Oh where to start, this book was phenomenal. At times the dark depraved nature of the perpetrator was hard to stomach, but I am so glad I persevered. There were twists galore and I held my breath on more than one occasion wondering what would happen next. A thoroughly good read and I will be reading more by this author.

Emma Jones wakes in the night to a strange man in her room. At first she thinks it’s just a dream but she learns quickly that he is quite real. The next time she wakes she is badly beaten in a locked room with a video camera and pictures of other girls that look like her. A voice tells her she is Venus Six and it is clear that she is not his first victim.

DI Gravel is approached by Anne Jones saying that her daughter is missing. At first he doesn’t really think much about it until he realizes that she is not the first disappearance, Emma is the sixth missing girl. This killer has struck and already killed five other woman. It’s up to Grav and DS Clive Rankin to stop the Master before Emma becomes the sixth victim.

I read A Mind to Kill, book two in this series and couldn’t wait to catch up on what I missed. This is a great, dark thriller in which you learn who the killer is but you don’t realize what kind of sicko you are going to be messing with. Grav and Clive are a great pair and work together really well and are on a race against time. But I have to say the story with Emma and the Master caught my attention more. I guess I’m just one of those people.

Of course the ending was a complete shock. Talk about thrown me for a loop, I was NOT expecting that. I’m glad that I have read the second book in this series. But I hope book three will be out soon. I can’t wait to read more on Grav, Clive, and the next serious messed up sicko John Nicholl can come up with.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I am a massive fan of this author’s work and I was delighted to see that this book had been released – I loved the blurb and that suits the book perfectly!!

This book was great, I loved the build up and I was completely immersed in the story right from the first few pages – it held my attention and didn’t let me go until right at the end. It has some great characters and I loved their interaction as the story progressed. I did guess who I thought was responsible and when it was confirmed it didn’t put me off reading at all and I was eager to see how the story would unfold and the ending was excellent!!

4.5 stars from this one for me, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon – cannot wait to see what he releases next!!

This book was a tense, creepy and disturbing read from start to finish! Brilliant if thats what you are looking for!!

All of John’s books are excellent reads, this one included. Always held my attention, great story, characters, job well done

5☆ A Must Read! Got under My Skin!

Portraits of the Dead is a creepy, dark, sadistic psychological crime thriller. The Book Cover was enough to creep the hell out of me.

I'm a big fan of John Nicholls so when I was given the opportunity to read this one I jumped at the chance.

Right from the start I was hooked.
When a stranger comes out of your closet during the night and beats you up, abducts you, then watches your every move via cameras I was completely and utterly freaked out!

He refers to Emily as Venus Six.
She is his 6th young women he takes great pleasure in telling her by displaying their pictures round her sound proofed prison!
What has happened to the others?
He demands she calls him Master!
Who is this crazy sadistic torturer?
Why has he picked Emily?

Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel, or Grav is the DI investigating the cases. But can he find Emily before it's too late?

I was so drawn into this chilling, very dark thriller I was reading till the early hours desperate to know what would happen next.

John has this way of making you feel uncomfortable but you just can't help needing to keep reading.
Just by looking at the Cover I knew it was going to be dark and it was bloomin brilliant.

If you enjoy dark, sadistic serial killing psychological thrillers that literally get under your skin, then you definitely need to read Portraits of the Dead.

Thank you to Bloodhound books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book is so creepy from when you to start and doesn't finish being creepy until the finil page. It's tense, taughting and keeps your attention until you finally get to the last page, intense and disturbing, exactly what I love ❤️ in a book! Will be reviewing and using for a challenge in Chapter Chatter Pub!

"Emma didn’t know how long he hid in the large Victorian wardrobe to the side of her single bed. She didn’t know how long he peered between the two heavy oak doors, and watched, as she slowly drifted into fitful sleep. She didn’t know what time he pushed the doors open and crept towards her in the darkness of the night."

