I read, loved and reviewed the first book in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series, which is called 'All The Pretty Girls'. I couldn't wait to get hold of a copy of the next book in the series. Well ladies and gents, the wait is over as the second book in the series called 'The Toybox' was released on 3rd June 2020. It is another fantastic read from Charly Cox. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Toybox' but more about that in a bit.
I love the character of Detective Alyssa Wyatt. She is a feisty lady, who is a dedicated police officer. As soon as I started to read 'The Toybox' I felt as though I had reunited with an old friend in Alyssa. She is tough, tenacious, determined, caring, kind, compassionate, sensitive with a bit of a stubborn streak to her personality. The cases as described in 'The Toybox' become personal for her when the best friend of her daughter just vanishes. Will Alyssa solve the case and discover why the girls are going missing? Well you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
To say that reading 'The Toybox' became addictive seems like the understatement of the century. I was gripped by this book from the moment I first picked my Kindle up and began to read. It was as if the story developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn't willing to break. I made the fatal mistake of beginning to read this book shortly before I went to bed. What a mistake to make! Let's just say that I read into the wee small hours of the morning and I had to literally force myself to put my Kindle down. 'The Toybox' was one of those books that stuck in my mind and I became obsessed with. If I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book. If I had to put the book down for any reason, then I would immediately look forward to being able to get back to reading the book. For me, 'The Toybox' really was the definition of an unputdownable page turner.
'The Toybox' is superbly written, but then I thought that the first book in the series was also well written. Charly grabbed my attention from the start with a shocking synopsis and she drew me into the story. Once Charly had my attention, she wouldn't let me have it back until the moment I read the very last word on the very last page. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and that's down to Charly's fantastic writing and storytelling. 'The Toybox' is a gripping story, which had me on the edge of my seat throughout.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Toybox' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Charly's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The Toybox is a crime thriller by Charly Cox.It follows on from the first book featuring Alyssa Wyatt, All His Pretty Girls. The Toybox can be read as a standalone due to the background Charly gives us.
The story is set in Albuquerque. New Mexico. Alyssa and Cord Roberts ,her partner are attempting to find links between several missing young women, without success. The next girl to go missing makes it personal for Alyssa as it is her daughters best friend.This sends them in a race against time to track the perpetrators before anyone else is taken.
An action packed crime thriller, with a
main character that is so fiesty but also compassionate with it.She is always attempting to balance both work and personal life which is a fight in itself. The subject matter can be hard reading as the book deals with human trafficking but it is dealt with in the right manner. So happy Sarah Hardy asked me to be a part of the Hera books blog tour for The Toybox and thanks to Netgalley and Hera books for the ARC.

WOW - just wow....this is a very intense book that will stick with you long after you finish reading it. I don't want to give away anything but be forewarned it can and will hit you in places you weren't expecting...

What a story this is!!! The Toybox is the second book in the Alyssa Wyatt series. And just like it’s predecessor, All The Pretty Girls, Charly Cox has delivered a powerful and intense story. Be prepared to settle in and not want to stop reading until it’s over. Instead of hunting down a serial killer, Alyssa and her team are looking for missing girls. The story is just as thrilling and exciting to figure out this time around. I hope this is just the beginning of this series! Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC!

Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her work partner Cord Roberts are investigating another case. This follows on shortly after the events in book one, All His Pretty Girls, but each instalment contains its own investigation and works on its own.

Young women are seemingly vanishing into thin air. With no obvious clues or links between the victims, Alyssa and Cord are struggling, then Jersey Andrews, the best friend of Alyssa’s teenage daughter, Holly, joins the list of missing girls, and for Alyssa the case has just become personal. Alyssa faces a frantic hunt to track down the killers, before any more innocent women lose their lives.

Alyssa is a feisty, compassionate detective balancing her professional life with her personal life. I like the partnership between Alyssa and Cord as they worked very well together. Although Alyssa comes across as the stronger of the two, Cord is a good anchor although he has issues of his own in The Toybox. This is a well written crime thriller with lots of action and some really great characterisation. There are some themes contained within the tension-filled story that were heavy going and emotionally distressing, such as human trafficking, but they didn't deter me from wanting to read on. In fact I had trouble putting my Kindle down as I needed to see how the story would conclude. The ending was a huge surprise that I didn't see coming. I will definitely be reading the first in the series, All His Pretty Girls and shall be watching out for book three.

