I have read and loved Caroline Mitchell's previous books except for this one. I wasn't able to get into as I was the other ones. I did finish it and overall it wasn't bad just ok.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed others in the series but it was still engaging enough that I didn't want to stop reading it. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next for Amy Winter

I adore Amy Winter. She’s the DI you want on your murder case (not that you want to be murdered). She’s a copper who pushes the rules to the limit and has a rep for it…

The spotlight is properly on Amy at the moment; her evil twisty biological mother is appealing her conviction. The press know who she is and now her team has a 24/7 film crew with them… will this stressed but seriously high calibre detective manage to catch this very twisted killer?!?

Now then Samuel Black gave me the proper heebie jeebies. The initial interview he had with Amy was just sinister beyond belief and then his fascination with Amy and her past particularly her parents it’s just twisted. I get the interest in serial killers, I’ve been there but his interest is one of a more unhealthy one….

As with every other crime thriller Mitchell has written, I was hooked. Like I said, I love Amy. She’s that unqualified cop with a foot in both camps, the biological daughter of convicted killers and the adopted daughter of a respected policeman. Mitchell really draws in her experience in the force to give the investigative side of the story a sense of authenticity. The stresses, the strains, the requirement to follow due process but also the drive and tenacity to get the job done, catch the criminals and make the public feel safe once again

This is the first book I have read in the series and it was fantastic I now want to read them all. I really like the character of Amy and her background makes her more interesting. There were plenty of surprises in this book.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell is the 3rd book in the DI Amy Winter series. This book is a brilliant addition to the series. A truly unnerving, nail-biting read.
CM certainly knows what her readers want and somehow manages to deliver with each and every book.
Amy Winters is a brilliant character, flawed, determined and brilliant at her job. She also has the battle of trying to keep her Mother where she needs to be, which is behind bars.
Amy can't even go shopping without becoming involved in a murder case. While out shopping with her sister, a few hours away from everything else turns into the start of a new case. A body is posed in a shop window as a mannequin. Amy soon realises things are not as they seem as that it's actually a human body.
This book twists and turns and will have you hooked. As always CM delivers a story that packs a punch.

Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell is the 3rd book in the DI Amy Winter series and it was an excellent read. One thing you will notice with Caroline's books, is that they just get better and Better! I was hooked within the very first few pages. Before I knew it; the sun was rising! So glad it was the weekend........Quick Loo break and to make a coffee and back to my kindle.

WoW.....This book was Just wicked! Caroline I loVed it! and so looking forward to you next book in the Brilliant DI Amy Winter series........No pressure!

I highly recommend Caroline Mitchell's books especially DI Amy Winter series.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange.

A chilling thriller from the pen of a writer who knows what we the reader want and delivers it in spades. It twisted, compulsive, heart stoppingly tense and grips you from the first word to the last. The characters are well written and received by the reader. The writer can do no wrong with her characters they come to life within the pages and i felt immersed in their every move

This is the third book in the series featuring DI Amy Winter. This is a fantastic series and this book gripped me from the start. We know from the previous books that Amy was adopted by a police officer and later discovered that her biological parents were convicted killers but her mother, Lillian, is now appealing her conviction. Amy is willing to do anything she can to stop her release but Lillian seems to be winning over other members of the family. As well as all this going on Amy is investigating a gruesome murder. Whilst on a shopping trip she discovers that the model in a shop window is actually the body of a young woman. Amy remembers a similar case a number of years earlier and is convinced it is the start of a murder spree. What makes this book different is that the killer is identified early on but this makes for tense reading as Amy and her team try to solve the case. They have a potential suspect in custody but Amy is sure that it is the wrong person and has to work on her own to find him. The killer is fascinated by Amy and her killer parents and she then finds her own life in danger, I didn’t want this book to end and can’t Waite for book number four. A brilliant read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell is a British murder mystery and police procedural and the third entry in the DI Amy Winter series. The lead character is a dedicated and strong-willed police detective whose past interferes with her work and personal life. In a store window a mannequin in a bridal gown turns out to be the corpse of a young woman. She was posed there in lace and diamonds while she bled to death. Soon another young woman is attacked and left for dead, posed again. The hunt is on for a serial killer who preys on women who are Sugar Babes from a website promoting sex for hire. Having not read the two previous novels, I found it difficult to keep track of Amy’s life. I also found the storyline to be somewhat unrealistic. I stayed with the book till the end but I admit it was a long read for me. This is only my opinion and I am sure that most people enjoyed Left For Dead. Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and Net Galley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

DI Amy Winter is back with a terrifying new case sure to send shiver after shiver scuttling down your spine: Left for Dead.

