Review: The Girls Next Door (Detective Eden Berrisford Crime Thriller Series Book 1) by Mel Sherratt

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Scheduled Release Date: October 27, 2016

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I absolutely loved this book. So much so, that I had to complete it in one day, I had to know what was going to happen, it just totally drew me in!

This is the first novel that I've read by Mel Sherratt, but it certainly will not be the last.  I enjoy reading Police Procedurals, but this one is different than ones I've read in the past. 

Detective Eden Berrisford is on the hunt for the suspects who have been attacking teenagers in the area.  All this, after sixteen year old Deanna Barker was murdered.  The story is already intense, but when Eden realizes her neice Jess has gone missing, then all bets are off. She's determined to find the kidnapper and bring Jess home safely...but time is running out.

The characters in the story are well developed and quite believable. It's easy to believe that the situations they find themselves in could happen in our world. I really enjoyed the interactions of Eden and her team, and can't wait to read more about them in the future. The story is quickly paced and doesn't get boring. On the contrary I didn't want to put it down.  I highly recommend this book! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this novel for an honest and unbiased review, also a huge thank you to THE Book Club on Facebook TBConFB for introducing me to some great authors! 

Review: Flowers For The Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite

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Where do I even start? Wow!  What a great read. You need to put this on your 'to be read list' seriously.  

Adam Bourne is a serial killer.  But, he believes he is a saviour. He's only killing the women that he's fallen in love with to save them from their lives and to make them happy.   Adam meets Laura Weir, and begins to 'woo' her... only she has no idea what is happening, no idea she's become the object of affection to a twisted serial killer. She only knows there are strange things happening around her, and no one seems to want to listen to her.  

This is the first book that I've read by Barbara Copperthwaite and I can assure you it won't be the last. She has weaved an incredible story about a serial killer, and she has managed to make me feel sorry for Adam, to wish more for him and I saw his life through his eyes.   It is actually an incredibly dark tale, of a man who stalks the women he 'falls in love with' learning everything he can about them in order to 'woo' them and make them fall in love with him in return. When they don't reciprocate his love, he must 'save' them.  

One of the things I loved and found really interesting was the way Adam would 'talk' through the flowers. I didn't realize so many flowers had meanings, and it's got me very curious and I'd like to learn more about that.  It's an interesting way for him to communicate when he doesn't have the words... 

There are many flashbacks through the story, to when Adam was growing up, and we learn what has made him into the sociopath that he is today.  We know how he sees these women, how much he yearns for love, how lonely he really is.  Another thing I loved about this story, is it is told by several points of view so not only do we understand and learn about Adam, but we also learn about Laura and her past, what's made her struggle with life today and dealing with the realization that she's got a stalker and the detective, Mike who is working on the case, the loss of his wife and dealing with being a single dad. I hope to see more about Mike in upcoming books, he is a great character! 

Excellent, excellent read! For an author to make me feel the way I did about such a twisted, sadistic character... I wouldn't have thought it possible for me to actually root for a serial killer.  I would have rated this higher than 5 stars if I could!   Highly recommended! Go read this.. now! 

Thank you to TBC (THE Book club on Facebook) for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  I'm so glad I read this!