No One to Help Her

Detective Chris Bailey #3

by Kate Watterson

One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four . . . murder

It’s the middle of the night when Detective Chris Bailey is called to the crime scene. A body has been found dumped by the side of a remote country road. The victim has been shot five times. She isn’t wearing a coat, though it’s late February. Her empty purse is strewn a few feet away, she is missing a shoe.

Her brother, Mick, is devastated. He’s only just moved back to the area after working a high-powered job in Chicago, ready to start a new life. And now this.

Then the killer leaves Amanda’s ID and missing shoe at Mick’s house.

Then a second body is found. And a third. Both were left by the roadside, both shot five times, both missing a shoe — that later show up at Mick’s.

Mick is clearly at the center of everything, but it’s also clear that he’s a victim, not the killer. Who is trying to frame Mick and why?

Just as Bailey feels he’s making progress, he receives his own warning. Can he catch a killer, or will he be next?

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2022

About the author

Writing as both Emma Wildes and Katherine Smith, Kate Watterson has over thirty published books to her credit, plus five Eppie nominations, one Eppie win for best historical erotic in 2007, a RWA Lories win, WisRWA 2005 final for best historical romance, and is a CAPA nominee. She loves suspense and to write erotic stories in the genre is a special treat.

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Chris Bailey #3

It's the middle of the night when Detective Chris Bailey is called to the crime scene. A body has been dumped at the side of a remote country road. The victim has been shot five times. She isn't wearing a coat, though it's late February. her empty purse is strewn a few feet away, she is missing a shoe. Her brother, Mick, is devastated. He's only just moved back to the area after working a high-powered job in Chicago, ready to start a new life. And now this. Then the killer leaves Amanda's ID and missing shoe at Mick's house.

There was a bit too much romance in this book, not that I mind a bit of romance, but there was more romance than mystery/thriller. The plotline was interesting. The only character I liked was Detective Chris Bailey. The pace is slow throughout. Although this is book three in the series, it could be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #KateWatterson for my ARC of #NoOneToHelpHer in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Detective Chris Bailey series. How did I miss this author!!!

Detective Chris Bailey is called out in the middle of the nigh. The call out is to a country lane where a dead woman has been found, she has been shot five times in the back and is missing a shoe. Even though it's February she is not wearing a coat. When more bodies turn up it looks like a serial killer is on the loose!!!

An intriguing story that kept me gripped throughout. I will definitely be reading the others in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicola “Shortbookthyme” · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder, mystery and mayhem are what you get when reading No One To Help Her by Kate Watterson.
The plot was intriguing….dead female found in the middle of a road late at night. Then more bodies are found. How are they related?
I like the characters in the story and enjoyed the romance aspect. The investigation of the murders was very twisty/turning. Definitely kept my interest as I tried to figure out what was going on.
Though this is the third book in the series it can be read as a standalone. With that said, I do encourage you to pick up the first two books so you get to know the back story of Detective Chris Bailey.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: No One to Help Her
Author: Kate Watterson
Series: Detective Chris Bailey Book #3
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller – Romance
Pub Date: August 10, 2022
Rating: 3.7 rounded up

Detective Chris Bailey is called to the crime scene. The victim ~ Amanda ~ is found on the side of the road, has been shot –five times, it is February and she isn’t wearing a coat, is missing a shoe, and her purse is empty and strewn on the ground.
Her brother, Mick, is very upset and to make matters worse the killer leaves Amanda’s ID and her missing shoe at his place.
Next another body is found then a third; same condition as Amanda’s killing - shot five times, and missing a shoe — sure enough the shoes show up at Mick’s place.

Although this is Book #3 in this series, I wasn’t lost but it has me wanting to read the two earlier books in this series- as well as looking forward to Book #4. I liked the characters.
I am a big mystery fan and not much of a romance fan but the romance in this story was nice.

Want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 10, 2022

[Taya C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mick is tangled up in a serial killers game, the recipient of evidence from murder victims.

Likes:
- the main characters didn’t hide stuff from the cops, when they were trying to decide if they should tell the detective something that might be a clue… they did!
- I didn’t know who the killer was until the very end
- this was book #3 in the series but worked as a stand alone, although I feel I did miss some of the character development so might be worth reading the first 2 first (I might even go back and do that!)

