LITTLE WITNESS
BY S.A. DUNPHY
Published: 12th February 2024
BOOKOUTURE
Hidden away in an isolated cabin on the edge of her farm, seven-year-old Aisling Connolly shivers as the cold night air whistles through her thin jacket. It’s been two days since the men came, since her mammy told her to run like she’d never run before, to not look back. She hasn’t seen her parents since. And she’s terrified.
But when Aisling is finally found by the police, she knows instinctively she can trust Detective Tessa Burns. A former child-witness herself, Tessa understands what Aisling has been through, and that Aisling must remember everything she can about that terrible, dark night if she’s to save her parents. Something Tessa was unable to do for her own parents all those years ago.
As the little girl slowly starts to open up, Tessa uncovers much more than she’d bargained for – another murder, clearly a horrific warning to Aisling not to speak. But time is running out, and any hope of finding Aisling’s parents alive is rapidly fading. And Tessa must do everything in her power to ensure the little girl isn’t next…
Reading the first in a new police procedural series is a lot like beginning a new relationship. At the start you don’t know the back story, you get to know all the little foibles and hear about the experiences that have made the lead detective into the person they are today. DI Tessa Burns isn’t your typical DI. She has excellent taste in vintage cars, even better taste in music, and most certainly will not be called ‘boss’. I’d quite like to go for a pint or two with her. But, I digress.
Little Witness has all the ingredients to cause a stir in the crime thriller market and arrive with a bang on bookshelves. It’s fresh and exciting, with a plot that digs deep into Irish tradition and and contains array of colourful characters that will make your toes curl. Right at the centre are Tessa and her team, a trio of expressively written personalities you are rooting for from the start.
It’s a good job the second book in this series is published simultaneously; I need another fix of Team Burns!
*Thanks to Bookouture, S.A. Dunphy and NetGalley for the eARC; this is my honest review.
5 / 5
Fresh and exciting; ready to cause a stir in the crime thriller market!