Intense but gripping. Could not put it down, such a good read. Wow, who would have thought that a yellow dress would be so central to a story...

5* a compelling read

Carol Wyer’s The Birthday is, without a doubt, the most realistic detective-led mystery/thriller books that I have ever read.
But let me stop you there, because that is definitely not a good thing.
It turns out that, no matter how much I have complained about it in the past, this genre needs a little of suspension of disbelief (not a lot though, let’s not let it get out of hand); they need an overarching plot-line and cast of characters that are just slightly too outrageous to exist in real-life.
Because The Birthday is what happens when those aren’t present.
There were no twists, no turns, no excitement of any kind. No red herrings, no hidden agendas, no evil lurking in the shadows. There was just one viable suspect, one way that the story could have gone, and all of the evidence left out in the open to make sure there’s no reasonable doubt.
I have just never read a mystery/thriller that was so linear. It was completely bizarre.
And not in the way that it should have been.
The entire plot points to just one person and, a chapter from the end when you’re expecting a villain to pop out from somewhere and cackle about their evil plan, The Birthday wraps up and a psychologists pops in to provide a lot of exposition about the murderer’s motives.
It was like if the entire movie of The Silence of the Lambs was Hannibal eating someone, a jump-cut to a psychologist explaining why he did it, and then the credits rolled.
The film would’ve been shit and Anthony Hopkins wouldn’t have won his Academy Award.
Honestly, The Birthday completely baffled me. Because it wasn’t baffling at all.

Yes I know I said I wouldn’t read another book about a child going missing, as this seems to be a popular genre this year. This book stood out to me screaming to be read and I could not resist!!!

This had a different angle from the “my child has done missing’ storyline. At a children’s birthday party Ava Sawyer goes missing from Uptown Craft Centre. Two years later her body is found but now more girls are disappearing!!

Wow this book drew me in and I was continually changing my mind as to who the culprit was. Loved the main character D.I Natalie Ward as she is a very believable and likeable character, trying to bring up a family and hold down a very stressful job. I look forward to reading more books in this new series and watch the characters develop!!

If you like a good mystery with a strong plot, that’s intriguing with believable characters then this is definitely the book for you

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

This book was a great start to what is looking to be a great Detective series. This book has everything a thriller should. It has lies, deception, betrayal and a plot that makes you blame everyone. The Birthday was very fast paced and an easy read. The strong character development in The Birthday make you want to read more about them.
This may be the first book by Carol Wyer I've read but after reading The Birthday I think I'm going to have to go back and read more from her. This was simply a book I couldn't put down and may have gotten me out of my reading slump

One hot summer’s afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home…

Two years later, Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party …

Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that still keeps her awake at night… Natalie is also suffering from nightmares and struggling with a tough marriage with David her husband who lost his job because of gambling problems, the long hours and her dedication to the job causes the marriage even more problems.

Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie …

Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?

A new series from Carol Wyer, read some of her DI Robyn Carter books that are great, a new character and just a fraction behind the DI Robyn Carter books, but I am sure will get better as the character grows in the series.

A four star book to me, great story, builds to a fast pace in the last third of the book, but found it just a little slow through the middle, and just so many red herring characters to get your head around, but just loved the last chapter, this gave the book the clear four stars.

Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will keep you flying through the pages long into the night, especially the last few chapters, perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney, and Karin Slaughter.

Thanks to netgalley for another brilliant offering by this gifted author. I started this book just before I came to work yesterday, and I have to admit.... not much work was done yesterday.
This is the first book in the series with a new DI, Natalie Ward and from the beginning I just loved the woman. Her take-no-nonsense attitude, combined with her sensitivity towards the needs of her team, and dealing with the issues she has with her husband at home, made her seem real to me, and I felt drawn to the character.
This was really a great read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. “The Birthday” is the first in the Detective Natalie Ward series, a new series by Carol Wyer. A five-year-old girl goes missing at a classmate’s birthday party. Two years later her body is found. Soon after, another little girl, who was also at the party, disappears. Det. Ward is in charge of the investigation and worries it will end like her last job which did not end well.
I enjoyed the story-line involving the disappearances of the little girls. However, her last job was mentioned often and did not move the story along. Also included is the detective’s house life with her husband and two teenage children. I found myself attempting to skim those parts too. For me, the disappearance story-line has a nice pace to it. It does not drag or rush the story. The other parts just broke up that story-line and it did not seem to flow well.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. According to the scale used by Goodreads, which means it’s OK. I did not think the book was a waste of time. I would read another book by Wyer but it would not be a priority “to be read” book.

