If you enjoy police procedural, this is definitely one series that you should be reading.

Last Lullaby is the second book in the Detective Natalie Ward series by Carol Wyer. Like the first book(The Birthday), it had me scratching my head wondering who the villain was and the motives behind the murders.

The investigation was systematically presented with a number of suspects along the way. The fact that I had no clue about the villain’s identity made this an even more enjoyable read. I had to put my detective hat on and work with Natalie’s team to get answers. I assure you, this isn’t the kind of story where readers go rogue and solve the mystery before the cops. Ah ah, not this time. All my guesses were proven wrong so I had to follow the evidence and work the case with the team.

Detective Natalie is a great MC, quite easy to root for. I like the fact she isn’t your usual fictional lead detective with all kinds of demons, haunted past and hard liquor in her desk drawer. Natalie is a mum trying to juggle the demands at work and home. I think I liked her even more because she reminds me of my mum who is now a retired cop. Our lead detective is so realistically portrayed that you just can’t just help enjoy reading about her personal life even as you follow the case.

Last Lullaby is a masterfully written, unpredictable cop procedural with suspense from the first page and twists that will make your jaw drop. In addition, Carol’s writing is utterly captivating. She made me part of the detectives team and I couldn’t rest until we solved the case. The ending of the book already has me refreshing the author’s social media pages in search of news about her next book.

This is a brilliant series that I can’t recommend enough.

This is the first Carol Wyer book i have read and im sure it wont be my last. This was a book which i really got into, and liked finding out about the characters in the team. It was good also to get an insight into the private life of Natalie and her relationship with her husband and kids. Faced paced book and i found myself going through the book changing my mind constantly on who the killer was. Looking forward to the next instalment of the Natalie Ward series.

Cracking good read, as good as, if not better than, the first one one in this series Little Girl Lost. I love Carol Wyer’s Robin Carter series so was unsure if a second series could be as good but I needn’t have worried. Great main plot, brilliant twists and the subplots and characters are building nicely
#lastlullaby#Netgalley

A great tense read! Full of gripping moments and twists and turns.
The story was exciting to read and the characters were fleshed out well.

Loved this book!! It is as brilliant as all of Carol Wyers previous books!! So many twists and turns , kept me guessing until the end

Adam and Charlotte Brannon are arguing as they drive home after having dinner with Charlotte’s parents, Kevin and Shiela Hill, in celebration of the older couple’s 30th wedding anniversary. Adam is a semi-pro boxer and Charlotte is a stay-at-home mother to their baby son. Charlotte’s parents are very wealthy and Adam is always intimidated when he is around them. Having had too much to drink, Charlotte goes to bed after checking on the baby while Adam takes the sitter, Inge, home. Shortly afterward, she is awakened by an intruder and killed.

Natalie Ward who is a busy police detective who has been awakened by her husband, David’s, snoring. She had fixed a nice dinner that evening for David’s father, Eric, and his girlfriend, Pam. Their children, Josh, 16, and Leigh, age 14, had been very mannerly as well. Eric has been a widower for 10 years now, but David is still not willing to think his Dad could be with another woman.

Awakened again in the middle of the night, Natalie is called to the horrific crime scene where Charlotte was beaten to death. It is an awful scene and hard to see. The killer has left a message on the wall in blood that reads, “why.” The pathologist is Pinkney and Natalie feels he is the best in the business. Adam says that after dropping the sitter at home, he joined a friend at the pub for a drink and then went back home. That’s when he discovered Charlotte’s body.

The police detectives investigate every avenue possible thinking they may have a suspect. But then another young mother is found brutally murdered with the word “who” written in blood on the wall.

This is a fabulous detective mystery and thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I found myself trying to piece together clues, but in the end, the killer was a total surprise. Congratulations to the author for an amazing story. I know readers won’t want to miss this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

And Carol Wyer strikes again! I swear this amazing woman is a writing machine. There is just no stopping her! And if you think that means the quality is suffering, you are so wrong! As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Or in this case, in this book.

