Thanks to NG for the ARC! This book was a pretty good start to a new series about Police Investigator Natalie Ward. 5 year old Ava Sawyer disappears from a birthday party where nobody saw her leave or saw her ever again. Two years later, her body is found and as Det. Ward beings to investigate, another body of a girl who attended the same birthday party is found dead nearby. Clues begin to connect the two girl's deaths as the police work to re-investigate Ava's disappearance as well as start investigating the new victim. The story builds slowly and another girl is found murdered as the police slowly close in on a short list of suspects. Suspenseful writing and interesting characters kept me reading to the end which wasn't a huge surprise but not completely obvious either. I will definitely look for the next book in this series!

The Birthday

Wow, what a read ! Fast paced and gripping. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, I’m very happy to have found her and now look forward to reading the Robyn Carter series. Highly recommended !

I have to say this cover pulled me right in and of course the fact that it is a Carol Wyer book AND the start of a new detective series!!!

I enjoyed DI Natalie Ward's character. A mother of 1 5 year old boy, which I can relate to and a detective with a chilling case to solve involving the murder of little girls. It all starts with little Ava Sawyer who disappears from a birthday party. Every parent's nightmare.. After discovering Ava's body, two more girls go missing and their bodies are discovered in yellow party dresses. How does this relate to the birthday party and why? When the fourth girl goes missing, the daughter of an ex detective, DI Natalie Ward is determined to catch this child killer before he can kill again.

I would like to see more depth to Natalie's character in the future books and am interested to see how she and her teammates develop along the way. I will eagerly be waiting to see what this author comes up with next in this series!

A big thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book!

I love Carol Wyer’s dark side! It’s a cleverly told story, very intriguing.
I can’t say anything about the plot without giving any spoilers.
A good time to start reading Carol Wyer’s books if you haven’t already.
Well-paced and great writing. Extremely tense and a pleasure to read.

I am a massive fan of this author’s works and when I saw that she had a new series out featuring a new detective, DI Natalie Ward, I had to hold in a little squeal of delight!!

I was really looking forward to getting started on the book, even more so after seeing that cover… and I started it the weekend it landed on my Kindle – and I will be honest, it is an excellent story!!

It has a great plot, is well planned out and has some great characters – I am going to be controversial now as I actually preferred the team in this book to the one in the other crime series the author has out! Ward is a brilliant lead character and I warmed to her right from the outset.

The plot one was gripping and it had me completely hooked from the start, I devoured every page and I loved the teams fight to try and get the case resolved. The twists and turns were great and until the last few chapters I wasn’t sure who was actually responsible, I thought I knew who had ‘done’ it and then there was a twist and I was back to doubting myself - I love a good ending and this one was excellent!

Another 5 stars read for me – very, very highly recommended and I am really looking forward to seeing what she releases next!!

This is the first book in the Detective Natalie Ward series. Natalie has been promoted and her and her new team get called out when the body of 5 year old Ava is found who had gone missing at a birthday party 2 years before. Then her friend goes missing.
Natalie is desperate to solve the crime as she’s haunted by a previous case that’s not dissimilar. She is also struggling to juggle home and work life as solving this crime is so important to her but so is keep her husband and teenage children happy...what must come first?
We get introduced in the book to lots of people who it could be and they all could possibly be the killer with good reason. I liked the fact that each person I was introduced to in this book left me thinking ‘I wonder if it’s them?’ It was easy to follow even though there was a lot of characters.
Very well written and easy to follow. I got into this book from the first page then couldn’t stop turning the pages.
I love the cover it stands out and I’d definitely pick it off a shelf to see what it’s about
A must read and I can’t wait to see what crime Natalie and her team have to solve next.

I do like a good police procedural - and this was definately a good one. A fast paced story which keeps your interest right till the very end - was a little surprised by ending if I am honest but all the threads that linked together were very clever. Love this author.

This is I’d the first in a new series starring DI Natalie Ward. Natalie is trying to manage family and work life whilst investigating the murder of five year old Ava whose body has been found.
I loved the character of DI Ward and look forward to reading more. Her marriage and problems with her children added to the character. Now Ava has been found other children seem to be affected.
Anything by Carol Wyer is always at the top of my pile.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Birthday starts a new police series by Carol Wyer which introduces DI Natalie Ward and her new team.

Ava Sawyer’s body has been recently discovered after she disappeared from a birthday party two years ago. Shortly after the discovery of Ava’s body, another young girl is found dead and Natalie and her team have been asked to investigate; both girls attended the birthday party from which Ava went missing. When another girl from the party is found dead, the team need to find the killer before they can strike again. With plenty of suspects to sift through and eliminate, another child goes missing, is time running out?

