Di Natalie Ward returns still shocked by the wnd of her last case but once more thrown back into another harrowing case, this time the suspect is a little too close to home

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy

This author can do no wrong. Another fantastic installment of a fabulous series of books. Loved it. . .

I love the DI Natalie Ward series. I really didn’t know what to expect after The Blossom Twins had such an outstanding, heart in your mouth read that I didn’t know if this could live up to its predecessor. I was delighted to find out that this is as good as that book.

Natalie is still raw from grief after loss of her daughter, returning to work she is asked to find who is responsible for the death of a student, Gemma, who has died after having had acid thrown in her face.

Gemma is seemingly popular, pretty, well liked student. Who would’ve had a motive to attack her?

When it appears that Natalie’s estranged husband frequents the bar that both Gemma and her mum work in, Natalie is left trying to find proof he’s not involved.

There are plenty of red herrings and plenty of shocks and further deaths in store.

What is clear from these stories and this story in particular is how much Carol Wyer enjoys writing for the detectives in this book and Natalie in particular, they all come across as extremely human and likeable.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to readers of crime fiction but if you haven’t read any of the Natalie Ward series, I would seriously recommend you do so to get a better understanding of these characters. Plus they are great books so it’s no chore!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

This is book #6 of the Natalie Ward series. If you haven’t read the rest of the series, then where have you been!!! I suppose this book could be read as a standalone but if you do decide to go back and read the others it may spoil the continuity of the series reading this book first as major plotlines from the previous books are revealed. Honestly though, read them in order to get the full enjoyment of each one of the books!

So…where do I start and how do I write this without giving anything away? I will try my very best for the review to be spoiler free!! We pick up the story from the tragic conclusion at the end of the last book. Things will never be the same again, but D.I. Natalie Ward decides it’s time to return to work. She’s thrown into the deep end with the case of a young woman who is killed by someone throwing acid at her. I really felt for Natalie, not just with this case, but for her situation throughout the whole book. She was obviously finding things really difficult but as a reader I was so proud of her for taking the huge step of trying to return to normal.

The usual characters have all returned for this book along with the new characters involved with the case. It was great to see Natalie’s team – Lucy, Ian and Murray – together again. They all gel so well together, despite the initial awkwardness they all experienced on Natalie’s return. I loved Murray’s interview techniques and just wanted to tell the solicitor to shut up every time they warned Murray of his attitude!

The story began straight into the action with the attack on student, Gemma Barnes. With a gruesome description of her fatal injuries, the story grabs you immediately ensuring you’re not going to put this book down until the very last word. The author has put a lot of research into the storyline, filling my mind with little snippets of information which I wouldn’t have known from anywhere else – who knew that emotional tears are less salty than normal tears, and that oxalic acid is present in rhubarb leaves (not me anyway!!)

The book twists and turns with quick snappy chapters interspersed with anonymous notes from a ‘Secret Admirer’ to Gemma, the first victim. There are plenty of suspects to choose from, and believe me, as the story moves on, you’ll swap and change your mind as to who the culprit is. The author certainly doesn’t make it easy for you though, making you scratch your head just as much as Natalie and her team do, feeding you red herrings and taking you down dead ends before the big reveal!!

Obviously running alongside the murder investigation is Natalie’s personal story. The shockwaves of what happened in the previous book are still reverberating through her family, friends and colleagues. If you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll know I’m not the biggest fan of Natalie’s husband, David. He’s gambled and drank away any trust Natalie had in him, and I’ve always said he’s a bit of a prat! In the last book however, I began to waver how I felt about him, feeling sympathetic to the situation they found themselves in. But this book has put me back in a right old quandary!!! I just don’t know how I should feel about him now! I do feel really sorry for him, but I’m still waiting for him to let everyone down again – which I’m sure will happen!! The author has done such a fantastic job of writing characters that are so realistic that you have a job separating fiction from reality and end up talking about them like they are your real-life friends.

This was a fabulous, fast paced crime thriller, just as I would expect from this author. It’s captivating and emotional with plenty of secrets, lies and mistrust mixed with heart-breaking and tender moments. It will keep your eyes glued to the page for fear of missing the smallest detail and you will keep turning the pages until you find out who the killer is! Will Natalie ever get her happy ending? – I suppose we will have to wait until the next book in the series to find that out!! Fab, fab, fab!!

Another great installment in the Detective Natalie Ward series! Natalie has returned to work 3 months after her world was torn apart by the death of her daughter and the breakdown of her family. Right away, she's thrown into a murder investigation of a university student, Gemma, who was the victim of an acid attack. No one can understand who would want to harm such a kind and beautiful young woman. Although there are plenty of suspects, Natalie and her team struggle to determine who is telling the truth and who may have something to hide.

One of very few clues is a note that Gemma received from a secret admirer. Could this be from the person responsible? Or is it a harmless note of affection from a shy fellow student? When the body of one of Gemma's roommates is found soon after, it really throws the team for a curve. Now there's the possibility that it's a serial killer determined to hurt more young women . And how in the world is Natalie's soon-to-be ex-husband David, involved in all this - found to have chatted up both Gemma and her mother at the bar they worked at? Sure, he's not the same man Natalie married years ago, but could he really be harboring such dark secrets?

