Little Witness - S.A. Dunphy

Little Witness - S.A. Dunphy - ★★★★.¼

- February 15, 2024

AUTHOR: S.A. Dunphy

SERIES: DI Tessa Burns, #1
GENRE: Irish Police Procedural
RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A gripping police procedural set in Ireland. Great characters, interesting plot line, excellent use of the setting. Definitely recommend this series starter.

Plot Preview:

Detective Tessa Burns, as a former child witness, has always wanted to work in crime cases involving children. And now, she finally has a dream team ready, comprising Danny Murphy – a garda with a large body, a bigger temper, and a soft heart; Maggie Doolan – who doesn’t allow her cerebral palsy or her wheelchair to stand in the way of her job as a police liaison officer, and Pavlov – Maggie’s loyal dog.

When seven-year-old Aisling Connolly is found in an isolated cabin, she takes her time to trust the trio who saved her, and will try to save her missing parents. As little Aisling reveals what she knows of that awful night, Tessa and her team know that they have a tough task ahead, especially as the days go by and the body count go higher.

The story comes to us in the third person perspective of various characters.

I rarely pick up anything from the thriller set these days, as I am saturated with the amount of repetition and exaggeration that has become a hallmark of this genre. But when I read about this series, I knew I had to give it a go. I have a soft corner for police procedurals, and when I saw the author’s profile, I realised there was no way he would mislead the representation. I also have a soft corner for children, so seeing young Aisling get the titular role in a police procedural made me curious to see how the plot had been approached. I was not disappointed on either count.

Bookish Yays:

👏 The central trio of Tessa, Maggie and Danny: Perfect for this story! Their personalities are so well carved that you can almost guess how they will respond in each scene. I loved all three of them, and when you love the main characters, the story becomes that much easier to enjoy.

👏 Pavlov, Maggie’s dog: A great dog always deserves a separate Yay and a Woof of appreciation – Woof!

👏 The pacing: The story starts off a little slower as it seems to be establishing the backstories of Tessa and her team. Slow doesn’t mean boring in this case – I was completely invested in all three characters and learning what makes them function. As the plot moves ahead, so does the pacing progressively increase. I loved the steady adrenaline rush.

👏 The approach: The story seems to highlight the human side of police procedurals, with the cops’ feelings, opinions, and strategies playing a prime role in the proceedings. We do have the usual action scenes and forensic checks, but the latter has a minimal appearance, and the former is well-scattered throughout the book. I enjoyed how the narrative viewpoint is mainly of the cops, and how they work as a team.

👏 The author’s background making an impact: Author Shane Dunphy (who writes narrative nonfiction under his full name and crime novels using his initials) has worked as a child protection worker for 15+ years and has also been a journalist and documentary maker. It is no surprise then that the strongest features of this novel are the true-to-life approach and the children. He has his pulse right on Aisling’s behaviour, as well as on the issues faced by Tessa, Danny and Maggie in their childhood. The representation of the kids has a genuineness to it that is seen in few books.

👏 The add-on themes: The story highlights how childhood trauma affects adult behaviour, either positively or negatively. Each member of the detective team has issues in their past influencing their present behaviour. This is well-handled without going over the top. The plot also covers the pros and the problems of foster homes. Through Maggie’s cerebral palsy, we also see a bad-ass police officer who demonstrates effectively how physical restrictions don’t hamper the spirit. I simply loved how realistically Maggie’s arc was presented.

👏 The Irish factor: For a change, the story is not just set in Ireland, but it makes use of the setting in every way. Right from the location to the atmosphere to the illegal poitín distilleries to the economic and political situation, you actually feel Ireland in this story.

👏 No romance (Yippee!): A High-five of gratitude to the author for not forcing a romantic arc in the plot! I am so tired of police procedurals that focus more on personal relationships than professional ones. (I hope I haven’t spoken too soon; I have yet to read the next book of this series!)

👏 The author’s note: So heartfelt that it won my heart! It enhances the impact of the novel.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

👀 The use of foreshadowing: I am not a big fan of foreshadowing, so this is more of a ME problem. But I must say, there were two instances when the augurs sent a chill down my spine.

👀 The Resolution: The final face-off (if I can call it that) between police and opponent was a bit too smooth to feel satisfactory. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but my head couldn’t buy the ease with which everything went so conveniently. It was not OTT with high-octane clashes (which is good) but implausible in its ‘uneventfulness’ (which is not so good). The epilogue makes up for this, giving us a creepy glimpse of what might come in the next book. I still liked the ending, but I feel like it could have done with a greater punch, literally and metaphorically.

All in all, this was a highly competent police procedural that offers a good combo of characters, plot, pacing and setting. I didn’t hate any part of it, and I loved most of it.

Definitely recommended to fans of this genre. I can’t wait to dive into Book Two: 'Only the Children' and see what lies in store for Tessa’s team.

My thanks to Bookouture Books-On-Tour for a complimentary copy of 'Little Witness' through NetGalley and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The book is also available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

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Blurb:

They came in the dark. They took her parents. And now she is the only one who can save them.

Hidden away in an isolated cabin on the edge of her farm, seven-year-old Aisling Connolly shivers as the cold night air whistles through her thin jacket. It’s been two days since the men came, since her mammy told her to run like she’d never run before, to not look back. She hasn’t seen her parents since. And she’s terrified.

But when Aisling is finally found by the police, she knows instinctively she can trust Detective Tessa Burns. A former child-witness herself, Tessa understands what Aisling has been through, and that Aisling must remember everything she can about that terrible, dark night if she’s to save her parents. Something Tessa was unable to do for her own parents all those years ago.

As the little girl slowly starts to open up, Tessa uncovers much more than she’d bargained for – another murder, clearly a horrific warning to Aisling not to speak. But time is running out, and any hope of finding Aisling’s parents alive is rapidly fading. And Tessa must do everything in her power to ensure the little girl isn’t next…

An utterly gripping Irish police procedural filled with unexpected twists. Perfect for fans of Peter May, Lisa Regan, and Patricia Gibney.

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Author S.A. Dunphy:

Shane Dunphy (S. A. Dunphy) was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has lived and worked for most of his life. A child protection worker for fifteen years, he is the bestselling author of seventeen books, including the number one Irish bestseller Wednesday’s Child and the Sunday Times Bestseller The Girl Who Couldn't Smile.

His bestselling series of crime novels (written under the name S. A. Dunphy) feature the criminologist David Dunnigan.

Stories From the Margins, his new series of true crime books written for Audible, has been critically acclaimed and the second title in the series, The Bad Place, is an Audible True Crime bestseller.

Connect with him on:

Website: https://shanedunphyauthor.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanewritesbooks/

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/dunphyshane1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanewritesbooks

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