When fourteen year old Roxy says she's going to a sleepover at her best friend's house, her mother, Cathy, doesn't think twice about it. But when Roxy's body is found the next day in a house across town, it's clear that she wasn't telling the truth about where she was going, or who was going there with. 

Detective Natalie Ward is suspicious - even more so when she discovers that Roxy recently presented at her local hospital with suspicious injuries. 

But no-one will talk, and when Cathy also goes missing, it seems there are more questions than Natalie ever imagined. With Ellie refusing to disclose what she knows about the night Roxy died, it's a race against time for Natalie to find out who really killed Roxy - and why. 

I really enjoy a police procedural, and this one was well written, fast paced, and cleverly plotted. The characters are realistically and sympathetically drawn, and I enjoyed how the story gradually unravelled. All the lies and deception got frustrating at times, but I liked that as it made the reader empathise with how the police must be feeling, and I also liked that you were given real glimpses into Natalie's personal life, which made her a more relatable and well-rounded character. 

Very well plotted, and I thought the ending was well done and satisfying. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes revenge can be sweet, and other times it can be deadly. Being a detective can be hard on a family, especially when you're a female and bread winner for your family. This was an interesting read with interesting characters, and I would recommend.

Huge fan of this author! I love the realism and the characters, the way their flaws help make the whole thing believable. This, coupled with the exceptional storyline makes the whole thing a brilliant read. Once you start this one, you won’t be able to put it down! (No sleep for me for a couple of nights .....). Enjoy!’
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my arc. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

This is the fourth book in the excellent Natalie Ward series and is a faboulous read.  I was gripped right from the beginning, just couldn't put it down.  The plot is great is young girl is found dead in a house fire, but why was she there.  I highly recommend this book and the whole series.  Looking forward to book five now.

I received a free e-copy of The Sleepover (Detective Natalie Ward #4) by Carol Wyer from NetGalley for my honest review.

Another amazing and mysterious read by Carol Wyer. She has become one of my favorite authors and I absolutely love this series.

Roxy (A 14 year old girl) and her mom, Cathy had a fight but patched things up afterwards. Roxy is allowed to go to a sleepover that she had planned at her best friend, Ellie's house. The next morning, however, Roxy is found murdered clear across town in a very unusual place.

Detective Natalie Ward and her team are called on the case to investigate. Then there is a second murder. This time the victim is Cathy, Roxy's mom and she is found dead near the same spot her daughter's body was found.

It is up to Detective Natalie Ward and her team to solve the case and sort through all the lies and secrets that come up. A must read series!

The fourth book in the Detective Natalie Ward series but the first I have read. When Roxy argues with her mother before leaving to sleepover at her friends house little does her mother realise that would be the last tome she sees her daughter alive. 
A great ‘who done it’ with a strong female lead whom has a troubled past of her own. I will definitely be hunting down the first three books in this series

I really enjoy Detective Natalie Ward, she struggles with her work/life balance as do many police officers, and her husband needs to be tossed out on his backside very soon, I think she's put up with more than enough of his behaviour. I like the way she cares about her kids and how she struggles to maintain a relationship with them now they are teenagers and think they know best. This newest case once again makes Natalie realise how vulnerable her children are in today's world, especially being the age they are. There are plenty of twists and red-herrings in this newest case, with things seeming to snowball out of control for whoever is committing these crimes. The police procedures seem very well researched and I like the fact that things often get worse before they find the perpetrator, nothing is tied up quickly and easily. I enjoyed reuniting with Natalie's team and seeing how they are all getting along. I look forward to Natalie Ward's next case.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

Sometimes when an author gets a few books into a series it can start to feel stale. That is definitely NOT the case here! Detective Natalie Ward and her unit remain as sharp as ever. While she and her co-workers try to uncover why a young girl died in a mysterious fire, their personal lives come into play and make an impact on their investigation. I love the way this author seamlessly weaves the professional and personal aspects together to create a tight plot that had me turning pages long into the night. Another great installment to the series. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC of the book.

I thought that this book was superb!! I am so glad I was introduced to this author as she is a go to author for me and I know with her I will get an excellent story!

This series for me is getting better and better with each book released and it is really going from strength to strength, the plot for this one was so well woven it had me guessing for a long time, I loved the twists and turns that the author added in and the pace of the story was excellent – the book was one that had me well and truly gripped and the ending is spot on for the simply brilliant – I love how it all came together at the end, very, very good!!

I joined the series with the first book when it was very first released and I have really enjoyed following the team as they have developed and I think that Natalie, DI Ward is a fantastic character too – I love her personality, she is well grounded, personable and realistic!

It is 5 stars from me for this one, I thought it was a brilliant story, fine to read as a standalone to if you don’t fancy reading the previous books in the series.

The fourth book in the series of Detective Natalie Ward.  Saying that this book grips you from the beginning is an understatement.  What I love about Wyer’s books is the attention to detail she uses without boring you.  Everything she writes has a meaning in the end and the plot twists so strategically placed are genius! 

