The first time I have read this Author but I enjoyed the style of writing. A solid four star read. Great premise. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I love this series and I can’t wait for the third book! Lexi is a great character and I love seeing the growth in her over the last couple of books. It’s also been nice to see the growth of the other characters, such as Ridhi and Colin. They aren’t just there as ornaments, they really help push the story along. I really appreciate that considering a lot of stories don’t give b-characters my sort of story car, but in this series, you can see how their characters evolve into something more. Fantastic and I can’t wait for the next one!

Huge thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Another winner by Alison Belsham! I did only give this one 4 stars instead of 5 like the first book because I did struggle to get into this one at the beginning. I felt it was a little slower and since the first book hooked me so fast I was a little disappointed in that but once the book got going I was in it. I was thinking to myself I will figure this out. How are they going to figure this out! Then when I figured it out I was like come on guys save the kid! You are so close! It was like I yelling at them and invested in the characters and who was involved. Its a good book when you get invested and your emotions get involved. Can't wait for more books in this series to come out!

Many thanks to both Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Girl’s Last Cry, by Alison Belsham!

Expected publication July 11, 2023

The Girl’s Last Cry is the second book of three in the Detective Lexi Bennett Series, The Girls on Chalk Hill being the first. I was totally grabbed by this book the moment I started reading it! I absolutely loved Lexi, and the members of her team as they looked into a killer who was manipulating teens into killing themselves. But how is he or she finding the victims? What's odd about the suicide notes? Is there a music connection? And if there is, what exactly does that mean?

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the last part of the book as much as I had the first three-quarters of it. It started feeling a bit like Lexi must have ESP as she started figuring things out without any clues, and she was making decisions that felt completely illogical. It all became rather far-fetched to me.

On the positive side, The Girl's Last Cry was twisty, full of suspense, and the pace was rapid! All in all, I definitely enjoyed most of it!

I definitely enjoyed this follow up. And I had a crazy suspicion that certain aspects were going to happen. That did not deter me from racing to the end to see what happens.

I’d like to see Lexi have more personal interactions. I’m interested in what’s next.

A great story that deals with the most current of crimes
Online grooming, coercing young people to do something they wouldn’t do of their own volition.
When two young musicians commit suicide there doesn’t appear to be a crime to investigate
But Lexi Bennett isn’t sure, something isn’t right
Investigations start to show that both may have been coerced.
Worse still, the person doing the coercing may have been present to ensure the victims didn’t back out.
Brilliant writing
Brilliant characters
Brilliant storyline

I also got to read the first book - The Chalk Girls - the series continues with The Girl's Last Cry, and the good news is that with this title there is thankfully no end to this series yet, the author is currently working on Part III.
This volume can be read entirely on its own, the writer very occasionally reverts back to the horrors that Lexi and her twin sister Amber had to endure. No further background information is needed to read this story.
As with the first book, the story starts with a bang; this time we witness a desperate teenager jumping off the Westgate Tower (medieval gateway in Canterbury, red. ).
Lexi is convinced there is more to the story, but malicious intent is ruled out when a suicide note is found among the girl's personal belongings.
Two more youth suicides take place in a short time, and in the cases of one of them, it is almost impossible that the boy could have hanged himself. Given the location, it’s likely someone else was involved. Lexi's gut feeling turns out to be right after all. There is more to it.
The phones of the victims are missing, but Tor is found on all the youngsters' laptops. Tor is an open network for anonymous communication based on a technique called onion routing. It is a technology developed in 1995 by the US Naval Research Laboratory; it allows them to access a chat room on the Dark Web. There, 'Nyx' is in charge, offering a listening ear to these desperate teenagers.
When Lexi makes a mistake by logging into the chat room, it appears that Nyx realises they are being watched. Will Lexi arrive in time to save the other teenagers from a desperate act?

