The Secret Admirer by Carol Wyer

‘I tried to talk to you today but you snubbed me and walked away. It wasn’t wise to give me the brush-off, Gemma. I can be a truly good friend but I also make the perfect enemy.’

Sasha’s eighteen-year-old daughter Gemma was all she had in the world. Sasha fell pregnant with Gemma when she was still at school, and the two are as close as sisters. So when Gemma’s burned and broken body is found, Sasha’s world ends. What kind of person would want her beautiful daughter dead?

Leading the case is Detective Natalie Ward, scarred by her own recent tragedy. When she finds a note in Gemma’s diary from ‘a secret admirer’, she moves quickly, determined to un-mask them. But interviews with Gemma’s devastated ex-boyfriend, and her charismatic teacher, who has been seen embracing his student far away from the classroom, don’t give Natalie the answers she’d hoped for…

And then the case takes a devastating, personal twist. CCTV footage reveals Natalie’s estranged husband David followed Gemma home every evening the week before she died.

Natalie is forced to put personal feelings aside and follow procedure, even though she can’t believe David could be guilty. But when Gemma’s housemate is found murdered, Natalie thinks the killer could still be at large. Is she right to trust her instincts about David and can she discover the truth before another precious life is taken?

Grippingly fast and nail-bitingly tense, The Secret Admirer will have you flying through the pages long into the night. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter. 

Title: The Secret Admirer

Author: Carol Wyer

Publication Date: 2nd April 2020

Publishes By: Bookouture

Links:  UK:  Amazon  US  Amazon

Our Review

This is the sixth in the Natalie Ward series and wow Carol Wyer certainly puts her characters through their paces as Natalie faces her toughest case yet.

If ever a book shows that actions have consequences then this is it.

The book starts with an horrific attack on a young girl called Gemma and quickly escalates to more bodies being found.

Natalie and her team are under immense pressure to find the killer before they strike again.

As always the momentum of Carol’s books carry you along so fast and really make you feel part of the investigation and I’d say that from midway until the end my heart was pounding as I teetered on the edge of my seat as various channels of investigation were exposed.

What I’ve enjoyed most about this series is watching how Natalie has evolved as a person as each book takes her to a different stage of her personal life. When she speaks to Gemma’s mum she is able to communicate with her on a completely different level because of sharing the same type of loss.

Natalie is constantly being pulled in so many different directions as she tries to be the best detective, mother, wife and eventually lover but she never ever gets a chance to find out who she is as she never has time to herself. Natalie has always been a flawed character from the beginning but I think she’s learned a lot from what’s happened to her and in some ways although heartbroken for ever she seems to have found some sort of peace. I really think she deserves a holiday somewhere exotic that she can unwind and as she lives in a fictional world, unlike us, she should be able to do so.

I’ve completely loved this series and although the case is solved I think Natalie's private life has been left on bit of a cliff-hanger so I'll be waiting with baited breath until book seven comes out in July.

Well done Carol Wyer this series has been incredibly heart-breaking, gripping and left me with a sense of hope that Natalie can pick up the pieces of her life and move on to a happier future.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author


Carol Wyer garnered a loyal following as an author of romantic comedies, and won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction (2015). In 2017 she stepped from comedy to the “dark side” and embarked on a series of thrillers, featuring the popular DI Robyn Carter, which earned her recognition as a crime writer.

The Staffordshire-based writer now has more crime novels in the pipeline, although she can still sometimes be found performing her stand-up comedy routine Laugh While You Still Have Teeth.

https://www.carolwyer.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolEWyer/

https://twitter.com/carolewyer

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14925467.Carol_Wyer 

Tell Me Your Secret by Dorothy Koomson

Pieta has a secret.
Ten years ago, Pieta was kidnapped by a man calling himself The Blindfolder who said he wouldn't kill her if she kept her eyes closed for 48 hours. She never told anyone what happened to her, vowing to move on with her life. But when The Blindfolder starts hunting down his past victims, Pieta realises she may finally be forced to tell her deepest secret to stay alive . . .

Jody has a secret.
Fifteen years ago, policewoman Jody made a terrible mistake that resulted in a serial killer known as The Blindfolder escaping justice. When Jody discovers journalist Pieta survived an attack by him, she realises she may finally have found a way to catch him. But that would mean endangering at least two innocent people . . .

They kept quiet to protect themselves.

Will telling all save or sacrifice each other?

Title: Tell Me Your Secret

Author: Dorothy Koomson

Published By: Headline

Publication Date: 27th June 2019

Links: Uk:   Amazon       US:    Amazon

WHSmith       Waterstones        Kobo

Our Review

I have loved every single one of Dorothy’s books. Each has a unique quality, all have emotionally charged themes, character driven plots and fantastic storylines which have got progressively darker. I have to say though that this was by far the darkest one yet.

The story was told by alternating between Detective Inspector Jody Foster and journalist Pieta Rawlings. Two strong women who are brought together by the investigation into an horrendous serial killer called the Blindfolder, but also by the horrendous secrets they are keeping and the fact that certain death awaits them if they tell anyone.

