I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I think this one is even better.

The detectives, Alex and Chloe, are better developed in this book and I am enjoying the all-female partnership. The other characters in the book are interesting, especially the housemates at the centre of the investigation as they tell so many lies it is difficult to know who to trust. This leads to many twists and turns throughout.

Overall a great read, and I look forward to the next one.

Excellent job Ms. Jenkins on keeping the killer a secret until the end! And that wasn't the only really good twist in this story. Whiles detectives Alex King and Chloe Lane are trying to convince their supervisor that Kiera's fall from the balcony was no accident, her roommate is injured in a hit and run. Add to that another young woman who identifies a third housemate as the one who sold her friend almost lethal drugs, etc. There was a lot to manage between the covers of a single book, adding in the personal lives of King and Lane. I felt that the attention to continuing their stories was inconsistent throughout the book which was too bad because they are characters Ms. Jenkins makes you want to know more about. Hopefully a balance is found in the next book, which I will be sure to read!

I really enjoyed this one and think it was even better than the first in the series which I reviewed on my blog yesterday!  

I loved the plot in this book, the book was clearly well thought through and planned as the whole thing was spot on - the characters were great, excellent interaction between them to make the story even stronger and the twists and turns and fast pace was perfect and I was engaged throughout which was evident in how long it took me to read the book!  I read it in an evening and am really looking forward now to more in the series!  

Definitely recommend reading the books in order to get the most out of the series - a brilliant five stars for this one - a great page turner - I loved it!!

Victoria Jenkins Detectives King and Lane series is fast becoming one of my favourites. I loved the first book The Girls in the Water and The First One To Die is even better. If you’re a fan of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza, you have to read Victoria Jenkins.

At the beginning of the book Keira North falls to her death at a house party. DI Alex King is convinced that someone pushed her intentionally and she is put under pressure to find evidence that Kiera’s death wasn’t an accident, her boss is keen to put the resources they have to better use so Alex has to work quickly. But soon the body count begins to rise and DI King realises that Kiera’s housemates haven’t been entirely truthful with her. What has been going on in that house? What secrets have they been hiding?

Victoria Jenkins writing is hugely addictive. The characters and the plot kept me glued to the page as I attempted to work out who was responsible for Kiera’s death. There are plenty of different layers in this book for Alex and Chloe to get to the bottom of. As Alex tries to find the evidence to support her theory that Kiera was murdered, Chloe is investigating another case where a girl has ended up in a coma after taking drugs at a separate party. And the cases soon collide. There were plenty of twists and turns and the final chapters of the book had me racing towards the end.

We also hear a lot more about Alex’s personal life in this book; the first novel focuses on Chloe and her back story so it was fascinating to get to know Alex a little better. Although this book can be read as a standalone I would recommend starting with The Girls in the Water to fully appreciate the character development.

This is another brilliant book by Victoria Jenkins and I’m already excited to read her next one, I’m hoping that there are more books featuring Alex and Chloe to come. Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book to read and to Noelle Holton for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

This is the first book in this series that I’ve read and I really enjoyed it.
Both Detectives have their own problems but you get a real sense that they’re there for each other both at home and at work.
The first death is a shock to everyone and the victims housemates each seem to have something to hide.
There’s quite a lot for Detectives King and Lane to work through and the killer came as a real surprise for me.
This is a gripping crime book and I’d recommend it to all crime fiction readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me a copy to read and review.

I was drawn to this book as the blurb compares the author to Patricia Gibney and Angela Marsons, two of my favorite mystery writers. And the comparison is apt.

This is an interesting mystery told from multiple points of view. Delicious writing:

“The sound of her scream has stayed with me. It replays in my brain, disturbing yet somehow satisfying. It sounds like helplessness. Like despair. It sounds exactly like the things I have felt but kept locked inside for all this time. I have transferred my pain to someone else, and it feels good to finally be rid of it.”

Jenkins does a great job of capturing the grief of those left behind. Her description of Keira’s parents rang especially true.

I really found myself appreciating Alex, especially what she was going through with her mother. Alex is a lot younger than me, but we are both dealing with aging parents and I totally understood her emotions.

This is the second in a series of which I haven’t read the first. At times I felt I was missing some of the background of the two detectives, but not enough to put me off enjoying the story.

