As I didn't finish the first book, I didn't want to read the second, my review for the first book is below, sorry

Next Girl Missing – 3 stars

I was quite intrigued when I read the synopsis for this book and was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get into due to the constant flashbacks. I understand we need to know the back story but I felt it was just jumping around and not really explaining what was going on. I am sorry to say that I did not finish this book.

Wonderful! Love this series and thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my top reads of 2023! Do read this series - if not you are missing out! Just fabulous!

I have read the first book in this series. Her Deadly Truth is the second book in the Sally Fairburn series. I recommend reading the books in order.
Sally gets drawn into another murder investigation that throws unexpected situations at her. It’s a good thing Sally is a stubborn and strong minded lady!
A action packed story that left us once again on a cliffhanger.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book in the Sally Fairburn series and although you CAN read it as a standalone, you are far better off reading the first book, first :)

Sally is confronted by her neighbour, Carolyn, who tells her that her husband is trying to kill her. Sally is trying to live a quiet life, working in a bookshop, but trouble keeps on following her. Just days after Carolyn tells her about her husband's apparent plot to kill her, she is dead. It all SEEMS suspicious but Sally is no longer in the police force and there isn't much she can do to follow up on this. However, she has still got her instincts as a police officer and her instincts are telling her something is off.

Sally is clearly a talented woman and she loves her son, Paul, fiercely. She is trying to protect him, and herself, from something deadly coming her way, it seems. And of course, Carolyn's husband and friends are not the nicest bunch of people ever so there is a lot to unpack, here.

What is coming for Sally, I am sure we will figure out as we go along.

For me, this book didn't have my heart jumping out of my chest the way the first book did, but perhaps that is just me. Lots of threads coming together but still one or two loose ones ;)

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

4.25⭐

Her Deadly Truth is the second Sally Fairburn crime thriller and picks up about a year after Next Girl Missing.

With Sally and her son Paul still recovering from the shock of finding out who the Poster Killer really is and learning more horrific details about her ex-husband Scott and daughter Zelda's suicide. And whilst Scott is yet to pay for his crimes. Sally hasn't given up hope. Yet, she's determined not to have anything to do with the police or investigating crime. Especially after the notoriety she's earned from her involvement with the Poster Killer case.

However, it's not long before Sally is drawn back into an investigation. As her next door neighbour Carolyn having learnt of Sally's exploits is desperate for her help. As she believes her husband Matt is trying to kill her.

But surely Carolyn is just being paranoid?

Then she is murdered and she's not the only one.

And it soon becomes clear the killer has their eye firmly on Sally.

But why?

And why is the Poster Killer so keen to make contact with her?

And with great mystery and plenty of twists and turns. This was a really enjoyable and engaging read. It just didn't grab me the way Next Girl Missing did.

I would though happily recommend it to crime fiction fans everywhere.

Kept me guessing the whole time!… There were times when I was scared to read ahead… Will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is such an adrenaline rush!… I can’t say enough good things about this book or the author.

The second book featuring Sally Fairburn follows on around a year after the events in Next Girl Missing and finds Sally in a situation where she has left behind her job as a victim advocate. She now works in a bookstore, but her notoriety from solving the crimes chronicled in Next Girl Missing has prompted a visit from her next door neighbour, Carolyn.

The meeting reveals that Carolyn believes her husband is trying to kill her. She wants to hire Sally to investigate the possibility that she is being poisoned. But this is not the life that Sally wants to lead, she’s no investigator and refuses to take the job, a decision she almost immediately regrets when Carolyn dies of apparent heart failure only a few days later.

In the meantime, a man with whom she was instrumental in sending to prison, Richard Foster, has been making contact with her by sending flowers and making phone calls. This is a deeply disturbing turn of events, him knowing her new address as well as her cell phone number. He’s been locked away but somehow he’s able to reach out to her, making it known that he wants her to visit him. He has information for her. The question is: Does she want to hear it?

In this second book in the series, we discover that Sally is continuing to recover after her marriage to a lying, domineering husband who nearly ground her down to nothing. The road has been long but over the intervening time since he left, she has become a far more confident and competent woman who has taken to the role of amateur investigator very well. Between her and her son Paul as well as good friend Margie a strong bond has been formed and they each display great strength of character.