Dislikes:
- although there were murders, I found the beginning to be quite slow… and then the ending seemed rushed and jam packed
- the main character’s sister was murdered yet he jumped into a romance basically that same day… everyone grieves differently but that seemed a little too soon?
- although I love this in real life, there were so many discussions about food and what they were going to cook

[Grace J Reviewerlady]

How have I managed to miss this author?

When Chris Bailey’s phone rings in the middle of the night, it’s never good news; the latest call out is to a country road when a young woman lies dead, shot five times and minus a shoe. No coat, despite the fact that it’s February. When another young woman is found in similar circumstances, Chris Bailey fears he has a serial killer on his hands. Everything points to the first victim’s brother as a person of interest, but Chris knows that crimes are rarely solves that easily – and, anyway, it’s not his gut feeling. So who is carrying out the murders – and why?

I’m so sorry I missed out on the first two of this series, but as there is no mention of previous cases I hope to read them now. This is a cracking thriller with lots of action, plenty of possibilities and a fine array of characters. I was hooked from the first and kept on tenterhooks until the very last word. Intricate and complex with plenty of excitement, this is one I happily recommend and give a full house of stars.

[Krys · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Here is the thing. I don't mind a bit of romance in my thriller novels.

When it makes sense.

And for me, it was more than a little odd to have the brother of a woman who has just been murdered (who, in fact, had just come from identifying her body, for crying out loud) to then be sitting in the home of his dead sister's best friend (even if she was his former lover) thinking about how sexy she still was. He should be grieving for crying out loud, not lusting after his former flame.

Now, I could have probably overlooked that had to story been enough to keep my attention, but I found that wasn't the case here either. There were a lot of little things, the fact that the author consistently used fancy-sounding words that the average reader will probably have to look up to understand, and the fact that everything was spoon-fed to us in great detail.

There were times that the dialog went on for so long that it became unclear who was speaking, and other times when the point of view changed entirely (something I am starting to realize is a trademark of this author).

Seeing as how this is the third time I have read something from this author that hasn't left me completely entertained, I'm going to chalk it up to their writing style just isn't for me. However, I'm sure other people will enjoy their stories, so if you like a little more romance with your suspense, give this one a chance!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Chris Bailey is called to a crime scene in the middle of the night. The body of a woman was found at the side of the road, with no coat, empty handbag bag dumped at the side of the road, and missing a shoe. Her brother Mick has only just moved back to the area, and he was not even aware his sister had come back home. Mick wanted to move back home, live in his newly bought cabin by the lake, and live a peaceful life. Instead he is devastated by Bailey and his partner Carter showing up at his door, making the connection via DNA testing.

He is even more upset when someone breaks into his cabin and leaves Amanda’s ID and missing shoe in his kitchen. What follows is more bodies, more missing shoes, and more property of the deceased showing up at Mick’s place. It soon becomes clear that Mick is not the killer, but why is he being targeted? Who is the killer, and why are they tormenting Mick? Bailey needs to find out, and quickly, before more bodies are found.

On paper, this book sounds great. A gritty mystery/thriller, with a complex plot to solve. In practice, it didn’t quite meet the mark. Mick, as the brother of a woman who had just been murdered, and having to entail the trauma of identifying her body, forgoes comforting his parents, and instead, jumps straight back into a relationship with his now dead sister’s best friend, who is also his ex girlfriend. I know everyone copes with grief in different ways, but there was a lot of romance, and food talk in this book, and not as much focus on the lives lost and what they should be doing to stop more crime.

Speaking of food, I don’t think I have even had so much information on what a character is going to eat for dinner throughout a story. Make that characters, as they were all at it! This was also book three in a series with Detectives Bailey and Carter, and I didn’t really feel like there was much missing out at all, so it works well as a stand alone.

