a cosas sin relevancia. Todo lo que sucede está enfocado en resolver el crimen.
Lottie Parker es una inspectora bastante peculiar pero a la vez muy de calle. Por eso es fácil empatizar con este personaje. En su trabajo es perspicaz, resolutiva e implacable. En su vida personal, es madre, hija y abuela. Hay más personajes que forman el equipo policial de Parker, y en cada libro siempre conocemos algo más de alguno de ellos.
Una lectura fresca, amena y muy disfrutable para los fans del thriller policial, como yo.
"Las tres viudas" es la duodécima entrega de esta saga policial. Está más centrada en el caso en sí que en la vida de los protagonistas, así que se puede leer casi como una novela autoconclusiva. La trama tiene una pizca de novedad, un entramado complejo de pistas, posibles sospechosos y muchos diálogos, algo que disfruto en este tipo de novelas. Menos es más.
La autora tiene un estilo actual, muy centrado en el crimen a resolver. No se anda con evasivas ni vueltas a cosas sin relevancia. Todo lo que sucede está enfocado en resolver el crimen.
Lottie Parker es una inspectora bastante peculiar pero a la vez muy de calle. Por eso es fácil empatizar con este personaje. En su trabajo es perspicaz, resolutiva e implacable. En su vida personal, es madre, hija y abuela. Hay más personajes que forman el equipo policial de Parker, y en cada libro siempre conocemos algo más de alguno de ellos.
Una lectura fresca, amena y muy disfrutable para los fans del thriller policial, como yo.
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February 8, 2023Lottie and Boyd are back with one hell of a shocking case in Patricia Gibney"s Three Widows. The victims' deaths are brutal, but boy, does it make for a nail-biting read. It's possibly one of the darkest storylines yet in the series. A grippingly twisted read!
February 13, 2023
As this twelfth book in the fabulous D. I. Lottie Parker begins, a young mother Éilis Lawlor is returning home after a meet up with a small group of women. She sensed something wasn’t quite right, especially when she wasn’t greeted by her little dog. She had already dispatched her babysitter, but she suddenly panicks about her two children. She rushes to their rooms and they were sleeping just fine. So, she heads to her own room. Éilis was right. Something was very, very wrong. She is kidnapped. Taken from her two lovely children.
Detective Lottie Parker barely has time to look for the missing mother, as the body of another woman has turned up, with very distinct evidence of brutality, and then there are very little clues as to discovering her identity. As Lottie soon learns that Éilis has gone missing, she wonders if there is a connection between both women. She indeed discovers the connection, that small group of women where they are all widows.
Lottie’s detectives are distracted with this latest case. She is involved with Boyd, but the two barely have time to grow their relationship due to other issues. For Boyd, he is having problems with his ex-wife. She is coming to Ireland. Recently united with his eight-year-old son Sergio, Boyd worries if he will lose his dear son. Lottie has her own issues on a personal level. Her mother Rose has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is currently staying with Lottie and her family. Then there is Kirby, known to have too many drinks, and now he is enamored with a woman named Amy, a woman he awoke and found in his bed.
Despite everything going on with the detectives, this case needs their fullest attention. Then there is friction in their workplace as well. Can Lottie pull all of them together, including herself with her own woes, and find the vicious killer of these women?
What a thrilling story! Compelling and intense, whether while trying to seek out the killer, or whether the detectives navigating their personal lives. This series keeps getting better and better. I love Lottie, especially when it comes to her determination to solve her cases, all while balancing both her team and her personal life.
While I was able to guess the murderer well past the halfway mark in this chilling read, there were enough twists and turns with a few cleverly placed red herrings to place me in doubt as well as to keep me both guessing and fully invested. I eagerly await book thirteen in this stellar series.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/DxqemfcQJmU
Detective Lottie Parker barely has time to look for the missing mother, as the body of another woman has turned up, with very distinct evidence of brutality, and then there are very little clues as to discovering her identity. As Lottie soon learns that Éilis has gone missing, she wonders if there is a connection between both women. She indeed discovers the connection, that small group of women where they are all widows.
