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Detective Natalie Ward #4
The Sleepover
Roxy had a secret. Now she’s gone.
When fourteen-year-old Roxy says she’s going for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house, Cathy sees no reason to check her daughter’s story. The two families are neighbours, and the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day.
It is a decision she will regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy. Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been eating chocolate in her pyjamas with her best friend.
As Natalie begins to look closely at Roxy’s stepfather and three brothers, she discovers that Roxy had recently been admitted to hospital with suspicious injuries. Her mother Cathy seems very jumpy and Ellie refuses to talk. Who are the people that knew Roxy best in the world protecting?
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie is forced to face the grim fact that the killer is just getting started. She is troubled by the reaction of Roxy’s brother Seth to the tragedies and when his alibi falls through she brings him in for questioning, certain she is making headway.
But while Seth is in custody, one of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered and Natalie knows she must cast her net wider. Things take a more sinister turn when Ellie vanishes, her mobile phone switched off. What is Ellie hiding about the night Roxy died that could put her in terrible danger? And can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
When fourteen-year-old Roxy says she’s going for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house, Cathy sees no reason to check her daughter’s story. The two families are neighbours, and the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day.
It is a decision she will regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy. Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been eating chocolate in her pyjamas with her best friend.
As Natalie begins to look closely at Roxy’s stepfather and three brothers, she discovers that Roxy had recently been admitted to hospital with suspicious injuries. Her mother Cathy seems very jumpy and Ellie refuses to talk. Who are the people that knew Roxy best in the world protecting?
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie is forced to face the grim fact that the killer is just getting started. She is troubled by the reaction of Roxy’s brother Seth to the tragedies and when his alibi falls through she brings him in for questioning, certain she is making headway.
But while Seth is in custody, one of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered and Natalie knows she must cast her net wider. Things take a more sinister turn when Ellie vanishes, her mobile phone switched off. What is Ellie hiding about the night Roxy died that could put her in terrible danger? And can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
374 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2019
1716 people are currently reading
1112 people want to read
About the author
Carol Wyer
37 books1,235 followersUSA Today bestselling author and winner of The People's Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer's crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.
A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.
In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Australia. The third, A Life For A Life, is due out March 15th, 2022, but is available to preorder.
Carol has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She's also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on BBC Breakfast television.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr. Grumpy who is very, very grumpy.
When not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
To learn more, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter @carolewyer
A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.
In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Australia. The third, A Life For A Life, is due out March 15th, 2022, but is available to preorder.
Carol has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She's also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on BBC Breakfast television.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr. Grumpy who is very, very grumpy.
When not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
To learn more, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter @carolewyer
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews
September 28, 2019
Carol Wyer Has Done It Again!
Sleepover is the fourth book in the Natalie Ward detective series and it was the best and I hope Carol Wyer continues to write more in this series!
The story surrounds a missing 14 year old girl from a lower income family and the remains of a body found in a mansion that had mysteriously burned down on the other side of town. There are many twists within this story and many shady characters that the police have to keep interviewing over and over because there are so many lies being told and facts being held back from friends and even family of the deceased. When another body turns up a few days later and the detectives are pulling out their hair trying to to make sense of the connection between the two people. On top of all the work quandaries, Natalie is dealing with personal problems that are becoming insurmountable to handle while she is working these cases. Then a suspicious suicide occurs that has connections to these cases and the writer takes you on a terrific rollercoaster ride of Who, What When and Where and Why.
I love this series and just want more and more. Keeping my fingers crossed that this will not be the final book because Natalie is such a complex and interesting character that there are endless stories that can be woven around her and her team of detectives. There is so much mystery and drama within this book that it is very hard to figure out who the killer or killers are. This book had great storytelling and was very well-written leaving me wanting more mysteries from this author.
I want to thank the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity of reading this marvelous book!
I highly recommend this book and series by Carol Wyer and have given a rating of 4 Marvelous 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!
Sleepover is the fourth book in the Natalie Ward detective series and it was the best and I hope Carol Wyer continues to write more in this series!
The story surrounds a missing 14 year old girl from a lower income family and the remains of a body found in a mansion that had mysteriously burned down on the other side of town. There are many twists within this story and many shady characters that the police have to keep interviewing over and over because there are so many lies being told and facts being held back from friends and even family of the deceased. When another body turns up a few days later and the detectives are pulling out their hair trying to to make sense of the connection between the two people. On top of all the work quandaries, Natalie is dealing with personal problems that are becoming insurmountable to handle while she is working these cases. Then a suspicious suicide occurs that has connections to these cases and the writer takes you on a terrific rollercoaster ride of Who, What When and Where and Why.
I love this series and just want more and more. Keeping my fingers crossed that this will not be the final book because Natalie is such a complex and interesting character that there are endless stories that can be woven around her and her team of detectives. There is so much mystery and drama within this book that it is very hard to figure out who the killer or killers are. This book had great storytelling and was very well-written leaving me wanting more mysteries from this author.
I want to thank the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity of reading this marvelous book!
I highly recommend this book and series by Carol Wyer and have given a rating of 4 Marvelous 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!
November 24, 2023
There is a fire in a house and the body of fourteen-year-old Roxy is found in it. How did she come to this house and what happened to her? Soon her mother and one of her friends are murdered too.
The book is a fast-paced police procedural with many twists and events. The end was not what I expected.
Along with Roxy's family story, there is much about DI Natalie Ward's family and relationship. She has a teenage daughter and son and their characters help to understand Roxy's motives and behaviour too.
This is the 4th book from this series and my first book by this author, but I plan to continue reading her books.
The book is a fast-paced police procedural with many twists and events. The end was not what I expected.
Along with Roxy's family story, there is much about DI Natalie Ward's family and relationship. She has a teenage daughter and son and their characters help to understand Roxy's motives and behaviour too.
This is the 4th book from this series and my first book by this author, but I plan to continue reading her books.
August 10, 2019
When Cathy has a fall out with her teenage daughter Roxy over a boy, little does she realise that when Roxy says she is going to her best friends house for a sleepover she is lying. That will be the last time she will see her daughter alive!!
The investigation into who killed Roxy has many suspects including the two brothers who owned the house that Roxy was discovered in, they also own a nightclub and are very evasive.
There are a number of suspects and everybody appears to be lying, this is not a straight forward case and will keep you guessing.
This is one of my favourite crime series. D.I Natalie Ward is a strong character trying to desperately balance family life with work. The team she works with are like family and the more we get to know about their personal lives the more this series comes to life. They just get better and better!!!
A must read that is very hard to put down, once you’ve read the first book in the series you will want to read the rest.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
The investigation into who killed Roxy has many suspects including the two brothers who owned the house that Roxy was discovered in, they also own a nightclub and are very evasive.
There are a number of suspects and everybody appears to be lying, this is not a straight forward case and will keep you guessing.
This is one of my favourite crime series. D.I Natalie Ward is a strong character trying to desperately balance family life with work. The team she works with are like family and the more we get to know about their personal lives the more this series comes to life. They just get better and better!!!
A must read that is very hard to put down, once you’ve read the first book in the series you will want to read the rest.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
July 11, 2021
Oh my, I’ve been in a right spin in my head with this one. My brains had a huge job on sorting these twists out, so many of them.
I LOVED it.
It’s been a moment since I’ve got to one of this authors books as I’ve been burnt out on detective stories. And now I’ve come back to read some off my backlist. This is one of them.
I enjoyed this so much. The way it was laid out the way it looked like everybody and the refuseperson was guilty!
Super author. Super book!
I really need to pack up her latest books.
I LOVED it.
It’s been a moment since I’ve got to one of this authors books as I’ve been burnt out on detective stories. And now I’ve come back to read some off my backlist. This is one of them.
I enjoyed this so much. The way it was laid out the way it looked like everybody and the refuseperson was guilty!
Super author. Super book!
I really need to pack up her latest books.
October 13, 2019
I received a free e-copy of The Sleepover (Detective Natalie Ward #4) by Carol Wyer from NetGalley for my honest review.
Another amazing and mysterious read by Carol Wyer. She has become one of my favorite authors and I absolutely love this series.
Roxy (A 14 year old girl) and her mom, Cathy had a fight but patched things up afterwards. Roxy is allowed to go to a sleepover that she had planned at her best friend, Ellie's house. The next morning, however, Roxy is found murdered clear across town in a very unusual place.
Detective Natalie Ward and her team are called on the case to investigate. Then there is a second murder. This time the victim is Cathy, Roxy's mom and she is found dead near the same spot her daughter's body was found.
It is up to Detective Natalie Ward and her team to solve the case and sort through all the lies and secrets that come up. A must read series!
Another amazing and mysterious read by Carol Wyer. She has become one of my favorite authors and I absolutely love this series.
Roxy (A 14 year old girl) and her mom, Cathy had a fight but patched things up afterwards. Roxy is allowed to go to a sleepover that she had planned at her best friend, Ellie's house. The next morning, however, Roxy is found murdered clear across town in a very unusual place.
