“Good Girl” by Mel Sherratt is packed with emotional turmoil. It starts with the death of sixteen-year-old, and the investigation of that tragedy reveals a very nasty, distasteful, and tragic social problem. Lives and families are fragmented, perhaps beyond repair. With that caution, the book is well written, compelling, and filled with twists.

The narrative opens with a mugging gone wrong; Erin, a sixteen-year old girl, was stabbed while walking home with her friend, Molly, Unfortunately it is now a murder investigation. The story is structured in conversations that reflect everyday activities and events as well as personal trauma, emotions, and reality. Separate points of view allow readers to understand how events influence each person, and to learn what people want to hide from others. Readers are also taken back in time one year to gradually learn what brought Erin and Molly to that fateful evening walk. The two separate accounts continue slowly and purposefully; readers watch the precise detailed murder investigation on one hand and the coming trauma and disaster on the other, waiting for the inevitable point In time when the paths cross.

“Good Girl” is powerful and gripping. What started as a “mugging gone wrong” evolves into a complicated and dark story of exploitation and abuse. It is book four in the “DS Grace Allendale” series. It is not necessary to have read the previous books to appreciate this book, but first-time readers will appreciate Sherratt’s organized and disciplined writing style and will be inspired to read prior books. I received a review copy of “Good Girl” from Mel Sherratt and Avon Books. It is a cautionary tale of fabricated stories and deceitful promises. I highly recommend it but with a caution for the shocking but sadly genuine social problem. This is my first time reading a “Grace Allendale” book; I will be going back to read the previous books and am awaiting the next in the series.
#GoodGirl #MelSherratt #GraceAllendale #PoliceProcedure

Another brilliant book following DS Grace Allendale and the crime team. How does the Steele family have anything to do with the ongoing investigation for the 16 year old girl and who is lying to the police and who is telling the truth. Trying to piece together the jigsaw and not letting her private feelings for the Steele family cloud her judgement as the family liason officer she has her work cut out to learn the truth.

I love these books and this will not disappoint you and once you pick it up and start to read you will be lost in the world of corruption and lies.

Good Girl is the fourth book in the ‘DS Grace Allendale’ thriller series by best-seller author Mel Sherratt and it was a thoroughly enjoyable and first-class read. The instalments work perfectly well on their own so you can dive in here should you wish to.

The book kicks off with the stabbing of teenager, Erin Ellis in the street just a few yards from her home. Erin's mother Sara, a single parent, is finishing the ironing when there's loud knocking on the front door. Erin's best friend Molly Redfern is on the doorstep, sobbing hysterically with blood dripping from her hands. It's Erin's blood...

As Grace and her team begin investigating, starting with house-to-house enquiries on Sampson Street, the cul-de-sac near the walkway in which the attack took place, it is apparent that those close to the investigation, in particular the only witness, Molly, are seemingly hindering the police's ability to get to the truth. But Grace is determined to bring the perpetrator to justice, however difficult that will be.

Mel Sherratt does a fantastic job of instilling feelings of foreboding underneath the blanket of silence. Set in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the reader gains the perspective of different characters, from Grace on the investigative side and also from the relatives, friends and acquaintances of the two teenagers, Erin and Molly. In addition, the narrative goes back in time every so often to chart Erin’s life over the past year. It all helps to move the story along at a nimble pace, as well as providing insights that Grace isn't privy to. The characters are superbly drawn by the author and I particularly like Grace who is very down-to-earth. Her boss and partner in this investigation, DI Allie Shenton, is someone I grew to like. All of the characters are compelling, multi-dimensional, well-rounded and enhance the story. The stakes and tension are high throughout most of the novel which is full of mystery and drama.

Mel Sherratt’s fantastic writing style wowed me again and helped to make Good Girl enthralling and exciting and this was particularly true towards the end for the dramatic and tense conclusion. I've been inspired to begin her DS Allie Shenton series starting with Taunting the Dead and I can't wait to see what the author has in store next time around.