Lottie’s detectives are distracted with this latest case. She is involved with Boyd, but the two barely have time to grow their relationship due to other issues. For Boyd, he is having problems with his ex-wife. She is coming to Ireland. Recently united with his eight-year-old son Sergio, Boyd worries if he will lose his dear son. Lottie has her own issues on a personal level. Her mother Rose has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is currently staying with Lottie and her family. Then there is Kirby, known to have too many drinks, and now he is enamored with a woman named Amy, a woman he awoke and found in his bed.
Despite everything going on with the detectives, this case needs their fullest attention. Then there is friction in their workplace as well. Can Lottie pull all of them together, including herself with her own woes, and find the vicious killer of these women?
What a thrilling story! Compelling and intense, whether while trying to seek out the killer, or whether the detectives navigating their personal lives. This series keeps getting better and better. I love Lottie, especially when it comes to her determination to solve her cases, all while balancing both her team and her personal life.
While I was able to guess the murderer well past the halfway mark in this chilling read, there were enough twists and turns with a few cleverly placed red herrings to place me in doubt as well as to keep me both guessing and fully invested. I eagerly await book thirteen in this stellar series.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/DxqemfcQJmU
February 11, 2023
This is the eighth book in the series I have read (somehow missing books 2 to 5) and I have enjoyed watching Lottie's character grow and that of her children. However, they featured very little in this one as opposed to some previous ones. But as with the theme in all the books, Lottie's life is not an easy one. She now lives in the large house she inherited but it is in much need of repair and renovation but as Lottie spends so little time there, she hardly has had time to organise it.
This time round she is doing battle with her mother Rose who has developed dementia and is becoming even more unreasonable than normal, making Lottie's life a lot harder. Added to that is the sudden appearance of her significant other's eight year old son Sergio, who Boyd had only just found out about recently, his ex-wife having kept his son a secret until it suited her.
But Lottie has little time to ponder these troubles as a woman's body has been found on an industrial estate's wasteland, her battered body broken and her eyes gouged out. The victim was also wearing a yellow dress two sizes too big for her and her body has been washed of any DNA or forensic trace. It is soon discovered she was a member of a widow's support group called Life After Loss. And then another woman is discovered missing after her two young children raise the alarm to their babysitter that they can't find their mother. When a second body turns up, the team brace themselves for those little children becoming orphans.
Then another goes missing, along with two others and before long the bodycount is rising and the suspect pool is dwindling. Surely they can't all be killed off or they would have no one left. But the further the team dig, it appears everything comes back to missing businessman Tyler Keating who disappeared a year ago.
What do the widows and the missing businessman have in common? More to the point, what do their deaths have to do with his disappearance? Are they linked in some way? In one of their baffling and most disturbing cases yet, Lottie, Boyd and the team have their work cut out for them in their race against time before any more women are killed.
And then on top of Lottie's home life and the growing crime rate of Ragmullin, Boyd must now also contend with the reappearance of his ex-wife Jackie who has a proposition to put to him if he wants to keep his son. Honestly, I questioned as to why this was even included. Jackie is a nasty piece of work. She is so self-absorbed she can't possibly care more for her son than she does for herself and her inclusion in this story was so minimal it may not have even been there. All it served to do was put Boyd in a constant bad mood for the entire book. My one wish is that Gibney would just kill Jackie off in the next book PLEASE!!! There is enough angst going on we don't need anymore of what Jackie has to offer.
And speaking of another bone of contention...Lottie and Boyd. Can they just get married already? I mean Lottie even made it to her wedding day (and maybe even the church) but from memory Boyd didn't? And of course something had to throw it all to crap and stop them from finally marrying after half a dozen books of them will they/won't they. After twelve books, fans are getting bored and antsy of this crap and just want them to get it together at long last. I mean, are they even still engaged?
And then there is the motive for the actual murders that were the focus of this book. I mean, what was that? By the end, there were like only four people left that it could possibly be so the suspect pool was very small indeed. But when it was revealed I was like...really? Yeah...ok. I guess the motive kind of makes a weird kind of sense but it was just a tad delusional and kind of a let down by the end of the book. After 507 pages, I expected something a little more exciting that made a lot more sense.
However, don't get me wrong. I love this series and for the most part this was going to be a five star review. Until the end. And the senseless inclusion of Jackie.
Overall, THREE WIDOWS is one of the darkest stories of the series that is compelling and a real pageturner. But not one of my favourites. Gibney can do better. And I look forward to seeing where she takes us next.
I would like to thank #PatriciaGibney, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ThreeWidows in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
This time round she is doing battle with her mother Rose who has developed dementia and is becoming even more unreasonable than normal, making Lottie's life a lot harder. Added to that is the sudden appearance of her significant other's eight year old son Sergio, who Boyd had only just found out about recently, his ex-wife having kept his son a secret until it suited her.
But Lottie has little time to ponder these troubles as a woman's body has been found on an industrial estate's wasteland, her battered body broken and her eyes gouged out. The victim was also wearing a yellow dress two sizes too big for her and her body has been washed of any DNA or forensic trace. It is soon discovered she was a member of a widow's support group called Life After Loss. And then another woman is discovered missing after her two young children raise the alarm to their babysitter that they can't find their mother. When a second body turns up, the team brace themselves for those little children becoming orphans.
Then another goes missing, along with two others and before long the bodycount is rising and the suspect pool is dwindling. Surely they can't all be killed off or they would have no one left. But the further the team dig, it appears everything comes back to missing businessman Tyler Keating who disappeared a year ago.
What do the widows and the missing businessman have in common? More to the point, what do their deaths have to do with his disappearance? Are they linked in some way? In one of their baffling and most disturbing cases yet, Lottie, Boyd and the team have their work cut out for them in their race against time before any more women are killed.
And then on top of Lottie's home life and the growing crime rate of Ragmullin, Boyd must now also contend with the reappearance of his ex-wife Jackie who has a proposition to put to him if he wants to keep his son. Honestly, I questioned as to why this was even included. Jackie is a nasty piece of work. She is so self-absorbed she can't possibly care more for her son than she does for herself and her inclusion in this story was so minimal it may not have even been there. All it served to do was put Boyd in a constant bad mood for the entire book. My one wish is that Gibney would just kill Jackie off in the next book PLEASE!!! There is enough angst going on we don't need anymore of what Jackie has to offer.
And speaking of another bone of contention...Lottie and Boyd. Can they just get married already? I mean Lottie even made it to her wedding day (and maybe even the church) but from memory Boyd didn't? And of course something had to throw it all to crap and stop them from finally marrying after half a dozen books of them will they/won't they. After twelve books, fans are getting bored and antsy of this crap and just want them to get it together at long last. I mean, are they even still engaged?
And then there is the motive for the actual murders that were the focus of this book. I mean, what was that? By the end, there were like only four people left that it could possibly be so the suspect pool was very small indeed. But when it was revealed I was like...really? Yeah...ok. I guess the motive kind of makes a weird kind of sense but it was just a tad delusional and kind of a let down by the end of the book. After 507 pages, I expected something a little more exciting that made a lot more sense.
However, don't get me wrong. I love this series and for the most part this was going to be a five star review. Until the end. And the senseless inclusion of Jackie.
Overall, THREE WIDOWS is one of the darkest stories of the series that is compelling and a real pageturner. But not one of my favourites. Gibney can do better. And I look forward to seeing where she takes us next.
I would like to thank #PatriciaGibney, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ThreeWidows in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
February 11, 2023
Intense, chilling and utterly gripping, the plotline in Three Widows is a busy one. The super-talented Patricia Gibney handles everything with her usual expertise making this novel extremely difficult to leave even for five minutes. Will Three Widows keep you guessing as it did me? Very highly recommended, I still really need to catch up on the instalments I've missed.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
December 30, 2022
Absolutely brilliant, from plot to characters and everything inbetween. There is a serial killer slowly picking off victims and leaving them with significant similarities to the injuries and method of death to the clothing they have been posed in. The relationship between the victims slowly emerges but is tentative and doesn’t really help with who the perpetrator may be. The main linking thread is that the first victims all seem to have lost their husbands, hence the title.
I loved the pace of the story and the fact that I had no idea who did it right to the end and that there were several very plausible red herrings along the line.
The sensitivity of how the main police characters were built up and their families went the extra mile for me and I loved the stories within the main story. The dementia thread was particularly poignant for me and incredibly well written with a great deal of insight and love.