Detective Natalie Ward and her team are called on the case to investigate. Then there is a second murder. This time the victim is Cathy, Roxy's mom and she is found dead near the same spot her daughter's body was found.
It is up to Detective Natalie Ward and her team to solve the case and sort through all the lies and secrets that come up. A must read series!
September 5, 2019
Cathy isn't too worried when her 14-year-old daughter, Roxie, leaves to spend the night with her best friend. She still wasn't worried when she did not come home the next morning.
She and Roxie had had an argument before she agreed for her to spend the night away. She truly regrets that decision when Detective Natalie Ward knocks on her door and informs her that Roxie was found murdered in an expensive home across town. Owned by two brothers, the house was set afire.
Why was Roxie there? No one in the family seems to know these two brothers ..and they deny knowing what she was doing in their house. None of her friends can tell the police anything .. or they don't want to.
When investigating, Natalie finds a second victim..and then a third ... 2 uncooperative suspects .... a 3rd suspect with an attitude... and many people harboring secrets.
This is a well-written complex story filled with an unending list of suspects. The story moves at a rapidly moving pace with memorable characters. I like the blend of professional and personal as Natalie ponders her marriage and her attraction to another man .. a colleague. Although 4th in a series, this is easily read as a stand alone, but as usual I do recommend starting at the beginning.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
She and Roxie had had an argument before she agreed for her to spend the night away. She truly regrets that decision when Detective Natalie Ward knocks on her door and informs her that Roxie was found murdered in an expensive home across town. Owned by two brothers, the house was set afire.
Why was Roxie there? No one in the family seems to know these two brothers ..and they deny knowing what she was doing in their house. None of her friends can tell the police anything .. or they don't want to.
When investigating, Natalie finds a second victim..and then a third ... 2 uncooperative suspects .... a 3rd suspect with an attitude... and many people harboring secrets.
This is a well-written complex story filled with an unending list of suspects. The story moves at a rapidly moving pace with memorable characters. I like the blend of professional and personal as Natalie ponders her marriage and her attraction to another man .. a colleague. Although 4th in a series, this is easily read as a stand alone, but as usual I do recommend starting at the beginning.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
August 25, 2019
I love Natalie Ward! This is one fantastic series and at book 4 I hope that we are just getting started. This book has the detective working a tough and complex case whilst her family are falling apart. She is one tough woman but she can only take so much right? Already looking forward to book 4.
Roxy is 14 year old teenage girl who has just had a fight with her mum about a boy. That night she tells her mother that she is having a sleepover at her best friend Ellie's place, not too far away. Little does her mother know that this will be the last conversation they will have. The next morning Roxy is found murdered in the charred remains of an elite house owned by local nightclub owning brothers - and there is no known apparent link as to why she would be there. Natalie and her team are called in to investigate and it is not long before there is more bodies that are all connected. This is not a straight forward case and the more they delve into the lives of the families the more suspects they find.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are no way biased.
Roxy is 14 year old teenage girl who has just had a fight with her mum about a boy. That night she tells her mother that she is having a sleepover at her best friend Ellie's place, not too far away. Little does her mother know that this will be the last conversation they will have. The next morning Roxy is found murdered in the charred remains of an elite house owned by local nightclub owning brothers - and there is no known apparent link as to why she would be there. Natalie and her team are called in to investigate and it is not long before there is more bodies that are all connected. This is not a straight forward case and the more they delve into the lives of the families the more suspects they find.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are no way biased.
August 30, 2019
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and to the author Carol Wyer for an ARC copy for an honest review.
When Detective Natalie Ward is called to the home of fourteen-year-old Roxy Curtis she can’t help but empathise with Roxy’s distraught mother Cathy. Roxy hasn’t come home, last seen heading next door for a sleepover with her best friend Ellie. As the mother of two teenagers herself, Natalie knows that this is every parent’s worst nightmare.
But when Roxy’s body is found in the basement of a beautiful Victorian mansion on the other side of town, Natalie’s darkest fears are confirmed. What was Roxy doing there? The people who knew her best should know – but Cathy seems evasive, and Ellie refuses to talk. Natalie is determined to find out what secrets they are keeping…
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When her body is found two days later, Natalie is forced to face the fact that Roxy’s loved ones are in real danger. Things take a more sinister turn when Ellie vanishes, her mobile phone switched off. Is Ellie hiding something about the night Roxy died that could put her in terrible danger? And can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
I think it’s the best yet of the Natalie Ward series and can’t wait to read number 5 in the series.
The question which is the best series and character... DI Robyn Carter or DI Natalie Ward ?
Gripping, and tense and filled with frustration as the team have a collection of really nasty characters, shocks coming all the way at the end.
As mentioned before a great author, along other favourites Karin Slaughter, Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Clare Mackintosh.
When Detective Natalie Ward is called to the home of fourteen-year-old Roxy Curtis she can’t help but empathise with Roxy’s distraught mother Cathy. Roxy hasn’t come home, last seen heading next door for a sleepover with her best friend Ellie. As the mother of two teenagers herself, Natalie knows that this is every parent’s worst nightmare.
But when Roxy’s body is found in the basement of a beautiful Victorian mansion on the other side of town, Natalie’s darkest fears are confirmed. What was Roxy doing there? The people who knew her best should know – but Cathy seems evasive, and Ellie refuses to talk. Natalie is determined to find out what secrets they are keeping…
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When her body is found two days later, Natalie is forced to face the fact that Roxy’s loved ones are in real danger. Things take a more sinister turn when Ellie vanishes, her mobile phone switched off. Is Ellie hiding something about the night Roxy died that could put her in terrible danger? And can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
I think it’s the best yet of the Natalie Ward series and can’t wait to read number 5 in the series.
The question which is the best series and character... DI Robyn Carter or DI Natalie Ward ?
Gripping, and tense and filled with frustration as the team have a collection of really nasty characters, shocks coming all the way at the end.
As mentioned before a great author, along other favourites Karin Slaughter, Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Clare Mackintosh.
October 18, 2019
Available Now! The Sensational Continuation in the Addictive Detective Natalie Ward Series!
"They’d needed three engines to douse the blaze and the firefighters were now clearing away equipment. The house had been soaked. Jamie didn’t need to go inside to imagine the chaos or inhale the stench – a mixture of smoke, soot and whatever had been burnt that entered deep into the olfactory system and never really went away. Even at home some nights, when he was watching television , Jamie could shut his eyes and smell it. Depending on the amount of damage, the owners would either have to gut the place and start again or get some heavy-duty cleaning equipment in . His money would be on starting all over again. He hoped the brothers were well insured. However, some things were simply irreplaceable.
Hearing his name being shouted, he looked up to see one of the longest-serving firefighters, Dan Higson, by the front door. He hastened across to him, half -expecting to hear that they’d discovered the appliance responsible for the damage, but as he drew up to the man and studied his solemn expression, a familiar gnawing began in his stomach. Dan shook his head gravely.
‘We’ve found a body,’ he said."
********
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is book four in the enthralling and addictive Detective Natalie Ward series.
Fourteen year old, Roxy, was supposed to be sleeping over at her best friend Ellie's house but it's soon discovered that she had other plans entirely. Plans no one knew about. Or did they?
It was a decision that cost her her life. As Natalie and her team begin the investigation, the case proves to be complex, swirling with lies that lead to even more unanswered questions. How and why did Roxy end up in the charred remains of a burned down house?
I was drawn in from the very beginning of this case and I couldn't stop reading until I reached the shocking conclusion!
I absolutely love the colorful and genuine characters and I enjoy learning more about their stories as they continue to grow and expand with each book.
Each book just keeps getting better and better! This is my favorite in this series thus far, complete with a doozy of a cliff hanger! I hope book five is right around the corner as I can't wait to see what happens next!
Carol Wyer is one of my all time favorite authors and she never disapoints!
Don't miss out on the DI Natalie Ward series, beginning with book one, The Birthday!
With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Carol Wyer for this advanced digital copy to read and review.
"They’d needed three engines to douse the blaze and the firefighters were now clearing away equipment. The house had been soaked. Jamie didn’t need to go inside to imagine the chaos or inhale the stench – a mixture of smoke, soot and whatever had been burnt that entered deep into the olfactory system and never really went away. Even at home some nights, when he was watching television , Jamie could shut his eyes and smell it. Depending on the amount of damage, the owners would either have to gut the place and start again or get some heavy-duty cleaning equipment in . His money would be on starting all over again. He hoped the brothers were well insured. However, some things were simply irreplaceable.
Hearing his name being shouted, he looked up to see one of the longest-serving firefighters, Dan Higson, by the front door. He hastened across to him, half -expecting to hear that they’d discovered the appliance responsible for the damage, but as he drew up to the man and studied his solemn expression, a familiar gnawing began in his stomach. Dan shook his head gravely.
‘We’ve found a body,’ he said."
********
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is book four in the enthralling and addictive Detective Natalie Ward series.
Fourteen year old, Roxy, was supposed to be sleeping over at her best friend Ellie's house but it's soon discovered that she had other plans entirely. Plans no one knew about. Or did they?
It was a decision that cost her her life. As Natalie and her team begin the investigation, the case proves to be complex, swirling with lies that lead to even more unanswered questions. How and why did Roxy end up in the charred remains of a burned down house?
I was drawn in from the very beginning of this case and I couldn't stop reading until I reached the shocking conclusion!
I absolutely love the colorful and genuine characters and I enjoy learning more about their stories as they continue to grow and expand with each book.
Each book just keeps getting better and better! This is my favorite in this series thus far, complete with a doozy of a cliff hanger! I hope book five is right around the corner as I can't wait to see what happens next!
Carol Wyer is one of my all time favorite authors and she never disapoints!
Don't miss out on the DI Natalie Ward series, beginning with book one, The Birthday!
With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Carol Wyer for this advanced digital copy to read and review.
September 6, 2019
The fourth book in the Detective Natalie Ward series by Carol Wyer. In The Sleepover, Natalie and her team investigate the mysterious death of Roxy, a fourteen-year-old girl. Roxy’s remains were found in the burned home of two brothers, who seem to have no connection to Roxy. The team questions everyone in Roxy’s life, and it seems everyone is keeping secrets.
The mystery is intriguing and not easy to figure out. I love a crime novel that keeps me guessing as to who is behind the crime, and this one delivers on that. The characters are complex and captivating. I enjoy how this series blends the personal and professional lives of Natalie and her team. It makes the characters more real.
This book could be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with book 1, The Birthday. The crime that the team investigates is different for each book, but the personal dramas in the team members lives continues.
A fantastic crime series. I highly recommend this series to fans of police procedurals. Gritty, complex, and compelling.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The mystery is intriguing and not easy to figure out. I love a crime novel that keeps me guessing as to who is behind the crime, and this one delivers on that. The characters are complex and captivating. I enjoy how this series blends the personal and professional lives of Natalie and her team. It makes the characters more real.
This book could be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with book 1, The Birthday. The crime that the team investigates is different for each book, but the personal dramas in the team members lives continues.
A fantastic crime series. I highly recommend this series to fans of police procedurals. Gritty, complex, and compelling.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 13, 2019
Roxy is a fourteen-year-old girl who tells her parents that she is going to a sleepover. However, not only did she not go to her friend's house that night, she died at a fire. Her family, especially her mother Cathy, are completely devastated.
Detective Natalie Ward is in charge of the case, and cannot help but think of problems she had with her own teen daughter Leigh. Also, her son Josh is going through some difficulties now. To make matters even more difficult for Natalie, her marriage to David has become increasingly difficult. David was made redundant on his job a while ago and he is dealing with an addiction. So, Natalie is completely overwhelmed, but must find answers as to what happened to the girl Roxy.
As she begins her investigation, she looks at the owners of the house where Roxy was found dead, two brothers. Natalie also looks hard at Roxy's family. When Natalie is called to another crime seen soon after Roxy's death, she is shockingly appalled to discover that the body belongs to Roxy's mother, Cathy. Natalie must widen the net in her investigation, so she begins to focus even more on the family, which include Roxy's stepfather and three brothers.
There are a lot of clues, a lot of suspects and more than one secret revealed in The Sleepover. The story is fast-paced and was a remarkably quick and compelling read. Carol Wyer did a great job of making the discovery of the killer difficult to figure out. The conclusion was incredible. Reading this book was like savoring a seven-layer cake. Every turn in this book had a different flavor. This series keeps on getting better and better. Waiting for the next book will definitely not be easy.
Many thanks to Carol Wyer and Bookouture for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Detective Natalie Ward is in charge of the case, and cannot help but think of problems she had with her own teen daughter Leigh. Also, her son Josh is going through some difficulties now. To make matters even more difficult for Natalie, her marriage to David has become increasingly difficult. David was made redundant on his job a while ago and he is dealing with an addiction. So, Natalie is completely overwhelmed, but must find answers as to what happened to the girl Roxy.
As she begins her investigation, she looks at the owners of the house where Roxy was found dead, two brothers. Natalie also looks hard at Roxy's family. When Natalie is called to another crime seen soon after Roxy's death, she is shockingly appalled to discover that the body belongs to Roxy's mother, Cathy. Natalie must widen the net in her investigation, so she begins to focus even more on the family, which include Roxy's stepfather and three brothers.
There are a lot of clues, a lot of suspects and more than one secret revealed in The Sleepover. The story is fast-paced and was a remarkably quick and compelling read. Carol Wyer did a great job of making the discovery of the killer difficult to figure out. The conclusion was incredible. Reading this book was like savoring a seven-layer cake. Every turn in this book had a different flavor. This series keeps on getting better and better. Waiting for the next book will definitely not be easy.
Many thanks to Carol Wyer and Bookouture for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 6, 2019
Rating: 5 engaging stars
This is the fourth book in Carol Wyer’s, “Detective Natalie Ward” series. Each subsequent book in the series just keeps getting better and better. I haven’t read the first book in the series yet, but I gave four stars to the second book, “Last Lullaby”, and five stars to book three in the series, “The Dare”. I was so excited to see that a fourth book was being released. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Once again Carol Wyer ratcheted up the plot complexity another notch. I’m gladly giving this book five bright engaging stars.
The book opens with Roxie Curtis waving to her Mom through the back gate as she leaves for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house. Then we are taken to the scene of a suspected arson of a large Victorian house in a swanky part of town. The house belongs to two brothers who recently moved to town. They bought an old cattle sales market building and converted it to a nightclub. This did not earn them the Welcome Wagon treatment when they moved to their Victorian mansion. They were not well liked or well known to their neighbors.
Detective Natalie Ward and her team are called in when a body is found in the entertainment room in the charred remains of the house. The body is finally identified as 14 year-old Roxie. From there the plot rockets off. There are lots of amazing and unforeseen twists and turns in this expert police procedural that left me unwilling to set the book down. I had plenty of guesses about the identity of the perpetrator, but none of them were correct. What a wonderful thing to say about a mystery.
I really enjoy getting to know each of the police team members better book by book in this series. Natalie continues to struggle with work/life balance and regaining trust with her husband about his gambling addiction. Those feel like real life problems that would leave me feeling overwhelmed. I like that the book is not simply about the current murder. As in every other installment in this series, getting to know the recurring characters better makes each reading experience richer. I’m tipping my hat once again to Carol Wyer for an excellent mystery! In my review of “The Dare” I think I exhorted Ms. Wyer to “Write Faster!” That is again my plea after finishing “The Sleepover”.
‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Bookouture; and the author, Carol Wyer; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fourth book in Carol Wyer’s, “Detective Natalie Ward” series. Each subsequent book in the series just keeps getting better and better. I haven’t read the first book in the series yet, but I gave four stars to the second book, “Last Lullaby”, and five stars to book three in the series, “The Dare”. I was so excited to see that a fourth book was being released. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Once again Carol Wyer ratcheted up the plot complexity another notch. I’m gladly giving this book five bright engaging stars.
The book opens with Roxie Curtis waving to her Mom through the back gate as she leaves for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house. Then we are taken to the scene of a suspected arson of a large Victorian house in a swanky part of town. The house belongs to two brothers who recently moved to town. They bought an old cattle sales market building and converted it to a nightclub. This did not earn them the Welcome Wagon treatment when they moved to their Victorian mansion. They were not well liked or well known to their neighbors.
Detective Natalie Ward and her team are called in when a body is found in the entertainment room in the charred remains of the house. The body is finally identified as 14 year-old Roxie. From there the plot rockets off. There are lots of amazing and unforeseen twists and turns in this expert police procedural that left me unwilling to set the book down. I had plenty of guesses about the identity of the perpetrator, but none of them were correct. What a wonderful thing to say about a mystery.
I really enjoy getting to know each of the police team members better book by book in this series. Natalie continues to struggle with work/life balance and regaining trust with her husband about his gambling addiction. Those feel like real life problems that would leave me feeling overwhelmed. I like that the book is not simply about the current murder. As in every other installment in this series, getting to know the recurring characters better makes each reading experience richer. I’m tipping my hat once again to Carol Wyer for an excellent mystery! In my review of “The Dare” I think I exhorted Ms. Wyer to “Write Faster!” That is again my plea after finishing “The Sleepover”.
‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Bookouture; and the author, Carol Wyer; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2019
THE SLEEPOVER is the fourth novel in the Detective Natalie Ward Series, a riveting crime-thriller by Carol Wyer. Her books keep getting better and better!
Cathy Curtis and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Roxy, a stubborn and demanding child, had a spat during the day, but all was forgiven and Roxy was off to a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house. The two families were neighbors, and the girls had grown up together. Cathy saw no reason to check out her daughter’s story, as the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day.