A great new series from Carol Wyer, Natalie is a good character who is trying to balance work and family life but finds herself failing on the family front. This is an excellent book with a compelling storyline which leads us to an unexpected killer.

Great book and really pulls you in.
Heartbreaking storyline but a great introduction to detective Natalie Ward and her team which I am sure the author will use in future books.
The story has tragic overtones and is really sad in parts. Its a race against time to find a child killer and keeps you wondering right to the end.
Not to be missed.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Five-year old Ava disappears on a trip to a garden center/petting zoo to celebrate a classmates’ birthday. Two years later, her remains are found behind the garden center building.

Soon, one after another, Ava’s classmates start disappearing and turn up dead. They all shared the same school, the same dance class and many of them hung out at the same pool. The team has too many suspects and much time is spent chasing down their alibis, checking CCTV, interviewing witnesses, teachers and family members.

The identity of the killer is somewhat of a surprise, but he was a viable suspect all along. His personality seemed all wrong. The book is interspersed with little vignettes of the killer; his thoughts and actions. The reason for the killings is very sad, but all too easy to believe.

I believe this is my first Carol Wyer novel, but it won’t be my last. I truly enjoyed it and went to Amazon to look for others of her books. I liked DI Natalie and her team. They worked very well together and were truly dedicated. The book was well written and plotted. The writing was crisp and relevant to our times – sadly.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.

DI Natalie Ward with the Samford Police Force has a chilling task -- to find the person who murdered 5-year-old Ava Sawyer and buried her behind a garden center 2 years ago. Ava had disappeared during a birthday party and was not found until the center was sold and excavation for expansion by the new owners had begun. After the discovery of the little girl's body, Natalie and her team are rocked by two new killings of little girls -- both found dressed in yellow party dresses.

DI Ward, Sergeants Lucy Carmichael, Murry Anderson, and PC Ian Jarvis make up the investigative unit that has a terrific job to do. Find out who is snatching and killing these little girls right under their noses. When a 4th girl is taken, the stakes are higher as this child is the daughter of a former detective who worked on the initial case. Can they find out the identity of the serial killer and stop him in time to save Sage?

Lots of red herrings and suspects in this one with the voice of the killer narrating an occasional chapter. Natalie is an interesting character, haunted by her failure in a former case involving a child, and is driven to solve this at the cost of her home and family life. I'm interested to see how she develops in the second book of this series. Looks like we will see more personal drama among members of the team as well. It's always fun to start a new series with fresh characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

There is one word for this book …. Absolutely stunning! Ok yes technically two words, but it is, wow it blew me away. Totally my favourite book so far of 2018.

I am a big Carol Wyer fan so was super excited to read this, I loved everything about it from the cover to the characters to the story.

It was great to have a new detective book to read, I liked Natalie right off, she has flaws, she’s not perfect but she works damn hard and really cares. This is a great start to a new series that I am going to love I’m already wishing I could have the next book!

Carol has the knack of drawing you in to the story, holding you there with baited breath, hardly daring to breath in case you miss a vital clue, the suspense is a killer.

This book was amazing I really liked it, it’s totally going to get 5 stars although it is a shame I can’t give it more, it’s easily worth a 7. Buy it, you won’t regret it!

Detective and mother, Natalie Ward, is troubled by the case of two missing children, one of whom has been found dead. Both girls attended the same birthday party. Is there a connection? The mother of one of the girls seems to have something to hide and Natalie, will have to work quickly to prevent another child from being killed

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the first in a series featuring DI Natalie Ward, although she came with a complete backstory, and in some ways it was like starting in the middle, with her marital and parenting issues and recent transfer. These elements did (thankfully) take second place to the police investigation into the discovery of the body of a girl who went missing at a birthday party two years ago. Then other girls who attended the same party are found murdered. Most of the novel was from Natalie’s perspective, with short sections told from the point of view of the murderer and some of the victims.

This was a really good novel and the police work elements felt realistic. The body count mounted rather rapidly and without the police feeling quite the level of panic I would have expected. The ending and the revelation of the killer was mostly satisfactory, although the motivation seemed a little unconvincing.

I would be keen to read more of this series.

he Birthday Carol Wyer

2 years after she went missing the body of Ava Sawyer is found buried in the grounds of the Garden Centre she disappeared from during a birthday party.

DI Natalie Wood and her small team are tasked with finding answers the original team to investigate the disappearance didn’t.

But this is no ordinary missing persons/murder investigation. Now that the body has been found it acts as a catalyst for more crimes. More of the girls from the party start to get killed and are left posed in public places.

The investigation very much becomes a race against time.

The team have to find a killer. There are so many suspects, each one looking like they could be the killer, but each of them ruled out as suspects.

Have the team missed the killer?