I would definitely and totally recommend this. Can’t wait for the next one.
I loved the pace of the story and the fact that I had no idea who did it right to the end and that there were several very plausible red herrings along the line.
The sensitivity of how the main police characters were built up and their families went the extra mile for me and I loved the stories within the main story. The dementia thread was particularly poignant for me and incredibly well written with a great deal of insight and love.
I would definitely and totally recommend this. Can’t wait for the next one.
February 16, 2023
I really enjoyed this audiobook, which is the 12th book in the Lottie Parker police procedural series, set in Ireland.
Detective Lottie is great as always, and in this story she heads an investigation into a set of women who have been murdered. The crime story, as well as the personal story of Lottie and her family, kept me engrossed throughout, and I was eager to keep listening, to find out who the murderer was and to see how Lottie's story developed.
The audiobook narrator had a lovely voice and accent, which suited the story perfectly. I loved her Irish accent. The audiobook was quite long, but I enjoyed listening to it over three days, as it was too long for me to listen to in one day.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves crime/police books which are a bit gruesome and are full of suspense, drama, personal revelations, team work, gory details and great writing!
Many thanks to Bookouture for sending me a copy of this book.
Detective Lottie is great as always, and in this story she heads an investigation into a set of women who have been murdered. The crime story, as well as the personal story of Lottie and her family, kept me engrossed throughout, and I was eager to keep listening, to find out who the murderer was and to see how Lottie's story developed.
The audiobook narrator had a lovely voice and accent, which suited the story perfectly. I loved her Irish accent. The audiobook was quite long, but I enjoyed listening to it over three days, as it was too long for me to listen to in one day.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves crime/police books which are a bit gruesome and are full of suspense, drama, personal revelations, team work, gory details and great writing!
Many thanks to Bookouture for sending me a copy of this book.
December 21, 2022
Firstly Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review.
I am an avid reader of the Lottie Parker series and having read them all I was very eager to get my hands on this one and I just love Lottie Parker. Yes she’s a bit of a mess and her falling apart personal life has more drama than her police work, but that’s why she’s so intriguing and after 12 books I feel like I know her pretty well.
Im glad that the last few books have focused more on the crimes and not as much about Lottie and Boyd’s relationship or lack of one, as I did feel that they were becoming too much of a focus and the constant back and forth with them two was really annoying me. They seem to have almost went back to the beginning now, except they both love each other & are not afraid to say it. Will they ever sort themselves out? Lottie seems more together than Boyd at the moment which makes a change!
There’s always plenty of drama with Inspector Lottie Parker and her police team, while they try and solve a million things at once and try not get anyone on the team killed in the process. With some new additions to the team and some like McKeown, if only he’d go back to Athlone. The drama between him and Kirby is amusing though I feel sorry for Kirby as he’s never had much luck since his last girlfriend was killed and he’s been slowly falling apart.
The crime itself was intriguing and intense in that you never knew who was going to end up dead next, I really hoped it would unexpectedly be Jackie at some point! Get rid of her in one go instead of having to put up with all her drama. There where many characters and to be honest not many where that likeable, they were all a bit self centred and had a few screws loose. In that case the killer could have been anyone of them, for this really was a seriously sick and twisted individual.
Overall I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend this series.
I am an avid reader of the Lottie Parker series and having read them all I was very eager to get my hands on this one and I just love Lottie Parker. Yes she’s a bit of a mess and her falling apart personal life has more drama than her police work, but that’s why she’s so intriguing and after 12 books I feel like I know her pretty well.
Im glad that the last few books have focused more on the crimes and not as much about Lottie and Boyd’s relationship or lack of one, as I did feel that they were becoming too much of a focus and the constant back and forth with them two was really annoying me. They seem to have almost went back to the beginning now, except they both love each other & are not afraid to say it. Will they ever sort themselves out? Lottie seems more together than Boyd at the moment which makes a change!
There’s always plenty of drama with Inspector Lottie Parker and her police team, while they try and solve a million things at once and try not get anyone on the team killed in the process. With some new additions to the team and some like McKeown, if only he’d go back to Athlone. The drama between him and Kirby is amusing though I feel sorry for Kirby as he’s never had much luck since his last girlfriend was killed and he’s been slowly falling apart.
