Lost by S.J. Bolton (thoughts)

I LOVED this book so much that I've been putting off sharing my thoughts on it because I didn't know how to express how good this book (and series) really is!  This is the third book in the Lacey Flint series and it is almost impossible to review without giving away a few spoilers here and there.  So if you haven't read this series then let me make it short and sweet for you:  I LOVE this series and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!  I honestly feel like not enough people know how amazing these books are and it makes me sad.  If you are looking for intense, dark, fast-paced, edgy thrillers and haven't tried this author then you are missing out.  Seriously!  But you must really start this series at the beginning and read in order (don't say I didn't warn you).  I highly, highly recommend these books! 

Now if you haven't read the books in this series you should probably stop reading my thoughts starting here because I'm ready to discuss the amazingness that is this book.  In Lost,  Lacey Flint is still trying to deal with everything that happened to her during her time at Cambridge University.  She has taken leave from the police force and is avoiding DI Mark Joesbury as much as possible.  But trouble always seems to find Lacey like a magnet, and it is Lacey's young neighbor Barney Roberts that brings it to her door this time.  Because there is a serial killer at large killing young boys and leaving them out in the open for the cops to find.  This killer seems to be targeting boys just like Barney and the police have little to go on.  Lacey may not be emotionally stable but she also can't seem to keep herself out of trouble.  Getting involved might mean though that Lacey loses everything and everyone that she cares about....but when has that ever stopped her?

Oh my goodness this book was so good!  It was even darker and creepier than the last book (which I didn't think was possible).  At this point I am so invested in Lacey's character and such a fan of this series that I can't even begin to put it all into words.  Lacey is a complete emotional mess, an unreliable main character at times, and yet she really pulls you in as a reader.  I never know what she is going to do next other than more often than not it will lead to trouble for her.  And that is okay because it just makes the book even more intense!  I flew through pages of this book and was absolutely hooked from the very beginning.  The author did an amazing job of creating this menacing and ominous atmosphere where it feels like no one is safe and everyone could be the killer.  The way she described water in this book gave me chills at times as she described Barney's fears of it creeping up on him.  It was completely reminiscent for me of reading King's It (which I really need to finish) and his descriptions of water that also gave me chills. I wish I would have written some quotes down but I've already turned the book back into the library so you will just have to trust me on this. 

What else did I love?  How I should always expect the unexpected when it comes to this series because this author isn't afraid of making her readers sweat!  Sometimes I feel like I miss some major clues because it never fails that I don't see the end coming.  This time I had the killer picked out at least three different times (and all three times I was completely wrong).  I love how the author has built on this series with each book.  They keep getting better and better!  Creepier and creepier!  My one and only complaint is having to wait for book four.  I don't want to wait...I need more books just like this!  I can only gush for so long though.  Read these books already! 

So in summary: I loved this book, I'm a huge fan of this series, and I really, really want to read more!  I guess that I will have to satisfy myself with trying this author's other books while I wait for the new Flint book to publish.  This book was everything that I expected it to be and then so much more!  I can't wait to see what happens with Lacey and Mark in the next book.  These are books that I just can't recommend highly enough! 

Bottom Line:  Another amazing read by one of my favorite authors!  Oh so good!

Disclosure:  Checked out from my local library and read as soon as I brought it home!  This is one series that I will set everything aside for!

If you haven't had the please of trying this author here are my thoughts on the other books in this series:

Book 1: Now You See Me
Book 2: Dead Scared