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

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by the author so had high expectations for Good Girl. It was everything I hoped; fast paced thriller, twists and turns, excellent characterisation and compelling writing. I couldn’t stop reading once I started as the book was so intense and gripping. There are some familiar characters from other books and some new ones. The story felt very realistic at times especially when it tackles the frustration felt by the parents who feel their teenage daughter is a stranger to them. I also liked the way the breakdown of friendship is tackled. Thriller elements aside, this is an emotional read.

Unexpected killer.

Sad that in reality exploiting teenage girls are true. I'm heartbroken on how their lives change and their dreams are shattered.

Another great story from Mel Sheratt and this is the second novel that I read from her detective series.

Thank you for the ARC!

Another Mel Sherratt triumph. This is an exceptional thriller, well written with twist and turns I didn't expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great book. The story line was engaging with plenty of twist and turns. The characters were both likeable and disagreeable in equal measure! All of Mel Sherratt’s books are excellent and once again this was a gritty, page turner that I couldn’t put down.
My thanks to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good Girl by Mel Sherratt is the fourth book in this brilliant DS Grace Allendale British crime and police procedural series set in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. I just loved it. especially as it could be read as a standalone. I was hooked from the very first few pages and I could not put it down. Within this book it focusing on two teenager girls, Erin and Molly. Erin ends up stabbed in an alley close to her home and her best friend Molly was with her, she describes a male attacker who has committed the stabbing. Molly and Erin are very close and have grown up together and they are described as "Good Girls" from their family and friends. Detective Sergeant Grace Allendale and her team are called to the scene and whilst investigating the murder of Erin they uncover a very dark secret of sex parties and prostitution.

This book is full of twists and turns that will have you hooked.....I found this book Brilliant from the beginning to the end and I highly recommend this book and all Mel's books within this DS Grace Allendale series.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Another page turner from Mel Sherratt, a must read crime author. Believable plot focusing on female exploitation and the effect it has on families.
Why are these Grace Allendale books so good? The characters are believable, plot moves along nicely and although the main character Grace is in the police, it is not your standard police procedural.
Highly recommended and would make a good TV series.

This is the 4th installment of the DS Grace Allendale series, but I confess I have not read 1 and 2.
Having said that I still really enjoyed this story. In this book Grace is faced with an investigation into the possible grooming of teenage girls for a prostitution ring. For some this may be quite a turn off as the young girls in the book are paired up with much older men who are sometimes abusive.
Grace herself is in an awkward position being the girlfriend of a reporter and the half sister of a local criminal gang leader.
This was hard to put down and I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded with a few unforeseen twists.
Thank you Avon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where to begin? I enjoyed the way the story is told from various perspectives and the transition between the last and present ere east tor follow, I felt the past (which deals with events leading up to the event) really helped connect you to the story and made the characters jump off the pages. You really get the feeling these are ordinary people you could meet in your own neighborhood. There are some dark twists and turns which ar times made for difficult reading, as a Mum myself, but the author crafted the story which feeling and integrity which only added to the depth of the story. There are some very dark topics covered in this book, but they are done so with sensitivity and integrity. Overall a fantastic, seamless plot with enough twists and turns to stop me guessing the ending - which did not disappoint.

An excellent story that keeps you involved with all the twists and turns, leading to the final solution. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

16 year olds Erin and Molly have always been best friends, living close to each other and their mothers were best friends too. One evening Molly arrives home in tears with the news that Erin has been stabbed and when she dies, both families are devastated. The murder enquiry is led by Grace Allendale and as the team looks into the circumstances a whole new side to life in Stoke is revealed. The two girls were like many others, groomed with money, drink and drugs for the pleasure of older men.
Yet again, another brilliant book from Sherratt. Here the focus is on the abuse of young girls, groomed to service multiple older men at 'parties'. Of course Grace's background is interlinked but there is an interesting play on morals, where a line is drawn by some criminals. The ending is inevitable (flagged up from the start, but is desperately sad and handled well by the author.

DS Grace Allendale is back in the fourth book of the detective series set in Stoke. Again, Ms Sherratt gave me a gritty, sad story this time finalising a child exploitation case that had been lingering but also a teenage murder! Plenty of police procedural stuff which Ms Sherratt describes really well.