The crime itself was intriguing and intense in that you never knew who was going to end up dead next, I really hoped it would unexpectedly be Jackie at some point! Get rid of her in one go instead of having to put up with all her drama. There where many characters and to be honest not many where that likeable, they were all a bit self centred and had a few screws loose. In that case the killer could have been anyone of them, for this really was a seriously sick and twisted individual.
Overall I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend this series.
February 22, 2023
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Three Widows' by Patricia Gibney.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Patricia Gibney, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 10th February 2023.
This is the third book I have read by this author. It is also the twelfth 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 book 11 'Guilty Girl' and would highly recommend them.
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' and 'Guilty Girl' it is guaranteed to be an absolute page turner!! The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely gripping and totally addictive thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine and Karin Slaughter will devour Three Widows in one sitting! .' 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, 103 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy 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.
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 twelfth 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 another explosive addition to this fantastic series where Patricia completely emerges the reader into the storyline. I have only read this book and the previous two books but cannot wait to get my hands on the previous books in this addictive series as well as any more new releases. The storyline is filled with suspense, crime, friendship, 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 titbits of 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 is 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!! Patricia also did an amazing job of weaving the subject of dementia into the storyline as we see how Lottie's mother is struggling in the same terrible way that so many dementia sufferers do and how it affects the family. My Grandparents had dementia and it is a truly terrible thing to watch a loved one suffer with it. My heart truly went out to Lottie while she was trying to look after her while trying to solve a crime while also worrying about Mark's ex wife and what would happen with his son. I absolutely loved the explosive twist at the end which I was not expecting so another huge well done!! This book is an absolutely explosive addition to this addictive series and I cannot wait to see what Lottie and Mark get up to next!!!
I read approximately half of this book on kindle and listened to approximately half on audio book. I must also give a huge congratulations to the narrator Michele Moran who not only brought the storyline to life by really portraying the emotions through his voice but by doing absolutely fantastic impressions of males and females as well as accents so a HUGE congratulations Michele! I cannot imagine that this was anywhere near an easy feat!!! I am looking forward to discovering more books read by yourself as you definitely have a perfect "book" voice!! I sometimes struggle to absorb the storyline through an audio book but if you are the same as me I can promise you will not have that problem with this amazing narrator!!
DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE FIRST PAGE WITHOUT CLEARING YOUR SCHEDULES AS THIS WILL KEEP YOU HOOKED!!!
I absolutely love Lottie, Mark and the majority of the team and they have become like old friends to me who I Iook forward to meeting again in every book and miss them between books. 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 thirteen in the series which I cannot wait to delve into! It is vital for me that I 'click' with the main protagonists and I love 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 is a sweet guy and my heart absolutely went out to him when it came to his son and his ex wife continuously trying to dictate to him while he is constantly threatening that she will take him away from him. I have enjoyed watching his relationship with his son develop and progress and reading about his past, especially the bond with his son and I really hope there is a happy ending for both father and son!!
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, Crime Thriller, British Detective Stories, Mysteries, Serial Killer Thrillers, 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!!!
507 pages/13 hours and 45 minutes
This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited, £11.99 in paperback and £20.03 for the audiobook 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.
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Review for 'Three Widows' by Patricia Gibney.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Patricia Gibney, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 10th February 2023.
This is the third book I have read by this author. It is also the twelfth 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 book 11 'Guilty Girl' and would highly recommend them.
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' and 'Guilty Girl' it is guaranteed to be an absolute page turner!! The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely gripping and totally addictive thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine and Karin Slaughter will devour Three Widows in one sitting! .' 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, 103 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy 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.
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 twelfth 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 another explosive addition to this fantastic series where Patricia completely emerges the reader into the storyline. I have only read this book and the previous two books but cannot wait to get my hands on the previous books in this addictive series as well as any more new releases. The storyline is filled with suspense, crime, friendship, 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 titbits of 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 is 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!! Patricia also did an amazing job of weaving the subject of dementia into the storyline as we see how Lottie's mother is struggling in the same terrible way that so many dementia sufferers do and how it affects the family. My Grandparents had dementia and it is a truly terrible thing to watch a loved one suffer with it. My heart truly went out to Lottie while she was trying to look after her while trying to solve a crime while also worrying about Mark's ex wife and what would happen with his son. I absolutely loved the explosive twist at the end which I was not expecting so another huge well done!! This book is an absolutely explosive addition to this addictive series and I cannot wait to see what Lottie and Mark get up to next!!!
