REVIEW: Left for Dead by Joy Kluver

Left for Dead (DI Bernadette Noel #3) by Joy Kluver

Genre: Crime fiction, Crime thriller, Police procedural

Read: 8th January 2022

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Published: 10th January 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The detective stared at the young woman lying on the bed. She almost looked peaceful, her face like porcelain. Despite everything she had been through, she was still beautiful.

When DI Bernie Noel hurries to Keira Howard’s hospital bedside, she knows that Keira has been lucky. Barely conscious and badly injured, at least she is alive. Convinced that Keira’s attack is the latest in a string of increasingly violent assaults on young women in the area, the next victim might not be so fortunate. So she vows to find the man who did this, and to stop him before anyone else gets hurt.

Spurring her team into action, she quickly hones in on a prime suspect. But then he suddenly dies while on police watch, and Bernie’s investigation goes into freefall. When Bernie’s superiors won’t let her take the case any further, her gut instinct tells her there’s much more to his death than meets the eye. If it was murder, who would want him dead, and why? So she determines to set out on her own to find out what happened.

But the closer Bernie comes to discovering the truth, the more she is putting her own life in danger. And with Keira finally strong enough to talk her about her attack, Bernie worries she may be at risk yet again. There’s someone out there who has killed to stay safe in the shadows; can Bernie stop another senseless death, and save Keira, before it’s too late?

An utterly compelling crime thriller full of twists and suspense, perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Angela Marsons and Cara Hunter.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Joy Kluver's thrilling LEFT FOR DEAD.

Rejoining DI Bernie Noel a few months from where book 2 left off, LEFT FOR DEAD is the best yet. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down! And while each book can be read as standalones, to get the most out of Bernie's background and ongoing story, it's best to have read Books 1 and 2 first. Readers will be less likely to be in the dark surrounding some aspects as they fall into place rather leave you wondering what went on before.

As I said, I think this book is the best one yet. The team have not only grown but so has Bernie. Having transferred from the Met to Wiltshire a short while ago, Bernie was running from a past she would rather have left in London. Hence, her reluctance to front press conferences or to be seen on camera. In the first two books, there appeared to be quite a bit of angst among the ranks...particularly regarding her stand-in superior in the last book who was filling in for DCS Wilson, and DI Dougie Anderson brought in as FLO in the first book and to whom Bernie took an immediate dislike. Things didn't improve in the second book either as he was drafted in once again by her stand-in superintendent.

LEFT FOR DEAD opens with Bernie being awoken from sleep with the baby she is now expecting pressing down on her bladder but before she can answer the call of nature, her phone rings with the news that a nineteen year old woman, Keira Howard, has been found in Town Gardens brutally attacked and sexually assaulted. Without another thought she is up and on her way to the scene with her now live-in partner Dougie Anderson on route to headquarters to which he's been summoned.

At the scene Bernie meets Local Crime Investigator Leigh Roberts, based out of the local nick in Swindon, who has been investigating a spate of sexual attacks on young woman in the area. It appears that Keira could be the fifth victim but Bernie's not so sure. Still, she seconds Leigh to help on the investigation given her knowledge of the case and her thorough investigative skills. But she soon learns that Leigh is not all that she appears to be leaving her team wondering if she has made an error in drafting her to the team.

Meanwhile, Dougie has been working on a covert op in Serious Crime but when it goes belly-up and the suspect makes a run for it only to be collected by a lorry, Dougie finds his neck is on the line and is suspended from duty pending further enquiries. But when Bernie overhears a conversation between DCS Wilson and the Chief Constable regarding the identity of the suspect who was no in ICU, she wonders what bearing it has on her and why they deem it imperative to keep his true identity from her. Something else is going on here and despite it being none of her business, Bernie resolves to get to the bottom of it somehow. Especially as Dougie is being made the scapegoat for an operation that was, in effect, the Met's.

When Keira wakes, Bernie and her DS Kerry Allen head to the hospital to question her, hoping she can offer them the answers they need to move forward in the case that appears thus far to be stalling. But the nurse only allows five minutes with Keira during which time they could ascertain nothing that didn't already know before being shuffled out.

