The perfect murder by Stewart Giles.
Two cats are found mutilated in the same town. Detective Harriet Taylor is reluctant to investigate, but then one of their owners is killed a bizarre way that same day.
A brilliant read. I love this author. 5*.

I had not read any previous books by Stewart but this was a good fast paced thriller that had me guessing. I will certainly be reading more.

While this wasn’t my favourite thriller/mystery that i’ve read, I found myself quite enjoying it. It took a while to get into but I pushed through and towards the end I was hooked. I thought the storyline was clever and different.
I haven’t read a book written by Stwert Giles before but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the writing style.

The two stars are due to the difficultly I had getting into the book and how much I had to push myself to finish it

A captivating novel with lots of twists. Beautifully written and keeps you entertained all the way through with a wonderful plot.

The Perfect Murder by Stewart Giles is a mystery set on the Cornish coast. This mystery attempts to be a cozy mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, I found this mystery incredibly difficult to read. Overall, I would not recommend this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

The premise of this book was great, but unfortunately the book didn't fulfil it's potential.

I am a massive fan of crime fiction and I love reading the new releases in this genre and I do get excited by certain authors and this was a book I had been looking forward too from when I found it was due to be released.

Well now I have read  the book I have to say that I wasn't disappointed at all and I LOVED this book!!  For me it is a gritty, fast paced story that held my attention until the very end. The writing style is superb and it flows so well to carry the story through to a brilliant ending.  

The book was a genuine treat to read and one I'd highly recommend - I love a good thriller and this was certainly up there - 5 stars from me and looking forward to reading more from Stewart in the future!!

Another fantastic offering from Stewart Giles! If you she read The Beekeeper, read this, if you haven't, make sure you do. These are (fairly short) easy reading books, with a unsuspecting twist. Again I was surprised at the ending. What I enjoy most about these books are they are easy to read, with prose that flows well. The stories don't have too many complex sub plots, nothing to graphic about the deaths... (Although this one does contain harm to animals) I like the length on the story, as it's not drawn out, and there isn't any hall filling waffle.

Detective Harriet Taylor, a relative newcomer to Cornwall, receives a call about two cats that were found mutilated outside their owners’ homes. Later that same day one of the two owners is discovered dead with words written on the back of her neck.

Harriet’s investigation is still in its early stages when another body shows up, also with words written on it. The methods used are completely different and yet these two totally dissimilar crimes are clearly linked, leading members of Harriet’s team to wonder if a serial killer may be on the loose in the town of Trotterdown…

When I started reading A Perfect Murder I was unaware that it was actually the second book in a series. This is something I normally take care to avoid and I was a significant way into the book before I realized that I was reading a sequel.

While I felt that I missed out on some important character details by skipping over the first book in this series, I did think that Harriet was an appealing lead and for the most part I enjoyed her interactions with some of her colleagues.

In the course of this novel Giles presents us with several killings, each of which is presented as a perfect murder. Initially these murders seem quite dissimilar as entirely different methods are used for each and the words written on the victims’ bodies change with each killing.

Of the killings we witness, the first is easily the most interesting and also the most disturbing as it involves both a brutal act perpetrated on an animal and also a memorable method of dispatch for the poor pet owner. Unfortunately the crimes that follow receive decreasing levels of space and attention to make their impact on the reader. For the early part of the novel I was intrigued and curious as to how these events all fitted together.

At this point I would issue the warning that the book’s blurb gives away far too much about the story and risks spoiling the answer to that very important question. Even if you skip over reading the blurb though it is far too easy to begin to work out what is going on, especially as Giles presents us with a limited pool of significant suspects to consider. This is a shame because some of the ideas here are quite clever, particularly the explanation of how some aspects of the second murder were achieved.

The revelation of the identity of the killer felt similarly disappointing and while I had predicted that identity, I did feel that the character’s motivation was unconvincing. This is particularly the case given the scale of the crimes they have committed by the point of the novel where that reveal takes place.

One other aspect of this book that I found particularly disappointing was the realization of the setting. I was born and raised in Cornwall yet found little familiar here beyond some elements of the Cornish landscape. Given how unusual Cornish names and speech patterns can be, I was struck by how English almost all of the characters felt. It is a small thing and it will probably not bother many readers and yet I found it utterly distracting and it became a barrier for me to believing in the story’s setting.

Overall, I think that there were some aspects of this story that were appealing and that grabbed my interest. The murders are varied and I felt that the idea behind the mystery was clever, even if the novel spoils it in the blurb. Unfortunately once you figure out that aspect of the story it is far too easy to arrive at the murderer’s identity as the novel never takes the time to identify and develop credible alternative suspects making the last third feel a little anticlimactic.

