Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Murder Force #1

Eyes of the Wicked

Rate this book
At any given time, there are at least three active serial killers in Britain.

A new team has been created to find them...

A bloodied and bruised girl runs out of the woods and into the path of oncoming traffic. The police are shocked to discover that she’s a missing schoolgirl they’ve trying to find for the past three weeks. Traumatised by her ordeal, she’s unable to tell them what happened to her.

A woman’s body is found crucified in a barn on the Yorkshire Moors. Evidence found at the crime scene links her to the schoolgirl.

Hot on the heels of a commendation for her work on a serial killer case, Detective Inspector Danica Summers is invited to join an elite task force specialising in the investigation of high-profile crimes. Concerned that she’s only been invited because she’s good PR, Dani is desperate to prove that she’s worthy of her place on the team.

When the case involving the missing schoolgirl and the murdered woman is taken on by the newly-formed Murder Force, Dani is touched by the vulnerability of the victims and is determined to capture the monster who ruined their lives.

Her search for justice will take her to the heart of darkness.

The Murder Force series by bestselling author Adam J. Wright will delight fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, Joy Ellis, Mark Dawson, and readers of fast-paced mystery thrillers and police procedurals.

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2020

469 people are currently reading
328 people want to read

About the author

Adam J. Wright

24 books274 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
600 (47%)
4 stars
464 (36%)
3 stars
166 (13%)
2 stars
28 (2%)
1 star
12 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs'.
2,801 reviews43 followers
July 11, 2025
it took me a while to get into this book but once I did the story clicked and I really wanted to know how it turned out.

I have put the rest of the series in my to be listened pile.

the narration was very soft and British and sometimes lulled me into a dose but on the other hand I really liked it and she captured the britushness
Profile Image for Tammy.
2,240 reviews81 followers
September 18, 2024
3.6 stars
In terms of crime thriller Eyes of the Wicked is an ok read; decent story and plot. But what annoyed me constantly is the unnatural dialogue and reaction. Let’s see… you found a strange girl cover in blood in the middle of a deserted road at night. Would you just take her on without asking her name ? Or even what happens? It’s a small thing like this here and there that frustrated me about this book. Otherwise it would have been more enjoyable.
Profile Image for Anastasia.
2,298 reviews100 followers
June 14, 2023
Eyes of the Wicked by Adam J.Wright is the first book in the Murder Force series. A missing schoolgirl escapes her captor and a woman's body is found crucified in a nearby barn leading to the formation of an elite murder force to investigate. In the book we meet the members that make up the Murder Force team, all with varying skills, vulnerabilities and previous high profile sucesses. An intriguing mystery, suspenseful and fast-paced. An excellent start to the series.
484 reviews
April 18, 2022
Eyes

Intriguing mystery. Clean in writing that begins a series. The author has a good pace and development for the length of the book. I'll probably read more.
Profile Image for Susan.
946 reviews
April 14, 2022
Good book, was looking for a series, this has me hooked! But only the first has whispersync / audiobook component? [Murder mystery continuation on my way to work is actually nice! No crisis is as bad as that, lol.]
1,149 reviews7 followers
April 3, 2022
A group of elite professionals is invited to join a murder task force. The group includes detectives with noteworthy success in capturing serial killers, a psychologist and a former special forces officer. They will need everything they have as they pursue a diabolical killer. One young girl escapes but a woman's corpse is gruesomely displayed. The pressure is on when another duo disappears.

I enjoyed this book. The main characters are likable and the pace is good. The killer is not the most original but the booj held my interest. Will definitely check out the sequels.
Profile Image for Waheela.
200 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2022
This review is for the first and second book.

I liked the characters, no overly personal drama, everybody got along with each other. No stupid moves and a team that worked together, not going rogue. Something I usually lack in crime fiction.

Prose flowed well, even the killers pov was done well. Not too mysterious.

Good light reading that I enjoyed. It only lacked the last excitement from me to pull it up to 5 stars.
Profile Image for kenneth  Fowler.
164 reviews
April 6, 2022
introducing the murder force

A good start to a new collection of novels , the characters are forming up just enough so we have to read the next in series to learn more , an interesting first storyline with good amount of suspense and drama to hook us , yes I enjoyed this novel and shall read the next you should try for yourselves!
1 review1 follower
May 3, 2020
A really compelling read.

