I’m thrilled to review Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer today. Carol is such a super person and so talented to be able to write in different genres that it’s a true pleasure to support this 7th Natalie Ward book. My thanks to Carol and to Kim Nash at Bookouture for proving a copy of Somebody’s Daughter in return for an honest review.

I most recently featured Carol when I reviewed her What Happens in France here, and previously we celebrated the publication of Carol’s The Missing Girls in a post you can read here. I have also been lucky enough to interview Carol about her writing here to mark the publication of Carol’s Little Girl Lost.

Somebody’s Daughter was published by Bookouture on 9th July and is available for purchase here.

Somebody’s Daughter

One by one the girls disappeared…

When the frail body of a teenage girl is discovered strangled in a parking lot, shards of ice form in Detective Natalie Ward’s veins. As Natalie looks at the freckles scattered on her cheeks and the pale pink lips tinged with blue, she remembers that this innocent girl is somebody’s daughter…

The girl is identified as missing teenager Amelia Saunders, who has run away from home and her controlling father. Natalie’s heart sinks further when it becomes clear that Amelia has been working on the streets, manipulated by her violent new boyfriend Tommy.

A day later, another vulnerable girl is found strangled on a park bench. Like Amelia, Katie Bray was a runaway with connections to Tommy, and Natalie is determined to find him and track down the monster attacking these scared and lonely girls.

But when a wealthy young woman is found murdered the next morning, the word ‘guilty’ scrawled on her forehead, Natalie realises that the case is more complex than she first thought. Determined to establish a connection between her three victims, Natalie wastes no time in chasing down the evidence, tracing everyone who crossed their paths. Then, a key suspect’s body turns up in the canal, a mole in Natalie’s department leaks vital information and everything seems to be against her. Can Natalie stop this clever and manipulative killer before they strike again?

My Review of Somebody’s Daughter

A string of murders challenges the entire team.

I’m absolutely furious with myself that, even though I have read Carol Wyer’s lighter fiction, I haven’t actually read one of her crime thrillers before. I thought Somebody’s Daughter was an absolute cracker and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although Somebody’s Daughter is the seventh book in the Natalie Ward series, it didn’t matter at all that I haven’t read the others because Carol Wyer has a fabulous knack of providing just enough detail to ensure full understanding without slowing the pace or detracting from the present story. I loved meeting Natalie and the other characters and am now desperate to read the series from the beginning. I felt as if Natalie was a warm, vibrant person I had just met but who could become a firm friend.

I thought the structure of Somebody’s Daughter was so well done because the dated chapter entries give a fast and exciting pace and the technique of writing past events in the present tense has the effect of making them immediate and relevant as the narrative progresses. It’s a super plot that held my unwavering attention. I loved the fact that my guesses as to the perpetrator of a series of murders were totally plausible and yet turned out to be completely wrong. This made for brilliant entertainment and an enthralling read.

With a fast and exciting pace and credible characters Somebody’s Daughter has interest for any crime fiction lover, but even better for me was the underpinning humanity and the understanding Carol Wyer presents of how people are shaped and affected by their experiences and how easy it is for life to change dramatically. I loved the themes of family, loyalty and relationships at both a personal and societal level. The reader is given insight into every one of the characters in Somebody’s Daughter so that they come away from the book feeling as if they understand how better to interact in their own lives. The depiction of sex workers, the homeless and the impact of drugs seems meticulously researched and is thoroughly convincing. I felt quite affected by my reading.

Somebody’s Daughter is a brilliant book. It entertains, enthralls and yet also educates with a sensitively deft touch so that reading Carol Wyer’s writing is an absolute pleasure. I loved it.

About Carol Wyer

Winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer is a best-selling author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST, the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and Top 150 USA Today best-seller.

A second series featuring DI Natalie Ward quickly followed and to date her novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets, including Norwegian, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian Slovak, Czech and Polish.

Next year sees the arrival of the much anticipated DI Kate Young series, with AN EYE FOR AN EYE out in February 2021.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.

All of Carol’s books are here. You can follow Carol on Twitter @carolewyer, visit her website and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

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