Overall a good detective mystery, but with too much romance and food focus for me, it took away from what could have been a great story.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A body is found by the side of the road of a woman, shot 5 times, without a coat, and missing a shoe. Then another body is found, shot 5 times, without a coat, and is missing a shoe. And then a third body is found, the exact same way. The missing shoes wind up on the porch of Mick Reynolds – the brother of the first victim. Detectives Bailey and Carter are investigating the murders, but don’t have many suspects in mind. It’s clear to them that Mick is in the center of everything. Just as the detectives seem to be making progress, Detective Bailey gets a little messages of his own. Can they catch the killer before anyone else dies?

While I do realize how hard it is to write a book, that doesn’t mean that every book and every author is going to be for me. That is my experience with this book. I think my biggest gripe with this book is that it’s nestled under the Mystery & Thrillers genre, but the author has thrown in a lot of romance in the book as well. Romance, that to me, wasn’t in the right place at the right time. It’s a personal opinion that when a character’s sister is dead, and the character is grieving, that they don’t particularly care about romance too much. I’m not saying that Mick shouldn’t have someone to grieve with, or care for, but maybe save some of the romance for the end, use the grief as a stepping stone to bring them together. Personally, the romantic parts really just chopped up the mystery and made it so that the book didn’t flow very well.

While this is part of series, I have not read the first two books. That beings said, I don’t think it takes away from this book at all. If I had not known it was a part of a series, I wouldn’t have suspected as much. I’ve also learned from reading a lot of mysteries and thrillers that if an author is trying to make the reader look one way too hard, it’s usually the wrong way. I thought the author here tried too hard to make me look one way. And while I didn’t suspect the murderer, I had a strong feeling it wasn’t who the author was directing me to.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Watterson is back with a tense and terrifying crime thriller that will keep readers glued to its pages: No One to Help Her.

Detective Chris Bailey is called up in the middle of the night to a rural Tennessee highway where the body of a young woman has been found. It’s late February and the woman was not wearing a coat, her empty purse is just a few feet away and she is missing one shoe. The victim had been shot five times and there is a pool of dark crimson around her head. When another body is found in the exact same position, it becomes abundantly clear that there is a serial killer on the loose and Chris is determined to catch them before more bodies are found.

The prime suspect is the first victim’s brother, Mick. With her ID and her shoe found at his house, the evidence is certainly pointing firmly in his direction. But Mick has no motive and no reason to kill his sister or anyone else for that matter, having only just returned to the area after working in Chicago. Could the acrimonious end of his relationship with his sister’s best friend have somehow pushed him over the edge and driven him to murder? Or is he being framed for a crime he did not commit?

Bailey will not stop until he has put the killer behind bars, but as this investigation gets more tangled and complicated, will he find out whodunnit? Or does this bewildering case have even more shocks and surprises in store for the detective?

Kate Watterson’s No One to Help Her is a chilling serial killer thriller packed with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Kate Watterson knows how to plot a gripping chiller that will keep readers up all night and with No One to Help Her, she has once again pulled a blinder and written one action-packed page-turner that has me eagerly anticipating her next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of No One to Help Her, the third novel to feature Detective Chris Bailey set in rural Tennessee.

A woman’s body riddled with gunshots is left at the side of a country road, her handbag devoid of identification left near her. She is finally identified through her DNA as Amanda Reynolds and now her brother Mick is receiving attention from the killer, who left him her ID and a shoe. Unless it’s misdirection and he’s the killer. Chris Bailey isn’t sure, so the discovery of more bodies makes it less likely.

I thoroughly enjoyed No One to Help Her, which is an absorbing read with plenty of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view, mostly Chris and Mick, so the reader gets a wider take on events, although I didn’t think much of the killer’s musings at the start of each chapter as they were too vague to have any impact.

The plot is a mix of high octane investigation and domestic issues with both Chris and Mick pursuing relatively relationships, with Chris solving a cold case in double quick time as a side dish. On the subject of food I think that the emphasis on eating and drinking takes away from the tension of the ongoing investigation - who cares if it’s tacos or steak for dinner? Still, food aside the plot is engrossing with nobody, including this reader, having much idea why Mick is being targeted, so the field is wide open for guesswork. Even the explanations at the end are a bit vague and I didn’t come away satisfied that I had all the information.

No One to Help Her is a good read that I can recommend.

[Denise Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a woman is shot dead at the side of a road, her brother becomes involved in the murder investigation. When more bodies turn up, it seems that a serial killer is on the loose.

