This week, I had trouble with reading romances and felt in a thriller mood. Fatal Fortune was a book set in the UK where Leanne Smith has just won the big lottery. Her family is overjoyed, that is until she is found murdered with a photo lying on her body. The police post the photo thinking it is of Leanne but it is another local woman named Pippa Durant. Pippa is a psychiatrist and has started to lose business and her reputation because of this mistake. As the book goes along, Pippa is determined to find out what the connection is between Leanne and herself, but no one seems to be helping. Meanwhile, Leanne's daughter Donna is grieving her mother's death and her father Kevin has been arrested, but Donna knows he is innocent. I have to say I wasn't keen on the character Ricky and wondered if he had something to do with the death but the book takes on a different angle which left me going OMG and because of the way it ended, it made me enjoy this book more as without giving the spoiler away, I love this type of trope in books. The one thing I did hope for though was a bit more idea of what happened to Pippa's daughter as it was glossed over in this novel, all we know was that she vanished into thin air. Overall though, Fatal Fortune by Miranda Rijks was a good UK mystery which though slow-paced which they are known for didn't feel too slow which helped keep the reader interested. I am now looking forward to trying the other books by Miranda Rijks. I have to admit too after reading this book, it did get me thinking about what would I do if I won the lottery, what family would come out of the woodwork, and whether I would want the public to know. All big questions that have to be answered when you win.

Framed…?
The first Dr Pippa Durrant mystery and Pippa is under the distinct impression that someone is framing her for murder. Entertaining suspense with an intriguing protagonist and an enjoyable storyline, twists aplenty and nicely woven threads.

Fatal Fortune is an intense suspenseful read that I could not put down until the very end.

The first in the Dr. Pippa Durrant Thriller Series, we find Pippa as a suspect in the death of a woman she has never even met. Her skills as a human polygraph expert will be put to the test as another body has turned up and time is running out for Pippa.

Enjoyed this book and found it gripping. The writing style is easy to follow and flows well. This is the second book I've read from the author and I'll definitely look out for more as I've enjoyed them both.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and are completely unbiased.

I will update my review and elaborate another time. I just quickly wanted to rate it as I have agreed to do so.

I enjoyed this read as well.

Very suspenseful read! I really enjoyed this book. I'm glad there are more in this series and will be reading the next soon!

Series :Dr.Pippa Durrant #1
Descriptio

Is someone trying to frame psychologist Pippa Durrant for the brutal murder of a woman she’s never even met?

It certainly seems that way when Pippa’s photo is found on the body of murdered lottery winner, Leanne Smith.

Pippa soon finds herself a suspect at the centre of a huge media storm. But she has an invaluable skill set – she is a human polygraph, expertly trained to spot lies and deceit. Skills she will need to help her to solve the mystery of who killed Leanne before it destroys her career - and her life.

But every cloud has a silver lining and this one arrives in the shape of DS Joe Swain. Initially suspicious of Pippa, he comes to trust her and to value her lie detection skills. Soon it’s clear there’s a definite spark between them....

Then, when another body turns up, Pippa realises her reputation isn’t the only thing in danger. Can she identify the killer before she becomes the next victim?

Fatal Fortune is the electrifying first book in the Dr. Pippa Durrant Thriller Series. If you like edge-of-your-seat action, clever sleuths, and shocking twists, then you’ll love Miranda Rijks’ gripping crime novel.



My thoughts

Rating:4.5

I've never read a book series about psychologist that is a human polygraph, expertly trained to spot lies and deceit. I've seen TV shows but never read any book series but this one I'm glad I decided to get and read ,it's a great start to a new series for me to read, it starts out slow but the more you read the more you begging to see the story come to life before your very eyes, it could be a TV show if the right people where picked and they did it right to begin with. As for the characters I liked how the author made them seem human ,like they where actually real and not characters in a book, with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion and I can't wait to read book 2.

Miranda Rijks stuns you with this book. Fatal Fortune keeps you interested and entertained all the way until the end. It grips you and it twists you, and you will want more! A great read!

This was the first book I've read from this author and it is the first in the Pippa series. I loved it. It was catchy right from the beginning. I never knew what to expect with this one but I'm so glad I got to read this.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fatal Fortune is the first in a series starring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist who finds herself in the centre of a murder investigation. After she starts losing clients from her private practice due to her connection with a murder victim, she agrees to work with the police to try to solve the crime and get her life back.

It was an interesting concept and I liked the character of Pippa Durrant more than I thought I would. I prefer psychological thriller to detective mysteries but this one was worth the read. I will continue with the series.