Cathy’s partner, Paul Sadler, was out with her eighteen- year- old son, Seth, and would be home later. Her other son, seventeen- year--old son, Charlie, was up in his room playing video games. Her oldest son, twenty-year-old son, Oliver, no longer lived at home but was in the army.
So, Cathy put her feet up, ready to enjoy some down time, watching Netflix. It is a decision she would regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy.
Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been at a sleepover with her best friend, Ellie.
Roxy had a secret. Now she’s gone.
Natalie begins to look closely at Roxy’s stepfather and three brothers. She discovers that Roxy had recently been admitted to hospital with suspicious injuries. Cathy is nervous and Ellie refuses to talk. What is going on? What are they trying to hide?
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie assumes everything is tied together. Then another of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered.
Natalie must solve this case, before another life is taken.
This was a tense, fast-paced crime thriller that had me glued to my seat, flipping through the pages as fast as I could to discover the truth. I loved it! I can’t wait for the next book!
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for my digital copy.
Cathy Curtis and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Roxy, a stubborn and demanding child, had a spat during the day, but all was forgiven and Roxy was off to a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house. The two families were neighbors, and the girls had grown up together. Cathy saw no reason to check out her daughter’s story, as the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day.
Cathy’s partner, Paul Sadler, was out with her eighteen- year- old son, Seth, and would be home later. Her other son, seventeen- year--old son, Charlie, was up in his room playing video games. Her oldest son, twenty-year-old son, Oliver, no longer lived at home but was in the army.
So, Cathy put her feet up, ready to enjoy some down time, watching Netflix. It is a decision she would regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy.
Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been at a sleepover with her best friend, Ellie.
Roxy had a secret. Now she’s gone.
Natalie begins to look closely at Roxy’s stepfather and three brothers. She discovers that Roxy had recently been admitted to hospital with suspicious injuries. Cathy is nervous and Ellie refuses to talk. What is going on? What are they trying to hide?
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie assumes everything is tied together. Then another of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered.
Natalie must solve this case, before another life is taken.
This was a tense, fast-paced crime thriller that had me glued to my seat, flipping through the pages as fast as I could to discover the truth. I loved it! I can’t wait for the next book!
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for my digital copy.
September 15, 2019
14-year old Roxy tells her mom Cathy that she’s going to her best friend’s house for a sleepover. But when Roxy’s dead body is found inside an incinerated house the morning after, it’s clear Roxy wasn’t at a sleepover after all.
Detective Natalie Ward is first on the scene to investigate Roxy’s death and how an expansive house in a ritzy part of town ended up in flames. The owners of the house—two brothers who co-own a nightclub together—claim to have no idea how the fire started, but Natalie doesn’t trust what either of them has to say.
When Natalie starts questioning Roxy’s family, information from their past starts to surface. There’s evidence that possible physical abuse was taking place inside their household. Was someone in their home the real danger to Roxy?
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is book four in the Detective Natalie Ward series. I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, but as the series has progressed, I’ve lost interest in Natalie Ward. The book is bogged down with a lot of police talk, which made the story drag. I wanted to see less of Natalie’s personal life and more action. I can appreciate a good police procedural, but this one left me wanting more. 2.5/5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Detective Natalie Ward is first on the scene to investigate Roxy’s death and how an expansive house in a ritzy part of town ended up in flames. The owners of the house—two brothers who co-own a nightclub together—claim to have no idea how the fire started, but Natalie doesn’t trust what either of them has to say.
When Natalie starts questioning Roxy’s family, information from their past starts to surface. There’s evidence that possible physical abuse was taking place inside their household. Was someone in their home the real danger to Roxy?
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is book four in the Detective Natalie Ward series. I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, but as the series has progressed, I’ve lost interest in Natalie Ward. The book is bogged down with a lot of police talk, which made the story drag. I wanted to see less of Natalie’s personal life and more action. I can appreciate a good police procedural, but this one left me wanting more. 2.5/5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2019
A riveting and remarkable read!
This was my first encounter with Detective Natalie Ward and her team but their characters were so well polished by Carol Wyer that I didn't feel I was missing out on anything that had gone on before. If, like me, you started out expecting The Sleepover to be simply a thriller based on an attempt find a missing girl, you'd be wrong, as it was so much more than that. There were so many dead ends, red herrings and false leads to make sure that the reader did not guess the killer's identity before the author was ready for the revelation. The pace was relentless, the narrative riveting and as the story unfolded, I was submerged in a tangled web of lies, secrets and deceit, suffering from tension and shocks that held me in a vice-like grip of just-one-more-page syndrome! I loved that Carol Wyer was able to create the perfect balance between developing really solid characters and such a complex, multi-layered whodunit.
I read a fair few thrillers and this one is right up there with my other favourites. I have no hesitation in giving this first-rate thriller five wonderful stars. I can't wait to read the other books in this series, and more, from Carol Wyer. Any reader who favours complex police procedural thrillers will absolutely delight in this book and I can't recommend it highly enough.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
This was my first encounter with Detective Natalie Ward and her team but their characters were so well polished by Carol Wyer that I didn't feel I was missing out on anything that had gone on before. If, like me, you started out expecting The Sleepover to be simply a thriller based on an attempt find a missing girl, you'd be wrong, as it was so much more than that. There were so many dead ends, red herrings and false leads to make sure that the reader did not guess the killer's identity before the author was ready for the revelation. The pace was relentless, the narrative riveting and as the story unfolded, I was submerged in a tangled web of lies, secrets and deceit, suffering from tension and shocks that held me in a vice-like grip of just-one-more-page syndrome! I loved that Carol Wyer was able to create the perfect balance between developing really solid characters and such a complex, multi-layered whodunit.
I read a fair few thrillers and this one is right up there with my other favourites. I have no hesitation in giving this first-rate thriller five wonderful stars. I can't wait to read the other books in this series, and more, from Carol Wyer. Any reader who favours complex police procedural thrillers will absolutely delight in this book and I can't recommend it highly enough.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
August 27, 2019
When I first began the Natalie Ward series, I wasn't sure what I made of her. Incidentally, I did begin at the second book
"Last Lullaby"
and still have yet to read the first one
"The Birthday"
. However, as each book progressed, so has the backstory surrounding Natalie and her family. And boy, is it getting interesting now!
THE SLEEPOVER is the fourth outing featuring the no-nonsense DI Natalie Ward and is a riveting thriller from start to finish. Faced with a tough and complex case involving a suspicious house fire and the death of a 14 year old girl, Natalie continues to juggle her professional life whilst her personal one is falling apart.
When 14 year old Roxanne Curtis rows with her mum Cathy over a boy, she decides to play pull the wool over her eyes and tell her she's off for a sleepover with her best friend Ellie. The girls are neighbours and have grown up together, so her mum doesn't question it, as the girls are often in and out each other's homes every day. But little does Cathy know that Roxy is lying and has other plans...or that it will be the last time she sees her daughter alive. With everyone out for the evening, Cathy puts her feet up and looks forward to a quiet night in.
In the early hours of the morning, DI Natalie Ward is called out to a suspicious house fire in an affluent part of town where the charred remains of a body is found. Forensics are already on the scene as fire investigators begin looking into what caused the blaze.
Then the body is identified as 14 year old Roxy Curtis. But what was she doing in a Victorian mansion on the exclusive Linnet Lane? A far cry from the crime-infested Stockwell estate where she lives with her mother, stepfather and two brothers. And what connection did she have to Gavin and Kirk Lang who owned the incinerated house in which she was found?
Determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was there when she was meant to be on a sleepover with her best friend, Natalie and her team begin the task of tracking down suspects and connecting the dots. When it is discovered that Roxy had been admitted to hospital with some unusually suspicious injuries in the past, they begin to look closely at her stepfather Paul and her three brothers Charlie (17), Seth (18) and Oliver (21).
However, if there is one person teenage girls confide in, it's their best friend. So Natalie tasks DS Lucy Carmichael with trying to crack Ellie who is being somewhat evasive and is obviously hiding something. But Ellie hadn't counted on feisty little 5 year old Boo who spills a few tidbits Lucy's way and it is with these bits of information she can use to coax the truth from Roxy's tight-lipped friend.
Natalie becomes increasingly frustrated as it's clear everyone involved is either lying or holding back important information. And if there is one thing Natalie hates - it's lying.
Then Roxy's mother Cathy disappears.
When another body is found the following day in the canal at the end of Linnet Lane, close to where Roxy died, the team are shocked to discover it is Cathy. Then it is revealed that she didn't drown but was strangled and the investigation takes on an even greater importance as Natalie widens the net and her list of suspects. So what was Cathy doing there and why was she killed?
As Natalie and her team delve further into the investigation they appear to find more questions than answers...and no way of connecting anyone to either crime. The Lang brothers were not universally liked but neither, as it appears, were Roxy's brothers, Seth and Charlie. Was the Lang's property targeted and Roxy just collateral damage? Or did the Langs try to pull an insurance scam? Did the Curtis brothers play a part? But how did Cathy's murder figure in?