Natalie already blames herself for one child abduction and murder case, she worked on, being tragically unsuccessful. She wasn’t the boss on that investigation, but she is on this one.

Has she learnt from others mistakes?

The last case affected her mentally and emotionally. Can she hold it together through this case?

The characters in this book are just what you would expect to find in any police team. DI Wood is struggling to balance her work and personal life. How can she try to keep her marriage going and still conduct such a high profile and emotional case.

Her team are made up of a mix of characters who it are easy to associate with and I’m sure we will get to know as the series progresses. There are friendships and there is conflict, just like the real world.

The best thing about this story is the realism. Carol Wyer hits so many nails on the head with the observations she makes.

She brings to life the frustrations of a real investigation.

The amount of facts that come flooding in and need sorting.

Deciding on what takes priority, and the worry that the decision was wrong.

When is it right to send your team home for rest, when every minute is so vital and may literally mean the difference between life and death.

There is one passage in the book when Natalie is struck by the normality of ongoing life after a traumatic incident.

In my career the thing that always used to get into my head was the disrupted normality. A terrible fire in a bedroom that had claimed lives, yet breakfast places set in the unaffected kitchen downstairs. School coats, which would never be worn again, hanging over the backs of chairs.

Not many authors consider this, and even less describe the feelings and emotions so well. It is only a small passage in the book, but it shows the consideration that has been put into it.

This is the first book in a new series. I think it’s going to be stunning.

Pages: 316
Publisher: Bookouture
Publishing Date: 27th September 2018.

With me being a fan of the DI Robyn Carter series I have to admit to being a little on edge as to whether I would get attached to Natalie's character as much as I had with Robyn. Well I don't know what I was worried about! Now Natalie isn't necessarily perfect and has a few demons from her past especially when it comes to her work but she is such an engaging character. I really enjoyed the insight into her family life as it helped to create a more balanced character. Along with seeing her determination to do her job which creates a really well rounded story.

In a way this book was on occasion difficult to read especially as it's a parents worst nightmare but it is also a case that pulled me in and held me completely captive! There was not only the investigation but parts where we see the emotional impact on the family members that we see grieving.

I could not wait to discover who the killer was along with the motive, I think the pressure was getting to me as at one point I said out loud "but who is it?" I would say that when you are talking to a book then you know you are fully invested in the story! One of the things that I enjoy about Carol Wyer's writing is that even though I will never make a great detective I feel as if I'm part of the story and right there with the team figuring out the evidence and putting all the clues together.

Carol Wyer is a brilliant storyteller who can wrap you up in knots as you try to figure it all out along with ramping up the tension and suspense until you find yourself half off the sofa (or maybe that's just me) as your heart rate picks up right until the thrilling conclusion.

I can't wait to catch up with Natalie and her team in the next book!

The Birthday is dark, edgy and utterly brilliant!

Five stars from me!

The Birthday marks the beginning of a new series based around Detective Inspector Natalie Ward. You might be like me and be worrying slightly that nothing could be better than Detective Inspector Robyn Carter in this author’s previous series of stories. Well, I’ll tell you this now, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. This book was fantastic and Natalie is certainly going to give Robyn a run for her money.

The first of this series begins 2 years previously when 5 year old Ava Sawyer disappears from a birthday party at a local garden centre. There are no obvious leads at the time and Ava was never found. That is until 2 years later when building works are taking place on land behind the garden centre and Ava’s body is discovered. Detective Inspector Natalie Ward is leading the investigation. As this is now a murder investigation, she gets her team to start at the beginning but they still face the same dead ends that the original investigating team did. Whilst investigating, a second girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended the same birthday party as Ava 2 years earlier. Who is behind the killings of these girls and what are Natalie and her team missing?

I loved the new character of Natalie Ward. She has an interesting back story! She has issues at home and also at work, stemming back from her previous case which obviously didn’t end well. Due to this previous case she wants to work hard at this case, not just to make sure the killer is found but also to make sure the same mistakes made on her previous case aren’t made again. These long hours away from home adds tension to an already fragile relationship with her husband and children. I have to admit I didn’t like her husband at all – why she just hasn’t told him to do one by now is beyond me! He obviously has his own issues, but gives Natalie no support whatsoever! Perhaps as the series progresses she will show him the door – I shall cheer when she does!!

Without revealing too many spoilers, the story had me hooked from page one. It is told from two perspectives – present day following Natalie and her team and much earlier in the childhood of an unknown child. Dealing with difficult subjects of child abduction and murder, the topic is handled absolutely perfectly and had me crying with sadness for half of the book and frightened to death for the other half. The storyline was cleverly written with no big reveal of the killer until right near the very end, but with plenty of clues, red herrings and wrong turns to get the reader going round in circles trying to work out what was going on. I genuinely didn’t guess who it was until very late in the book and to be honest the killer could have been one of many - there were that many suspects!

