Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book, for my honest opinion.

This was the first book I have read written by Mel Sherratt but it won't be the last.

This book was well written, with many twists and turns to keep you engrossed. The storyline is about the murder of a teenager in a small, close-knit community. I loved the detective character, Eden, she was interesting. The story was interesting and coming from a small town myself, I totally got the feel of this book, I also found the conclusion satisfying. A great crime thriller. Will check out more books from this author for sure.

The Girls Next Door is the first book in a series about Detective Erin Berrisford. Never have I been disappointed with any of Mel Sherratts books and this one was no exception. I absolutely loved it. It is a crime thriller that you will just want to keep reading. I love the way Mel brings her characters to life and the descriptions of the places. A super start to this new series.

I really loved this book, I found it thoroughly enjoyable and everything from the scene setting, pace of the plot, characters and descriptions were spot on. I had this book to read for a while and when I had the second book lined up to read I picked it up and honestly kicked myself that I hadn't read it sooner. It's one of the best books I've read so far in 2017 and I have already read the best part of 60 books already. Very highly recommended and if, like me you have had it on your 'to read' pile (or mountain in my case) for a while, its definately worth bumping it up to the top - loved it 5 stars!!

Interesting thriller with a "mean girls" twist. I look forward to more in the series, especially about Eden and Danny's backstory.

The opening chapter definitely got my attention and continued to keep me hooked with lovely descriptive and compelling writing. I used to really enjoy watching TV programmes focused on the police and it's been ages since I've watched anything like that. One of the things that springs to mind is that both Eden's character and the story itself would come together to make a brilliant TV show. The characters are interesting especially Eden she is a strong, resilient and determined woman who just wants to get the job done. Mel Sherratt has done a great job of bringing her to life along with her family and fellow police officers. I enjoyed how the book followed different characters, I thought that this kept the story both interesting and engaging as you got a better feel for the characters.

This story is realistic in the sense that this could happen to anyone, if a child gets mixed up with the wrong crowd then an entire family can suffer. Mistakes are made every day but some are bigger than others and this story shows this brilliantly. There were a few moments where I thought things were going in one direction only to be spun around and sent the opposite way. The plot flows smoothly right from the start and continues to do so right through to the conclusion.

I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the Detective Eden Berrisford series I can't wait to see what the next case will be.

Realistic characters with a story that will keep you entertained right to the very end!

Four and a half stars from me!

Thank you to Bookouture & Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

The girls next door was a fantastic read, the pages flew by, Mel Sharrett is a great author. This book is the first one to introduce the character, Detective Eden Berrisford, an independent single mother who work tirelessly in her career. She lives in the same area she polices, and has local connections through either herself, daughter,or through her sister. Things go pear shaped for Eden when her niece is taken and everything unravels from there. The twists and turns of the story leave you wanting to turn the next page to find out more.

Can't wait to read Mel's next in the series! would recommend to anyone to read this book, it's a cracker!

A very good start to a new series, a nice steady build up and characters you become invested in and root for.

I'm now waiting on the next book in the series because I want to see what happens next.

Highly recommended.

The Girls Next Door is the first in a new crime series by Mel Sherratt, author of Taunting The Dead, Somewhere to Hide and Follow the Leader. When it comes to crime novels I'm quite a new reader, but I was intrigued by the premise of The Girls Next Door when I saw it on Netgalley. The new series focuses on Detective Sergeant Eden Berrisford, working in the town of Stockleigh where, in this novel, she's investigating a series of attacks on young women.

When a teenage girl, Deanna Barker, is mistakenly murdered one night, local youngster Katie is arrested for the crime - even though she didn't commit it. With the upcoming murder trial, the residents of Stockleigh are waiting to hear the results. Including the Barkers, notorious on the Mitchell Estate for their intimidating ways. Deanna was killed that night, and it seems like the family are out for revenge. When three teenagers are brutally attacked, DS Eden Berrisford is called in to investigate.

However, the situation becomes worse when Jess, Eden's own niece, goes missing, leading Eden to search for the truth and locate her before it's too late. With the impending trial it's only a matter of time before whoever is holding her teenage niece attempts to get justice of their own.

