After falling in love with the Reilly Steel series I was looking forward to reading this one. The series follows both the forensic side and the police part of the investigation which I love. It can get a bit heavy on the sciency details though.

There are 2 different storylines running alongside each other in this book. The first one is the main murders. Single women are being murdered by gourmet food with a poisonous kick. Reilly is also investigating a cold case that has been reignited by evidence found at the end of one of the previous books (Hidden). This case involves the sister of one of the lab techs that went missing many years ago.

I have to admit, this book was my least favourite of the series. I found the portrayal of Reilly made her less likeable. There was also more focus on the personal lives of Reilly and Chris instead of the gritty murders. It was definitely less gripping than the rest of the series. In fact, I found some parts bordering on a tad boring. It was a much slower read than the others. I also guessed the murderer

That being said, I did still enjoy it. It's just when you compare it to the rest of the series it's lacking. I will still be reading the rest of the series, especially with the development in Reilly's life. I need to see what happens with that.

I was expecting so much from this book but it really wasn't for me. This book is from the POV of the killer. It follows him as he goes about his day to day life as your average normal guy. However, he has a dark hobby which includes kidnapping and murdering random women.

First off, you never actually know the guys' name and we don't know where it is set. The majority of the book was pretty boring with only a couple of chapters actually being of any interest. The violence also seemed unnecessarily graphic. There wasn't really a single likeable character.

A lot of the book focuses on how amazing the killer is for killing under the radar and never being caught. He constantly makes out that he's always one step ahead of the police. However, throughout the book, he makes so many stupid mistakes and weird decisions that it's hard to believe that he wasn't caught sooner.

I kept going to see how it ended but kind of wish I hadn't. It wasn't worth it. The ending was just a bit of a mess.

The Police were completely unbelievable. The development of Erica's character didn't really make sense. The friend he made suddenly appeared and was then giving him alibis and a car no questions asked. The love interests reaction to him, in the end, was a tad ridiculous. There is also very limited information on his backstory which makes it difficult to understand him.

All in all, this is not a book I would recommend which is a shame because it could have been really good.

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

I am a new Lisa Regan fan but I absolutely love her books. Her Mothers Grave is the 3rd book in the Josie Quinn Series. It could be read as a stand-alone but it definitely works better read in order. You get to see Josie’s development and understand her relationships with other characters better.

I flew through the first 2 books so was so glad to get my hands on this one. I honestly could not pick my favourite out of the 3. After falling in love with Josie and her strength we get to dive into her past and found out what made her who she is today.

A 30 year old skeleton of a teenage girl is found by 2 boys behind the trailer park and identified as Belinda Rose. Belinda Rose is her mothers' name. In order to solve the case, Josie has to go back to somewhere she has tried to forget. Her past.

I could not put this book down. It is both devastating and gripping. It switches between the present and Josie at different ages in the past. Reading about her horrific childhood was just heartbreaking but helps us understand her character more. I guessed what one of the twists was a little bit before it was revealed but that doesn’t ruin it at all. The twist is bittersweet for Josie as it gives her answers but also leaves her with a lot of what ifs. The ending was as explosive and dramatic as expected.

I really hope we will get to see more of Josie Quinn because I need to know what happens to her and I really want to see what happens between her and Noah

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange of an honest review

I would just like to start this review by saying how dare you end a book like that? Why would you do that to me? I need to next instalment right now. I honestly don’t know how I am going to wait a whole year.

Expose is the 3rd book in the Dr Anna Schwartzman series and I would definitely recommend reading them in order due to events that take place in Schwartzman’s personal life regarding her abusive ex (I don't think I have ever hated a character more).

Schwartzman is a medical examiner and works closely with Detective Hal Harris. I love their chemistry together and they are both such loveable characters. There are quite a lot of scientific explanations and terms which can be a bit long but I like that kind of stuff. Expose is a bit of a slow starter but it soon picked up speed and kept me hooked.

