Only the Children - S.A. Dunphy

Only the Children - S.A. Dunphy - ★★★.¼

- February 19, 2024

AUTHOR: S.A. Dunphy

SERIES: DI Tessa Burns, #2
GENRE: Irish Police Procedural
RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: Book Two of the Tessa Burns series. Didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one, partially due to my reading preferences and lack of familiarity with the topic. Regardless, it is still an interesting continuation to the series. I am curious to see what’s next for Tessa, though not as excited as I was after the first book.

Plot Preview:

Tessa and her team have been called to an unusual location: a cargo ship that left from Norway a few weeks ago has run aground off the Irish coast. What makes it horrifying is that the captain is found with his throat slit, and the rest of the crew is missing. Tessa has been summoned because of another reason: three little children have been found in the ship’s galley kitchen, terrified but unharmed. Even when taken into care, they refuse to speak a word.

As the team investigates the identity of the children, several facts come to light, which make it clear that the enemy is closer than assumed. And that the danger is not necessarily from small-time crooks.

The story comes to us mostly from the third person perspectives of Tessa’s team.

Bookish Yays:

⛴ The prologue, set on the ship during a storm, was so vivid and gripping that I almost felt the storm water splashing on me! If the entire book had been like that, I’d have completed this in two hours flat.

⛴ Maggie and her dog Pavlov are still as loveable and amazing as in the first book, though Pavlov gets fewer active scenes this time.

⛴ The book doesn’t waste time on extensive character buildup for the main trio. We get a brief intro on their background and then the story moves on. In that sense, it is a good sequel as it continues seamlessly from the earlier book without needless repetitions.

⛴ The three children and their feelings are written in a touching way. As I said in the review for the first book, the author’s experience in child protection makes him portray child characters realistically and in an age-appropriate manner. This book confirms the same.

⛴ The Irish factor is strong even in this book. Yet again, the author shows his knowhow of Ireland and its functioning, and puts the location to marvellous use.

⛴ There are some truly surprising moments, some of which even made me pause and ponder – something that rarely happens when I read this genre.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

⛵ I had praised the first book for steering clear of romance. Well, I had to jump the gun, didn’t I? This book introduces a romantic angle to Tessa’s arc. *deep sigh* To be fair, the romance doesn’t overshadow the main plot, and both Tessa and her new beau are great with each other. But I still am the Grinch who doesn’t like romance shoved into non-romance genre books.

⛵ The storyline is much more complicated than in the first book. In a way, this is good because it shows the series to have developed to the next level from Book One, which was more like an opening act. However, it is also bad because the ongoings are too intricate to keep track of. My lack of familiarity with (and interest in) Irish politics also didn’t work in my favour.

⛵ The number of characters is also much greater than before, which, when combined with the convoluted plot, means that there is too much to keep track of. It was easier on the kindle as the search button helped me recollect the character.

⛵ The ‘Merrow’: Her personality – Wow! Her backstory: Shucks! Her use in the plot: Goes between creepy to schmaltzy! How I wish she had been better utilised!

⛵ I didn’t like Tessa as much this time around. She seems to take rash decisions that don’t make any sense for an experienced police officer. What appeared like confidence in Book One seems like cockiness in this sequel. For a protagonist of the series, she makes surprisingly stupid choices and needs external help more than once. She also has a weird policy about whom she collaborates with, having no qualms about making offers to criminals while steering clear of those who might be beneficial to the investigation. All of this proves her to be human, but doesn’t make her a great lead character for a procedural.

⛵ The pacing is also slower than that of the first book, with the middle section feeling much dragged.

Bookish Nays:

🌊 Yet again, the climax is too smooth to be acceptable. Certain people always arrive at the right moment and get the mess sorted out in an instant. Even the investigation of the team leads to almost-accurate results, with hardly any major goofs in their assumptions.

🌊 There are too many OTT situations and coincidences throughout the story. I don’t like any thriller that reminds me of Bollywood action movies, and this one was like an Irish adaptation of a Bolly potboiler.

Overall, this is not a bad book but the first one – ‘Little Witness’ – was so good that this pales in comparison. I guess the first book was more my kind of read, while this one is more like a typical OTT procedural.

I am still interested in reading the next of the series, because just like last time, this book ends with a hint of the upcoming case, and it sounds like a cracker of a plot! I hope Eric Stafford returns – he is way more interesting than Tessa and her new romantic liaison. I am also keen to know more about the “faceless men” from Book One. I was kinda hoping they would be key in this plot but they get just a single mention. Considering how formidable they were in the first book, I am very eager to see their arc become the major plot point in this series.

Recommended, but not with as much gusto as I had advocated the earlier book. I must make it clear that my opinion is contrary to the ratings scale: most readers have found this book better than the first one.

My thanks to Bookouture Books-On-Tour for a complimentary copy of 'Only the Children' 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:

The little girl stares up at Tessa, trembling so hard her whole body shakes. Her brothers stand clutching her hands, both pale with shock. ‘They told us not to speak,’ she finally whispers. But the terror in her tear-filled eyes tells Tessa all she needs to know…

When a cargo ship runs aground off the Irish coast, the police are horrified to find the captain dead at the helm, the crew missing, and three little red-haired children, terrified but unharmed, locked in the galley kitchen. As an expert detective running a child-centred taskforce, Detective Tessa Burns is called in to lead the case.

Despite Tessa’s best efforts, the children won’t reveal a thing – not even their own names. Slowly gaining their trust, Tessa uncovers a deadly secret about their past – and the mystery of their missing parents’ whereabouts – that turns everything she thought she knew on its head.

But just as it seems she’s cracked the case, Tessa’s team is attacked one dark night, and the youngest boy is kidnapped yet again. It’s clear the children are still in terrible danger. And when another senseless killing sends shockwaves through her team, Tessa realises the murderer is someone much closer to home than they could have ever imagined. Will she be able to uncover the truth in time, or will it be too late for her, and, most devastating of all, for the children…?

A totally unputdownable Irish police procedural with jaw-dropping twists. Perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney, Lisa Regan and Angela Marsons.

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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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