Review: Dying Breath by Helen Phifer

Title: Dying Breath 

Author: Helen Phifer 

Series: Detective Lucy Harwin, #2 

Published: November 2017, Bookouture 

Format: ARC E-copy, 285 pages 

Source: Netgalley via Publisher

Summary:

Take a breath. Pray it’s not your last.
Just a few months after a terrifying case that nearly took her life, Detective Lucy Harwin
is back with her squad in the coastal town of Brooklyn Bay – and this
time, she’s faced with a case more horrifying than anything she’s
encountered.

Along with her partner, Detective Mattie Jackson,
Lucy is investigating what appears to be a vicious but isolated murder; a
woman found bludgeoned to death on a lonely patch of wasteland.

But
when a second victim is discovered strangled in an alleyway, then a
young family shot in their own home, Lucy and the team must face the
unthinkable reality – a killer is walking the streets of their town.

While
Lucy and the team try to find the link between these seemingly
unconnected murders, they uncover a disturbing truth – these murders are
replicating those carried out by infamous serial killers.

Lucy
must get to the killer before he strikes again. But he’s got his sights
on her, and is getting ever closer… Can she save herself, before she
becomes the final piece in his twisted game?A dark, gripping
and sinister crime novel that will hook fans of Patricia Gibney, Joy
Ellis and Angela Marsons from the very first page. 

My thoughts: This is the second book in Helen Phifer’s Detective Lucy Harwin series and I quite excited to read this one. It’s a dark, gritty police procedural series that opens with a bang and keeps you engaged throughout!

Detective Lucy Harwin just might be one of my favorite detectives out there. She’s feisty and tough, yet she dedicates her all to the cases at hand. She is determined to track down this killer before he/she strikes again. And despite having to work with her nemesis, DI Patrick Baker, she is the ultimate professional – at least outwardly. 

The storyline is incredibly complex and the way it is told, in my opinion is absolutely brilliant! Having parts of the story narrated by our murderer is just chilling. Being able to delve into this character’s childhood and see what sparked the idea of becoming a serial killer, while sick and twisted, really brings this character’s motivations to life. 

The pace of this book is just right – not too fast, but not that slow either. It hooks you right from the start and doesn’t let up until the very end when you are left completely stunned at the reveal of who the murderer is. I was totally shocked and definitely didn’t see that coming. 

My only complaint is that I felt the book ended a bit abruptly…we find out who the killer is, all is good and then BAM, it’s over practically in the next sentence. Kinda weird, but I guess that happens sometimes.  Oh well…either way, I will definitely be looking out for the next book as I really enjoy this series and want to see what happens next for Lucy!

Books in this series:

1. The Lost Children
2. Dying Breath