Following on from the dramatic events in Next Victim, DCI Rachel King has a new murder case. And once again her personal life is put under scrutiny due to her past relationship with crook Jed McAteer.

Agnes, a seemingly kind woman who helps the homeless and runaways is murdered and the police find a second body at the murder scene. Both women have been killed with a single gun shot to the head, execution style. The investigation takes on a new dimension as they discover the identity of the second victim and the case involves gangs and sex trafficking.

Rachel’s team are thwarted by a rival police force investigating the gang element, and are warned to stay away. But tenacious Rachel is determined that her murder victims will receive justice.

Added to this situation is Jed’s ownership of the murder site so it is impossible for Rachel to avoid her former love.

I don’t normally enjoy gang related stories as I can’t really identify with that sort of lifestyle. However, the author cleverly makes the gang element relevant to readers of my age and background by showing the human element through Agnes’ attempts to help the women being trafficked and controlled.

I enjoyed the further character development of Rachel. Her past continues to impact on her present, both in personal and professional terms. Her future remains uncertain due to her links with Jed and the secrets she is hiding from her family which might also affect her career.

Two Victims is a solid and interesting police procedure novel. The police characters are all strong with believable personal backgrounds, and they work well together as a team whilst also trying to promote their own career prospects. There are clinical forensic details but not any gratuitous violence or graphic detail.

Helen H. Durrant has written other police series and I have reviewed Dead Guilty.

Two Victims (Detective Rachel King #2) by Helen H Durrant

MEET DETECTIVE RACHEL KING IN THIS BRILLIANT NEW CRIME SERIES. DISCOVER A BRAND NEW MYSTERY FROM #1 BEST-SELLING AUTHOR HELEN H. DURRANT THAT WILL HAVE YOU GRIPPED FROM START TO PULSATING FINISH.

A MURDERED WOMAN FOUND ON A BUILDING SITE. EXECUTED BY A SINGLE GUN SHOT. BUT WORSE IS TO COME. ANOTHER BODY IS FOUND BURIED IN THE SAME PLACE.

Detective Rachel King has two victims to deal with. The first woman was local nurse, Agnes Moore. One of the victim’s friends makes contact but then disappears. Does Rachel have a serial killer on her hands? And what was Agnes really helping local girls with?

Will Rachel’s former lover, well-know villain Jed McAteer come back to haunt her with his connections to the victims.

Who will pay the ultimate price next?

A MYSTERY WITH A STUNNING TWIST AND A RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE HER CAREER AND STOP A MURDER SPREE.

Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Mark Billingham.

DCI Rachel King. Thirty-nine year-old mother of two teenage daughters. Divorced from Alan. She lives in the Cheshire village of Poynton – about ten miles from central Manchester. She is good at her job, gets results but does make mistakes. One of them was getting involved with a budding villain in her teens. No one, family, friends or colleagues know anything about this.

ALSO BY HELEN H. DURRANT

RACHEL KING

Book 1: Next Victim

Book 2: Two Victims

Kayla is a typical teenager with a love of basketball. Her world revolves around the friends and enemies of school life and her sports passion. But she has been hiding a secret pain in her leg.

Cancer.

At only 15 years old.

Devastating for Kayla but with huge impact for her family too. Her parents Heather and Gavin split up years ago but have remained friendly. Now her dad is married to Charlotte and they have a daughter together, Molly.

Both mothers are determined to try to protect their daughters but can they do it at the expense of the other? Molly may be a match so could help Kayla’s treatment but the process is painful. Gavin is stuck in the middle, wanting to look after both girls and trying to negoatiate relationships with his wife and his ex.

The Forever Gift is written from the narrative perspectives of Heather, Chatlotte and Kayla. This is a clever device to show the different viewpoints and challenge your own thoughts on what you think you would do in similar circumstances.

The situation and dilemmas facing the parents are heartbreaking and author Brooke Harris has dealt with the issue of childhood cancer with great sensitivity. It is so easy to get caught up in the plot and feel an emotional connection with the characters.

