This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Dying Breath is the 2nd book in the Detective Lucy Harwin series. This book can be read as a stand-alone, which is funny because when I was reading the first book in the series, I thought I was missing out on a backstory. Same characters are back but it felt like the author wanted to change their character traits. Browning who everyone thought was an ass and didn't want to work with in the first book, is now a great team-player that you can count on. Tom is now a great husband even though he was having an affair in the first book. There's no chemistry between Lucy and Mattie. She treated him more as a mom. The writing and the story was just ok for me. I don't think I will be reading more from this series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Helen Phifer for a copy of "Dying Breath" in exchange of an honest review.

Couldn’t put it down. Excellent read suspenseful and gripping a page turner I was hooked fab characters great plot your pull into the plot from the start enjoy it love helen style and the way she write o recommend to you all

Another edge of your seat thriller.
A fabulous series.

I was caught up in this no end! It’s one of those reads you really can’t put down.

Detective Lucy Harwin is back! I loved her in the first book of the series the Lost Children so I had high hopes for this one and I was not disappointed.
Lucy has just returned to work after barely escaping the last case she worked on with her life. A series of seemingly unconnected murders, with nothing in common pick at her brain as she is convinced that there has to be a connection, and she soon starts to realise that there is a serial killer at work. Lucy, with her partner Mattie Jackson and her team struggle to find the connection in a race against time, fast paced darkly twisted cracker of a read

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I love this series. DI Lucy Harwin is a complicated, interesting character. I love her tenacity and the honesty of her character, she could be any of us with some super sleuthy skills. I love the Interactions between her and the other detectives and employees that she works with. I was all over the place with this book, trying to figure out who was a killer. I was so shocked and surprised when they uncovered the killer, what a great storyline. Lots of twists and turns and a shocking ending. I would hate to live in Lucy’s small town, it seems to have more than it’s fair share of serial killers.

Cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this thrilling book. I haven't read any of Helen Phifer's books before, and will surely make a plan now. The book read nicely as a standalone, and since I haven't read the first book in the series, I don't think there is too much references I didn't get from the first book.
What a creepy book. The killer is "introduced" very early on in the book, and the book slowly builds up to the big reveal of who they are.... I was gripped from the beginning to the end and couldn't wait to see how the book ended.
Really well written, and highly recommended!

I had to get into this one a couple of times but I am so glad I persevered as I really enjoyed it. Thank you for the advance copy

Thank you Netgalley and Bookoutre for this arc.

I'm still playing catch-up here. I loved this book and tore right through it. As soon as I finished I went on Amazon to get the 1st book of this series. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza. How is it the Brits write such excellent procedurals? And I saw that Lucy Harwin is not Ms. Phifer's only series. Exciting for me!

The pacing was great (I like fast), and twisty enough that I had to stay very alert....no wandering off to get another cup of coffee or to check on the laundry. But the characters really made the book for me. Not a flat note among them.

Great story, thrilling plot!! Win win. An author to keep a look out for!!

Gripping and exhilarating. 5 huge stars!
Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

*Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

I had just brought and read book 1 (which I enjoyed immensely) because I wanted to know the first story in this series before reading this one. And just as book 1, I completly enjoyed this from start to finish. It feels like its been awhile since I really enjoyed a series so much and I can only hope that there will be more stories told in this collection. It was wonderful to read about Lucy and Mattie again and Ellie too as I've grown to like her as she has matured. It is interesting to read the story about a young boy and to discover his part in this. It defiantly added to the story. I really can't wait for the next book. Such a great series!! I need more Lucy!

We all know that person who seems a bit unhealthily obsessed with serial killers.....they seem normal but then you see them reading about serial killers everyday. They even have their favourites. Well imagine that their slightly unhealthy leads to them making a tribute to those killers....No not a website or anything so mundane. Imagine if they decided to pick their favourite killers 'greatest hits' to reenact? Not good right? Well that's exactly what Lucy has on her hands. Two lone women murdered, plus an entire family slain has her and her team baffled. Whoever is doing this is meticulously clever about not leaving evidence but Lucy won't rest until she has her suspect.

Part 2 of the Lucy Harwin series is a very welcome addition to the female detective series. There's a fair few red herrings and while I wasn't gobsmacked by the reveal I was completely wrong - I'm not bragging when I say that's unusual - I read a lot of these books and usually know fairly early on who the culprit is! So that was refreshing. It's a great story which despite my on going illnesses ruining my reading mojo kept me reading. My only criticism is that I want to see more Lucy and Mattie again. They're partnership was much more integral to the last book - it's important here too.... I just wanted more!

Dying Breath (Detective Lucy Harwin crime thriller series Book 2)

by Helen Phifer

Bookouture



General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 23 Nov 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Dying Breath through Bookouture and Netgalley:

Detective Lucy Harwin is back with her squad in Brooklyn Bay just a few months after a horrific case that nearly got her killed. Now she faces the most horrific case of her career.

