Detective Dan Riley is called to investigate an apparent suicide at a top London hotel.

Not all is what it seems and he soon finds himself investigating a chilling serial killer using the kids fairy story of Goldilocks and the three bears as killspo.

We also get an insight into his personal life. It’s been a few years since his beloved Rachel died in a motorbike accident. Is he ready to go back into the dating world?

I enjoyed this book, the first chapter had me absolutely hooked!! Great plot and premise but the ending let it down for me. I love Anna Lou’s addictive writing style and likeable main character, will definitely be reading more in the series. Can’t wait to see what’s next for detective Dan Riley!

3.5 stars !!

Before I begin I would like to state that I really wanted to like this book more, simply because it's been a long time I've not read a female serial killer plot.

The book began well, and we got a pretty good viewing of the murder in progress and how psychotic the killer actually is. The murder was pretty gruesome, although she took efforts for the man to not feel the pain while life ebbed out of him. When she left the Teddy Bear in his hotel room, I was intrigued. I thought we had a good premise for an amazing plot.

Then, we saw that the killer was a frequent visitor on online dating sites, which made me think maybe the killer was dishing out revenge to the cheaters and she is going to give Dan a run for his money. I was let down when she chose her next victim, who could be easily linked to her. A smart girl, our killer wasn't !! She was least calculative and not at all ruthless, if you know what I mean, when it comes to serial killers.


In fact, sometimes, I felt just because she was planning to kill 3, as a part of a story, did not make her a serial killer. She lacked the calculative, mean and smart streak most serial killers have. Our killer had a very disturbing childhood, and she has gone cra-cra. That's the best I could come up with.

And our boy, Dan Riley, was altogether a let down. The book had a lot about his personal life and less of investigation. In fact, they were able to identify the killer only when she made a stupid stupid amateur mistake. Like I said, the investigation was a let down, hardly any sleuthing. What also pissed me off, was the lack of cop instincts in Dan.

The last thing which totally turned me off was the killer's motive behind following "Goldilocks and the Three bears" in her kills. Normally, in serial killers, we see the killers trying to take revenge on someone from their past. There is a definite trend or logic, and this story seemed most illogical to me. The only explanation I could come up with is, that she just lost her mind and wanted to self-destruct.

Now, I am a super-obsessed fan of the 'In Death' series by JD Robb, which kind of sets the benchmark for serial killer for me, so consider me biased. And this plot, was a far far cry from what it could have been. Ha ! You see what I did there ?? No ? Yes ? Not funny ?? Whatever !!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for generously providing me an ARC in exchange of honest reviews

Great book, kept me hooked! Read it in two sittings!

I liked this book. It is not really a mystery or suspense novel, you know all along who the killer is. What makes it interesting is that you get the killer's viewpoint throughout the whole novel and you know why they (in this novel, she) is doing it.
I liked Detective Dan Riley some of the time but found him a bit annoying at others. If you are looking for a full on police procedural book, this is not it. There is an awful lot of personal stuff, at times I was wanting more police work. It almost seemed like the case was an afterthought and not really the main story. I am assuming that this will be a series and if so, I hope that now that we know all about the main character, the next book will be more of a suspenseful read.
I did enjoy the book though and kept reading and will be interested in the next in the series.

Last Cry by Anna Lou Weatherley is the first book in a series starring Detective Dan Riley.

Detective Dan Riley is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his girlfriend who was killed in a motorcycle accident two years previously. He is called to the death of a wealthy man found at an upmarket hotel which on further investigation appears to be murder. The killer has made the death look like a suicide but a toy bear left behind makes him suspicious.

We follow Dan and his team as they investigate the case and their discovery that a woman might possibly be the killer and when another body is found with the same type of toy bear it appears they could have a serial killer on their hands. It seems the killer is following the Goldilocks fairy tale and they need to find her before she can finish the story.

A fast paced thriller with plenty of twists with an ending you don’t see coming. I am looking forward to the next one to see how life is treating Dan Riley.

I always have slightly higher expectations of any book that is badged as the first in a series as I’m hoping it will be good enough that I will want to read the rest of the series. My verdict here is that yes I want to see what the author does with Detective Inspector Dan Riley next. It was clear from the blurb that he is still grieving and at times it did feel like that would overwhelm the story however the author did a good job of balancing it out with the murder enquiry. The Goldilocks and the 3 bears theme gave this a unique twist certainly caused me some concern in respect of Baby Bear. No spoilers, so if you want to know the outcome you will need to read it.