Then another body is found - an apparent suicide - who was known to the Curtis' and a friend of Roxy and Ellie's. What did this boy have to hide? It seems the focus should be closer to home. Can Lucy finally get Ellie to talk at last?
Meanwhile on the home front, Natalie has some problems of her own. Her husband David had been made redundant some time ago and found comfort in online gambling. Unfortunately, he ended up gambling away most of their savings and even took out a loan - which he also lost. Promising Natalie that he'd quit, the two are barely speaking as he continues to struggle with his addiction and hiding it from Natalie. She's warned him time and time again that she will not tolerate lying.
Added to that are her teenage children. Leigh is 14 and just a couple of months ago, amidst a case involving missing teenage girls, she ran away leaving Natalie frantic that her daughter had fallen victim to the killer targeting teenagers in an online dare. Leigh was found unharmed but Natalie and David were growing further apart. Now Natalie's 16 year old son Josh has just completed his exams and preparing to enter sixth form but lately has become increasingly uncommunicative and even argumentative. He is sullen and silent, playing games online till all hours and sleeping all day. When he disappears one night while David drinks himself to oblivion, Natalie is furious that she must pick up the pieces once again. With her colleague Mike's help she tracks down her errant son.
Over the series we have learnt that Natalie had a brief affair with Mike and we are privy to the fact that she still struggles with those feelings. Aside from being colleagues - Mike works in forensics - he is also her husband David's best friend. After finding Josh and his friend at a rave, the boys are now asleep in the back of her car, Mike and Natalie quietly share a moment. But she's warned David time and time again that she will not tolerate lying...so what will she do when David discovers the secret she harbours?
A tense, fast-paced thriller THE SLEEPOVER had me turning the pages long into the night and I could not discover the truth quick enough. Waiting for Book 5 is not going to be easy...lol
THE SLEEPOVER is one of the best yet in this series - complex, intriguing and riveting. It keeps you guessing right to the end with all the possible suspects. But it doesn't stop there...
If you love crime fiction, particularly police procedurals, then the Natalie Ward series is a must! Through each book you will watch each character grow that when you pick up the next book, they will all be like old friends. And yet we are still teased with tidbits from Natalie's past with her estranged sister and why she finds lies so hard to forgive.
I thoroughly recommend THE SLEEPOVER but advise you start from the beginning to get the full picture of Natalie's personal life and the tie-ins with the cases she has investigated. It will give you a greater appreciation and understanding.
Now...bring on Book 5!
I would like to thank #CarolWyer, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSleepover in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
THE SLEEPOVER is the fourth outing featuring the no-nonsense DI Natalie Ward and is a riveting thriller from start to finish. Faced with a tough and complex case involving a suspicious house fire and the death of a 14 year old girl, Natalie continues to juggle her professional life whilst her personal one is falling apart.
When 14 year old Roxanne Curtis rows with her mum Cathy over a boy, she decides to play pull the wool over her eyes and tell her she's off for a sleepover with her best friend Ellie. The girls are neighbours and have grown up together, so her mum doesn't question it, as the girls are often in and out each other's homes every day. But little does Cathy know that Roxy is lying and has other plans...or that it will be the last time she sees her daughter alive. With everyone out for the evening, Cathy puts her feet up and looks forward to a quiet night in.
In the early hours of the morning, DI Natalie Ward is called out to a suspicious house fire in an affluent part of town where the charred remains of a body is found. Forensics are already on the scene as fire investigators begin looking into what caused the blaze.
Then the body is identified as 14 year old Roxy Curtis. But what was she doing in a Victorian mansion on the exclusive Linnet Lane? A far cry from the crime-infested Stockwell estate where she lives with her mother, stepfather and two brothers. And what connection did she have to Gavin and Kirk Lang who owned the incinerated house in which she was found?
Determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was there when she was meant to be on a sleepover with her best friend, Natalie and her team begin the task of tracking down suspects and connecting the dots. When it is discovered that Roxy had been admitted to hospital with some unusually suspicious injuries in the past, they begin to look closely at her stepfather Paul and her three brothers Charlie (17), Seth (18) and Oliver (21).
However, if there is one person teenage girls confide in, it's their best friend. So Natalie tasks DS Lucy Carmichael with trying to crack Ellie who is being somewhat evasive and is obviously hiding something. But Ellie hadn't counted on feisty little 5 year old Boo who spills a few tidbits Lucy's way and it is with these bits of information she can use to coax the truth from Roxy's tight-lipped friend.
Natalie becomes increasingly frustrated as it's clear everyone involved is either lying or holding back important information. And if there is one thing Natalie hates - it's lying.
Then Roxy's mother Cathy disappears.
When another body is found the following day in the canal at the end of Linnet Lane, close to where Roxy died, the team are shocked to discover it is Cathy. Then it is revealed that she didn't drown but was strangled and the investigation takes on an even greater importance as Natalie widens the net and her list of suspects. So what was Cathy doing there and why was she killed?
As Natalie and her team delve further into the investigation they appear to find more questions than answers...and no way of connecting anyone to either crime. The Lang brothers were not universally liked but neither, as it appears, were Roxy's brothers, Seth and Charlie. Was the Lang's property targeted and Roxy just collateral damage? Or did the Langs try to pull an insurance scam? Did the Curtis brothers play a part? But how did Cathy's murder figure in?
Then another body is found - an apparent suicide - who was known to the Curtis' and a friend of Roxy and Ellie's. What did this boy have to hide? It seems the focus should be closer to home. Can Lucy finally get Ellie to talk at last?
Meanwhile on the home front, Natalie has some problems of her own. Her husband David had been made redundant some time ago and found comfort in online gambling. Unfortunately, he ended up gambling away most of their savings and even took out a loan - which he also lost. Promising Natalie that he'd quit, the two are barely speaking as he continues to struggle with his addiction and hiding it from Natalie. She's warned him time and time again that she will not tolerate lying.
Added to that are her teenage children. Leigh is 14 and just a couple of months ago, amidst a case involving missing teenage girls, she ran away leaving Natalie frantic that her daughter had fallen victim to the killer targeting teenagers in an online dare. Leigh was found unharmed but Natalie and David were growing further apart. Now Natalie's 16 year old son Josh has just completed his exams and preparing to enter sixth form but lately has become increasingly uncommunicative and even argumentative. He is sullen and silent, playing games online till all hours and sleeping all day. When he disappears one night while David drinks himself to oblivion, Natalie is furious that she must pick up the pieces once again. With her colleague Mike's help she tracks down her errant son.
Over the series we have learnt that Natalie had a brief affair with Mike and we are privy to the fact that she still struggles with those feelings. Aside from being colleagues - Mike works in forensics - he is also her husband David's best friend. After finding Josh and his friend at a rave, the boys are now asleep in the back of her car, Mike and Natalie quietly share a moment. But she's warned David time and time again that she will not tolerate lying...so what will she do when David discovers the secret she harbours?
A tense, fast-paced thriller THE SLEEPOVER had me turning the pages long into the night and I could not discover the truth quick enough. Waiting for Book 5 is not going to be easy...lol
THE SLEEPOVER is one of the best yet in this series - complex, intriguing and riveting. It keeps you guessing right to the end with all the possible suspects. But it doesn't stop there...
If you love crime fiction, particularly police procedurals, then the Natalie Ward series is a must! Through each book you will watch each character grow that when you pick up the next book, they will all be like old friends. And yet we are still teased with tidbits from Natalie's past with her estranged sister and why she finds lies so hard to forgive.
I thoroughly recommend THE SLEEPOVER but advise you start from the beginning to get the full picture of Natalie's personal life and the tie-ins with the cases she has investigated. It will give you a greater appreciation and understanding.
Now...bring on Book 5!
I would like to thank #CarolWyer, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSleepover in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
July 27, 2019
You can never go wrong with reading a Carol Wyer book! She's such a talented author and has quickly become one of my favorites.
In the 4th book in the Natalie Ward series, we open with a house burning down. It quickly involves Natalie and her team, however, when a body is found among the wreckage. What seems likes a quick and cut case becomes entirely different when it is a 14 year old girl, who seems to have no reason to have been in that house. With everybody lying to Natalie, she becomes increasingly frustrated with the case. Which by all accounts, doesn't seem to going in the right direction and can't seem to find links to everybody involved. This was another fast-paced book that kept me guessing. I can find no fault in Wyer's books. She only keeps getting better!
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the 4th book in the Natalie Ward series, we open with a house burning down. It quickly involves Natalie and her team, however, when a body is found among the wreckage. What seems likes a quick and cut case becomes entirely different when it is a 14 year old girl, who seems to have no reason to have been in that house. With everybody lying to Natalie, she becomes increasingly frustrated with the case. Which by all accounts, doesn't seem to going in the right direction and can't seem to find links to everybody involved. This was another fast-paced book that kept me guessing. I can find no fault in Wyer's books. She only keeps getting better!
