Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Murder, Kidnapping

Claire is from a small town where her sister was brutally murdered. When a new murder is committed that is eerily like her sister’s, Claire is called back to her small island town to help solve the case.

Noah is a reporter who knows far more about these cases and wants to help. I found his character almost endearing because of how much he wanted to help. Claire is incredibly wary of him at first, mainly due to his profession. However, when Noah is able to prove himself useful, Claire is all in.

Claire and Noah will have to worry about small town gossip, missing information, and teasing out who they can trust and who is lying to them.

This story is full of twists, turns, and complexity that allows the reader to truly search for the killer while reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved how it ended. I can't wait for the next one to come out.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book! This in no way influences my review of the novel. Next Girl to Die is the first in the Calderwood Cases series.

Next Girl to Die
Dea Poirier
Published Date: May 1, 2019
Finished Date:  May 2, 2019
Format: ebook ARC
Genre: mystery, crime novel
Number of Pages: 304 pages
Rating: 3/5 Moose

Synopsis
Fifteen years ago Claire Calderwood buried her sister Rachel after she was brutally murder in an unsolved death. As soon as she can, Claire gets off the small island Vinalhaven and dives head first into being the best cop in Detroit she can be, all while constantly being haunted by her guilt of her sister's death.

Fifteen years later, another girl is murdered with the same MO. Can Claire go back to face the island she wanted to forget and solve her sister's murder?

Main Characters
Claire Calderwood — Claire is a detective in Detroit who, at the request of the Sheriff, is coming back to her small town island to help solve a murder that is remarkably similar to the murder of her older sister.

Noah Washington — a journalist investigating in Rachel Calderwood's cold case.

Rants, Raves, and Thoughts
I wanted to like this book. It's a fairly quick read, and at no point did I actually feel the desire to mark the book as DNF. It was a good bridge for my cozy mystery books, and at one point I even wondered if was an inverse cozy mystery, as Noah Washington is a podcaster/journalist looking into the cold case about Rachel. But it's not really, it's a crime mystery novel through and through.

And it....kind of does a lot more telling than showing, honestly. We meet Noah, who introduces himself as a podcaster looking into the cold case, but then Noah becomes a respectable, paid journalist who writes a lot of articles about the Middle East. I kind of liked the idea of a podcaster coming to town, and a look at how it would help or hinder the case. But it's like Poirier knows the buzz words, and doesn't use them properly?

We are told about how much Claire is haunted by her sister as more teen girls die on the island, but it does feel...like we are just told frequently. I wish she would have leaned into it more. It's like things happen, and just in case we miss it, she then explains it? For example, it feels like she over explains her thought process for the benefit of the audience. It isn't her personality (though honestly, I have a hard time gauging what her personality is supposed to be), it isn't like she's internally keeping a checklist for herself, but more of a "oh hey let me tell you how cops life is like." I don't know.  And even for a cop who wants to join the FBI, Claire does some questionably dumb things.

Also, I am confused about Claire's life in general. She moves all her stuff from Detroit for a temporary gig? I get that the author is setting up for a series, where I doubt that Claire goes back to Detroit (and given the rush ending and the start of a new case, duh) but she moves her bed? to the island?

I also do wonder if the author has spent any time on a small island in Maine? There were times where it felt like the navigation of the island is rough and takes time, but then other times it's incredibly easy. Also the fact that every ferry gets there on time...something about it just reminded me of another debut book I liked where the fact that the author hadn't spent anytime navigating the NYC subway systems showed.

Final Moments 
Okay, everything above is a lot of ranting, and I do apologize for that. Truly, the book isn't bad. It's an easy read, it's a good attempt at a murder case, and I did enjoy parts of this book! There are some well done atmospheric moments, some of the characters I enjoy —  but it's definitely a debut novel and that shows. I will probably pick up book two just to see if the story and writing gets better, because I do think that Poirier can be great. Plus I am a sucker for a crime novel.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley! It opens as Claire, a detective, returns to her hometown from Detroit to investigate murders that may be related to her sister’s death previously. New murders continue to occur and she is flooded with memories of her sister while investigating. I found this book. Very entertaining and suspenseful. I especially enjoyed the romance she shared with Noah. I am glad a series will be developed around Claire and look forward to the next installment. Thanks so much to NetGalley.

