This is the second book in the unmissable Detective Alyssa Wyatt crime series which reads well as a standalone. The author gives enough background so that the reader won’t feel lost or that they are missing anything. I do recommend reading it though as it is a great read.

I loved the storyline in the authors first book and I will admit that I was slightly worried how she could match, or top the previous case but she has. The Toybox would be anyone’s worst nightmare. What I especially love is that the author doesn’t go into any great detail about what takes place in it. She doesn’t need to. Enough is given so that the readers imagination can do the rest.

We get to know more about Cord, Alyssa’s partner, in this book which was something else I enjoyed. It was could to get to know him better and what makes him tick. I could really feel the work bond between them and they make a great partnership.

The young female victims is what makes this an outstanding read. I can’t say much more than that apart from you need to read this for yourself. The strength shown grabbed on my heart strings and made it quite an emotional read in parts. Holly, Alyssa’s daughter, also plays a bigger part in this one and have to say I am loving Alyssa’s family, they are an added bonus in these brilliant books.

The Toybox is a fantastic addition to the series that shocked and horrified me, yet I couldn’t put it down. If you haven’t read this authors books then I urge you to add her to your reading pile. You won’t regret it I promise you. There is just so much to love about this series and am already a huge fan. A dark and chilling read that will have you hanging on for dear life!

My thanks to Hera Books and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

I have not read a thriller that I felt so physically and emotionally connected to in quite a while. This book started with action and didn't stop until the last page. Throughout the few days that I was reading, I found my heart racing and anxiety coursing through my body as the Detectives got closer to finding the missing girls.

This book is told from the point of view of a missing girl, Detective Wyatt, and her daughter Holly. The stories become complex and intertwined as the cases start to develop and deepen. Each of these character stories built on the other and kept me wondering what was happening and how much closer they were to coming together.

The writing was excellent and allowed me to dive even deeper into the enjoyment of the story. Charly Cox was able to create depth in the characters, incite terror, and anticipation right away and keep it to the end. I will caution readers who are sensitive to rape, abuse, and kidnapping to look for other books. This one has a lot of heart-wrenching scenes that are written well enough to cause terror.

I will be recommending this one for fans of thrillers and crime reads for a long time. Plus, since this is Book 2 of Detective Wyatt stories I know there will be more writing from Charly Cox to enjoy in the future!

The Toybox is a dark police procedural by Charly Cox, examining the horrific world of human trafficking. This book sees the return of Detective Alyssa Wyatt. Alyssa’s own family is still reeling from the horrific events which happened to them in book one in the series when Alyssa’s son was kidnapped. You don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but I would recommend it if you want to get a better understanding of the characters and what they have previously been through.

It doesn’t seem as though Alyssa Wyatt’s family is going to be left in peace after what happened to them, when her daughter’s best friend, Jersey goes missing after a frat party. In the opening chapter, Charly Cox draws you into the moments prior to Jersey’s disappearance, and she creates an unnerving, claustrophobic feeling as the party gets underway. Charly has created some instantly dislikeable characters in this book, and I found this particularly with one young man, who Alyssa is hoping to connect to the crimes, and with the parents of one of the missing girls. You can see just how angry these characters make Alyssa and the other detectives working on the case feel. It also made me feel angry that there are people who are like this out there in the world.

I must admit, however, I did find the build-up of the book quite slow. After the opening scenes, it did take time for the tension to get going again. But I did want to find out what was going to happen to the girls who had been kidnapped. I was rooting for Alyssa to reach the answers before it was too late. There are some really tense scenes when we see where the girls have been taken, and Charly Cox made it seem as though time was running out for them.

The tension really turns up a notch as the book reaches its climax. I don’t want to go into too much detail here as I don’t want to spoil it, but Charly Cox still kept me gripping the page as I felt that there was still the possibility that something could go drastically wrong.

