Hold Your Breath
Helen Phifer
June 2, 2023

Phifer takes us to Cambria, England where Detective Morgan Brookes works on solving homicides in the small coastal town. She and her team are lead by Sargent Ben Matthews. He is her colleague in crime as well as partner at home. In the latest, Hold Your Breath, #9 In the Detective Morgan Brookes series, we find them faced with the murder of Jasmine Armer, dental assistant. The young woman was found in her car staring into space. It was difficult to tell whether Jazmine committed suicide or whether she was a victim.
Hold Your Breath will be published by Bookouture on June 02, 2023. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review Helen Phifer’s latest novel via NetGalley. This is the first in the Detective Morgan Brookes series that I have read. It was excellent. I intend to start from #1, One Left Alive and continue reading the series to catch up. It was truly an amazing page turner. Suspense seems to follow Brookes in her daily work. If Phifer is new to you as well, don’t miss this one. Already a fan? Hold Your Breath will be out soon. Do Enjoy!

Hold Your Breath is the 8th book in the Detective Morgan Brookes series.
Helen Phifer has written 9 amazing books in this series and I’ve had the pleasure of devouring them since day one.

Helen Phifer did an excellent job with the plot and character development which had me totally invested in what I was reading as the suspense and tension developed.
She is an excellent storyteller and master of her craft.
An intriguing and chilling thriller that is exquisitely plotted.
It was an intense, quick and a fast-paced thriller with a very satisfying ending.
Hold Your Breath is another well written crime thriller that had me guessing until the end.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thanks to bookouture and netgalley for this arc..Woohoo!! I love this author. Morgan Brookes is a disaster.she is always in the thick of the action, but she is fantastic at her job in the police force. But is always the one who gets injured. When morgan finds a dead body of a young woman at lake Thirlmere with ligature marks and glue residue on her eyes. The team are sent to investigate Jasmine Arthur is 23 and her family are distraught. Morgan then receives a parcel at the station, on opening it, it resembles a death mask, morgan pushes it away thinking the team are playing a joke on her. Are they or is something sinister going on? Morgan is also informed that the young woman's dad had committed suicide in the same spot his daughter was put. Then Emily, morgans friend is killed found with the same ligature marks on her arms as jasmine The killer is taunting morgan but why??? Fantastic read, highley recommend, twists,turns throughout, i really didnt want it to end

As typical, this is a good installment in the Morgan Brookes series. In this book, you need to suspend disbelief quite a bit, as there are some details that don't add up as much. I also think there are so many horrible things circulating Morgan and her colleagues, they really didn't catch a break with this one. While I was entertained and this is definitely a page turner, I wish there was a bit more build up to the finale, instead of red herrings it may have been more interesting to get more into the motivations of those involved. Still really enjoyed! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I’ve been enjoying this series so appreciated an advance copy of Hold,Your Breath from NetGalley and Bookouture,
Detective Morgan Brookes and her team are searching for a killer when a dead woman is found in her car. They quickly rule out suicide, and then find the young woman had a personal tie to the area, her killer must have known about. When the killer strikes again it hits close to home for Morgan and Ben, now they’re in a race to find them before they strike again. I enjoy the relationships between the characters, their sense of camaraderie adds to the story. I did deduct one star because the ending was a bit abrupt, there was only one brief line from the killer as to his motive. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series to see what trouble Morgan ends up in next time, she definitely has more lives than the proverbial cat’s nine lives!

I've read them and all and this was my least favorite. I really disliked the ending on this one. There was no explanation. No follow-up. It just ended without really explaining the why. It seems that this one was just put together using the same formula as all the others but without the oomph. The characters and the story just fell flat. In the past, I couldn't put these books down. It took me a week of starting and stopping to finish this one. Sorry to say but this might have been the last Morgan Brookes for me.

Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for the eARC.,

I have read all the previous books in the Morgan Brookes series. I really enjoyed the book and love how Helen keeps developing her character and her relationship with Ben. It was a good story but my only worry is the number of scrapes that Morgan gets into. Surely no-one sustains so many injuries. However, I’ll keep reading about her as I’m curious.

Morgan, Morgan, Morgan, HOW on earth are you always getting in situations like this. Poor Ben - he is on the highway to a nice shiny gravestone, thanks to you! But I love their relationship and their team, I'm even warming up to Marc ( and thanks to the Idris Elba reference I like him even more xD)

As every Morgan Brookes book I loved this one. Love that Theo & Ettie made an appearance. The murders were gruesome and spooky and I also love the suspects ( you know who! )

The only reason why it's not a 5 Star book was the ending - I was on such a high with the arrest, and the chaos and then....*chirp chirp" the end. Like what?? I needed more, more about the Murderer and a little bit of a conclusion. This was like being on a Rollercoaster anticipating the drop and it just doesn't come.

But thanks Netgalley for providing me a copy! <3

Hold Your Breath (Detective Morgan Brookes Book 9) by Helen Phifer is a great crime thriller and addition to the Morgan Brookes series.

The storyline had good drama and lots of suspects to pick from to keep you reading. I did kind of figure out what was going to happen, but I wasn't quite sure so that held my interest throughout and kept me turning the pages.

I really enjoy these characters and getting to know them more and their interactions and relationships with each other.

The culprit's motivation was not quite explained fully, but it was not a deal breaker, and not everything needed to be explained.

I would recommend this book, this author, and this series. I can't wait to read more. The book has a good storyline and solid characters, and I enjoy how the author unravels the story and their writing style.

5 out of 5 stars for me. I really like the cover also.