Investigations lead Bernie and the team back and forth from Swindon, including Bernie's introduction to Swindon's magic roundabout (google it and prepared to be wowed) which left her somewhat addled amidst her aching wrist from a previous injury and baby brain. 

Then when the team finally hone in on a suspect, with surprising results, they are then further shocked when he dies whilst in police custody, thrusting Bernie's investigation into freefall. Given the gravity of the situation and apparent tenuous links, her superiors recuse her from the case sending her home for some much needed rest and placing her DS Kerry Allen in charge. But Bernie refuses to let go as her instinct tells her there is more to his death than it seems. So if is was murder, who would want him dead? And why? And how, given that he was in a secure unit under police watch? Surely someone had seen something. 

Regardless of the circumstances, Bernie is determined to uncover the truth and find out what happened. But the closer she gets, the more she is placing herself and that of her unborn child, in danger. And now that Keira is awake and able to talk, she too could be at risk yet again. But the clock is ticking...Can Bernie find her attacker and her suspect's killer before it's too late?

WOW! This certainly is a gripping crime thriller and, I say it again, the best one yet in the DI Bernadette Noel series. At last all the team are working from the same page and no longer is there any angst amongst the ranks. And the developing relationship between Bernie and Dougie is rather sweet and a refreshing change from the usual single workaholic detectives that find themselves alone with a bottle to drown their sorrows. And how the two cases entwined was very clever and even lead me in a different direction. I have to say, Joy Kluver has hoodwinked me yet again because I don't think I have ever correctly guessed the villain in her books when I easily do in others. And this one was no different. While I did partially guess correctly, I was completely off-base with the rest of it.

LEFT FOR DEAD is a thrilling and addictive fast paced read, made pacier with the delightfully short and snappy chapters. As in most cases with the series, the book leaves us on something of a cliffhanger but in a good way. The ending actually left me with tears in my eyes. Bring on Book 4!! I can't wait, especially as Bernie's pregnancy advances and where that will leave her in future books.

Fantastic read, LEFT FOR DEAD is perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Carol Wyer and Carla Kovach.

I would like to thank #JoyKluver, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #LeftForDead in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Joy Kluver has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. More recently she's been escaping the madness of motherhood by turning her hand to crime novels. A book blogger, she's also part of the First Monday Crime team and if you've been to any of their events it's likely you've eaten one of her cookies. She also organises author talks for her local library. Joy lives in SW London with her husband and three children. 'Last Seen' is her debut novel and the first book in the DI Bernadette Noel series.

Joy is represented by Anne Williams at the Kate Horden Literary Agency.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: Broken Girls by Joy Kluver

Broken Girls (DI Bernie Noel #2) by Joy Kluver

Genre: Crime thriller, Crime fiction, Police procedural

Read: 18th July 2021

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Published: 27th July 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Brambles catch her dress, scratch her legs, pierce her feet. To escape, she’d had no option but to go barefoot. They’d been laughing together a few minutes before, but things can change in the blink of an eye…

The woman is dark-haired and young, judging by the short red dress. Any other signs of her identity have been erased during her long wait to be found, but it’s clear she was strangled: this was a passionate and personal murder.

D.I. Bernadette Noel knows that every second counts if she is to catch this killer, but she has no leads – until the discovery that the dead woman’s rings match a stolen property report, and the rings’ owner mentions Rosa, her missing nanny.

Just when Bernie and her team think they’re getting somewhere, a shocking discovery about Rosa – and the news that another young girl has been abducted – changes everything the team thought they knew about the case.

Laura is only twelve, and her parents are beside themselves with worry – but Bernie has an additional fear. Laura’s home is right next to the woods where their murder victim was found: are the cases connected?

When Bernie notices similarities between descriptions of the man last seen with Rosa and someone Laura was messaging online, these fears grow stronger. But they still have no clear leads as to the identity of the culprit.

With few options left, and time running out, she makes a desperate plan to trap the predator. But any mistakes will mean another innocent life lost…

A gripping crime thriller with a nail-biting climax. If you like Angela Marsons, Val McDermid or Cara Hunter, you’ll love Joy Kluver.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Joy Kluver's next exciting crime thriller BROKEN GIRLS.

