A very dark, chilling read that you won’t want to put down. I finished this book in one night and highly recommend reading it.

Fear surrounds Albuquerque, New Mexico, after several teenage girls and young women disappear with no clue as to what has happened to them. After a body is found, Detective Alyssa Wyatt finds herself desperately trying to uncover what is happening, especially when the friend of her daughter goes missing. With no apparent link between the victims, Wyatt and her partner Cord, find themselves involved in an investigation into criminals much more depraved than they could ever have imagined. Can they locate the girls before they suffer the same fate as the murdered girl?

One of my favourite books of last year was this author's debut, All His Pretty Girls, the first book in the Alyssa Wyatt series. As someone who doesn't tend to read many books set in the US, this one completely blew me away and I  couldn't wait to read the next in the series. I wondered how Charly Cox would be able to live up to the standard of her first book and I am so pleased to say that she has managed it with ease!

The subject matter is not for the faint of heart, dealing with the horrendous crimes of sex trafficking and physical abuse. This is so well written, however, that the author does not actually need to describe the extent of the suffering that these young women are having to endure as enough is implied so that you know what is happening without actually having to read it. This is, I feel, more powerful than seeing the events written down in front of you as your imagination can fill in the gaps, leaving you feeling nothing but horror about what is unfolding before your eyes. These women were incredibly brave despite their circumstances and I found myself desperately hoping that they would be freed from the predicament without anything even more horrendous happening to them.

One word of caution I will give with The Toybox is that there are spoilers aplenty about the previous installment, to the point that some pretty major twists are revealed. The events in All His Pretty Girls have definitely helped to shape Alyssa and some of her actions and feelings can be explained by what has gone before. Alyssa is a great character with a stable family life and a partner who she trusts implicitly. This is something that is often missing in other police procedurals so I really like how we can focus on the investigation rather than on the private life of the detective.

This really is a superb series and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you are looking for a gritty police procedural with believable characters and a gripping plot, then The Toybox may just be the book for you.

This is the second book in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series. I had read the first one and enjoyed it and this one did not disappoint. The Toybox is a dark and thrilling crime novel that deals with the heartbreaking issue of sex trafficking. Although the author doesn't go into a lot of detail about what goes on in the Toybox room, enough is given so the reader can imagine the horrors these girls go through. I enjoy Alyssa as a main character and her partnership with Detective Cord Roberts, who has his own issues in dealing with this case. I would recommend this series to fans of Lisa Gardner or Karin Slaughter.

A dark and gripping story that kept me on the edge till end.
It's well told, the cast of characters is interesting and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Wow. What a thriller!

First off, I need to thank Netgalley, Hera Books and Charly Cox for my advanced readers copy.

I was initially interested in this because of the Toybox Killer and this sounded just as dark and twisted.

Alyssa Wyatt is a detective for the Albuquerque Police Department and is investigating the disappearance of a young woman who seemed to vanish without a trace. After her daughter's friend, Jersey, disappears and another young woman is found dead near Jersey's last known location, Alyssa is determined to find these girls and stop whoever is behind this.

This thriller was incredible. It took about 20% of the book for me to get my bearings on the story and it was around 50% when I couldn't put the book down - literally finishing the last 50% in less than 24 hours. It was the perfect mix of police procedural from Alyssa's point of view and personal sides told from the missing girl's points of view.

I liked the majority of the characters (Holly, Alyssa's daughter, was my favorite), and there was enough foreshadowing to throw your guesses off for who was behind it.

My only complaints about this book (and they're hardly complaints) are the heavy references to the first book. I didn't realize this was a sequel until I was approved to read it and I'm not going read the first because I know how it ends. One of the references became redundant by the end of the book, it only needed to be mentioned once or twice. My other complaint is that the first half of the book was more slow, but the ending more than made up for it.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers and police procedural books. I'd even recommend it if you aren't a big fan of police procedurals because this is on the looser end of it. I'm rating this 5 stars, but my official rating is 4.5/5.

This book has a handful of trigger warnings that should be known: sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicide, kidnapping, animal abuse, and marital infidelity. This book doesn't go into great detail on these, but enough that you know it's happening.

5/5 Stars - I really fell in love with some of these characters!

First things first: this is the second book in the Alyssa Wyatt series and contains spoilers for the first book. That didn’t bother me so much because the solution was so interesting, it made me want to see the puzzle, you know? But just an FYI. 