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

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I’ve read the author’s previous book and thoroughly enjoyed it. This book did not disappoint, I thought it was a thrilling, compelling read, chilling in parts and very fast paced. I love the authors writing style, and was hooked and engaged in the story right from the start to the end. There were plenty of twists, most I did not expect and the reveal at the end shocked me. I enjoyed reading of the main characters relationships with her work colleagues and the glimpses into her personal and home life and how the case affects her when it becomes very personal. The books subject matter is current, realistic, believable and in my opinion was sensitively written. Another fab read, and I look forward to the next book.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is the second book in a series which I didn't realise until I started reading it, but this didn't deter me from continuing to read it as it briefly summarises what happened in book 1 through the story.

This book really pinned me to it from the first chapter.
The main character Alyssa is hunting down the predator who has abducted three girls aged between 13 and 19 and will stop at nothing to find them.

This book is fantastic! I anticipate an exciting and new fast paced series from Charly Cox emerging soon and cannot wait to get my hands on her next books!

After being approved for this book and realising it was book 2 of a series I bought book 1 to read first and wasn’t disappointed.

The toybox had me gripped from the very beginning. It’s the first book in ages of this genre that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Can’t wait to read more in this series. A new author to add to my list of favourites.

Thanks for letting me read this book.

The Toybox by Charly Fox
Detective Alyssa Wyatt #2

Well, the book description is correct…I stayed up till 3:30 to finish this book and then had trouble getting to sleep once in my bed. This was a book I will not forget any time soon. Gripping, gritty and gruesome this story is one that though not one hundred percent explicit left no doubt that the missing girls had more to deal with than anyone ever should have to bear.

What I liked:
* Alyssa Wyatt: this female lead character is one to admire. She has both feet on the ground, is a good leader, works well with her team, is compassionate and so much more. She is in a stable marriage with children she loves and cares for. She is…normal.
* Cord Roberts: job partner to Alyssa, he too is normal. A good man, happily married, good team player and someone I want to get to know better, too.
* Alyssa’s family: all seem to be normal (hear the repetition?) I am so ready for crime stories with people in charge that I can relate to
* The writing: plot, pace and writing were excellent
* That I was grabbed immediately then could not put the book down till the wee hours of the morning
* The issue of human-sex trafficking was presented in a way that was real and made me think about how to prevent it…
* That there was a happy ending for some

What I did not like:
* Knowing that human trafficking and sex-slaves really exist in this world and that there is so little regard for the plight of these people
* The entitled hands-off parents some of the girls had in their lives
* The evil amoral abusive people in the story – wanted to see them all experience exactly what they were so willing to do to the women they tortured
* Knowing that I missed the first book in this series – will have to see if I can find and read it soon

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, though the subject matter was not always easy reading
Would I read more by this author? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Rachel attended a frat party she really didn't want to go to. She never made it home after the party.

Jersey Andrews went missing after a big blowout with her boyfriend. She walked away alone .. and disappeared.

When the two teenage girls wake up, neither of them know where they are or how they got there. They are not alone, either.

Upstairs is a room called the Toy Box. They will be introduced to the room at a later date.

Detectives Alyssa Wyatt and Cord Roberts immediately start interviewing parents, friends, co-workers looking for the reason these girls did not return home. This hits really close to Roberts and his anger may lead him to tank this case.

And then another girl disappears on her way home from school .. she's only 13 years old.

What connects all these girls? They mostly come from higher income families, although there doesn't seem to be anything else. Boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, fathers, step-fathers are all looked at very closely.

What the detectives find is something so horrifying that they almost can't believe it themselves.

TRIGGERS: RAPE, PHYSICAL ABUSE, TORTURE. This may not be the book for everyone.

