This is the first book in a new series that will be centered around Morgan. I found it to be a decent read, but had a couple issues with it. The story starts off quickly, with Morgan, on her first day on solo patrol duty, getting called to the scene of an apparent suicide. Olivia, a married mother of 2, is hanging from a tree in her yard and her family is nowhere to be found. Fast forward to the discovery of the rest of the family and also a tie to previous murders and you have a police procedural with Morgan and her colleagues trying to solve the mystery.

The storyline around the murders was pretty interesting, and there were some surprises as the team considered, then discounted certain theories. I was mildly surprised when the villain was revealed- it is someone that I had considered earlier but I felt that the book was leading me in a different direction by the time it was revealed.

The issues I had with the book were first the very unrealistic situation of Morgan being moved up to be a detective and personal protege of her boss literally after her first day on patrol- there is no way that this would have happened, and Morgan, while seeming smart and capable, didn't seem to bring anything to the table that would explain this boost and the leapfrogging of all of those above her. Secondly, there were hints of a budding romance between Morgan and her boss Ben, which I found unlikely and unnecessary. I felt that the constant focus on the way they felt about each other and how new to the job Morgan was got rather tedious as the book went on.

All in all, I thought this was an OK book and I will likely pick up the next book in the series when it comes out. The characters were all fairly likable even if some of the relationships didn't ring true. I particularly liked Amy and hope the author builds her storyline out further in the next edition. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘One Left Alive’ by Helen Phifer in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Detective Megan Brookes is sent to a house where Olivia Potter is found hanging from a tree. The family can’t be found but Megan’s instinct tells her they’ve missed something and the next day asks to return to the house where she discovers a door to the basement and the bodies of Olivia’s husband Saul and daughters Bronte and Beatrix. They have all been beaten around the head and squares of white cotton placed over their faces. Saul and Beatrix are dead but Bronte is still breathing and Megan vows to find the person responsible. On reading through the records of the house Morgan learns that forty-five years earlier another family died in similar circumstances. Could the two cases be connected?

‘One Left Alive’ is the first in the Detective Megan Brookes series and bodes well for future books. Newly working for CID due to staff shortages, Megan has a sixth sense and acts sometimes without thought of the consequences but always endeavouring to find answers for her boss DS Ben Matthews with whom she has a growing friendship, and wants to prove to him she’ll make a first-class detective. This is an action-packed thriller that contains suspense, drama and twists and turns, the final twist revealing the identity of the killer which took me completely by surprise. I’ve enjoyed reading this book and can recommend it.

What a great start to a new detective series !

One Left Alive is also a refreshing new start as Morgan became a part of the detective squad almost by fluke so she is all gung ho, has something to prove but more than that has great instincts and is surrounded by a great team starting with Ben and Amy.

Four members of the same family are found in their home , three are dead, one survived.

Can this murder be related to another horrific murder years ago.

The pages will turn quickly as you along with team try and solve what happened that horrible day.

I will certainly be waiting for the second book in the series and look forward to getting to know Morgan even more.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for a refreshing read

I enjoyed this book, I really liked Morgan and most of the other characters.What I really liked is that as a reader we are in at the start of Morgan's journey as a detective .Usually the detectives are experienced and maybe somewhat battle hardened,nothing wrong with that,but I feel its a different take to be in at the start of someones journey ,and I look forward to seeing her develop in future books.This one was twisty, and kept me guessing.Good read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a rookie cop morgan is now out and about on her own and is just cruising around being high visibility when she is called to a disturbance

once there she finds someone hanging from a tree and a young man trying to keep her alive by trying to take her weight..but morgan can see it is already to late....

after calling in the cavalry help arrives and morgan helps to contain the scene....and now the real task is at hand, trying to find out why this woman committed suicide and then to notify the family....

morgan turns out the be a cop that will go the extra mile and she comes to the attention of the detective who is in charge and its not long before she gets an invite to join that rank even though she is still classed as a rookie but she shows potential, it doesnt go down well with her fellow officers.....

an interesting storyline that i took at face value and can see how this could be an exciting new storyline as morgan who is still raw can be moulded into a very good detective...and with her being promoted so early on in her career could lead to some interesting cases.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'One Left Alive' by Helen Phifer

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 1st September 2020

This is the second book that I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Detective Morgan Brookes' series. I am looking forward to reading more of this promising looking series.