DI Amy Winter has had it tough lately. With her father dying suddenly, not to mention being passed over for a promotion and the news that a camera crew is going to be following her around, poor Amy is not exactly in the best of moods. Desperate for some time out and for a couple of hours where work doesn’t occupy her every waking thought, Amy and her sister Sally-Ann head off to Oxford Street to spend a couple of hours shopping – only little do they realize that they are going to stumble onto a creepy and twisted crime scene and a shocking murder.

While admiring a stunning window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and pearls sitting upon a beautiful throne, Amy is initially blown away, but her admiration turns to shock when she sees blood oozing from the mannequin’s blue-tinged lips. This was not a publicity stunt to catch the eye but a macabre murder that sees Amy and her team on the hunt of a dangerous psychopath. And when he strikes again, Amy realizes that they have a serial killer on their hands just itching to kill again…

The two victims were Sugar Babes, young girls who arranged to meet much older males online. With a third victim looking very likely unless the police can stop him, nobody is safe from this psychopath’s depraved desires. Amy must keep all of her wits about her and not put a foot wrong – even if she has to juggle worries about her mother’s ill health, an obsessive suspect who begins to make her flesh creep and a dangerous killer edging ever closer. Could this psychopath have Amy in his sights? Can she stop him in time? Or is she already far too late?

Caroline Mitchell is an immensely talented crime writer who knows how to chill her reader to the bone. Left for Dead is a brilliantly written thriller I started late at night thinking I was only going to read a couple of chapters before finding myself so addicted to the story that I was reading way past my bedtime. Gritty, tense, terrifying and so twisty that it will leave you breathless, Left for Dead will make you jump out of your skin but keep you gleefully glued to the book throughout.

A compulsively readable page-turner thriller aficionados are not going to want to miss, Caroline Mitchell’s Left for Dead is one of this summer’s must-read crime novels.

Left For Dead is the third book and the first one I have read in the DI Amy Winter series. It can be read as a standalone as far as the main plot of this book is concerned but there is also an ongoing sub-plot which has to do with Amy and her biological parents who were seriel killers and her biological mother currently undergoing a trial to overturn her sentence, and even though there are slight hints at what must have happened in the previous books, I think reading the previous books will help me to better understand this back story in detail. The main plot of this book is about a killer who likes killing young women of a certain physical description and then displaying them as mannequins, a case that DI Amy Winter stumbles upon when she encounters the first body herself while window shopping with her sister and one that, during the investigation, her team discovers echoes a murder that happened almost 20 years ago.
Amy is known as a 'psychopath whisperer' and using her sharp instincts that haven't failed her yet, she figures out who the killer is very early on; however, it is another matter altogether trying to bring the person to justice. In a race against time, Amy needs to decide whether to follow procedures and protocols or to take a risk and venture on her own to catch the killer before it's too late for the latest victim.

This is a well written and plotted police procedural by the author who happens to be a former police detective herself. I liked Amy Winter. Even though being an offspring of seriel killers and criminals of the worse kind, she refuses to let that knowledge weigh upon her present and instead uses her instinctive knowledge to her advantage in her role as a sharp, intelligent and fearless DI.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Amazon Publishing UK and the author Caroline Mitchell for the e-Arc of the book.

This book was published on 8th July, 2020.

The blurb for this was great, but I’m sorry to say it’s just not for me. I found the villain formulaic and the writing uninteresting. I suspect the book might have been inspired by the TV show The Fall (which I’m also not keen on), but it doesn’t have the moodiness - or the badass Gillian Anderson! Not terrible, just not for me.

Another fantastic read in the DI Amy Winter series. Like the previous books I just loved this one. A gripping crime thriller that had me hooked from the beginning.

LEFT FOR DEAD is the third book in a new series by bestselling author Caroline Mitchell, a police procedural, featuring DI Amy Winter, the daughter of a serial killer. Another winner!

The books in the DI Amy Winter Series include:
Truth and Lies (Book 1)
The Secret Child (Book 2)
Left For Dead (Book 3)

I would recommend that you read the novels in the series in sequence, as there is alot of references to previous storylines, and it would be easier to follow.

A killer is roaming the streets of London. He stalked his victims, hiding under their beds, always cleaning up after, using a hoover and removed the dust bag. He had a little black book…a murder list, hidden in his office desk. He was a father, a husband, a respected work colleague…but with hidden dark desires.

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is admiring a Valentine’s Day window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and resplendent in lace—until she notices blood oozing from the mannequin’s mouth. This was no mannequin…she was real…and dead! The body of the young woman had been staged in a store window for all to observe.

When a second victim is found, it emerges that both women were ‘Sugar Babes’ arranging dates with older men online—and Amy finds herself hunting an accomplished psychopath.

Are the killers linked?

As she tracks down the killer, Amy is also dealing with other issues. Her biological mother, Lillian Grime, in prison, is awaiting her court case appeal for possible release. Amy had grown up in a dysfunctional family under neglect and abuse in the household. Amy pushes the boundaries of police procedure when a third ‘Sugar Babe’ disappears…Is she as much at risk as the killer’s victims?

This was another fast-paced police procedural novel with complex plot and well-developed characters. Really enjoyed this novel and Amy’s strong ability to get inside the minds of serial killers.

Many thanks to the author, Amazon Publishing and Net Galley for my digital copy.

Left for Dead puts you right in the middle of the action when Amy Winter, a detective inspector, goes shopping with her sister and sees what at a superficial glance looks to be a mannequin in a white wedding dress sitting on a throne in a shop window dripping blood. Amy is the first of the spectators to realise that it isn't a mannequin at all but the corpse of a young woman.
This a the start of a hunt for a serial killer, written from several perspectives, including the killer himself.

I found the storyline very interesting and suspenseful. I had some difficulty following the background story's, and especially the story about Amy's natural parents and her sisters, because this was the firs Amy Winter book that I read and it turned out to be the third in a series. Maybe that is too why I sometimes got annoyed with the background story. The main story however was easy to follow.

I did like the main protagonist and the writing style so I'm sure I will read the previous books as well if I can find the time.
I do recommend the book to other readers.

I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Left For Dead is the third book in the DI Amy Winter series. A series which I bloody love. So you can image how eager I was to read this book. I am happy to report that Caroline has totally nailed it, this book is flipping awesome.

Each book just gets better and better. Grabbing you from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the end. This book is pure dynamite….love, love, love it!

I love that Amy is unique with parents being serial killers and in this story we learn more about Amy’s past with this twisty gruesome story. Which starts out as a shopping trip with Amy and her sister, then things take an unexpected turn and we follow Amy on the hunt for a psychopath.

Left For Dead is a full on, keep you on the edge of your seat read. With plenty of OMG moments. It is fast paced read and never a dull moment. Exactly how I like my crime books. In fact it is one of my all time favourite Detective series.

I cannot recommend this series or book enough. It is to good to miss. Now I can’t wait for book four.

Thank you to Sarah Hardy for and copy and for the blog tour invite.

Oh my, Left For Dead was not for the fainthearted, I finished it in bed at night and wasn’t sure I really wanted to close my eyes and go to sleep.

Unusually for a crime novel we knew exactly who the killer was right from the first page. Samuel Black, successful business man, devoted family man, charismatic, good looking but Mitchell gave us a glimpse underneath of man who relished the dark side, who enjoyed the pain and suffering he inflicted on his unsuspecting victims. He was my type of killer, one who you saw when you closed your eyes, who you felt could be lurking behind you as you read.

But would he be a match for DI Amy Winter, a detective who didn’t necessarily do things by the book, a fact I loved as it made her so much more interesting. Her new boss Donovan added another dimension, a frisson of electricity that existed between them and you wondered how long it would take before both gave in to the inevitable. Donovan was her alter ego, the voice of commonsense that sat on her shoulder, tried to reign her in, but I was so glad that he never quite succeeded, as Amy trod her own path, relied on her instincts as she waited for Black to slip up.

