Another great book in the series. I am grateful that I got to read it early but sad that I now have a long wait for the next one. ( )

4.5⭐️

A solid procedural that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Garda Maggie D’arcy is a former Long Island homicide detective with twenty years of experience under her belt, who relocated to Ireland a few years back and is working her way up the ladder in local law enforcement, currently on community policing assignment in Dublin's Portobello neighborhood. When former mer model/reality television star and single mother Jade Elliott is found strangled to death in her home and her toddler daughter Lauren missing. Maggie and her partner Garda Jason Savage were first on the scene. Given her experience in homicide and the fact that the investigative unit is temporarily short-staffed, Senior Investigator Roly Byrne ropes her in to join the investigation. We follow Maggie, Roly and her temporary partner Detective Sergeant Padraig Fiero, as they do a deep dive into Jade’s past – both personal and professional as they frantically search for the missing child and try to find the killer. What follows is a complicated web of lies, secrets and some shocking revelations.
I liked the structure and pacing of the plot and enjoyed following the mystery as it is gradually unraveled. The procedural aspect is very well depicted. Plenty of suspects, twists and red herrings make for an engrossing read and I was surprised by the final reveal (which is always a good thing!). I haven’t read too many procedurals based in Ireland, and I really enjoyed the setting and the details of the law enforcement structure and procedure mentioned in the course of this novel. We also get to know more about Maggie and her boyfriend Conor, who discovers some old photographs within the walls of their home, adding a parallel track to the story that has a bittersweet ending. We also meet Maggie’s daughter Lillie and Conor’s son Adrien. This is the fourth book in a series and though I haven’t read the previous installments, I had no problem following this one. I do, however, intend to read the other books simply because I really liked the protagonist and how well the procedural aspect was presented in this novel. I also thought that the author struck a perfect balance while weaving the mystery and Maggie’s personal life into a fluid and engaging narrative, with the latter never overshadowing the former. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed A Stolen Child by Sarah Stewart Taylor and would gladly recommend it to those who enjoy reading police procedurals.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

As always, Sarah Stewart Taylor has written a winner! Finished with her Garda training, Maggie D'arcy is once again a beat cop, patrolling in Dublin. When she and her partner are first on the scene of a murder and potential child abduction, she has to remember her place as a uniformed officer rather than a homicide detective. Once she's seconded to support the detectives on the case--led by her friend Roly and partnered with Detective Fiero who she met in the previous book--she has the chance to demonstrate her worth and particular talent in missing person cases. A wonderfully engrossing novel that takes many twists before its satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley. ( )

I love the Maggie D'arcy series. It is wonderful traveling around Dublin and Ireland with Maggie as she tries to solve murders. I did not guess the ending on this mystery at all and yet when the killer is revealed it made perfect sense, all of the clues were there and I was blind to them. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released. ( )

The Maggie D’Arcy series written by Sarah Stewart Taylor is a brilliantly written series.
A Stolen Child is Book #4 of the series published in June of 2023.

The first 3 titles, The Mountains Wild, A Distant Grave and The Drowning Sea are excellent. Book #4, A Stolen Child is also five stars. *****

A Stolen Child takes place in Dublin where former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’Arcy has just finished her Irish police training and is officially a Garda, though itching to be elevated to her friend Roly Byrne’s detective/homicide unit.
Maggie is settling into Dublin life and enjoying her community policing work, when she and her partner discover a former model and reality star murdered and her toddler daughter missing.

A Stolen Child is a good mystery and police procedural with excellent writing, plotting, characters and location. Ms. Taylor adds so much ‘atmosphere’ to these titles and so much cultural info that one feels a part of her Portobello neighborhood and family and the local Garda network.
A Stolen Child is a title that one doesn’t want to put down and a title and series to be recommended. ***** ( )