The novel takes place over a weekend, and focuses on not just Eden, but the other families and teenagers too, such as Katie and her parents, and Eden's sister, Laura. And it soon becomes clear that it's not just the murder trial that's causing a problem for the Stockleigh teens.

Eden is a great character. She's brave, kind, family-focused and relatable. She's hard working, determined to serve her community, and I was intrigued by how she tackled the situation when her work life and personal life collided in a huge way. I'm looking forward to more novels in the series, to see how this character develops more.

As for the other characters? I'm not so sure. Jess is extremely unlikeable, and I found it quite hard to warm to Laura, Jess's mother. I think this was due to the fact that there were quite a lot of characters in this novel, so they were not given that much depth. However, I enjoyed reading about the teenagers and their secrets, their actions around the trial, in a town that had already seen so much damage with Deanna's murder.

The only big problem I had with The Girls Next Door was Jess's lack of punishment for what she had done. (Of course, I'm not going to reveal it here, but her actions were not exactly angelic). It disappointed me. It's hard to discuss this without launching into a complete spoiler but if you have read the book, you probably know what I'm referring to.

The Girls Next Door is an intriguing read. It is not, however, a 'gripping, edge-of-your-seat' thriller as its cover promises. I did not find this book 'gripping', nor would I have classed it as a thriller. This isn't so much an issue with the book or the author, more with marketing, and it's not the first time I've seen such descriptions on books that turn out to be untrue. This novel is paced well, has a great lead character, focuses on more realistic crimes and its 'twist' is not huge, or that shocking. And you know what? I absolutely loved that about it. It didn't HAVE to be shocking. It was refreshing; there was no huge OTT plot twist just for the sake of it. To me, The Girls Next Door seemed to be more of a gritty crime drama than thriller, and I'd love to read more of these.

I definitely want to read more about DS Eden Berrisford. And I'm in luck, because Mel Sherratt's next novel in the series, Don't Look Behind You, is already available!

Rating: 4/5

Three teenage boys and a teenage girl are hanging out in a park. The boys spy someone they know ..someone that needs taken down. The boys rush the hooded person and one of the boys winds up stabbing the person. As the girl reaches them, she starts screaming ..they have just killed another teenage girl ... not their target at all.

Six months later, those 4 teens are in jail, waiting to go to court.

There begins attacks and assaults on three girls. One has paint thrown all over her. One has her beautiful long hair cut off. One girl is abandoned miles from home without her pants or coat. They all were told .... Don't Tell Or We'll Hurt You ...

And then one girl is kidnapped and it becomes personal for Detective Berrisford ... the victim is her niece, Jess Mountford.

Who are attacking these girls? Who kidnapped Jess? The same people .. or is there something more sinister going on?

This books introduces the reader to the detective and her team of crime fighters. Eden is an interesting character, as she is a single mom of a teenage girl. Her husband disappeared 2 years ago and only she knows the real reason why. I'm hoping to see more character development as books are added to this series.

There is not a lot of suspense, no twists or turns, nor any major surprise. As a reader, I was expecting a lot more action, it just wasn't there.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley who provided a digital copy of this novel. The opinion expressed here is unbiased and entirely my own.

3.5 Stars

I just didn't engage with this book so won't be looking for any follow ons I'm afraid. Too many characters that have nothing much to do with the plot but all I f whom have many family members I had to be introduced to. I was unconvinced about the relationship between the sisters too and a little bored after the first fifty or so pages if I am honest.

Two and a half stars.
A murder in a park, someone who is attacking teenagers and a new policewoman series. What's not to like? It had an enticing cover, sounded great and the first chapter draws you in, but then it gets confusing with all the characters, especially on an e-reader. It's probably just me but I didn't really gel with the characters in this particular book and didn't like Laura or Eden very much. This isn't as gritty as some crime thrillers, so more of a light read, but it is still worth a look, especially on a long journey.

Loved this book. Kept me guessing. Read it every chance I got and loved all the characters which are very believable. Not my first by this author and def not the last. Just get better and better.

This is a great read that you just will not be able to put down.
The leading character is gritty and there is enough humour to take the edge off the dark story line.

Great read and easy to follow story line. Look forward to reading more from this author

I'm sorry, but I was disappointed by this book,The suspense never really gets there, and the ending is as anticlimactic as Christmas day! Sorry Mel, not impressed!