This murder mystery quickly becomes a multiple murder mystery and there’s little doubt that the killer is starting to take a strong interest in Sally herself. The result is a gripping race to uncover the truth in a tension-filled drama involving not only Sally but her family and friends too.

If there is a weakness in the story it would lie at the feet of Sally herself and the inconsistency in her nature. On the one hand she is often paralysed by doubts and insecurities, allowing others to walk over her on minor details. In the other, she rushes into extremely dangerous situations - life threatening altercations - without giving any thought to her own or her son’s welfare. Perhaps this is part of her continuing development and we’re about to see another radical change in what I can only anticipate will be another book in the series.

Overall, Her Deadly Truth is a solid thriller that, for the second time (make sure you read Next Girl Missing first), effectively drew me into the small Washington state community and the dangers that seem to seek Sally out.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC to read and enjoy in order to produce this review.

This is a great crime thriller.
Sally is now well known for catching a killer when the Police had no luck, so she now has people approaching her asking for help.
One of these people is her neighbour, Carolyn, and she tells Sally that she thinks her husband is trying to kill her.
Within days, Carolyn is dead.
Sally wants to find her killer but someone else seems to be following her and breaking into her home causing problems for her and her son.
This is a great crime thriller with a few red herrings to keep you guessing.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

As with the first book in this series I really enjoyed the characters, even the “bad guy” in jail. This one kept you guessing throughout. The depth of this writing makes the characters feel like real people which make the experience totally immersive. This had a nice pace to it and was a great length for the story it told. It had some great suspenseful moments. Overall this was a great read. My one critique is that I was getting really tired of hear how much Sally loved her son, how she would do anything for him, how he was her whole world. This sentiment occurs virtually every chapter. It’s redundant and got to be a little much

Thanks to bookouture and netgalley. What a great second book in the sally fairburn series.. when sallys new neighbour carolyn tate asks to meet her away from the house, sally is intrigued. When they meet sally is shocked to find out that carolyn thinks her husband matt is trying to poison her.. The same day carolyn arrives in the emergency room and sadly loses her life. Is there any truth in what sally was told?. Then lauren, one of carolyns friends is found murdered. She was also hiding something, but what could it be???? Sally wants justice for carolyn, as she digs further someone doesnt want her to uncover the truth. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her and her son?. Great read, rollercoaster of emotions reading through this. There are twists, turns, lies, deceit it has it all, highley recommend. I do hope there is a book 3

Thank you to NetGalley, L.A. Larkin, and Bookouture for an ARC copy of Her Deadly Truth.
Sally Fairburn is back in her ‘Her Deadly Truth’. Prepare to be immersed in a heart-pounding crime thriller that will keep you engaged from start to finish.

Sally's neighbour Carolyn Tate is scared that her own husband is trying to kill her and asks her for help. When Carolyn winds up dead, Sally is determined to seek justice for her death. Although Carolyn suspected her husband, Sally finds no evidence he was involved. And Carolyn’s best friends are strangely quick to defend him.

Her Deadly Truth will leave you sleepless, eagerly turning the pages until the shocking conclusion. I'm excited to read the next book in the Sally Fairburn series and I highly recommend adding this one to your reading list.

Her Deadly Truth by L. A. Larkin is a gripping crime thriller that had me on edge from the first chapter. Larkin vividly describes a taut story of a serial killer, the victims, and the detectives. The suspense and action throughout this thriller were non-stop as the main character, Sally Fairburn stumbles through the clues to solve the case. Larking puts a final spin on the end of this crime novel that you don't foresee.
#thankyouNETGALLEYforthisheart-stoppingstory

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a great read as it really had you wondering who the killer/s were. Sally really risked her life going after people who were really dangerous. I found the ending to be interesting. Would love to read more of this series.

Her Deadly Truth (A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller Book 2)
by L.A. Larkin
Pub Date: 16 Jun 2023

Just like book 1 of A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller series, Next Girl Missing, I found Her Deadly Truth (A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller Book 2) a very intense read. It was another on the edge of your seat thriller read from the beginning until the final page.

A great plot with many twists and turns throughout the entire book up until the ending. May I also say the ending ended with a big cliffhanger which has me hoping there will be a Book 3 in the future!

Thank you to #Netgalley, #Bookouture and author, #LALarkin for the opportunity to read this 5 star thriller before the publication date of 6/16/2023.

