The book starts off with a horrible murder scene, and this sets the tone for an amazing read. It was really very very well written, and I enjoyed the way the author unfolds the story little for little, keeping you entertained throughout. This was one of the best reads I've reads this year so far, and I can't wait for the next one by this very talented author. TB

Sole Survivor is the second in the DI Jemima Huxley series set in the north Cardiff area of South Wales.

Jemima returns to her job several months after a particularly gruesome case and having had to attend for counselling. Jemima takes a call about another grisly murder scene and arriving at the exclusive Briarmarsh Close, she is shocked to find that the entire Rathbone family has been viciously stabbed. Four people are dead and only the Rathbone's teenage daughter, Millie has survived but her injuries are so severe that it is uncertain if she will recover.

Jemima and her team begin questioning the local community including friends and neighbours of the family, revealing some interesting Rathbone family dynamics. With Millie, as the sole survivor, at further risk, the team know they must work quickly to protect her, however, it's a difficult case as everyone has a different opinion of the Rathbone family and there is a host of suspects all with viable motives.

Gaynor Torrance has created a well-drawn protagonist and detective in DI Jemima Huxley. Although flawed and with many personal problems such as her husband, Nick, she was likeable and caring as were the others in her team. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the different team members and I really liked the way the author interlaced the main story with events and occurrences in Jemima's own life. Very well written, the novel had me on tenterhooks from start to finish as I was led through abundant tension-filled moments culminating in a shocking conclusion. I am delighted to have read Sole Survivor which was a rewarding experience.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Sapere Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

SOLE SURVIVOR is the second in the DI Jemima Huxley series set in the north Cardiff area of South Wales. If you missed the previous book, don't worry as this can be read as a standalone. After a particularly gruesome case in the first book "Revenge", which was one of the most shocking cases of her career, Jemima returns several months later after having to face some of her personal demons that often clouded her judgement.

Jemima is on a rare day off when she receives a call to another particularly gruesome murder scene. Details are sketchy but upon arriving at the scene in the exclusive Briarmarsh Close, she is shocked to learn that the entire Rathbone family has been butchered, leaving four dead. Only the teenage daughter Millie survived but her injuries are so brutal it is uncertain if she will recover and she remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Jemima and her team begin questioning friends and neighbours of the family, revealing some interesting family dynamics. Bradley Rathbone was a psychiatrist at the University Hospital of Wales while his wife Sally was a doctor in private practice. The two teenage children were Jonathan and Lauren and were Bradley's brother's children, their parents having been killed in a boating accident the year before. Millie, the sole survivor, is Bradley's daughter from his first marriage whose mother is currently serving a prison sentence for the murder of her 10 month old baby when Millie was 7 years old.

Robbery was quickly ruled out as the crime scene was particularly vicious. No burglar would expend so much energy into stabbing one victim thirty five times and seventeen for another. Particularly given that the two teenage victims were suffocated prior to being stabbed. Why even bother to stab them so viciously if they are already dead? This in itself displayed a huge amount of rage towards the victims. And if that was the case, why kill the parents? Is it some kind of personal vendetta? Was someone out for revenge against the family? Was there a prime target? Or was this just a random attack? So many questions left unanswered has Jemima searching for clues that will lead them to the killer.

Then when Jemima learns that Brad's first wife Isobel has been released from prison, she becomes their prime suspect as the team begin to search for her whereabouts and Jemima wonders if Millie, as the sole survivor, is suddenly at risk.

There are a wealth of suspects to consider as the team dig further to uncover the truth. From a teacher to the next door neighbour to a psychotic patient to an ex-wife who was in prison for murder...everyone seems to have a different version of the family. So who is lying and who is telling the truth?

Meanwhile Jemima has problems on the home front. Ever since her husband Nick outed her self harming to her boss things have been strained between the couple. Not to mention the time she took an innocent walk with her godson Harry at his christening party, leaving everyone frantic with worry that she had kidnapped him, Jemima was shocked to discover that Nick believed she had done just that. Now the couple have Nick's son James living with them after the tragic death of his mother in a car accident, but Jemima appears to be more of a parent to James than Nick, who sits in the kitchen drinking from dawn till dusk...accusing Jemima of caring about her job more than them. But then the couple receive some devastating news that will turn their worlds upside down, as Jemima tries to stay strong for young James.