I thoroughly enjoyed Joy's debut thriller "Last Seen" where readers were introduced to DI Bernadette Noel who had transferred from The Met to Wiltshire, not so much under a cloud as trying to escape what she left behind there. And while there was a hint of what she was running from in the first book there isn't a mention of it here. In the last book we met Bernie's long lost father who had been following her and she thought she was under threat and in the months since then they have forged a relationship together, though he features very little in this installment.

Readers are thrown right into the deep end as the story opens directly onto Bernie and her team having been called to the scene of a horrific murder in which the victim's bloated body has been discovered in the woods, having been left undetected for almost a week. Bernie cannot contain her retching as the smell of the decomposed remains permeates through her senses and as soon as she leaves the cordon, she evacuates whatever breakfast she'd managed that morning. 

Whilst normally DCS Wilson has overseered her investigations, he is currently on sick leave and she is left having to work under DCI Patrick Worth, or Worthless as he is more commonly known. So when the booming voice of her superior arrives on scene, she has to talk him through the evidence thus far whilst revisiting the remains. Thankfully, she keeps her stomach this time. Worth, on the other hand, finds it difficult not to retch.

Due to the nature in which she was found, it is proving almost impossible to identify her. She cannot be visually identified, nor can her fingerprints do so, which leaves DNA and dental records. Unfortunately, for that to happen, the team need an idea of who their victim may be to compare them against. All they have to go on is the short red dress she is dressed in the exorbitant 10cm stilettos, also red, she'd been wearing. And the rings found her on her fingers engraved "To H love R". Bernie delegates her team to searching for the dress and the shoes online until a match is found. 

The search leads them to a missing au pair for Rupert and Harriet Fox. Their au pair Rosa Conti had been discovered entertaining a male friend in her bedroom one evening and she was dismissed immediately, but apparently, not before she took Harriet's wedding rings with her. Whatever happened to her after that, the Foxes do not know...or they're not saying. But Bernie is suspicious. The couple appear to be hiding something, though what she doesn't know. She is equally suspicious of her bumbling superior, DCI Worth, who insisted on accompanying her to interview the Foxes. Why was he so interested when he would normally remain in the station, delegating and overseeing tasks?

Then a girl goes missing. Laura Moffat, the 12 year old sister of Craig Moffat who had discovered the body has disappeared and a search of her instagram account reveals her intimate conversations with a Luke Davidson, who claims to be 17 years old, though the team are immediately suspicious. His side of the conversation involve clear grooming tactics, lulling the unsuspecting girl into false sense of security and convincing her to send topless photos of herself. Hacking into his account, they discover that Laura isn't the online girl he has been grooming. He had been in conversations with Chloe Hampton, Laura's best friend, as well as young woman called Maria G. 

But how does all this connect to the murder of Rosa Conti? Worth doesn't think it does and promptly removes Bernie from the murder investigation so she can concentrate on that of the missing girl. But Bernie thinks Worth has an ulterior motive from keeping her away from the murder investigation. The question is...why?

On top of all this, Worth has drafted in DS Dougie Anderson once again, much to Bernie's dismay. She had a near miss where Anderson was concerned when his ex-wife called from Edinburgh to warn her and any female colleagues about her "manipulative and controlling" ex-husband. Since then, Bernie had given him a wide berth. But now they were forced to work together once again.

As the investigation progresses, several possibilities come to light but the cases appear to be far more complex than they had first anticipated. And then when it becomes clear that the two cases are linked, Bernie takes her suspicions higher as she fights to protect both herself and her team.

The mysteries of the murdered girl and Laura's disappearance are woven together brilliantly in this incredibly twisty case in which Bernie and her team find themselves. The investigation is so complex I didn't even have a clue as to who was responsible...until right before the reveals. BROKEN GIRLS is inextricably woven in a tapestry of blackmail, rape, abuse and murder that will give you chills. I even love the addition of the ghost story which added an atmospheric creepiness.

I'm not a fan of superiors who lord it over their officers and continually pull rank on them, as is the case with DCI Worth(less). I prefer a team that are all on the same page and work well together instead of the constant angst that runs throughout. However, Worth's attitude was paramount to the story so I will excuse it this time, but on the whole...not a fan and prefer not to have to endure it.

