Great suspenseful novel that I would highly recommend to others. Great plot, characters and premise that made me want to keep turning the pages to get to the conclusion.

*** 3.5 stars ***

*** 3.5 stars ***

I will admit I haven't read the first nor the second book in this series, so I haven't been able to see Detective Kate Young's journey from the very beginning or seen how she has/hasn't developed... But what I will say is this is a fast paced detective series which holds nothing back. This may sound weird, but I really liked the graphic descriptions and the author certainly doesn't shy away from this! It immersed me more into the book.

My only gripe was well the author got all the thrilling component into the story, the mystery element was just... okay. It was pretty obvious from the start, so when the mystery was "revealed" to the reader further on in the book, it was like an "oh wow moment, I would of never of guessed" it was a more "oh I knew that already" sort of moment.

The writing style was something I did really like so, I would definitely like to get my hands on the first two books in the series just so I can compare.

This is the 3rd book in the Detective Kate Young series and I could not wait to read this as I loved the other 2. This did not disappoint and was a real page turner. I could not put this book down. It ended on such a cliff hanger of a moment though I hope we do not have to wait long for book 4!

A really great, twisted story which gives you lots of potential as to who is behind what is going on. Written well, keeping you hooked in.

The third book in a new series by carol and a great series at that
You do not have to have read the previous two books to read this book
It will have you hooked from the first page
Plenty of twist and turns
Can’t wait for carols next book
One of my favourite authors
Thanks NetGalley

When a young man is found lying on a station platform with a hole in his head, DI Kate Young is called in to investigate the grisly murder. But the killing is no one-off. As bodies start to pile up, she is faced with what might be an impossible task—to hunt down a ruthless killer on a seemingly random rampage. What a rollercoaster ride this book was!… Totally gripped from the beginning… Grab yourself a copy of this book!

I very soon realised that I needed to read the whole series to know what was going on and I have happily paid to do that in the past with other series (e.g. Parekh and Helen Fielding).
But I didn't think it very likely that a driving instructor would be water-boarding someone, even if they were ex-SAS, so I decided this wasn't for me.
Sorry.

This is the third of the series about DI Kate . She is a detective in Staffordshire and is now a widow , her husband having been murdered. She has problems, with some colleagues and in dealing with her grief. The crimes are seemingly random murders, with few clues as to who the perpetrator might be. Running alongside this, is her own investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband and other members of the police and into crooked coppers who have been involved with these crimes.
The pace of the book is fairly quick with twists and turns and the investigation is hampered by the small team of colleagues;, the lack of clues and restrictions from the bosses. A pattern of sorts emerges and a profiler is asked to help with the case. Not having read the previous books in the series perhaps put me at a disadvantage here because some of Kate's problems, actions and thought processes made me wonder whether she should be at work , especially involved in such a case . At last progress was made, after several twists and turns. The profiler was superfluous in my opinion, otherwise a reasonably believable investigation.
I would have liked to know more about the main characters, the characterizations felt a bit shallow in places. I am still a bit puzzled by the ending ... not sure what to make of it ....
If you like police procedural books, this is a good read, though also takes some concentration to think about how the different puzzles fit together
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is the third in a series but the first that I have read of Detective Kate Young. I think the author does a decent job of giving some background so it can be read as a stand alone but I think I would have benefited in reading these in order. I didn’t get a good enough idea of who Kate was as a character. The writing is quite good was engaging. I like the multiple plot lines, as since the main plot was quite obvious who the villain was. Overall a quick detective story that definitely has me wondering what happens next.

Another fabulous read by Carol Wyer.

This book had me gripped from the first page and kept me gripped throughout.

People are dying and there doesn’t appear to be a link at all. DI Kate Young is up against it and find out who’s committing these crimes before more innocent people die. At the same time she’s dealing with her own personal issues.

I love this series Kate is a strong character with lots of issues herself that unfold with each book in the series.

A great read

I chose this book, not realising that it was not quite a stand-alone. Usually I find that too disappointing to enjoy the book, but this one worked quite well as a stand-alone and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There were some very complex characters within the story and some of them quite sinister.
It was a very well thought out plot which raised my eyebrows at times. Definitely a few "Gosh" moments
A very good read and I enjoyed it.

Loved this book, brilliantly written and keeps you guessing! I couldn't put it down. I just loved how the storyline unfolded and still leaves room for another whilst being tied up eat the same time.

A Life For A Life disappointed me on several levels. There is too much going on, for starters. We have murders then we have police corruption. We have a dead husband of the lead investigator, and she herself is pursuing her own demons, all the while carrying on "conversations" with her dead husband! All of this is revealed painfully slowly, with descriptions of things that often need no describing. The final scene is ludicrous.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Not my first read by this author, but the first in this series, but it reads well as a stand alone. There are plenty of twists and turns and the plot moves quickly. My problem with this title was the repeated conversations Kate attempted to have with her dead husband, Chris. It overpowered the first section of this title. Once this obsession faded a little, the story was able to take over and it was more satisfying.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Carol Wyer/Amazon Publishing for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a good read. Unfortunately I haven't read the other books in the series, which I think would enhance things a little.