Speaking of Alyssa Wyatt, her and her daughter, Holly, and friends really made this book shine. They were all devoted to helping and protecting their family and friends and it was a nice, bright spot in a book that had a bit of a heavy subject. I will definitely be reading more of this series to see where these characters go from here.

The story itself was creepy and horrifying - everything a good thriller should be. The bad guys were completely deranged and it was giving me shivers as the reveals came at the end. The author did an excellent job creating people you could root both for and against.

The ending itself was really satisfying, for both the main mystery and some of the subplots that continue throughout the book. Like I said earlier, I am excited to see where things go in the future and will be picking up the next in this series. 

Highly recommended!

Thank You to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC!!

All around Albuquerque, New Mexico, young women are going missing, seemingly vanished into thin air. With no link between the victims, Detective Alyssa Wyatt is quickly plunged into a horrifying case with no obvious clues. And when Jersey Andrews, the best friend of Alyssa’s teenage daughter, Holly, joins the list of vanished girls, the case becomes personal.

As the first tortured body of a young girl appears, abandoned on the streets, Alyssa is forced into a frantic hunt to track down the killers – before more innocent women lose their lives.

I haven't read the first book in the series but it really doesn't matter. This is an extremely dark book which addresses a serious crime that exists in our society. We get to read the ordeal the missing girls face in captivity and it becomes extremely difficult to control your anger and disgust. However their grit and determination will swell your heart with pride.

Overall a great book with interesting characters which keeps you on the edge till the end!!

OMG!!! I thought the first book in this series was good, but this one is even better!! While the subject matter is very hard to read, its reality. It shattered me into a million pieces while slapping me in the face with a dose of reality.

I don't have any triggers, but I have to say parts of this book were very hard for me to read. I cried and that's very unlike me. This is an edge of your seat page turner with lots of action (some of which is just pure evil!), great characters (even the evil ones), and many twists and turns with one that most won't see coming.

While this book can be read as a standalone, do yourself a favor and read all his pretty girls first as its really good and introduces you to the main characters. I really hope there will be more books in this series.

#Alyssa #Cord #Evil #GreatBook #NetGalley

A fast paced thriller involving the disappearance of young girls in New Mexico. The issue of human trafficking and slavery is heart wrenching and the details gruesome. Though the second book in the series, it gives adequate background information, so no issues there. The links between the victims were tenuous and the psychology of the kidnapper could be better dealt with. 4.5 stars

Great thriller, very easy to read! There where many twists in the story that really surprised me! This was a book that I wished hadn’t ended!

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend. Very good!!

Here’s my advice to future readers of “The Toybox” - don’t plan to do anything else until you finish reading this book. The story is intense, suspenseful and realistic. Charly Cox captured the essence of rape and trauma in a very respectful, true and caring manner. Excellent read. I hope this book gets the attention it deserves due to Charly’s writing talent and skill and to make people aware that human trafficking exists and to try to stop this heinous activity.

This book is, in short, incredible. It is very emotional and covers some hard hitting topics. Although quite traumatic at times it is brilliantly and compassionately written which makes you want to read on. It genuinely felt more like a true story than anything else, I was completely invested in all the main characters and didn’t see the twist coming. Charly Cox was a new author to me but I’m already looking to read other titles.

I appreciate this Authors trying to bring awareness to the sex trafficking that is prevalent today! This is a gritty story of young girls going missing, with miserable sadistic people at it's core. In this story it's girls from wealthy families, good girls, University age, and younger. I thought of my nieces, neighbors, and friends daughters, children I taught in Sunday school, how horrendous it all is. If there is one thing about this book, it should bring to the forefront that people who have knowledge and don't share it, are just as guilty as those who do the deed! How brave the young women who survive something like this is amazing, if they only knew how many people care about their return, they are not at fault, the evil sick perverts are! Love the two main characters, detective Wyatt, and her handsome partner, the girls are all beautiful inside, where it really matters. The only problem I had was the amount of police working the case, I know there would be more than City Police officers handling this case, there would be State, and the local FBI involved, since kidnapping has occurred. I gave it a 3.5 because of this.
I highly recommend! Thank you #Netgalley #The Toybox

The Toybox follows Detective Alyssa Wyatt as she tries to locate three missing girls. The horror and urgency only intensifies when a forth girl is found raped and murdered. Can Detective Wyatt find the girls before they meet the same fate?