#HoldYourBreath #NetGalley @bookouture

Morgan , Morgan, Morgan.. what kind of trouble will you find yourself in this book. The team is called to the scene of a murder or is it a suicide.? After being deemed a murder the team is quickly called to another scene, this one cutting close to the team. In a race against time to find a killer the killer is also on a race for Morgan. Will they find him in time?
Love this series and look forward to the next one.

Detective Morgan Brookes seems to be a magnet that attracts murderers and trouble. This time, a murdered young woman starts a case for Morgan and her boss/boyfriend, Ben, that will put her once again in a murderer's crosshairs. While investigating the death of a woman left in the same spot of her dad's suicide, Morgan receives a macabre package -- what looks like a mask. When a friend of Morgan's who once dated Ben is found dead in her car outside the apartment where Morgan once lived, the perpetrator seems to have a bizarre fascination with her. She and the team rush to stop the killing, with Morgan once again finding herself in danger. Can she save herself before she is the next victim? It's a great mystery!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This is the 9th in the Morgan Brookes series. This series will keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know who did it and if Morgan will survive to solve another case. Phifer packs plenty of thrills and surprises to keep you reading. Detective Morgan Brookes is called to Lake Thirlmere because a body was found dead in a car. It was noticed at the scene that her wrists and ankles were bound, and that glue residue was found on her eyelashes. It has been called a murder. The victim was twenty-year-old Jasmine Armer and well-liked. While trying to find out who murdered her, Morgan's friend, Emily, is also murdered in the same manner and found outside of her apartment building. Morgan is heartbroken by this murder but wants to stay on the case to find out who killed Jasmine and Emily.

Another fantastic addition to the series, will Morgan ever stay out of trouble?! A great fast paced read, great characters and always an action packed storyline. Looking forward to the next installment.

Hold your breath by Helen Phifer is book nine in the Detective Morgan Brookes series. This time she is called to a body that is found in a car in front of Lake Thirlmere. Where the body has been staged and her wrists are bound. When Morgan finds out that months previously the father of the deceased committed suicide on the very same sport. The woman whose names is Jasmine. Did she know her killer and why was she killed.
When Morgan arrives back at the office, she receives a gift of a mask. At first, she thinks it is a prank by one of her team and she chucks it in the bin. But later, she realises when she receives another one that these masks are death masks of the 2 victims he has killed.
Thank you Bookoutre for a copy of Hold your breath by Helen Phifer. This is another great episode in the series, but I didn’t enjoy it as much. I missed the banter between the team an also Morgan’s Aunt in the story. She was mentioned but not like before. It is still well worth a read though. 4 stars from me.

Book 9 in the series to feature Morgan Brookes and it's a thriller of a ride. What an excellent series this is and one I would highly recommend. The characters are interesting, it's fast paced, there are some touches of humour and plenty of suspense. Helen Phifer writes such good tales, set in the Lake District, and Morgan is such an interesting character! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

winter, procedural, law-enforcement, Cumbria, Lake-District, England, murder-investigation, murder, series, serial-killer, real-horror, rituals, relationships, PTSD, grief, grieving, suspense, thriller*****

First let me give the caveat that I really hate getting into the head of a serial torturer/murderer. Balance that with my opinion that this book is really well written and that I didn't skip a page even once. The publisher's blurb gives a good intro, so no need to recap. The characters easily became real to me, as were the other descriptions and world-building. An intense read broken with witty banter.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you

Another great book from Helen Phifer's Morgan Brookes series.
This book gets stuck right in at the deep end and keeps pulling you in.
This story is personal to Morgan as she gets a box send to her however it takes a while for her & team to work out it is all related.
The dynamics in the team are great and they all look out for one another.
Thanks for advanced copy and looking forward to my next catch up with Morgan and the rest of team.

Hold your breath is certainly an apt title for this, the latest in the wonderful Morgan Brookes series. Book 9 set in Rydal Falls a picturesque town in the Lake District with more murders than Midsomer Murders. DI Barnaby would be proud to have Morgan on his team I'm sure. She's a no nonsense, get stuck in DC who has gotten under my skin.
This case is more personal than any others as the killer is sending Morgan masks in the post, this results in more danger for Morgan and she gets herself into more trouble trying to solve yet another murder. I love the characters and their teamwork together, each person brings the novels alive.

Another amazing book in the series, never a dull moment in this series, it had everything in it and I can’t wait to see what’s next

Many thanks to both Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Hold Your Breath.

Expected publication June 2, 2023

3.5 Stars, rounded up

Get ready for a non-stop thrill ride from the very first chapter to the last! For the most part, I found Hold Your Breath to be amazing! Morgan knows time is running out. Two young women have been murdered, one of whom was a friend of Morgan's. Both have ligature marks on their arms, both have been asphyxiated, and both have been found propped up in their cars. Morgan knows this isn’t the end of the killer’s twisted game, but she's determined to track him or her down before another life is lost.

I had a couple of issues with this book, however. The first one was the use of commas where periods should have been used and new sentences started. It made for a disjointed read for me when I had to reread sentences in order to understand them. This will probably be corrected before the book is released, I hope.

The next is a bit of a spoiler so you'll have to scroll down to see it.
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This one drove me crazy. There is no such thing as an alginate mask! It is used to take impressions but it can never be a mask by itself. One needs latex rubber or silicone to make a mask. (You know. Like they do for movies.) I understand the author's desire to tie a dental office into the story. In my opinion, the use of alginate could still work if used for the impression, followed by latex rubber or silicone being painted onto the impression. There were so many positives about Hold Your Breath. Sometimes it's difficult to look past something that really bugs you, though! (Boy did I work in dental offices for too long!)