Synopsis:
For weeks, Carolyn Tate ’s suspicions that her husband is trying to kill her have been ignored—by her neighbors, her friends and even her family. But just two hours after her last attempt to make someone listen, her body is discovered. Carolyn’s neighbor, ex-police officer Sally Fairburn , is determined to seek justice for her friend’s death. But although Carolyn suspected her husband, Sally finds no evidence he was involved. Was Carolyn right or was it someone else that killed her?

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Her Deadly Truth’, the second Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller written by L A Larkin, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Sally Fairburn’s new neighbour Carolyn insists that her husband Matt is trying to kill her but nobody believes her until someone gets her to ingest poison and she dies. Sally agrees to help find Carolyn’s killer but someone in the background thinks she knows more than she does and is following her. Sally doesn’t believe her life is at risk until she receives a note through her letterbox saying ‘I’m Watching You’ and her fifteen-year-old son Paul is threatened with a finger drawn across his throat. Sally isn’t a police officer but s feels it’s up to her to find the answers.

‘Her Deadly Truth’ is a fantastic sequel to the first Sally Fairburn thriller and has had me every bit as involved as ‘Next Girl Missing’. From page one I was gripped with the plot that kept springing surprises, and every twist and turn brought up a whole host of possible suspects. The storyline is compelling, tense and dramatic and as I got closer to the final pages the suspense was palpable until I couldn’t stop reading. I like the character of Sally, an ordinary mum who works in the local bookshop but is able to get the evidence Detectives Clarke and Lin are unable to. As the book draws to a conclusion, someone is still out there watching Sally so I’m afraid the author has no option but to write another in this remarkable series – I can’t wait!

Devastated I have to DNF this one. It has my only trigger (stalking) and often that's fine for me BUT when Larkin writes so well, it's induces a level of fear that I just can't keep going. I will make sure to praise this in my Goodreads review because it is outstanding, but not good for my mental health sorry and thank you. I will send typos of first 30% in notes.

Ex-police officer Sally Fairburn has left her job as a victim’s advocate after her narrow escape from serial killer Richard Foster. She is now working in a bookstore and her son Pail is doing well. When neighbour newly-wed Carolyn Tate asks to meet her for coffee one day, she thinks she is just being friendly but Carolyn tells Sally she thinks her husband is trying to kill her and asks for her help. A few days later Carolyn is taken to hospital with a suspected overdose and dies.

This second novel in the Sally Fairburn series is a gripping, fast paced read. The mystery has many twists and turns and is not an easy one to solve. Carolyn’s husband does have secrets from his new wife, but her friends are also behaving strangely. Sally also keeps receiving flowers and messages from serial killer Richard Foster. For someone locked up in jail he seems to know a lot about what is happening on the outside. Sally is also convinced she is being stalked by a man who has also threatened Paul. The final paragraph of the novel suggests that although Sally might think she’s finally put fighting crime behind her, it’s not about to let her go yet!

Loved this book , such a great story , read book 1 and 2 straight after , so well written and the main characters were really interesting, I loved the way the story unfolded and followed through in both books . Will definitely be looking to read more by this author . Really highly recommend this addictive read. .

The second Sally Fairborn mystery finds her investigating when a neighbor thinks she is being poisoned by her husband. A year after the events of book one, Sally thinks she is finally moving on - she has a job at a bookstore, and her son seems to be doing ok. Then her neighbor Carolyn comes to Sally asking for help because she thinks her husband is poisoning her. Sally isn’t sure, but before she can really investigate, Carolyn dies mysteriously. It turns out to be poison and Sally is immediately suspicious of the husband. Meanwhile, Sally is also dealing with notes and calls from the person she recently sent to jail claiming they can help her. Can she trust this person?

Another great mystery! I’m really enjoying this series. I think it has good pacing and good clues. I’m curious to see where Sally’s relationship with the culprit from book 1 is going to go and if there will be a romance plot for Sally with the detective. The one thing I thought was not believable here was that Sally, seemingly intelligent, kept believing the stalker had to have a beard and certain hair. I think she would be smart enough to realize he could shave, wear a wig, etc. besides that, another good book is this series!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Number two in the Sally Fairburn series and another enjoyable read.
Having just finished number two I was expecting a different story, especially in the subplot, but that seems to be left for another day, but in no way was this a letdown. A gripping main plot about murder, greed and love and a very cunning villain I never saw coming.
I'm so looking forward to reading what happens next in Sally’s world.