Reading this book gave me chills as I can only imagine what the family of a missing child goes through.

The story was absorbing and had a really great new lead is Natalie Ward. Let's just say that while I think she is a great detective I think she needs to learn to prioritize.

Her life is not easy and she made mistakes which could have ended her marriage and her family life.

I really enjoyed this character and can see her grow with each book that will be released. It is nice to really see a character that stands out from the beginning.

Wonderful book

I was excited to read this new book from Carol Wyer as I love her Robyn Carter series so much. I thought I hope i won't be disappointed and boy I wasn't .Great story, love the detective I was hooked from the start. I thought i had worked out who the killer was but i was wrong lol Still love the other series as they are set where I live but can't wait to see what happens in the next in this series.

This is the first in a series centred around DI Natalie Ward and her team.

2015. 5 year old Ava Sawyer goes missing at a birthday party. Two years later, her body is found, wearing a yellow dress. When two more girls are murdered and found wearing yellow dresses, it is up to DI Ward and her team to ascertain if the murders are copycat killings or if the girls are victims to the same killer.

I really enjoyed this book. We learn a little about the detectives throughout the story, but it is very skilfully done, with the main emphasis being on the murders.

The characters come across as very human and are well written. There are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing - I couldn’t work out the murderer until near the end of the book

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last. I certainly look forward to reading more about Natalie and her team.

Thank you to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this story in exchange for my unpaid, honest review.

This is the first of Wyer's books that I have read. A detective is covering the disappearance of young girls, all who attended the same birthday party. What's the connection? I felt that the story was very well pieced together and well paced, and that the character development, especially for the main character--Detective Natalie Ward--is excellent. Development of the other detectives is not so fully fleshed out, but since this appears to be a series in the making, I am sure that will come with time for those who stick it out. I probably won't be one of them. The story was good enough, but not enough for me to come back to this author for another round. I felt like the ending was unsatisfactory, with no great twist or surprise to the conclusion.
Thank you very much to #NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I started reading this book in bed at 10pm and said to myself I would only read for 30 minutes before catching some shut eye. But an hour and half later I was still up and reading. I found the book so gripping and intense that I didn’t want to stop reading.

I thought the book had a great plot and was very well written with many twists and turns as well as a few surprises in between which I weren’t expecting. The story is told mainly in the point of view of the main character, DI Natalie Ward. There were also a few chapters which were written with the thoughts from what sounds like a child, who is unnamed. From what I read I’m making a guess and saying that these are the thoughts of the killer when he/she was younger. (Don’t want to give the story away now)

While reading I feel Wyer portrayed the struggles of work life and personal life of the characters very well. I liked the character of DI Natalie ward and can’t wait to read the rest of the series to see how she develops both in her personal life and professional work life.

I really enjoyed the twist at the end of the book, I wasn’t expecting it, especially as I thought I had worked out what was going to happen.

I really enjoyed reading this first book in this series, and I think I will definitely be looking into reading her previous books while I wait for the next book to come out.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves reading crime thrillers.

I would also like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

The Birthday is the start of a new detective series featuring DI Natalie Ward, a married mother of two. In 2015 Ava, attending a school friend's birthday party and wearing a yellow party dress, goes missing. Fast forward to 2018, Ava's body is found and very soon thereafter, other young girls who attended the party are also murdered and found wearing yellow party dresses. DI Natalie Ward is in a race against time to find the killer before they murder again, as not only is this case weighing heavily on her as a mother and a police officer, but also the fact that a previous case involving a teenage girl she was investigating didn't result in the outcome everyone had hoped for.

At just over 300 pages, it is a fast and pacy read. It is choc-full of suspects with dodgy alibis and motives as Natalie and her team try to unravel the truth and get to the perpetrator. A back story featuring flashbacks from the killer's point of view is also interesting and gives an insight into the question of why. Despite the difficult subject matter of missing and murdered children, as a mother myself I wasn't put off and enjoyed this book 3.5/5

“The Birthday” by Carol Wyer starts out strong but begins to stumble toward the halfway point. The novel opens with the disappearance of 5-year-old Ava Sawyer during a classmate’s birthday party. Three years later, her body is found during a dig, setting off a chain of events where a few other girls are murdered.

