The Lost Children

4☆ A Gripping Read<br /><br />The Lost Children is a story about the Magdalene Children and the connections between the Church and the vulnerable young girls forced into the laundry rooms.<br /><br />I have read and seen the films about the Magdalene Children and the abuse and torture the young girls suffered at the hands of the Nuns and church.<br /><br />This story was a little different.<br />Journalist Oonagh O’Neil was working on uncovering the truth behind the Institutions.<br /><br /> When Father Kennedy died suddenly questions were raised as to what his involvement was with the Institutions.<br /><br />The story is written in two timelines. Present day and then the stories of the young girls in the past.<br /><br />I preferred reading about the stories of the young girls. It was raw and heartbreaking and very real. The stories drew me in and I felt there pain.<br />I was eagerly flipping through pages to see what would happen next.<br /><br />The present timeline stories seemed a little disjointed at times and it seemed to skip around the storylines.<br />I didn't particularly like Oonagh she came across as spoilt and a little self obsessed.<br /><br />Father Tom Findlay is Father Kennedy's stand in. But there is something not quiet right about him. Was he involved in Kennedy's death as it was suspicious? <br />He has secrets.<br /><br />I did really enjoy this book I just thought the past stories strengthened the plot so much. <br />It was gripping, thrilling, exciting, lots of secrets and lies to uncover.<br /><br />Thank you to Aria for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.<br /><br />My Review is also on my blog website:<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/04/blog-tour-lost-children-16418.html">https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/0...</a>

This is a gripping new series by Theresa Talbot but it didn’t do anything for me. I just did not connect to the characters. I tried, I really did. Thank you for this complimentary copy of this book from Aria through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Most people catch up on their reading on holiday. I never have time to read on mine so I bought this to read on plane journeys. It’s set in Glasgow in 2000 so I enjoyed knowing all the locations (although some have either moved since or been demolished) and really enjoyed the Glasgow humour. The dry wit of the hard-boiled lead detective, Davies, had me often laughing out loud, although he is a bit of a caricature and it was hard to stop him morphing into Taggart at times!<br /><br />The storyline centres on the Magdalene Laundries, now infamous for their abuse of the young girls sent there, and particularly on Glasgow’s Magadalene Institution (for the Repression of Vice and for the Reformation of Penitent Females) in Lochburn House, Maryhill, and the riots that led to its closure in 1958. The underlying theme of the book is challenging and emotional. As a crime thriller / murder mystery it had plenty of twists to keep me interested. I really enjoyed it and will look forward to the author’s next book.

(Previously published under the title PENANCE (UK)<br /><br />First in a gripping new thriller series featuring investigative journalist Oonagh O'Neil. Travel from Ireland to Scotland.<br /><br />When an elderly priest drops dead on the altar of his church, it is thought to be a heart attack. But the medical examiner finds that the priest had in his body a substance that he was highly allergic to. Was it an accident? Suicide? Murder?<br /><br />Oonagh O'Neil is a TV journalist looking into the truth behind the closure of Magdalene Institution. The priest had called her the night before he died ... so did someone want him silenced before he could talk to her?<br /><br />With a little nudge from Oonagh, DI Alec Davies is leading an investigation into the priest's death. He and Oonagh share a history, but will they be able to work together to expose some long-standing secrets?<br /><br />The author, herself, is a journalist, so what you get is a very credible story line with believable characters. Oonaugh is a complicated woman with some personal issues that need some work. She's intelligent and knows what she wants ..and usually always gets it. <br /><br />The book moves from the present to the past and back again. It's written in such a way that it is easily followed and not confusing.<br /><br />This is the beginning of a new series and I look forward to seeing Oonagh's adventures in the future.<br /><br />Many thanks to the author / Aria / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.<br />

I’m sorry that it took me so long to get to this book. I was riveted from start to finish and I’ve already loaded the second and third book in the series on my Kindle.<br /><br />The dual timelines were inextricably linked in a fashion that was believable and interesting. I was consumed by the story of the Magdalene girls and although it was difficult to read of their plight, it was a part of history that shouldn’t be forgotten. I learned that the Magdalene Institution was not only in Ireland, but in Glasgow, Scotland as well.<br /><br />The series protagonist, Oonagh O’Neil, was a character that I immediately bonded with. For some reason she put me in mind of Susie Steiner’s character, Manon Bradshaw. From me, that is high praise indeed.<br /><br />This well written crime novel touches on some difficult themes of domestic abuse, self-harm, journalistic ethics, and the corruption within the Catholic Church.<br /><br />Highly recommended to those who enjoy well written crime fiction with a hefty dose of history thrown in for good measure. This was an impressive series debut!