There is the main crime involving the murder of a Muslim lady and a black man which are seemingly unconnected and have very limited clues. This then runs alongside events in Schwartzman's personal life. Both storylines work well together and are well balanced.

The story is told mainly from Schwartzman and Hal’s point of view but there’s also a woman called Tabitha, Bitty for short. I struggled with Bitty as I wasn’t a massive fan of her character and nothing she did seemed to make sense. It did all come together in the end though, especially with the suspense created around the mysterious Bengal.

If you love forensic science and crime thriller series then I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I could not get into this book and I found the writing style hard to read. The no quotation marks made it really difficult to keep conversations straight and I was constantly having to reread them.

Grist Mill Road opens with a pretty graphic scene involving Hannah being shot repeatedly with a BB gun. If you don’t like graphic violence then definitely skip this one. The book then switches between 1982 and 2008 and between the 3 characters. Some chapters are written in the first person and others in the third and it just didn’t seem to flow very well. I also found the 2008 chapters so boring that I either zoned out or ended up skim reading. I didn’t connect with any of the characters which in turn made it difficult to care about their story. It’s such a shame because the synopsis sounded so interesting. Don’t think I’ll be reading more from this author in a hurry

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Truth & Lies was my introduction to Caroline Mitchell and it is safe to say I will definitely be reading more of her work as soon as possible.

D I Amy Winters hopes to follow in the steps of her highly respected police officer father. Unfortunately, her world is turned upside down when she finds out that the Grimes, notorious serial killer duo, are her biological parents. Her mother is willing to reveal the location of 3 victims if she plays along with her games. Whilst Amy comes to term with this and tries to work the case without anyone finding out her secret there is also another case of a missing girl to solve before it’s too late.

We get to discover parts of Amy’s past as an when she remembers them. It’s honestly chilling to witness how evil Lillian is whilst coming across as your average middle-aged woman and manipulating everyone around her.

I loved Amy’s character and it was nice to witness a strong female character who was also allowed to be vulnerable. It was also interesting to see how Amy matched up to Lillian's manipulations. I also really liked Paddy and getting an insight into his life which I think Caroline handled very well. The ending was definitely not expected and it made me a tad emotional.

Truth & Lies is a fast-paced thriller with a few unexpected twists which I could not put down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series to be out to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

The Killer hides in the darkness of their homes and then hangs his victims to make them pay for crimes they have tried to leave in the past. As the vigilante racks up more deaths, Matilda struggles to find any answers. With zero forensics and information being leaked to the press, the pressure is on. When she is personally targeted everyone she knows, including her well-trusted colleagues, fall under suspicion.

The Hangman’s Hold sucked me in from the very first chapter and kept me hooked until the very last one. It’s a fast-paced read with all the nitty gritty gory details. Plenty of suspects are hinted at throughout the book and I was certain I knew who had done it but I was very wrong. The ending is intense, exciting and heartbreaking. I felt so many emotions in the last few chapters.

There are plenty of characters but I didn’t find it overwhelming and I managed to keep everyone straight. I loved how they all interacted and the team is great. Matilda is a great main character and I definitely want to read more about her life.

This is the first book I have read by Michael Woods and I will definitely be adding more to my collection asap. Even though The Hangman’s Hold is the fourth book in the DCI Matilda Darke series it definitely works as a standalone. I didn’t feel like I was missing any vital information.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

First off I absolutely adore the cover art. It’s just beautiful. Unfortunately, that is my favourite part of the book.

Kiss her Goodbye is written from the POV of Hayley and DI Beverley. Hayley decides that if she can’t have Kirsten then no one can so she murders her and leaves her body in the river. The blurb claims that Kirsten and Hayley were best friends but they barely knew each other so that was a bit of a plot hole.

This book is a boring repetitive read with unlovable characters. We’re supposed to feel for DI Beverley and her messed up past but I found her a tad annoying. It’s such a slow read. I also struggled to picture the girls as college kids because they were so immature. All in all, not a book I would recommend. It’s definitely not the dark psychological thriller it promises to be which is a shame

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review