This was a decent story, but it seemed repetitive and was quite graphic. I did not care for Detective Cassie Rowan at all. She came off as impulsive and immature and just plain unlikable. Being that she is the main protagonist, one of the few women in this field, and that these vicious attacks are specifically targeting women, I expected more from her….more maturity, level headedness, intelligence. Her character really took this story down a couple of notches. I’m not sure if I’m going to check out the next installment in this series or not. I love mystery/thrillers with female detective leads, so maybe I will. Hopefully Cassie will have done some growing.

For the first book in a new series, this one doesn’t hold back and delivers some solid punches. The story moved a bit slowly for me as I worked through the introductions of all the characters and trying to figure out where to place them in the story. I would have preferred that there had been less secondary characters introduced before I got to know who the key players were.

I enjoyed the story overall; I thought Cassie was a great character, full of the frustrations, insecurities and emotions that make us human. I admired her grit and determination to bring in the monsters who hunt the innocent of Liverpool as well as the struggles she faces raising her little brother and the worries she tries to hide away from her family, friends and colleagues. She is a supervisor’s worst nightmare, however. On more than one occasion, she is brought to task and given a verbal smack-down for not following orders. We don’t know but she may be unemployed in the next book.

There were so many characters that could have been the baddie in this story that I found it difficult to keep it all straight. I felt a lot of frustration for Cassie when she figures out who it is and her chain of command don’t want to hear it, believing they already have the suspect in custody.

There are quite a few loose threads at the end that annoyed me. Specifically, Detective Wicks and what happens to him as well as Cassie’s friend, Tasha. Hopefully, the next book will pick up some of these threads and tie them up.

I enjoyed meeting Dr. Palmer, the psychoanalyst contacted by Cassie as one of his patients may or may not be the rapist. There is an interesting side story about him and his practice and family life.

The audio edition of this story made this story more intense for me and I enjoyed the narration by Bianca Amato. Her performance brings to life the frustrations, fears, pain and horror experienced by these characters, making the story more vivid and realistic.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this is a gritty and sometimes graphic thriller that might disturb some readers with its intense scenes. Fans of twisty thrillers, police procedurals and mysteries will enjoy this one.

This was a great on the edge of your seat story. I couldn’t put it down once I got into it. It’s on the gritty side, disturbing, and major triggers for a bunch of things but especially sexual assault. That aside, this is a fantastic story.
There is a serial predator on the loose in Liverpool and there have already been seven victims. He’s locked in on his eighth.
The police are unable to catch him since he leaves no clues and no one has been able to give them a reliable description. Detective Cassie Rowan goes undercover to play a dangerous game through the backstreets of Liverpool but he may soon be hunting her as well.
I really don’t want to tell you too much about this story since without knowing much was how I went in and I couldn’t walk away from it.
If you get the chance to listen to the audio book of this one I definitely recommend it. The narration is fantastic and it brings an even bigger chill to the story than reading it alone.

This book was really good! The love the narrators voice , the plot was great and it kept you guessing until the very end ! The pov of jake made me uncomfortable so had skip past those. But all in all it was a great story!

Before He Kills Again
By Margaret Murphy

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook for my honest review.

Detective Cassie Rowan is on the case, looking for a serial killer in Liverpool. He approaches his victims as a lame man, wearing heavy cloths and hoodies so they can’t catch him on camera. Will Cassie and her team catch him before he strikes again?

3.5 stars

(Please see trigger warnings below, as there is some unexpectedly graphic content I was not prepared for.)

I quite enjoyed this crime novel! Both the character interactions & subplots had nice depth & kept the story feeling well-rounded throughout. The book has great potential as the first in a series.

[What I liked:]

•The book opens with excitement, & there is plenty of suspense & a building sense of urgency from there on out.

•So the plot isn’t exactly twisty, but it continues to thicken & the cast of suspects continues to lengthen as the story gets more tense. (I actually prefer that to big twists.) It kept me guessing almost the whole way!

•Cassie, the MC, has a good character growth arc (& I’d like to see her again in future books). Her biggest flaw is that she has more drive than tact, & that gets in the way of her collaboration & rapport with her colleagues. She does start to work on developing her interpersonal relationships with the team though, & it will be interesting to see how this progresses in future installments.

[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Several of the plot points are very similar to other crime novels I’ve read (specifically the psychologist & his backstory, the motivations of a serial r*pist, a young woman detective MC hindered by sexist colleagues & clashes with a boss, etc.) I definitely don’t think it’s an issue plagiarism in either direction, but just a case oft-used tropes.

•One of the assault scenes shown from the POV of a victim was excruciatingly detailed & graphic for me, both in terms of what was physically happening & what was emotionally experienced by the victim. Please be aware of this before reading if that’s a potential trigger for you!

•The ending (epilogue) was a bit abrupt, & a few threads of the story felt glossed over & not resolved enough. Especially the dynamics with Wix were left dangling, (although that might be set-up for future books in the series). still, the summary of what happened with Wix felt lacking.