Claire's older sister Rachel was murdered 15 years ago. Now Claire is a police officer in detroit. One day she gets a call to return to her home town to help solve two murders that are similar to Rachel's. Will the memories be to much for her? Claire will discover this investigation is a lot more involved then she originally thought. Thanks to netgalley, I can't wait for the next story

Based on the book description, I thought this book would be right up my alley. It sounded great, but unfortunately for me it was written in 1st POV and present tense. This is my absolute least favorite writing style. For other readers, this may not be a stumbling block, but for me it was huge. It made it hard to get into the story-line and I found myself constantly putting the book down.

With it being in 1st POV, the other characters felt flat and undeveloped and I wanted to know more about them but the book was all about the lead character. I could barely describe the rest of the police department. I lived in Claire's head and I grew tired of the constant comments on how she feels about her dead sister and lack of communication within her family. There were so many times when the book felt very repetitive.

I didn't feel the set-up of Claire coming back to the island was developed well enough...is this really temporary? Why just up and quit her current position? Why her when there's an obvious conflict that the murder is so similar to her dead sister? It's very unusual to investigate a sibling's murder. When the bodies start piling up, where are the state investigators or even the FBI? Why would her boss want her working with a journalist...that just felt contrived.

I didn't feel as there was a lot of plot development as some things seem to just fall into Claire's lap as she spun her wheels. There was also something about this story that gave me a YA feel and I'm not sure why. In the end, this just wasn't a fit. There are a lot of people who enjoyed this book so remember - this is just my personal thoughts.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer & Dea Poirier for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Next Girl to Die was a thrilling start to the Calderwood Cases series by new author Dea Poirier. Next Girl to Die takes place in a small town in Maine. Homicide detective Claire Calderwood returns to her hometown to help them solve the recent murder of one of the town’s teenage girls. The murder is similar to the murder of Claire’s older sister 20 years earlier, which was never solved. Claire meets a journalist, Noah who beings as a pain in her ass but ends up being an important ally.
The book was well written, and I didn’t want to put it down, unfortunately I had to eat, sleep and work. Dea’s description of the situations made you feel like you were there. Claire was easy to relate to as a sister who would do anything to avenge her sister. Claire is a strong character who ends up not only helping a town try and solve a murder but also ends up getting some closure for herself. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.
I give this book 4 stars
Next Girl to Die is available May 1, 2019
Thank you to Dea Poirier, Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing) and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was a pretty sweet start to a new series, I just hope that the series gets better with time. Claire grew up on a small island where everyone knows everyone which in turn means everyone knows everyone's business. Her sister was murdered on the island and she sees Rachel everywhere, so naturally when she is old enough she leaves. She gets a call asking for help on a case back home. The only thing I really didn't like was it seemed to jump around a bit leaving you as the reader to try and make assumptions about what was happening in between the jumping.
What's not to love sick twisty killer, suspense, and family drama (I wish that would have been wrapped up better and maybe it will later in the series).

Claire Calderwood has dealt with the death of her teenage sister by moving away from her Maine hometown and starting a life as a detective in Detroit. Now an adult, Claire has put the past behind her, but her sister's unsolved death continues to haunt her. When Claire is contacted by the police force in Maine, fifteen years after her sister's death, Claire knows the news can't be good. Sure enough, another teenage girl has been murdered. Claire decides to return home and investigate the death, as it was eerily similar to the death of her sister.

Once Claire returns, the bodies begin piling up. Girl after girl is murdered. There appears to be a serial killer on the loose in Maine. A serial killer that may have killed Claire's sister and then taken a break. But, he is back.

Claire, with the help of journalist Noah Washington, begin to investigate the murders. For a small town, the list of suspects is never ending. Who is responsible for these heinous acts?