I was really blown away by part 1 and even read through it at night because I couldn't put the book down. I was eagerly awaiting this sequel and was glad Bookouture gave me an arc to review this sequel.
The story starts with a bam -but after a shocking start, it is a bit slow, albeit halfway through it accelerates and it remains very exciting and fast paced until the end.
Some things in the book I didn't understand: I find it unlikely that Lexi could be called by a parent in the middle of the night. In my opinion, private phone numbers are not given out to third parties.
And since Lexi does have a solid education and worked for years as a profiler for the FBI, I don't understand how she couldn't have known that you can't just break into a chat room, and use a username of someone the group knows is no longer alive.
But that is a personal observation and of course does not detract from the quality of the story. Lexi makes more strange mistakes.
I also don't understand how someone of her calibre can be manipulated at The Ropery ( Historic Dockyard Chatham) - she even plays with her own life in the process. Is she now letting herself be tricked by a psychopath again, just like before? Or is it her survivor's guilt playing up again?
I do find it very moving to read that Lexi has found something of atonement in this volume.
Though of course there is never an excuse, I do like that the writer chooses to focus on the fact that monsters are not born, but made. As in book 1, here too is an insight into the sadness and despair of why someone goes down a bad path. This gives food for thought, and for me adds to the story.

I loved the setting in which this takes place: I lived in this part myself and this part of England is so very beautiful! I love recognising the 'crime scenes' and getting a virtual tour, so to speak, to go back to the places where I lived myself.
Not as good as the first book, but still a good and solid thriller that I enjoyed reading. I look forward to the next book!

Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for this arc, another solid and thrilling Lexi Bennett story.
4.5 stars.
I leave my review voluntarily.

Book 2 in the Lexi Bennett series is set 5 months on from book 1, The Girls On Chalk Hill. This is another blinder of a novel by Alison Belsham who wrote the brilliant Tattoo Thief series.
This police procedural psychological thriller is a fascinating read. This novel delves into the world of the dark web, chat rooms, suicide, and murder.
Along with the main story is the continuing development of the lead characters from our main antagonist Lexi, who I find very likeable but also intriguing as we still don’t know her whole story especially regarding her time in the FBI, through to all the members of her work team and her family.
I am really enjoying this series, and I look forward to the next instalment!

Book Title: The Girls Last Cry
Author: Alison Belsham
Series: Detective Lexi Bennett #2
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 401

When I read "The Girls on Chalk Hill|" which was the first in this series, I truly was on the edge of seat.
I was so sure I had whodunit it figured out ~ as I am a big psychological thriller fan therefore with my armchair training I have expert experience in solving these type of cases ~Right? Actually Not!

So I went into this story with an expectation that my investigative armchair training learned something from the last time ~ lol

In this story Lexi is following up on a case classed as a suicide of thirteen year old Olivia James who jumped from a city tower. Olivia was a talented musician and her parents cannot believe she would do this.
Sam, Lexi’s nephew, was a close friend of Olivia and is having a difficult time with her death. news.

Soon another teen fifteen year old Shan Liang also a musician has been found dead and left a note similar to Olivia’s.
Soon after this happened there is another victim Neil McGowan a suicide with a similar suicide note.

Lexi as well as others know this is very suspicious.

As Lexi and her team investigate they learn the victims were on the dark web and belonged to a suicide group.
It appears there is a killer who is manipulating teens into killing themselves.

There are suspects which Lexi investigates one by one.
When nephew San Riley is in danger, Lexi springs into action.

There is no doubt I was on the edge of seat. The situation with Sam was terrifying.

The person ‘whodunit’ was introduced late in this story ~ which happened in the first book so I was expecting something similar. Story was awesome and also disturbing.
I look forward to Book #3 but am okay to let my head and emotions settle before tackling another Lexi adventure!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this awesome thriller.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 11, 2023.

Another cracking read from Alison Belsham and she is definitely on to a winner with DI Lexi Bennett she is a good strong character who listens to her intuition and doesn't give up, which is what she does when she happens across an apparent suicde of a promising music student. Everything points to suicide but something just doesn't feel right to Lexi and she will fight to find out the truth. I can not wait for the next installment.

I'm so ecstatic to have been able to read an advanced copy of the second book in the Detective Lexi Bennett series.

This time, we follow Lexi as she investigates the suicide of 3 teenagers in a matter of 3 days.
Something is suspicious. Notes left to the families are similar. Was it a pact? Or did someone "help" them? Who is next?

What is going on?

Read this book to find out.
A fast-paced thriller you won't be able to put down.