I enjoyed catching up with Detective Alyssa Wyatt again in this book, and I will be looking forward to seeing what Charly Cox comes up with next. If you enjoy gritty, police procedurals, then I would recommend giving these books a go.

I very much enjoyed this thriller as it was my first from Charly Cox. I definitely want to check out book #1 because of hearing about what happened in this book.

This book is not for everyone. When girls start to disappear because of sex trafficking, Alyssa and Cord are trying to figure out who is behind it all. If this topic bothers you, you might want to not read this one. This is the first book this year to make me cry. I hated Mrs. Otis and I think any normal human would like to reach in the pages and slap her lol.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this! Excited to read more by Charly.

Second book in the Alyssa Wyatt series. Several teenage girls go missing in the same area, including one of Alyssa's daughter's friends, and when a body turns up, she investigates for possible sex trafficking. I'm not really sure what to say about this one because it was a good story and I like Alyssa, but the plot was pretty sickening, young girls being sexually tortured, even though nothing explicit was detailed. I think I remember the first book in the series being similar in it's implied brutality, and I don't know if I want to continue this series. I'd probably give it another shot, but I don't know if I really want to continue reading books for pleasure that are going ot make me feel so gross. (My tastes have clearly changed over the past few years because I know I'd have been all over something disturbing in the past.) 4 stars though.

The second in the series to feature Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her crack team and OMG WHAT A READ!!! I literally have no nails left. After reading the first book I thought I knew what to expect and boy I was so wrong. A very dark, gripping, distressing and abhorrent tale of human trafficking and an elite sex ring. I read this book in one sitting and only putting it down when needs must. Plenty of heart in your mouth moments and packed with tension and suspense. This crime series is one the best I have read and can't wait to read more. A well deserved five stars and so Highly Recommended and a MUST READ!!!!
Thanks to Hera Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

The second book in the series, set in New mexico to feature Detective Alyssa Watt. It centres around the disappearances of young girls and the subject is dark but written in a sensitive manner. Overall, this is well written and fast paced. I would recommend this author and series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Detective Alyssa Wyatt is finally beginning to get her and her family's lives back together after a traumatic case involved them all when the disappearance of a college student plunges them headlong into another nightmare. With partner Detective Cord Roberts struggling with the evidence they uncover and the discovery of a body found dumped in a dilapidated and deserted building they both know things will have to get worse before they get better. Maybe it's just as well they don't know how bad that will be.

This is a great story which I read in two sittings only because at 3.00 am I had to get some sleep! The second book in this series by Charly Cox, is even better than the first which was excellent. The story was heartbreaking, the research detailed and horrific while the storyline was page-turningly brilliant.

Characters met in the first book are fleshed out even more here and I have no doubt a successful series could continue with future books. Although the storyline covers the truly horrific subject of sex trafficking, reading about it in a fictional setting in no way minimises its effect. I was anxious to find out what happened as the story played out but also didn't want it to end and loved that when the culprit was unmasked everything continued on for a few more chapters to show the resulting situation for all concerned.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and can't recommend it highly enough to anyone who enjoys police procedural fiction. Charly Cox is a first class exponent of this genre.

Just finished The Toybox, what a gritty fast-paced novel, I couldn’t put it down! The subject matter of adolescent sex trafficking is handled sensitively and gets your heartbeat racing at times. If you enjoy detective novels that multifaceted, well-linked narratives, you will enjoy this book. I’m excited to have discovered Charly Cox, who is certainly not afraid to delve in to the underworld.

This is my first book by this author, it definitely will not be the last. I am unsure my review will put into words how much I have loved this read. It is perfect as a stand alone, despite being part of a series. 
There is nothing playful or funny about this story, despite the title- I love it!! I have really liked the main character Alyssa and found her to be likeable and very real. I have been kept guessing throughout with this one and found that this has been a perfect read . 
I have devoured this book in its entirety in just one sitting, which only happens when the author has managed to fully engage me in the story. This is definitely one of those books, I have nothing negative to say about this. It is a great read which I highly recommend.

