Last Lullaby is the second book in the DI Natalie Ward series and is a big improvement on the first outing. A young mother is brutally beaten to death in her own home and the killer leaves a message written in the victim's own blood. It is seemingly a motiveless murder but the victim has made enemies and her husband is being very evasive. When a second young mother is murdered, it becomes clear that Natalie is racing against time before he or she strikes again. I enjoyed this book a lot. I didn't guess who the killer(s) was and that's a plus for me. I'll be reading the next DI Natalie Ward!

What a great murder mystery. The plot has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. This will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mystery fans will enjoy this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc. This is my unbiased review.

Absolutely brilliant! This is a gripping second novel in what promises to be a great series from a fine writer. Good characterisation, interesting back stories and many twists and turns. I loved it!

Charlotte, the mother of 6 month old Alfie is brutally murdered in her own house. Her husband, Adam, who has found the body, is the prime suspect, but has an airtight alibi.
DI Natalie Ward and her team are doing everything to find a glitch in Adam’s narrative and eventually they discover not only his alibi is not as strong as he claimed, but also he is hiding too many secrets.
But when a second body is found with unnerving similarities to the first one, the police realize they may have a brutal serial killer on their hands.
As time is running out for the potential third victim, the investigators must try to find the motive behind these senseless killings to be able to identify the killer and stop the carnage.

Well written, with in-depth character study, Last Lullaby is an engaging and suspenseful read.

Thanks to Carol Wyer, Bookouture and the netGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* When young mother Charlotte is discovered dead in her home by the husband, it is only the start of a bloody trail of dead bodies that DI Natalie Ward and her team have to investigate. The suspicion quickly falls on her husband Adam, though he claims to have an alibi for the time of the murder. 'Last Lullaby' is the second in the Natalie Ward mystery series and the sixth Carol Wyer book I have read. As with her other police procedurals, Wyer has once again crafted a book with a careful balance between the gore of the crimes, the mystery of the investigation, as well as peppering a back story of the police officers involved in solving the crime throughout the novel. In the book, more is revealed about Natalie's home life and whilst giving nothing away, on that front, the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that has me hankering for the next novel in the series.

When the body of Charlotte Brannon is found by her husband Adam
Det Natalie Ward is first on the scene and ask the Question is WHY written on the wall with blood
Then their is another murder and again she’s got the word WHY
I had an ARC from Bookouture

Amazing dark and totally twisted. A story that keeps you guessing right u too the very end . Love all the characters and can't wait for book 3

I get really excited when a new book is released by this author. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed.
This is more than your run of the mill murder mystery. Halfway through reading this book WHAM !!!! everything you thought you knew. Even who done the dirty deed all goes out the window. This author throws you a curve ball and now you haven't got a clue. This book is packed with suspects, stuffed to the rafters with tension and even a twist but not where you would expect it. What can I say about this book I LOVED IT. It got my heart pumping and I just had to keep on reading. After reading this book I need to lay down in a dark room. I am an exhausted and very happy reader. This author has done it again.
I would like to thank the author Carol Wyer,Bookouture and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Last Lullibuy is an addictive psychology thriller that you will not want to put down, straight away I was drawn in and from there I couldn't put my kindle down.

Book 2 of the DI Natalie Ward police series . Wow ! What an absolutely brilliant read . From the first page I was stuck to this book and really couldn’t put it down. An excellent five star read .

Awesome!! OMG this is compelling reading once again from Carol Wyer!

The first book, The Birthday, is a fabulous read - click on the link to read my review published on my blog during October.  In this second book, Last Lullaby, we see the return of Detective Natalie Ward and her team who are thrown into another intriguing and engaging investigation which pulls you in all directions at once.

This book can be read as a stand alone. However, Carol Wyer is such a brilliant author that you will not want to miss this series - or, in fact, anything else with her name on it!  

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

Really good! I like Natalie and all her flaws. This is a particularly absorbing book which brings a number of gruesome murders (thankfully glossing over the gory details) and the chase to work out who the murderer is. There were a few elements that annoyed me such as the reference to vic and perp that was straight out of an American tv show... but apart from that it was an excellent read that built to a crescendo!

5*

The Last Lullaby is super fast paced, breath taking and mesmerizing! I love Natalie Ward and think she's one of the best female leads I have encountered in ages. This story kept me up all night, it's 5.10 am and I just finished. I won't sleep now because my heart is pounding so hard and my mind is racing. Carol Wyer has done it again!!

The Last Lullaby

I was really looking forward to this having read and loved The Birthday. Natalie Ward makes her appearance for the second time, this time to catch a killer who leaves calling cards written on the walls in blood. Lies come from all directions as Natalie and her team race to find the killer. Fast paced, gripping and twisty. Great read.

LAST LULLABY is book 2 in the Detective Natalie Ward Series, a new crime fiction series from author Carol Wyer, featuring Detective Natalie Ward. After really enjoying The Birthday Book 1 in the series, I was anxious to learn more about the characters. I loved Last Lullaby even more than her first novel. Another winner in a great new series!

“People are sometimes not who they seem to be; sometimes they live a lie.”

When the body of mother Charlotte Brannon is discovered by her husband Adam, in their bedroom, Detective Natalie Ward is first on the scene. The killer has left a chilling calling card: The word ‘Why?’ written on the wall in blood.

The murder investigation is assigned to DI Natalie and her team with Lucy, Murray, Ian and Mike.

But Natalie soon discovers that Adam has a dark past he’s been hiding and the Brannon’s teenage babysitter, Inge has her own secrets.

Adam soon becomes the number one suspect in the murder of his wife, Charlotte. There was a baby unharmed at the home during the attack…their six-month old son, Alfie who had been screaming in his nursery.

There was no evidence of a break-in and burglar alarm wasn’t activated. The killer had keys or was let in by Charlotte.

Then another mother, Samantha Kirkdale is murdered on her doorstep in front of her young son, the word ‘who’ scrawled on the wall next to her.

Are the murders linked? Why were the words “WHY” and “WHO” left written in blood at the murder scenes?

I found myself totally immersed in this fast-paced investigation. The characters in this novel were fully developed, with a strong protagonist, Natalie, who does things her way. It has not been easy for Natalie to juggle work with her personal life, as she is coming to terms with her own problems in her family life. This is a gripping thriller with lots of twists and turns to satisfy the reader.

While this novel can be read as a stand-alone, I encourage readers to get both these books to fully appreciate the ongoing character development. An excellent read that I highly recommend!

Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my digital copy.

OMG!!! Carol Wyer has done it again with her new series Natalie Ward. What a great read just like the first book in the series. What can I say, this book has it all. Great characters, great story and a great ending that I never saw coming. I’m so looking forward to the next book in this series and to read her Robyn Carter series. Five stars all he way.

I've been a fan of Carol Wyer's detective thrillers ever since I first read Little Girl Lost, and I'm always looking forward to any new installments. I was excited when I found out we were going to meet a new detective only a couple of months ago, and while I still prefer Detective Robyn Carter as a character, I have been looking forward to meet up with Detective Natalie Ward again. Last Lullaby is without doubt a great sequel and a chance to learn more about Natalie Ward and her team. While I admit I'm still not a fan of her, I liked how her team worked as a whole. The writing is of course as strong as ever and part of the reason her detective thrillers work so well for me. The same goes for the pace, plot and plot twists and the level of suspense. The case they are investigating in Last Lullaby seems to be quite straightforward at first glance, but turns out to have so many layers I would never have guessed. The plot twists are being executed brilliantly and the suspense is spot on, both only adding to the overall reading experience. There are a lot of wrong turns here and I like how we get to have a glimpse inside the head of the killer without the identity being revealed. Definitely a very strong case and a very strong sequel! I will be looking forward to the next book.

There is no doubt that Last Lullaby is a strong sequel and another excellent detective thriller by Carol Wyer. I always enjoy her way of writing; it's engaging and really makes you fly through the pages. The case in this sequel is another fascinating one, especially since it's almost like a Russian doll with all those hidden layers slowly being discovered. I love it when a story manages to surprise me and keeps me guessing about the identity of the killer until the final reveal. And even though Natalie Ward still isn't a favorite of mine, I'm still looking forward seeing more of especially her team as a whole.

Another brilliant book by Carol Wyer. Although I have read a couple of her books I haven’t read the first book in this series but I easily got straight into it so it can be read as a stand-alone as well as a series book. I just love the style of writing and the way it keeps you engrossed, plenty of twists and turns and a real cliffhanger ending to lead us into the next book. I will definitely read the first book in the series.

Intricate police procedural with plenty of characters to dislike. But which one is asking "Who?" and "Why?" and killing moms? This was my first Natalie Ward book and I can't wait for the next one - especially after the cliffhanger!

New book in the Natalie Ward series yes please! Just as enjoyable, if not even more so that book 1. I liked that along side a good psychological mystery the character of Natalie continues to develop, Loved the cliff hanger that the book ends on. What happens next? We'll have to wait and see I suppose!