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2019
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is the fourth in the Detective Natalie Ward series.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DI Natalie Ward is a strong female detective, but also a woman who is trying to juggle her job and her home life. Her husband has a gambling problem and lost all their savings. Then he lost his job, and he is now working from home. He is feeling inadequate, and Natalie finds herself constantly having to massage his fragile ego. Although she tries, she feels like she is neglecting her two children, even though they know that if she is on a murder investigation, it has to take precedence. She is often torn. Natalie’s team consists of: DS Lucy Carmichael, DS Murray Anderson and PC Ian Jarvis.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
A fire destroys a home, and the burnt body of 14-year old Roxy Curtis is found. What was she doing in a home where the owners insist they don't know her, and when her mother thought she was at a sleepover at the home of her best friend.
Nathalie is sure that the home-owners, brothers that also own a nightclub and a tea room, are hiding something. They don't seem too concerned that their home burnt to the ground, or that someone died in the fire.
Kids lie, but so do adults, and Natalie is not impressed. It seems like everyone is hiding something, and when more people die, things seems to be getting more confusing than less.
On a personal level, Natalie is still struggling with the lies that her husband has told her, and she is worried about the changes in her teenage son.
My Opinions:
I like most of the characters in this series. They are flawed, but real. Natalie has normal kids with normal teenage issues. I dislike her gambling husband, but I also lost respect for Natalie in a previous book when she fooled around with Mike. I'm hoping that whole situation gets corrected soon. I do think the author gives the right amount of attention to Natalie's family.
Overall, the plot, the pace and the writing is great. There were a lot of twists, and the number of suspects surprisingly large, but nothing felt over-done. It was just a really good mystery.
The topic of secrets and lies was prominent in this book. Why people lie, even when it makes no sense to lie....
Anyway, I am looking forward to the next book!
For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
July 16, 2019
As always a cracking read from Carol Wyer.
I love this series and it keeps getting better and better.
This book starts off with a teenage girl’s body being found burnt beyond recognition in a house fire.
Natalie and the team need to work out why the fire was started and what the girl was doing in the house, as the owners don’t know her.
Her family are devastated by her death and just as they coming to terms with it, another family member is murdered.
This book is full of twists and turns and I had no idea who was responsible for these deaths. It kept me hooked from the first page til the last and I loved it.
If you enjoy a crime thriller which also gives you an insight into the lives of the Detectives then this is is series for you.
Natalie and the team all have their own problems but come together when it matters.
As for the ending, well I’m speechless!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I love this series and it keeps getting better and better.
This book starts off with a teenage girl’s body being found burnt beyond recognition in a house fire.
Natalie and the team need to work out why the fire was started and what the girl was doing in the house, as the owners don’t know her.
Her family are devastated by her death and just as they coming to terms with it, another family member is murdered.
This book is full of twists and turns and I had no idea who was responsible for these deaths. It kept me hooked from the first page til the last and I loved it.
If you enjoy a crime thriller which also gives you an insight into the lives of the Detectives then this is is series for you.
Natalie and the team all have their own problems but come together when it matters.
As for the ending, well I’m speechless!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
July 26, 2020
Well, a few things I want to point out.. 1. Sleepovers are officially banned in my house, the mini-me will not be going to any. 2. David, you are a douche, yet a small part of me feels sorry for him..damn you Carol and 3. Natalie Natalie Natalie, I can not repeat here what you need me to say!!
Well! That rant over, I’m done. Not sure what else there is to say LOL. Each time I read a Natalie book I want to lock mini-me up in her room and throw the key away!! I can’t handle the real world for her, she may only be 6 but still!!!
It’s another tough case for Natalie (and us) a girl has been found dead in a burned downed house. So many suspects but nothing concrete tying them to Roxy. Young, naive and out of control Roxy. Everyone is scared of something, but how much was it being Roxy over dramatising and how much was true. Drugs are a big factor in this book, and sadly a lot of this also hit way too close to home for Natalie. Yet another dramatic ending and David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More fallout to come. Is it wrong to sit rubbing my hands with glee??
So yes David, he does have the poor me attitude, but the way Carol writes him, well she makes me feel sorry and a bit sympathetic towards him. He’s struggling but the second the bottle comes out and we learn what he’s up to I didn’t want to be anymore. But my god Carol, stop, stop making me a bit concerned about him!! I have wanted him to man up for ages, now that it seems he’s about to, I don’t want him to! Sod’s law ah!
With the team, Murray and Ian are a bit more at the forefront this time. Murray is taking Ian under his wing a bit more and the ice is beginning to thaw. It’s always interesting to see how life in the force affects not only the families but the actual officers. So having the conflict for Ian is an adding layer to the story. Plus ultimatums rarely work.
This case is a real conundrum for Natalie and me, as I mentioned it’s a revolving door of suspects and it’s hard to see the wood for the trees. We are all to close to the case this time, plus when two more people turn up dead, well nothing really made sense. I felt like I was scratching my head all the way through trying to figure it all out and failing dismally this time. However, when the team discovers a loose thread they pounce on it and do not let go until they have exhausted every effort. If anything was to happen to me or my family this is the team that I would want on the case…..well if I still lived in Stoke on Trent and if they were real people!!!
Carol writes these books in such a way that everything is hidden from us until the last minute. I can not always figure out for the life of me who is doing what and why. She twists and twists and twists until everything is spun too tight and it all flails lose, sending everyone flying from the shock. Boy, we have some shock here.
I’m now preparing for the next book. The book I think they might break me. I am not sure if I am ready yet…
Well! That rant over, I’m done. Not sure what else there is to say LOL. Each time I read a Natalie book I want to lock mini-me up in her room and throw the key away!! I can’t handle the real world for her, she may only be 6 but still!!!
It’s another tough case for Natalie (and us) a girl has been found dead in a burned downed house. So many suspects but nothing concrete tying them to Roxy. Young, naive and out of control Roxy. Everyone is scared of something, but how much was it being Roxy over dramatising and how much was true. Drugs are a big factor in this book, and sadly a lot of this also hit way too close to home for Natalie. Yet another dramatic ending and David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More fallout to come. Is it wrong to sit rubbing my hands with glee??
So yes David, he does have the poor me attitude, but the way Carol writes him, well she makes me feel sorry and a bit sympathetic towards him. He’s struggling but the second the bottle comes out and we learn what he’s up to I didn’t want to be anymore. But my god Carol, stop, stop making me a bit concerned about him!! I have wanted him to man up for ages, now that it seems he’s about to, I don’t want him to! Sod’s law ah!
With the team, Murray and Ian are a bit more at the forefront this time. Murray is taking Ian under his wing a bit more and the ice is beginning to thaw. It’s always interesting to see how life in the force affects not only the families but the actual officers. So having the conflict for Ian is an adding layer to the story. Plus ultimatums rarely work.
This case is a real conundrum for Natalie and me, as I mentioned it’s a revolving door of suspects and it’s hard to see the wood for the trees. We are all to close to the case this time, plus when two more people turn up dead, well nothing really made sense. I felt like I was scratching my head all the way through trying to figure it all out and failing dismally this time. However, when the team discovers a loose thread they pounce on it and do not let go until they have exhausted every effort. If anything was to happen to me or my family this is the team that I would want on the case…..well if I still lived in Stoke on Trent and if they were real people!!!
Carol writes these books in such a way that everything is hidden from us until the last minute. I can not always figure out for the life of me who is doing what and why. She twists and twists and twists until everything is spun too tight and it all flails lose, sending everyone flying from the shock. Boy, we have some shock here.
I’m now preparing for the next book. The book I think they might break me. I am not sure if I am ready yet…
August 7, 2019
The Sleepover by Carol Wyer is the 4th in the Detective Natalie Ward series and it seems to get better and better.
Fourteen-year-old Roxy tells her mum that she is going to her friend Ellie for a Sleep over. Her mother doesn’t think much of it as she has done it previously. But the next day she her charred remains are found in burnt out house, that two brothers own that she doesn’t even know.
Detective Natalie Ward oversees the investigation. When she breaks the news to Roxy’s family, they can’t understand why she would be in the house that is owned by two brothers that own the local club ‘Extravaganza’. The two brothers are not well liked in the community as the club is linked to drugs and prostitution. Natalie has her work cut out as she interviews each person. She senses that people are not entirely telling the truth. Especially the two brothers. They are not overly concerned that their house burnt down and a body found at the house. Then the body of Roxy’s mothers is found drowned, Natalie Ward wonders what the heck is going on.
The story also concludes the story of Natalie’s family especially her husband David. After what happened with the gambling, she doesn’t know if she can trust him again and the space between them widens.
Ms Wyer has down it again with this instalment of Natalie Ward series. This is another unputdownable episode. With great characters, and original plot. This time a more challenging read to find out who the killer is. I love also that the author mixes her work side and her personal life so, you can see the two sides of the main character. Can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.
