The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan review!

      

Title : The Dead Ground
Author : Claire McGowan
Pages : 391
Published : April 10th 2014 by Headline
Source : From Publisher

A stolen baby. A murdered woman. A decades-old atrocity. Something connects them all.

A month before Christmas, and Ballyterrin on the Irish border lies under a thick pall of snow. When a newborn baby goes missing from hospital, it's all too close to home for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, who's wrestling with the hardest decision of her life.

Then a woman is found in a stone circle with her stomach cut open and it's clear a brutal killer is on the loose.

As another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula is caught up in the hunt for a killer no one can trace, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

My Thoughts : 

After what happened in The Lost Paula is struggling with a life changing decision. Her secret is weighing on her and she has no one to confide in. Then she gets a call to say that a baby has been stolen from the hospital. Whats worse than a missing baby? Well she is about to find out!! 

All I can say is this was amazing! I fell in love with the characters in The Lost but this just takes it to a new level. 

Its always hard reading about kids being kidnapped but when its babies its so much worse!! Add in to the mix someone stealing babies right from the womb, well lets just say I cried a lot!!! Its a very emotional book. 

Paula as always is an awesome protagonist. She is independent, strong and smart but also shows a very vulnerable side in this book. She has such a hard decision to make and this case isn't making it any easier for her. Then she hears some news on her mother and she has no idea what to do. 

The setting again is fascinating. Its not as heavy on the information about the troubles this time but we still see the scars that are there. The case Paula is working on takes her from Ballyterrin to the remotes of Donegal and even to the south. 

The plot was very emotional and often brutal but the author made it such a way that you couldn't put the book down. From the very first page you are dragged into the story and have to keep reading to see what happens. 

With its twists and turns and gripping plot, engaging characters and descriptive writing, The Dead Ground is a amazing read. I cant not wait for more from Claire McGowan and highly recommend her.