I enjoyed the story for the most part but I found towards the end it involved a strange mixture of ritualistic killing and killing for necessity to cover up other crimes. I’m sure this was included to create twists and turns in the plot which had held my interest up till that point, but I just found it unbelievable. Although I’m no expert on murderers, I would have thought the motivation would be one or the other.

If you need to kill someone to cover up a crime, would you think about staging the victim or developing your own particular “signature”? If anything, surely you’d try to make them appear unrelated? You either plan out the murders like a puzzle for the police to solve I.e. your typical serial killer who treats it like a game, thinking he’s cleverer than the detectives on his trail, or you kill people through necessity to cover your trail because they know what you’ve done.

A couple of niggles with the writing style sometimes made it hard to follow. There were many long passages of dialogue between characters without explanation of who was speaking which meant that it was difficult to follow which character was speaking. The pronoun ‘he’ was overused as I couldn’t work out who the character was referring to - another suspect, the killer, one of the detectives.

Overall, this was a good idea for a story, I just didn’t think it was executed particularly well.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a cold night in February when Detective Chris Bailey is called to the scene of a murder on a rural back road - a young woman has been shot several times, her personal items stolen, and her body left behind on the roadside. As Bailey works to unravel the mysteries of who could have done this and why, he finds there may be more to this crime than he originally anticipated.

Despite being the third in its series, this book reads perfectly well as a standalone - I wasn’t lost or lacking in context. The plot, as a mystery thriller, is fun and keeps the reader engaged, while the characters do their job of allowing us to share in their emotions as we progress alongside them.

For a mystery thriller, there is a strong element of romance present. This at times can feel misplaced in the overall context of grief, fear, and anger, but overall doesn’t necessarily detract from the bigger picture.

The first few chapters, in my opinion, felt incredibly slow. I nearly resigned myself to calling this a DNF, and while I’m glad I didn’t, I do wish the beginning had been more engaging. The introduction of the characters felt choppy at times, and the dialogue was unrealistically sophisticated for casual conversation between rural Tennessee natives, however, despite this, I did enjoy the read and could possibly be inclined to pick up another at some point down the line.

[Books 'n' All Promotions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Bailey is back in this 3rd book in the series. They do work as stand alone but I would recommend reading them all to get the background stories. I have read book 1 and now 3 but I plan to read book 2 asap as I am intrigued as to what I missed.

Mick has just returned to the area after 6 years and is in the process of moving in to his new home when detectives knock on the door. An unidentified woman has been murdered and Mick's DNA is a match - it turns out the victim is his sister, a very much loved sister. In fact very much loved by everyone. When her effects turn up in Mick's kitchen the detectives start looking at Mick as a suspect and when another body is found it soon becomes clear that Mick is either guilty or the case and the victims are linked to him.

A very intriguing story that had me guessing all the way to the end. A love story interwoven through the pages softens what might be a dark story and having a cold case running in the background just adds to the interest.

All in all a very different and gripping read - absolutely worth the 5 stars.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

No One to Help Her by Kate Watterson begins with Detective Chris Bailey being called to a crime scene. A body has been found dumped by the side of a remote country road. Then a second body is found. And a third. And the detective's brother is at the center of everything that is happening, but he is not the killer.

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. The dialogue felt stilted in places. The mystery was okay. There is a lot of romance in the book, which was okay, but it did seem to be more than usual in a book that is identified in the mystery/thriller genre.

This is book 3 in the series. I did not read the other 2, but I do not feel I missed anything. This can be read as a standalone book. I would recommend this book as it did have some good twists. This is a 3.5 rating for me rounded up to 4.

#NOONETOHELPHER #NetGalley @JoffeBooks

[Gill Appleyard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this third outing for Detective Bailey.
A woman is found on a quiet road, shot 5 times, no coat and only one shoe. When her belongings end up on the doorstep of her brothers cabin (he’s only just returned from six years away), it’s clear he’s at the centre of this, Detective Bailey needs to work out why and if he’s a suspect or a victim. The bodies mount up, all killed and left in the same way.
There’s a bit of romance thrown in here too, maybe some was a bit strange as Mick was grieving for his sister but who knows how a tragedy affects people?
This could be read as a stand alone but I’d recommend reading the others first, it helps with some of the other characters in the novel and Bailey’s story.
I’ll be watching for more in this series.
Thank you to Joffe’s ARC for a copy of this book.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another new author for me and although it's the third in a series, it read well as a standalone and made no difference to me.

