Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten

5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Literally buzzing with excitement to open the blog tour for Dead Mercy, the latest instalment in the DC Maggie Jamieson series by the lovely Noelle.

In this book I found myself conflicted by my sympathies with the killer. This lent a lovely moral air to the story with it being harder to empathise with the ‘victims’ than with the perpetrator.

Maggie’s love/hate relationship with journalist Julie flits in and out of the story, it hits just the right notes and keeps a frisson of excitement in the air.

I love the relationship between Nathan and Maggie and he seems to have grown into his role. His care for her is obvious and the team within their acronym filled unit feels really well established; with each individual’s personality standing out.

I felt for Maggie during a conversation with her parents, they really are quite the dysfunctional bunch aren’t they… I can’t help feeling we’ve got more to come from her troublesome brother.

Maggie’s bravery is as ever at the forefront of her actions as she follows the clues in her dogged determination to catch the killer. Even when the commonality between the ‘victims’ starts to show, she and team are relentless in their pursuit of the murderer and in their race to save lives. This side to the force is actually quite beautiful – I really don’t think I could be so selfless and robust in my pursuit of ‘the Scorcher’.

The subject matter of the main thrust of the story is deeply personal and distressing yet Noelle has handled it with sensitivity and avoided sensationalising it. There are several reassurances woven subtly in to remind the reader of the many agencies and routes into reporting historic abuse which I thought was a lovely touch.

Cleverly plotted, well thought out and with layer upon layer of human warmth and compassion, Dead Mercy will have you at hello.

Got to say, I love the swearing, the fag breaks and the ‘real’ side of the characters in this book. Noelle has done such a wonderful job of making them in to believable people.

My thanks to @nholten40, @BOTBSPublicity and @OneMoreChapter_ for letting me be a part of this stonker of a blog tour!

Blurb: A brutal murder… When a burned body is found with its teeth missing, DC Maggie Jamieson discovers that the victim may be the husband of one of her probation colleagues.

A dark history… As the body count rises, the team becomes increasingly baffled by how the victims could possibly be connected until a clue leads them to a historical case that was never prosecuted.

A terrible secret… In order to catch the killer, Maggie must piece together what happened all those years ago before it’s too late.

Author Bio: Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BAs – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.