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

Thrilling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It was well written and flowed well and was easy to read. One you won’t want to end

First time reading from this author.

Pippa Durrant finds herself a suspect when lottery winner Leanne is found murder and Pippa picture is on the body the only problems is she doesn't know the victim.

As her reputation starts to go down hill she has to rely on her invaluable skill set which she is a human polygraph to help her solve the murder of Leanne and to save her career and reputation.

As she get help from DS Joe who is wary of her he start to see he can trust her a value her skills.

When another murder happen she realize her reputation and career isn't the only thing on the line.

It had some good twist and turns the character of Pippa seems a bit clueless when it comes to her son and then the cops suspecting her when the only evidence was a picture felt odd to me.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I actually read this after reading Fatal Flowers, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. A very interesting and well written book. The story hangs together and the people are real. Why would someone kill a lottery winner - and leave a picture of Phillippa Durrant on the body. Especially as neither the police nor Phillippa can find a link between her and the murdered woman.

Loved it.

Fatal Fortune was okay. It’s not a bad book but it’s just far too similar to other books in the same genre and I couldn’t stand the characters.

Page turning murder mystery! It was evident to me that someone from the Psychologist background was the murderer! I figured it out early, I even knew why; I read way too many of this genre, it has to be harder than this! I do like Pippa, and Detective, Joe, my question is, why didn't they get closer? I hope she does go back to work for the Police force, gets involved with Joe, this would be a good series. Two women are murdered in their homes, in a most gruesome manner, staged, with a photograph! Too much profanity for me! I would read another, with these same characters.
I recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

Excellent psychological thriller. After just reading I Want You Gone, I was thrilled to get this book, and even more thrilled that it is number 1 in a series. This book starts with the gruesome murder of a woman who just won the lottery, when her body is discovered there is a picture of a total stranger placed on the body. As her family gets involved in trying to find the killer, and the woman’s story comes out, it’s clear that many people could have a motive for murder. This is just the beginning of this awesome mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. Well written, suspenseful and addictive read. Ms. Rijks is one of my new favorite authors and I am very excited to see where this series goes.

I had a really hard time reading this. The book started out well with an interesting premise, but I had difficulty with the characters and their relationships with each other. For a woman with a phd in psychology, I found Pippa Durrant a bit clueless in her relationship with her son and she seemed unable to set appropriate boundaries with clients as well. I know a lot of people have given quite favorable reviews, but I didn’t have the same experience.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an electronic arc.

Unusual story with lots of twists,turns and suspects.A mixed bunch of characters,all with their own problems and secrets.

After the annoying Laura Swallow(from I want you gone) I thought Pippa Durant would redeem the Miranda Rijks for me. And she did, but only a little.
When lottery winner Leanne's Smith is found dead, her face, beaten to a pulp with psychologist Pippas picture placed on the body of the victim, Pippa finds herself in the middle of a huge media storm. Battling a trial by media, Pippa finds her reputation torn to shreds and she must get to the bottom of the mystery & find the murderer who's trying to defame her. Trusting her lie-detection skills is DS Joe Swain who needs to bring in the killer before they murder anyone else. It soon becomes evident, Pippa is connected to the crimes when another body with her photograph turns up. Can they both identify the killer before Pippa becomes the next victim?
The only characters likable in this book are Benjie, Leanne's sweet grandchild & Mungo, Pippas faithful Labrador. Ok, and maybe Pippa too, but just a little. I feel ambivalent towards her at this point. I thought DS Joe Swain was a highly incompetent & condescending character for a police officer. Which decent officer laughs at victims to their face?
If you can ignore wacky behavior from the characters in the book, it is pretty good!
I can't seem to get over the fact that all the characters behave so damn bizarrely. Pippa seems to experience extreme emotions going from happy to sad, panicked to content in a matter of seconds. The way the characters respond to certain events in the book doesn't feel realistic at all.
As strange as the behavior of most of the characters is, the story was pretty good and I couldn't keep this one down. The start is gripping, the end is tension-filled. The middle is just average. Maybe there's hope for Pippa Durant after all. If the characters in this book/series can get a hold of their emotions and behave how normal human beings do, there's great potential for the series! I'm curious about the next book - Fatal Flowers and will be picking that one up soon.
Thank you Netgalley, Miranda Rijks & Inkubator Books for an arc.

This is my first book by the author and I am still not sure if I liked it or not. The premise of Pippa being a human lie detector is what drew me in. Sadly this doesn't really play into the story at all. The characters are scattered and unrealistic. The mystery was easy to guess the ending to. I am going to try the second in the series to see if it improves since the first book in a series doesn't always reflect the way the whole thing will go.