You could feel the intensity Mitchell injected into the interactions between Black and Amy, as Black taunted Amy about her own gruesome past, her family locked in a show trial that might see her killer mother back on the streets. You almost felt that Black thought that underneath she was just like him, only a matter of time before she unleashed her own darkness. I knew and hoped that Mitchell wouldn’t let that happen, but loved that Amy had a dark past, so in conflict with the job that she did, admiration for her dignity and skill in handling such pressure and scrutiny.

The murders themselves, were gruesome and macabre, and I shall never look at a mannequin in a shop window in quite the same way again. It always amazes me where authors draw their inspiration, if you can call it that, for the imaginative and chilling way their murderers operate and Mitchell was definitely one that excelled.

Mitchell certainly knew how to ramp up the tension and drama, as my page turning picked up pace, as Amy drew closer to Black, yet it wasn’t that straightforward as Mitchell unveiled Black’s past and a wife who finally found the nerve and strength to step out of his shadow. The final scenes were superb, my imagination went into overdrive, and I was utterly exhausted at the end.

Phew, you thought, now I could relax, but oh no, Mitchell wasn’t quite finished and what a tantalising ending she left us with. It was chilling, brilliant, and left me wanting more!

Samuel Black was a family man but there was another side to him as well. A side he kept hidden from his wife and children. Just after a phone call from his daughter Megan, he tells his secretary he doesn’t want to be disturbed for ten minutes. He got his black leather notebook out from his desk and flicked through the pages. It listed all the women, their details and routines, that had caught his eye. More importantly, it was a murder list.

DI Amy Winter was going to be featured in a documentary to raise the team’s profile, she wasn’t particularly happy about it though or the fact that DCI Donovan was taking over as her boss on Monday. If he thought he was bossing her and her team about, he was in for a shock!

On Saturday afternoon, Amy was out shopping with her sister, Sally-Ann, on London’s Oxford Road when they came across a crowd of shoppers making a fuss outside one of the shops. It was coming up to Valentine’s Day so that was the theme for the window display. There was a big red throne shaped chair with a mannequin, who had a realistic look to her features, pale skin with luxurious blonde hair with a pearl encrusted tiara on her head. The wedding gown had a dazzling effect to match the tiara. The bouquet was a bunch of dark red roses, held loosely in both hands.

Amy pushed her way to the window. As she was scrutinising the bride, she noticed the blue tinge to the bride’s nails and lips. Then it hit her. This was no mannequin but a body! She quickly got her phone out of her pocket and dialed 999, racing into the store. She found a manager to request they drop the shutters for that window whilst explaining the situation to them. She waited around for her colleagues to join her.

Who could do something like this? How could they have got into the shop to leave the body the way they did? What they didn’t realise was just how sinister this case was going to be. Or what a close shave with death a member of the team could have.

I absolutely loved reading this story. It had me hooked from the start, right through to the finish. I liked Caroline’s writing style and have bought the previous two books in this series as I haven’t read them yet.

Well done to Caroline Mitchell for another great novel - This starts off in the finding of a mannequin - on close inspection blood is noticed coming from the mannquin's mouth - this is actually a staged murder - the victim left on show for all to see - but why would anyone do this? In steps Amy Winter - the detective on the case - we have met her before in 2 other books (and id reccomend reading them before reading this one) = its upto Amy to figure out what the heck is going on!!!

DI Amy Winter is back and I couldn’t be more excited. I absolutely love this series. This time around, Amy is investigating a bizarre series of murders where the victims are left on display. The killer views the murders as art that needs to be seen by as big audiences as possible.

DI Amy is one of my favorite female detectives. Like most detectives in crime thrillers, she does have a complex background but hers is unique. Amy’s birth parents were serial killers. We get to see her work the case as she also tries to deal with her mother’s appeal. I feel like her character development has been very strong and, in this book, my mental image of her became sharper. Her astuteness never ceases to impress me and I like how she goes rogue sometime to solve the cases.

This case was interesting in that we knew who the baddie was right from the start. It was nerve-wrecking watching the detectives now try to solve the case. My heart skipped a bit whenever the detectives met the killer and I kept waiting for them to figure out that the monster was right in front of them. The case also made me curious about Amy. I started wondering whether her upbringing had affected her in negative ways. Can serial killers raise perfectly normal kids?

There was a lot to love in this story. Brilliant case, well-crafted characters and as always, impeccable writing. I can’t wait for book 4 in the series. I hope it won’t be another year long wait.