Portaits of the Dead is compelling from the outset, as we read of Emma's terror at waking in an unfamiliar bed, naked and covered in bruises, having been taken hostage by a man demanding to be called 'Master', who tells her that from that point onwards, she'll be called 'Venus.'

“Disappoint me one too many times and the last sound you hear will be your own screams.”

Determined to survive Master's attempts to break her, Emma plays her captor's twisted game(s). Perhaps if she doesn't disappoint, he'll be nice to her and won't torture her; maybe she'll even earn a little of his trust and be able to find a way to escape? And so begins the battle of wits between Emma and her captor. She doesn't want to end up like the five girls who previously inhabited her cell, their portraits mounted on the wall staring down at her serving as a stark reminder that if she doesn't do as Master commands, another 'Venus' will take her place.

Meanwhile, Emma's mother goes to the police station to report her daughter as a missing person. Initially sceptical - afterall, Emma's a college student; maybe she stayed the night with friends and didn't tell her housemates? - DI Gravel grudgingly agrees to investigate. But when the bodies of women bearing a striking resemblence to Emma are discovered, DI Gravel and DS Rankin quickly realise they have a serial killer on their hands and it becomes a race against time to locate Emma before she joins the bodies in the morgue.

The captor's identity is revealed early on, although I suspect several readers will figure out who he is before the author's revelation. That doesn't detract from the enjoyment this novel brings, though, as John Nicholl still has one or two surprises up his literary sleeves and when they come, they're glorious.

Billed as being the first in the DI Gravel series, I would've liked to see him feature a little more in the police-procedural side of this novel. That said, the bulk of the book's mental tug-of-war between Emma and Master is superbly done and makes for addictive reading.

Originally published in 2016 and soon to be re-released by Bloodhound Books, Portraits of the Dead is a solid psychological thriller that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Fab plot, descriptions and story. The characters were so lifelike and real. Definitely recommend this book to many,

Gosh..........Portraits Of The Dead by John Nicholl what a fantastic book this was.

Emma a University student who is 19, wakes up alone in a room, and has with no idea where she is or how she got there!?!
Shortly after she wakes up, a voice comes through an intercom in the room and tells her to do everything he says. He changes her name to Venus 6 and she has to call him "Master" If she does not do what he tells her to do, he will kill her, just like he’s killed others in the past.
Emma, then searches the windowless room in the dark, trying to find a way out but only finds black and white portraits of barely dressed girls stuck onto the walls............strangely, they all look like her.
She also notices in a corner of the room theres a video camera and its pointed right at her.........
Is he watching her every move???? Is he watching her now?
Who is he???
Emma recognises his voice but where has she heard it before???

DI Gravel is called in to work and finds himself working on a new case of the disappearance of Emma. Then, 5 bodies of young women who each resemble Emma are unearthed. DI Gravel knows he needs to work hard to catch this sadistic killer before he kills again.

Can DI Gravel find the Emma before its too late?

I only found this author by accident and WoW what a writer John Nicholl's is. I just love the way he writes, the way he makes you a part of this book. It's creepy, dark and very disturbing that will make you have goose bump's. Its a fast read and OMG what a brilliant cover to this book. So, No reading this book at night!!!
Once I started to read this book I could not put it down and will keep you on the edge of your seat and up all night!.
The ending to Portraits Of The Dead is 10/10 book with a Perfect ending.

I Highly recommend and a must read book with a brilliant twist! especially if you want a book that will have you looking over your shoulders.

5☆ A Must Read! That gave me Goose Bumps!!!! This will be a author I will stalk now for his books.

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC. and John Nicholl for writing a fantastic book.

Reviews on Good read and Amazon UK.

"If heaven can be a place on earth, then so can hell."

When 19-year-old Emma Jones wakes in a windowless cell, she knows that her hell has just begun. Kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, she's held prisoner by a man who speaks to her through an intercom and hides behind a clown mask. Pictures on the walls show 5 other girls that look just like her. The man glories in sadistic torture and murder -- will she be next?

Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel and DS Clive Rankin of West Wales Police catch the case when the mother of a missing girl comes into the station. Shortly afterwards, the bodies of 5 unidientified young women are discovered in nearby Caerystwyth Wood. The hunt for a serial killer begins.

This grisly, dark thriller is immediately absorbing and tense. Though the identity of the killer is shared early, the narrative shifting between points of view, the reader is kept glued to the pages as the story progresses. Part police procedural, but with more emphasis on other disturbing action, it is difficult to put aside the book so I had to read it all in a single sitting. I must say I was rather upset by the climax and conclusion; it was unsettling and unexpected. The ending is abrupt in some ways.

I've read one other book in the DI Gravel series (unfortunately out of order) but will be starting the 3rd book, A COLD COLD HEART, immediately. Good stuff if you like serial killer chiller thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The first thing I have to say about this book is THAT COVER! I wasn’t sure exactly what I was expecting when I picked up my first John Nicholl book but I do know that that cover drew me in with promises of twisty, dark and deeply disturbing. All my favorite things!

While I really enjoyed most of this book, I have a lot of mixed feelings. The scenes with Emma and her kidnapper were quite well done, for the most part, and they get more and more disturbed with each session. My twisted mind found that very captivating and made me really interested in seeing what would happen next and how it all would play out. The problem I had, is that for an abductor…a killer to get as far as this one did, a lot of stupid mistakes were made that just didn’t add up. I’m not going to go into detail on that one to avoid any spoilers but I think you’ll understand once you get there. There were also a lot of small details that didn’t make much sense to me and I felt that those holes should have been filled in some way. For example, the photos…why bother? Other than to provide a sense of fear I feel that there really wasn’t much of a point. I feel like Emma wasn’t explained enough either. Why her, exactly? Why now? And can I just say what is the deal with the mother? I mean, that really added a little unexpected extra for me, in a Norma Bates kind of way, but there was no explanation. She was just…there. I think those are just a few loose ends I would have liked to have a bit more clarification on.

Now, let’s get to the investigation. I use the term loosely. If I ever go missing, please, please, PLEASE send anyone else to look for me. Seriously. I feel like the entire police force won their badges as a participation trophy. There was no connection there; I found none of those characters likeable in the slightest, the lack of professionalism just blew me away and they kind of made me root for the killer. I also had a bit of a hard time with the dialogue. I think that not being familiar with the slang and certain turns of phrases that might be common knowledge to those in the UK made this less enjoyable for me as well. I might even have had fewer issues with DI Gravel and his crew if I understood what they were talking about half the time. That is more of a “me” issue though rather than one with the book itself so I’m not going to take points off there but more wanted to make others aware that there is a bit of a barrier here that I wasn’t prepared for.

This all brings me up to the ending. I’m not going to lie and say that I thought it was great, it definitely wasn’t expected, but I’m on the fence with how I feel about it. On one hand…yay! On the other…really?

I know this book isn’t going to be for everyone and I think it might not have been for me. I had very high hopes that I feel weren’t met. The plot was fantastic and that cover is freakishly perfect but I think, for me, it kind of missed the mark. That’s not to say that that Portraits of the Dead was a bad book, I was intrigued from the beginning and it was able to keep my attention throughout, but I would have liked to have had more to really enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.

This book begins with 19 year old Emma being abducted and held captive by a serial killer. So who is this mystery masked man keeping her a prisoner and will Emna figure out a way to escape?
I really enjoyed this book and the writing style was easy to read and kept me intrigued. This was one creepiest, yet realistic thrillers I've read in awhile and I would definitely recommend.

