First of all, I want to say thank you to Netgalley, Margaret Murphy, and JOFFE BOOKS crime thrillers and mysteries for giving me a chance to read this copy of book in exchange for an honest review.

So, this book is the first book in Cassie Rowan Series. DC CASSIE ROWAN is a young policewoman who has been the main carer for her younger brother, Neil, since their parents died. She has to balance this role with her demanding job. She is working undercover on the streets of Liverpool trying to find the ‘Furman’, a man who has been brutally assaulting sex workers. Cassie blames herself and another detective, Wicks, for not catching him sooner. Forensic scientist Dr Ian Chan is on her side, but her boss Detective Chief Inspector Pat Warman thinks she is uncooperative and needs to work as part of a team.

At the first half of this book, I got disappointed that this is not a whodunit detective story that I was expected it to be. But I think it's not a whodunit book. Because you will already tell who might be the real 'predator' or "Furman". The only thing you need is a concrete evidence to confirm who might be the culprit. And that's this book is about. It's not your usual Crime novel. I honestly consider to DNF this book because of it's slow-paced vibe. But I'm glad that I pushed through it.

Yes, for me the book is slow-pace because nothing really happens in the first half of the book. It's just go with introducing the characters and their backgrounds, which I think is a good way to get the readers feel connected to the characters. At first I really doesn't understand why this book has a multiple perspective and I'm thinking that some things just added to make the book more interesting and I thought that wasn't really necessary. But joke's on me, fellas! Because in the later part of the book the author shows the relevance of those "unnecessary" things. And I realized that every detail of this book is important in the plot.

One thing I also loved in this book are the short chapters. It's not like the other books that has 20+ pages every chapter, and I am not a fan of that type of books. So, bonus point for this book!

I just want to honestly say that it's somehow triggered me with sexual assault ('cause I have an irrational fear with that topic). So, trigger warning for that. I just want to say that the author really did a good job with replacing sensitive words with a much "lighter" term, so it's not heavy or not that triggering to read (atleast for some people).

So, let's talk about the characters and topic. One thing I love about crime thrillers is the references to True-Crimes. I'm not sure if it's just coincidence, but at first the case they are investigating is reminding me of the case of Jack The Ripper. And in later part, the modus operandi of the "Furman" kinda reminds me of modus operandi of the famous serial killer, Ted Bundy. I don't know if the book is inspired with real-life serial killers or just a coincidence. I should feel disappointed or annoyed that the author re-tells or re-creates the modus operandi of real life serial killers and not giving the killer an authentic modus operandi, but i'm not. I really find it so amusing.

This book also talks about the topic of stalking and gives you a viewpoint of the stalker. And it's really creepy. But that's the reality. Lol. This book also shows the reality of police investigations, sometimes it's so frustrating with all the dead-end clues. But in this book the frustration was in a good way to make the book more thrilling yet realistic.

As for the characters, at first I think Cassie is just an average main character in a crime thriller book. But later on, I found some feministic qualities of her. She really speaks what she really thinks, and sometimes she regret doing that. But her responses to sexist comments about women by her coworkers is just so badass. I also loved the moment Cassie Rowan's clever way to convince her boss to hear her theory on the case. She's not just physically strong but also mentally and emotionally. Even if she had issues with her family, she clearly handled it well. For the the other side characters (not all) in this book are kinda annoying. But in a really good way, cause it's just showing the reality of workplace enviroment and colleagues. But the incompetentness of her boss is so irritating. She is so immature. And really insulting (atleast for me) that she's making women to shut-up even though she's also a woman. Anti-feminist I think. She's only listening to men talking. And doesn't want to admit that sometimes she is wrong.

As for the Furman, I was really impressed with his tactics. He is so manipulative and able to pull the strings of emotions of other people. It really shows how psychopathic his character is.

