BLOG TOUR: Dead Mercy (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 5) - Noelle Holten

 

‘Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin on Dead Inside

A brutal murder…

When a burned body is found with its teeth missing, DC Maggie Jamieson discovers that the victim may be the husband of one of her probation colleagues.

A dark history…

As the body count rises, the team becomes increasingly baffled by how the victims could possibly be connected until a clue leads them to a historical case that was never prosecuted.

A terrible secret…

In order to catch the killer, Maggie must piece together what happened all those years ago before it’s too late.

What did I think?

This book is fantastic!  I've loved every single book in the DC Maggie Jamieson series but Noelle Holten has really excelled herself with Dead Mercy and I think it's her best one yet.  Although Dead Mercy is book 5 in the series, you can totally read it as a standalone and any new readers of the series at this point are sure to become huge Maggie Jamieson fans.

Noelle Holten never shies away from tough subjects but they are always dealt with sensitively and realistically.  Without giving away too much of the amazing plot, Dead Mercy centres around a serial killer who is meting out justice to people who were not prosecuted in a historical abuse case.  I did sympathise with the killer as nobody should get away with any form of abuse and of course I had no idea who the killer was so it was fun to gather the clues along with Maggie and her team.

The writing is outstanding, creating levels of suspense and intrigue that kept my eyes firmly glued to the page.  The pacing is fast, the plotting is perfect and the whole book could be the subject of a crime writing masterclass.  

Dead Mercy is a dark, gripping and tense edge of your seat thriller.  It's an exceptional novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:

Subscribe to Newsletter: http://ow.ly/cgww50BkBtt

Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/

Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/

Instagram: @author_noelleholten

Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk

Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Dead Secret (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 4) - Noelle Holten

‘Enthralling from the first page to the last. Devoured in one sitting. Noelle Holten has become one of my must-read authors’ Angela Marsons, bestselling author of the Detective Kim Stone series

Psychopaths can take root in the unlikeliest soil…

DC Maggie Jamieson crosses paths once again with Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood when a domestic violence survivor stumbles into her new refuge, unable to speak, desperate for help.

Then another case hits Maggie’s desk. A young man has been murdered, and a curious constellation of black dots has been inked onto his cheek.

That’s when DCI Hastings goes missing and Maggie uncovers a shocking connection that turns the case on its head.

Every family may hide secrets, but not every family buries them…

 

What did I think?

I absolutely love Noelle Holten's writing and there are now four books in the amazing Maggie Jamieson series which seems to be getting better and better.  I really look forward to each new instalment and Dead Secret is so good it blew my socks off!

You can definitely read each book as a standalone but what I love about them is the way that each book picks up where the last one ended.  Noelle Holten completely nails her endings, which I'd say are more of a hook than a cliffhanger, so series fans are already hooked before the next book is even released.  The ending of Dead Secret has a hook and a half and I can't wait to read what comes next.

There are two main threads to the storyline and both are incredibly intriguing: one being domestic violence and the other being murder.  Lucy has a drop in at her new refuge and even though she isn't officially open yet, she can't turn the mysterious young woman away.  Meanwhile, Maggie is investigating a murder that is linked to her missing DCI and the police must tread carefully to avoid being accused of a cover-up.  With so much mouthwatering intrigue, I simply couldn't read fast enough.

Plotted to perfection, Dead Secret is jaw-droppingly awesome.  Noelle Holten is a super-talented author and her writing is filled with intrigue, suspense and colourful characterisation.  Without doubt a five star read and very highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:

Subscribe to Newsletter: http://ow.ly/cgww50BkBtt

Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/

Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/

Instagram: @author_noelleholten

Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk

Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Dead Perfect (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 3) - Noelle Holten

 

A murdered woman…

When the body of a young woman is found in a local park, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she’s dealing with no ordinary killer.  The murder victim has been disfigured; her outfit changed to resemble someone else.  Someone Maggie knows all too well…her close friend Dr Kate Moloney.

A determined detective…

Maggie is determined to keep her friend safe, but with Kate already struggling with a threatening stalker, Maggie now fears Kate’s life is in real danger.  Who else would want to harm Kate and why else would the killer be turning his victims into exact replicas – his living dolls? 

Can Maggie find the depraved killer?  Or will Kate become his next living doll?

What did I think?

After leaving us with the mother of all cliffhangers in Dead Wrong (book 2 of the Maggie Jamieson series), I couldn't wait to get my hands on book 3, Dead Perfect.  I found it really hard to stop my eyes from jumping forward as I was desperate to claw my way back from the precipice Noelle Holten had left us on, but at the same time I didn't want to miss anything either.  Although Dead Perfect picks up where Dead Wrong ended, you could most definitely read Dead Perfect as a standalone thriller.

Things get personal for DC Maggie Jamieson when the latest wave of killings seem to have a link to her friend, Dr Kate Moloney.  The murdered women have all been made to look like Kate so Maggie knows that it's only a matter of time before the killer gets their hands on Kate herself.  Trying to find the killer and keep Kate safe at the same time, Maggie finds herself busier than ever and tempers start to fray as the danger towards Kate increases.

Maggie is quite a complex, guarded character and even though I've read all three books I don't think I'm any closer to getting to know her.  Maggie plays her cards close to her chest with regards to her personal life but she can be very brusque in her work environment, even more so when the case is personal to her.  It doesn't help when an annoying journalist starts sticking her nose in and printing details that the police haven't disclosed.  

Dead Perfect is filled with so much tension that I could almost hear the tick tock as the clock counted down to finding the killer.  It's an excellent plot, as you would expect from Noelle Holten, although I did ruin some of the surprise for myself by inadvertently spotting 'whodunnit' but the 'why' more than made up for that.  Ending with not so much a cliffhanger as a hill-hanger, it leads nicely in to book 4 and I can't wait for more.  

Dead Perfect is a great addition to the Maggie Jamieson series and if you've not discovered Noelle Holten yet then you're missing out on some cracking crime fiction.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour: