The Lost Girls of Penzance

A Cornwall Murder Mystery, Book 1

By: Sally Rigby

Narrated by: Clare Corbett

The pale outline of bones in the dew-laden grass catches and holds Lauren's gaze. In the distance, she can hear the faint sound of crashing waves and the eerie screech of seagulls. Whose life was so brutally cut short in this beautiful, lonely place?

Detective Lauren Pengelly has only been part of the Penzance police force for less than two years, but that’s enough time to know that the sleepy Cornish town doesn’t see many murders. So, when the bones of a woman with a hole in her skull are discovered behind a derelict cottage, she immediately assumes the worst.

Rallying her team, Lauren is flooded with a strange sense of relief when the bones turn out to be almost twenty years old, not a recent victim. But it quickly turns to dread when she receives her second heart-stopping call of the day–a little girl, Isla, has been kidnapped from her nursery and seemingly vanished, despite strict security in the building. Are the two cases connected, or could the peaceful town of Penzance be harbouring more than one monster?

With the help of Detective Matt Price, her newly arrived second-in-command, Lauren is certain the suspicious behaviour of Isla’s estranged father on the day of her disappearance is a critical clue. But when another little girl is taken, again from her nursery in the middle of the day, it’s clear Lauren and Matt are still dangerously far away from discovering the harrowing truth…

Get ready to be totally hooked! From the bestselling author of the Cavendish & Walker series, you won’t be able to put this murder mystery down. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean and J M Dalgliesh will love it.

©2023 Sally Rigby (P)2023 Storm Publishing

Not as good as expected

Not as good as Cavendish and Walker. Hard to put finger on it though. Predictable. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Since it’s listed as a series I hope the second book it better.

Nothing original

Not great. Find another listen. Very template. Nothing gripping about the characters or the story.

Wonderful Author

I’m surprised not to see more reviews - Sally Rigby is a wonderful author! In this book, the characters are beautifully developed, the twists and turns kept me guessing - and completely engaged. I love the way she writes and have already purchased all of her books on Audible.

Very very highly recommended.

Great story!

Great story! Great narration! Looks like a promising new series. Will be following. New author to me.

The characters

I did not dislike the book but it is a hard subject to read about.

Matt has his own series

I absolutely loved listening to this audio book. I enjoyed Matt’s role on Whitney’s team and now he is with a new team but he hasn’t changed. He will be the one to bring this team together

Excellent Start To New Series

I got notice last night that this book was out. I got it right away and really enjoyed listening to the story. I like Clare Corbett performance .... but I felt I was listening to a Cavendish and Walker story. I recommend this book. (Now I am going to take a nap)

Another Great Series, A+

I think Sally Rigby is one of my top favorite authors AND Clare Corbett one of my favorite narrators. There is a segway from the marvelous series of Walker & Cavendish in that the excellent Sergeant Matt Price ends up in the small Penzance police force.
As in her other books, Rigby does a good job of character development so you become gradually part of the team. Also true to form, the suspense and mystery ramp up wherein I had to stop anything I was doing and give my full attention to the story, again excellently narrated by Clare Corbett. (Thankfully the author stuck with what really works with her books in continuing with Corbett.)
The two mysteries were so intricate that I couldn’t even take a guess at how they intersected or were pulled off. One mystery was finding 20-year-old bones and the other, kidnapped 3-year-old girls from their Day Care. I want to immediately start the next book in the new Penzance series. Here again, I’d like to chain Sally to her computer to write incessantly these stories that are so immersive and enjoyable.

A Wooly Ice Queen

I loved it. I do wish the story was more interesting and involved more about one’s character.

Good start

I’ve enjoyed Sally Rigby’s other series. This first in a new series is quite good. There’s an interesting cast of characters that I look forward to reading more about. The story (missing little girls) plays out well with many potential endings. The audiobook narration was well done.