Last Lullaby is the second book in the Natalie Ward series and it’s every bit as fabulous as its predecessor. Or dare I say, it’s even better! As I’ve come to expect from this author, it is utterly gripping from the very first page. With a multitude of red herrings, dead ends and lies and deceit to wade through, this is one insanely frustrating and complex investigation and I couldn’t work it out at all. I ended up suspecting pretty much every character I was introduced to.

Once again, I really enjoyed the team dynamics but what really lit a fire in my belly was seeing Lucy taking centre stage, kicking ass and just being generally fierce! Just like in the previous book, Carol Wyer manages to create a perfect balance between the team’s personal lives and their jobs, giving the reader the opportunity to get to know them better. But more than anything, she always makes you almost sympathise with the killer and sometimes that’s even more unnerving than the actual murders they commit.

Dark and disturbing, brilliantly paced and extremely compelling, Last Lullaby will have you flipping or swiping the pages faster as you go, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. On top of that, we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger that has me rather impatiently awaiting the next instalment.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Carol Wyer can do no wrong in my eyes and I’ll pick up pretty much anything she throws my way. I can’t wait for the next book in the Natalie Ward series. Although I must admit, I do miss Robin. 😉

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Carol Wyer, who is an author who I hadn’t read before. In addition to never having read the author, I was starting with the second book in her 'Detective Natalie Ward' series without reading the first book. But any qualms that I may have had at the outset were quickly allayed by this fast-paced, intelligent mystery. British Detective Inspector Natalie Ward, and her police team are called in to solve the murder of Charlotte Brannon. The murder was brutal and bloody, with the word ‘Why’ written in blood on her bedroom wall. Charlotte’s body was found by her husband Adam, yet their infant son Alfie was found untouched in his bedroom. Who would have killed Charlotte and left Alfie alone with the cryptic message 'Why' on her wall? Soon all indicators start pointing at her husband Adam who has his own secrets that he’s reluctant to reveal.

Then days later, a second murder of a young mother occurs, and the woman’s toddler son was again found unharmed. Is the team of detectives dealing with a serial killer? Why would someone be killing young mothers with sons, and yet not touch the children? While the team scrambles to solve the murders, we learn more about most of the team member’s personal lives, and come to understand that Natalie’s marriage is possibly at a crumbling point. Is her husband lying to her like all the suspects in her current case appear to be?

I really liked this book. You don’t have to read the first book in the series before jumping into this book. But now that I’ve read this book, I think that I might have to go back and read it. “Last Lullaby” was an engaging page-turner. There were many different possibilities as to who was the killer. The ending was action-packed. It was totally plausible, and yet unexpected. This whodunit had be stumped. Kudos to the author!
‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Bookouture; and the author, Carol Wyer; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Natalie Ward is called to the murder of a young mother. Her child is in the house but completely unharmed. The word Why is written on the wall in blood. The husband appears to have something to hide but is he involved? Then a second mother is found murdered.
As Natalie investigates with her team she is also trying to keep her marriage together.
This is great second book and adds to the characters personalities and back stories.
I can’t wait for book three.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC
#LastLullabyDetectiveNatalieWardBook2 #NetGalley

Wow! Carol Wyer does it again! I love the Natalie Ward series! I had great expectations because, well it is Carol Wyer and I loved the first book in the series, The Birthday. Dare I say I loved this one even more!

This book had me gripped from page one with a grisly fantastic opening. I was shocked at the story unfolding before me. Detective Natalie Ward is searching for a killer that is leaving behind a gruesome trail. He is targeting young mothers with sons. He brutally murders the mother, writing cryptic messages on the wall of their home in their own blood. Did that get your attention? Meanwhile the child is left untouched in the home at the same time.

I flew through this book in a day as I could not put it down. I am loving this Natalie Ward series! The exciting news is that there is a third book in the series coming out next year. I am on team Natalie all the way. Go Natalie! I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next year.

Detective Natalie Ward is back with a case that has her team chasing their tails. Carol Wyer does a great job of portraying the frustration the police go through when witnesses give false evidence or aren't forthcoming about things that would help a case along, I know I felt their frustration myself. This was another very enjoyable crime novel that had me guessing where the evidence was going to lead them and why these murders had really been committed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in return for an honest review.