One observation that I found so realistic and upsetting is that both of these women, for different reasons, felt so guilty because they blamed themselves for the women being killed because of something they didn’t do when in fact the killer was entirely to blame for the murders.

The premise behind the kidnappings and killings was absolutely chilling and terrifying.

Pieta was a very guarded character and it becomes apparent throughout the story just why she is the way she is and that her ultimate goal was to keep her young son safe.

Her story gripped me by the heart and twisted it so painfully, especially after something she said on page 310 which filled me with fury because that does happen in real life. I've seen cases on the news and think it’s disgusting that women and their children are put through this sort of thing.

DI Jody Foster’s story was equally heartbreaking, she was consumed with guilt about her sister’s death and was determined to avenge her. But she also had to maintain the professionalism that is required for her job.

This was a fast paced compelling storyline that raises painful questions about extremely emotive situations and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I'm already looking forward to Dorothy’s next book.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Dorothy Koomson is the award-winning author of 14 novels and has been making up stories since she was 13 when she used to share her stories with her convent school friends. Her published titles include: The Friend, When I Was Invisible, That Girl From Nowhere, The Flavours of Love, The Woman He Loved Before, Goodnight, Beautiful and The Chocolate Run.

Dorothy’s first novel, The Cupid Effect, was published in 2003 (when she was quite a bit older than 13). Her third book, My Best Friend’s Girl, was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads of 2006 and went on to sell over 500,000 copies. While her fourth novel, Marshmallows For Breakfast, has sold in excess of 250,000 copies. Dorothy’s books, The Ice Cream Girls and The Rose Petal Beach were both shortlisted for the popular fiction category of the British Book Awards in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Dorothy’s novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and a TV adaptation loosely based on The Ice Cream Girls was shown on ITV1 in 2013. After briefly living in Australia, Dorothy now lives in Brighton.

For more information on Dorothy Koomson visit www.dorothykoomson.co.uk

The Dare by Carol Wyer

Jane’s daughter is a good girl. But what is she hiding?

When thirteen-year-old Savannah Hopkins doesn’t come straight home from school as she always does, her mother Jane immediately raises the alarm. With her blonde ponytail and red school jumper, someone must have spotted Savannah.

Detective Natalie Ward is determined to help the distraught mother – her own daughter is the same age as Savannah. But before Natalie and her team can get started, their worst fears are confirmed when the teenager’s broken body is found in nearby shrubland.

Evidence points towards a local recluse, but just as Natalie closes the net around him, one of Savannah’s friends, Harriet, is reported missing. Harriet might look grown up and sophisticated but she is only fourteen…

As Natalie delves into the lives of both girls, she soon discovers a sinister video on both their phones, daring the girls to disappear from their families for 48 hours. She’s sure this is the key to the case, but before she can act, Harriet’s body is found discarded on a roadside.

Natalie’s superiors don’t have to put any extra pressure on Natalie. Devastated, she and her team work without sleep, watching that video over and over. But just as she thinks they’re getting close, the person Natalie loves more than anything goes missing.

Natalie is no stranger to loss. She is terrified and the clock is ticking. Can she push through her fear to catch this depraved killer, before her loved one becomes the next victim?

This gripping rollercoaster of a read will have you up in the small hours turning the pages. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Caine and Robert Dugoni will love The Dare. 

Title: The Dare 

Author: Carol Wyer (Book 3 Detective Natalie Ward crime thriller series)

Published By: Bookouture

Publication Date: 25th April 2019

Links; Amazon

 

Our Review

If you want to read something that makes your blood pump through your body at a hundred miles an hour then this is the book for you.

Flawed detective Natalie Ward embarks on another thrilling investigation where time runs out far too quickly for her to catch a serial killer who kidnaps and murders teenage girls. The subject matter is very upsetting as you would expect with a serial killer book. The premise of the Dare is so very sinister and something that could realistically be done in this age of online challenges that young people can be so tempted with these days. 

The whodunnit elements are brilliant as there are so many suspects to choose from and the threads are very cleverly interwoven with no loose hands left hanging. The descriptions are so vivid that I felt like I was completely immersed in the investigation and helping to find the killer as the plot tore along at an incredible pace. 

As with all of Carol’s crime books we are given an insight into the killer’s thought process and why they do what they do and dare I say I actually feel a bit sorry for them for what happened to them in the past, however that empathy does not stretch to the murderous version of them as they are usually particularly evil.

I really want to be a detective when I read Carol’s books.

I just have one problem with this book and that is that it was over too quickly.

I already can’t wait for the next one in the series.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Carol Wyer is an award-winning author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping thrillers.

Her book, GRUMPY OLD MENOPAUSE won The People's Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

Carol moved to the ‘dark side’ in 2017 with as series of thrillers. LITTLE GIRL LOST became the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and a Top 150 USA Today best-seller.

The DI Robyn Carter and DI Natalie Ward series have sold over half a million copies, earning her acclaim as a crime writer.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly' featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer.

Carol also blogs at www.carolwyer.com

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