Book Review – Dead Inside

Dead Inside

by Noelle Holten

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When three domestic abuse offenders are found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.

The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered. And he is Lucy’s husband.

Now the finger of suspicion points at Lucy and the police are running out of time. Can Maggie and her team solve the murders before another person dies? And is Lucy really a cold-blooded killer?

My Review

I was ready to be blown away by this book; after all, with glowing reviews from the likes of Martina Cole & Angela Marsons, it had a lot to live up to.

‘An excellent read’ Martina Cole

A dark and gripping debut crime novel – the first in a stunning new series – from a huge new talent.

‘Kept me hooked … excellent pace and a very satisfying ending’ Angela Marsons

It was a fast-paced read, that’s for sure. The short, sharp chapters and slick POV changes kept me reading on. There was plenty of tension; I could feel the frustration among the investigating officers as more deaths occurred but without any leads.

Given that all of the murdered men were domestic violence abusers, it wasn’t hard to feel that they had deserved their horrific deaths – in fact, whoever the killer was, they seemed to be doing the police’s job in ridding society of these vile creatures.

The scenes of abuse – when these men displayed their tempers to the women in their lives – were intense and tense, showing how quick these men were to anger and react with their fists at the slightest opportunity. I winced on several occasions at their violence. Similarly, the killer’s own methods were not for the faint-hearted.

Talking of killers, my suspicions as to their identity were raised quite early on, in fact after less than a third of the story, I was ready to stake my bet. And while I don’t want to brag (well, not much anyway) I was pleased to be correct in my summation. (Am I guilty of watching and reading too many crime dramas? Maybe