Fourteen-year-old Roxy tells her mum that she is going to her friend Ellie for a Sleep over. Her mother doesn’t think much of it as she has done it previously. But the next day she her charred remains are found in burnt out house, that two brothers own that she doesn’t even know.
Detective Natalie Ward oversees the investigation. When she breaks the news to Roxy’s family, they can’t understand why she would be in the house that is owned by two brothers that own the local club ‘Extravaganza’. The two brothers are not well liked in the community as the club is linked to drugs and prostitution. Natalie has her work cut out as she interviews each person. She senses that people are not entirely telling the truth. Especially the two brothers. They are not overly concerned that their house burnt down and a body found at the house. Then the body of Roxy’s mothers is found drowned, Natalie Ward wonders what the heck is going on.
The story also concludes the story of Natalie’s family especially her husband David. After what happened with the gambling, she doesn’t know if she can trust him again and the space between them widens.
Ms Wyer has down it again with this instalment of Natalie Ward series. This is another unputdownable episode. With great characters, and original plot. This time a more challenging read to find out who the killer is. I love also that the author mixes her work side and her personal life so, you can see the two sides of the main character. Can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.
December 29, 2019
I was in two minds about this book as I had been wanting to read a mystery and the last couple of UK based ones I have found boring and couldn't keep my attention but figured since this was about a teen it would be interesting. There were parts of this book that I found myself a bit confused about with Detective Natalie Ward's family which I assume was referenced in previous books but overall this book can be read as a standalone. The book starts with Roxy heading out to her friends for a sleepover, during the night though there is a fire and Roxy's body is found. The people who own the house though they are swearing black and blue that they don't know Roxy, so how did she end up in their house dead. Roxy's family is a mixed bunch of characters and the majority of the characters in The Sleepover are what you could imagine the lower class English to be like, the ones who live in the poorer estates. Just as Natalie is finally getting a lead, more people connected to Roxy are dying and if she isn't careful then there could be two more on the murder list - Tucker and Ellie. Who is killing everyone and why? How is everyone connected? As there are a lot of characters in the book, at times the plot does become a bit convoluted but you do catch up in places. I have to admit when the person behind the arson was revealed, I have to admit I was a little disappointed but overall The Sleepover was a good UK mystery read.
September 8, 2019
DI Natalie Ward and her team at Samford HQ have their hands full! A house fire, determined to be arson, leads to discovery of the incinerated body of 14-year-old Roxy Curtis. What was the young teenager doing in a Victorian mansion owned by two brothers who are high-flying nightclub owners? The brothers claim they have never met Roxy and don't know how she got into their secured home. Roxy had told her mom, Cathy, that she was spending the night at her best friend Ellie's house. When questioned, Ellie isn't exactly truthful nor are any of the other people who are interviewed in this very complicated case that is frustrating Natalie, DS Lucy Carmichael, PC Ian Jarvis, and DS Murray Anderson. More suspicious deaths follow and Natalie is convinced that if she can get to the bottom of all the secrets and lies it will lead them to the killer. NO SPOILERS.
There is a lot going on in this detective mystery and also in the personal lives of the team at Samford. Natalie is still dealing with her husband, David, and trying to work through the issues in their marriage. Lucy is a bit nervous about the upcoming birth of the baby with her partner. Ian can't make up his mind about whether or not to chuck the police job to make it work with Scarlett. And then there's still the ongoing tension between Natalie and head of Forensics, Mike Sullivan -- who happens to be David's best friend. (Ah, yes, a romantic triangle and one I had really hoped would go no further.) So lots of domestic turmoil and a surfeit of teenage rebellion and angst. I always like to test myself to see if I can guess the outcome and solve the case before Natalie does and I won't say who won this round.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I will continue to follow this enjoyable series.
There is a lot going on in this detective mystery and also in the personal lives of the team at Samford. Natalie is still dealing with her husband, David, and trying to work through the issues in their marriage. Lucy is a bit nervous about the upcoming birth of the baby with her partner. Ian can't make up his mind about whether or not to chuck the police job to make it work with Scarlett. And then there's still the ongoing tension between Natalie and head of Forensics, Mike Sullivan -- who happens to be David's best friend. (Ah, yes, a romantic triangle and one I had really hoped would go no further.) So lots of domestic turmoil and a surfeit of teenage rebellion and angst. I always like to test myself to see if I can guess the outcome and solve the case before Natalie does and I won't say who won this round.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I will continue to follow this enjoyable series.
September 5, 2019
It was certainly a busy night for crime, but who was responsible?
There were too many secrets and so many lies among the people known to the victims and their families. A real tangled mess for Natalie’s team need to trawl through, and it was so frustrating for them all.
I loved this story, and it all wrapped up neatly in the end.
Talking of the very end….yes! I can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks to Carol Wyer, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the early review copy in which I give my honest opinion.
https://steflozbookblog.wordpress.com...
There were too many secrets and so many lies among the people known to the victims and their families. A real tangled mess for Natalie’s team need to trawl through, and it was so frustrating for them all.
I loved this story, and it all wrapped up neatly in the end.
Talking of the very end….yes! I can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks to Carol Wyer, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the early review copy in which I give my honest opinion.
https://steflozbookblog.wordpress.com...
September 18, 2019
I love Natalie Ward! She's been on my top favorite characters since the first book, but I found my interest in her to be waning in this book. From the beginning to the end I found myself dragging my feet to complete this one, which was definitely not the case in the previous books.
When fourteen-year-old Roxy says she’s going for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house, Cathy sees no reason to check her daughter’s story. The two families are neighbours, and the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day. It is a decision she will regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy. Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been eating chocolate in her pyjamas with her best friend.
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie is forced to face the grim fact that the killer is just getting started. She is troubled by the reaction of Roxy’s brother Seth to the tragedies and when his alibi falls through she brings him in for questioning, certain she is making headway. But while Seth is in custody, one of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered and Natalie knows she must cast her net wider. Can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
I found the plot in this one to be repetitive - two disappearances and Nat keeps hauling in Gavin and Kirk to the station. The same questions asked, the same points highlighted and for the most part, I found them to be going around in circles - I don't think her team were in their best form in this one. Personally, I did not find the plot to be strong but very predictable. The characters, however, were good. We get a glimpse of a lot of Nat's personal life in this one and those were the good parts for me. I loved reading more about Josh and David. The ending of the book was great. Sadly, those were the only highlights of the book for me. Despite all this, I still think Nat is one of the best and will keep an eye out for her next.
Thank you, NatGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for an arc!
When fourteen-year-old Roxy says she’s going for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house, Cathy sees no reason to check her daughter’s story. The two families are neighbours, and the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day. It is a decision she will regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy. Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been eating chocolate in her pyjamas with her best friend.
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie is forced to face the grim fact that the killer is just getting started. She is troubled by the reaction of Roxy’s brother Seth to the tragedies and when his alibi falls through she brings him in for questioning, certain she is making headway. But while Seth is in custody, one of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered and Natalie knows she must cast her net wider. Can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
I found the plot in this one to be repetitive - two disappearances and Nat keeps hauling in Gavin and Kirk to the station. The same questions asked, the same points highlighted and for the most part, I found them to be going around in circles - I don't think her team were in their best form in this one. Personally, I did not find the plot to be strong but very predictable. The characters, however, were good. We get a glimpse of a lot of Nat's personal life in this one and those were the good parts for me. I loved reading more about Josh and David. The ending of the book was great. Sadly, those were the only highlights of the book for me. Despite all this, I still think Nat is one of the best and will keep an eye out for her next.
Thank you, NatGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for an arc!
October 15, 2019
One thing that I can never understand it not having that second sense as a mother to know when something has happened to my children and that is how it was with Cathy when Detective Natalie Ward came knocking on her door, to tell her that her 14-year-old daughter had been identified through medical records, as the victim of a house fire. As far as her mum was concerned, Roxy was on a sleepover at her best friend's house only round the corner, not at the other end of town.
The case opens up a tin of worms as there doesn't seem any connection to Roxy and the house or its owners in the more affluential part of town to where she and her family lived. As the case unfolds so does the seedier lives of family and friends making them all suspects in both the arson attack on the property and the death of this young girl. Where they even connected? There are more deaths to follow as the case intensifies, working hours get longer and home life suffering for Natalie.
My mind spun trying to work out who the murderer was and why? I changed how I saw the people in the story the more I got to know them and was truly shocked at the ending.
I love this Detective Natalie Ward series as she gains confidence in each case that she tackles at work. It is there that she comes to life, has things in under control and people that respect her, which is a far cry from her home life. Natalie's husband David is trying and failing to deal with his gambling addiction, something that just won't go away. His inability to get employment and looking after his two teenage children, virtually single-handed has spiraled him into depression and his own mind. Natalie although dealing with people from all walks of life seems unable to take the rose-coloured spectacles off at home and see what is going on under her own nose. Yes, she recognises problems in her marriage but has other ways on her mind to resolve them.
