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?
I’m thrilled to be hosting the blog tour for Dead Perfect today. Many thanks to Noelle Holten, One More Chapter and Sarah Hardy from BOTBS Publicity for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
Noelle Holten certainly isn’t giving DC Maggie Jamieson a chance to draw breath, and hot on the heels of her previous hard-hitting case in Dead Wrong, she is called out to another murder - and it looks as if the victim could be her colleague and good friend, Dr Kate Moloney. Although this time the body isn't Kate's, it worryingly seems that she may be the real target...
Dead Perfect is a thoroughly perplexing mystery but more than that, it’s also utterly nerve-wracking. A lot of that is due to the scenes which follow the mysterious antagonist. He is properly creepy and I felt chills every time he appeared on the page. His obsession with Kate and his meticulously plotted yet totally deranged plans ensure there’s an almost constant sense of dread to the book. I always suspected something terrifying would happen but waiting for that moment really raised my pulse rate and ensured I raced through the pages with my heart in my mouth!
The other major reason why Dead Perfect is such a tense read is the very personal aspect of it; Kate is such a well-written character who I like very much but even putting my feelings for her aside, Maggie’s concern for her friend is almost palpable. Her feelings for Kate potentially extend beyond friendship and her fear means she sometimes oversteps the mark, both with Kate and with her colleagues.
Her relationship with her former partner and now senior officer, Nathan often becomes fraught here and it’s worth saying that while Dead Perfect can definitely be enjoyed as a stand-alone, returning readers will enjoy the ongoing character development and the way their relationships are evolving as this excellent series progresses. Nathan doesn’t hold back from criticising Maggie’s behaviour when necessary even if it occasionally threatens to sour their friendship. It can often be difficult negotiating a new way of working together when one person has been promoted and I thought Noelle Holten captured that so well in Dead Perfect.
I loved both previous DS Maggie Jamieson books but I think Dead Perfect might be my favourite so far. The emotional toll of the investigation, the sinister and rather gruesome nature of the crimes being committed - there’s a grim reason why the killer is nicknamed the Living Doll Killer by the Press - and the gripping twisty plot which kept me guessing throughout means Dead Perfect is an absolutely first-rate police procedural. I love that the book ends with a tantalising glimpse of Maggie’s next case - Noelle Holten clearly isn’t giving her a chance to rest up... and I can’t wait to read it!
Dead Perfect is published by One More Chapter, purchasing links can be found
here but please support independent bookstores whenever possible.
Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
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 book love 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.
Oh Karen!! ♥️♥️♥️ This review is just AMAZING! You picked up on so much and I loved that! Thank you so much for this wonderful review and for being a part of the tour! 🙏🏻🥰
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for being part of the blog tour today Karen x
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