I read approximately half of this book on kindle and listened to approximately half on audio book. I must also give a huge congratulations to the narrator Michele Moran who not only brought the storyline to life by really portraying the emotions through his voice but by doing absolutely fantastic impressions of males and females as well as accents so a HUGE congratulations Michele! I cannot imagine that this was anywhere near an easy feat!!! I am looking forward to discovering more books read by yourself as you definitely have a perfect "book" voice!! I sometimes struggle to absorb the storyline through an audio book but if you are the same as me I can promise you will not have that problem with this amazing narrator!!
DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE FIRST PAGE WITHOUT CLEARING YOUR SCHEDULES AS THIS WILL KEEP YOU HOOKED!!!
I absolutely love Lottie, Mark and the majority of the team and they have become like old friends to me who I Iook forward to meeting again in every book and miss them between books. 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 thirteen in the series which I cannot wait to delve into! It is vital for me that I 'click' with the main protagonists and I love 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 is a sweet guy and my heart absolutely went out to him when it came to his son and his ex wife continuously trying to dictate to him while he is constantly threatening that she will take him away from him. I have enjoyed watching his relationship with his son develop and progress and reading about his past, especially the bond with his son and I really hope there is a happy ending for both father and son!!
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, Crime Thriller, British Detective Stories, Mysteries, Serial Killer Thrillers, 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!!!
507 pages/13 hours and 45 minutes
This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited, £11.99 in paperback and £20.03 for the audiobook 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.
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February 3, 2023
Another brilliant book in the DI Lottie Parker series.
I’ve read all the books in this series and it’s great to catch up with Lottie and Boyd.
They have a gruesome case on their hands in this book as the body of a woman is found badly beaten, with her eyes removed.
The hunt for the killer takes a while to get off the ground as they have little to go on. However, when another body is found and it’s discovered they were both part of the same group, things start to click into place.
Boyd is also dealing with the arrival of his ex, Jackie and he’s terrified she will take his son away from him.
Lottie is coping with her mum’s dementia, so they’ve both got their hands full.
This is a brilliant crime series that I’d highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I’ve read all the books in this series and it’s great to catch up with Lottie and Boyd.
They have a gruesome case on their hands in this book as the body of a woman is found badly beaten, with her eyes removed.
The hunt for the killer takes a while to get off the ground as they have little to go on. However, when another body is found and it’s discovered they were both part of the same group, things start to click into place.
Boyd is also dealing with the arrival of his ex, Jackie and he’s terrified she will take his son away from him.
Lottie is coping with her mum’s dementia, so they’ve both got their hands full.
This is a brilliant crime series that I’d highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
February 8, 2023
Detective Lottie Parker is back and thanks to a turbulent home life and a mountain of paperwork she's desperate for a new case to keep her and her Garda colleagues busy.
And she's about to get her wish. When the body of an unidentified woman is recovered and through a public appeal Lottie soon learns the victim is a widow named Jennifer O'Loughlin. Who hasn't been seen in a month and who belonged to a group for bereaved widows.
And just as the team begin to investigate who would want Jennifer dead. They hear that another member of the group has gone missing. And the race to get her back before she dies begins.
But with so much going on in Lottie and her teams private lives. Can they really track down the murderer before it's too late?
And with twists, shocks and surprises. This was an enjoyable read. That is chock full of characters and detail and it will definitely keep you guessing!
I was kindly provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
And she's about to get her wish. When the body of an unidentified woman is recovered and through a public appeal Lottie soon learns the victim is a widow named Jennifer O'Loughlin. Who hasn't been seen in a month and who belonged to a group for bereaved widows.
And just as the team begin to investigate who would want Jennifer dead. They hear that another member of the group has gone missing. And the race to get her back before she dies begins.
But with so much going on in Lottie and her teams private lives. Can they really track down the murderer before it's too late?
