It’s a true pleasure to be participating in the paperback blog tour for Dead Inside by Noelle Holten today, because not only is she an absolute delight to know, as well as being a cracking author, but blog tour organiser Sarah Hardy of Books on the Bright Side publicity was one of the first fellow bloggers I met in person, so both these ladies have a special place in my blogging life.

Already available in e-book, Dead Inside is published in paperback today, 22nd August 2019, by One More Chapter and is available for purchase here.

Dead Inside

‘Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin

‘Kept me hooked’ Angela Marsons

‘An excellent read’ Martina Cole

‘Gritty, dark and chilling’ Mel Sherratt

A dark and gripping debut crime novel – the first in a stunning series – from a huge new talent.

The killer is just getting started…

When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.

The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered.

And he is Lucy’s husband.

Now the police are running out of time, but can Maggie really believe her friend Lucy is a cold-blooded killer?

My Review of Dead Inside

Starting a new job for DC Maggie Jamieson could be a case of out of the frying pan…

Dead Inside surprised me. I was expecting a gritty and visceral story which indeed it it as times, but I hadn’t reckoned on the absolutely fascinating insight into multi-agency working, or domestic abuse and its consequences that Noelle Holten presents so utterly convincingly. Here is a writer who understands and manages to convey disturbingly realistically what it is like to present a public persona of confidence whilst simultaneously being dead inside. I felt Dead Inside had a depth I wasn’t expecting and reading it has made me look anew at society so that I feel I am less naive and accepting after reading this book. Not only do I understand the impact of domestic abuse better, I understand the reasons for it too much more clearly.

That sensitivity acknowledged, there’s a fast paced and gripping story to enjoy. Dead Inside opens with a violent and dramatic prologue that sets the tone for many of the successive scenes in the narrative. Whilst there is considerable violence sometimes very graphically described, as well as a liberal use of expletives, I never felt any of it was gratuitous. Noelle Holten conveys the reality of the people in her story very vividly. I loved the short chapters because the book’s structure adds to the pace brilliantly.

Initially it took me a while to remember who all the characters were but as this is the first in a new series of books where many need to be established, I think that is to be expected and, because they are clearly drawn, flawed and very human, I soon worked out who was who. I especially liked the fact that DC Maggie Jamieson isn’t fully revealed in Dead Inside. We are given snippets about her and hints for the future that are clever hooks and have left me wanting to know more about her.

The person I was most intrigued by was Lucy. Ostensibly a successful career woman, she has an abusive home life that she manages to conceal so well that her part of the narrative got me wondering about people I have known and worked with in the past. I found that not only was I being entertained by Noelle Holten’s writing, I was being made to think too.

I thought Dead Inside was the perfect start to a new series. I already have characters I care about and want to see more of in future books. I was enlightened and educated by Noelle Holten’s writing, but what’s more, I was entertained by a great story too. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dead Inside, in spite of its sensitive subject.

About Noelle Holton

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR and Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and a regular reviewer on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. Noelle worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, author-stalking and sharing the #booklove via her blog.

Dead Inside is her debut novel with Killer Reads/Harper Collins UK and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

For more information about Noelle, follow her on Twitter @nholten40, find her on Facebook, Amazon and visit her blog.

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