THE LOST CHILDREN (Ray Paterson #2) by Steve Parker @mrparkerspen @joffebooks #crimefiction #detective

THE LOST CHILDREN (Ray Paterson #2) AMAZON GOODREADS

Escape

Author – Steve Parker

Publisher – Joffe Books crime thrillers and mystery

Genre – Crime Fiction

Publication Date – 26th August 2018

Discover a crime thriller full of shocking twists by one of the most exciting new authors you’ll read this year.
A MAN IS SHOT DEAD IN THE STREET. BUT WHAT THE POLICE FIND NEARBY IS FAR WORSE.
An elderly African man is found dead in the street, shot through the head. The killing has the hallmark of a professional assassin. Dumped in a waste bin next to the dead man is the dismembered torso of a child.
On his first day back at work, disgraced Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson finds himself teamed up again with newly promoted Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks.
They must hunt down a ruthless killer with connections that go far beyond anything they’ve ever come across before.
Within days they know who committed the murders and why, but are left reeling when they are ordered by the government to release the child’s killers.

FINDING THE KILLERS WASN’T THE HARD PART. BRINGING THEM TO JUSTICE IS.

This is the second in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.

TWO DETECTIVES WHO HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER MUST WORK TOGETHER.

Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a ‘climber’.
Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains to become a first-class thief taker with the Met police. However, his childish attitude has short-circuited his career and he spends his days antagonising as many people as he can.


My Review

Wow! I am not really sure where to start with this one. I love adrenaline pumping thrillers, the more explicit the better and the first book in this series ticked every box so I was very excited to read this one. It is heart rending in parts, shockingly so but unfortunately it is also very realistic and I truly believe this does happen even in today’s ‘modern society’ so on with the book……

What we have here is a complex story with many strands and the reader is taken on a rocky road trip to watch all the strands become entangled with Paterson and Clocks working their way through the spaghetti to find out what is actually going on.

Corruption, witchcraft, cover ups and money laundering are just a few we can add politics and culture into the mix and sprinkle a vigilante soldier on top and you can be assured you have one hell of a wonderful read.

Then on top of a totally shocking twisty turny, breathtaking story we have the detectives: Paterson and Clocks, what a duo. In book one there was a lack of common ground between the two, in this book they have got over that and are now united in their quest to get the bad guys and the humour interlaced brings a brilliant dimension to the book.

That is all I am going to say. Go and grab a copy and get reading this is what Crime Fiction should be. An unforgettable read and I loved every page. I just hope book 3 is on the way.

My one regret in this book is that the synopsis contains a massive spoiler and that did affect my enjoyment of the book but still a well earned 5 stars.


What the bloggers thought:

Black Books Blog

If you have read book 1 then you will know Steve isn’t afraid to use bad language and include graphic scenes in his books, and this one is no different so be warned the is bad language, I counted over 10 swear words in the prologue alone, but they fit perfectly within the situations they are used, plus swearing in books has never bothered me.  Read more here


Linda Strong Book Reviews

The characters are solid, well-written. The differences between the two detectives works so well .. they are so much alike … but yet are miles apart in others. They are terrific crime solvers and will do most anything to bring justice to the victims and their families.  Read more here


Joanna Larum’s Reviews

Well written, as was his first novel, Steve Parker takes the reader to new heights of depravity and one is left wondering just how evil mankind can be, but don’t let that put you off – this novel is a blockbuster which no-one will want to put down.  Read more here


Ginger Book Geek

The Lost Children’ starts with a bang (literally) and in a way that is going to remain fresh in my memory for a long time to come.     Read more here


Beth in a Box

The Lost Children hit me for six if I am to be completely honest. I expected it to be hard to read, but it played on my emotions. I Sat reading some parts with tears in my eyes.  Read more here


The Bookworm Drinketh

Just as the last novel I read by Steve Parker, this one is absolutely amazing. It’s real, it’s crass.. And, it’s superbly writen!  Read more here


THE SETTING
Bermondsey is an area of London nestled on the banks of the River Thames. It once had a reputation for housing more armed robbers, murderers and career criminals than anywhere else in the country. Now one of the most upmarket places to live and work in London, it has all but severed itself from its working-class roots. Home to the iconic Tower Bridge and crammed with expensive apartments, art galleries, fancy restaurants and famous residents. But for the police, those who truly know, Bermondsey never lost its roots . . . or its reputation.

THE DETECTIVE RAY PATERSON SERIES

Book 1: THEIR LAST WORDS – more info here
Book 2: THE LOST CHILDREN
Book 3: THE BURNING MEN –  more info here


Steve Parker author photoAuthor Bio

I was born and raised in South East London (Peckham to be precise – cushty, my son). At the ripe old age of twenty-one, I joined the Metropolitan Police where I served for twenty years before I was pensioned out with a serious back injury. I then went to work as an enforcement officer for a local authority before taking redundancy.

Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a complete lack of DIY skills so was legitimately able to get away with swanning around the house doing bugger all, all day long. Finding myself with plenty of spare time and a deep desire to never work for anyone again, I gave myself permission to go back to writing (I’d been writing on and off for years).