Oh my -insert expletive beginning with F here- goodness!!!!!! What a book! OMG! I finished reading Carol Wyer’s latest literary brilliance in the early hours of the morning, and can I just say that I am extremely glad that I do not read blurbs! I only read the blurb after I had read the book and the things which had my jaw dropping, were written in it. Not all of them mind. So, if you trust my judgement on books, read this novel without reading the blurb.

Anyway, that’s my insight on that and is in no way a reflection of my opinion on the book at all.

I do say this a lot where Wyer’s books are concerned, but ‘The Last Lullaby’ is by far her best book yet. The intensity of the storyline was impeccable, along with the calculated brilliance of each individual character. If I know that there is a possibility of children being part of a thriller storyline, I am always filled with dread until I know that they’re not in the firing line so to speak – ‘The Last Lullaby’ was no different. My heart was in mouth from the onset. That sounds like I didn’t care about the victims in the book even though I did, but it’s children….you know?

I couldn’t get over how cleverly written the storyline was from start to finish – it was as though the book kept on giving shocking moments with every new chapter. Just like most police procedurals/thrillers, there is usually a few characters with fingers being pointed at them from the start, and the same happened here. I tried to look at the bigger picture but I couldn’t help but lean towards one character already in the firing line. Everything just seemed….convincing, if you catch my drift. They certainly didn’t help themselves against Natalie award though, that’s for sure!

I won’t say who I thought was ‘the one’ due to spoilers, but let’s just say that Wyer had me utterly convinced I was bang on the money…..until the moment I wasn’t. Geeeeez – did I see that coming? Did I fudge!!!! There was a point in the book where my heart rate quickened and my mouth became dry. Would they reach the bastard in time? Time wasn’t on Natalie Ward and her teams side and my legs were wiggling, urging them to move their backsides! It’s easy for me to say that, obviously, I’m not a police officer who has to follow procedure!

‘The Last Lullaby’ was absolutely brilliant – an ice cold, cut throat, highly intense read which made me lose my own capability of thinking clearly. The characters were chilling yet perfectly crafted and, whilst it feels weird to say this, even the ‘whodunnit dude’ was outstanding! Their actions weren’t, obviously, but the way Wyer created their mindset and thought process was incredible. I can’t even begin to imagine the extent of the research that went into creating that character and the situation they found themselves in.

What an absolute belter of a read this is – could someone point me in the direction of Carol Wyer Anonymous please as I’m addicted!!

Thoroughly enjoyed this tense taught thriller. Brilliantly written, with lots of tenterhooks and a lot detail. The characters worked well together and it was an easy book to read, hard to put down, which is a book I like. Top marks from myself.

I was really happy to see that book number two in the Natalie Ward series had come out, and it didn't disappoint, not one iota!

This was a hard-hitting, complex book and I had no clue who the killer was until it was revealed by the team that was hunting him! Plenty of red herrings and other candidates for the crimes and the excellent story telling skills of the author came to the fore in full force here. I really like Natalie Ward as a character and as the leader of her team. She has a good, strong, team and even though her marriage could be better, she pushes through and does the best she can.

Loved this novel, and looking forward to the next book in the series.

5 well-deserved stars from me :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This was a fantastic mystery book. It follows DC Natalie Ward who was in her first book, The Birthday which I did not read but this book, The Last Lullaby is fantastic. In this book, it begins with the gruesome murder of a young mother named Charlotte who is bludgeoned to death with the word "why" written in blood above her body. Of course they suspect the husband, Adam who finds his wife's dead body after he drove the babysitter home and made a stop before coming home. But his alibi seems airtight but there is something off about his affect. He claims he cannot stay there and doesn't want the baby at this time. He says to give the baby to her Charlotte's parents. Then another thing happens at DI Natalie Ward's doorstop. This is a great mystery as we watch DC Natalie Ward and her loyal detectives follow the breadcrumbs to the final conclusion. This was an amazing mystery and I will be reading more books by this author. I received this book from net galley.com for an honest review. I want to thank net galley.com for this great mystery book.

