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?
Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten was published digitally by One More Chapter on 16 October 2020, the paperback is published on 24 December. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review for this Blog Tour organised by Sarah from Book On The Bright Side Publicity.
Dead Perfect is book three in Noelle Holten's DC Maggie Jamieson series. I've been looking forward to this for so long. The author left her readers with an amazing cliff-hanger ending on the final pages of the last book; Dead Wrong and I have been desperate to find out what happens next.
Dead Perfect seems to be a meatier, more involved and certainly more complex story than the previous two of the series. It's a long book at almost 450 pages, but it's a finely detailed study in the inner workings of a police investigation into murder. The author has once again used her own personal experiences to produce a novel that screams authenticity. It's fantastic to read a police procedural that plays homage to the many other agencies that are involved in every forensic case; from the probation service, to social workers and mortuary workers. There's a depth to this story that is often missing from run-of-the-mill crime fiction, and I welcome it.
Holten has expanded and grown her characters so well. Maggie and Kate, and Nathan have all become so familiar, almost part of the family, yet we learn more things about them with every novel. It's a fine skill to carry on with the creation of lead characters, without making them cliched or over the top.
So, the plot. Maggie and her team are investigating a particularly gruesome murder, and it's also very emotionally challenging for the team, as one of their own is directly involved. Maggie is a headstrong, abrupt and committed police officer, but can often allow her personal feelings to impact on her work, and upon her colleagues. When one murder, turns into two, and then three, with the expectation of another very soon, Maggie becomes increasingly anxious, and at times disregards her own safety, and that of others around her.
As the investigating team battle to find links between the dead women, the reader is aware of the inner most thought of the perpetrator, and whilst we do not know who he is, we are flung a few red herrings along the way. It's quite terrifying to be thrust into the mindset of a man who is clearly damaged, yet intelligent, and it's a tense and frightening race against time for the team, and for the reader.
Whilst you may guess who the villain of the piece actually is, I doubt very much that any reader will work out his motive. It's a shocking finale and one that had me racing through the final chapters towards a chilling and very satisfying ending.
Once more, this clever and skilled author leaves her readers on a cliff edge. The final sentence will have you gasping for more, and screaming with frustration that you have to wait to find out.
The best in the series so far, in my opinion, and I am now desperate to find out what comes next for Maggie and her colleagues.
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 BAs - 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 booklove via her blog.
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