I live in Jersey and love it when a new book comes out that not only is a great read but also showcases our island. (By the way: I know people would usually say they live “on” an island, but we say we live “in” Jersey!)
A great friend of mine, Gwyn Bennett, has a new series out with Storm Publishing, and I recently read the first book, The Stolen Ones.
Gwyn, with a journalism and broadcasting background, is a wonderful writer, with a word-usage that truly paints a picture and brings scenes to life. As is so often true with her books, I wanted to race through it to find out what happens, but also wanted to slow down and make my time in the world she’d created last longer.
In The Stolen Ones, Saskia Monet is an intriguing character, with a problematic upbringing and challenging relationship with her troubled brother. Fast-paced, with believable characterisation, an intriguing story, a hint of romantic attraction, and Jersey itself as a stunning background, I’d highly recommend The Stolen Ones. (I know Gwyn is a friend, so you may think about my review, “well, she would say that, wouldn’t she?”, however, I’m a principled soul so if I didn’t love the book I simply wouldn’t say anything at all!)
The Stolen Ones: One moment, Lucy Carmichael is there, skipping down the garden path, her long dark hair streaming behind her. The next, she’s gone…
Little Lucy Carmichael is the third girl to disappear on the beautiful island of Jersey, and all Detective Winter Labey has to go on is the kidnapper’s sinister calling card: a wooden flute at the site where each child has been snatched.
Winter turns to forensic psychologist Saskia Monet, who has a unique understanding of the human mind after surviving her own psychopathic father. Saskia is desperate to help the little girls before the worst happens, and she knows there’s only one thing the wooden flutes can mean.
Everyone knows the story of the Pied Piper, who steals local children in revenge for unpaid debts. But on this small island, where everyone knows each other’s secrets, whose debt has stayed hidden, and is it big enough to kill for?
As Saskia and Winter battle to track down the twisted kidnapper, she’s forced to hide her own terrible family secret from the detective she’s falling in love with. Her charming, handsome brother is a psychopath, and she’s worried he’s not playing by the rules.
Then another child goes missing.
Will Winter and Saskia be too late to stop the Pied Piper and make sure the children don’t disappear forever?
You can get a copy of The Stolen Ones in your preferred format here https://geni.us/StolenOnes