Patiently waiting for the next in this series!

Carol Wyer Has Done It Again!I

Sleepover is the fourth book in the Natalie Ward detective series and it was the best and I hope Carol Wyer continues to write more in this series!

The story surrounds a missing 14 year old girl from a lower income family and the remains of a body found in a mansion that had  mysteriously burned down on the other side of town.   There are many twists within this story and many shady characters that the police have to keep interviewing over and over because there are so many lies being told and facts being held back from even friends and family of the deceased.  When another body turns up a few days later and the detectives are pulling out their hair trying to to make sense of the connection between the two people.   On top.of all the work quandaries, Natalie is dealing with personal problems that are becoming insurmountable to handle while she is working these cases.   Then a suspicious suicide occurs that has connections to these cases and the writer  takes you on a terrific rollercoaster ride of Who, What When and Where and Why.I

I love this series and just want more and more.   Keeping my fingers crossed that this will not be the final book because Natalie is such a complex and interesting character that there are endless stories that can be woven around her and her team of detectives.  There is so much mystery and drama within this book that it is very hard to figure out who the killer or killers are.   This book had great storytelling and was very well-written leaving me wanting more mysteries from this author.

I want to thank the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity of reading this marvelous book!

I highly recommend this book and series by Carol Ayer and have given a rating of 4 Marvelous 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

This was a very good detective story, and loved the way they solved the murders.
A girl was found in a house which was burnt down, what was she doing in the house, how did she get in the house was locked.
The family were devastated to hear of Roxys death. She had three brothers, a mother and a step father
The family lived in a shabby home.
All the boys were rough and got up to who knows what, except one who was in the army.
The police investigated all the family and friends, then the mother died. The stepfather was very upset, as was the. Boys.
The detectives then had to solve the murders, and then another.boy died.
It was a very exciting book which I enjoyed.
Just wish I had read other books in the series.

Carol Wyer is back with the forth book in the Detective Natalie Ward series and she sure has hell doesn’t disappoint with yet another addictive page turner.

I started this thinking I’ll just read a couple of chapters before I go to bed. Then before I knew it I had demolished half of the book but I was straight back into it with just a few hours sleep.

The story starts off with a bang when a body is pulled out of a house fire and Natalie is on the case to investigate who the body is and how the fire started. It doesn’t take long for the body to be identified and I found myself going through the emotions when Natalie breaks the news to the teenagers Mother. Having kids myself this is the unthinkable but then the author puts a spin on things and it turns out that the Teenager Roxy wasn’t meant to be at that house. She was meant to be at a friends sleepover. Why was she not at the sleepover? and who started the fire? is the question.

The author weaves a story that pulls you in different directions, keeping you guessing until the very end. This book is just genius, I bloody loved it.

Carol Wyer is without a doubt up there with Angela Marsons. If you are looking for an addictive page turner then this is the book for you I cannot recommend it enough giving it all the stars.

Thank you to Kim Nash at Bookouture for a copy and for the blog tour invite.

So I haven’t read the rest of the series but I want to now after reading this! This was such an intriguing read with so many twists! It felt very real throughout and I loved the writing style. I liked the personal aspect of this story and how it switched back between her detective life and her real life. I thought I had the case figured out a few time but they kept throwing in new characters and new suspects. Highlight recommend this one!

I have absolutely flown through the first three books in the Detective Natalie Ward series, reading all three since June. I only posted my review of The Dare last week but I knew I was lucky enough to have an early copy of The Sleepover sitting on my kindle and I just had to go straight in and see what Natalie got up to next!

The Sleepover sees Natalie called in to investigate when a body is discovered in the aftermath of a house fire. Natalie is left questioning what came first, the dead body or the fire? Her job only gets more difficult when the victim’s mother is also found dead. With two rather unlikeable homeowners more interested in the insurance payout than the dead girl in their entertainment room, and people lying all around them will Natalie and her team be able to get to the truth?

You will by now be bored of me telling you just how well Carol manages to pull a story together, but once again she has worked her magic creating a compelling cast of characters and telling a story that will hook you in and not let you go until you reach the last pages. The action builds as the plot moves on, revealing just a little bit more every chapter, leaving you second guessing yourself, wondering if what appears to be a clue is actually a clue or a red herring, there to trip you up! I very much enjoyed following Natalie on her investigation, and I certainly got frustrated at the same people as she did!

There were some interesting developments for Natalie, particularly towards the end of The Sleepover, which I won’t spoil. However I’m intrigued and looking forward to discovering what they will mean for Natalie both personally and professionally going forwards.