As Claire gets closer and closer to finding out the truth, the killer becomes determined to make sure that Claire does not find out his secret. He will stop at nothing to keep Claire from discovering his twisted proclivities. Will Claire discover the truth before she is next?

Enjoyable book. Quick read, but a lot of suspects. I was honestly having a hard time keeping all of the characters straight. Also, I kind of feel like the resolution was anticlimactic. The author just seemed to get sick of the story, and randomly chose a killer from the pack. I did enjoy Claire and Noah's relationship, and happy to see that this is a new series. I will definitely be back for more!

There are lots of secrets in small towns. In the case of Vinalhaven, Maine, the secrets are related to the identity of the murderer of Claire Calderwood's sister Rachel years before. Claire, understandably, left the island and became a homicide detective in Detroit (vastly different areas) but she agrees to comes back to help when another young woman is murdered in much the same way as her sister. Poirer makes this familiar plot line unique by adding in Noah, a pesky journalist who wants to tag along. The interplay between Claire and Noah is good but what's really up with him? This has some twists and the characters are good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers.

Claire left her small fishing community to join the Detroit police department as detective. She was called back by Sergeant Michaels when another body showed up in the same park as her sister fifteen years ago. Sergeant Michaels needed one of his own to investigate. In a small town where everyone knows each other like extended family people are forthcoming with information.
A reporter is investigating the cold case of Rachel Claire’s older sister. As an out-of-towner he remains on the outside. However his opinions and suspicions spark an interest with Claire.
Overall:
The investigation was unfolding at a nice steady pace, yet it was still missing something. Claire and Noah managed to obtain some good leads which led to some dangerous activity, but again something was still missing. It was pretty average. A typical crime story. I wasn’t hanging on the edge of my seat. Most of the early investigative work was mediocre. What drags this story down is the numerous characters and their mini plots. Rather than enhance the story it crowds it. It’s difficult to piece it together as a reader when secrets are held back and then new characters are introduced.

I’ve noticed a pattern when authors use the small community as a plot format. In small towns it’s common knowledge for families to hide secrets and bury the truth. Grudges are held and old money causes problems.

When Detective Claire Calderwood returns to her small hometown in Maine, she thinks that she is just there to help solve the murder of a young local girl. However, it appears that the girls murder is eerily similar to the murder of her sister. What she uncovers is something that is unprepared to face. The killer is on the loose and Claire is struggling to find him before another girl suffers the same fate as her sister. Will she be able to solve the murder and keep herself out of harms way?


So, I really struggled with this book as I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters. There were, at times, a number of people to keep track of and I did feel that it caused me to confuse parts of the story. To be sure I understood what was happening with the storyline, I had to go back a few pages and now read.

However, I will say that I did find that once I got into the flow of the story that I was able to feel fully immersed in what was going on. I was sitting on the edge of my seat towards the end, unsure if the murder would be solved. I was pleased with the ending of Next Girl to Die as I always appreciate a cliffhanger!

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer Publishing and Dia Poirier for the ARC of Next Girl to Die. I look forward to reading the next installment!

I did not realize this book was the start of a new series, but I am now so excited that I will get to continue with this storyline! The book had me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The author weaved the story in a way that had me changing my guess at what was going on every chapter as new information was uncovered. I devoured this book in two days because I just couldn't put it down. Looking forward to reading the next installment in this series!

The premise, along with the first couple of chapters had me excited for this story. Unfortunately, this story was just too choppy to hold my interest. I feel like another round of edits would have done wonders in helping with the flow. For example, Claire has a job in Detroit when she gets the phone call saying she is needed back in her hometown. The next thing the reader knows she is back on the island, having her furniture and her car delivered to her. What happened to where she was living in Detroit? What happened to her job there? Did she resign? Take a leave of absence?

There are other instances where she meets with characters in one location, and then the next page over is running into them in a completely different area of the island with seemingly no time having passed in between. It became very frustrating to have to go back to try and see if I missed something only to realize it was never there to begin with.

Even the final showdown with the killer left me feeling less than impressed. I don't feel like we ever got their motivation. Sure, we get a very generic answer, as well as the initial catalyst, but not what was so specific to each girl. What they had done specifically to be targeted by this killer and for those reasons.

