The Chosen Ones is the next book in the DI Robyn Carter series and examines the murder of Jordan Kilby who is strung up in a field to be pecked by the crows- a human scarecrow. Who would do such a thing and why was he chosen?
It is made up of various flashbacks and in the present day the investigation is undertaken over the course of 7 days, each part of each day is a new chapter. The murder is the opening sequence and the rest of the book is a fast paced race to catch the killer before they strike again. There are numerous twists which made me believe I’d worked out the identity of the murderer but I didn’t guess the truth until very near the end.
There are also a couple of subplots- a medical emergency for Robyn’s cousin Ross and a mysterious stalker waiting to speak to Robyn. Is it her ‘dead fiancé’ Davis as is suggested by the photo of him which she received at a the end of the last book.
Although this is part of a series it would be fine to read it as a stand alone too. It would also be fun to read the earlier books to get more background on the main characters.
I’m now really looking forward to book 6 in the series so I can find out what happens to Robyn after the cliffhanger of an ending in this novel!
I would recommend this to all crime thriller fans who enjoy compelling and twisty plots. If you haven’t read Carol Wyer before you’ve got a real treat awaiting you. Five stars from me.
Thanks go to NetGalley and Bookouture for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having read others in the series I continue to thoroughly enjoy these books. Absolutely brilliant read as usual kept in suspense till the end. I am always sad to finish though as it means a wait till a new book! Overall, this author is a brilliant writer who never disappoints and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I really enjoyed this book just like all of her other works. The characters are beyond a doubt some of the best written.

I always look forward to more about these characters

I genuinly love every single novel in this series. Each one is a true book-sized treasure trove because it never fails to surprise you when you see where the story takes you. You know where it starts but boy you can never predict where it’ll end. So yes, I stayed up far past my bedtime to know how this one was going to be resolved.

The Chosen Ones was a tad more hard-hitting than the previous one and that makes my reader’s heart beat just a little faster. The crimes committed seemed just a little more graphic and violent than usual and I quite liked the darker tone. I also loved reading the snippets set in the past even if they were cruel and disturbing. I was frantically searching my mind who the little boy who had to endure such unfair punishment from his pious mother could be in the present but I failed to figure out who was so mistreated as a child. I can’t pinpoint the moment exactly when I finally caught on but somewhere over halfway I had a pretty good idea. I still didn’t understand why though. The author can brilliantly steer you in the right direction but still take its time to let all the puzzle pieces fall into place and it wasn’t any differently here.

The plotline went this way and that and the unwillingness of the first victim’s father to disclose his whereabouts at the time of death of his son certainly raised my suspicions but I also knew that it wouldn’t just be as simple and straightforward as that. Carol Wyer never makes it easy and it’s always deeper and more complex so I was anticipating an extraordinary resolve and I wasn’t disappointed at all, she delivered another brilliant whoddunit.

Even with the killer’s revelations, I have to admit the biggest shock for me in this novel came from an entirely other direction. How the, why the… ? I literally gasped and luckily nobody was around to see my state of distress. I couldn’t quite believe my eyes about what was happening and what she’d written but it was seriously jaw-dropping. It’s very daring what she did and I love the author for that, what a bold move! It made me suddenly love someone I grew to hate :-).

The Chosen Ones can be read as a standalone, but there’s a subplot running from book 1 all through the rest of the series, which is addressed in this novel again right at the end, giving another big jolt of excitement. The author just gave us a finger though and I’m ready to grab her whole hand now. I hope she’ll reveal more in the next novel because the details about what happened with her husband Davies and how she’ll carry on now are really killing me!

I was hooked from the first novel in the series, Little Girl Lost, but The Chosen Ones is definitely standing out in the whole series because it made me FEEL. It’s wonderfully mistifying. Overall it’s a cracking crime novel that I can highly recommend.

I haven’t read the previous books - so that’s the next job on my list! Great read, pretty dark in places, but just the kind of intensity I like! I loved the opening chapter and it most certainly sets the scene. Recommend.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This series is one that I really enjoy. The books are a bit on the dark side, but the character development is top notch and it's a series that calls me back with each subsequent book.

I think one of my favorite aspects of this series is that we always get chapters in the killer's voice. It's not always apparent who this person is right away, and sometimes I am able to figure it out before it's revealed and sometimes not, but either way, these chapters really provide some chilling insight as to why the murders are happening. I think the why is just as important, if not more in some cases - and for sure that is the case here. I did figure out the murderer before the actual reveal, but trying to understand the why was key.

As the team is working on tracking down what has become another serial murder, Robyn is also working with her cousin, Ross, tracking down the latest developments on her presumed-dead husband. Is he really dead? What exactly has happened to him? And who has been watching her house? This is a thread that has had me waiting for more clues for a while now and I was happy to see progress happening here. While there isn't exactly closure on this just yet, it's still progressing and I am anxious to see where it heads in the next book. I just hope it isn't dragged out forever!

The twists and turns in this book really keep it moving at a quick pace. It pulls you in right from the start and never really lets up. And as the case is being investigated, we get to spend time with some Robyn's team, which I love. I like these characters and I like that some time is devoted to them in each book - not a ton, but enough to feel that you are getting to know them a little bit.

This book is a wild ride on the emotional front as well. Some events happen that for the series die-hard like me, are a tough pill to swallow. I even felt a tinge of sympathy for our murderer at one point - once things are out in the open and you know the why, this statement will make more sense - but that's not anything I expected to feel, yet that's how adept and skilled Carol Wyer is at writing these stories. And that's just one example.

I love this series - it's a complex, dark, gripping crime series that I just cannot get enough of - I sure hope the next book comes out soon!!!

I have enjoyed the previous books in this series so it was nice to catch up with Robyn Carter & her team.

A young man is found strung up like a crucified scarecrow in field being attacked by crows. He was a bit of a loner but he has left behind a grieving fiance & her young son. He also happens to be the estranged son of local millionaire & property developer who makes it quite clear he has no intention of speaking to Robyn and her team.

Within a short period of time, his friend is also found murdered in a very grisly fashion. A young doctor is also brutally killed- what is the connection? The only one the team can find is the way they are killed seems to mimic deaths in the Bible-but what is the meaning behind it?

Robyn struggles to find answers whilst trying to fend off a curious journalist & the lack of cooperation from her superior.

This a great fast moving story with lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing- in my case wrongly!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- can't wait for the next one!

RATING: 4 STARS
​(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY​)​
(Review No on Blog)

This series steadily gets better with each book as the writing gets stronger. I do wish there was more of Ross in the book, helping to solve the case. I enjoyed the story and the suspense in this book was more towards how this would get wrapped up and will we find out more about Robyn's husband. I am looking forward to more books in this series and there is a new series coming out, which I am excited about. This is a great British mystery!

Ahh, well-written detective fiction with grisly, gruesome murders - love it!

You could just feel everything in this book - when it was hot, you felt the heat. When characters were worried, upset, angry - it felt real. Even when I felt things were a bit slow or not 100% on point (some of the timelines for some of the police activity), it was still A+ solid writing.

I figured out who the killer was relatively early, but the "why" and the reasoning behind why each victim was chosen kept me motivated to keep reading. There were a few times that I put it down, as there were procedural things and back story around Robyn's missing-presumed-dead husband (not resolved in this installment of the series) that I felt were a tad slow in pacing, however overall a good read.

I didn't realize this was the 5th book in the series when I picked it up, but it functions just fine as a standalone novel (having not read the others), in my opinion.

Thank you to the author & publisher who provided an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Chosen Ones is the fifth installment in the DI Carter series, and I want to read the earlier books now. I love it when a mystery novel also focuses on the detective and not just the mystery to be solved.

DI Carter is a strong and efficient detective and she doesn't let her personal life affect her work. I loved watching her solve this mystery!

The mystery itself was pretty well thought out. The little snippets of the serial killer's past made me even more invested into the story and the ending threw me off even more because of it.

The characters were well crafted, the story was engaging and I'm glad I read it! Oh, and there were two pets too, and that deserves plus points!

I am really enjoying this series by Carol Wyer and have read every book so far. This one is just as good as all the rest of them!

Robyn Carter has to solve some very gruesome murders. There is a message in the way the bodies are positioned but it takes the collective brains of all her team and just plain, good, detective work to figure out what is going on. I really like this character - Robyn is a dedicated police officer but she is also a real person and the author doesn't hesitate to let us know this too. She is smart enough to take full advantage of her teams skills when it comes to various aspects of her cases and I like this about her. After five books, I feel like I know Robyn Carter personally.

I am already looking forward to the next one :)

I am giving this one 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I do enjoy a pace-paced thriller with gruesome murders aplenty, and this book certainly delivered. Although this is the fifth in the DI Robyn Carter series, The Chosen Ones is my first by this author and it read fine as a standalone. I really enjoyed meeting Robyn and her team. Carol Wyer writes well, and the dialogue throughout is great. She even manages to make Robyn’s cat a real character! Although I guessed the culprit fairly early on, I couldn’t work out the motive so this didn’t spoil my enjoyment. There’s intrigue, unreliable witnesses and a police chief who seems to be protecting a wealthy citizen. There are also some clever flashbacks to the past in which we see glimpses of a young boy’s traumatic upbringing in a severely dysfunctional family and which try to throw the reader off track. Some of the back story about Robyn’s past (that I’d missed out on by not reading any of the earlier books in the series) also came into this book, but were contextualised and therefore not an issue for me. To sum up? A quick, enjoyable, enthralling read.

What a great storyline in this book 5 in the Robyn Carter series. The blurb will tell you everything you need to know about the plot. I will just add, I loved the character development, the twists and turns and the suspense filled pages. As for the inconclusive ending....there better be a book 6! A must read but start with book one in the series. I loved it. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Amazon, Facebook and Goodreads.

Right from the get-go I was absorbed in this story. The murder was gruesome, "just the way I like it." It took me about 2 hours to get to the 40% mark. Which is really a record for me. But nearly halfway through, I had been reminded 2 or 3 times that this wasn't a t.v. show, and lab tests don't take an hour or less to come through. This is not C.S.I......obviously. Really? Gosh, I was so confused....
Dear Ms. Wyer, most readers aren't imbeciles who need to be spoon fed. We know these facts already. If you wish to say something that we, as readers already know, then fine. But to repeat it again, just in case we idiot readers didn't get it through out thick skulls the first time is downright insulting. I don't read author's who talk down to their audience, and I won't be reading anything more from you. My thanks to Bookoutre, and Netgalley for letting me read this for the price of a review.

A young man's body is found displayed like a scarecrow in a local farmer's field. DI Carter is put on the case to find out who would kill this man in such a brutal manner. The killer seems to be making a statement with how the body was displayed. When another body turns up and the murder scene is just as brutal as the first, Robyn knows she's got a serial killer to catch. The question is, why are they choosing these particular victims? There has got to be a connection between the victims and DI Carter is racing the clock to catch the killer before more victims are taken.

This is another fantastic book in the DI Robyn Carter series. I highly recommend the entire series.

I received this book through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Carol Wyer for this opportunity.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. A lot better than book 4 but missing that certain magic of the first 3.

Here we have have Robyn trying to solve 3 murders, seemingly unrelated but with imagery of biblical references for the way the bodies have been laid out, Robyn is convinced there is a serial killer at work.

So, after the disappointment of book 4, we do have an improvement here. The story is solid enough. Plenty of red herrings and you are kept guessing for a large portion of the book as to who the killer is and their motive.
The elephant in the room from the last book, Robyn’s missing presumed dead husband is given more air time here but more annoyingly you are strung along for another novel with little progress. I can see this story arc being spun through a few more of these books without any real resolve when it already feels like it has outstayed it’s welcome.

Also one of the stronger characters in the series, Robyn’s cousin Ross, the private investigator is given little time in this outing and the book is poorer for it. They have always had a really good dynamic and he was always an interesting character to spend time with. A shame he was sidelined so far into the series.

Robyn herself here as well is a little more two dimensional and isn’t really developed any further. She’s just a vehicle for solving the crimes here. It’s in a crowded “female lead detective” market, she is losing her individual identity a bit for me and getting left behind a bit by much more memorable and well written characters.

A fair but if criticism from me but it is a very solid read. Slightly too long for what it is, it still held my attention and I enjoyed it overall. I do worry a little bit though where this series may go and if it’s running out of steam a little bit.

I marked it as 4 stars even though I think it just barely makes that score. It’s certainly better than a 3 star read from me(yes 3.5 stars the ideal mark for it) so I’ve no problem rounding it up to 4.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well where do I start with my review other than to say that I simply loved this book there was the usual banter between Robyn and her team and an investigation that had twists galore. The pacing of the story was solid with revelations timed to answer some questions but also pose some more which made me so invested in figuring everything out!

This entire series of books has been brilliant and The Chosen Ones is another example of this especially the character of Robyn Carter. I have to say that she is one of my favourite characters in any series. I love her determination and strength especially when it comes to solving her cases. After finishing The Silent Children I had been itching to pick up the next book. I have to suggest reading them in order as some of the characters background could be confusing but it is such a great series that it would be well worth starting with book one.

The grisly murders definitely added a tense and gritty edge to the story and I was instantly intrigued as to who was committing the murders and of course asking myself why. I always find it interesting to see the investigation play out and Robyn and her team are almost like family now as they work so well together especially in this case to solve the pretty creepy and unusual deaths. I enjoy the fact that Carol Wyer has created a well rounded character in Robyn as she does have a personal story to tell but it is always balanced out with the crimes that are being investigated. In this story we delve even more into Robyn's past and I was so intrigued to discover more. Sorry to sound vague but I would hate to give anything away.

Carol Wyer has created some truly brilliant characters and always gives her readers a story filled with surprises, shocks and thrills!

A big five stars from me!

With thanks to Kim at Bookouture for my copy.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the fifth book in a series (I really need to go read the other four now).

Three extremely creepy murders. I was shocked to learn who the killer was. I loved the flashbacks to show the thought process of the killer.

Characters were well done. I didn’t feel as connected as I usually do but that’s probably because I started at book 5. I will definitely be going back and reading the other 4 now. Highly recommend and looking forward to reading more by this author.

Good interesting book with lots of mystery. Not an obvious killer and plot. Lots going on as the story unfolds.