Carol still has me worried about Natalie’s family, in The Dare I was busy worrying about Leigh, and this time it was Josh that had me concerned, over the course of the books he’s come across as a nice sensible teenager and I really hope the events of this book will stop him moving further down a worrying path. I’ll be the first to admit it would add some more drama to Natalie’s personal life, but I can’t help feeling she’s already dealing with enough! Leigh seems to be in a much better place than she was in the last book, but I’m wondering how she’ll deal with some of the things that may be on horizon… Then we have David… I’m still very much in the place where I know logically I should feel bad for him. There were some things he did in this story where I was willing him to make a different decision and he seems to be in danger of spiralling but I’m still struggling to actually like him… I think the next book will prove very interesting for the Ward family!

Lucy seemed to have a slightly more prominent role in The Sleepover and I thought it was great to see her connect with Ellie, and make some important progress for the case. At the same time it was great to see her become a little more confident over the prospect of becoming a mum in a few months! It was also great to see Murray being supportive with Ian, despite the sometimes turbulent relationship that they can have. And Mike… I have no words that wouldn’t be considered spoilers, but I had a bit of a smile on my face by the end…

Final Thoughts
There are not enough positive words in the English language to describe how I feel about this series from Carol, The Sleepover is another wonderful addition to the series! I loved the development at the end (this may make me a bad person but never mind). Carol tweeted only yesterday that she’d finished the first draft of the sixth book and it brings me great joy to know I have at least two more cases to follow Natalie through!

Available Now! The Sensational Continuation in the Addictive Detective Natalie Ward Series!

"They’d needed three engines to douse the blaze and the firefighters were now clearing away equipment. The house had been soaked. Jamie didn’t need to go inside to imagine the chaos or inhale the stench – a mixture of smoke, soot and whatever had been burnt that entered deep into the olfactory system and never really went away. Even at home some nights, when he was watching television , Jamie could shut his eyes and smell it. Depending on the amount of damage, the owners would either have to gut the place and start again or get some heavy-duty cleaning equipment in . His money would be on starting all over again. He hoped the brothers were well insured. However, some things were simply irreplaceable.
Hearing his name being shouted, he looked up to see one of the longest-serving firefighters, Dan Higson, by the front door. He hastened across to him, half -expecting to hear that they’d discovered the appliance responsible for the damage, but as he drew up to the man and studied his solemn expression, a familiar gnawing began in his stomach. Dan shook his head gravely. 
‘We’ve found a body,’ he said."

********
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is book four in the enthralling and addictive Detective Natalie Ward series. 

Fourteen year old, Roxy, was supposed to be sleeping over at her best friend Ellie's house but it's soon discovered that she had other plans entirely. Plans no one knew about. Or did they? 
It was a decision that cost her her life. As Natalie and her team begin the investigation, the case proves to be complex, swirling with lies that lead to even more unanswered questions.  How and why did Roxy end up in the charred remains of a burned down house? 

I was drawn in from the very beginning of this case and I couldn't stop reading until I reached the shocking conclusion! 
I absolutely love the colorful and genuine characters and I enjoy learning more about their stories as they continue to grow and expand with each book. 
Each book just keeps getting better and better! This is my favorite in this series thus far, complete with a doozy of a cliff hanger! I hope book five is right around the corner as I can't wait to see what happens next! 
Carol Wyer is one of my all time favorite authors and she never disapoints! 
Don't miss out on the DI Natalie Ward series, beginning with book one, The Birthday!

With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Carol Wyer for this advanced digital copy to read and review.

This is book four in the DI Natalie Ward series and the first one I’ve read. I love Carol Wyer’s Robyn Carter series so thought I would check out her other series of crime fighters.

The murder investigation is interesting enough if a bit repetitious with witnesses giving few clues to help the detectives. A fourteen year old girl goes missing and no one, including her family seem to know why she would turn up dead in a posh house far from their neighbourhood. Because I am new to the series, I wasn’t invested enough in Natalie’s personal life to care about that aspect of the novel but did sort things out by the end. Many suspects later and many repeat interviews the story did catch my interest and I did get caught up in the action and enjoyed this read. Wyer rarely disappoints.

Always wise to start a series from the beginning.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

This is a brilliant modern thriller. It's book four in the Detective Natalie Wood series. Well worth reading, fast paced and full of action.

First time reading this author and I absolutely loved the book.  It was filled with some really nasty and mean characters and you don't know what is will exactly happen till the very end of the book.   I need more.

This was a twisted tale. A 14 year old Roxy was supposedly going for a sleepover at her best friend's home. Her mother Cathie trusted her. The next day, the child was found murdered across town. Detective Natalie Ward and her team started their investigation, when a second murder flummoxed them. The mother was found dead near the same spot as the daughter. Was it a killer targeting this family? And why?

Having read many books by author Carol Wyer, I found myself enjoying her style of writing yet again. Natalie and her team were cohesive and thorough. Some parts in the interrogation were repetitive, it felt that the team felt helpless and bound to catch the same perps..

The characters were strong, Natalie fascinated me. I wish the husband would go away, didn't like him at all. The need to get to the killer forced me to read the story at one go. 

Overall, a good read.