A beautiful serial killer who is all set to redefine the very notion of evil and a cynical cop struggling with his own personal demons are pitched against each other in this first installment of the Detective Dan Riley series.

It all starts with a middle-aged businessman found dead in a hotel room. At first glance, it appears to be a suicide, but Detective Dan Riley knows there is more to the toy bear placed on the bed...Daddy Bear.

A middle-aged victim of domestic abuse is next...Mummy Bear. Riley has to stop this serial killer before she completes writing her own twisted fairy tale. Will he be able to?

It's a great book and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy reading J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas series. Rebecca's character is well written and you almost feel sorry for her...almost. I will be looking forward to hearing more from Dan Riley!

A clever new crime series, I particularly like the writing style and the voice of Dan. Interested to see how the series develops.

This book by Weatherley offers up an interesting plot, unfolding from the point of view of our lead detective, DI Dan Riley and a woman we learn goes by multiple names and has murderous tendencies and intent on playing out a nursery rhyme to satisfy childhood angst.

I have to admit though that I found neither lead particularly likeable. Of course Danni-Jo (as she’s mostly known when we meet her) is supposed to be socio / psychopathic and – in reality – she’s probably a little more complex than Dan who I didn’t really engage with at all. He’s still struggling since his pregnant girlfriend was killed two years earlier and He. Talks. About. Her. Constantly. Like, seriously we’re in his head and he doesn’t shut up about her. The dude needs some serious therapy. However, there’s a glimmer of hope for him as he meets someone online and is tempted, for the first time since Rachael. But he’s very judge-y and not particularly nice about his colleagues and had few redeemable qualities. I’m not sure if Weatherley meant to write him like this, or if I just took a dislike to the poor guy.

I did think the book could have done with a bit more of an edit and noted a proliferation of adjectives and adverbs in the early part in particular. As I’m pretty wordy myself I can sympathise with Weatherley on this front but think it’s something an editor should pick up, as well as some phrasing that I don’t think is completely accurate around schizophrenia (vs multiple personality disorder) and injection of ‘cognitive dissonance’ and the like.

It does however have a lot of potential and I quite enjoyed the ending, which doesn’t really go down the usual predictable route in terms of a standoff and protagonist’s life being threatened before the big reveal. It was a bit twistier than that which I liked.

Thanks to Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Last Cry by Anna-Lou Weatherley is book 1 in the Detective Dan Riley Series.

Wow this is easily one of the best books I have read this year. I feel like I have been inside the head of a psychopath and I now know what makes them tick!

The book was fast paced and engaging and kept me turning pages unable to put the book down. It was shocking and dark but also had times of bright compassion and empathy. The balance of dark and light was excellent.

Detective Dan Riley is struggling after the death of his girlfriend, still in mourning and battling his grief he throws himself into this case trying to find a serial killer. With many twists, turns and surprises this book will keep you on your toes and guessing about what is coming next.

Last Cry is pretty unputdownable (is that even a word! LOL), I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into the story and living it through to the gory end. This book Is one to read so don’t miss it you won’t regret it.

I am giving Last Cry a bit fat 5 stars, it totally deserves it and I highly recommend it. Bring on book 2!

Last Cry by Anna-Lou Weatherley is a book you just have to give a try. A female serial killer is pretty unique in itself but this book adds more than just murder and mayhem, it also gives you mystery and psychological insights to the killer that interest and even tugs at your heartstrings a tad. Detective Dan Riley is after this mysterious serial killer while stil trying to get past his pregnant girlfriend being killed in an accident...he unknowingly meets up and has an attraction to "Florence" the serial killer on his first computer date, what are the odds! This book will grab you and drag you through to the end leaving you wanting more from this author! Looking forward to reading more in this series, thank you Anna-Lou Weatherley and Netgalley for this chance to read a great book!

This was a fun hunter/prey sort of mystery novel that isn't too gory. I usually hate stories where we know who the killer already is, but here it's the whole point. The novel is built around Detective RIley hunting a serial murderer who is killing based on the Goldilocks and the three bears story, and tries to make each scene look like a suicide. He is trying to move past the death of his pregnant fiancee (which is a tired cliche, but only somewhat interferes with the actual murder plot) and begins to flirt with the woman the reader knows is the killer. There is a fair amount of psychology discussed, and reading the thoughts of the murderer is actually creepy. Aside from the dead fiancee, the old cliche of seducing a security guard to get footage shows up, which I really think they might have trained for. It was still a fun take on hunting a killer, especially with a female killer. and the cliche moments are usually easy to forget about.