CW: sexual assault/r*pe (including some very detailed & graphic descriptions), physical violence, stalking, references to child abuse, mental illness, substance use, sexism, murder, prejudice against sex workers

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Told from the perspective of the perpetrator and the main characters Detective Cassy, this book is set to be a thrilling experience of crime. That said, it isn’t for me. I did not appreciate the perspective of the perpetrator, and was greatly disturbed by it, so I did not finish this arc.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this story.

Definitely recommend if you like Ruth Ware or Lisa Jewell. A twisty mystery that keeps you on your toes. Recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

An interesting thriller/police procedural. Fans of the genre will definitely enjoy this one. I enjoyed the glimpses through the antagonists eyes, and the attention given to the methods used by the killer, which seemed, if not derived from, then definitely in the style of, real life killers.

"He decked out the place like a Meat Loaf video." 💀 Page one. Hilarious. And I knew EXACTLY what she was saying even before she described all of the candles. 😂 That's the only funny part though. Otherwise this book is riddled with triggers for <b>RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, KIDNAPPING, MURDER.</b> Eeeeeeesh. And it's pretty graphic. I did find it off that the psychoanalyst said "committed suicide." This is not okay. Even in 2020 it wasn't okay. Are they still saying "committed suicide" in the UK? Also, it drove me nuts that Cassie was referred to as "Rowan" (her last name) except in the dialogue. I thought it would make more sense if the dialogue referred to her as "Rowan" as cops tend to do that but not in the narrative. It's written in third person but she is the main character. I kept thinking her first name was "Rowan" so whenever someone actually said "Cassie" I was confused. Meh. I just didn't enjoy the book as a whole. Can't we stop writing about bad shit happening to women?

I don’t really like this one, I don’t know definitely look up trigger Warnings. before you read it I should’ve. so yeah this is definitely a no from me. There’s nothing wrong with it just no

This story gripped me from the beginning. It’s a busy read with so much going on and that’s how I like these type of stories. It’s twisty and well written and very well narrated .

Exceedingly well written but certainly not for the faint of heart. I definitely had to put this book down from time to time because it got so intense for me.

Seeing from the point of view of the predator had my heart pounding and wanting to yell out "Run! Run away!"

I very much look forward to reading or listening to more of what this author has to offer. Margaret Murphy is likely to give me a heart attack.

There is a killer loose in Cassie’s town. And she is determined to capture him at all costs. Even if it means her career or her life!

Cassie is the lead detective on this case. But, she is at a loss. This killer is smart. He is leaving at trail of bodies but very little evidence. And the closer she gets the more in danger she becomes.

This story just went on and on covering the same issue. Plus, I really did not like Cassie. I found her selfish and overbearing. She just really did get on my nerves. But…there was something about this tale which kept me reading.

The narrator, Bianca Amato is great. She kept the story moving along. She was especially good during the dramatic scenes.

Need a pretty good whodunnit…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I didn’t finish this book mainly because I had a hard time with connecting with the narrator. I wasn’t enjoying how harsh and unlikeable the main character was either but I might give this another try as a hard copy next time.

I did not finish this book. This was not my kind of book. It was way too dark for me and not a subject I would typically read. I cannot give a decent review on this book.

What a great read.

The idea of copycat serial killer has been done, nearly to death. With that in mind, I approached this book a bit hesitantly. However, Murphy does a fantastic job with the theme. The story flows well and pulls the reader in very quickly. She makes excellent use of descriptions and internal thoughts. Her flashback points are well developed and lend significantly to the story.

The story is a dark thriller with good twists and movements. The end is equal parts wonderful and frustrating.

I was not fond of the Amy character. She is a hot mess and not likable. But liking all the characters isn’t necessary. Murphy skillfully develops her characters, making them realistic and believable. She depicted workplace sexism, certainly a timely topic, but in a way that does not come across as contrived or preachy. Murphy deftly weaves together a number of storylines into a cogent whole that is a nail-biter and a delightful read.

Bianca Amato is a wonderful narrator. Her voice is so velvety and absorbing, and she knows how to read a story, so it does not feel like someone is reading, rather that one is reading for themselves – or living it.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Pretty good book, i would read more of this series. Pretty long but not drawn out.

This is the first book in the series involving DC Cassie Rowan and psychoanalyst Alan Palmer and the first book I have read by the author Margaret Murphy. I was enthralled from the get go. Bring on the next one!

This was a dark, gritty, fast paced, edgy thriller with lots of twists. While listening to it, I found myself making faces and exclaiming out loud in several spots in such a way that had others around me wondering what I was doing. I bragged to those who asked that I was listening to a great book and sent them off with the title (those I knew would enjoy the book). I promised no spoilers so told them they needed to read this book.

I hope one takes me up on it soon because I really want to talk about it. I read many thrillers and crime books and seldom has one made me feel like this. I can't wait for book #2.

I received an audiobook from the publisher #JoffeBooks and the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I liked the detective, Cassie, and liked the narrator, but I felt this story went on maybe longer than it needed to be.

I felt like Cassie deserved more focus in the story, and not so much of the filler characters. I found her interesting and she was young and determined. She was the best part of the story for me.

It seems this is a series, and I'd probably give it another go in hopes more focus is made on Cassie.
The writing was good, I just would have preferred less background characters. It had a lot of elements I like, just something about it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.