*currently shaking head into hands* You know that feeling when you read one book of a series you haven't even looked at...and then as soon as you finish you realise that any other book doesn't stand a chance until you are up to date...yeah that!

In book one of this series we meet Morgan Brookes a rookie copper who while out on patrol answers a call and finds the body of a woman hanging from a tree in her front garden. Made even worse when Morgan discovers the rest of the family locked in the basement, until she realises that one of the daughters is still alive. That alone is a great opener for a book and I was already dragged into the storyline. Morgan is quickly pulled into the team and now works for DS Ben Matthews alongside other members of the team such as Amy.

The storyline was interesting and I really loved all the characters making this a super easy read. I have to be honest and say there were a few times it seemed procedure went out the window for this piece of fiction in comparison to real life, but I guess that's why I am a book lover (sometimes rules don't play out as they do in real life). This first book in the series definitely made for an enjoyable and easy first read and in all honesty suspending belief aside I was totally ready for book 2. You can totally expect all of the books in this series to be read back to back now!

This is a great start to a new police crime thriller
It is very well written and is fast paced. It is a page turner.
The reveal was such a surprise to me.
I am looking forward to the next book

Loved Morgan's character and the plot keeps you guessing. I didn't expect the reveal, clever twist. It's a gripping read and moves along at a nice pace.

She has written a fast moving, incredibly suspenseful story. Totally unputdownable!! Characters are believable...which adds to the scariness of this story. Frightening in the "it's possible ness of this story. Too good to put down. Had to read it 'til it was finished . I love the books by this author.

One Left Alive is the first book in the Detective Morgan Brookes series by Helen Phifer. I read the second and third books first, but wanted to go back and read the first where we meet Detective Brookes and learn about her beginnings. Rookie Detective Morgan Brookes is on her first day alone on patrol when a call comes in about a woman who is found hanging from a tree. She is the first on the scene and is sure there is more to the case. At this time, her husband and two daughters are also missing. Morgan asks to go back to the house and on this second trip, she finds the rest of the family in the cellar, one of them barely alive, the other two dead. Morgan is in the right place at the right time, when the force is shorthanded and Ben Matthews asks her to join CID since he sees her potential. The more she investigates, the more she uncovers. Will they find the murderer before anyone else ends up dead.

I enjoyed meeting Morgan, learning about her past as well as seeing what a natural investigator she is. She works well with the team, but also follows her hunches which are instrumental in solving the case. She has some personal problems to deal with that include some harassment from another officer. She also has a tenuous relationship with her father that comes to play in this investigation. Helen Phifer does a good job balancing a gripping plot with steady character development. This thriller is from the POV of a young woman trying to prove herself and that she has the skills to do the job. I really enjoyed the back and forth between Morgan and Ben, her supervisor. It is a great start to a friendship, partnership and maybe even a romance in the future. Ben also has some issues to sort out and he and Morgan share some of that with each other. There are other team members that are partially developed and I hope we will see more of them as this series progresses. This is a promising start to the series. It was a well written, fast paced police procedural/crime thriller and did not have a dull moment with twists throughout. I recommend this book and series and suggest that they are best read in order as there is character development throughout. If you enjoy police procedurals or crime thrillers, then pick this book up, you won't be disappointed.

I love finding a new series to get stuck into and I was not disappointed.

Morgan Brookes is a complex character who has a past she still struggles with cope with. She is called to attend the scene of a hanging. Within a day this turns into something far more.

The author has written a story with twists and turns throughout. I read this in one sitting and immediately decided I needed to read the next book in the series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

When the body of a woman is found hanging from a tree in her front garden, rookie Detective Morgan Brookes is first on the scene. But Olivia Potter is past saving. And when her husband and daughters cannot be traced, Morgan knows there is more to this tragedy. And then she finds them. Lying huddled together in the dark basement, each of their faces covered with a small cotton cloth, their bodies cold to the touch.
But as Morgan kneels beside the family, she realises that one of the girls is still breathing. As she holds Bronte’s fragile hand in hers, begging her to hold on, she vows to find out who has done this.

