ARC REVIEW: Little Lost Souls – by Stacy Green

Title: Little Lost Souls
(Lucy Kendall #2)
Author: Stacy Green
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: December 19th 2014
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: January 22nd 2023
Pages: 335
(Originally published as ‘See Them Run’)

“Fortunately my instincts were as incessant as an aggressive tumor. Always there, never quiet.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

I’ve been meaning to try this author for quite some time, and I couldn’t resist adding the Lucy Kendall series when I saw it was going to be republished. I do love crime thrillers with an unique touch, and after reading (and loving!) the first book I can now say this series definitely fits the bill. It’s not every day you get to follow what is basically a sociopath serial killer as our main character, and it is especially intriguing how much you end up rooting for her despite the things she does. And a bonus: this sequel Little Lost Souls is even better than the first one!

First of all, a little warning. This is definitely a series to read in order, both to avoid spoilers and to properly understand the characters, their background and their dynamics. It is also a series that isn’t afraid to go dark and seriously twisted, so definitely not for those with a weak stomach… In the case of Little Lost Souls is isn’t only the murders, but the story also the focuses heavily on (child) abuse and sex trafficking; it’s very present throughout the story and especially harrowing with so many minors involved. The plot does an excellent job exploring the motivations of the main character Lucy Kendall further though, and it was interesting to see how things developed as Lucy tried to dismantel the trafficking ring.

Things can be said about the credibility of it all, but I personally didn’t mind at all because it made for an extremely entertaining and twisted ride. It’s so hard to find refreshing angles with the amount of crime thrillers I read, and this series definitely delivers on that front. Like I said before, it’s not every day you get to follow and root for a sociopath serial killer main character, even though she doesn’t see herself that way. The whole moral dilemma and question whether you should root for her or condemn her adds so much extra to the plot, and it truly makes the whole series stand out above other crime thrillers.

Main character Lucy Kendall is of course a big part of the reason this series works so well, but the rest of the cast is great too. It was interesting to see Lucy develop and evolve more in Little Lost Souls, and we get to learn more about her motivations, fears and just how far she is willing to go. I liked her dynamics with both Chris and Todd, and the whole private detective angle and her going undercover adds a lot to the plot as well. There are quite some twists along the way, and I never guessed the full truth about what was happening… The final part of the story was particularly explosive, and then I’m not even talking about the last chapter which made me doubt everything I thought I knew. Let’s just say that I’m so glad I decided to binge-read this series, because I NEED to know what happens next.

I do think this is one of those stories where it’s better to go in without knowing too much about it… Just make sure to prepare yourself for a seriously twisted, original and disturbing ride. It’s not a series I will be forgetting easily, that’s for sure!