The Altar Girls

The little girl looked like an angel in her thin white robe, her long black hair spread around her head like a dark halo on the snow. Her hands rested on her chest, fingers interlaced as if she had fallen asleep while praying. But she would never wake up again...


When Detective Lottie Parker receives news that a child's body has been found in the frozen grounds of the cathedral, a shiver runs down her spine. She's terrified it will be eight-year-old Willow Devine, reported missing that morning.


But when she arrives at the cathedral, holding a photo of Willow with her blonde ponytail and gap-toothed smile, she gets a terrible shock. The body is a young girl, wrapped in a white shroud, a rosary clutched in her frozen fingers. But her hair is dark, not fair. This girl isn't Willow but another eight-year-old, Naomi.


Desperate to find a connection between the two girls and to find Willow before it is too late, Lottie speaks to the girls' families and discovers that both girls were altar servers at the cathedral. The charismatic priest Father Maguire has a watertight alibi for the time the girls went missing, but Lottie suspects the confused old lady traumatised by the discovery of Naomi's body is hiding something...


A day later, Willow's little body is found wrapped in a white robe in the snowy grounds of a church across town. Lottie is devastated, convinced now that she can't trust anyone, least of all the girls' parents. Why did Willow's mother claim the girls didn't know each other? And why are there no photos of Naomi in her mother's shabby house?


But when a little boy from the choir goes missing too, Lottie realises she must spread her net wider. Can she stop this twisted killer before another precious life is stolen?


A completely compelling page-turner from bestselling author Patricia Gibney. If you like Rachel Caine, Kendra Elliott and Robert Dugoni, The Altar Girls will have you hooked.


What everyone is saying about The Altar Girls:


'Oh yes!!! What an absolute roller coaster of an investigation!... This novel runs a mile a minute, there is always action, and the plot and sub plots run beautifully together, keeping the reader in high suspense. I could hardly bear to put this book down, Patricia Gibney definitely knows how to keep her readers rapt... I absolutely recommend this series if you are looking for well-planned and well thought out police thrillers that have twists and turns that will leave you breathless.' Goodreads reviewer,


'Will keep you on your toes, red herrings galore, plenty of interesting characters and a fabulous storyline. ' Goodreads reviewer,


'This is another fantastic Lottie Parker book. Patricia Gibney is a prolific writer who takes the reader on a fast, twisty roller coaster ride in this book. It's a heartbreaking story with a lot of twists and turns... I was glued to the pages.' Goodreads reviewer,


'I absolutely LOVE Lottie Parker! Excellent police murder enquiry book full of twists and turns with who you thought "did it" actually didn't. Had me guessing and doubting until the end. Definitely recommend this book from Patricia Gibney!' Goodreads reviewer,