Overall:

I’m buzzing from this book. I LOVED it. I don’t think I have been this gripped by a book, ever. It’s another amazing book by Carol Wyer, centred around DI Natalie Ward and her team. This time, they are hunting a meticulous, clever and deranged killer who is preying on young teenage school girls - and perhaps even Natalie’s own daughter!
Totally terrifying, this addictive read will keep you gasping, guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout. If you haven’t yet read one of the Natalie Ward series, definitely start at the beginning with the Birthday and Last Lullaby. You won’t be disappointed!
Full review will be up next month for the book tour

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture and Carol Wyer for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Carol Wyer has delivered another compulsive and unputdownable thriller. Secretive teenagers, social media and crazy dares are a deadly mix in this riveting novel.

Jane Hopkins is running late home from work. She likes to be there when thirteen-year-old Savannah arrives home from school, not like her own teenage years as a ‘latchkey kid’. When she arrives she’s surprised to find no trace of her daughter and no answer when she calls her phone. Savannah always comes straight home from school so Jane is immediately concerned. After checking with the few friends she’s made since they moved to the area and finding they haven’t seen her since school ended, Jane alerts the police.

Detective Natalie Ward is put in charge of the case but everyone’s worst fears are realised the next morning when the teenager’s body is discovered in a nearby park. As the murder investigation begin and secrets the teenager was hiding begin to come to light another young girl disappears. When the second teenager is also found dead it is confirmed they’re dealing with a parent’s worst nightmare. But this is a killer who leaves few clues and could be any one of a number of suspects. When her own teenage daughter, Leigh, goes missing the hunt becomes personal for Natalie. Can she catch the killer before it’s too late?

The Dare is the third installment in the fantastic Detective Natalie Ward series and is the best yet. If you haven’t read the other books you could read this as a stand alone as the author provides enough snippets of information for you to understand the characters, their relationships and motivations. However I’d recommend you read them simply because they are great crime fiction.

Told from multiple points of view, the book opens as a mystery man with a large snake tattoo on his torso is watching school children pass by. He talks about the snake having not been fed for a while and promises that it will soon be sated. The chilling tone of this chapter was repeated each time we met the adult killer. His conversations with his tattoo and his view of it as a separate entity, the thing that needed him to kill and feed it’s desire, made him seem more frightening and maleficent and left me with a chill down my spine. Later in the book there were some flashback chapters from his childhood where we see he was ridiculed at school and ignored at home. Feeling powerless we see what lead him to commit these awful acts and why he sees the snake as synonymous with his actions.

One of the best things for me about this book is the author wrote it so well that there was no clear suspect. There were multiple connections between the victims and possible candidates, but each time it seemed we knew who it was something would come along to make you doubt it was them. This uncertainty had me racing to the end to find out who had been terrorising the town and if Natalie’s daughter was found safe.

Ms Wyer has a talent for writing stories that get to the heart of what we as parents dread and striking horror in our hearts. As a mother to two teenagers I could relate to the stresses and trials the mothers in this story faced, how the children who once told us everything now hide things from us and we’re treading that fine line between giving them space to be independent and making sure they’re safe. Online safety is something we’re learning to navigate with this generation of teenagers and there were things this book made me consider that I’d never thought of before (I’ll not say more as I don’t want to give away spoilers).

I was on the edge of my seat as I devoured this book in almost one sitting. This is a must read for crime fiction and thriller fans. The only problem now is waiting for the next installment, one I’m personally hoping finally gives us more clues about Natalie’s elusive estranged sister.

The Dare ( Natalie Ward # 3) by Carol Wyer

Dare is the third installment in DI Natalie ward series. I like Carol Wyer. Its always a quick and comfortable read for me and I am never disappointed. I have read her Robyn Carter series which is more like Kim Store or Erika Foster. I think Natalie Ward is inspired from Patricia Gibney's Lottie Parker series except its not that messy.
The premise of the book is similar to her first one in the series " The birthday" , where kids go missing and they are found murdered few days later. Natalie and her team are assigned to this case where the murderer is much ahead of them. There is a body every two days.
With an extremely smart killer and so many suspects, Natalie and her team struggle to track down the murderer. When her own kid Leigh goes missing, the clock starts ticking.

Like I said before it was an easy and quick read for me. The author piles up so many bodies and suspects so that its very hard to guess the murderer.

Overall, The Dare is a good choice if you're looking for a quick entertaining thriller.

I thank netgalley & Bookoture for the ARC

Brilliantly addictive, just love Carol's books especially the D.I. Natalie Ward series and I was hooked from the very first chapter and her style of writing is just brilliant.

Overall this is a gripping page turner, hard to put down and with well developed characters and I can thoroughly recommend.

I particularly enjoyed reading about Natalie's colleagues and how they are developing as a team. I also enjoy how Carol always leaves a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the book between her husband David and Natalie.

Well done Carol and I eagerly await your next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Police thriller with missing,murdered girls and a scary dare. Lots of twists and turns before the villain is uncovered.

Savanah Hopkins Doesn’t come home from school as she always has done , her mother quickly raised the alarm for everyone to find her
But Savanahs friend Harriet is reported missing
But Natalie who’s in charge for the missing children isn’t quick and there is a body on the tip .
She has to find The other girl as quickly as she can
I had an ARC from Bookoutre

I so love the Natalie Ward stories. A proper detective tale. Over a week several 14 year old girls go missing. Bodies are found. As the team delve closer they find out about a 'dare' that all girls seem to have been involved with. The latest missing girl is Natalies own daughter. It's now personal. I love Natalie and her team and their family realities. Great writing that sets you on edge with suspense but also wonderful banter within the team. A gripping story with lots of suspects and a fantastic ending.

The Dare is the latest book in the DI Natalie Ward series (The Birthday and Last Lullaby) by Carol Wyer. Ms Wyer does an excellent job of combining the police work Natalie does with her home life, leaving the reader wanting more. The Dare is easily a stand alone story. I was given an early copy to review.

The Dare is another thrilling instalment in the DI Natalie ward series. I always get excited when I hear another book from Carol Wyer is coming out.
Jane Hopkins arrives home late, not only has the contractors working on her garden already gone home for the day. But her daughter Savannah has not come home. She rings her mobile but, she doesn’t answer. She also rings one of Savannah’s friend’s mum, but no one has seen her. She fears the worse and calls the Police.
DI Natalie Ward is to lead the investigation. She is in a hurry to find Savannah, but her body is found near a rubbish tip and then another teenage girl body turns up in the same circumstances. They discover that the girls are linked to a German website that dares people to disappear. But also, the killer is aware of this too.
With everything going on with the investigation Natalie must also deal with her home life. Her husband David has been gambling again. There is friction between them. Their daughter Leigh realises what going on and it doesn’t go down well, they blame themselves when Leigh disappears. Thinking that’s the reason she has gone away. But also, with what Natalie knows she is worried that Leigh could be the next victim.
Wow this is another five-star read from Carol Wyer. I couldn’t put this down. It was a roller-coaster of a ride, I highly recommend

This is the 3rd book I’ve read by Carol Wyer & certainly won’t be the last.

This had me hooked from the beginning. Plenty of twists and turns, the ongoing story of DI Natalie Ward and some good old fashioned police work.

Looking forward to the next adventures.

4.5 stars

This is the third book in the detective Natalie Ward series and I loved the first two so was looking forward to reading this one. I wasn’t disappointed. It was as usual by Carol plenty of twists and a gripping storyline that i didn’t want to put down. It revolves around the world of teenage girls and social media which shows what a scary combination it can be if used in the wrong way. I thought the ending was a bit flat although I’m glad her daughter got home safe. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

This is Detective Natalie Ward's third outing and she and her team in Staffordshire are beginning to feel familiar. They're a tenacious, hardworking lot so when a teenage girl goes missing without any clues to where she might have gone they turn over every stone looking for clues but to no avail. Following the disappearance of another teenage girl, again with no trace, the detectives uncover a link to a social media dare that the girls might have taken up. With her own teenage daughter at home, Natalie is hoping the girls will turn up safe but there is a dark, malicious element at work who is very good at covering his tracks and seems to be two steps ahead of the police.

This is a well written and engaging series with well rounded characters who have their own lives and families outside of work. Despite encouraging her team to maintain a good work-life balance, Natalie often struggles to do so herself with two teenagers and a disgruntled out of work husband at home. A compelling page turner with a shocking motive of revenge.