This is a fast paced, well conceived story. One of those books you are loathe to put down. I didn’t see the ending coming at all. I will definitely seek out the first book in the series along with others to come.

My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

Well, now! Where to start?! I was blown away by the first instalment in this series "The Girls in the Water" a few months ago, which was incredible, but this one is even better! I have no idea how Victoria Jenkins managed that but she did.

Keira North falls to her death at a party. The general consensus seems to be it was an unfortunate accident but Detective Alex King isn't convinced. Keira's housemates all seem to be hiding secrets and it doesn't look like any of them can be trusted. Meanwhile Detective Chloe Lane is investigating the case of a girl who ends up in a coma after taking drugs at another party. 

It is just such a humongous pleasure to see this team of fabulous, yet flawed, ladies again. A lot has changed for Chloe over the past six months, which you'll have to discover for yourself. Alex is struggling with personal issues that for me hit a bit close too home and almost made me reach for the tissues. I absolutely love the way Victoria Jenkins is able to maintain this balance between the professional and personal lives of these detectives. It adds such a layer of realism because you do sometimes take your work home with you but you also sometimes takes your personal problems to work with you.

As for the investigation, cor! Utterly gripping with twists and turns galore, it had me glued to the pages. After one too many times of trying to figure out what was going on and failing horrendously, I gave up and let Victoria Jenkins take me on this wild ride and I enjoyed every single minute of it. Nothing is what it seems!

This is an absolutely fantastic series and The First One To Die is such a thrilling read. With a masterfully crafted plot, fabulous characters and a multi-layered, intricate investigation, I dare you not to get hooked! I can't wait for book three!

Four friends are being targeted and the mystery just gets twistier. Great plot, fast story.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

When I read the first book in this series I criticized the constant repetition in the book but felt the writer was very talented. This book is vastly improved in that aspect and therefore more enjoyable.

Four housemates share a house and in the midst of a party one of them is pushed to her death. All the housemates have their secrets and Detectives Alex King and Chloe Lane are called in to investigate. Initially everyone thinks the victim slipped and it is a tragic accident. However Alex is following her instincts and probes more much to the consternation of her boss. I really enjoy the growing relationship between these two women. It is great to have an all female team who are well rounded personalities and are friends as well as colleagues.

There are some pretty unlikeable characters in this book and it really held my interest. Plenty of twists and turns and realistic scenarios. I am looking forward to the next instalment as I think Victoria Jenkins is getting into her stride.

One of these days I am going to start by reading book one in a series, this however was not that day and this is book two, I so wish I didn't do this as I always seem to be playing catch up to a certain extent.having said that I did jump straight into this story and the characters were very compelling, and I nearly fell off my seat or out of bed where I was reading when I saw where the book was set.I have lived in Cardiff for over 20 years so knew the places mentioned in the book all around the area, it helped me to picture the scenes, but you don't have to know the area to enjoy this book.I liked the main character Alex and the story was intriguing and kept me guessing and trying to work out what had happened and what was going on.The pace of the book was great and I found it really entertaining it was great, and I recommend it to other readers who like thrillers with interesting characters and plenty of red herrings ,good book, I would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC

This is book two in the series and, as with all series, I would recommend you start with the first book. This is especially important here as the two leads are quite complex characters and a lot of their behaviour and interactions are better understood if you play catch up first. One of my criticisms of the first book was that their lives played too big a part in things so you can see why I am suggesting this course of action. I will also just add here that the balance was redressed quite well in this book; although still ongoing, they are not as front and centre as before.
So, we have a young woman, Keira, a student living in a shared house. One night, she falls to her death from a upper story window. Initially though of as an accident, there is something that piques the interest of our detective duo and together they fight to investigate it as a murder. And so begins a battle of wits as King tries to persuade the powers that be to give her and Lane the case. Reluctantly, an agreement is made that they could investigate but it must play second string to the case they are supposed to be investigating. A teenage girl is currently fighting for her life in a hospital, In a coma after taking drugs at a club.
It's a cleverly crafted plot which includes all the usual elements you'd expect in a book of this genre. We have unreliable witnesses, lying to save their own skins, often also having their own agendas. We have further secrets and lies that are slowly uncovered as our detective duo peel back the layers to eventually get to the truth. A truth that left me speechless when it all came out.
Yes, there's a fair bit of the detectives' personal lives in this book too but nowhere near as much as in book one. This offering is much better balanced in my opinion and, with certain things happening during this book, book three, when it happens, looks likely to carry on in the same vein.
Pacing was also good. It's not all high octane from the get go which I did like as it reflected the real world a bit better than some of the action packed thrill a page stories that people seem to write these days. Personally, I think a difference of pace throughout a book to be both more realistic and refreshing and makes for a more atmospheric book. That said, the story does progress at a fair lick and contained the required twists, turns and red herrings nicely throughout.
All in all a great follow up to what was for me an OK opener. This series is definitely on the right tracks and I am very much looking forward to book three.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Four things I gravitate toward when I have a spare 15 or 20 minutes: Playing word puzzles on my smartphone, seeing what my family and friends are up to on Facebook, looking for a snack in the kitchen cupboard and polishing off another chapter or two of whatever book I'm reading. Accordingly, one of the ways I know I'm loving the book I'm reading is when the other three options go by the boards.

That certainly was the case here - so besides being a little hungry, I'm now faced with major catching up to do on my phone and Facebook.

This is the second book featuring South Wales detective partners Alex King and Chloe Lane, and I admit I didn't read the first, "The Girls in the Water." No matter; at no time did I notice any "holes" that made me wonder what had gone on before. As this one begins, Chloe is bunking with Alex and contemplating a more permanent hookup with another department detective. Alex's mostly estranged mother has taken a turn for the worse health-wise, and a young woman named Keira North took a fatal fall from an open window during a party. The latter looks like an accident, but to Alex and Chloe, it doesn't pass the smell test.

As they begin to investigate, they quickly learn that four of Keira's housemate friends may not be as innocent as they appear. And then - just when they start to think they're on the right track - another one bites the dust. Yet another cog hits the wheel when a young woman ends up in the hospital following an overdose; that case, too, lands squarely in the laps of Alex and Chloe.

Could it be that someone is trying to wipe out all of Keira's housemates one by one? If so, why - and perhaps more important, who? And while no one thinks the murders and overdose cases are connected, the way things are going, anything is possible. The result is that Alex and Chloe are led in many directions, providing twists, turns and surprises for readers as well.

All in all, this is a very well-written book with interesting characters - and a series I've put on my must-read list going forward. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

My review as posted on Goodreads:
Having read and reviewed and liked 'The Girls in the Water', the debut novel and first in the series, I was keen to read this book too.

This book opens with a brief and punchy prologue.

I like the way Victoria Jenkins has managed to develop the characters of the detectives (Alex King and Chloe Lane) in this second book. She has also managed to create a novel which has pace and a real sense of geographical authenticity.

It is difficult to say too much about the plot without spoiling the story. Suffice to say there are shoals of red herrings before we learn who was to blame for the murders which happen along the way.

I look forward to the next book in the series!

My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this novel in return for this review.

I see a lot of potential in the books from Victoria jenkins. They are written well with characters that are easy to follow or like.

Info want to see more from them as well as I find the story doesn't akwaysbrun smoothly in my mind

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publishers Bookouture for this review copy, given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Bookouture for organising the blog tour and giving me a space on it!

This is book number 2 in the King and Lane series. It can be read as a standalone book, although you may understand the story better if you have read the first book. Saying that, this is my first Victoria Jenkins book, but it certainly won’t be the last as I will definitely be going back to read the first book!

The story is about 4 students living in the same house. One of them, Keira, dies after falling from a window during a party. It looks like a simple case of accidental death, but DI Alex King thinks differently and believes she was pushed. Whilst working on this case, another case comes in of a young girl who is fighting for her life after taking a new ‘party’ drug which is being sold around the Welsh clubs. Can Alex and her team work out who killed Keira and also who is supplying drugs to the young people of the town?