With her partner Detective Mattie Jackson, Lucy is investigating the vicious seemingly isolated murder of a woman, a woman who was bludgeoned to death in the lonely patch of wasteland!

Soon a second victim is found discovered strangled in the alleyway, and not long after a young family is found shot to death in their home. Lucy and her team must face the harsh reality they have a serial killer in their town.

Trying to work on these cases Lucy and her team discover these murders replicate those of well known serial killers.

Will Lucy be able to catch this monster before he strikes again?

Find out in Dying Breath

Five out of five stars

I enjoyed the first book in the Lucy Harwin series , so it was good to catch up with her and the team once again.

A woman is found brutally murdered but there are a couple of strange things about the way she was killed. Not long after another woman is found murdered, although she was not killed in the same way there were other 'clues' that set Lucy wondering.

Running alongside the narrative of the murders is the story of a young boy who very early in his life becomes obsessed with murder & murderers. Just who this is and his connection to the present crop of murders kept me guessing.

This is a fast paced story with strong believable characters. This is a series I look forward to reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

Having enjoyed Helen Phifer’s Dark House, which introduces us to Detective Lucy Harwin, I couldn’t wait to continue with the series and read Dying Breath. I did get a sense of deja vu because the opening was fantastic, the middle gripped me but the ending I once again saw coming from a mile away.

Brooklyn Bay as I said in my review of Dark House is well-imagined and it’s not a place that I would want to live. When two seemingly unconnected murders occur, it’s up to Lucy and her team to try and work out what the connection is and apprehend the killer. When a family is then massacred as well, things become a whole lot more complicated for the team. With so many crime series it can be hard to come up with a story that hasn’t been done in some way or another before, I enjoyed the story here and felt it had originality but I felt it could have perhaps been explored further.

I love gruesome and brutal crime fiction and Helen does not shy away from being very descriptive when it comes to the murder scenes within this book. It’s gripping stuff and intriguing as well as we follow the killer and really get inside his head. The upbringing of this person was more than a little creepy and whilst I was left with so many questions about this character’s upbringing, I was hooked on the story as I read. As with Dark House I found myself reading it at every available opportunity.

Lucy is a fantastic character. I enjoyed the developments here with her daughter and I liked the fact that despite the events of Dark House leaving her a little on edge, she seemed more in control of her life and career in this book (I just wish she would choose a man and settle on him, it seems half of Brooklyn Bay is after her). The sign of a good series for me is when I enjoy the scenes of normality (e.g. Lucy just pottering around the house) as much as the main story arc because it’s a sign that I am invested in a character and want to read about them, and I can definitely say that about Lucy. I also love Mattie as well and there’s some great scenes between the two characters throughout.

Helen’s writing really draws you in and keeps you hooked. Each chapter ends and just makes you want to read on. And on, and on. This was a book that left me annoyed when I had to stop reading it. I love Helen’s storytelling and, I noticed this in Dark House as well, she constantly mentions what food her characters are going to eat (or in the case of a wonderful sounding Italian, abandon) and it just makes me salivate. As somebody who hasn’t had a takeaway for 18 days (not that I’m counting) it’s agonising to read about pizzas and Chinese and Coke and whatever else these characters eat in between work. This isn’t a negative however it just makes me feel jealous that I (for now!) can’t eat the stuff.

Unfortunately despite such a strong plot that had me gripped, as with Dark House I did work out who the killer was going to be. I wasn’t 100% sure initially and did at one point suspect somebody else but it turns out the one I eventually settled on was correct. It’s a shame because apart from making the ending a little lacklustre, the rest of the book was faultless but this being the second time that I’ve worked the story out before the reveal is a real shame. Other than that I can’t recommend these books more highly and I can’t wait for the next one.

An enjoyable read. Fast-paced and well written, but a little predictable. for my liking.

Another brilliant book. Really enjoyed the second book in the Lucy Harwin series. She is a strong independant woman and it's great to see her character develop. The story is told in two different timelines. A young boy and his obsession with a serial killer and then present day where the team are hunting a murderer. I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong! Really great writing and a real page turner - I could not put it down and look forward to the next installment

Dying breath by helen phifer.
A womans body is found stripped and bare her skull crushed in.
Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin is on the case. Can she catch him before more bodies turn up? Detective Sergeant Matthew Jackson joins her in the hope of catching whoever did this?
A very enjoyable read with great characters. Even though I didn't know who was doing the murders I felt like I knew them. Didn't see that coming. Looking forward to the next part. 4*.

Well well well. I loved the first one in this series and if anything this one is better. A cracking read.
A thrilling read with complex characters and dynamic story lines. The book successfully melds characters stories together while maintaining an exciting and detailed account. Very good read. This is an author I will keep my eyes on. I also loved her first book. Give me more Lucy!!