The Toybox is a crime mystery which took me a little while to get into. The first 50% of the book was a bit slow for me personally, with it also introducing a lot of characters it took a while to wrap my head around who’s who. However, from 50% to 100% blew my mind! The story picked up speed and gained momentum and I just could not put it down. As an author Cox gives clues and hints throughout the story, some to give you insight and others to throw you off completely. There were moments where I had to take a breath as some of the detail in the story is a bit heavy. However, other times I was in shock or shouting “oh my gosh” at what I was reading and what was being revealed.

“Despite the fear, something else had begun to bloom in her chest, something she’d lost within hours of being locked in this place. Hope.”

Publication date: 3rd June 2020

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it will definitely not be the last! Unfortunately this is the second in the series and not having read the first one , (which is referred to throughout this book) , I think would’ve set up the characters personality’s. The storyline is gripping and I liked the fact that it didn’t end like most books of this type do , unable to say more as will give away the plot !! I will definitely read the first in the series and continue to watch out for this author

The Toy Box is the second book in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series and holy shit what a book! Unfortunately when I started this book I was unaware it was a part of a series, however it was still easily read on its own. There are mentions of the events of the first book and the brief glimpses given were enough to ensure me that book 1 is definitely worth reading also.

The Toy Box is a dark and thrilling crime read that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole book. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. While this is a work of fiction the subject matter of the book is not. Sex trafficking is a very real issue. That fact alone makes this book so much more horrifying.

You will be horrified and shocked by the treatment of these young women. Your heart will shatter for them. The young victim's strength and determination will amaze you. And the truth behind their betrayal will leave you shocked. This is a book you NEED to add to your TBR pile. This is a book you will not regret picking up.



I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hera Books for an advance copy of The Toybox, the second novel to feature Albuquerque detective Alyssa Wyatt.

When teenage girls, including Alyssa’s daughter Holly’s friend Jersey Andrews, start disappearing from Albuquerque’s richer neighbourhoods Alyssa and her partner, Cord Roberts, are assigned the case. Then the body of another teenager is found and the stakes are raised as the detectives battle to find the girls and save their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Toybox which is an engrossing read with some interesting twists, some more guessable than others. This not a comfortable read, in fact I found it quite emotionally distressing and was tempted to skip some of the more powerful passages. The narrative is mostly split between Alyssa’s investigation and the experiences of the captives. This latter is not graphic on their physical ordeal, thank goodness, but is extremely powerful on their emotions. The cruelty And hopelessness broke my heart.

The investigation follows the usual scenario of blind alleys, lies, misleading statements and self protection until the breakthrough. I found the investigation slightly frustrating as they seemed a bit slow off the mark chasing the technology, for example I don’t remember one reference to checking the girls’ social media but once things hot up it’s go, go, go.

I like the partnership between Alyssa and Cord as they work well together. She’s the stronger one and he’s a good foil although he has his own issues to work through in this case.

The Toybox is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Getting started with a series of crime books with the second book in the series is always a bit of a risky bet. Either you'll be completely lost and won't enjoy it – or you'll enjoy it so much you'll want to go back to the first book in the series (even if you already know what's going to happen).

In that case, luckily, it was the second option. Very early on, I started being hooked by the story and rooting for the girls to survive and get out of the hell they were in.
You know it's a good book when the descriptions make you wince and follow you all day long, and that was definitely one of those.
Though the plot twist might have been too much of a cliché for me, and though I'd managed to guess who the culprit was before the book revealed their name, I still greatly enjoyed the thought process that led to the arrest.

All of the characters were very well done and endearing – with a special nod to Nick Otis and Holly, who I hope to see more of should there be more books in the series.

The one thing that did bother me a bit about this book was the repetition of certain facts – notably regarding Cord, who works with Alyssa on this case. Hard to explain without spoiling his backstory, but something happened when he was younger that keeps being repeated, and keeps making Alyssa doubt if he should really be on this case. It was a good backstory; just a touch too much said about it.

All in all, then, a solid, 4 stars crime book that is exactly what I was looking for when I requested it. Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for that early copy!

I hadn’t read the first book in the series but that didn’t matter. The Toybox was a dark & gripping read focussed on a sex trafficking ring. A real page turner & I immediately bought book 1 when I’d finished