I loved this book! It was my first introduction to DI Alex King, and because I hadn’t read the first book, I was a bit confused at first of the relationship between her and DC Chloe Lane, who she lives with. I don’t know if they lived together in the first book, but as the story went on, I gathered that Alex has a bit of a soft spot for Chloe and helped her out by giving her a place to stay. You also get to see that Alex is quite a private person, with no current relationship and just her dying mother as her family. You get to see a little bit of this personal side of her, particularly with regards to her mother. It is a bit of a heart-breaking story for Alex, but she seems very dedicated to her job and whilst she is there for her mother when she’s needed, she gets straight back to work afterwards. I have to admit I really liked Alex King. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she thought was right and she didn’t suffer fools gladly. I can’t wait for the next instalment to see where the author will take her next – I think she definitely needs a bit of fun in her life!

The story was fast paced and kept my attention hooked throughout the whole story. I loved the way that, whilst there was the side story of Alex’s mother, the story was mainly all about the murder story, which for me kept my attention focused on the story and I didn’t feel I was getting bored and straying off the story. There was a great mix of characters and their own stories, and it literally kept me guessing as to who had done it right to the end. I thought I had it all worked out, but was completely wrong, not even anywhere close! There are more twists and turns than a rollercoaster which kept you wondering what on earth was happening.

I am definitely going back to read the first one, and I genuinely can’t wait for Book 3. An absolute brilliant crime book which I would 110% recommend to everyone! Fantastic!

Five Stars!

The First One to Die is the second book in this series. I enjoyed it more than the first. I had intended to have an early night tonight but I just could put this book down. 4 housemates with secrets.. 4 housemates who are being picked off one by one. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book to read and review

The First One to Die is the second instalment in the Detectives King and Lane series. It’s a great follow up to The Girls In the Water but can be read as a stand alone.

This book features four friends, a house full of secrets and a killer picking them off one by one. The first death initially seems like and accident but Detectives King and Lane suspect foul play, then more bodies begin turning up. King and Lane begin investigating, but they are also fighting their own demons, will this impact on the case?

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a gritty police thriller that entertained me from the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Welcome back Alex and Chloe! I must say that I liked this one better than the first. Alex and Chloe are both being more fully developed and this story felt more personal. It had more depth, a more satisfying plot and some nice twists. Great writing style! I am looking forward to more from these two detectives.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

A follow up to Girls In The Water. It's equally as good as the first one if not better! I was hooked from the start and suffered sleepless nights because I just couldn't put it down. Brilliant!!

The First One to Die by Victoria Jenkins is even better than her first King & Lane book, The Girls in the Water.

First things first, how AMAZING is the cover? I wanted to read The Girls in the Water, but my TBR was so big that I was afraid I couldn’t squeeze it in. I’d seen fantastic reviews for it, but I didn’t want to overextend myself on how many reviews I owed already.

But how in the world did Victoria Jenkins know how much I loved roses? When the cover reveal was shown for The First One to Die, I HAD to read it. So I dropped what I was doing and read The Girls in the Water. I wanted to be ready for when The First One to Die was available. A testament to how cover design is a potent marketing tool.

But now the book...

But now the book. Keira North, a beautiful college student with her whole life ahead of her. Sddenly, at a party, she falls from the roof of her college housing. She and her roommates called the roof their “balcony.” They’d been up there hundreds of times; the ledge was wide, and her likelihood of falling was pretty slim.

And so the detectives are called in. Welcome back to Alex King and Chloe Lane. One of my favorite police procedural duos. I love women in a man-dominated world.

Meanwhile, Alex and Chloe have another case come their way. The case of drug use gone sour. A teenage girl has landed in a coma in the hospital after she and her friend tried drugs at a club where they were dancing.

As both cases unfold, there may or may not be a link to them. That’s for Alex, Chloe, and their team to figure out. As their first case begins to unfurl itself, they find themselves digging deeper into a web of lies, deceit, jealousy, and anger.

There are betrayals, murder, some mental health issues, some real friendships, and some not-so-true friendships. If you like a book with a little bit of everything, I’m handing it to you on a platter.

I enjoyed learning a little more of Alex’s background, and there were quite a few twists that kept launching me forward. Then that one twist... it had me re-reading the end of the last chapter several times to wrap my brain around what had happened. I love those kinds of twists.

Five rosey stars to the twisty, crazy book with the beautifully haunting cover. I can’t wait for more Victoria Jenkins books to come!