Lost by S.J. Bolton

Ms. Bolton has done it again, crafting an atmospheric thriller that is smart and has its share of suspense and a couple twists, without resorting to an incredulous out-of-the-blue ending. Lost is moody and dark, featuring a killer who is seemingly whisking young boys right from their homes or schools, leaving them days later somewhere near the Thames, with their throats cut and all their blood drained. Detectives are at a loss to find a link between them, social media is blowing the case out of control, and the killer is starting to taunt both the police and possible victims.

While I wouldn't exactly call her books a series, this one does feature Detectives Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury, who are in previous works of hers, and includes a cameo by psychotherapist Evi Oliver, who is also in a couple other books. They don't feel like a series, though, because the characters are still being developed in every book, and the cases and mysteries being solved are so unique and original that every title of hers stands solidly on its own ground. Bolton's books are a bit gritty and dark, the cases are modern, realistic and unsettling, and the characters flawed and sometimes struggling in ways that readers can relate. Real thrillers for real readers...I'm already looking forward to the next title!