My only problem with this is the first few chapters of the book is somehow hard to understand or to read and you can't really follow what's happening. There are words that are new to me, and as a reader that uses english as a second language only, it's a bit hard for me to understand some parts and I really need to go back to re-read the same sentences/words again. I just wished that the author uses some much simpler words so that other readers who doesn't really speaks english as their first language will follow what's really happening to the story. But here's the good thing, I didn't know that there's a glossary at the end of the book for the readers who are having a hard time with not so familiar words! And that is really helpful!

So, yeah. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It's true that I got really disappointed with the first half of the book but the last 30% of the book got picked me up from wanting to be done with it to gets me very excited with what's happening. And I really meant it when I said it is so thrilling! So if you are looking for a good crime thriller book but not a fan of whodunit storyline, this book is perfect for you! I totally recommend this!

First, a thank you to NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that I have mixed feelings about. Rather than a story about a serial killer it's a story about a serial rapist (which for lack of a better term, I also find a lot too yucky) and the detective who's hot on his trail. It's fair to say that it's a bit of a cat and mouse story, which is a genre that I always enjoy. There's also a psychologist who at first is ardent about protecting the suspect (his client) but soon become a suspect himself. However, he ultimately becomes integral to hunting the suspect down, which is a nice twist. And, unlike the majority of the reviewers, I felt that the characters - aside from the psychologist - to be a little underdeveloped and at times the transitions between them to be a little clunky. That said, I did enjoy the story and I'll be interest to see how the series unfolds.

A good crime novel based in and around Liverpool, where a murderer tends to stalk his victims before he kills them. DC Casie Rowan goes undercover to use herself as bait and acts the part of a prostitute to catch the killer. Having managing to connect with the killer she then gives chase to apprehend him but due to the ineptitude of her backup colleagues he manages to escape. To continue his reign of terror before being finally caught.

I have read other crime fiction novels by Margaret Murphy and really loved them, including the series written under the name of AD Garrett, so was really looking forward to reading this, the start of a new series set in Liverpool and featuring undercover police detective, the young Cassie Rowan and the psychiatrist, Alan Palmer. The two characters are skilfully developed and we get a glimpse into their personal lives too, Cassie, for instance has heavy responsibilities, looking after her teen brother, not the easiest of people to look after, a difficult age for anyone to manage. This situation arose after the deaths of her parents, Cassie is a strong and feisty character, determined, and resilient, but it is not easy juggling both her personal and professional responsibilities, particularly as her superiors are not always inclined to have her back, and her police partners to put it mildly are not the easiest. Cassie is on the streets, looking to find a serial rapist and killer, targeting sex workers, abducting, raping, torturing and abusing, returning the women alive, but their lives emotionally ruined, a dangerous predator who begins to focus on Cassie. A fast paced, action packed, full of tension and suspense that grips throughout. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.

Very impressed with the newest series by Margaret Murphy.
Being the first book I have read from this author, I had no real expectations.
The story was very well developed, yhe characters were complex and story line flowed seamlessly. It is a crime procedural so it had all the necessary grittiness twists, turns and intrigues.
I am excited to see what the next addition in the series hold.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley
#beforehekillsagain

This is the first book in a promising new series, set in Liverpool, to feature DC Cassie Rowan and psychiatrist Dr Palmer. I really liked Cassie and her unorthodox approach to her job, the plot was very well executed and there were plenty twists along the way. It's engrossing, fast paced and intense. Definitely a winner for the author. I would recommend it to lovers of crime mysteries and police procedurals. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for feedback.

This is my first time reading anything by this author and I was captivated from the beginning. Not an easy book to read because of the violence/brutality in the attacks on sex workers. DC Cassie Rowan isn't perfect. She lacks tact, has a hard time respecting authority and doesn't always follow rules & regulations. Her doggedness and determination makes her good at what she does but also makes it difficult for her to work with others and them with her.

The scenes were well written and characters ran the gamut from likeable to detested. It stuns me the lengths someone will go to to justify their actions or cover up their wrongdoings. Thank goodness there is an officer like Rowan to shine a light and not sweep the filth under the rug. Am hoping there will be more books with Rowan and Palmer as well as Chan because I would definitely read more!