When I’m not writing, I’m out taking photographs, something I’ve done since I was a nipper and will do until the day I shuffle off this mortal coil.

I live down in the windier part of East Sussex near the sea with my long-suffering wife and my ‘off-her-nut’ cockerpoo. I have two sons of whom I am so proud, I cannot begin to tell you.


The Ray Paterson Series

Their Last Words (Ray Paterson #1) AMAZON GOODREADS

THEIR LAST WORDS.jpgAuthor – Steve Parker

Publisher – Joffe Books crime thrillers and mystery

Genre – Crime Fiction

Publication Date – 18th June 2018

A VICTIM. A MUTILATED BODY. A SINGLE WORD. A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.” Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is assigned to the case. Young, handsome, and from a well-off background, he’s tipped for the top. He joins a team based out of Bermondsey, South London. It’s meant to be a stepping stone to his next promotion, but this case will threaten to bring down his career and everything he thought he knew about policing. Paterson is put in charge of the dead girl’s investigation and quickly discovers he must rely on his friend and mentor, Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan to guide him through. THEN ANOTHER BODY IS DISCOVERED. ANOTHER WORD CUT INTO THE VICTIM’S CHEST. The police realise they may have a depraved serial killer on their hands. The murderer is trying to send them a message carved in his victims’ bodies. But who’s the message for? How many more must die? Detective Paterson may be the only man who can stop this vile killer . . . if he can survive long enough.


THE LOST CHILDREN (Ray Paterson #2) AMAZON GOODREADS  see main post


The Burning Men (Ray Paterson #3) AMAZON GOODREADS

Girl running in empty, dark tunnel. Symbolizing escape, looking for exit or freedom. Toned BW photo

Author – Steve Parker

Publisher – Joffe Books crime thrillers and mystery

Genre – Crime Fiction

Publication Date – 3rd December 2018

A MAN IS BURNT AT THE STAKE IN A LONDON PARK. HIS SMOULDERING CORPSE IS A MESSAGE OF THE MOST VIOLENT KIND.  The victim is Davey Caine. He is the heir to the criminal empire created by his father, William ‘Billy’ Caine. Billy is a notorious and violent gangster who controls South East London. But he’s not the man he used to be and the sharks smell blood in the water.  Detectives Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks must find the killer before Billy extracts his own brand of justice. They are drawn ever deeper into London’s underworld.  The streets explode into violence and the body count rises. Men are shot and burned alive in a tit-for-tat power struggle between rival gangs.  Detectives Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks find themselves trying to control men of extreme viciousness. Men who have no fear of the law and its consequences and who are unafraid to kill anyone who stands in their way — including police detectives.  Paterson is offered the chance to stop the conflict dead in its tracks. If he ignores it, the mayhem continues. If he takes it, there will be a price to pay.  What he doesn’t know is that the price will come with hidden and devastating consequences.  ON THE STREETS OF LONDON, A SIMMERING GANG WAR IS ABOUT TO ERUPT WITH PATERSON AND CLOCKS CAUGHT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.


Also available:  A box set of Ray Paterson books 1,2 and 3

PATERSON & CLOCKS BOOKS 1-3  AMAZON GOODREADS

Author – Steve Parker

Publisher – Joffe Books crime thrillers and mystery

Genre – Crime Fiction

Publication Date – 30th June 2019

Three explosive crime thrillers in 1 great value Box Set.  Book  – Their Last Words. Book 2 – The Lost Children. Book 3 – The Burning Men


You Can’t Hide (Ray Paterson #4) AMAZON GOODREADS

Author – Steve Parker

Publisher – Joffe Books crime thrillers and mystery

Genre – Crime Fiction

Publication Date – 3rd December 2018

YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE. YOU CAN NEVER HIDE.  Albert Tanner, vicious psychopath and burner of men, is in the USA with unfinished business  Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks must find him first.  Their task is straightforward: hunt Tanner down and bring him home. But a few explosions, an assassin and a dead child change everything.  Dragged into a sordid world of high class sex parties they discover an Albert Tanner they never knew existed.  Then a child is snatched from her own bed and Tanner wants to do a deal. However the price is far too high. Paterson and Clocks realise they have no choice but to hunt Tanner down their own way.


NEW RELEASE:

Their Dying Breath (Ray Paterson #5) GOODREADS

Author – Steve Parker

Publisher – Joffe Books crime thrillers and mystery

Genre – Crime Fiction

Publication Date – 11th February 2020

A MURDERER TERRORIZES LONDON Detectives Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks attend the scene of a brutal murder on the banks of the River Thames. Someone’s head is found with a star carved into their forehead. The rest of their body is buried in the mud. The next day the airwaves are hacked. A live-stream shows a man imprisoned in a box. He also has a star cut into his head. Then the man is drowned alive in the box. TWO MORE MEN ARE MURDERED ON LIVE TV, TWO MORE WILL DIE WITHIN HOURS Paterson and Clocks race against time to make sure their next breath isn’t their last. But this enemy is far more deceptive and deadly than any they’ve encountered before. THEY WILL DO ANYTHING FOR REVENGE. WHY?

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