Sixteen-year-old Erin Ellis is attacked and murdered close to her home and dies in the arms of her best friend Molly. Grace is involved in solving this case which brings her in to contact with plenty of 'low life' blokes and the teenage girl grooming that was rife.

An excellent read but with just too much of her interaction with the Steele family again. Surely, this cannot continue and for me this meant not quite the 5 stars.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read and review.

I don’t know how she does it but Mel Sherratt manages to grab my attention from the off in every book of hers that I’ve read whether it’s her crime fiction or her lighter side as Marcie Steele. With Good Girl, I’m thrown in with a bang and the stabbing of a sixteen year old with her whole life ahead of her.

The detective on the case is the tenacious DS Grace Allendale and I had faith her to find the culprit. What I didn’t expect was to go on a bumpy ride packed with twists and turns, a bit like the Corkscrew at Alton Towers. I had to hold on tight to this fast paced crime thriller, trying to keep pace with the team as they investigated the crime in hand.

I loved the sporadic chapters set in the year before Erin’s death where the girls’ antics are outlined, getting closer to that fateful day. Nothing is quite what it seems in Erin and Molly’s lives and Sherratt kept me on tenterhooks right to the end.

Good Girl is another cracker of a novel in the Grace Allendale series and in the library of Sherratt novels. Not only does she pack in the tension and intrigue that is mandatory in any good crime thriller but she slips in pockets of emotion that take you by surprise as you read.

This was a very sad story of two sixteen year olds, caught up in a sex ring which took the life of one of them and blighted the life of the other.. Eventually the perpetrators are caught but this kind of crime is always just below the surface. A terrible indictment of current cultures. .

I've come to this series rather late as this is No. 4 but it did well as a stand alone.

Grace is a Detective with the forces and is now facing an enquiry regarding the stabbing of a sixteen year old. On the surface it seems random, but further digging reveals that Erin and Molly, the inseperable friends had a long history totally unknown to their family and friends which included partying, drugs, drinking and being groomed as sexual partners for much older men.

The story of grooming or rather how it starts and proceeds is dealt with methodically in this story, and how two fairly close families - these were not families where the girls were deprived of either affection, communication, support or material things - but still these two very young girls were able to pull the wool over their parent's eyes and keep their two lives totally apart.

The story keeps shifting with suspects coming and going and family conflicts even amongst the suspects adds to the general mystery. The final end is surprising and I did not see it coming.

Well told suspense story with a good theme.

This is not my first book in this series and definitely won’t be my last. Really enjoyed this one. Couldn’t put it down and it was a fast paced easy read. Love Graces character and all the different aspects of her life. Really interesting storyline with lots going on and great twists around each corner. Thought the outcome would have had a bit more of a shock factor which I was a little disappointed with but I still really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this ARC that was published on the 10th of Dec.

A deliciously dark and easy to read psychological thriller.
The setting lends itself well to the modern storyline.
The characters were sometimes troubling, yet within keeping of the storyline and fit perfectly within.
This was a well crafted story, written beautifully, which made it impossible to put down.
With plenty of dark subject matter and numerous twists along the way, this one is definitely for you if you like a gritty read full of realism

OMG this book this series….I absolutely love it. Mel has done it once again and pulls out all punches and brings us another gritty police procedural story LOVE LOVE LOVED it! Good Girl is freaking awesome.

I was hooked from the very first page and devoured it in no time at all. This book is so addictive and such a simple story……

We are taken on a roller coaster ride When Erin dies in the arms of her best friend Molly. DS Grace Allendale has to dig deep to find out the truth. With Molly being her only witness what actually happened?

The story builds up when we learn what happened before the incident leading up to the night's unfortunate event. With plenty of twists and turns and OMG moments The more I read, the more I wanted to know. This is a fast paced read keeping you on the edge of your seat.

I love all of Mel’s books; she certainly knows how to keep you guessing. This book is full of tension, suspense and emotion. My heart went out to Molly.

Good Girl It has blown my mind! Such a bloody good read and easily one of the best books that I have read in 2020