An extremely quick read. To me, this is like a penny dreadful, a quickly churned out novella for an audience that wants to satisfy their appetites for thrills by reading murder mysteries. The genre is the lure, not necessarily the writing or the characters. It’s fine for what it is. However for readers who want more style and substance from their books, this is not the right sort of read.
The characters have no depth; they’re practically caricatures, a feature that likely works well for readers who like that familiarity in this kind of story. Despite the author putting in aspects of the detectives’ lives, it’s informational rather than connecting the reader to them and creates neither identification/empathy nor sympathy.
The dialogue is clichéd and unremarkable, often tending to tedious. While it’s one thing for dialogue to be realistic, this sounds more like a transcript at times, and if you know anything about actual conversations transcribed, you know that they’re not as entertaining to read. It might work well as a script with actors bringing more to the words as they’re written. Perhaps it would even work if the characters themselves were more fleshed out but I find it doubtful.
The ends of some chapters that were designed to give shocking information seemed rather obvious to me personally, based on the text. The plot itself is interesting enough but I don’t want to accidentally with spoilers. I didn’t like the allusions to the previous book in the series because they gave the killer away. Any reader who picks up the second book not knowing there is a first book is unlikely to go back and read the first one when the mystery is ruined.
The clues to the murderer’s identity are well laid through the book. I don’t know that the motive is believable enough. I did like how the story ended; it was poetic.

Good plot, hooked from start. Twist and turns everywhere, recommended for all mystery fans

A good police procedural mystery, with an unexpected who done it. Two cats are found murdered in a small town followed by a bizarre death where a woman is electrocuted burying one of the dead cats. Alongside the strange murders in the town, a small writing group is trying to write the perfect "Murder" for their novel. Did one of the writers commit the murders to add material to their novel? You will rapidly read through this book to try and solve the mystery of who done it.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
After The Beekeeper, which I liked a lot, I was thrilled to get the chance to read the next Detective Harriet Taylor book.
The discovery of 2 brutally killed cats lying on their owners' front entrances is not the kind of case Harriet and the team want to work on, but when the owner of one of the cats is found dead in her garage that same day, it suddenly becomes an urgent matter. More killings occur, day after day, one more gruesome than the other. As the victims don't seem to be linked in any way, Harriet is stumped, practically working around the clock.
This is the 2nd in what I hope will be a long series. Harriet is an extremely likeable character (as are the rest of the team) and both books are gripping with surprising endings. But what I liked most is the atmosphere of the books, they're almost cozy, making you want to keep reading. Not only because you want to know 'whodunit', but also because you don't want to leave Harriet and her world.
Can't wait for no. 3, highly recommended.

3 stars

DC Harriet Taylor receives a request to investigate the killing and mutilation of two cats in the town of Trotterdown. (I hate this kind of violence against animals in books.) Harriet and PC White speak to the owners of the cats. Both mention that they are going to bury their pets. After returning to the station, they learn that they needed to ask more questions of the pet owners. Returning to the neighborhood, Harriet discovers the body of the woman Jane McDonald in the shed clutching a shovel. She has been electrocuted.

At the autopsy, the pathologist discovers some odd words written on the back of her neck.

Another death occurs. A young man David Thompson has gone over the side of a cliff at the location of an outdoor party. When more words are seen on the back of his neck, it’s obvious the two murders are related. Harriet leads a press conference.

Another man is stabbed to death in the restroom of a local pub. Four words are written on his forehead. His name was George Andrews.

A Mr. Breary comes into the station and says that someone stole his perfect idea. The members of the Trotterdown Creative Writers Association had an assignment to write the perfect murder scenario. Written on George Andrews’ forehead was the title of his story. From Mr. Breary, the police learn that the four words written on each victim was the title to the writers’ stories that they wrote for the Perfect Murder assignment.

Another man is killed using the plot of one of the short stories. The professor who lived across the street from one of the victims has gone missing.

The identity of the murderer comes as a surprise.

This book is fairly well written and well plotted. It seemed a little simplistic, as though it were a cozy mystery rather than a regular action-packed mystery. I liked Harriet better than in the last book. In fact, I liked the book better than The Beekeeper. Mr. Giles’ writing has improved since his last venture.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read and enjoy.

This is the sequel to The Beekeeper, which I read and reviewed here and it follows a similar theme to this.

The start of the book is one of the best introductions I have read this year, with a man committing the perfect murder by drowning a lady in a bath tub, but all is not as it seems.

The story then progresses to a sleepy little village in Cornwall with the local police getting bored. This is until two cats are left mutilated outside their respective owner’s houses. When the police investigate they find a dead body in one of the owner’s garages so start to investigate this.

Shortly after this more dead bodies appear and the police have to start looking for their first ever serial killer. Fortunately for them they have Harriet working for them, the same Harriet from book 1, who will not drop any case and follows it through to the very end and, as with book 1, the ending wasn’t that surprising. The ending doesn’t take anything away from the fact that it is a great read.

If you liked the Beekeeper then you will love this book as well. It is a brilliant darkly humoured book with lots of murders along the way.

This is the 2nd book in the Harriet Taylor series by author Stewart Giles but the 1st book I have read by this author.
When two cats are found mutilated in the small Cornish town of Trotterdown it is investigated because the supervisor is a cat lover. Several hours later, a woman who had found her cat on her porch, is now found dead herself in her garage with four words printed on the back of her neck. DC Harriet Taylor now fear there is a serial killer on the loose.
I found this to be a very entertaining read and my enjoyment was not spoilt by not having read the previous book in the series. I now intend to read not only that book but others by this author.
I would like to thank Net Gallery and Joffe Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about a small town in it is a writers group who is writing a story on how to commit the perfect murder. First two cats are killed, then two people are killed. Detective Harriet Taylor really doesn't want to investigate this, but when all four have the killer's "calling card" on them, she has no choice. Even though this is a murder story, there is still humor in it, which makes it enjoyable to read. Can Detective Harriet figure out if someone in the writer's group is trying out their theories or is someone else trying to make it look like the writers group is guilty? Read the book to find out.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Joffe Books for a copy of this story. My review is my own opinion and done so voluntarily.

Detective Harriet Taylor is new to her post, but she loves the small town lack of crime... until today.

Two cats are found mutilated.. in the same neighborhood. Because the supervisor is a cat lover, she and her team are dispatched to investigate. They do their duty but honestly cannot see why the homicide department should be looking into this. But several hours later, a woman who had found her cat on her porch, is now found dead herself in her garage. There are four words printed on the back of her neck.

But that isn't the last body that turns up with words written on the back of their necks. Taylor is afraid that they have a serial killer on the loose.

This is a cleverly written crime thriller ... with just a hint of humor. Taylor is a great character... she really gets involved in this case and picks up clues that no one else seems to get. Her 'gut feeling' is her guiding light. Without giving away spoilers, the secondary characters... the suspects .... are diverse and interesting. I love the back story of this crime.

WARNING: If you can't handle animal cruelty, then the reader should probably skip the 2nd and 3rd chapters. The first chapter is a lead-in that you won't want to miss. And once past the cats, the story still remains a good read.

Many thanks to the author / Joffee Books / Netgalley for the advance digital copy of THE PERFECT MURDER. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Detective Harriet Taylor is not very impressed when she is sent to investigate the mutilation of two cats in the same town.Surely that is a case for the R.S.P.C.A not the police.But then things take a sinister turn when one of the cat owners is found dead on the same day.

The woman had four words written on her neck.When another body is discovered to also have four words written on it,Harriet begins to wonder if the small Cornish town of Totterdown might have its very first serial killer.

Can Harriet stop the murders and work out the connection to the local writing group,who conveniently enough have recently been tasked with writing stories on the theme of The Perfect Murder?

The characters in this gripping mystery where a mixed bunch of realistic personalities.I loved old Bert Applewhite,it was such a shame that he only appeared once in the story.I liked the relashionship between Harriet and her boss Jack Jillian,I liked the banter between the police team members,they had their disagreements over the case but they worked well together.You also learned some background information about some of their private lives but not so much that it came across as padding.I thought I had worked out who the killer was but I was wrong,I do love it when that happens.The reason behind the killings was very cunning but also quite sad,the ending of the story was unexpected but didn't fit with what we had learned about that character.

The story is fast paced,has a number of unexpected twists,a gorgeous setting and some heart pounding danger.There is also a touch of romance but not enough to put off readers like me who read thrillers because they like twists,mystery and hopefully plenty of action.Although this is the second book in the Harriet Taylor series it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Perfect Murder, the second novel to feature DC Harriet Taylor of the Cornish police.

It's extremely quiet at Trotterdown station but even so the team are not happy to be sent out to investigate two dead cats until they realise the cats have had their ears, noses and paws cut off. Still, there are grumbles about time wasting until one of the owners is found electrocuted by the spade she was going to bury the cat with.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Perfect Murder which has a suitably twisted plot, pleasant characters and a very readable style which held my interest throughout.

The plot is unusual and not your run of the mill serial killer narrative. It is inventive and interesting and while I guessed the perpetrator early on it did not detract from my enjoyment. It is a straightforward, 3 person narrative, hunt the killer novel so the reader is not subjected to the killer's thoughts and all the cod psychology that usually accompanies them so it's refreshingly old fashioned in this respect. I thought the solution and the reasoning behind it a bit tame and it did stretch my credulity somewhat but the journey to that point is absorbing.

I like the characters and the mix of work banter, solid investigation and snippets of their domestic problems. As the protagonist it is mostly about Harriet who is a smart and dedicated detective with a troubled past. It makes for a pleasant read to see her try and take steps to shrug off the past and embrace the present.

The Perfect Murder is a good, easy read which I have no hesitation in recommending.