The story flows effortlessly and once I started reading, it was almost impossible to put down. Part of why I enjoy this series so much is that it moves at a realistic pace, outlining all the little details that the team has to consider. It's not just one discovery after another leading to the killer, it takes so much hard work from Natalie and her team, investigating every person in Gemma's life, every neighbor who may have seen something, every piece of evidence that could be nothing or everything to the case. And at the same time, Natalie has to hold it together while constantly being reminded of the loss of her own daughter. It is an emotional and gripping story that stays with you well after its conclusion.

Another fantastic book in this series. I was gripped all the way through, so many brilliant twists and turns. Definitely worth reading

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

This instalment concerns an acid attack on a student, which leads to her death. Then one of her housemates goes missing... This was very readable and the plot moved on quickly and logically, although I felt it got a bit bogged down towards the end.

SPOILERS

The involvement of Natalie's ex, David, with two of the housemates was extremely unlikely, and seemed to serve merely to pile more misery on his head. Natalie's relationship with Mike remains stalled, and if she thinks she's looking after Josh properly, I'd hate to see how she thinks a neglectful parent behaves...

Overall, another strong instalment.

Still reeling after the tragedy which rocked DI Natalie Ward at the end of her previous case she is beginning to consider returning to work. A phone call from her boss propels her right into the heart of another traumatic investigation but she has her team around her and knows together they will get the job done.

The attack on Gemma Barnes leaves very few clues but the devastating nature of the crime means everyone involved wants a quick resolution. When a second body is found and her ex-husband David becomes a suspect Natalie has to fight her boss as well as her memories to remain focused on finding out what happened and why.

After the stunning finale of Carol Wyer's previous novel, 'The Blossom Twins' I wondered how on earth she would follow it and even whether another book could be anywhere near as good. There are no worries on either front. It works because the tragedy is a integral part of an excellent story but doesn't overwhelm it, instead, even though it effects everything Natalie does, the whole team get to shine as they work together to solve a devastating crime and it is once again a first class read from an author at the top of her game.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone already hooked on this series or who wants an excellent crime novel to get lost in.

I was finishing reading this in the early hours of Saturday morning. It became so chilling I had to stop and make my coffee! I experienced every emotion while reading this. The characters so real you feel like you are part of the story. Carol Wyer has knocked it out of the park once again!

Carol Wyer set the bar high by leaving readers jaws open and hearts broken in The Blossom Twins, the fifth book in the Detective Natalie Ward series. I have been waiting for this next book with bated breath. Never fear. Ms. Wyer did an exceptional job at matching the tension, nail-biting and heart-stopping drama in The Secret Admirer.

Natalie has spent three months recovering from an unbearable personal loss. She decides to go back to work and becomes immediately immersed in a case that is bound to give her very sad reminders at every turn.

Natalie and her team do their best to find the killer of a college student. A note signed “an admirer” was found that proved the young woman was targeted. By whom? Natalie begins interviewing the girls fellow housemates and students. This book does not miss a punch. Gripping from the very start, the intrigue does not stop until the very end.

The deeper Natalie's investigation goes, the more disturbing details are revealed, and one that hits far too close to home. More murders are discovered, and now Natalie’s search intensifies as she must try and find the connection and the culprit. As Natalie works feverishly to prevent more murders, lies and duplicity run fast and hard. Don’t miss this incredible book! If I have any problem with this at all, it would be wondering how I am going to be able to wait for book seven.

*Reviewer’s note: Although part of a connected series, enough information is given about past events throughout the pages of each story, thus each book can be read as a standalone.

Many thanks to Bookoture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Fans of the series know that the previous book ended with some question marks as to Natalie’s future. No worries, because Natalie is back with a case that hits close to home, and she tackles it with her usual professionalism. As always, the author does an outstanding job detailing the investigation. I loved how this one took some twists and turns; it certainly kept me guessing! Ms. Wyer has undoubtedly hit her stride with Natalie, and this page-turner is both author and heroine at their best. Although this can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the series (or at least the previous book, The Blossom Twins), because this story builds on previous events more heavily than past books.

I was blown away by the Blossom Twins a book that featured DI Natalie Ward. That one made me cry until early morning. But The Secret Admirer went a step further. It gave me shockers that had my hands trembling right at the beginning of the book.

A fatal gruesome attack on a young girl with her entire life ahead of her, an only child of a loving mother and Natalie Ward went back to work to head that investigation.

Having read almost all of author Carol Wyer's books, I knew that I was in for a rocking ride. What I didn't know was that the ride would start from the get-go. The tale was intriguing where the investigation led to minimal clues. I too was left scratching my head trying to decipher the identity of the killer.

The book had twists, absolutely shocking ones, my stomach fell and my hands became cold on reading that. The author had a wickedly clever mind to think up such a plot twist. The story had layers, different nuances and expressions. Each page told me something different. Of all the books I have read, and I have read a lot, this was the most complete ones.

There was a sense of poetry to it, a flow to the way she amalgamated the past, present, and future of Natalie's life and to a small extent of her team mmembers' too. There was nothing incongruous in the prose. Each section felt as if they belonged to tell me a story, if I would sit down to listen. And believe me, I listened. I savored every word that the book told me.

I had a lump in my throat at certain sections. I felt loss keenly and I understood Natalie Ward just a bit more. What can I say more about this book? It was everything and something more. Very, very different. It was Carol Wyer at her best showing me her sensitive and wicked side. Both made me smile.

Read it to believe it. But read the series from the beginning, then you would love DI Natalie Wards as much as I do. She is special.