I was drawn to this book by the synopsis and cover. The idea and book itself had much potential, BUT, I'm sorry to say it just didnt deliver.
I didn't find it dark, tense or gripping as other reviewers have described and the 'twists' werepoorly explored.
I found I wasn't invested in any of the characters as we never had a chance to learn anything about what motivated them, why did the kidnapper choose Emma as his nest Venus? what qualities drew him?, what gave Emma her stamina,? what made the kidnapper the man he was? I also couldn't help finding the kidnapper to be rather a caricature of a villain, in that he was corny and found myself picturing Herbert West from the old Re-animator films whenever he spoke.
And finally the ending, which came ridiculously suddenly. And why would Emma go through such an ordeal just to go back and start a fire, As the ending played out I have to say I was expecting a much darker role reversal twist.
I'm sorry I can't give a positive review as I had high hopes and was looking forward to reading this book but in honesty felt in the end I was reading through obligation not because I was enthralled.
I as given a free download of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great fast paced novel which had me hooked from the very beginning. Enjoyed getting to know the characters and will search for more of john’s books.

John Nicholl’s has a way about writing some of the most direct, gruesome and scariest serial killers I have ever read about. The cover is fantastic and freaky, expecially after reading the first few pages where Emma is unaware there is someone there watching her in her own home.
The plot is fast and gritty with a dark and creepy killer and a likeable victim you want to save.
This author is definitely one to watch as every book he writes just get better and better and darker and creepier.

This is a dark triller about a serial killer who abducts and tortures women to fulfil his sick fantasies. His latest captive is determined to stay alive no matter what it takes and detectives are determined to find him no matter what it takes. I loved it and the fact it’s set near where I live made it even more enjoyable for me as I knew the locations

Just LOOK at the cover!! I mean – THAT is one HELL of a spooktacular cover. AND this is the very FIRST paragraph in the book: – Emma didn’t know how long he hid in the large Victorian wardrobe to the side of her single bed. She didn’t know how long he peered between the two heavy oak doors, and watch, as she slowly drifted into fitful sleep. She didn’t know what time he push the doors open and crept towards her in the darkness of the night. But he did. She knew that he did.

OK, so I ALMOST put off reading this, thinking that I would save it until around Halloween – BUT, I’m glad that I didn’t. It was a fun, quick read that really wasn’t that scary to me. Certainly NOT as scary as the FREAKY looking CLOWN on the cover that I was HOPING would cause me to have nightmares ( in a good way). LOL. In fact, that is my only complaint - that it wasn’t scary enough - BUT with that said I still enjoyed it

Gripping from the opening line, ‘Emily didn’t know how long he hid…’ sinister or what?? For those who like their crime fiction to be dark and gruesome look no further than John Nicholl. I previously read White is the Coldest Colour so I knew this author didn’t shy away from the nastier aspects of crime and in this book he pulled no punches. With a truly sadistic killer at large DI Gravel has his work cut out and with very few clues, the future looks bleak for Chloe, the latest victim.
DI Gravel (known as Grav) features in several of Nicholls books, although of the ones I have read, they read very much as standalone crime fiction. That said I liked the familiarity of the lead investigator, an old school cop who says it as it is and his sidekick DS Rankin. This book follows two threads – the investigation into the missing girl and the experience of the victim at the hands of the depraved killer.
Told in the third person this is a well written story where the reader knows more than the characters as events unfold. With some shockers along the way this was hard core crime at its best. A relatively quick read and most definitely a page turner, I appreciate the fact that Nicholls doesn’t gloss over the grittier aspects of murder. This was particularly evident in this book in relation to Chloe, whose situation was nothing short of horrendous.
Definitely an author whose work I will look out for, with a background in Police and Social Work, John Nicholls, I suspect has seen the darker side of humanity and draws on this in his writing, which is gripping, disturbing and highly readable!

First I want to thank netgalley and the author for for an advanced copy. I really struggled with this book there was a lot of bouncing around and I felt like the story dragged. The book began with Emma a collage student who is kidnapped by a man wearing a clown mask whose been stalking her and she had no idea. She wakes up in a sound proof room locked in with only a camera and the creepy clown mask telling her he’s going to do what he wants with her and to call
Him master. The story started good but it really wasn’t for me I couldn’t connect with the characters and all and all two stars