I have recently become hooked on the Charlie Stafford series by Sarah Flint. Broken dolls is the 4th book in the series and it can be read as a stand-alone without giving anything away but I definitely recommend reading them all in order.

The body of a premature baby is found tossed out with the rubbish. Whilst DC Charlie Stafford and DI Hunter try and work out where she came from and where the mother is, the beaten body of a well-known prostitute, Redz, is found. These cases take the police into the dark world of the sex and drugs trade.

I absolutely adore Charlie and Hunters characters but every character is so well written. The story switches between the points of views of Charlie and Caz, a prostitute who shared a pimp with Redz. There are 2 murders running alongside each other but they work well together and are easy to keep straight.

The story was pretty intense with a lot of detail on sex trafficking and prostitution along with drug use. Bear that in mind if you are triggered by abuse, rape or drug use. It definitely kept me hooked and the ending was not what I expected. I pretty much suspected everyone except the actual person. It was dark and gritty and I need more. I also need more of Charlie and Ben in my life.

It’s slightly slower paced than the other books in the series which is why it isn’t my favourite. However I still thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for more. If you love Angela Marsons or M.J Arlidge then you need to check out Sarah Flint.

Thank you to Aria and Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review