Not bad. It read like the main character should have been female - there were 3 or 4 times in the novel that I found it jolting to find out the main character was actually male (and, no, I don't know what that means).
There was a bit of political... hmmm... interruption in the story, which was, for the most part, well done. The story itself is pretty straight forward, and the bad guy isn't that big a surprise. I would read more by Trafford. ( )

Set in St. Louis, this readable novel gets into issues of race, bullying, juvenile justice, corruption, and daily life. I enjoyed it, and will read more of Trafford's work. ( )

Little Boy Lost is one of those books that right from the start felt right. I instantly liked and later came to love Justin Glass, his daughter and the rest of his family, well perhaps not so much his brother Lincoln who is, to be honest, a bit of a jerk now and then. I also love the story. I mean it starts off with Justin being hired by a little girl to find her brother and she is paying him through money from a cuss jar. Yeah, I know, I was sold right from the start.

This is the kind of book that is a true enjoyment from the beginning until the end, the case with the missing and then later found dead boy together with other dead boys are interesting, but I enjoyed as well everything that was going on around in Justin life, from his daughter getting bullied, to him getting a very assertive assistant that makes his working life much easier. The book deals with a lot of issues that plague our time, from racism to bullying. And, as Justin notice, a black man reporting a crime is most likely going to be treated as a suspect and it's awful to read about how violent the police are towards an unarmed man. That is one scene that is very disturbing because how many times haven't I read about a black man or a woman who is unarmed being killed in the US.

Now, the ending was not terribly surprising, but I liked it. It fitted the story. And, I would very much like to read more about Justin Glass and his family.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

This book started with lots of promise. I expected to love it, but ultimately I barely managed to get through to the end.

The description and title lead us to believe that the story centers around a murdered child, and, eventually, a group of murdered children. This is true only in the broadest sense. The children are a vague backdrop. We learn little about Devon Walker and pretty much nothing about the other dead boys. These dead children only serve to give the plot a launching point on the topic of racism.

We have several prominent subplots, giving this story a convoluted feel. We spend too much time on the issues of bullying, grief, extramarital affairs, and politics. These subplots distract from, rather than support, the main plot.

We also spend a whole lot of time on a local homeless man's court case that Justin Glass takes on. This case has absolutely nothing to do with the dead boys and, again, only takes focus away from what is supposed to be the main plot.

The issue of racism is the main focus throughout the book. By midway, this becomes too heavy-handed. Parts read much like nonfiction sociology books. The facts are correct and sad, and it's indeed a topic that needs to be discussed, but the writing feels preachy. Ironically, the author inadvertently ignores the dead boys in his effort to show that racism is responsible for everyone else ignoring the dead boys.

In the end, this isn't a thriller or even a crime novel; it's an exposition on racism within the police force and politics. Sadly, this comes at the expense of character and plot development. ( )

I loved the opening of this book. An 8 year old girl comes to Justin Glass, a lawyer, with a pickle jar filled with coins and a few bills. She wants to hire Justin to find her brother who has been missing for a month.

When Justin decides that he will look into it, what he finds is shocking. Someone is kidnapping and murdering black teenagers and burying them in the woods outside of St. Louis. Their one connection? They have all been in and out of the justice system since a very young age.

I really liked this book a lot. It reminded me of the Thomas Mullen books that deal with racial tensions and narrated by the blacks that are being prejudiced against. So there is actually a lot more going on in this book than just finding the little girl's brother.

An enjoyable read that I just sped through. The first book I've read by this author and it definitely won't be the last.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. ( )