There are simply too many irrelevant subplots that distract from the story (i.e, Detective Ward’s marriage, her son Josh getting suspended, and the disappearance of another young girl that she feels guilty for). During the course of the investigation, there are also too many suspects to keep track so at a certain point I started to tune out. Another thing was the inclusion of flashbacks from the killer’s point of view that suddenly started to appear after a few chapters. Unfortunately I DNFed it about 200 pages in because I didn’t have the patience to start deciphering everything. The reason I still rated it three stars is because I liked Detective Ward as a character and would pick up book two.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Birthday’ by Carol Wyer in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
During a children’s birthday party at the Uptown Craft Centre & Farm five-year-old Ava Sawyer goes missing. Two years later the area is being cleared for redevelopment and a body believed to be that of Ava’s is found. DI Natalie Ward and her team from the Samford Police Force are given the job to discover who murdered her. Soon after another girl from the birthday party disappears and her body found, and then a third. Can Natalie track down the identity of the killer before any more girls are taken?
‘The Birthday’ is the first in the DI Natalie Ward series and is a very exciting crime thriller with a plot that is complex and enthralling. As the story progresses the tension mounts and when the clues start piling up I was racking my brains trying to work out who could possibly be the killer. I was so caught up with the story that when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about it and hoping to solve the case. It’s been cleverly written with twists and turns, a few red herrings to throw us off the scent, and Natalie’s final race to catch the killer and save another girl from certain death is fast-paced and chilling. This is an excellent thriller and one I can guarantee will keep the reader up all night.

After reading Carol Wyer’s Robyn Carter series, I was excited to received and ARC of The birthday. The first in the series involving Detective Natalie Ward.
New to the area and Samford Police force. Natalie Ward’s new case is the murder of 5 years old Ava Sawyer. After going to a birthday party of one of her classmates at a petting zoo. Ava goes to the toilet, never to be seen again. Two years later, her body is found buried at a building site, in a yellow dress. Soon after that, another one of her classmates is found strangled after a dance lesson. Also wearing a yellow dress. Detective Ward now knows that the two deaths are connected and she has a Serial killer on her hands.
The pressure is on to find out who the killer is before another murder happens. Natalie is stressed as the last case she was involved in, in her last nick didn’t end so well. Also a mother of two herself, she is worried she doesn’t spend enough time with her own kids, as, she is spending a lot of time on this case.
This is a great start, to a new series from Carol Wyer. I thought it realistic and gripping and I didn’t want to put it down. I thought that this series is a bit darker than that of the Robyn Carter series and but, I enjoyed still enjoyed it anyway. I like the character of Natalie Ward. She is a cop that cares. She is not perfect, but she stays until she gets the job done. I can’t wait for the second in the series to see how the story develops.
Thanks you Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I just love Carol Wyer's books. I always look out for her books and I find them just "Brilliant"

So this new book "The Birthday" by Carol Wyer is Book One of an exciting new series, of Detective Natalie Ward.

A body of a 5 year old girl called Ava Sawyer, who disappeared 2 years previously whilst at a friends Birthday party at a local garden centre/petting zoo is discovered where she was last seen.
Detective Natalie Ward and her team start to investigate this case. However, this is going to be a hard case for her as she is haunted by the failure of a previous case, where they failed to save a teenager before they were murdered.
Whilst investigating how Ava Sawyer died, another girl goes missing. She was Ava's classmate from school and they were at the same party together. This case becomes urgent as she is found murdered. Are they both related?

Another young girl goes missing and the pressure is on the team to find her alive. They all have things in common, they all were at the same school, the same dance class and many of them hung out at the same pool and they were at the Birthday party of Ava Sawyer.

So many things that are related.......... Is the killer Local? Why have they been chosen?

I love this new Detective Natalie Ward storyline, she comes across smart and is the main breadwinner and works hard to support her 2 teenage children and her Husband who works from home. Plus, looking forward reading more books in this new series.

I found this book a Brilliant read especially the end chapters. Excellent end to a book.

Well Done Carol you have done it again Written a 10/10 book

I received a free e-copy of The Birthday by Carol Wyer from NetGalley for my honest review.

YAY - a new detective series from Carol Wyer!! And it is so good!! I am a big fan of this author and couldn't wait to read this - and I am already looking forward to book 2 in the series.