I thought this book was absolutely brilliant! It was cleverly written, well thought out, action packed, nerve wrackingly, nail bitingly good. I never thought I would hear myself say it but “bye bye Robyn, hello Natalie”!! Actually, no I didn’t just say that – I love Robyn just as much as Natalie, but they are both brilliant in their own different ways! This is one highly recommended thumbs up from me and I cannot wait for the next book!!!

In The Birthday, Book One of an exciting new series, Detective Natalie Ward has the unenviable task of trying to solve the murder of 5-year-old Ava Sawyer. Ava went missing at a birthday party two years ago. Her body was just discovered at a building site. Soon after, the body of another little girl is found. Natalie and her dedicated team must act quickly to stop any more of these heinous crimes. It doesn't take Natalie long to discover the links between the two murders, although they are two years apart.

Natalie has a lot on her plate. She is haunted by a previous similar crime which only ratchets her desire to act as quickly as possible in solving these murders. She is truly hoping that her team will catch the killer before any more young lives are lost. While very involved in the job at hand, Natalie is struggling with issues at home and is also facing a moral dilemma.

Reading how Natalie engages in her excellent crime-solving is exciting and tragic at the same time. Along with excellent character development, this story is full of surprising twists and turns. This was a truly thrilling book, albeit chilling at times. It certainly was no average read for me. I read The Birthday so fast that I was actually surprised. This excellent pacing, along with superb writing, is indicative of Carol Wyer's talent. This promises to be an excellent series and I look forward to reading the books to follow.

Many thanks to Bookuture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

So ... let's start by being honest. Who, when they heard that this wasn't going to be the next in the Robyn Carter series paused and thought, awww... but I like Robyn? I'll admit I did - for about a nanosecond because that's all the time it took me to realise that this could be something special and that I am always happy to read a book from Carol Wyer, no matter the subject. Her writing is excellent.
I am happy to report that second me - the excitedly anticipating the new book me - was absolutely one hundred percent right. This book truly is excellent.
The opening on this book will lull you into a false sense of security. You know something will be amiss as the blurb gives you the greatest hint of all, but it is a fairly tame beginning. Just kids (noisy ones - yak) at a birthday party at a petting zoo and garden/craft centre. Nothing wrong with that (apart from aforementioned kids). That is until the business owner who is looking after the party takes her eye off the ball for one moment and it all descends into chaos, the kind that will change people's lives forever ... Fast forward two years and a grim discovery in the garden centres grounds brings new DI, Natalie Ward, front and centre in an investigation which is going to rick the local community to it's core.
Gah - I cannot begin to express how overwhelmingly sad, creepy, tense, and heart-thumpingly good this book is. Okay - so maybe I can begin, I'm just not sure I can do it justice. Now there are truly heartbreaking moments in this book, and any parent who has mislaid their child for even five minutes will understand the overwhelming sense of dread this instills in them. But if your child was not found and reunited with you? How would that make you feel? This is exactly the kind of emotion Carol Wyer has captured in this book. The emotional toll that the loss of Ava has on her parents is perfectly captured on the page but it also adds a layer of doubt when the new investigations begins. Are they victims like Ava - or suspects?
I don't want to go too far into the story - it goes far beyond the disappearance of a five year old girl believe me - but I will say that there are scenes in the book which made my skin crawl and moments that will truly have you on the edge of your seat. It is a dual timeline story and we move seamlessly between the central investigation and the story of a young boy, but as to how these two stories intersect, you'll have to read for yourself but believe me it is most excellent. Both stories have the ability to surprise, shock, pull at your heart-strings and have you chomping on your nails in equal measure.
I really liked the character of Natalie Ward. She is a woman haunted by a case from her past, one in which results were not overwhelmingly positive and she is determined that she will not allow that to happen again here. A family woman, all at home is not entirely harmonious and I will be intrigued to see how that plays out in books to come. Her team are all excellent, well rounded and diverse and I am looking forward to seeing more of all of them, especially Lucy Carmichael who is keen to impress, determined, and trying to emulate Natalie who she sees as a role model, and Murray Anderson, a no nonsense Sergeant who I really grew to like quite quickly. This is a team who work well together, and along with the Crime Scene techs, especially Mike Sullivan, will fast become firm favourites of fans of the crime genre, I'm certain of it.

If you are looking for a well paced, heart-wrenching, pulse racing, edge of your seat kind of book and a crime fighting team who you can genuinely root for then look no further as this could genuinely be your next favourite read. I tore through it and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Bravo Carol Wyer. Another cracking series here and no mistake.