I have to say I much preferred Jemima in this book than I did in the first one, where she bored on self-absorption to the point of obsession. In SOLE SURVIVOR, she has been to counselling - albeit forced, but incredibly helpful - and while she was unable to have a child of her own, she now finds herself a parent to James who she loves just as much as if he were her own. She has a good camaraderie with her team who are all incredibly likable, making reading the book a pleasant experience. I must also add that I love the pathologist, John Prethero, and his wicked sense of humour.

I really enjoyed SOLE SURVIVOR even though I had worked out who was responsible from very early on. But that never spoils my enjoyment or detracts from the story as it is always a guessing game anyway...I could have been wrong.

Although incredibly well written, I did find SOLE SURVIVOR to be a little slower paced that the previous book which had me on tenterhooks from start to finish. However, Gaynor Torrance has a tendency to shock as both books so far in this promising series lead the reader through tension-filled moments culminating to shocking conclusions. While I did suspect the killer, there were definitely some shocking moments throughout the book.

An excellent addition to what is becoming a promising new series, SOLE SURVIVOR is a a unique mix of thriller and police procedural, though not for the fainthearted. Recommended for fans who like their crime thrillers dark.

I would like to thank #GaynorTorrance, #NetGalley and #SapereBooks for an ARC of #SoleSurvivor in exchange for an honest review.

Review for 'Sole Survivor' by Gaynor Torrance

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Sapere Books

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I would love to read more.

This is the second book in the 'DI Jemima Huxley thriller' series. I read this as a standalone with no problem at all. I don't think there were any references needing to be made about previous crimes, if there were they would have been explained as I didn't notice them. Regardless I would still be interested in reading book one.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this suspense filled crime novel. An absolute page turner that was very well written with descriptions that really put me in the story.

This book is set in Cardiff and with a strong female lead. Both bonuses being a Welsh woman myself living about an hour from Cardiff =) I loved the fact that I have been to some of the places in the book and it really helped me picture everything that was going on.

I absolutely loved the characters especially John Prothero and his sense of humour!! They were all realistic and very strong. I look forward to seeing more of them and is a reason that I'd be interested in reading the first book in this series.

I was originally drawn to this book by its cover and blurb which both relate to the book very well.

I must say though that I did figure out the killer from the start which was a bit disappointing and this normally removes a star rating from the book. However 4/5 is I enjoyed it and 5/5 is I loved it. I would be lying if I didn't say I loved it even though I knew who the killer was. I wasn't expecting how things would happen which definitely made up for it.

I would highly recommend this book to
Fans of crime, murder, psychological thrillers, suspense, fans of Angela Marsons, M.J. Arlidge and C. L. Taylor and basically everyone looking for a good read!!

243 pages

Free on kindle unlimited or £2.99 to purchase. I think this is an absolute bargain for this book!!

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Sole Survivor by Gaynor Torrance.
This is book 2 of the DI Jemima Huxley series.
A family of five were attacked in their own home. Four are dead – repeatedly stabbed in a frenzied attack – and the fifth, a teenage girl, is in a critical condition.
With the sole survivor unable to provide a statement, it is up to Jemima and her team to unmask the killer.
I really enjoyed this book. Great story. Some Good characters. I hope there is more to come. 4*.

A decent police procedural. It's a little slow paced for my liking but it was well written and there was enough there to hold my interest.

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

DI Jemima is already to her breaking point when a case of family of five is attack four is killed while the daughter is in criticality condition. As she combs through the Rathbone family to find out who want to kill them as she talks to neighbors and colleagues they are reluctant to talk. There are a lot of red herrings but I figure out who the killer was it’s was the why that was interesting.

I like this second book in this series as Jemima seems to find balance with work and her life. I like her bonding with her stepson and even though she dealing with devastating news that her husband receive as she tries to help him through it without him falling into bad habits.

I like Jemima she flawed and determine she kinda reminds me of Lily Rush from tv show Coldcase.

What a fantastic thriller! Being my second book that I have read from Gaynor Torrance, I was impressed with the continued story of Detective Jemma Huxley and her pursuit of solving the latest horrendous crime. The story is intriguing , being that it is horrifying to think of what a person is capable of.
Intense reading with unfolding drama had me finishing the book in one day.
A enjoyable crime procedural and looking forward to seeing this series and characters develop in future installments.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley
#solesurvivor

If you love who do e it books with lots of potential suspects then this won’t disappoint you. The crime scene is grisly but so is the back story of these tragedy besieged people. For me just a bit too much to be believable. I guessed the murderer very early on despite all the red herrings but that’s it always bad because you really don’t know if you’re right till the end but I was put off mainly by the characters who were all rather over the top and often very stereotypical.
I do think the book has a lot of appeal and a good holiday read ( or in the current climate isolation read might be more apt) but just not for me.

