I am delighted to share my review today for Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten. I love the Maggie Jamieson series and this is the 5th book. As always I would recommend reading in order, but you can read as a stand-alone.
My huge thanks to Sarah at Book On The Bright Side Publicity for my invite to join the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of Noelle’s latest book.

‘Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin on Dead Inside
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.
PURCHASE LINK – Amazon UK
MY REVIEW
I have read and enjoyed every book in this Maggie Jamieson series. The author deals with some tough and hard-hitting subjects in her books and this one is no exception!
AS the short but intriguing synopsis suggests, this is going to be a tough one especially as it may involve someone from another organisation. While this is a police procedural, the author weaves in other agencies. She does this very well and uses her own knowledge from working in the Probation service to expand on the storyline.
The team is still coming to terms with a tragedy from the previous book, it is mentioned but not enough to make it a spoiler if you haven’t read the series in order. Yes, these books can be read as stand-alone but as with all series, you do get to see a bigger picture and how the dynamics of the teams work.
The case is one that is addictive reading, it is a brutal murder that leaves so many questions for the team to work through. Bringing in specialists from various fields and agencies keep the pacing moving and the story progressing well. Things really start to heat up when a second victim is discovered and things begin to tentatively connect. This does not mean, however, that this is a simple case.
Having various other agencies and experts adds a nice touch to this series, I do like how they link in. I did however think there was a little too much explanation as to the policies and procedures. I do understand that they have their roles and some explanation is required. For me, though it did at times slow the pace and detract from the thrill of the investigation and felt just a little too much. It would however be very handy if you are reading the book as a stand-alone.
The case is intriguing, the body count creeps up and using the experience of a Profiler adds a psychological edge, while the Pathologist adds some interesting if occasionally morbid details. As well as the case there are also details in Maggie’s personal life as she finally admits to her own secrets.
This is another really good read, it is one for those who like a grittier Police Procedural story and it is one I would recommend reading.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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 BA’s – 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 book love 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.
Connect with Noelle on Social Media here – Newsletter – Twitter – Facebook – Website – Bookbub
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