If I had to sum it up in one word it would be lackluster. However, I do see potential in this author and this series, so I would give them another chance when the second book comes out.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This is a really disappointing review to write. I had high hopes for a new series that I could get into and unfortunately, I am not going to be writing a positive review.

Claire Calderwood is a detective in Detroit who ran away from her small town past. Her older sister, Rachel was found dead when they were teens and the killer never found. She is called back to her tiny island to help investigate a new murder - the body found in the same place as Claire's sister. We follow Claire as she tries to solve this case before another murder can rob a family of another child.

I was engaged for the first couple of chapters and then I could quickly see that I was going to be an outlier on the mountains of four and five star reviews. All I could think about was comparisons to Sharp Objects, the first book in the Tracey Crosswhite series and many other gritty female detectives with a troubled past and something to prove. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with this premise (since I requested to read the book I hope this is obvious), but it just felt so flat. There wasn't anything in here that engaged me enough to make me feel like I was on the edge of my seat. It all felt kind of juvenile. I hate to say that and I know that comes across as extremely critical, but the writing didn't do much to help. It was kind of cheesy and campy and please understand I give anyone who writes and has a book published credit, but this was just so-so. I may give the next book in the series a shot, but I would not run out and endorse this one.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer & the author, Dea Poirier for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

Review Date: 4/13/19
Release Date: 5/1/19

My thanks to the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review, and to NetGalley for facilitating.

I read this book in two sittings. It would have been one, but it was two in the morning and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. When a book pulls me in and keeps me reading like that, I'm a happy girl. Now, the reasons why.

The characters and plot gripped me, but the questions presented at the outset demanded answers. The author doles out bits of information little by little, just as I would think a real-life detective would get their answers. I loved following along on the case. I loved how the author delved deeper and deeper into the town, the people, the culture of this island, and especially, the main character and her secrets. Everybody except the MC was a suspect in my mind. The story itself was a straight-up 5 stars.

Now. The reason for a 1-star downgrade. As someone else mentioned, I thought this detective was "on loan" to "temporarily help" the Vinalhaven PD with this investigation. Then we learn she's moved here? For good? That part wasn't spelled out clearly. Only a line or two could have cleared up the confusion. But I spent way too long thinking she was supposed to go back to Detroit at some point, so 1/2 star downgrade.

The other 1/2 star downgrade came from repetition. I loved how the author showed the MC's emotions over her sister's death. The first couple of times, I became emotional, too. Later on, though, those emotions seemed to repeat and go on longer than necessary, to the point where I skipped paragraphs. And the MC's empathizing with those who recently lost loved ones repeated more than necessary. BUT, kudos to the author for showing emotions of devastating heartbreak and getting me to feel the MC's pain, where many mysteries fail, leaving them flat and cold.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to any sequels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dea Poirier for allowing me to read and review Next Girl to Die.

This book is a decent debut and is well-written. Unfortunately, I found that it progressed quite slowly and I found myself losing interest.

What an amazing thriller! I truly enjoyed the book and didn't see the twist coming despite some of the red herrings the author threw our way. Highly recommended!

I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ebook ARC in exchange for my personal review and opinion of this novel.
We started off with a heart pound and amazing story of a sister who is a detective and was asking to investigate recent murders that happen in her hometown, this little island in Maine. The more I read the more I wanted to know who the murder was and how everything was connected. We travel the journey of an emotional roller coaster with the Detective Claire, sadly the plot was amazing the execution was just poorly done.
It took far to long to get between scenes with a lot of unnecessary backstory / filler moments which isn’t my preference in novels. I love fast paced. Gut wrenching plot twisting stories and this just lacked the oomph that I hoped for when it started out.

I really liked this book. The main character was interesting with some emotional baggage. The mystery of the book was really nicely written. The only thing for me is the end seemed VERY rushed. Overall, great book and I will try others from this author.

Next Girl to Die is a good debut novel from Dea Poirier. Strong female lead and good writing. I would read another book from this author.