The Killer's Girl (DC Megan Brookes #2) by Helen Phifer
Genre: Crime fiction, Police procedural, Thriller
Read: 3rd December 2020
Published: 10th December 2020
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
‘Mama, wake up.’
The little girl reached for her mother’s face with one pudgy hand. But the eyes stayed closed, and the blood continued to trickle across the floor.
When the body of a young woman is found, tied to her bed and the victim of a brutal attack in her own home, Detective Morgan Brookes is sickened by what she finds as she searches the house. And unprepared for the nightmares it inspires about her childhood.
When the DNA collected gives a positive ID, Morgan can’t wait to put the attacker behind bars. But the person it matches to is already in prison. How could the DNA of someone who has been locked up for over twenty years have shown up in Morgan’s crime scene? And then they make another close match. To Morgan herself.
Faced with the impossible proof that she is somehow connected to this case, Morgan delves deep into the crimes of a killer who stalked the Lake District two decades ago. But distracted by the old case, she misses the signs that he has found a new victim. And when he strikes close to home, Morgan finally realises that she has been living on borrowed time. To find this killer, it’s clear she must confront the nightmares in her past…
A heart-racing, nerve-wracking crime thriller. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney will be completely gripped.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Helen Phifer's exciting new crime thriller THE KILLER'S GIRL.
Initially, what drew me to this book was Helen Phifer as I adore her Dr Beth Adams series and while I'm disappointed there hasn't been another since, I was excited by the premise of THE KILLER'S GIRL. Despite it being the second book in the DC Morgan Brookes series, I have yet to read the first. But if Helen's writing is anything to go by from her previous series, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed...even if I did come late to the party. And I wasn't.
The story begins with a compelling prologue taking place in 1999 that drew me in from the very beginning. Janet Marks knows her husband Gary is cheating on her and as she reads the front page of the Cumbrian News, she gets a chill sweeping through her body. The Riverside Rapist has struck again and she now knows without a doubt that it's Gary. He has not been home on any of the nights the rapist struck claiming to be night fishing but Janet knows the truth. And now she wants Gary gone. She packs his things and leaves them in a suitcase by the door as she sees to her sleeping children, 5 year old Taylor and 3 year old Skye. But when Gary returns home, things don't go to plan and it's a bloody end for Janet...as Skye screams from the top of the stairs.
When Gabrielle Stevens leaves her friends in pub one night, she has no idea that it will be her last. She arrives home to a dark and silent house as her parents are holidaying in Madrid and aren't expected back for another few days. But that's OK...Gabby is enjoying the time to herself. But as she climbs the stairs to her room she stops at her bedroom door. Her bed is made. And Gabby is certain that she left it a crumpled mess that morning. Shrugging to herself, thinking maybe she did make it, she draws back the covers to discover a folded piece of paper. As she reads it, a chill runs down her spine and the hair on her neck bristles. She can feel the presence of another in her room. She is not alone. She is grabbed from behind and he begins to squeeze the life from her, she pulls off his balaclava as recognition dawns...and the note he left her is forgotten.
"You look much better naked."
DC Morgan Brookes awakes at the same time every morning - 4.25am - without fail, her troubled dreams becoming shadows. She takes herself off for a walk/run, returning home as her mobile rings. Her boss DS Ben Matthews has just received a call for a woman found murdered in her bed by her parents returning from holiday. Morgan immediately swings into action as she is thrust headlong into a murder investigation that ends up hitting too close to home.
The killer, it seems, made off with Gabby's mobile phone and, with the flip of a coin, decides to start toying with police with random messages. His recipient is Morgan which he finds to be a delicious coincidence. His glee at seeing them cluelessly chasing their tails is almost as gratifying as the killing itself...but not quite.
Then when Morgan's father, Stan, is murdered she is devastated. Although she and her father had had a difficult relationship since the tragic death of her mother some years before, they have been slowly rebuilding their relationship and Stan was now in AA. His murder comes as a brutal shock as the team ponder who would kill Stan...and why?
The case takes a confusing turn when DNA from both crime scenes quickly identifies the killer. But he couldn't have committed the murders. After all, he has the best of all alibis - he's been in prison for the past twenty years! But that's not all the DNA throws up. Something even more puzzling and more baffling than Matthews could ever explain.
Meanwhile, Morgan has been placed on compassionate leave in the wake of her father's murder. The question is why was he killed? All Morgan has to go on is her father's final text which she found puzzling at the time but may have been the catalyst that lead to his sudden death. What did he mean in those final words he sent her? As Morgan delves deeper into the past, beginning with her mother's suicide, she soon discovers some home truths that will rock her foundation to the very core as things take a more personal turn for the young detective.
I must say, it's refreshing to read a police procedural where the team actually get along and the senior officers are not constantly trying to oust the main character. I am tired of the stereotypical and cliched cop that seems to run rampant through crime fiction. So this is a refreshing change. I love Morgan's team as well as Morgan herself. She is not afraid to admit her weaknesses whilst learning from her mistakes. She certainly has the makings of a good detective and I hope we see more of her in the future.
I love the short snappy chapters which always keep the story going at a fast but steady pace, swiping the pages in an attempt to get there quicker. I had quickly figured out the link to the historical case at the beginning to the current one as well as the killer but it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment for one minute. I always feel a sense of achievement if I've guessed correctly before the book's end.
The only flaw I found was with the death of Morgan's mother, Sylvia. Although it was the catalyst to Morgan's estrangement with her father, it was mentioned more than once that she was 15 at the time of her mother's death and that it was five years before. However, Morgan also said she was 23, being the same age as Gabby Stevens. That would make it eight years since her mother died or, if five years then she'd have been 18 and not 15. I thought it a misprint at first, but when it was mentioned several times I found it to be an anomaly that should have been rectified in editing.
Nevertheless, THE KILLER'S GIRL is an excellent book and a fast paced intriguing crime thriller that I devoured in record time. It really is THAT good. I look forward to book 3 in the series, as the ending in this one has given the reader a teaser for future plots.
Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction with a well-written fast paced story that is intriguing from beginning to end.
I would like to thank #HelenPhifer, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheKillersGirl in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children.
Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own.
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