Last Lullaby is Book 2 in the Detective Natalie Ward Series. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

I am a massive Carol Wyer fan so was very excited to read this, especially after reading book 1 The Birthday which is my favourite book of 2018 so far. Last Lullaby had big shoes to fill and I had a massive sense of anticipation when I opened the book.

Wow it didn’t let me down this book had me hooked from the start, it reeled me in to this fantastic plot right from the first page. A mother being brutally murdered whilst her baby is in the room next door. I was totally hanging on to every word unable to put the kindle down.

Carol got the atmosphere just right in this book, it was tense, chilling and very creepy. At points I found myself holding my breath as the tension mounted. Natalie has got her work cut out with this one, is it the husband? a lover? an ex? a random nutter? can she stop the killer before they kill again? Not only has she got this to deal with she has got to deal with her husbands gambling habit, has he started gambling again? the stress it real and it’s taking it’s toll. The team are working all hours trying to find the killer, can they stop him before it’s too late!

I loved this book, it was fantastic. I am so happy that I have another great series with a strong female lead to read. I enjoy Carol’s style of writing and crime fiction set in the UK is my favourite so it’s a win win for me. This was a really well written piece of crime fiction that was a bloody good read and I don’t hesitate in giving it 5 stars and a place in my top 10 of my favourite books of 2018.

I highly recommend Last Lullaby it’s a cracking read and would make a great gift for a crime fiction lover for the upcoming festive season. Or why not just treat yourself, go on you know you want to!

I love all of Carols books and was so excited to read this one too. It certainly didn't disappoint. Fast paced action which kept me guessing all the way through. Would recommend both this book and author. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the chance to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was fortunate enough to be able to get the first book in this series through Netgalley and as soon as I saw the second one, I requested it right away. This was another book that I couldn't put down. A fast paced British thriller that keeps you on the edge of your toes from beginning to end. I can't wait for another.

Loved the first series of books and this series is proving to be just as good. Carol Wyer is on my list of favourite authors.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I realyl enjoyed it and have admiration for this author I have read all her books so feel very happy getting this sneaky peek.

Detective Natalie Ward is once again brought vividly and realistically back to life in Last Lullaby as she battles to balance professional and personal life with all its issues and complexities in the 2nd of this fabulous and addictive series.

A young mother is found murdered, her baby close by in another room thankfully left unharmed and the husband who found her, the main suspect.
But as another murder similar to the first takes place, Natalie and her team must use all their skills and every available means possible to find the killer and avert more tragedy before it's too late.

Carol Wyer is definitely a master at page turning storytelling, great characterization, plenty of action and plot strands that are deftly woven to create a top notch read.

5 stars all the way from - super novel - absolutely loved it !!!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy for an honest review.

Now, Carol Wyer is a author that writes with such passion and love. All her books are just Brilliant. So If you have never read one of her books "Where have you been?"
If I have a book by Carol, it never sits on my Kindle for long. So when Last Lullaby came up I just had to request it.
This is the Second book for Detective Natalie Ward series. The first book was The Birthday, which was an excellent read as well.

A body of Charlotte Brannon was discovered in their bedroom by her Husband Adam. Their baby son was not harmed.
Detective Natalie Ward was first on the scene. The killer has left One word which has been written on the bedroom wall in Blood "Why?"
Natalie begins to look into the couple's lives and discover's Adam has a very dark past.

There's another murder of a mother with a young son and the word ‘why’ is written in Blood on the wall next to her. Her son has not been harmed!

Are these connected and Why?

Can Natalie and her team stop this twisted serial killer before they Kill again?

Last Lullaby was Brilliant it had so many twists and turns, when you think you know who the killer was, there's another twist to the Story that leaves you scratching your head!
I always find, when I start to read one of Carol's books everything Stops! No housework will get done etc. Mobile has to be turned off. I don't move from my snuggle reading chair. (only to get a coffee and go to the loo)
So glad I had some fish fingers in the freezer So fish finger butty for tea for us!

I would Highly Recommend Carol Wyer's books. Last Lullaby was Breathtaking and just brilliant with a OMG ending..........What will She do next? Roll on to the third book of Detective Natalie Ward.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The last series I followed written by this author was absolutely ace.

So, when I knew she was writing a new series introducing DI Natalie Ward with a whole new set of investigations, I was on it! I read book 1, loved and eagerly awaited this book.

Book 2 in the series just ups the intrigue, whets the readers juices and definitely gets your mind thinking all kinds of thoughts.

The characters were so well rounded that you could reach out and touch them almost.

I love the authors who write like this and give us readers a slight insight to the perpetrators mind. No matter how awful or twisted their minds are it’s fascinating to understand their warped reasonings.

Carol Wyer had the balance so right, from slow and thoughtful to keeping up moments of the plot as it indeed thickens.

She had me.
I really thought it was someone else.

The reality of this case shone through so well it was like watching a good solid drama on TV and feeling thoroughly satisfied when you got the result.........
And then.......

The ending hits you with.......what! What! I need the next book, I need it now, right now, don’t leave me like this......

Wonderful. Really great.

A highly detailed whodunnit that will keep you guessing until the last few chapters.
Admittedly I didn't find any of the victims likeable and a number of questions remained unanswered.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This second instalment was even better than the first. Natalie is investigating the murders of women who are brutally killed, but their babies left unharmed. The plot moves in a logical fashion and is fast-paced. I felt the adrenaline of the officers as they follow one lead after tho other. The team works well together and we hear just enough (and no more) of their personal lives.

My only quibbles are the two sections in the present tense describing conversations between Natalie and her husband which grated somehow and seemed unnecessary. Also, the interludes between the Doctor and Patient X were too long each time they cropped up.

The final chapter was well done and makes me want to find out what Natalie does next. (I know what I would do!)

Highly recommended.

As always this publisher churns out the best fiction, so it’s not a surprise that this book was a sure-fire winner. Expertly paced, expertly crafted. Then boom! Another surprise.

Adam Brannon and his wife, Charlotte return from a 30th wedding anniversary a little worse for wear. But when Charlotte wakes up in the night to hear a strange noise coming from the baby monitor, all hell breaks loose. Detective Ward must investigate a chilling murder where all suspects seem to have adequate alibis. But with sightings of two people running from the scene and more characters coming into play, I was flummoxed to say the least! The second murder threw me for a loop due to the similarities and I thought I had it all worked out only to have that theory blown out of the water.

A fast-paced read with plenty of twists to chew on, Detective Natalie Ward is one of the most realistic characters in police procedural books I’ve read so far. Dedicated to family and work, she juggles her own relationships with this horrifying and sinister case. I thought this was cleverly handled and certainly not one of the weak squeaks you can sometimes find in this genre. I didn’t warm to David, finding him unsupportive and potentially hindering Natalie’s progress. Although appearing tough, she could be on the path to cracking emotionally and I found it mildly frustrating. Other characters come into play, Carmichael, Anderson and Jarvis whose sheer determination to crack the case and shatter any foregone conclusions certainly gets to the heart of the matter. Was it him? Was it her? The story moved organically and twists and red herrings were well performed, without exploiting the reader at all.

There’s more depth to this story that needs to be examined. Relationships aren’t what they seem and the web is tricky to untangle. It was one of those ‘just one more chapter before bed’ kind of reads because it’s so hard to trust anyone. I kept racing off the wrong track on more than one occasion and that’s the mark of an excellent writer.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and Bookouture for such an entertaining book. It was well worth the wait!

Didn't thrill me, characters didn't interest me and I found the plot plodding. Natalie let many clues blow bye and I count read through at about 40% I skipped to 80% and missed nothing but one e ent that didn't further anything. As far as reviews go I am in the minority as most readers seem to were hooked from the beginning.

And BOOM…… Carol Wyer does it again, the second in the Detective Natalie Ward series left my kids/ husband in limbo yet again while I got stuck in!!!

Det Natalie Ward is called to the scene of a horrific murder where a young mother, Charlotte Bannon was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat and her baby boy left in his cot unharmed. The team are going to up against it in this case with the murderer having written “Why” in Charlotte’s blood on the wall…. Hmmmm Why what exactly? As is often the case, her husband, Adam is in the frame being an ex-boxer and running a boxing gym for the local kids and plenty of motive and lack of alibi. Although as the case cracks on, there are plenty of other people in the frame, so many suspects, motives, alibis, can they crack them and figure it out?

Then the body of another young mother is discovered having been stabbed to death and again her young son locked in an understairs cupboard and “Who” written in her blood on the wall. What is going on, who is doing this and what is the motive?

Natalie has personal issues to deal with at home also and with the pressure mounting to find this killer before any more bodys/questions in blood turn up, can she focus and do the job in hand?

I just love this new series that Carol Wyer has come up with, being a fan already from the Robyn Carter series, I knew it was going to have a lot to live up to but that it did!!! Having thoroughly enjoyed and devoured book 1 in the series, I was delighted we didn’t have to wait long for the second. With twists and turns to keep you guessing, can’t praise it highly enough. I’d no idea who the murderer was until the author was ready to reveal all which is an amazing skill to have! Leaving us on a cliffhangar at the end also….. what will happen, obviously I can’t say for fear of ruining anything for others but again can’t wait for No. 3!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a big Carol Wyer fan, and this book was awesome. I love a series and being book 2 I am getting to know the characters. This book was suspenful and very well written. I loved everything about it, I can’t wait for book 3!!!

Ohhhh my you did it again Carol Wyer and wrote another brilliant book !!! Well I just love this author she is one clever writer and just makes it so damn impossible to put a book down and it makes me very grumpy when I have to !! The book has it all, thrilling plot, twists aplenty and a whole heap of interesting (some not so nice !!) characters and it’s a wonderful follow up to book 1 of the DI Natalie Ward series which I predict is going to be a sure fire hit and I just hope book 3 won’t be too long in coming. I didn't guess who did it and that for me makes it a 5 star read so what more can I say than if you want a fabulous which will keep you guessing then you have it here ..I loved it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, I can't believe I have just read book 2, it's not that long ago I read book one, Carol Wyer is certainly a writing machine.
I loved getting to know a little about Natalie in book 1, so it's great to spend some more time with her in book 2. Natalie is going to be one of those characters that you really need to be reading about. I don't just mean reading about the cases she works on, I also mean her as a person, following her life and learning about her past.
Carol certainly has a way of producing likeable, strong characters.

Detective Natalie Ward is first on the scene when A husband has discovered his wife dead in their bedroom. Creepily written on the wall in her blood is the word 'WHY'
Now if that doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what will.
I started this book with the intention of reading a little at a time, to savour the story. Not possible, once started it one of those books that you really need to read at every opportunity. It grabs from the word go and spits you out again at the very end.
The case is a disturbing one, a young mother brutally murdered, her body discovered by her husband, who then becomes a suspect, as do most wives, husbands, partners in these cases. Protesting his innocence, uncovers more about their life. It soon becomes apparent that maybe not all was rosy, in the Brannon household.
This book has tension oozing from the pages, and suspects at every turn, if like me you want to try and play at amateur detective, I really wouldn't bother with this one, short of highlighting every name throughout the book, I think it's a tough one to decide on who you think may have done it. This really does add to the mystery throughout the book.

Truly a superbly written book, I can't wait to read more of this series. I was a little sceptical when I realised the author was starting a new series. I love the authors other series Robyn Carter and wasn't sure another could be pulled off and done just as well. I love being proved wrong, and that's certainly what has happened here. Carol Wyer is one of those authors now for me, that I feel there is just no need to read the blurb about the book, if it has her name on the cover, then I want to read it.

​Amazing characters, some you'll love, some you'll hate. But certainly a book you can dive right into and won't want to put it down until you have finished. Praise for Carol Wyer. I can't wait for the next one.

I thought this mystery novel was pretty good. I was hooked from the beginning. The author does a good job telling the story through the reporting of suspects and witnesses. By the middle you had no idea who had committed the murder. We received a bird-eyes view of Charlotte life through these witnesses. The investigator did an incredible job seeing through these accounts and piecing everything together. Good read.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A married couple on the way home from dinner out with her family.A couple fighting on the ride home he drops her off to take the babysitter home.She is in bed hears strange noise in baby’s nursery she grabs a baseball bat her husband kept in bedroom for protection,runs to protect her baby & is blugeoned to death.In blood on the world the word WHY.This is one of the most chilling opening scenes I’ve ever read could not put this book down.#netgalley #lastlullaby #bookoture

Last Lullaby by author Carol Wyer is a gripping, fast paced thriller with big shocks! Definitely a must read. The characters are relatable in different ways and the plot is pretty solid.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of Last Lullaby in exchange for an honest review.

Carol Wyer comes up trumps again! D.I. Natalie Ward heads up an investigation into the murder of a mother of a baby boy. The woman's husband, Adam, is the main suspect to start with. But other factors mean the suspect list is growing! Then there's another murder. D.I. Natalie Ward is working frantically while at the same time is having personal problems. Her husband is definitely hiding something from her.
The ending is a shocker! And just what's next for Natalie?? I certainly can't wait to find out!
Deserves more than five stars. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.