The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike: Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me.
When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after the little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found.
Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person's case... a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.
Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in.
Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made - the DNA matches Casey's.
Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey's mother and the killer before it's too late?
Heart-pounding and totally addictive, The Puppet Maker is the first in the Detective Alana Mack series that will have fans of Ann Cleeves, Angela Marsons and LJ Ross racing through the pages late into the night.
Read what everyone is saying about The Puppet Maker:
'Didn't expect to spend my day reading this but once I started there was pretty much no stopping me. Was devastated I had to go out for a few hours and leave it.' Reader Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An amazing start to the Detective Alana Mack series. This was jam packed with action and suspense and I loved all the twists and turns. I don't want to give any spoilers but this has everything you would want in a thriller and more, you won't want to put it down. I couldn't wait to find out who the culprit was and I can't wait for the next for the next in the series.' Reader Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Fantastic... an explosive read. Looking forward to more of this detective and her team.' Reader Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An amazing read!... I just couldn't put it down!' Reader Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Ooh what an absolutely thrilling book. I love all the new characters, they come fully formed and jump off the page.' Reader Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I thoroughly enjoyed The Puppet Maker and look forward to reading more of Alan Mack and her crew. Fans of Val McDermid, Ken Bruen and John Connolly should pick this up.' Reader Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