Part of Series
The little girl looked like an angel in her thin white robe, her long black hair spread around her head like a dark halo on the snow. Her hands rested on her chest, fingers interlaced as if she had fallen asleep while praying. But she would never wake up again… When Detective Lottie Parker receives news that a child’s body has been found in the frozen grounds of the cathedral, a shiver runs down her spine. She’s terrified it will be eight-year-old Willow Devine, reported missing that morning. But when she arrives at the cathedral, holding a photo of Willow with her blonde ponytail and gap-toothed smile, she gets a terrible shock. The body is a young girl, wrapped in a white shroud, a rosary clutched in her frozen fingers. But her hair is dark, not fair. This girl isn’t Willow but another eight-year-old, Naomi. Desperate to find a connection between the two girls and to find Willow before it is too late, Lottie speaks to the girls’ families and discovers that both girls were altar servers at the cathedral. The charismatic priest Father Maguire has a watertight alibi for the time the girls went missing, but Lottie suspects the confused old lady traumatised by the discovery of Naomi’s body is hiding something… A day later, Willow’s little body is found wrapped in a white robe in the snowy grounds of a church across town. Lottie is devastated, convinced now that she can’t trust anyone, least of all the girls’ parents. Why did Willow’s mother claim the girls didn’t know each other? And why are there no photos of Naomi in her mother’s shabby house? But when a little boy from the choir goes missing too, Lottie realises she must spread her net wider. Can she stop this twisted killer before another precious life is stolen? A completely compelling page-turner from bestselling author Patricia Gibney. If you like Rachel Caine, Kendra Elliott and Robert Dugoni, The Altar Girls will have you hooked. What everyone is saying about Patricia ‘ AMAZING, BRILLIANT, THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN A LONG LONG TIME!!! It’s not often I’ve been left speechless after reading a book but this time I was!!!… From the very start I was gripped and couldn't put it down!!!… If I could have given it ten stars I would have!!! ’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ This was THE BEST book I have read in quite some time . If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!… absolutely riveting. Once I started reading, I was unable to stop … this story was just pure genius!… took everything I THOUGHT I knew and threw it right out the window!’ Butterfly's Booknerdia Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Another absolutely riveting, gut gripping and unputdownable book from Patricia Gibney!!… Had this read in record time!! From start to finish it was brilliant!! Literally can’t wait for the next one.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Amazing… Had me reading late into the night… Another page-turner which got my heart racing, holding my breath and tapping my kindle like a demented woodpecker … Packed with tension and suspense and so many suspects… Left me speechless .’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘OMG BEYOND BRILLIANT!!!!… grips you right from the first page . It is so fast paced… The action just kept on coming. I literally can't wait for the next one… A truly well-deserved five stars.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Simply brilliant. I devoured this book in a day and honestly couldn’t put it down … A gripping crime thriller.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author
My name is Patricia Gibney and I’m from Mullingar, County Westmeath. Right in the heart of Ireland. Surrounded by lakes, Mullingar is damp and wet most of the year but when the sun shines it is a little piece of heaven on earth. I’ve lived here all my life. I’m widowed, seven years in May, but was married to Aidan since 1982. I’ve three children who keep me sane, or maybe keep the madness at bay, just a little bit! I say that because I am an artist and a writer. I started writing, for therapy, when Aidan died. I secured an agent in January 2016 and she is fighting my corner in an effort to get my debut novel published. Three years ago, I decided to get serious about it. I joined The Irish Writers Centre. Started doing courses. I love reading crime thrillers so it was obvious to me to start writing in the crime genre. And let me tell you, it is not easy. A crime novel needs to be tightly plotted and plotting is the bane of my life. I prefer to write straight off the top of my head. Oh, Oh. Feels good when writing but then comes the editing. I lost 20,000 words in the process. But at least I am proud to say I got it done. I am now writing the second novel in the series, featuring Lottie Parker and a host of credible characters. They are all part of my extended family, you know the kind – people you love one minute and want to kill the next! So join me on this journey and lets see where it leads us.