A fantastic first in a series from Theresa Talbot. Rather than seeing this mystery/thriller through the eyes of law enforcement, instead we see through Oonagh's eyes - a journalist who is looking into the Magdalene children and how they were forced into asylums by their family and the Catholic church where they were tortured, stripped of their dignity and suffered for their "sins"... mostly created by their own families. Sweep them under the rug. Sell their children. Out of sight. Out of mind. But what happens when they rebel and secrets come out YEARS later.<br /><br />This definitely does not shed a good light on the Catholic church, priests and the means that people went to in the 1950s (really not that long ago) to put problem children in their place. There were some harrowing moments and hard reads in which we see the children abused, physically and sexually, by their own families. Tossed aside like bad meat. Told they were the sinners. How many times do you have to hear such things before you begin to believe it's true? Can you ever forget and let go of the torture that you went through - both mentally and physically?<br /><br />Oonagh herself is going through her own issues - pregnant with her married boyfriend's baby. Unwanted, she questions her own decisions and remember how her father told her she'd know the Devil when she saw him. I personally love Oonagh - her tenacity, her flaws, her inability to back down and let go of this story - even almost at the cost of her own life.<br /><br />Looking forward to book two and continuing on in this series.

<strong>That was one very complex ride</strong><br /><br />I just finished the story and I am sitting here kind of stunned wondering how to review it. It's emotional, depressing and quite disturbing. Just the thought of what those 'Magdalene ' girls went through is enough to blow your mind. I was raised Catholic and the whole question of Limbo and baptism was a part of that curriculum. I was taught that. I didn't know it had changed. This story takes you on a roller coaster of emotions ranging from disbelief to anger. There are parts that drag and quite honestly I still have questions that were not answered and small plot holes that have me bewildered. But I totally loved it. I honestly did not really see the twist coming. I was clueless. It was a maze of stories that didn't really come together until the end and when it did it broke my heart. Those poor women. This book has to be experienced first hand. I will definitely read this author again.

Glasgow investigative reporter Oonagh O'Neil takes on the sordid history of the Magdalene Institute and the Catholic church back in 2000 when many revelations came out. Taut thriller with good characters that I hope to see in further books.<br /><br />Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first in a series involving journalist Oonagh O'Neil and detective Davies this was a very emotional read. I had read about the Magdalene homes and laundries and thought this was a horrific way for the Church to behave. There are no excuses when it is said it was symptomatic of their times. Compassion or sympathy as a human being was never part of these places and this story revolves around the children who were born, forcibly adopted and lost forever.<br /><br />Oonagh knows that something is not quite right when Father Watson collapses on the altar of his church. A cranky priest with whom she has had run ins before, Oonagh is perturbed because she was to have an interview with him on the day he died and she just has an instinct that he was about to go out on a big reveal. Was his death a cover up. When attacks escalate and Oonagh herself is a victim narrowly escaping death the Inspector does know that things are not what they seem. Having to tackle an influential church is a daunting task and one that could get him buried as well. <br /><br />The story tracks girls in general and one in particular - and the ramifications and trauma to the mind decades later. Unraveling it so that justice of some kind could be obtained for even one woman and some peace of mind is Oonagh's own aim. When her own convoluted love life gets in the way, it adds to the emotional roller coaster she is on.<br /><br />Brilliant novel.

THE LOST CHILDREN<br />(Also published as PENANCE)<br />(Oonagh O’Neil: #1)<br />Written by Theresa Talbot<br />APRIL 1st, 2018; Head of Zeus/Aria (466 Pages)<br />Genre: series, fiction, mystery, historical, Scotland, religion, journalism, adoption<br /> <br />RATING: 3 Stars<br /><br />This is journalist, Theresa Talbot's first novel, and it is set in Scotland/Ireland 2000, and alternates between 1958. I really liked the characters, Oonagh, Alec and Tom, and am hoping we see more of the latter two in the next book. My only issue with this book and the writing was that it was too much filler and detail. There were chapters that could have been whittled down or deleted. Instead of building suspense it just slowed the book down. We have stuff going on in the past and "present day" in the novel but at times instead of tying together you feel like you aren't sure where it is going. The ending comes to the reader a bit sooner but that is because Talbot unpacks and ties of ending in a linear way - which was not a bad thing. I am ready for book two (slated for September 2018) and see what comes Oonagh's way. So much happened to her book one, you only hope things look up for her, but not too much for the sake of the story, lol.<br /><br />***I received an eARC from the PUBLISHER via NETGALLEY***<br /><br /><a href="https://mynovelesquelife.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/blog-tour-review-the-lost-children/" rel="nofollow noopener">My Novelesque Blog</a>