Secrets of the Dead: A Gripping Thriller You Won't Be Able to Put Down (Detective Robyn Carter) (Detective Robyn Carter Crime Thriller, #2)

by Carol Wyer

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying 'all debts paid', Detective Robyn Carter knows it's just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and a second victim with a receipt confirms her worst fears.

There are no witnesses. The victims had no debts. With the body count rising and the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime in record time. But her team can't find a link between the victims, and the cracks are starting to show.

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers photographs in two of the victims' houses, which she thinks could unlock the case. But as she hones in on the killer's shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.

Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it's too late?

A heart-pounding, toe-curling, one-sitting serial killer thriller that will hook you from the first page till the last. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.

• ISBN10: 1786811588
• ISBN13: 9781786811585
• Publish Date: 30 May 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bookouture
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 316
• Language: English

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

This was a tough case for Robyn to get her head around. With a case at the beginning of the book leading her down the wrong garden path and then being hauled over the coals and told to back off from a murder Vic, things are not going too peachy for Robyn.

People dying in mysterious ways, all linked by an invoice, the invoice doesn’t say what it is for, just that it’s paid in full. The first two murders happen in quick succession you don’t get a chance to draw breath. Truly terrifying is someone who doesn’t even think twice of killing someone in their home, leaving a 4-year-old without a parent! Awful, just awful.

After these two deaths, things go a bit quiet and we watch Robyn trying to solve them, figuring out how they are linked and if they are linked to the first Vic she was backed off from. A few red herrings, which makes things more exciting as you think you are close to something only to find yourself taking two steps backs.

Robyn is under a lot of pressure this time to solve things from her boss. Threats of being taken off the case and the lack of sleep somehow helps to drive Robyn to find out who the Litchfield Leopard is!

The chapters from the murderer are cold, he is obsessed and very much stalkerish. He waits for the woman every day without fail, but he isn’t as discreet as he thinks he is, no stealth here!

I love the setting of Staffordshire, as I knew some of these places from when I lived in the area, so I could picture them as Carol has written them. Plus who doesn’t love the reference of Watford Gap, even though it has nothing to do with Watford.

Carol has created such a driven and loyal character with Robyn. She is slowly showing more of her colours, her world is slowing coming back into focus and with colour. I feel Robyn is on her way back to us, Davis will always be a part of her but she’s learning to live again and hopefully, Trisha will be around in the next few books as I feel she could be a true friend.

Always lovely to see Ross and Jeanette and did chuckle at their time in the spa! I finally feel I have got to grips with the team, Matt, Anna and Mitz, they are a solid team and I do love that they do question Robyn and her actions and not just go with it because she asks. I was completely stumped with this book, I didn’t even know where to begin with my suspects so I just didn’t bother and let Robyn do all the hard work with her team. Adding a countdown for the Leopard to work with was clever, the Leopard became sloppy and things tend to go wrong then. Not the cleverest soul, but the retribution is all they are after. A closure of sorts and the ending they so believe they are going to get, a small part of you felt a bit sorry for the Leopard.

A tough case for Robyn, but it would be a Robyn if she didn’t solve it. We didn’t have any dramatic storylines carrying over, so I can relax easy and take a breath. However, I fear that the cases are just going to get tougher and tougher.

Carol has won me over with Robyn, she has written stories that have kept me hooked from the get-go, a kickass lead who will not stop, and riveting storylines to keep you up all night, just so we can rest when Robyn does. Looking forward to my next adventure!