Oh wow. What an amazing book! It started with a bang and kept you hooked from start to finish. Believable characters and a thrilling story line with lots of twists and turns. This is the second book in the Natalie Ward series and it's shaping up to be a cracking series. Can't wait for the next one. Would give it more than 5 stars if I could.

Loved this book. Twists and turns . Kept me enthralled all the way through it. I enjoyed the first book and this one just as much can’t wait for another

After reading and enjoying the first Detective Natalie Ward novel I was really looking forward to reading the second instalment. I am very pleased to say it didn’t disappoint.

Charlotte Brannon has everything, a loving husband, baby boy, lovely home and a wealthy and loving family. That is until one evening someone enters her home and she ends up dead in her bedroom with her baby boy in the room next door. Who would want to kill Charlotte ?

Detective Natalie Ward heads up the investigation and as she starts to delve deeper she discovers that not everything is as it seems. There are plenty of lies and deceit going on but will Natalie discover the truth before there are more victims.

This really is a great follow on from the first book in the series, however I would say you can definitely read this as a stand alone book. I really do love Detective Natalie Ward and her fellow detectives and I feel as though in this book we get to know them all a little bit more. I will definitely be reading any future books in this series ..... can’t wait.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

This crime procedural thriller is a welcome second novel featuring Detective Natalie Ward and is her most complex case so far. She and her team will have to work tirelessly and with determination and tenacity to solve the latest crime spate which begins when Adam Brannon calls in the police after finding his wife Charlotte brutally murdered and lying on the floor of their bedroom in a pool of blood. Daubed on the wall above the headboard is the single word “Why?” written in her own blood. Inside their refuse bin outside their door the murder weapon, a long, sturdy baseball bat is found scarcely even hidden. Her baby Alfie is left alone in his bedroom and her husband only found her body when the baby woke in the dead of night and cried out for his Mum.
A thorough investigation ensues with Natalie and her team delving into Adam’s shady past and history of bad boy behaviour and antics. The last person to see Charlotte alive is her babysitter, her best friend’s teenage daughter, ambitious and hard working Inge, who clearly has secrets she is anxious to keep hidden. She, too, comes under the eagle eyes of Natalie and joins the growing list of suspects. Then another dark haired beautiful mother of a young boy is murdered. Both crimes are linked by this similarity and the writing in the culprit’s blood on the wall. This time the ambiguous message is another question “Who?” and the team begin to wonder if the killer is going through the list of short one word questions. Could the perpetrator be on a mission to murder five beautiful young mothers with young sons? Is the question a message for the police or is it a question the killer is posing for himself and if so who can possibly answer his question?
I really enjoy series like this one. The reader learns more and more about Natalie and her team of detectives and you understand them even more. Lucy played a major part in this story and I thought she was a very strong character with an interesting story. I liked the inclusion of Natalie’s personal problems and hoped for a resolution within the time frame of the current story. What impressed me most was the fantastic teamwork and trust between them all, and how calm and thorough Natalie was in her leadership. I loved the fact that a major theme of this story was that people are not always who they seem to be at first. They are clever actors bent on deception. Like chameleons they gradually evolve until they fully reveal themselves. It’s like a clever game of playing off the two sides – the law keepers and the lawless. Other themes within the story are rivalry, the fragility within relationships, mother love, jealousy and revenge. The murderer is on a mission and he clearly will not stop until he is physically stopped or he achieves his goals. I wondered how it would all end and tried to predict the outcome. I am no detective but I really liked the final few chapters, best of all the final words.
The new characters within this story are a real mixed bag, but they are all engaging in their own way. This is one of Carol Wyer’s particular talents – characterisation. Then there are the intricacies of her story plans and her vivid and engaging storytelling, focusing on keeping her stories well paced and full of action and interaction. I always enjoy her novels, but this is one of her very best in my opinion. I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley and I would like to say thank you for my copy. After the cliff-hanger of an ending I can’t wait to read the third book in this excellent series. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. I loved every minute of this story and would recommend it as an excellent read and my review, 5* all round, is very well deserved.

A kind of traditional murder mystery/police procedural. It's very well written, and even though it's a little on the long side, it's very easy and enjoyable to read. Very good plot and characters.