Second of this authors books I have read and again I was not disappointed.
Jemma is faced with a harrowing murder scene, 4 family members brutally murdered and the remaining daughter critically injured.
Whilst both parents potentially have worked with people who could be considered as high risk to comit murder, family ties are also pulled into this story.
Outside of work, Jemma has formed a strong bond with her stepson and is coming to terms with the fact that she still can't have children. However her relationship is thrown into turmoil as her husband receives devastating news, resulting in his dependence on alcohol and the destruction of his marriage.
Although I guessed the murderer quite early I still really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.

Police thriller that kept me going to the end even tho I suspected early on who done it. Good mix of characters.

#SoleSurvivor #NetGalley
An ok read.
After dealing with the most harrowing case of her career, Detective Inspector Jemima Huxley was pushed to breaking point.And now another brutal murder case has struck the local community.A family of five were attacked in their own home. Four are dead – repeatedly stabbed in a frenzied attack – and the fifth, a teenage girl, is in a critical condition.With the sole survivor unable to provide a statement, it is up to Jemima and her team to unmask the killer.
Thanks to NetGalley and sapere books for giving me an advance copy.

After the first book I didn't plan to continue this series. I'm glad I gave this second book a chance. There is a lot of character growth in Jemima. Things are much more balanced in the book between her home and work life. While the things going on at home are important to the story and character, the case Jemima is involved in takes center stage and it's a twisted one. I figured the killer out very early on, in fact I felt like the prologue gave it away. However, the the way things unfold are interesting and make the mystery more complex. The journey that Jemima and her team take to solve this crime is engaging and gripping. I will definitely be looking forward to the next one.

A family of 5 are viciously attacked in their home. Only a teenage daughter survived, but it is uncertain that she will recover from her brutal injuries, and she remains in critical condition.

Having been on medical leave following her last case, DI Emma Huxley and her team are called in to investigate. Since the sole survivor is unable to provide a statement, the team are having to investigate the family first.

Robbery has been ruled out, so a personal vendetta as motive remains. But who was the prime target ... and why? Or was this a random attack with more deaths waiting?

Although well written, this is a slower paced thriller with various twists and turns that lead to a surprising conclusion. There are plenty of suspects to look at ... from a teacher to the next door neighbor to an ex-wife who has spent time in prison for murder. Everyone seems to have a different version of the family .... so who's lying?

Many thanks to the author / Sapere Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Sole Survivor is the second book in the DI Huxley series by Gaynor Torrance and it is another entertaining police procedural thriller set in Wales.

A family is murdered in their home with only one child surviving. Who committed the murders and why are the questions facing Jemima Huxley and her team.

If you enjoy police procedurals then this is a book for you

Having read Revenge the first in the series, I was excited when I received Sole Survivor as an ARC.

The plotline does not disappoint and as you can guess from the title the Sole Survivor in this case is a teenage girl left devastated when she is the only one to escape from an attack that takes the lives of her family from her, unable to provide the details of who savagely attacked her family it is up to DI Jemima Huxley to locate the killer and discover why they did this and will they strike again

I would recommend this author to all those who love murder reads

Detective Inspector Jemima Huxley's last case was harrowing for her and her team and they were all hoping for a period of time when work would be a little more ordinary. Unfortunately a killer has struck in a quiet Cardiff suburb and four members of a family of five are dead, the fifth left fighting for her life. The Rathbone family's friends and neighbours aren't giving up any secrets other than those leading to previous tragedies which have beset them, add this to her increasingly chaotic private life and Jemima is beginning to struggle.

I really enjoyed this book even though I had it worked out almost immediately. For me it was the personal side of things which elevated the storyline to above the norm, that did surprise me, and there is scope for so much more in that area. Both Jemima's home life and her relationships at work are realistically and thoughtfully drawn and the author's style is one I find a pleasure to read. In the end that is the most important part and I hope Jemima returns, if she does I will be waiting.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book in this series or who likes well written psychological thrillers.

Brilliantly creepy murder mystery. Very well written and Insightful. Loved it. You will definitely struggle to put this book down x