The Lost Girl by Tania Carver

The Lost Girl by Tania Carver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Little Brown Book Group

Pages - 416

Blurb from Goodreads

The terrifying new thriller in the Brennan and Esposito series - are you brave enough to read it?

When three men are found hanged in locations around Colchester, Detective Inspector Phil Brennan gets the shock of his life. Not only are the victims dressed to look like him, but each carries a defaced tarot card in the pocket of their identical leather jackets, scrawled across with one name: Phil Brennan.

The bodies aren't found in random locations - they're all in places where DI Brennan has caught a murderer. Someone is sending him a message. And he thinks he knows who it is...

Shocking and thrilling, in this dramatic new Tania Carver thriller DI Phil Brennan and his wife, psychologist Marina Esposito, have their lives turned upside down as the past comes back to haunt their present with terrifying consequences.


My Review

Firsty, if you haven't read the previous books in the series I think you can get away with picking this one up. There are mentions to things that have happened in previous books and this series I have read out of order and just as I find them. DI Phil Brennan and his wife Marina Esposito (psychologist) have been through so much already, they are cautious and do keep on top of personal safety. When three male victims are found, all in places Brennan has connections to it is clear someone is trying to tell him something. A high profile kidnap puts everyone on edge and questioning everything they know and their team. The killer is fearless, clever and has one mission on her mind, no one and nothing will get in the way and Phil and Marina find themselves facing their greatest threat yet.

We open in italics, with a little girl and an event that will change her life forever, anytime we visit her the italics highlights the switch so we can follow the story with ease. There are many themes in this book, murder, psychological torture, rape, abuse, pedophilia, prostitution, police teamwork, grief and loss, to name but a few. Certainly not for the faint hearted or easily offended, some of the scenes are really tough to read even for the hardest fans of dark gritty crime.

The chapters are short making it easy for dipping in and out, the subject matter is horrific in parts and the pace finds the reader struggling to put it down. I have read Carver before and will read him again, I just may need a few fluffy reads inbetween to draw some balance again. Carver creates some really deprived criminals that disgusts you but keeps you hooked to discover just what creates such monsters. 4/5 for me this time, as I said I have read him before and I would read him again but warn readers to pick this one up with caution.

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Review - The Creeper by Tania Carver

The Creeper by Tania Carver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken to Read - 1.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Suzanne Perry is having a vivid nightmare. Someone is in her bedroom, touching her, and she can t move a muscle. She wakes, relieved to put the nightmare behind her, but when she opens the curtains, she sees a polaroid stuck to the window. A photo of her, sleeping, taken during the night. And underneath, the words: I m watching over you.

Her nightmare isn't over. In fact, it s just beginning. Detective Inspector Phil Brennan of the Major Incident Squad has a killer to hunt. A killer who stalks young women, insinuates himself into their lives, and ultimately tortures and murders them in the most shocking way possible.

But the more Phil investigates, the more he delves into the twisted psychology of his quarry, Phil realizes that it isn't just a serial killer he s hunting but something or someone infinitely more calculating and horrific. And much closer to home than he realized . . .

My Review

Imagine having a horrific nightmare, someone in your room touching you and you cannot move. Then you wake up in the morning relived it was just as dream, until you see the picture proving it wasn't. What follows is mutilated bodies, an intense police investigation and a tangled web of deceit.

The very start of the book kicks off quickly but then for me it dragged a bit because it jumps from the girl with the nightmare to the police and their relationship issues (from the previous book) and then to other police communications then back to the killer and stalker victim. Around half way the book picks up and really gets good to the point where you don't want to put it down. My only other complaint was some of the plot was glaringly obvious (I don't do spoilers but at two points I was like omg why can't the police see this!). However that said there was plenty to keep me guessing and I did enjoy it and the thing I like most about any of these books is all my questions where answered.

Pretty good plot, after you get by the first half it really picks up and you sink into the story and don't want to put it down until you see how it's played out, 3/5 for me.

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Review - The Surrogate by Tania Carver

The Surrogate by Tania Carver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

A shocking double-murder scene greets Detective Inspector Philip Brennan when he is called to a flat in Colchester. Two women are viciously cut open and laying spreadeagled, one tied to the bed, one on the floor. The woman on the bed has had her stomach cut into and her unborn child is missing.

But this is the third time Phil and his team have seen such an atrocity. Two other pregnant women have been killed in this way and their babies taken from them. No-one can imagine what sort of person would want to commit such evil acts.

When psychologist Marina Esposito is brought in, Phil has to put aside his feelings about their shared past and get on with the job. But can they find the killer before another woman is targeted?

My Review

A killer is targeting pregnant woman and wants one thing from them, the baby. The story starts with a double murder, brutal in it's ferocity and nature. The police enlist the help of Marina Esposito, a profiling psychologist whose last interaction with the team still haunts her and this case will take all of her focus and dedication.

It is a very busy story, lots of different ties and links going on. I felt like this was book number two as it kept referring back to Marina's last case she worked on with them and how it had a huge impact on her and DI Phil Brennan's relationship. It eventually explains it out what happened but until it does you feel your missing quite a vital part of what happened between them.

The subject matter of someone removing unborns from their mothers stomach and what follows after is quite horrific, the details aren't the most gruesome I have read but due to what it is it does make for unsettling reading. It is a good crime story with lots going on and a decent introduction to this author's writing however for me there was something lacking which is why I am giving it a three. I did enjoy the story and a lot of my questions where answered but there was some things left out or not explained so 3/5 for me and I will read more by this author.

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