Like her debut, BROKEN GIRLS is not predictable and leads the reader on a merry chase alongside Bernie in search of answers. But unlike "Last Seen", this book is told wholly in Bernie's third person narrative. Her previous book had little snippets in-between from the villain whereas this one does not. I have to say that that disappointed me a little as I do prefer thrillers to include various perspectives, particularly one from the as yet unidentified villain which adds to the edge-of-your-seat thrills. 

I did enjoy BROKEN GIRLS but I would have liked to seen the villain narrative added to taunt us. And less angst amongst the team.

I did, however, like the little cliffhanger tidbit readers were left with (and one I had guessed a little earlier). I wonder where that will take us in the next installment in this exciting series.

Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Carol Wyer, Helen Phifer and Carla Kovach.

I would like to thank #JoyKluver, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #BrokenGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Joy Kluver has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. More recently she's been escaping the madness of motherhood by turning her hand to crime novels. A book blogger, she's also part of the First Monday Crime team and if you've been to any of their events it's likely you've eaten one of her cookies. She also organises author talks for her local library. Joy lives in SW London with her husband and three children. 'Last Seen' is her debut novel and the first book in the DI Bernadette Noel series.

Joy is represented by Anne Williams at the Kate Horden Literary Agency.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

REVIEW: Last Seen by Joy Kluver

Last Seen (DI Bernadette Noel #1) by Joy Kluver

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural

Read: 12th March 2021

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Published: 26th March 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I can see her, shouting with laughter as she swings as high as she can, her beautiful blonde curls flying out behind her. I can feel her tiny hot hand in mine, and my heart aches. My little girl. If only I’d listened to my gut. Then maybe she’d be safe here with me…

When five-year-old Molly Reynolds is snatched from the park in the small village of Otterfield, Detective Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Noel throws herself into the search, sick with worry for the quiet, sensitive little girl and her distraught mother.

Wasting no time, Bernie finds a small green cardigan under a bush in the park. It still has the smiley face sticker Molly won that week at school. It’s the first in a chain of clues – and Bernie can’t shake the feeling that it was left deliberately, as a message.

But Bernie encounters a wall of silence. Otterfield is a close-knit community, yet no one in the village seems to care that Molly is missing at all. Why?

And then Bernie makes a chilling discovery: twenty-five years ago, another little girl went missing from the area. Her name was Sophie, and all they ever found of her was her teddy bear, hidden under a bush. Now Bernie knows she’s in a race against time to save Molly’s life.

Bernie’s team work round the clock to find a connection between the two girls, and just when they think they’re making progress a devastating tragedy strikes at the heart of the case. Molly’s family have been hiding a secret, and now their little girl is in greater danger than ever.

Can Bernie outwit the most warped criminal she has ever faced and bring Molly home safe, or will another innocent life be lost?

A completely addictive crime thriller with mind-blowing twists that will have you reading late into the night. If you like Val McDermid, D.S. Butler or Angela Marsons, you’ll love Joy Kluver.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Joy Kluver's compelling debut crime thriller LAST SEEN.

A mother's back is turned. A child goes missing. The first 24 hours are the most crucial and with each passing hour, the chances of finding her alive continue to shrink. Door to door enquiries are undertaken but police are finding the community reluctant to help to the point of refusal. Why?

DI Bernadette "Bernie" Noel came to Wiltshire from the Met to escape. With her move came a promotion after a successful conviction in London which resulted in her receiving death threats. A move to the West Country was to put all that behind her and to protect both herself and her family. But despite her rank and her stoic exterior, Bernie is as emotional and fallible as the next person. But she cares. And that, and her tenacity, is what makes her a good detective.

Now six months later Bernie is on her way back from her grandfather's funeral in London when she receives the call and races to the scene. She arrives to find a search already underway and her crime scene trampled. With no clue as to how 5 year old Molly Reynolds left the playground, police can only surmise possible scenarios with no real idea as to what actually happened. Had Molly been taken? Was it a stranger? Was it someone known to her? Was she playing her favourite game of hide and seek and had hidden herself just a little too well? Or had she just wandered off and gotten lost? Police dogs are brought in to track her scent...but only get as far as the gate before the trail goes cold. If Molly had left the playground - which she obviously did as she was no longer there - then why does her scent end at the gate? She didn't grow wings and fly away...so where did she go?