And with twists, shocks and surprises. This was an enjoyable read. That is chock full of characters and detail and it will definitely keep you guessing!
I was kindly provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
February 24, 2023
Patricia Gibney continues to write complex cases for Lottie and crew to solve and this one is no exception. I didn't have a clue who was behind it all, but I enjoyed trying to figure it out.
There are many moving parts in this case and it was hard to see how anything connected, I felt as frustrated as the detectives. The murders were also quite gruesome, I'm not usually too squeamish but there was some hardcore trauma that the victims suffered.
There's a lot going on in Lottie's personal life, but fortunately the case took up most of her time, and thankfully her kids were very minor subplots in this one. Lottie and Boyd's relationship remains pretty stagnant, I honestly don't think they're right for each other and I have a feeling this will factor into book 13 heavily.
There are many moving parts in this case and it was hard to see how anything connected, I felt as frustrated as the detectives. The murders were also quite gruesome, I'm not usually too squeamish but there was some hardcore trauma that the victims suffered.
There's a lot going on in Lottie's personal life, but fortunately the case took up most of her time, and thankfully her kids were very minor subplots in this one. Lottie and Boyd's relationship remains pretty stagnant, I honestly don't think they're right for each other and I have a feeling this will factor into book 13 heavily.
February 14, 2023
Love this author and this incredibly gripping series, each book better than the last. And this one was just wow..Loved it. Very highly recommend this book and this series..
December 22, 2025
Guuuuuau. Que de nervios, de intriga. Me ha encantado.
January 19, 2023
I’m always excited to read a new Lottie Parker novel – I just love her! I found the story very fast paced with lots of twists I didn’t see coming.
As ever Lottie’s home life is frantic looking after her mother who is showing early signs of dementia and her brood of kids. Her partner at work & in life, Boyd is loving being a dad to Sergio. However, his scheming ex is back on the scene & wanting things all her own way..
A woman is found by a member of the public. She’s been tortured before being killed & is found wearing clothes which don’t seem to be hers. When I second body is found in similar circumstances Lottie & the Team need to find who is responsible & quickly. As they investigate the leads they find that the women are connected by a mutual club for widows & as they delve deeper they find all sorts of connections...
I found the story gripping & was chopping & changing who I thought was the murderer. A really fantastic read with an extra twist at the end. So good, I highly recommend it.
As ever Lottie’s home life is frantic looking after her mother who is showing early signs of dementia and her brood of kids. Her partner at work & in life, Boyd is loving being a dad to Sergio. However, his scheming ex is back on the scene & wanting things all her own way..
A woman is found by a member of the public. She’s been tortured before being killed & is found wearing clothes which don’t seem to be hers. When I second body is found in similar circumstances Lottie & the Team need to find who is responsible & quickly. As they investigate the leads they find that the women are connected by a mutual club for widows & as they delve deeper they find all sorts of connections...
I found the story gripping & was chopping & changing who I thought was the murderer. A really fantastic read with an extra twist at the end. So good, I highly recommend it.
February 3, 2025
Always a good read, Lottie is the perfect copper. Everything she touches turns to mold and not gold. And her other half can never get his relationships right. People are dying left, right and center in this novel and sometimes when you think you know who did it, they turn up brown bread.
July 5, 2023
Love these books, although with all the different characters I really had to think - which is a good thing I suppose. Certainly had me hooked
August 20, 2024
“Las tres viudas” es la duodécima novela que nos trae a esta inspectora tan querida, y déjenme decirles, Patricia Gibney no defrauda. Muchísimas gracias a la editorial por enviármela.
La historia comienza con una desaparición inquietante: Éilis Lawlor, una joven viuda, se desvanece en la noche, dejando tras de sí solo su móvil y llaves. Lottie, con su determinación característica, sabe que este caso no será fácil. Poco después, el cadáver de Jennifer, una amiga cercana de Éilis, a quien conoció en un grupo de apoyo entre viudas, aparece brutalmente asesinado. Y así, nos vemos atrapados en una red de secretos y mentiras, donde cada viuda parece esconder algo más oscuro de lo que podríamos imaginar.
