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BOOK INFO
Title: The Birthday
Author: Carol Wyer
Publisher: Bookouture
Publish Date: September 27, 2018
Genre: Crime & Detective
Series: Detective Natalie Ward #1
My Rating: 4/5
BOOK BLURB
One hot summer’s afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home…
Two years later, Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party …
Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that still keeps her awake at night…
Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie …
Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?
MY REVIEW
A five-year-old girl goes missing at a birthday party. There are no leads, until her body is discovered two years later. Shortly after the discovery, other girls who attended the same party go missing. A new detective is especially interested in solving this case, since her last missing child case did not end well.
The Birthday is the first book in a new crime fiction series. Detective Natalie Ward is lead investigator of the case. She’s a wife and mother dealing with her own family issues, but incredibly dedicated to her position as detective. Natalie is not perfect, but she is smart, tough, and determined. Great traits in a female protagonist. She clearly has more to her backstory, and, hopefully, that unfolds more as the series progresses.
An intriguing mystery that kept me guessing. This is the first book I have read by Carol Wyer, and I look forward to reading more in this series. Clever, gripping, and suspenseful.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Books in the Detective Natalie Ward series:
- The Birthday
- Last Lullaby
- The Dare
- The Sleepover
- The Blossom Twins
- The Secret Admirer
- Somebody’s Daughter
Terrific review, Darinda! Happy you have a new series to enjoy!
Thank you, Jennifer!
Great review, Darinda!
Thank you, Jonetta!
Darinda, thank you for this superb review – it has helped make publication day very special and I am so glad you enjoyed it. Watch out on Monday for some news which might be of interest regarding the next in the series! 😉
My pleasure, Carol! I’m definitely interested in the next book. I’ll be sure to check for news about it on Monday.
Great review, Darinda!
Thank you!