My enormous thanks to Sarah Hardy of Books on the Bright Side publicity for inviting me to participate in Noelle Holten’s paperback blogtour for Dead Wrong. I so enjoyed Noelle’s debut Dead Inside which I reviewed here that I’m delighted to have the chance to share my review of the second book in Noelle’s Maggie Jamieson series, Dead Wrong, in this tour.

Published by Harper Collins’ imprint One More Chapter, Dead Wrong is available for purchase through the links here.

Dead Wrong

The serial killer is behind bars. But the murders are just beginning…

DC Maggie Jamieson’s past comes back to haunt her in this dark and gripping serial killer thriller.

Three missing women running out of time…

They were abducted years ago. Notorious serial killer Bill Raven admitted to killing them and was sentenced to life.

The case was closed – at least DC Maggie Jamieson thought it was…

But now one of them has been found, dismembered and dumped in a bin bag in town.

Forensics reveal that she died just two days ago, when Raven was behind bars, so Maggie has a second killer to find.

Because even if the other missing women are still alive, one thing’s for certain: they don’t have long left to live…

My Review of Dead Wrong

DC Maggie Jamieson wonders if she made a mistake in Bill Raven’s investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first book in this series, Dead Inside, but Dead Wrong is even better and an absolute cracker of a book. Noelle Holten’s perceptive insight into her settings makes for an authentic and convincing story, as she has such knowledge of the world of criminology that her writing feels assured, competent and completely compelling.

In addition to the authenticity, the plotting and pace elevate the book into a completely transfixing read. Short, snappy, exciting chapters meant I was forced to read just one more until I’d consumed Dead Wrong. I simply had to know what happened next. I loved the linear chronology of the story because it felt as it I were discovering facts and details at the same time as Maggie, making me feel part of the action and enhancing my enjoyment. Dead Wrong is dramatic from start to finish and leaves the reader desperate for more. Much of the time I was reading I felt uneasy, wondering what might happen so that I found myself gloriously unsettled by the writing.

The gradual uncovering of Maggie’s private life and personality is brilliantly handled as a reader doesn’t need to have read Dead Inside to understand her and it is obvious that there is much more to discover in future books. She’s feisty, sensitive and completely believable. I especially like the way her ambivalent sexuality is part of who she is but doesn’t over dominate in the narrative. I also thoroughly enjoyed the rapport she has with Nathan and which acts as light relief after darker elements of the text.

I think Noelle Holten has created a dramatic, gripping series with Maggie Jamieson that belies her new author status. Dead Wrong feels as if it is part of the opus of a much more established writer because is is so tautly plotted, exciting and such an excellent read. I loved it.

About Noelle Holten

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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