It takes a lot for me to be drawn in to a book, usually within the first page I know whether or not I'll keep reading. I had to finish this book, it's really good.
Profile Image for Lisa J.
24 reviews3 followers
April 5, 2022
I stumbled across this book on one of the free daily ebook emails I receive. I don’t know how long it sat unread on my kindle which is unfortunate because this is an excellent mystery read. The first of a series, and I can’t wait to read the next one. I highly recommend this one !
Profile Image for Jean.
1,444 reviews8 followers
April 21, 2020
Great story and good characters kept me reading till the end can't wait for the next one
189 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2022
The book was really good. The author did an excellent job of describing the characters so that I could keep everyone straight. A new police squad has been formed and the first case is a serial killer who kidnaps his victims and later kills them and disposes the bodies. He hates his mother who killed his sister. He kidnaps the women and pretends they are his mother. He and his mother have some serious mental issues.
220 reviews1 follower
December 4, 2024
First book by this author i will read more. I did feel there was repetition in the character build which wasn’t necessary however can be overlooked. A good storyline maybe a stretch in parts. I will keep with author and see how it goes
21 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2023
A griping read was hard to put down. Will definitely be reading more of the series
Profile Image for Roshini.
124 reviews21 followers
May 26, 2024
I enjoyed this book, and it reminded me of some of Joy Ellis’ work. It is not high literature or complicated, but rather simple and entertaining. It was well-paced, and I’m excited to read more from the series.
Profile Image for Viragored.
168 reviews
May 17, 2022
A good read indeed! It's just the sort of book I like, with a well-worked out story, characters to engage with, steady pace and in this case a real climax at the end. A bonus is that the quality of writing and editing is good.
I did have to work hard to suspend my disbelief a bit, but decided to just go with the flow and enjoy the story. Hopefully this next comment isn't too much of a spoiler - a psychologist jumping straight to the right conclusions from virtually no evidence of how a deranged mind is working stretches things just a bit too far for me.
Profile Image for HanahMahaffey.
23 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2022
A great first instalment that I couldn’t put down. Fast paced and I can’t wait to read the next instalments and learn more about the characters
65 reviews
April 14, 2022
every winter has a summer

unexpected incrediblly good read. dani is a ballsy cop, battle takes no bs, galloway, sheridan, ryan... i am looking forward to the next book.
68 reviews
May 12, 2022
kept me interested

I really got taken in by the story. The characters were well developed and I had no problem in keeping track of who was who. It was a quick and satisfying read.
94 reviews2 followers
March 31, 2020
Enjoyable

Decent story and an easy read. One niggle which is not unique to this book. Would someone tell me wht authors mention dogs and then never mention them again. In this story a main characters' dogs would have been alone and unfed for hours. Apparently they did have a dog flap! After that mention, nothing. I know it is a minor point but just so irritating. At the end I was waiting for someone to say the poor dogs were ok but of course the author had completely forgotten that they had been mentioned in the first place! I will try the next book but hope no neglected dogs in it!!!
Profile Image for Pam.
839 reviews7 followers
March 18, 2020
I wish I could give this book 10 it certainly deserves it, if you like books that feel as if you have stepped onto a rollercoaster then this is the one to read, it's a brilliant story with great characters, and I can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Carole Benson.
123 reviews8 followers
March 31, 2020
Excellent start

Really wanted to give this a 3.5 but couldn’t so upped it 4 as it was set in my own locale. A good start to a new series and already a team of characters to build on in the future. A little predictable in places but nevertheless a good read. Looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Beth.
358 reviews31 followers
May 10, 2020
Good Book

This is a new to me author and series. I read this book in one sitting. I really liked the characters and I look forward to reading more. It was a thriller alright!
5 reviews
January 10, 2021
Gripping

Could not put it down. Well placed and good, interesting characters, makes me want to know more. Definitely worth reading
Profile Image for Jeannine.
798 reviews7 followers
April 11, 2022
The first in a new series set in the Derbyshire area of England. Due to an increase in murder cases, the government decides to create a new team called The Murder Force to investigate serial killer murders, pulling together some of the best and brightest from various departments to work on the team. While interesting, some of the characters are not well developed. I'm assuming that is because the formation of the team is ongoing, and their development will continue in future editions. So I will give this series another try.
Profile Image for fred jones.
1,807 reviews12 followers
July 12, 2025
Excellent Police procedural

An entertaining well written police procedural with excellent characters and a strong storyline. When a missing girl turns up alive one hundred miles from home covered in blood DI Dani Summers is drawn into a dangerous mystery. I really enjoyed this one. Having both the killers and the detectives side was interesting. The Narration is good Lucy Rayner does a good job with the female characters and does not attempt the put on a male voice. Highly recommended
439 reviews3 followers
May 3, 2022
Murder Force, what a name for a crew. I'm sure something better would inspire more confidence. Anyway, as long as they get the job done it probably doesn't matter what they are called and Danica will get to solve the case by grit and detective work and being in the right place at the right time propelled by Battle and the rest of the team. Well thought out plot and characters you can relate to as well as sadly deluded perpetrators with lots of problems.
Profile Image for Neelabh Pratap  Singh.
Author 43 books27 followers
July 23, 2022
It's not a murder mystery. The author has already identified the murderer right from the start. The book was all about how the police find the killer and why the killer is killing the vics. While the police procedural part is interesting - as to how the investigation moves from one point to next - there are no suspects and hence, no mystery. I hope the subsequent books will challenge the readers to guess the culprit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.