MAUREEN BOYLE

“CHILD LAST SEEN takes the reader on an intense and suspenseful journey across multiple decades, as investigators refuse to give up on the mystery of a fifteen-year-old girl who goes missing in 1965. Full of insight and compassion, Boyle’s writing delves deep into character and community and will keep you on edge until the very end.” Jan Brogan, author of The Combat Zone: Murder, Race and Boston’s Struggle for Justice, Final Copy, and The Hallie Ahern Mystery Series

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 “Maureen Boyle has done it again. CHILD LAST SEEN is a meticulously reported, beautifully written true-crime thriller so compelling and well-paced that I couldn’t put it down. With its detailed look at small-town America in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the vulnerability to evil of innocent children, and the dogged police work that resurrected a tragic cold case, CHILD LAST SEEN may be Boyle’s best book yet.” Elaine McArdle, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind

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“Maureen Boyle’s latest true-crime effort is a thrill ride, a story of justice delayed, but not to be denied. Patty Desmond’s murder investigation is a study in the emerging forensic methods of the day and Boyle chronicles it all in meticulous technical detail. But Boyle’s real gift is her grasp of the humanity of her subjects. From the time we are introduced to Patty, Boyle never lets us forget that everyone involved—from the victim to the investigators to the killer himself—is a real person driven by real human emotions and frailties.” Chris Gonsalves, author of Haunted Golf: Spirited Tales from the Rough and Haunted Love: Tales of Ghostly Soulmates, Spooky Suitors and Eternal Love

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“A riveting true crime story with the visceral resonance of a thriller. Don’t miss this one!” Sue Coletta, bestselling author of the award-winning Mayhem Series

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“Three people are able to keep a secret as long as two are dead. A murder committed by a single person and witnessed by no one is nearly a perfect crime. The author captures the frustrations and setbacks experienced by investigators as they investigate a murder with no body and no witnesses. It is said that the name of the murderer will appear in the very first few pages of many ‘cold case’ police reports, the police are just unable to obtain enough hard evidence to lead to an arrest. Here is a success story! CHILD LAST SEEN demonstrates the perseverance, the passion, and the know-how of the detectives who are finally able to bring a brutal murderer to justice. A great ride that takes me back to my days of frustration as I read through boxes of cold case files for the Pennsylvania State Police, and to the sense of exhilaration and pride of finally being able to close a case that affected so many lives.” Cpl. Chris Birckbichler (Ret.) Pennsylvania State Police

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