I enjoyed the story and despite what I felt was a bit too much romance, it didn't put me off. The characters were OK, particularly Chris and Anna. The thoughts of the killer seemed a bit too short to me and didn't enhance the story as much as it could have if it had been a full chapter each time.

It didn't put me off and only brought it down a star in my rating. I would like to read more in this series to see what Chris gets to investigate next.

My thanks to Joffe Books for an advance copy and this is my honest review.

[Arianna Mclaughlin (arianna.reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted e-arc.

It's not my nature to struggle with thrillers, but this was a tough one for me to finish. Full disclosure, I have not read books one and two in the series but I don't think that would change my overall reading experience. The writing style and pace were my major challenges . The pace is slow for the genre and the language is extremely descriptive -tons of adjectives and dialogue that didn't seem to move the plot. It also took away tension and suspense.

While NO ONE TO HELP HER wasn't a match for me, I'm in the minority when you look at Goodreads and there are lots of reviewers who loved it.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts off with the discovery of a dead female on a country road in the middle of the night. When the victim is identified, her brother Mick is devastated. The body count rises quickly and Detective Chris Bailey is lead investigator. He quickly discovers that all the victims are linked to Mick in some way. I struggled to relate to the characters, apart from Chris, the pace was quite slow but I enjoyed the plotting. Although part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Recieved in exchange for honest review.

I'm not sure what it is, but the writing felt off. The story was interesting (murder mysteries are always fun) and the phrases were interesting and painted great pictures. I think, if I had to but it into words, it's like..every part was over explained or written by a computer. There wasn't as much left to the imagination, I guess. This made me not enjoy the story as much, but you may very well enjoy it.

[Angela Holden Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
I have to admit, this is a new author to me and even though it's part of a series i read it as a standalone and it made no difference to me.
If you don't mind a bit of romance with your crime, you'll enjoy this. book.
The story is great and the characters are believable, so it's easy to connect with them.
There are red herrings throughout, and twists and turns and all in all I would recommend this book.

[Melody Gore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC from JoffeBooks, thank you
This is third in series, but I did not realise until end of book, so can be read as a stand alone.

The plot is great and did keep me guessing, however the entire story was slow, much of the dialogue felt laboured at times, lots of romance rather than the thriller of the story, the ending felt contrite and not really wrapped up at all.

Had great potential but didn't really deliver

[EILEEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO ONE TO HELP HER kicks off with a horrific discovery. A parallel perspective runs through it leaving sinister overtones. An ominous find intensifies the conundrum. Harrowing trepidation exudes from every page. An air of mystery is all pervasive keeping you on the edge of your seat. Chilling, action packed suspense is riveting to the explosive finish.

[Diane Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A body is found lying at the side of a remote country road. When the identity of the body is found and more bodies turn up suspicion turns to Mick, the brother of the first victim. This book is full of action, suspense, romance and a few twists. It is definitely a page turner. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

[Barbara Wilbur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only gave this book three stars because there were several pairs of couples and I kept getting them mixed up because all were involved in the case or in law enforcement. I typically keep characters straight but wonder if the narrator only having a single voice was the problem.
I enjoyed the story and will try another of her books

[Julian Tremayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book and found the intrigue quite suspenseful. Chris Bailey is a very good copy and keen to follow his ideas. Two ongoing romances by the key players made for an interesting added dimension. Looking forward to the next one.
Julian Tremayne, Pocklington, East Yorkshire

[Trudi Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot

A really good story but I found it a bit ha rd to follow Who was whom at first, detective? FBI? Accountant? Nevertheless, a great read.

[Ann Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one to help her

The book has you guessing until nearly the end and even then there were loose ends you wanted answers to. Excellent for those enjoying a good detective storg

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Very surprising story did not expect the way it ended.
Great page turner highly recommend loved it
Kept you on edge the whole way through hard to put down at times

[Barbara L. Cicchetto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it.