The Killer's Girl: A completely nail-biting crime thriller

Helen Phifer

Dec 2020 · Bookouture

About this ebook

‘Mama, wake up.’

The little girl reached for her mother’s face with one pudgy hand. But the eyes stayed closed, and the blood continued to trickle across the floor.

When the body of a young woman is found, tied to her bed and the victim of a brutal attack in her own home, Detective Morgan Brookes is sickened by what she finds as she searches the house. And unprepared for the nightmares it inspires about her childhood.

When the DNA collected gives a positive ID, Morgan can’t wait to put the attacker behind bars. But the person it matches to is already in prison. How could the DNA of someone who has been locked up for over twenty years have shown up in Morgan’s crime scene? And then they make another close match. To Morgan herself.

Faced with the impossible proof that she is somehow connected to this case, Morgan delves deep into the crimes of a killer who stalked the Lake District two decades ago. But distracted by the old case, she misses the signs that he has found a new victim. And when he strikes close to home, Morgan finally realises that she has been living on borrowed time. To find this killer, it’s clear she must confront the nightmares in her past…

A heart-racing, nerve-wracking crime thriller. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney will be completely gripped.

Readers love Helen Phifer:

‘Brilliant… keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the last chapter… loving this series and the characters in it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Plenty of twists… I didn’t want to put it down… suspenseful and riveting, you will want time to read it in one sitting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Hooked from the beginning and it kept me engaged until the very last page.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Full of twists… full of tension… several times I caught myself holding my breath.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Another thrilling, tightly plotted addition to this already fabulous series… I loved this book… fast-paced, realistic… plenty of action, mystery and suspects. Definitely comes highly recommended and deserves all of 5 stars.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘I thoroughly enjoyed… an engrossing tale… I don’t know where the time went, one minute I started to read and a few hours later I was finishing.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A humdinger of a crime thriller that grabs you and draws you in from the brilliantly written and powerful opening scene to the nail-biting, butt-clenching finale.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

Title: The Killer's Girl Author: HELEN PHIFER Publication Day: 10/12/20 Description: ‘Mama, wake up.’ The little girl reached for her mother’s face with one pudgy hand. But the eyes stayed closed, and the blood continued to trickle across the floor. When the body of a young woman is found, tied to her bed and the victim of a brutal attack in her own home, Detective Morgan Brookes is sickened by what she finds as she searches the house. And unprepared for the nightmares it inspires about her childhood. When the DNA collected gives a positive ID, Morgan can’t wait to put the attacker behind bars. But the person it matches to is already in prison. How could the DNA of someone who has been locked up for over twenty years have shown up in Morgan’s crime scene? And then they make another close match. To Morgan herself. Faced with the impossible proof that she is somehow connected to this case, Morgan delves deep into the crimes of a killer who stalked the Lake District two decades ago. But distracted by the old case, she misses the signs that he has found a new victim. And when he strikes close to home, Morgan finally realises that she has been living on borrowed time. To find this killer, it’s clear she must confront the nightmares in her past… A heart-racing, nerve-wracking crime thriller. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney will be completely gripped. BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Killer's Girl' by Helen Phifer. Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 10th December 2020 This is the third book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in her 'Detective Morgan Brookes' series but can be read as a standalone. The first book in the series is called 'One Left Alive' which I also highly recommend and I also loved her second book in her 'Beth Adams' series 'The Girls In The Lake'. I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. It is also the second book in the series that I have read the first one of so I'm looking forward to continuing it. It also stated in the synopsis that fans of Angela Marsons will be gripped. I am a huge fan of Angela's books so am looking forward to see if it loves up to this. I haven't got any doubts to be honest as I also love Helen s books. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book). This novel consists of 58 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case! This book is based in the Lake District, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited the Lake District on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Helen has based the book on. This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist are Detective Constable Morgan Brooks, Detective Sergeant Ben Matthews and Detective Constable Amy Smith. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out on anything. Wow!!! Just Wow!!! I did not see that one coming!!! Another brilliant book from this very talented author. Fantastically written and such an addictive and compelling read. Excellent descriptions making it so easy to imagine what's going on. The book cover and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly. The storyline is an absolute roller-coaster ride filled with suspense, crime, drama, red herrings and is a very good psychological thriller

Second in the series, it is easily read as a stand alone. However, I do recommend reading them in order. Detective Morgan Brookes, a rookie assigned to the homicide department, along with her partner/supervisor are called to investigate a death. A young woman is found tied to her bed in her own home. When DNA is collected, they find it goes back to a man who is in prison and has been there many years. This case is causing nightmares for Morgan all centered around her childhood. She and her alcoholic father have had a contentious relationship but they are working on it. He's the only family she has left. So she is beyond grief when someone murders her father. But the punches keep coming. When the medical examiner finds DNA and runs it .. it points directly to Morgan. Trying to find a way to proving her innocence, she becomes the target of someone else... and she's on his "to do list". To solve this crime, she's going to have to confront her past. This is well written, an excellent addition to the first book. The characters are deftly drawn and work amid the swirling twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the pages. The conclusion is unexpected .. and violent. Here's hoping there's soon to be a third book. Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Following a young girls horrifying discovery, Detective Morgan Brookes embarks on a journey to solve her murder that hits a lot closer to home than she could ever have imagined… The mystery in The Killer’s Girl plays out well and had me on the edge of my seat. I felt so many different emotions throughout, that when I was done, I was mentally exhausted, but in a good way. Helen Phifer takes her reader along for the ride on this one and has you experiencing the story as the characters do. I enjoyed seeing a more vulnerable side to Detective Morgan Brookes this time around, as the case brings up painful memories from her past, as well as personal tragedy in the present, that nearly breaks her. Helen Phifer really puts her through the wringer but, she still manages to put one foot in front of the other. As is always the way with Helen Phifer’s work, the writing is sharp and really packs a punch! The pace is frantic, helped by the short chapters that just keep you wanting to flick the pages and the ending sets up what should be another thrilling read, which I will be impatiently waiting for! The Killer’s Girl is another fantastic addition to the Detective Morgan Brookes series and whilst it cab be read as a stand-alone, I do recommend you start with One Left Alive as you would be missing out on another smashing read! It was a pleasure to be able to read and review The Killer’s Girl, which I highly recommend.