DC Cassie Rowan is undercover tracking a serial rapist in Liverpool. Now he has his sights on Cassie. A good paced read and introduced a strong willed, determined new character to keep an eye out for.

Thank You NeyGalley/Publisher & Author for this gifted E-Book.
This review is entirely my own.
A serial predator on the prowl in Liverpool. Seven victims so far. And he’s already got his next victim.

The police can’t catch him. He leaves no trace of himself, and no one has been able to provide a reliable description of him.

I really enjoyed this first in a new series and cannot wait to read the next book.
This was certainly intense and I couldn't help but be drawn to her character.
This book had me hooked from the start.
The plot was very well written.
The ending I didn't see coming at all.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good suspense detective book

This is the second Margaret Murphy book I have read (the first being Darkness Falls) and all I can say is 'where have you been hiding?' because I have definitely been missing out. But the good news is the brilliant Joffe Books found her so I can put that right.

If you like gritty, fast paced, adrenaline pumping thrillers you will love this. There is little graphic description of the assaults so nothing to give you nightmares but that doesn't make it any less thrilling.

Detective Cassie Rowan. She was flung head first into parenthood when her parents died in an accident and she had to fight for custody of her brother and the fight goes on. To say she has had a difficult life is an understatement. She doesn't have time for soft-soaping she just wants the job done, the killers caught and case closed and that puts her at loggerheads with her boss and some of her colleagues. I do love feisty characters so this is a big tick for me. The other characters are all well crafted and develop well over the course of the book.

The case is a difficult one a sadistic killer who rapes and strangles his victims repeatedly leaving them damaged for life. There are several suspects but the evidence is sparse which means the team are on a race against time to identify the killer before he kills again. Cassie has a prime suspect in her sights but he has alibis and her boss and colleagues think she is way off the mark. Who is right?

This is an excellent book one that I really enjoyed. Longer than my usual read but it was all adrenaline pumping and the pages kept turning.

Looking forward to more from this talented author in the meantime I am catching up with the backlist.

I am new to this author and I found this book gripping from the start. The author has a very evocative turn of phrase that sets a scene vividly.
The setting is sinister and creepy, the fog that lingers over the city was quite disturbing with a Dickensian sort of vibe.
The main protagonist Cassie is a young, ballsy, headstrong, intuitive character banging her head against the glass ceiling of snide, sniping middle aged male colleagues and a female boss who fights against intuition to hold onto the rule book.
The plot surrounding a serial kidnapper and rapist is pacey and gripping, the sidebar of the therapists I found a little distracting though.
The ending is good and builds to a satisfying crescendo, unfortunately though towards the end I lost interest a little with all the breaking and entering going on! It could have reached its conclusion earlier, it felt slightly drawn out.
Overall a good read. Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review.

A well written, fast paced and tightly plotted police procedural. Cassie is a typically damaged main character who refuses to follow procedure, has plenty of personal problems, a chip on her shoulder and a point to prove.

Margaret Murphy is a new author for me so I was excited to see what this detective novel would bring.
The central character Cassie Rowan is an interesting choice for a DC and fairly inexperience. This adds to the interest around whether the rapist will get caught.

The book is full of intrigue and page turning twists. I enjoyed it and can't wait for the next in the series!

I love getting into a new detective series and was so excited to read this novel by Margaret Murphy, who is a new author for me. 

Cassie Rowan is a young and relatively new detective with seemingly inadequate back up from her team and and also has the sole carer role for her 16 year old brother.  As if life isn't hard enough she is tasked with tracking down a killer who is targeting sex workers.  Can she solve the case and save her reputation in time?

 To begin with, this novel has a lot of characters and each chapter is told from a different perspective.  I had to think hard over the first part of the book to keep track of each character and it took a little while to get my head around them all but once I did and relaxed more into the narrative the plot was engrossing.   

Cassie is a feisty and likable character who desperately wants to do her job well and seems to dislike the fact she has to reply on teamwork to achieve this.  She's pretty down to Earth and relatable, with a vulnerable side which makes her an excellent female protagonist.  I also feel this novel highlights issued faced by women in some jobs Cassie has to deal with these with minimum support from superiors.  The 'Furman' is twisted but realistic and seeing his perspective woven in-between chapters brings a terrifying aspect to the plot.  All the characters are developed well and I'm looking forward to some relationships being explored further in the next installment.        