The case opens up a tin of worms as there doesn't seem any connection to Roxy and the house or its owners in the more affluential part of town to where she and her family lived. As the case unfolds so does the seedier lives of family and friends making them all suspects in both the arson attack on the property and the death of this young girl. Where they even connected? There are more deaths to follow as the case intensifies, working hours get longer and home life suffering for Natalie.
My mind spun trying to work out who the murderer was and why? I changed how I saw the people in the story the more I got to know them and was truly shocked at the ending.
I love this Detective Natalie Ward series as she gains confidence in each case that she tackles at work. It is there that she comes to life, has things in under control and people that respect her, which is a far cry from her home life. Natalie's husband David is trying and failing to deal with his gambling addiction, something that just won't go away. His inability to get employment and looking after his two teenage children, virtually single-handed has spiraled him into depression and his own mind. Natalie although dealing with people from all walks of life seems unable to take the rose-coloured spectacles off at home and see what is going on under her own nose. Yes, she recognises problems in her marriage but has other ways on her mind to resolve them.
September 4, 2019
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Sleepover, the fourth novel to feature DI Natalie Ward of the Staffordshire police.
The investigation into a house fire uncovers a body. She is soon identified as 14 year old Roxie Curtis and with the homeowners denying all knowledge of her Natalie and the team have a mystery on their hands. To make matters worse no one is revealing all they know and as the team struggle to uncover the truth the mystery deepens further when Roxie’s mother, Cathy, disappears.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Sleepover which is an absorbing read with plenty of twists and turns. It does, however, rely on a series of improbable coincidences and unrevealed personal connections that are teased out as the novel progresses. These give the novel a certain unreality but are well done so I’m not sure if it really matters. It is all about the investigation rather than action scenes so it concentrates on untangling all the lies and half truths they are being told. It is quite compulsive as the team continually re-interview their witnesses/suspects to get at the real story and the hidden secrets.
The novel is told from various points of view but as none of them is the killer’s this is very enjoyable, giving the reader a rounder picture of events. Mainly it is told from Natalie’s viewpoint and mixes the investigation with her domestic problems. How she manages not only to maintain her focus but progress the investigation is admirable. She has fallen out of love with her husband, David, due to his lying about his gambling addiction and the relationship is getting rockier by the day. I find it fascinating how David justifies his behaviour to himself. He’s not a bad man, just weak and self pitying.
The Sleepover is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
The investigation into a house fire uncovers a body. She is soon identified as 14 year old Roxie Curtis and with the homeowners denying all knowledge of her Natalie and the team have a mystery on their hands. To make matters worse no one is revealing all they know and as the team struggle to uncover the truth the mystery deepens further when Roxie’s mother, Cathy, disappears.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Sleepover which is an absorbing read with plenty of twists and turns. It does, however, rely on a series of improbable coincidences and unrevealed personal connections that are teased out as the novel progresses. These give the novel a certain unreality but are well done so I’m not sure if it really matters. It is all about the investigation rather than action scenes so it concentrates on untangling all the lies and half truths they are being told. It is quite compulsive as the team continually re-interview their witnesses/suspects to get at the real story and the hidden secrets.
The novel is told from various points of view but as none of them is the killer’s this is very enjoyable, giving the reader a rounder picture of events. Mainly it is told from Natalie’s viewpoint and mixes the investigation with her domestic problems. How she manages not only to maintain her focus but progress the investigation is admirable. She has fallen out of love with her husband, David, due to his lying about his gambling addiction and the relationship is getting rockier by the day. I find it fascinating how David justifies his behaviour to himself. He’s not a bad man, just weak and self pitying.
The Sleepover is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
August 10, 2019
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping book
arson and a charred body, who cannot be identified at first
when the i.d is established a whole host of lies deceit and more murders happen that bring this story to life...
a nightclub is being investigated with the two brothers who run it...are they behind the arson or is there something else going on
the police have there work cut out for them as more bodies pile up and from the same family...
trying times...
this series is so addictive love it
arson and a charred body, who cannot be identified at first
when the i.d is established a whole host of lies deceit and more murders happen that bring this story to life...
a nightclub is being investigated with the two brothers who run it...are they behind the arson or is there something else going on
the police have there work cut out for them as more bodies pile up and from the same family...
trying times...
this series is so addictive love it
May 1, 2023
meh 🫤
Not my favourite so far. I found this one a little boring and slow. However, I’m so glad Natalie had finally had enough of that low life, useless husband.
Not my favourite so far. I found this one a little boring and slow. However, I’m so glad Natalie had finally had enough of that low life, useless husband.
August 1, 2019
It's hard to believe that this is book four in the series. Even harder when I consider that the weekend I spent reading the book was actually exactly a year to the days that I read book one, The Birthday. 13-14th July 2018 and 13-14th July 2019. Four books, twelve months. And these weren't the only books that Ms Wyer released in the year, making this an even more impressive feat. But did such a gruelling writing schedule affect quality? Did it 'eck as like. This series keeps going from strength to strength and even at the end I am left wondering just how it can be topped. Rest assured that the author claims the best is still to come so we are surely in for a mammoth treat.
The Sleepover sees our series hero, DI Natalie Ward, caught up in a very perplexing case involving the death of a young girl, Roxy, in a house fire which was most likely arson. So far, so tragic but not necessarily perplexing. It's a very simple case of accelerant + heat = raging fire. However, house + dead girl who should never have been there in the first place = something very, very wrong and the start of a massive headache for Natalie and her team. With no clear ties between the girl and the home owners, and everybody they turn to for help seemingly reluctant to tell the truth, it will push Natalie to the end of her patience as she tries to get to the truth.
One of the things I love about the series is the characters who form the central team. They are all very believable and likeable characters, even Natalie who, I'll admit, took a little getting used to at first. She's a very tough character with a complicated home life, but ultimately someone who anyone could relate to. Her main priority is in finding justice and in supporting her family, even if her marriage is on very shaky ground. Then you have Lucy, about to become a parent for the first time who suffers all the doubts and fears that any expectant parent would. She's a character I have really grown to like, confident and caring, and a real asset to the team. She makes a vital bond with one of the witnesses in the case, one which could blow the whole thing wide open.
Surrounding the team on this occasion is a wide cast of characters, none of whom have any obvious relationship with each other. They are all from different backgrounds, different worlds and social classes. Even the divisions within the less privileged areas of town are somehow heightened in this book, adding to the edginess and the sense that pretty well anyone could be responsible for what comes to pass.
The complexities of this case really kept me gripped to the story. Nothing is quite as it seems and things which I felt was certain, soon became nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Just when you think you have it all worked out, Carol Wyer lobs in yet another curveball, another vital piece of evidence that will derail your thinking and make you question what you have seen so far. It was almost impossible to know who to trust, a feeling that is practically mirrored by Natalie's home life where trust is as big an issue for her as it is with her suspects.
The Sleepover is another absolutely cracking tale, fuelled by secrets, tragedy and misdirection, and featuring a bloody strong and determined detective team that I love to read about. I cannot wait to see what comes next.
The Sleepover sees our series hero, DI Natalie Ward, caught up in a very perplexing case involving the death of a young girl, Roxy, in a house fire which was most likely arson. So far, so tragic but not necessarily perplexing. It's a very simple case of accelerant + heat = raging fire. However, house + dead girl who should never have been there in the first place = something very, very wrong and the start of a massive headache for Natalie and her team. With no clear ties between the girl and the home owners, and everybody they turn to for help seemingly reluctant to tell the truth, it will push Natalie to the end of her patience as she tries to get to the truth.
One of the things I love about the series is the characters who form the central team. They are all very believable and likeable characters, even Natalie who, I'll admit, took a little getting used to at first. She's a very tough character with a complicated home life, but ultimately someone who anyone could relate to. Her main priority is in finding justice and in supporting her family, even if her marriage is on very shaky ground. Then you have Lucy, about to become a parent for the first time who suffers all the doubts and fears that any expectant parent would. She's a character I have really grown to like, confident and caring, and a real asset to the team. She makes a vital bond with one of the witnesses in the case, one which could blow the whole thing wide open.
Surrounding the team on this occasion is a wide cast of characters, none of whom have any obvious relationship with each other. They are all from different backgrounds, different worlds and social classes. Even the divisions within the less privileged areas of town are somehow heightened in this book, adding to the edginess and the sense that pretty well anyone could be responsible for what comes to pass.
The complexities of this case really kept me gripped to the story. Nothing is quite as it seems and things which I felt was certain, soon became nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Just when you think you have it all worked out, Carol Wyer lobs in yet another curveball, another vital piece of evidence that will derail your thinking and make you question what you have seen so far. It was almost impossible to know who to trust, a feeling that is practically mirrored by Natalie's home life where trust is as big an issue for her as it is with her suspects.
The Sleepover is another absolutely cracking tale, fuelled by secrets, tragedy and misdirection, and featuring a bloody strong and determined detective team that I love to read about. I cannot wait to see what comes next.
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