'A Life for a Life' is the third book in the Detective Kate Young series by Carol Wyer and I would recommend that you do read the previous two novels in the series before embarking on 'A Life for a Life' as the author is weaving a particularly complex web and there are many strands to follow that have been developed in the previous books.
The action commences on the opening pages with a horrific car crash and then we are introduced (or re-introduced) to our DI Young.
DI Young is based in the Special Crimes Unit of the Stoke-on-Trent Police Station and runs a small team there. Her old team are no longer under her command due to her struggles in coming to terms with the death of her partner, Chris. Chris was murdered a few months earlier while investigating several disappearances of underage sex workers. Continuing to struggle with her grief, Young now suspects several senior officers to be involved in the coverup and must keep her investigation to herself as she battles everyday cases while trying to find the truth.
This is a hard-hitting and fast paced book which took me a while to get into due to the history of the storyline and characters of which I was unaware. Worth a read and now that I'm familiar with the characters, I'll be keeping an eye out for the next book.

I did not realise that this book was the third in a series when I requested it. Having not read either of the first two, it took me some time to get to grips with all the characters. However, I’m afraid I baulked at the gratuitous violence in the shocking torture scene, especially when it seemed to have been done on the orders of a senior police officer.
There is too much that is completely implausible about this story, supposedly a police procedural. It has very little police procedure about it that I could establish.
The internal musings and ‘conversations’ with her dead husband by Kate, the central character, just set my teeth on edge. This book is not for me, and is a DNF, I’m sorry to say.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title for review.

A young man is found dead on a train station platform, with a hole in his head caused by an unusual murder weapon. DI Kate Young is called in to investigate the grim case. Then some bad news comes over the radio - another body is found. The bodies quickly start to pile up and DI Young and her small team are faced with the task of catching a killer before the body count increases even further. The only problem is they can’t seem to find any connection between the killings. They seem to be random. There are no clues at the scenes, no CCTV, no witnesses. How do you get into the mind of such a killer? Di Young brings on board an eccentric profiller, and throws all that her and her team have to try to solve the case.

While in the middle of this undeniably stressful case, DI Kate Young is struggling with some issues of her own. She is still struggling to come to terms with her husband's death. Convinced it was murder, she is trying to uncover evidence to expose corruption within the force. She uncovers some secrets long buried, and they shake her already fragile state of mind. She needs to push through and keep her secret investigation going, and under wraps, and catch a serial killer before they kill again.

There is a lot happening in this book, and at the beginning you wonder how the threads will all weave together. However as the book progresses, you get drawn in further and further, and find yourself feeling as anxious as Kate, looking for evidence in her husband’s murder, linked to the corruption. You feel as tense as her entire team hoping for the serial killer to be caught before they strike again. It was very well written, and DI Young is a brilliant character, with an excellent sense of realness about her, with the grief she is trying to hide through her work.

This was my first read in this series and it certainly won’t be the last - particularly not with that cliffhanger ending!!
*I received this book for review from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book and thought it was very well written.

Each chapter end made you want to carry in reading to the end. Which I did!

The book begins with an awful accident and the aftermath of that event,

Kate, the detective, must find the murderer, whilst at the same time bring a high ranking officer down, who she believes is involved in a sex ring. At the same time she is still grieving for her husband who was killed and she believes the officer was behind this to.

Kate is a great character in the book and I am hoping the next book is just as good as this and those before it.

Read it it’s great.

In my review of A Cut For A Cut I named Carol Wyer as Queen of Police Procedurals, and with A Life For A Life she has revalidated her title. For me, few writers do police investigations as she does, making me feel as if I’m part of the team, right there at the station investigating along them.

DI Kate Young’s life is being consumed by her desire to bring to justice those responsible for her husband’s death, but corruption in the police force reaches further than she expected, and without knowing who she can really trust, her endeavor is proving nearly impossible and her mental health is suffering from it. Called to investigate a series of murders, in which the killer seems to select their victims at random, will put all her capabilities to the test. Will she manage to catch the killer before it’s too late to save her career?

I really love this series. DI Young makes such an interesting lead. The author conveys Kate’s emotions in such a believable way. You can feel her grief over his husband’s death and her frustration and desperation while trying to get justice for him. Her whole journey in this regard has been done really well from book one. She’s flawed and she may not always abide by the rules, but she’s really relatable.

Her team is also very good. We’re slowly getting to know some of their backstories, what’s making me get much more involved in their lives, especially Emma’s. Her pain was so palpable it hurt. Also, the team has had a great addition in the figure of Samuel, a quirky psychological profiler.

This was not a typical whodunnit, cause we know the killer’s name right from the start. The challenge for Kate’s team was to try and get into the killer’s mind to comprehend their motivations, to predict their next move and thus avoid more deaths.

I found the parallels between the killer’s story and Kate’s really interesting, as it shows how a similar traumatic event can impact people in similar yet different ways, and how those demons can unravel your whole mind if you don’t learn how to keep them at bay.

Carol knows how to leave her readers wanting more and the ending is proof of that. What an ending! It was so, so good I’m already counting the days until book four comes out!

A Life For A Life was another enjoyable installment in the series and, although the psychological aspect of the story made the pace a bit slower than usual, I was still glued to the pages and could not turn them fast enough. If you’ve still not read Carol Wyer’s books, you’re missing out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.