It's a longer novel than your average but the story unfolds quickly with plenty of action, twists and turns to keep the reader's attention.  There is an intensity to the whole narrative and at some points I was holding my breath and reading at a crazy spped to find out what was going to happen. 

I really enjoyed this first in a new series and cannot wait to read the next installment.   recommended for crime fans who like the darker side.

Whether Margaret Murphy writes as AD Garrett or Ashley Dyer or....Margaret Murphy, she is always a delight. She is particularly prolific at the moment with new series underway featuring Cassie Rowan and Clara Pascal and Jeff Rickman! This is the first to feature DS Cassie Rowan and it is excellent! Set in Liverpool, it combines police procedural with psychological thriller and it grips from the start. I look forward to much more.

DC Cassie Rowan is working hard on a case of a man targeting sex workers and also caring for her teenage brother after her parents died. It’s a hard act balancing her undercover assignment and being a guardian while a mad man is on the loose. Soon it becomes a fight for life or death.
This was my first book by Margaret and it won’t be my last. Well written and Margaret had a wonderful knack of setting the scene perfectly and allowing me to imagine everything in the setting, which I really liked. Cassie is a strong character and very likeable. I look forward to the next one.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A gripping and well written story that kept me hooked and guessing.
it's the first 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.

DC Cassie Rowan is working undercover on the streets of Liverpool hoping to run into the man who's been assaulting sex workers. He's had seven victims so far ... but now his eyes are set on Cassie. So far he hasn't killed any of the women, but it's only a matter of time.

Cassie is fairly new and her supervisor thinks she's not a team player, although her back up hasn't been as helpful as she hoped. Her boss blames her for their mistakes.

Cassie is also trying to balance her home life with her professional one. She's responsible for the care of her younger brother since both parents have died. He doesn't seem to be real co-operative with Cassie's rules and manages to get mixed up with others who have no sterling qualities.

This has a well executed plot, a really good book that you don't want to put down because you want to see what will happen next. There's lots of action with a few twists and turns. The characters are skillfully drawn. As this is book one of a series, I wait with tapping toes to see how they interact with each other in book two. The ending was unexpectedly violent.. a real nail-biter.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books 'N All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you to Joffe books for the advanced read

Having read a few books by this author i knew i would be in for a god read and was not disappointed

Girls are disappearing from the streets and found scarred mentally, physically and emotionally and Rowan goes undercover to locate and catch the abductor

A highly tense read but highly recommended

Before He Kills Again is the first instalment in the DC Cassie Rowan and psychiatrist Dr Palmer series and if Murphy keeps up the standard produced here we will have another unmissable series on our hands in no time at all. A serial rapist is stalking women, with most of his victims being prostitutes on the streets of Liverpool. He abducts, rapes, and tortures and leaves them used and abused like trash but at least they're alive, right? The only problem is no one has any helpful descriptions of him and so the local police are at a loss with no idea how to proceed. Knowing so little about him they refer to him as the Furman due to his proclivity to wrap his victims in a fur stole. So the police decide to send young police officer Cassie undercover as a call girl in the holes that she will either be targeted by the brutal attacker or will bear witness to him scouting the area.

This is a captivating, intense and well-written police procedural and you know you can always rely on critically acclaimed Murphy to provide a pacy rollercoaster ride of emotions, twists and turns, a terrifying villain and a cast of engaging and otherwise likeable characters. Cassie Rowan is a strong female lead and a great protagonist in that she is both relatable and believable and has a tenacious personality although she tends to have bright ideas and goes off on her own to investigate them often without informing her team. That said, I appreciate characters who are independent thinkers. It is a complex, suspenseful, interesting and entertaining book and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward with anticipation to learning more about her both personally and professionally and the development of the interplay between her and Palmer. Many thanks to Joffe for an ARC.