Lost Souls by Chris Merritt

 

Lost Souls by Chris Merritt

Today is my stop on the #blogtour for #lostsouls I would like to thank Chris Merritt, Bookoture and Noelle Holten for the opportunity.

About the Book

Please forgive me for what I’m about to do…

Standing at the school gates, he waits until the last child leaves the safety of the playground. And then he follows at a distance, keeping to the shadows. Only he knows what’s going to happen next.

In a quiet church, on a busy London street, 12-year-old Donovan Blair is found dead. His hands are clasped together as if in prayer. Just hours ago, he was happily playing with his friends at school, but now his body is lifeless, and his killer is long gone.

Detective Dan Lockhart is working alone on his wife’s missing person’s case when he receives a call telling him to get to the crime scene at St Mary’s Church immediately.

Bringing in psychologist Dr Lexi Green to help profile the murderer, Dan is convinced that the killer has provided a clue by leaving the body in a prayer position, and Lexi agrees. As they try to get into the mind of the person responsible, another victim is found. A 13-year-old girl, left in a different church, posed in exactly the same way.

Fearing the murderer may already have another child in his sights, Dan and Lexi work together to establish links between the two deaths, and soon discover that not only were both children in care – they had attended the same school. And when it emerges that Lexi’s new boyfriend works there, things become difficult between her and Dan. How much can he tell Lexi about the case? And could she be at risk?

As Dan makes a breakthrough in the investigation, he receives devastating news about his wife, Jess. But with children’s lives at stake and Lexi in danger, Dan must put his personal emotions aside and chase the killer. Can he and Lexi work out who is behind the murders before another vulnerable child is taken?

This nail-biting crime book is perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni. Once you pick up Lost Souls, you won’t be able to put it down!

About the Author

Chris Merritt is a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All his novels are set in London, where he lives. He began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. He specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked his interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now he spends most of his time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When he's not writing, he loves climbing and playing basketball.


Author Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrCJMerritt<https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FDrCJMerritt&data=04%7C01%7C%7C355d9ead3a924fc41f9608d8c78b196b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637478747784210532%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=G4Z3N6L5cv71Z7KSndcWcl6iqU%2FFjI0mKTpR7IGi28o%3D&reserved=0>
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17558172.Chris_Merritt<https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fauthor%2Fshow%2F17558172.Chris_Merritt&data=04%7C01%7C%7C355d9ead3a924fc41f9608d8c78b196b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637478747784210532%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=mlIdYH9%2Fi6aIRtr1kG%2FbzHF%2BudRBn5o2hPeOvD9TawE%3D&reserved=0>
Website: www.cjmerritt.co.uk<https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cjmerritt.co.uk%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C355d9ead3a924fc41f9608d8c78b196b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637478747784220526%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=cijHSU%2FvGW3Rl7I6TGwSmbgMFDvKTVVazFe96g4WnVI%3D&reserved=0>

My Review 

This is the 3rd book in the Lockhart and Green series but the first book I have read by Chris Merritt. I read the book easily as a stand-alone without knowing all the back story and I will certainly be reading more by this author.

This is the first book I have read that mentions covid 19 which is interesting.

When a child is found dead at an altar in a church Dan Lockhart and his team are sent to try and solve the crime. The plot thickens when another child is found in the same way and they have more to deal with than they thought. How many more children will be murdered before the killer is caught?

There are lots of characters in the book who are all believable and work well together. The story twists and turns and goes off at different angles to keep you guessing and wondering what will happen next. 

There is also the subplot as Detective Dan Lockharts wife has been missing for 2 years and he spends all of his spare time trying to find out what has happened to her.

The chapters are short which keeps the book moving at a fast past

Really enjoyable I can’t believe I have never read any of this series before. I will certainly be reading the rest now.

Buy the book here 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Souls-absolutely-gripping-nail-biting-ebook/dp/B08PC277BK

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