I look a good detective series and this first book with a new protagonist has immense promise. Look forward to the next in the series!

My thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book in return for my honest opinion.

A compelling, addictive read that fully captured my interest from beginning to end.
Well written and fill of suspense, this book was undoubtedly a page turner that had me guessing right to the end. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I thoroughly look forward to reading more of their books in the future.
A definite must read.

Unfortunately I was unable to keep up with the book and it lacked interest. While I enjoy crime books, this one didn’t give me good vibes.

Her first day on patrol by herself and she finds herself at a suicide scene, at least this is what Detective Ben thinks. When Olivia Potter’s family can’t be track down, Morgan is certain that something is wrong so she decided to go back to the house. And there in the basement she finds the three bodies, but one is still breathing.

The narrative is intricate and compelling for almost all the book, however I personally didn’t like the ending as it was quite predictable who the murderer was. So yes, I was dying to finish the book, but only because I was expecting a twist that threw me off my sofa.

Loved the CID department especially Ben, Morgan and Amy. It’s nice to see how their friendship evolves throughout the book. While I think Dan, and the other two detectives introduced at the beginning of the story could have been left out, as they weren’t mention at all by the end of the book, so I just didn’t see the point on including them in the story.

I would suggest this book to the Rita Herron’s fan.

One Left Alive by Helen Phifer is the first installment in the new Detective Morgan Brookes series.
Detective Morgan Brookes is new to the job and on her first day on her own, she is is called out to what looks like a suicide. Olivia Potter is hanging from a old tree outside her home. The rest of the Potter family are missing. Detective Morgan Brookes gets seconded to the Detective team to help with their investigation. She quickly realises this is the job she wants to do and she's determined to prove her worth.

This is a great start to this new Detective Morgan Brookes series and I am looking forward reading more books within this series. Especially as all the characters are good and fit in well.

Big Thank you to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author #HelenPhifer for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. There were some faults with police procedures but the story more than made up for it. PC Morgan Brookes, on her first day working solo, is sent to an apparent suicide. She finds a woman hanging from a tree in the garden of her home. Everything points to suicide but when her husband and two daughters cannot be contacted Morgan becomes very suspicious. She decides to return to the house to see if they had missed any clues and discovers the rest of the family dead in the cellar, but on closer examination realises that the eldest daughter is still alive. Morgan is then seconded to the CID to investigate the case and comes across an old, unsolved murder file from the 1970s where another family had been murdered in similar circumstances and it took place in the same house, she is then tasked with trying to find if both cases are linked. The book was set in the Lake District and told from the points of view of Morgan and her boss DS Ben Matthew’s, both of whom have had a sad past. This is a good action packed thriller, with plenty of twists and turns and an unexpected ending.
A brilliant read. Look forward to book number 2.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was so happy to see that this is a series because I wanted more when I was finished! Twisty, turny, with well developed characters. Great read.

One Left Alive is the first in a new series by Helen Phifer. Our main, Rookie Constable Morgan Brookes, is thrust into a horrible multiple murder mystery when she discovers Olivia Potter hanging from the tree in her own front yard. Barely out of the training academy she is now working closely with the head Murder Detective DS Ben Matthews, who has a very tempermental reputation. Will he make her life difficult or will he surprise us?
I am a huge fan of police procedurals especially when I get to start from Book 1. I enjoyed the characters immensely in this book. Morgan is a strong female lead who still has a fallible side, she is damn good at her job but her personal life is a mess.
Fans of police procedurals will like this book and look forward to the next in the series. I know I am.

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

This was my first book by this author and I have to say it most definitely will not be my last. I just loved the whole feel of this book and think I have found a new favourite character in Morgan Brookes.