Bernie's questions of the community fall on deaf ears. She is met with belligerence, has doors slammed in her face while others don't even answer the door! No one, it seems, wants to help find little Molly. Why is the community of Otterfield so intent on being unhelpful?

When Bernie questions distraught mother Jessica Cole, she learns that Molly has no friends and plays by herself. When they arrived at the playground after school, Molly even had to wait around half an hour before the other children left and allow her play on the equipment. Bernie found this strange behaviour and it appeared the entire community was against both Molly and her mother. But even so, wouldn't the community want to help find little Molly, regardless of how they felt about her mother?

Not only has Bernie got this troubling case on her hands, she also has office politics to deal with when her superior, DCS Wilson, announces that a new DS is being foisted upon her who "has a great deal of experience" and will take over as FLO for the family. As Bernie already had an FLO in place, she feels undermined and outranked. And given Wilson's praise of the newcomer from Scotland, that he doesn't have the faith in her to investigate this case and close with a good result.

Needless to say when DS Dougal (Dougie) Anderson arrives, swooping in to take over FLO duties, he dismisses the uniformed PC guarding the Coles' house as well as the volunteer home help Bernie called in to assist Jessica in caring for baby Sam. This leads to conflict between Anderson and Bernie as she reminds him that she is his superior officer and he had no authority to dismiss those she had put in place without first clearing it with her. It is soon clear to Bernie that DS Anderson is used to giving orders, making him something of a mystery. The fact that they don't always see eye to eye creates a simmering layer of conflict between them. Thankfully, there isn't too much of that and Anderson ends up being an essential member of Bernie's team.

The rest of Bernie's team - DS Kerry Allen and DC Matt Taylor along with Sgt Alan Turner, DCS Wilson and media liaison Jane Clackett - are an interesting bunch and despite conflicts with the latter two, the team are like a well-oiled machine that moves along smoothly. And if anyone can solve the disappearance of Molly Reynolds, it's Bernie.

The story is told in the third person perspective of Bernie throughout with the exception of little snippets, inserted every few chapters, from the villain. These fragments create another aspect to the story as we try to figure out who is behind the disappearance...and why. Part of the fun in reading crime fiction is trying to guess the culprit but Joy Kluver had me well and truly hoodwinked. Although some aspects I did manage to figure out successfully.

With a fast moving plot, there is a lot packed into LAST SEEN, from a missing 5 year old, a series of thefts at betting shops in the county and surrounds, an historic child abduction to a fact from Bernie's past she has not yet met and the underlying threats from a past case as well the ongoing power struggles and office politics. But it was all well written and each facet complemented the rest of the story.

I found it slightly ironic, however, that Bernie - who had made the move to Wiltshire to keep a low profile - spends a lot of time appearing at press conferences, interviews and in the public eye and yet still survives unscathed. If her superiors are truly aware of her circumstances, I'm sure they would have made allowances to keep her safe and out of the public eye. After all, she is meant to be keeping a low profile. But whether they are or not, I'm not sure. Surely they aren't as it would be professional suicide to place a member under their command at risk. However, I'm sure there is more to come on that front as the series progresses.

A promising start to the series, I thoroughly enjoyed LAST SEEN and look forward to reading more about Bernie and her team. I recommend this book/series to fans of crime fiction, police procedurals and those of Carol Wyer, Val McDermid, Helen Phifer, Angela Marsons and Carla Kovach.

I would like to thank #JoyKluver, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #LastSeen in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Joy Kluver has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. More recently she's been escaping the madness of motherhood by turning her hand to crime novels. A book blogger, she's also part of the First Monday Crime team and if you've been to any of their events it's likely you've eaten one of her cookies. She also organises author talks for her local library. Joy lives in SW London with her husband and three children. 'Last Seen' is her debut novel and the first book in the DI Bernadette Noel series.

Joy is represented by Anne Williams at the Kate Horden Literary Agency.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram