A young lady falls out the back of a moving van. When reached she utters the phrase “Help her”. Days later another young woman is found in a shallow grave. What do these two cases have in common? The victims both have red hair.

This British police procedural opens with an action packed scene and proceeds to follow the investigative process of Detective Gina Harte and her team as they try to solve this puzzling mystery. Told from different perspectives, this story is able to give I insight into the minds of several key characters.

This complex and intense murder mystery, set in the English countryside, is fast paced and full of punch. Characters are well-developed and dialogue and story are easy to follow. The story pullled me in and I was actually looking forward to seeing how the story would end.

This is the third book of a series ,but can be read as a standalone, although it does delve into the personal relationship of the protagonist (which I could do without) which is more than likely tied to the first two books.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book for an honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley, the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my review based on my honest opinion.

This was the third book in the Detective Gina Harte series, and although part of series, could easily be enjoyed as a stand alone thriller. I enjoyed this book, it was a great read for a stormy blustery day, curled up with a cup of cocoa, this book kept me on the edge of my easy chair. This book had a great story-line and I enjoyed how it was written, it kept me guessing and trying to solve the crimes ahead of the writer. It is told from a few different perspectives, Detective Gina Harte, one of our victims and the mother of missing young girl; and that made the story even more interesting. As a mother, I know that I wouldn't stop until I found my child, just as this mother tried to do. There were a lot of characters that I just could not fit into the story, but by the end of the book, it all made sense. It was a satisfactory ending and left me wondering what will happen to Gina in the future books, she has issues that she needs to deal with and it would be nice to see her get a bit of a personal life outside of the station and come to some sort of closure for herself.

Cannot wait for the next installment of this series.

The third in the DI Gina Harte series, Her Pretty Bones can be read as a standalone.

After a prologue of two girls aged 6 and a 7 years old, the story opens with a teenage girl falling out of a moving van in the English countryside, who is nearly runover by another car. The driver of the second car calls the police, whereupon Gina Harte and her team investigate. The girl, on injected drugs and extremely emaciated, says the enigmatic words, "Help her," before being placed on IV in hospital.

It is Gina’s job to discover the driver of the van, whether there is another girl kept in such an abusive situation, what happened to the "van girl”, whether she was kept captive – perhaps by the van’s driver. The hunt is on for her kidnapper. When another body is found buried in a shallow grave at a house for sale, it raises the possibility that a serial kidnapper-cum-murderer is involved.

The police team’s roles are well described, including the frontline/ uniformed police, detectives and the forensics team.

While the story is told largely from the perspectives of 3 people: Gina Harte, a teen minding a shop and an abducted girl called Miley, we eventually also hear a fourth person, Julia Dawson’s point of view (POV). Julia’s teenage daughter, Christina, ran away from home 3 months prior. From the police communications on TV, Julia fears that one of the teens/bodies found might be her daughter.

While the varying POVs are intriguing, I was unsure of the timeline in which events unfolded. Although I realised early on that one or more of the girls was operating under an alias, I was unsure whether Miley’s and the shop girl’s POVs were current or in the past. Some chapters were headed with a date, and if this was more consistently applied, it may have helped the reader better. Or maybe it was the author’s intention to fudge the timelines, so we don’t know whether the teens were alive or not.

Another issue I had is that I didn’t connect the prologue to the crime story at all. I only remembered the prologue when I had finished the novel and happened to flick back to the beginning. The author could perhaps have foreshadow the prologue’s events more compellingly, though I am not sure how. Some prologues propel the story along; this one didn’t.

Gina’s personal life was another stumbling block that stalled the plot. Briggs’ manner was confused, seeming like he was lying about his contacts with Julia. Why was one workplace relationship not allowed, but another was? Maybe it is to do with direct staff reports, but this isn’t clear. Why Gina would allow herself to be emotionally manipulated like this was never clear, and engendered less respect for her in the reader.

There are allusions to Gina’s past abusive marriage, but it doesn’t serve a large purpose in the story other than perhaps as a filler to be explored in a later book in the series. The references to Gina’s traumatic experience in her prior case, were more reasonable for inclusion in this story’s context.

The relationship Gina has with her daughter is alluded to but never developed. If the reader is to bond with Gina across the series, then the conversations she has with her near and dear should be exposed to the reader, with Gina shown to be dealing with her private life. Otherwise, Gina runs the risk of coming across of a detective automaton, who solves crimes but whose life is unravelling.

Her Pretty Bones is a gripping page-turner that exposes the life of teen runaways and Huntington Disease.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerPrettyBones in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2702781315 and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2019/02/her-pretty-bones-carla-kovach.html

A young woman falls from a van speeding down a quiet road. Battered and bruised, she turns her head to the person who comes to her aid. ‘Help her’, she whispers before her eyes close.

Days later, the body of another young girl is found in a shallow grave just a few miles away. The similarities between the two girls are startling – same age, same frail body, same shocking red hair.

As the town fears there’s a serial killer living amongst them, Detective Gina Harte must put aside her own struggles at home, and catch the killer before he finds another perfect girl.

I absolutely love this series and they just get better and better and I highly recommend Her Pretty Bones.

Thank you to Bookouture, Carla Kovach and NetGalley for the arc of Her Pretty Bones my review is honest and unbiased in any way.

Wow wow wow, this was fantastic hard to put down read.
From the first few pages of a young battered and bruised girl falling out the back of a van it was a roler coaster of a ride. Unable to identify the girl DI Gina Harte does everything in her power to find out who this girl is.
The twists and turns are clever, horrific and hard to believe.
This is the first book I have read by Carla Kovach but will definetly not be my last.

A young girl falls out of the back of a transit van and says 'Help Her', to the person who finds her. Detective Gina Harte is called in to investigate. Harte has personal issues of her own which she has to push away if she needs to get justice for this girl. In the next few days, another girl is discovered buried in a rather shallow grave. The similarities between the two girls call out some kind of connection which Gina has to decode before more girls fall victim to a killer.

A book full of excitement, twists and turns, mixed in with real, personal challenges that Gina is battling. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to the next in the Gina Harte series. As a person, she was one I could empathise a lot with.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book..

This is my favourite type of story, a murder mystery but the people solving it have problems of their own. I do like the human frailties of the main characters, in this case panic attacks. But there are real reasons. Red headed teenage girls go missing and the reason is heartbreaking. I enjoyed the human element of this story and look forward to others in the series.

This 3rd installment of the Gina Harte series does not disappoint. Kovach weaves personal vignettes with realistic tense situations. Harte is searching for those who have held young women captive and torturing (murdering?) them. For those who are troubled by graphic and gory descriptions, this may not be the book for you. Two deaths, a woman who fell out of a van and a body discovered in a shallow grave, which seem unrelated, are too coincidental for Harte. The journey of reading that this book provides bounces between the past and the present, hearing the stories from differing perspectives. At times, this can get a bit confusing holding the different character names in your head for quick reference. For those who do make the effort, the reward is a solved case but no Hollywood happy ending. It seems that Harte is fated to fly solo.

This stalled along the way for me. I loved the creepy prologue and the story opens with a bang but then it meanders a bit and so did my attention.

I liked the writing and the multiple viewpoints gave the story extra heft. The characters were interesting though I probably don’t have the full knowledge of them since I haven’t read the previous stories in the series.

The action does pick up a little over the 3/4 point and then it does start deliver. Overall a satisfying conclusion. I have seen that some of the fans of this series weren’t as thrilled with this one so I may pick up the next one and see how that works for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

HER PRETTY BONES is the third in the DI Gina Harte series, but it can be read as a standalone, as I have yet to read the first two myself.

When a young girl falls from a moving van on a country lane and nearly hit by the car travelling behind, Gina and her team are called to investigate. The girl couldn't be more than sixteen though she is badly wounded and very emaciated, and is rushed to hospital where she is placed in an induced coma but sadly never recovers. The only lead the team have was her final words to the driver of the car behind "Help her". Her? Who is "her"? Is there another girl? And who is this girl? What happened to her? Was she kidnapped and somehow escaped her abductor?

Then a few days later another body is found buried in a shallow grave, and questions are raised whether this is a separate crime or that of the same person? When forensics come back regarding a strand of hair found with the remains, DNA tests reveal a link between the two cases. But the final words of the girl from the van lead the team to believe that there is a third girl they must race to find before it's too late.

The reader soon meets Julia Dawson who has been searching for her runaway daughter for 3 months and when she rings the tip line, she is brought in to identify "van girL, as she is being referred to. Is this her daughter Christina?

The chapters alternate between the investigation, Julia Dawson and the third abducted girl, who we soon know as Miley. The shifting POVs are compelling as we try to piece together the jigsaw alongside Gina and her team.

HER PRETTY BONES is an intriguing read, though a little slow in parts, filled with secrets, likes , deceit, duplicity and everything you could want in a psychological thriller. I love the fact that Gina has proved that she is not infalliable and she knows this...particularly with a secret from her past that she holds close and tells no one. If she did, it would change everything, I'm sure.

My only flaw I can think of is Gina and her relationship with her daughter. Though she featured very little in this book, I found her daughter Hannah to be selfish and unreasonable. Her mother has been a detective in the police force for several decades and she chooses NOW to be unreasonable about with regard to her own daughter Gracie. It is a demanding job and there are times I'm sure Gina would much rather be at home, but having to cancel plans with her daughter and granddaughter are beyond her control. She has people abovee her to answer to as well and she can't keep everyone happy. The other thing that irritated me was her obsession with her DCI. I'm really not interested in their relationship, their break-up or the fact she is finding herself jealous he is seeing someone else. Get on with the case and forget about office romances!

Aside from those two flaws, HER PRETTY BONES is gripping and intrguing with twists and turns and an ending that at the end of it all, seems rather sad. And whilst it is part of a series, I believe it can be read as a standalone as I did...but you will probably find yourself wanting to read the other two after this one anyway. Just to familiarise yourself with the backstory and Gina herself.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerPrettyBones in exchange for an honest review.

We are now on book three in the Detective Gina Harte series but please don’t necessarily let that put you off. I still think that this works well as a standalone however as ever when you start part way through a series there is a chance you won’t get a full appreciation for the characters. So what did I think of Her Pretty Bones…

Well with an opening like that I couldn’t wait to see where this story would take me along with wondering how it would all tie in together. You can easily feel the frustration as the team desperately try to pick up the clues and follow leads hoping to catch a killer before they strike again. The question is can they find that big break?

In this book it’s safe to say that Gina isn’t having the easiest of times and that goes for both her personal and professional life. Things are still not exactly great with her daughter and I felt sorry for Gina trying to juggle it all. One of the things that was really interesting was that there were parts of the story told from different perspectives and this really helped to keep the momentum going. Making me think about what was actually happening and trying to figure it all out. The pacing is steady and doesn’t move at break neck speed but instead allowed me the chance to take it all in.

With twists to keep things interesting and a plot that had just the right amount of tension to make me wonder what would happen next. Her Pretty Bones is a dark, intriguing and at times very twisty story!

Loved this book!! Devoured it in one day! This series is for sure worth reading, it kept me going long after I should have gone to sleep last night. It’s the kind of story that you can’t put down once you get into it. I like this author’s writing style.

Her Pretty Bones – Carla Kovach

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

A young man is traveling along a country road in rural England, when a back door of the van in front of him suddenly opens, and a girl’s body falls out in front of his car. As Toby steps on the brakes, and calls for help, the van continues on its journey, seemingly unaware of what has transpired.

Despite it being her weekend off, Detective Inspector Gina Harte is called in to work the case. Fresh off her most recent case, and a dangerous assault at her home, Gina is still struggling a bit with anxiety, and with her short-lived relationship w/ her commanding officer DCI Briggs. As she and partner DS Jacob Driscoll meet at the hospital in hopes of interviewing their victim, they learn that the only words she’s uttered are ‘help her’. But who is she referring to??

Shortly after the investigation begins, a body is found buried in a shallow grave on a recently sold piece of property. As the two cases run concurrently, forensics are able to identify the young women, and the team makes a startling discovery, which links the two cases together. And nearby, a desperate mother is searching frantically for her missing daughter…

This was my second Carla Kovach novel featuring Gina Harte and it will NOT be my last! This was a GREAT read! Full of action, suspense and drama you come to expect from mystery/police procedurals, I had a very hard time putting this one down!! Time to read the one I’m missing, as I eagerly await more of DI Harte from Ms. Kovach!!

Early one morning a young girl falls from a moving van on a country lane and is nearly hit by the car travelling behind. The driver stops and phones for an ambulance and the police. The girl is in a bad way. She is dirty, malnourished, and has injection marks on her body.

Detective Gina Harte and her team are called in to find out what happened to the girl but it doesn’t look good for her and the doctors don’t hold out much chance of her s. Then a body of a young girl in a similar state is discovered in a shallow grave just a few miles away from the first scene.

Gina suspects that there might be other young girls in a similar state locally and is determined to find them before another one turns up dead.

This is the third book in the Detective Gina Harte series and the first book that I have read from the series. I didn’t feel like I was at a disadvantage by not reading the first two as this one was a completely different case and whilst there is some information about Gina’s personal life it wasn’t enough to make me feel lost.

The story begins with the prologue set in 1963 and with two little sisters falling out, then the book jumps forward to the present day. We follow Gina and her team as they try to discover what happened to the young girl who fell from the van. As another girls body is found the case opens up into more of a hunt for a killer and a place where he/she might be storing young girls.

We also meet a mother who is desperately searching for her daughter who ran away a few months ago and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Plus we also read about a young girl working at a farm shop who is feeling uneasy as she seems to be getting unwanted attention from a man – Could this be our culprit and intended next victim?

The plot is told in the third person and we get to read about numerous different characters who all play a part in solving the mystery, some bigger than others.

The book has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I enjoyed watching the detectives unravel the mystery and spent plenty of time guessing who the culprit might turn out to be.

The book had me gripped to the pages. I read it in one day not wanting to put it down for a second. This is a book that will keep you wondering what on earth is going on and how does the prologue fit in with the rest of the story – You’ll have to give it a read to find out.

A girl falls out of the back of a van and utters the words "help her" before she loses consciousness. Josie is trying to get to the bottom of how this young girl who was in such horrible health ended up in the van. Did she accidentally fall out of the van or was she trying to escape?
When a body that has similar characteristics to the girl in the van is found in a shallow grave, Josie fears there is another serial killer out there and it's up to her and her team to find the killer before it's too late. The clock is ticking because she fears another girl's life is in peril.

I highly recommend this book and the series. I received this book as a ARC from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Carla Kovach for this opportunity

Another great read in the Detective Gina Harte series . When a young girl falls from a moving van its up to Gina and her team to find out who she was and where she came from . The case is made more complicated by the discovery of another female in a shallow grave . The link both girls had red hair . As the investigation progresses there is another missing girl and Gina must use all her skills to solve this one . Really enjoyable with a satisfying end . 5 stars from me

So this is the third in the DI Gina Harte series, having not read the previous books, I personally thought it worked fine as a stand alone, although the author does allude to the previous book during the course of this one.

This is quite a gritty police procedural that grabs you from that very first chapter. I also liked the fact even there wasn’t a huge amount of suspects, I was still kept guessing until the end.

Gina Harte is still suffering from anxiety from her previous case, not eating properly or taking care of herself. Add to that a rather fractious relationship with her daughter, right as this case comes along about young women, she really struggles to keep her emotions under control!

My only issue is the pacing was a little slower than I would have liked but of course that’s just my opinion.

I’d recommend this to lovers of police procedurals or anyone who enjoys twisty and puzzling mysteries. I can’t wait to read more from Carla Kovach!

Another great Detective Gina Hart book . I absolutely love this series ! An exceptional well written police procedural with a chilling , disturbing and haunting storyline you won't soon forget ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #HerPrettyBones

A very enjoyable read! I was very interested in getting my hands on this one after I read the blurb and I am pleased to say that I was not let down.

The story is written very well and the characters are interesting and jump off the page. I would recommend this read!

This is the second DI Gina Harte book I have read and the third in the series.

Gina’s team are forced into action when a young girl is found after falling from the back of a van. She is unconscious, emaciated and shows signs of drug abuse. The team must find out who the girl is, then a body is found in a shallow grave with striking similarities to the first girl. Gina wonders if it is the work of a serial killer and is determined to find out before another victim is found.

Without a doubt, Gina Harte is an extremely professional and dedicated detective. However, her personal life is a mess and she has demons to tackle from her past. Also, a recently ended relationship refuses to let her move on, and her daughter resents the hours she puts into her work. It is clear that Gina uses her career to run away from tough issues and throughout the book, I feared that things would catch up with her. I liked that she was never judgemental, always understanding that people’s lives can change through no fault of their own. She leads a solid team but always puts herself right in the firing line and obtains utter respect for it.

A complex, hard-hitting story with plenty of twists to keep the pages turning. The book had a unique storyline and is well researched. I look forward to reading more from Carla Kovach.