I fully admit that I would usually not choose this type of book as, since becoming a parent, tales of sick children are almost unbearable to read. However, I am glad that I read The Forever Gift as the author has written a truly beautiful book that is full of hope and love despite the unfolding tragedy.

I defy anyone to manage to read the final quarter of this book without crying!

USA Today bestselling author Brooke Harris is undoubtedly a bibliophile. She is proud to be someone who opens the middle pages of a book and inhales deeply.

Josie is just recovering from the last dramatic murder at her guesthouse (see my review of A Twist in the Tail) when a skeleton is discovered during the renovations. It is the body of Jedediah Biddeford and has been there for a couple of centuries. Coincidentally his family are staying at the guesthouse.

There is a legend that treasure is near by and the deceased’s family want to find it! Then one of Jed’s descendants is found murdered: is there a link to the mysterious treasure…? Or did Jed’s ghost unleash a curse…?

Josie continues to be a likeable character and the dimension of the cats investigating the murder and trying to communicate with her really raises this series and gives a fun element to the narrative.

There are lots of suspects for Josie and her friends to investigate, including her own employee Flora, a maid with an aversion to cleaning. There is also the romantic undercurrent between Josie and Mike which continues from the previous book as well as the rivalry with the other local guesthouse owner.

I really enjoyed this quick light-hearted read with a deadly mystery at its heart. The inclusion of recipes at the end is a lovely touch (if you try them out then I hope you have more success than Josie!)

Title: A Whisker in the Dark

Author:  Leighann Dobbs   

Publication Day: 31/07/19

Buy Link:        https://geni.us/B07RKCWRPRSocial

Description:

Discovering the 300-year-old skeleton of shipping tycoon Jedediah Biddeford in the ballroom wall is a big old hassle for Josie Waters, owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse. Especially when Biddeford’s descendants turn up, certain that a family legend about treasure buried nearby must be true.

Josie is too busy dreaming up the perfect cake for the Oyster Cove’s 250th anniversary celebration to worry about the Biddeford family – plus half the town – digging up her yard… until one of her guests is murdered in the guesthouse garden. 

With worries that her guesthouse will get a reputation for being the kind of place you only leave in a body bag, Josie must put her detective skills to work to find the killer. Lucky for her, Nero and Marlowe and their gang of cat sleuths are also on the case. 

From the old wharf, to the town common, to the guesthouse itself with its many nooks and crannies, the cats are sure to sniff out the killer… but can they help Josie stop the person behind the mysterious murder before they strike again?

A fantastic page-turner from a bestselling author, purrfeect for fans of Agatha Christie, Adele Abbott, cat lovers and everyone in between!

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty.

Her book “Dead Wrong” won the “Best Mystery Romance” award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.

Her book “Ghostly Paws” was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.

Social Media links

Website: http://www.leighanndobbs.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leighanndobbs

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks/

Following on from No One Ever Has Sex at a Wedding, the friends head off on a package holiday together. They meet up with a hen party and a ditched honeymooner. What could possibly go wrong…?

Abby wants to go out partying rather than spend time with her husband and child. Daniel has high expectations as he is used to luxurious holidays not package deals. Katy and Ben are trying to keep their own children entertained but also help desperate bride-to-be Cassie and dumped non-groom Olly.

This was an hilarious book but there was also some sadness. I could identify with Abby’s feeling of losing her identity even though I hated her behaviour and thought she was selfish especially as she reveals that her parents abandoned her on their holidays to enjoy themselves.

The style of writing is easy to read and light hearted. The events are extreme and VERY funny. I would go as far as saying this is the perfect feel good holiday book, expecially as it is sure to make you feel better about your own holiday chaos!

No-one Ever Has Sex on Holidayhttps://geni.us/B07RC2TH8BSocial

Get ready to enjoy your first holiday abroad with small children. Highlights include: being woken at 5 every morning and working a gruelling day in 30-degree heat chasing kids around the pool with a bottle of sunscreen. Added features: screaming during mealtimes and toddlers moaning about sand. Absolutely no sex guaranteed or your money back!