Thank you to Bookature and Netgally for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to bookouture and netgalley. This is the second book in the lexi bennett series. I was hoping it was as good as the first book and i wasnt disappointed.
When young people are turning up dead,,lexi and the team investigate. These 3 young people have taken their own lives, or have they???? Is something else going on????
I highley recommend this series, the subject matter around suicide was well written by the author. There were twists galore in this book. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I do hope there will be more lexi bennett.

This fast paced psychological thriller had my brain spinning as I tried to piece together the outcome before DI Lexi Bennett did, and it was such an entertaining ride!

When three teenagers are found dead via possible suicide three days in a row, something about the scenes bothers DI Lexi Bennett enough to keep looking for clues that someone else may have been there when they died. It is a wild ride through the dark web, through boarding schools and villages in England, and through the twisted mind of a killer.

This is the second book featuring Lexi, and I love her character. She is an empathetic, kind detective who will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that justice is served for any victims she comes across. She can be impulsive, and is an incredibly tough, badass female character. I can’t wait to read what happens next in her story.

The crimes in this book were very disturbing, and suicidal ideation is a frequent topic. If that is a trigger for you, this may be a tough read.

I did put together a couple pieces of the puzzle before Lexi did, but only by a page or two. The ending was thrilling, terrifying, and well done. I really enjoy Belsham’s writing style and look forward to reading more in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.

I could NOT put this book down. 5 stars over and over and over again.

We follow detective Lexi Bennet as she discovers young people committing suicide and eventually discovers that they are all connected and being coaxed into the act by a malicious psycho on the dark web in a private chatroom. As the investigation unfolds its a race to find out WHO this person is, WHERE they are, and WHO will be their next victim? Unfortunately the slate is entirely blank as the dark web is fairly untraceable.

This reminded me very much of "Michelle Carter - The "Texting-Suicide" Case"

This is the second in the Detective Lexi Bennett series.
A well written police procedural. Twisty enough to keep me guessing to the end.
I will be catching up on the first in the series and looking out for number three!

#NetGalley

If your looking for an action packed book this is definitely the series for you! The first book in this series was good but a bit slow this book is SO much better . I really love Detective Lexi Bennett and look forward to reading another book in this series. Recommend 100% reading today!

Lexi finds herself investigating a suicide group, after the deaths of 3 teenagers. The book is well plotted, although I didn't like the involvement of Lexi's family in the investigation. The characterisation is good and there is plenty of suspense and twists. I never enjoyed it as much as book 1 but it's still a good mystery. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

The second book in the series featuring Detective Lexi Bennett. The apparent suicide of three young people over the course of three days has Lexi doubting their initial verdicts. Determined to understand what is behind these deaths, Lexi and her team uncover disturbing evidence.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book. It was an entertaining, fast read. The pace of the story was consistently good, the characters were better developed and for 80% of the story the plot was gripping. The latter part of the story just became rather far-fetched.
I found the inevitable involvement of Lexi's family in the situation to be annoying. There is too much focus, in this series, on a direct link between Lexi and the crimes being committed. I'm not sure I can take a third book with such a personal angle, but we'll see.

The second book in this series and I enjoyed it as much as I did the previous one.

Lexi Bennett is very driven and this sometimes makes her take decisions she regrets a bit afterwards. She pushes herself because her job is her life and she so wants justice for the victims she rushes into action. But she always delivers even if she puts herself in very precarious situations and life threatening situations. She acts before she thinks and you just have to lover her for it.

She drives her partner mad but he always has her back and she demands as much from her team as she asks from herself. 

The subject of the story is a delicate one and this time the clock seems to tick even faster. With almost no clues, Lexi and her team have to find a faceless victim and a faceless killer. One thing is certain: they have to be stopped at once.

A very gripping story that had me guessing until the end. Looking forward to book 3. 5 stars

Thank you

I was completely absorbed in this story and I was on the edge of my seat the while time. This thriller was absolutely perfect for thriller lovers. I couldn't put this book down.
I just reviewed The Girl’s Last Cry (Detective Lexi Bennett Book 2) by Alison Belsham. #TheGirlsLastCry #NetGalley
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