"Fear is the most debilitating of all the emotions. It paralyses you, governs your every waking moment and thought. It conditions you. And I lived in fear."

When a wealthy older man is found with his wrists slit, bled out in a bathtub at an expensive hotel, DI Daniel Riley is called to the scene. It becomes immediately apparent that this was only made to look like a suicide. Something more sinister is going on here. As he and his team investigate and find ties to "Goldilocks" and "Daddy Bear", they are quite certain that another murder will soon take place as the killer completes the story. But what is the reason for The Three Bears theme and the deaths? "Sometimes there is no why." NO SPOILERS. You must get this immediately and read it to find out!

This was a very fast paced and extremely well written thriller with some interesting characters -- in fact, I can't wait for #2 so that I can get to know DI Riley better. I really empathized with him, (but can we give the whole Rachel thing a rest now - it was a little much) and he seems to be a good, decent man who likely will get his head back in the game shortly. The other members of his team aren't that known to us yet, but very curious about them as well. I see a lot of potential for developing this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review. I definitely recommend it as one of the best detective novels I've read lately. It was very hard to put down! SO, Anna-Lou Weatherley, a new author to me, where is your second book -- please don't make me beg or wait too long!

The Last Cry Anna-Lou Weatherley

I struggled with writing this blog. There is so much good to say about this book; the story, the characters, the writing, but there is a couple of things that very nearly put me off it.

I’m glad they didn’t, I’m glad I stuck with it to the end. It’s a great book with a great story so what could I have possibly found wrong with it. I’ll tell you at the end of the blog.

The book starts with a murder in a hotel. I think it’s safe to say that the victim, a successful banker, is killed by a very attractive Escort, or a woman posing as one. The killer is aware of how to stage a scene using Counter Forensics. She makes the death look like a suicide at first inspection, but she knows that a good cop will spot it for what it is straight away. Is that what she wants?

That’s exactly what she gets. DI Dan Riley is sent to the scene and immediately see’s it for what it is. Riley is a complex character who is still in mourning for the loss of his partner, and their unborn child, in a motorcycle accident 2 years ago. As much as he is mourning he is also trying to get his life back on track, and has started to dabble in the dating scene. The scenes where he is conflicted about his basic feelings, of wanting to be with somebody else whilst feeling guilt at charting on his dead partner, are brilliantly written.

The book has two protagonists, the killer, and Dan Riley. Chapters are devoted to each, and every chapter had me hooked. The killer is horrible and everybody will be fully aware of what she is doing, and wonder how stupid the other victims are for not seeing her for what she is. But that’s the thing about killers, they don’t have a sign tattooed on them to give us a warning.

Riley is just the type of man you’d like to share a drink with, or just sit down with and have a chat. He is what most Police Officers are, normal.

The killer is working to a plan and the bodies are starting to pile up, but will Riley managed to identify her, and stop her before she commits her worse crime. I can guarantee that the last 30 pages of this book will have readers gripped, and what an ending. By the time you get to the end you will think you have it all sorted in your mind; but then there’s that last few pages.


So, what were the things that were wrong with this book. I read it on a Kindle and I thought there was a reason that I didn’t know the name of the main protagonist, even though he’s there almost from the start. Then I began to wonder if the author had just forgot that she hadn’t given him a name; but no, we find out his name 14% into the book. I knew everything about him before I knew his name, it just felt strange

Secondly, and this would usually really wind me up, you can drive a bus through the inaccuracies in the Policing in this book. There are problems with procedures and ranks. There are things that happen during the investigation that had me shacking my head, after all if you have CCTV of somebody entering a room, how can you not have footage when they leave the same room.

But if you can get past these, this book is really worth reading. A great story, with a great ending.

Pages: 307
Publishers: Bookouture
Publishing Date: 31st January 2007.
Available to pre-order on Amazon

Fabulous book. A serial killer is hunted by Detective Dan Riley and his team. Grips you and doesn't let go. This is Book 1 and I can't wait for Book 2. Thank you NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brilliant! From the electrifying first chapter, this book had me hooked and I could not put it down until I had got to the end. This writer is assured and delivers a perfect mystery. Original and compelling, this story stands out, in a league of its own. I loved this book from beginning to end and cannot wait for her next. SO thrilled I discovered this author. Another one to watch out for.