What an awesome mystery. Fast reading, interesting characters and a good story line. Having young innocent children as victims made you want to solve the mystery even more.

The first in a new series by Carol Wyer featuring Detective Natalie Ward. I love Carol Wyers books so was delighted about this one. And I certainly wasn't disappointed!
A little girl goes missing at a birthday party in a garden centre. Her body isn't discovered for two years. Shortly after other little girls go missing. They had also attended the birthday party.
Enter Detective Natalie Ward. What is the connection between the murders. This was a brilliant book and I can't wait for the next one. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.

The Birthday was a good read but it could've been even better. I had two 'problems' with it: the story dragged a lot and there was quite a lot going on generally (that had nothing to do with the main storyline). So that's negatives out of the way :) apart from that though, everything was good. Ward is a likeable main character, the book is full of twists, there are a lot of suspects. The book was gripping, intriguing and I read it in just one day. So yeah, I just had a few minor problems with it but all in all, I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the second book in this series.

My first book by Carol Wyer & I’m already looking forward to exploring her other novels.

Gripping police procedural story with an interesting team that I hope to discover more about in future books.

This book was a great crime thriller with twists and turns in all the right places. I enjoyed this book.

Ava Sawyer goes missing at at birthday party. Two years later her little body is found. Then another little girl who went to the same party goes missing and is found dead. Detective Natalie Ward is now in a race to find the killer before they strike again. The author did a great job taking you along for the ride as Natalie and coworkers work the case. I did find that the story dragged in a few places, I just wanted to find out who the killer was. Even so I would still recommend picking up a copy.

I love a good crime thriller and this one really satisfied my craving for a true detective story. It is frankly hard to read as a parent because it involves young children. I don’t think I can read another crime novel with children as the victims. It’s just too heartbreaking, but this one was so unputdownable.

I love how the author featured a really strong female character. Natalie Ward struggles to balance her career, marriage and raising her kids. I felt for her because it’s really hard to be a working mom, and she’s a detective at that. I can’t help but wonder, if she was male, would it have been an issue? I bet it wouldn’t.

I also loved her team of investigators—they are a dream team and I would love to see more of them in action. All the characters are well-rounded and all with interesting back stories.

I felt that the story could have gone faster in some parts, but the murderer’s motive is one of the most chilling I’ve ever encountered so it’s definitely worth the wait. I think I now have a fear of yellow dresses. It would be some time before I recover from this book.

*Big thanks to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.*

Great read. Already a fan of Carol Wyer’s Robin Carter series I was hoping this would live up to it and boy it didn’t disappoint. Great plot and interesting characters that have a lot to give
I hope we hear more from Natalie & Co. soon.

I really enjoyed this well written thriller. The subplots gave extra momentum which I look forward to following in the series. I loved the plot idea and its pace. I look forward to reasing more by Carol Wyer.

I really enjoyed this start to a new series and can't wait for more. Highly recommended!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture!

Detective Natalie Ward has moved to a new station in hopes of forgetting her old case where she and her team were not able to save a 13 year old. Her first case comes along when the body of 5 year old Ava Sawyer was found who went missing 2 years back from a birthday party. Natalie and her team are trying to find the killer when two more girls who attended the party ends up missing , now instead of a cold case it's a race against time to find the killer and save the girls.

The Birthday by Carol Wyer is the first book in Detective Natalie Ward’s series and with so many suspects , plenty of motives , it’s an intriguing mystery that kept me guessing till the very end.Detective Natalie Ward is a very likable , strong character lead and am definitely looking forward to reading the next one in this series.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

I was drawn in by the front cover for this one. It's a normal reaction to be drawn to anything that pertains to children given that they are among the most 'innocent' among society.

The book was quite nicely written. The plot flowed nicely, there was no jarring, the chapters weren't too long, and the dialogue felt natural. I did feel it lulled a little in the first 5 chapters. I've always found that these first few chapters are the hardest for an author to write because you have to included backstory and introduce the character, and some writers can get a little carried away with that part and it can become tedious and boring for us readers. While this wasn't too bad for this book, it did get to me a little, so I'd give that a 3/5.

I did love the ending, it was a pleasant draw in and very much made me look forward to future work from this author. Thank you very much for allowing me to preview this.

Ava Sawyer goes missing at a classmates birthday party while wearing a yellow party dress. Two years later other classmates begin to be killed. DI Natalie Ward has a past case that haunts her and she's willing to do almost anything to find this killer.
Everyone was a suspect and it just seemed to take too long to find the killer. At some point a little more than halfway through it got to be an okay read and dragged on too long.