New to the area we meet Detective Natalie Ward - mother of 2 teenagers. Her last case didn't end well and she has moved to a new station in the hopes of putting it all behind her. Her first case comes along when the body of a young girl is found buried on a building site. The body is identified as that of 5 year old Ava Sawyer who went missing from a birthday party 2 years ago. Natalie and her new team set out to find her killer when another girl who attended the same party goes missing, and then another. There are so many possible suspects for various reasons and it keeps you guessing right until the end.

I am looking forward to reading more in this series and getting to know Natalie and her team better. Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in now way biased.

The Birthday features a new character from Carol Wyer named DI Natalie Ward. We start in 2015 with the abduction of 5 year old Ava Sawyer. She goes missing at the birthday party of a classmate and the case is unsolved. In 2018 Ava is found buried very close to the location of the party. The investigation is headed by Natalie and her team, they soon have their hands full as another child who was at the party goes missing. I enjoyed this book well enough but it's not memorable in any way. However, if you like police procedurals, this is the book for you.

I was so excited to read this book I absolutely love Carol Wyer. I was not disappointed and sat on the edge of my seat towards the end. I defiantly couldn’t have guessed the ending. Fantastic, thank you so much for letting me read and review this title

5 year old Ava Sawyer disappears at a birthday party held at a garden center. 2 years later her body is found in the grounds of the center still clad in her yellow party dress.
Then 7 year old Audrey Briggs, one of Ava’s classmates who was also present at the birthday party, is strangled to death, wearing almost an identical yellow dress Ava was wearing.
Are the two murders connected? Is someone targeting the children who attended that fateful birthday party? What is the murderer’s motive?

Matters get worse, when another girl goes missing.

Suspects are galore, with shaky alibis and plenty of motives and Detective Natalie Ward and her team are trying to follow every lead to uncover the truth and put a stop to the culprit.
The Birthday was a well-written, fast-paced and thrilling read, full of surprises.

Thanks to Carol Wyer, Bookouture and the NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

I have been reading and loving Carol Wyer other series with DI Robyn Carter so I was thrilled when getting a chance to read this new start to a series with DI Natalie Ward at the helm. It was brilliant and I really enjoyed reading it and hope that we see more of Natalie soon. Wonderful writing as always by Carol and highly recommended if you want a real good read ..4+ stars

A great storyline, fast paced and gripping from the beginning. Plenty of intrigue all the way through. Goid characters, easy to identity with and very believable. Lots of mystery and not too easy to guess the villain. A refreshing writing style. A very enjoyable read

Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing new series from Carol. It is so gripping and real and had me on the edge I really felt I was in the moment with natalie, also love the back ground for all the police officers. Was filled with suspense and tension and had me hooked from the start. Definitely buying book 2!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing to read and review this books.
I thought this was s well plotted and fast paced mystery that keeps you guessing till the end.

2/5

I feel like I'm in the minority here - I felt like DI Ward was supposed to be an identifiable, relatable character, yet she was a dismissive, uninvolved mother and wife who not only cheated on but felt like she was far superior to her husband (which was true, but pick a lane - either leave your deadbeat husband or commit to the marriage - don't cheat and tolerate mediocrity). And her son being an outcast and ridiculed because he had braces? Come on. Let's be a bit more original...most kids have braces at some point, don't buy your child's love with Jordans because you feel...guilty? that he has $5000 braces. Please.

The plot of the story took us all over the place. I had many theories, an at the end of the day, this book kept me guessing. However - sadly, the ending was uneventful and not entirely plausible. Given the background of the killer, there's absolutely no way he would have ended up as the person he was in the end.

DI Natalie Ward recently moved to her current station following her involvement with a young girls case that ended in the worst possible way. Badly affected by it the last thing she wants is another like it so soon .
We rarely get what we want and Natalie fairs no better .
Her first case as ISO is that of a missing child, 5 year old Ava Sawyer. Ava disappeared from a friends birthday party held at a local garden centre 2 years ago. Now her body has been unearthed there during expansion work.
Natalie and her team examine all the details of the old investigation but when another child who had also attended the party turns up dead wearing a yellow party dress like Ava, then a third girl disappears the race is onto catch the killer before he can strike again.
Well plotted storyline with enough clues in amongst the twists and turns to capture and hold the readers interest. Certainly held mine right till the end.
The back story of Natalies personal life and that of her collegues develop well and I will be interested to discover more about her and her team.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in a new series, looking forward to the next!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.
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