She was certainly thrown in at the deep end in this book on her first day of independent patrols. It is clear she has got a successful career ahead of her both as a detective and as a character in these books.

There was a great storyline in this book, which kept you guessing and trying to work out what was going on, who the killer was and why. Just the way I like it, and twists thrown in too.

Alongside this some great characterisation for both Morgan and her direct boss in this one. They both have history they are trying to deal with, some more successfully than others, and I can see a great relationship developing between these two. I can’t wait to spend more time in Morgan’s company. Bring on book 2, I can’t wait.

I strongly recommend this book and if you enjoy the Maeve Kerrigan Series by Jane Casey then I think you’ll love this book. I feel there are somestrong similarities, although Morgan is at an earlier stage in her career.

I gave this book 4 1/2 stars overall, and would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book to me for an open and honest review.

Wow this book was one explosive joy to read . I loved the characters Meg, Ben and Amy, and the relationship between them . . A well written gripping story line that had me wanting more with every page I turned . It also had a bit of humour in it which had me laughing out loud in parts . Can't wait to read the next in the series

Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 !!!!!!!
Book: One Left Alive (Detective Morgan Brookes Book 1)
Available NOW -Release Date: September 1, 2020
Author: Helen Phifer
Genre: Thrillers, Mystery, Suspense

I have a new favorite character, Detective Morgan Brookes. She is my new favorite female character since Gwen/Gina in the Rachel Caine Stillhouse Lake series! I love that she is a fierce but still very much a novice detective. She is suffering from the loss of her mother and the trauma that brings plus having a strained, almost non-existent with her alcoholic father. After being thrown into a heinous murder case, Morgan shows her strength, fortitude, and perseverance.

One Left Alive is a mystery that has you invested in the storyline and wanting to get to the bottom of the murders of an entire family. Add to that a murder of a family years earlier and you have an intriguing mystery. As I was reading, I didn’t want to stop reading about Morgan Brookes. I was too excited to see that book #2 comes out in December. I will definitely be reading that one and reviewing it as well.

Thank you to @NetGalley, @Bookouture, and @HelenPhifer for an advanced copy of @OneLeftAlive.

#OneLeftAlive #HelenPhifer #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #thriller #mystery #suspense #bookreviewer

Rookie Morgan Brookes ... her first day of patrolling on her own ... answers a call to investigate a call for help. First on the scene, she sees a teenage boy beneath the hanging body of a woman .. trying to hold her up until help calls. The woman hanging there is quite dead.

The teenager is the boyfriend of the woman's daughter. Once identified, the police start looking for the woman's husband and her two daughters. But they are nowhere to be found.

Morgan feels that something is just not right ... but she's just a rookie... and has never worked this kind of crime. The next day she tells her supervisor of her misgivings. He tells her to go back to the scene of the crime and take a second look.

What she finds is the husband and two young girls in the basement surrounded by blood and with their faces covered with a cloth ... and one of them is still alive.

The author has done a fine job of balancing a gripping plot with steady character development and word-building that puts readers right in the middle of all the action. This thriller is seen through the eyes of a young person hungering for her chance to prove she's made the right decision for her future. Brookes is not without issues ... she has a contentious relationship with her father. I really enjoyed the back and forth between Morgan and her supervisor ... a great start to a friendship, maybe a romance in the future. But he also has issues to overcome. It's the start of a riveting crime fiction.

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

One thing that hasn’t been slow and boring during the pandemic are the abundance of juicy crime novels coming out! I am always on the lookout for a new police procedural and love a strong female lead!
Morgan Brookes hits a dead end when trying to solve a murder, but when she starts looking through old cases while struggling to sleep, she finds some similarities to another case where the killer was never caught. Really well written, I demolished it in one go! Hurry up with the next one please!

will make your heart beat fast and your palms go sweaty. Burning with anticipation, fear, and the disquieting revelation that not all is what it seems, this thriller is impossible to put down—just read it with the lights on.