Lo que me encanta de esta serie es cómo Gibney logra que cada caso se sienta personal. Lottie Parker no es solo una detective; es una mujer enfrentando sus propios demonios mientras trata de hacer justicia en un mundo que muchas veces parece injusto. En esta entrega, vemos a Lottie más determinada que nunca, y como siempre, lidiando con los desafíos tanto en su vida personal como profesional.
La atmósfera en “Las tres viudas” es tan densa como la niebla en las ciénagas irlandesas. La tensión se palpa en cada página, y aunque el ritmo es trepidante, Gibney se toma su tiempo para desarrollar a sus personajes, haciéndolos sentir reales y cercanos. No solo estamos siguiendo un caso de asesinato, estamos inmersos en la vida de estas mujeres, en sus miedos, en sus dolores y, en última instancia, en su lucha por sobrevivir.
Si eres fan del thriller psicológico y te gustan los personajes bien desarrollados, esta novela es para ti. Cada página es un recordatorio de por qué Gibney sigue siendo una de las autoras más destacadas en el género. ¡No puedo esperar a ver qué nos depara el próximo caso de Lottie!
La historia comienza con una desaparición inquietante: Éilis Lawlor, una joven viuda, se desvanece en la noche, dejando tras de sí solo su móvil y llaves. Lottie, con su determinación característica, sabe que este caso no será fácil. Poco después, el cadáver de Jennifer, una amiga cercana de Éilis, a quien conoció en un grupo de apoyo entre viudas, aparece brutalmente asesinado. Y así, nos vemos atrapados en una red de secretos y mentiras, donde cada viuda parece esconder algo más oscuro de lo que podríamos imaginar.
Lo que me encanta de esta serie es cómo Gibney logra que cada caso se sienta personal. Lottie Parker no es solo una detective; es una mujer enfrentando sus propios demonios mientras trata de hacer justicia en un mundo que muchas veces parece injusto. En esta entrega, vemos a Lottie más determinada que nunca, y como siempre, lidiando con los desafíos tanto en su vida personal como profesional.
La atmósfera en “Las tres viudas” es tan densa como la niebla en las ciénagas irlandesas. La tensión se palpa en cada página, y aunque el ritmo es trepidante, Gibney se toma su tiempo para desarrollar a sus personajes, haciéndolos sentir reales y cercanos. No solo estamos siguiendo un caso de asesinato, estamos inmersos en la vida de estas mujeres, en sus miedos, en sus dolores y, en última instancia, en su lucha por sobrevivir.
Si eres fan del thriller psicológico y te gustan los personajes bien desarrollados, esta novela es para ti. Cada página es un recordatorio de por qué Gibney sigue siendo una de las autoras más destacadas en el género. ¡No puedo esperar a ver qué nos depara el próximo caso de Lottie!
February 12, 2023
This is book 12 of the Detective Lottie Parker series. It is described as an unputdownable read and every word of that is true. Lottie is a great character, despite her pretty disastrous personal life, which may finally be settling down, or not, she is a dedicated and skilled detective. There is plenty of good (and bad) interaction/banter between the team members and the detective personal lives create all sorts of additional tensions.
Briefly, we are back in Ragmullin near Dublin and the body of missing widow Éilis, is found, badly tortured and beaten, on waste ground. Lottie Parker and her team are called in to investigate. Before they can get into the case another person is reported missing and the story builds very quickly thereafter. What has a support group for widows got to do with the killings and what secrets are they hiding? As more bodies are discovered the team are forced into a race against time to discover the truth.
So many suspects as the twists and turns accelerate until matters come to a head in a startling fashion. Brilliant plot as always. Loved the book and already looking forward to the next one.
Briefly, we are back in Ragmullin near Dublin and the body of missing widow Éilis, is found, badly tortured and beaten, on waste ground. Lottie Parker and her team are called in to investigate. Before they can get into the case another person is reported missing and the story builds very quickly thereafter. What has a support group for widows got to do with the killings and what secrets are they hiding? As more bodies are discovered the team are forced into a race against time to discover the truth.
So many suspects as the twists and turns accelerate until matters come to a head in a startling fashion. Brilliant plot as always. Loved the book and already looking forward to the next one.
December 7, 2022
*3.5 stars ✨
June 18, 2024
Está escritora me encanta y sus libros me gustan y la trama muy buena
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