The Guilty Girl by Patricia Gibney (Lottie Parker #12)

Synopsis: Something whistling through the door behind her caused her to turn. A shadow spread across the opening. She clasped a hand to her mouth, stilling the fear that was rising. The menacing shadow was followed by a face that sent a cold shiver down her spine…

When the call comes in about Lucy, a seventeen-year-old girl murdered after the secret party she held in her parents’ home, Detective Lottie Parker is first on the scene. As she picks her way through the smashed glasses and the blood spatter on the perfect cream carpet, she is horrified to see Lucy’s angelic face, silvery-blue eyes forever closed.

As Lottie breaks the news to Lucy’s heartbroken parents and the devastated partygoers, she discovers that hours before her death Lucy had revealed a terrible secret about her friend Hannah. And when Lottie finds Lucy’s bloodstained clothing hidden in Hannah’s bedroom, she has no option but to bring the shy, frightened girl into custody.

But Hannah claims to have no memory of the night Lucy died and Lottie begins to question her guilt. Then a fifteen-year-old boy who also attended the party is pulled from the canal. And as Lottie investigates, she discovers something shocking. Her own son Sean was at the party. Why did he lie to her? Is her beloved child a witness or a suspect… or is he now in the killer’s sights?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review:

It’s been a while since I have read about Lottie and Boyd so I was keen to get a little more caught up and started back in on book 11. I have read all the books in the series and although like many books I am sure you can read as a standalone I think its always worthwhile having the background on all the characters and what they have been through. Lucy, a seventeen-year-old girl has been murdered after a party she held in her parents’ home. Detective Lottie Parker along with her colleagues are now investigating the murder.

One of the partygoers a supposed friend of Lucy, a young girl named Hannah is instantly put into the mix. Hannah has no memory of the party but when blood soaked clothes are found in her bag she has to be pulled into the station. Things then take another sordid turn when a 15 year old who attended the party is pulled from the canal. in addition to now working two murders Lottie finds out that her son Sean also attended the party.

It was nice to be back with the team and seeing how they are all getting on. Boyd is also back albeit ow with his son which makes for another interesting thread to this series. The team is certainly given the runaround with these murders but it was an enjoyable enough read. I did notice that Lottie seems a lot more brash in this book, maybe a lot less caring than I remember? However, still an enjoyable read.