As a first time reader of this author, I was unsure about what I would get in this novel, to be honest I got a lot more than I bargained for, a slightly over complex start soon morphed in to a well written, twisting thriller. Plenty of plot was equally matched by plenty of personality in the characters.
Would I recommend this book to my friends - yes, very much so.

This is #2 in Detective Alyssa Wyatt's series. The author easily brings you up to date quickly, however after reading this, grab #1 if you haven't done so. Missing young women bring the detectives in to find them. Once the first body is found, could this be a serial killer? Read it and see. I enjoy the ride of this book. I always enjoy a book that doesn't bore me. I will follow this author. Thank you for the ARC from NetGalley.

Missing teenage girls, a lead detective whose brother was kidnapped as a child and presumed missing is really a serial killer that kidnaps his sister's son for revenge, her partner whose sister was brutally raped that hung herself, and a jock that degrades women. These are some of the characters of The Toy Box....and I'm not talking children's toys. This story is well written and held my interest. I wanted to know what happened, Only part I didn't care for were some of the parts regarding the why and how of the treatment of the kidnapped girls. My thanks again to Net Galley

Charly Cox's The Toy Box tackles a very rough topic. I had a hard time reading some of the chapters due to the nature of it. However, the mystery was solid... A great leading character who I instantly liked! I've not read any books in this Series yet (but I will!)... but, I didn't need to. Ms. Cox did a fantastic job of keeping the reader well appraised of the past and how it is impacting the characters in this novel.

‘The Toybox’ is the second novel by Charly Cox in her Detective Alyssa Wyatt series. I did not realise that there was a series but this did not prove to be a barrier as Cox referenced the previous book in sufficient detail that I could follow, without any issues. She also was careful not to labour the references to the extend that it became boring. You certainly can treat this book as a standalone novel if you wish.
The story in set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the space of a few days a number of you women are reported missing and one of the missing girls in a close friend of Alyssa’s daughter – a situation that helps to bring the case to the detective’s attention immediately.
Despite the title, which suggests a almost fun element to the story, this is absolutely not the case and the story focuses on human trafficking, and abuse. This is certainly not an easy story to read and I woul advise that anyone who is uncomfortable with such topics to avoid. However, the story is fast-paced and compelling. I really enjoyed reading the novel, despite some stomach churning moments.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Young girls are disappearing at a fast rate. Can the police work out what is happening. Big twist at the end. Gritty but good read.

Loved this creepy, spooky book! I couldn't put it down. This book was well written and had a great pace.
I didn't realize this was the 2nd book in the series but I had no issues with any characters or plot. I'm interested in reading book 1 for sure. This was a spectacular crime fiction book.

Don't let this title fool you- there is nothing playful about this book. The evil in this story is real and gritty- it happens everyday- how terrifying.

Such a great book! Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

A dark, tension-filled and absolutely nail-biting crime thriller with a twist – this one will have you reading until the small hours

Whole review to come once the book is published

**Thankyou Netgalley and publisher for approving my request**

Don’t let the title fool you there is nothing playful or funny about this story. What it is about is raw, gritty and sometimes hard to read. It’s also one of the best crime fiction novels I’ve read this year. The second book in this series is even better than the first.
Detective Alyssa Watt and her partner Cord are called into investigate several missing teenage girls.
The evil in this story is terrifying because it happens every day. If your a fan of Lisa Gardner which I am you will love this book.

This book was a quick read with a story that was believable, unfortunately. I say that because human trafficking is a very real problem in the world, and this book helps bring the problem to light. The characters were easy to picture, although I must say that I found it a bit of a stretch that the same police detective had suffered 2 separate family kidnappings prior to this story, where she found herself embroiled in even more kidnappings. That being said, I found it refreshing that the person whom I assumed would be the bad guy DIDN'T end up being the bad guy, though he was still a jerk. If you are the parent of a young girl who is getting ready to go to college, this book might make you cringe a bit.