Although second in the series, this reads easily as a stand-alone. I do recommend reading ALL HIS PRETTY GIRLS as some things are mentioned in the second book that may impede surprising twists and turns in the first book. The plot is solid ... characters are deftly drawn.. with a few surprises thrown in to keep the reader somewhat off-balance. I look forward to seeing this series extended.

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

Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we are once again back on the job with Detective Wyatt and her partner Cord Roberts. This takes place shortly after the events of book one, but each contains its own investigation and works on its own. If however you plan to read book one, do it FIRST as there are spoilers in book two.

What starts out as a missing persons case quickly morphs into something more sinister. To make matters worse, Jersey Andrews, the best friend of Alyssa’s teenage daughter, Holly, goes missing too. Detective Wyatt won’t stop until she brings these girls home.

This was another brilliant, tightly woven, nail-bitting investigation. When the body of a young woman is found dead, the tension increases. Suspects, absentee parents and new victims lead us down a dark gritty path to the unthinkable.

The clues, suspects and twists did not come easily, and Cox hooked me. I once again devoured this in a single evening.

Cox takes us into the underbelly of a world that parents fear, shedding a harsh light on the terrifying realities. A world no one like to speak of but is a worldwide epidemic. She did so thoughtfully, and factual with just enough horror to unnerve you.

This author has quickly been added to my must read list. The writing flows smoothly as we get to know the key detectives and inner workings of the department.


Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on June 9th.

This is a story that switches between the investigation and the missing girls and what they are going through. The switching was done in a way that did not have you confused or getting mixed up with the story. Although I enjoyed reading about the investigation and the missing girls, I however did not like knowing what kind of case this was, what was happening to the girls, or where they were, as I felt it took away to much of the mystery. I did however like reading about the girls and what they went through, I enjoyed seeing the care and compassion between the girls and how the nature of the ordeal they went through showed their strength, how strong, brave and courageous, these girls are not only to fight through it all but to survive, and start healing and recovering. In the end, I was still very surprised to find out who was behind it all, as I never suspected the person it ended up being. It was also surprising to me how cold and careless this person was. Unfortunately, because you already know what kind of case it is from the beginning, as well as what is happening to the girls, this book was not for me.

Great book. Lots of suspense, enjoyed the characters and the intrigue. This is a first for the author but will read her previous book and look forward to more. Thanks to NetGalley and Hera publishing for a copy of this book. Highly recommend.

Detective Alyssa Wyatt returns for a second instalment. Young women are going missing at an alarming rate. The scenario reaches a little too close to home as her daughters friend also goes missing. As one of the missing women turns up dead, Wyatt and partner Cord Roberts race to make connections and rescue the women from the most depraved and sickening situation.

A truly gripping thriller that keeps the pages turning. Can’t wait for a third Wyatt book. A well recommended read.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book. I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

With The Toybox, I was not immediately a fan however as I kept reading, I felt it growing on me. You are thrown straight into the action. The characters of this book are full of depth and well fleshed out which I really enjoyed. I did feel a little disconnect from the main character as I hadn’t read the previous book in the series and so I am not familiar with her backstory and so I couldn’t fully connect with her. However, from what I know about the previous book about this detective, it seems really intriguing and I am really interested in reading it. I felt a bit uncomfortable with some of the scenes, but I suppose you could argue that on some level that means that it is well written. The Toybox is a nail biting and gripping thriller and I truly loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good crime thriller filled with twists and turns.

*4 stars*

I absolutely adored Charly Cox’s debut All His Pretty Girls so I was so happy to see that the second in the Alyssa Wyatt series was coming out.

While it can be read as a standalone, I’d still recommend reading the first in the series, not just because it’s so good but because they refer to events in the previous book in this one.

The Toybox is everything I want in a police procedural, fast paced, fantastic characters and an intriguing story line with that added bonus of having an emotional impact on me.

It starts off with a woman’s worst nightmare. College student Rachel Otis has been drugged somewhere only to wake up in another unfamiliar place, captive with no way of escape. Lucky for her Alyssa Wyatt is on the case.

Alyssa is still suffering from her last case but it’s her partner Cord who really struggles during this investigation with something from his past. I loved getting to know him a little better and seeing part of his back story.

There are some really remarkable characters in this book, some that I liked and rooted for, others that I just loathed.

