The Dare by Carol Wyer @carolewyer #BlogTour @bookouture #Review

I’m thrilled to be one of the stops on the blog tour for The Dare by Carol Wyer and sharing my review today! With thanks to Kim at Bookouture for the invite to join the tour and for my copy. First of all though let’s take a look at the description for the book…

Jane’s daughter is a good girl. But what is she hiding?

When thirteen-year-old Savannah Hopkins doesn’t come straight home from school as she always does, her mother Jane immediately raises the alarm. With her blonde ponytail and red school jumper, someone must have spotted Savannah.

Detective Natalie Ward is determined to help the distraught mother – her own daughter is the same age as Savannah. But before Natalie and her team can get started, their worst fears are confirmed when the teenager’s broken body is found in nearby shrubland.

Evidence points towards a local recluse, but just as Natalie closes the net around him, one of Savannah’s friends, Harriet, is reported missing. Harriet might look grown up and sophisticated but she is only fourteen…

As Natalie delves into the lives of both girls, she soon discovers a sinister video on both their phones, daring the girls to disappear from their families for 48 hours. She’s sure this is the key to the case, but before she can act, Harriet’s body is found discarded on a roadside. 

Natalie’s superiors don’t have to put any extra pressure on Natalie.

Devastated, she and her team work without sleep, watching that video over and over. But just as she thinks they’re getting close, the person Natalie loves more than anything goes missing.

Natalie is no stranger to loss. She is terrified and the clock is ticking. Can she push through her fear to catch this depraved killer, before her loved one becomes the next victim?

This gripping rollercoaster of a read will have you up in the small hours turning the pages. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Caine and Robert Dugoni will love The Dare. 

Buy Link

AMZ: https://geni.us/

My Review

I loved the premise for this story as it really plays on a parents fear. Our children have access to so much these days and this freedom also means that extra danger could be just around the corner. In The Dare someone is targeting teenagers and let’s just say this case hits a little too close to home for Natalie.

As ever Natalie is strong, determined and willing to go that extra mile to solve the case, I can’t help but admire her spirit! Then add in a turbulent marriage and you get a dose of drama that helps to set the book apart. Let’s just say I think I was as frustrated by the case as I was by Natalie’s husband!

The way Carol Wyer writes both the story and characters is in such a way that you feel as invested as the team at solving the crimes. I felt as if I was right there feeling the frustration, angry at the dead ends and also experiencing the highs as a new clue brings the truth just that little bit closer every time. I loved all the red herrings, twists and turns within this story it easily made for a very tense and gripping experience. Especially as the reader on occasion gets to hear from a very dark and dangerous perspective, I thought that these snippets were perfectly placed to ramp up the already increasing tension.

With this being book three in the series everything just seemed to fall into place in terms of pace. It was so good to catch up with Natalie and her team seeing them work so well together. I loved trying to guess and play detective even if I did fail but this is all goes to show how good this book is. The Dare got under my skin and I just couldn’t wait to see how it would all end!

Dark, tense and addictive!

About the author

Carol Wyer is an award-winning author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping thrillers.

Her book, GRUMPY OLD MENOPAUSE won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

Carol moved to the ‘dark side’ in 2017 with as series of thrillers. LITTLE GIRL LOST became the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and a Top 150 USA Today best-seller.

The DI Robyn Carter and DI Natalie Ward series have sold over half a million copies, earning her acclaim as a crime writer.

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.

To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer. 
Carol also blogs at www.carolwyer.com