I love anything Carol writes. (side note she is helping to inspire my own writing!) This one was no different. The chemistry Natalie has with her team is phenomenal, which makes her stories easy to read. Dare flips back and forth throughout the book from the story, to the thoughts of the perpetrator. It is a dark mystery that draws you in and gets you hooked.
The story surrounds the disappearance of two young girls who simply vanish without a trace. Natalie, having a child of her own around the same age, is immediately on the case. She realizes her worst fears are realized when the first girl is found dead days after her disappearance. Another girl goes missing around the same time and suffers the same fate. . As the plot unfolds, Natalie founds disturbing videos on both girls phones which further deepen the investigation.
Natalie makes a critical error in her own judgement however and takes her focus off of her own daughter. She too goes missing....not giving any spoiliers as to how this pans out. You will have to read for yourself!

Apparently this is the third book in the Natalie Ward series - now I definitely need to read the first two! It read fine as a standalone but I'm wishing I would have read them in order. This story addresses the scary, current world of social media and teenagers. Someone is murdering girls in town and the race is on to find the killer before they take another life.
It was fast paced and exciting! I can't wait to read more by Ms. Wyer!
Thanks to Carol Wyer, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Carol Wyer The Dare


As always DI Natalie Ward cases drag you in and get the old grey cells working trying to discover whom the culprit(s) are. This book made me do a mental check on where all my kids are and that they were safe. In my humble opinion I don’t feel that these can be read as standalones as the author has patiently drawn into the characters personal lives, both the good and the bad.

We have not one, not two but three teenage girls disappear over a very short period of time. Savannah, Harriet and Katy all go missing within a day or two of each other sadly Savannah was quickly found dumped on a pile of rubbish. Natalie and her team were called on to work these cases and there is a distinct case of urgency due to the lack of time between each disappearance and the continuous stream of dead ends as one suspect as another has what seems to be a solid alibi.

Finally there’s a break in the case and we delve into the murkier side of social media challenge sites…. We definitely are not talking of the ice bucket challenge; this is something much scarier, much darker. I really don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoilers.

Not only has Natalie got a time sensitive and possible serial killer to deal with she also has family dramas to contend with. Her husband David is trying hard to make up for his rather huge misdemeanour, possibly trying a little too hard. Leigh and Sean are mostly just being typical teenagers although Leigh seems to be acting out in reaction to David and Natalie’s arguing and bickering.

There are twists, turns and red herrings galore in this book. I have to be honest and say that there are times when I could happily throttled the girls and as for David I would have arse and necked him right out the door. I really can’t see a happy ending for the two of them.


I was so pleased to be approved for this book it made my day. Read for an honest opinion. Thank you Netgalley and Bookoutre Publishers.

Carol Wyer can do no wrong!! She’s an amazing writer and I will read anything she writes. This is the 3rd book in the series and it was another great addition. Someone is taking young teenage girls or is it some part of a dare that sees how long someone can go missing on purpose? This will keep you going till late in the night reading.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another decent instalment in this fast paced series with a typically twisted plot. Unfortunately I found the storyline all a bit obvious

The Dare by Carol Wyer is the third installment in the Detective Natalie Ward series, and is the first I've had the pleasure to read. For me, this book is highly successful as a stand alone police procedural.

When thirteen year old Savannah Hopkins goes missing in the town of Watfield, DI Natalie Ward and her team are quickly assigned to the case. When Savannah's body is found, another girl is reported missing and found dead, followed by yet another, all over the course of several days. Trying to ascertain a link between the victims, DI Ward and her team discover a social media site called Disappear, which dares vulnerable teens to vanish for a period of 48 hours. Is it participation in this challenge that has ultimately led each girl to her death?

While Natalie and her colleagues race against the clock to find a seral killer before he strikes again, we are offered glimpses from said killer's perspective, and we are able to glean an insight into the evil psyche of the 'Watfield Monster', although his identity remains unknown. The case takes an interesting turn when it becomes personal for DI Ward, but to avoid spoilers I will say no more.

This is a nail-biting and engrossing read that will have you turning pages long into the night. I am anxious to read more from Carol Wyer, particularly the first books of the Natalie Ward series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Really enjoyed this book. I was slightly disappointed by the ending though. First book I have read by the author & would like to read the previous 2 of the series.

A wonderful addition to the Natalie Ward book series. It was addictive, staying up late to read, not wanting to put it down. The issue of social media and teenagers hit close to home for me.
The book was interesting and engaging, I enjoy all of the characters and their interactions with each other. Crime procedures books are my favorite, and this series is one I enjoy reading. I can't wait until the next installment. Hopefully, Natalie will do something about that husband of hers.