This novel does cover some upsetting subjects, kidnap and sex slavery are just two, but I think the author handled them with care and gives enough detail without going too far. I will admit I felt a little bit teary eyed watching some of the characters and what they went through.

I will admit I kind of figured out a certain part of the storyline but I had fun playing detective myself.

The Toybox is a dark and gritty thriller that kept me utterly gripped throughout.

OMG. What a book!! It caused goosebumps to appear as I read down the pages. The author Charly Cox was a master planner who plotted the construction of The Toybox in such a way that her main characters Detectives Alyssa Wyatt and Cord found themselves racing to the finish line to find the lost girls.

Rachel Otis went to a frat party and disappeared. Soon the case touched Alyssa close to her home when Holly's best friend Jersey disappeared. The cops knew they had to work fast to save the girls. This time stakes were too high.

My second book by the author, the writing caused a shiver down my back at the hints of what happened to these girls were told to me. There was nothing graphic but what was left unsaid creeped me out completely.

The prose had a haunting magic to it. I was supposed to read a couple of chapters just before bed, but I couldn't stop reading. The reasons for the kidnapping were nefarious. Every chapter added to the fear in my heart, I could feel it pounding. The things the girls went through and the immense strength shown by them caught me by my throat. I couldn't breathe or sleep. The vengeant heart of mine demanded justice.

I goaded Alyssa and Cord to investigate faster. Their work chemistry and the cohesive way they put their brains to action was poetry in motion. Their vulnerabilities were gently caressed in the midst of a busy case. I loved getting to know them further.

The ending was a maddive shocker. I was in absolute awe of the author's mind in the way she twisted the story. It was a difficult read, but nothing could have loosened my grip on my kindle until I reached the end.

The Toybox is the 2nd book in the Alyssa Wyatt series and it was just as good as the first one!
If you like films like Taken and Hostel then you will love the whole storyline of this book.
Kept me gripped all the way through - not a dull moment at all . When the book seems to reach its climax at 70 per cent of the way through I expected the book to drag but it didn't, there were plenty more twists and I felt as though all questions were answered .
I absolutely love this author and will be looking out for all future releases.

A very dark, chilling read that you won’t want to put down. I finished this book in one night and highly recommend reading it.

Fear surrounds Albuquerque, New Mexico, after several teenage girls and young women disappear with no clue as to what has happened to them. After a body is found, Detective Alyssa Wyatt finds herself desperately trying to uncover what is happening, especially when the friend of her daughter goes missing. With no apparent link between the victims, Wyatt and her partner Cord, find themselves involved in an investigation into criminals much more depraved than they could ever have imagined. Can they locate the girls before they suffer the same fate as the murdered girl?

One of my favourite books of last year was this author's debut, All His Pretty Girls, the first book in the Alyssa Wyatt series. As someone who doesn't tend to read many books set in the US, this one completely blew me away and I  couldn't wait to read the next in the series. I wondered how Charly Cox would be able to live up to the standard of her first book and I am so pleased to say that she has managed it with ease!

The subject matter is not for the faint of heart, dealing with the horrendous crimes of sex trafficking and physical abuse. This is so well written, however, that the author does not actually need to describe the extent of the suffering that these young women are having to endure as enough is implied so that you know what is happening without actually having to read it. This is, I feel, more powerful than seeing the events written down in front of you as your imagination can fill in the gaps, leaving you feeling nothing but horror about what is unfolding before your eyes. These women were incredibly brave despite their circumstances and I found myself desperately hoping that they would be freed from the predicament without anything even more horrendous happening to them.

One word of caution I will give with The Toybox is that there are spoilers aplenty about the previous installment, to the point that some pretty major twists are revealed. The events in All His Pretty Girls have definitely helped to shape Alyssa and some of her actions and feelings can be explained by what has gone before. Alyssa is a great character with a stable family life and a partner who she trusts implicitly. This is something that is often missing in other police procedurals so I really like how we can focus on the investigation rather than on the private life of the detective.

This really is a superb series and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you are looking for a gritty police procedural with believable characters and a gripping plot, then The Toybox may just be the book for you.