I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous and interesting blurb and by the fact that I have already read one book by Helen Phifer which I enjoyed and said then that I wanted to read more of her books. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 58 chapters which are short to medium in length so ideal to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

Before I even began reading this book I loved the thoughtful dedication that Helen had included and would like to thank her for it. The dedication:
'This book is dedicated to all the amazing NHS workers and key workers who kept Britain going throughout the 2020 pandemic. I thank each and every one of you for your selfless acts of bravery'. We'll done Helen for this consideration. It may not seem like much but to some this may really mean alot.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Morgan and Ben. The way it is written made me feel like I was floating above them watching everything that was going on. I enjoy books written in third person and from different perspectives as you can see more of what is going on and get the bigger picture.

This book is based in the Lake District. I always seem to connect with books based in the UK more because I live in Wales and sometimes I have visited places mentioned meaning I can picture them much better. The fact that I have visited the Lake District is even better!

This book is very well written and a very smooth read. It has loads of excellent descriptions which help to really put the reader in the scene with the characters.

I was sucked straight into this book and couldn't stop turning the pages until I finished. I loved the fact that there had been 2 murders in the same house and how Morgan was researching the history of the first murders too. I enjoyed the fact that there was lots of other things going on as well as the main crimes. The only thing I found a shame was that I wasn't really surprised when the perp was revealed although there are quite a few twists and turns and red herrings put in.

The characters were all very strong and the fact that Morgan and Amy are such strong females was definitely a bonus with me being female myself. I loved Amy and her relationship with Ben and would love to read more about her. I'd love to read more about Ben, Morgan and Stan actually. Morgan's relationship with Stan is very interesting and it was good to see how it changed throughout the storyline. I would like to see what becomes of them. I would also love to see what becomes of the relationship between Ben and Morgan also and I liked the way they had quote similar histories.

The book is filled with suspense, crime, drama, red herrings and is a very good psychological thriller that kept me up until late at night.

Overall a page turning and intriguing psychological crime drama.

Genres covered include Crime, Mystery, Murder, Police procedural

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of M. J Arlidge, Angela Marsons, C. L Taylor and Carol Wyer .

332 pages.

This book is 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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A good start to a new series, the storyline was great, so many twists in it, the characters were good. It seemed a bit rushed in some places, but not enough to spoil the book. I am looking forward to reading more about Morgan, Ben and the rest of the team.
Thank you netgalley.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but it won't be the last. This first installment of the Detective Morgan Brookes series sees Brookes thrown in at the deep end her first day after finishing her training. Great character development of Morgan and her boss, and room for a developing relationship to continue in future entries in this series. Oh yes, and a very good mystery plot as well.

I really enjoyed this! I love Helen Phifer's writing and she's quickly becoming one of my go to authors, with the likes of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza. I absolutely loved the characters in 'One Left Alive', Morgan is just so sweet and as a main character I found her incredibly likeable. It's very refreshing to have a main character that isn't jaded and carrying a rather large chip on their shoulder. Ben and Amy easily make this one of my favourite crime fighting teams. The case is brutal and gripping, a whole family wiped out with a link to the past. Plenty of suspects, twists and turns. This is certainly a page-turner and I can't wait to be back with Morgan, Ben and Amy.

I loved this, it was brilliant. Helen phifer is one of my favourite authors so was really excited to read this. It didn’t disappoint it really delivered the goods. A really fabulous start to a new series. I liked the characters, there is plenty of scope to build on their relationships and the plot was clever and well written. Really deserves 5 stars.

There are so many police procedural books around at the moment and I’m sure it must be hard for an author to start a new detective series , wondering will it be as good as others etc etc. Well I can honestly say this first book of a new series was just excellent. A good story line and strong characters. I recommend this book 100% and can not wait for the next in the series,

I liked thhis very much. It is a fast paced thriller with a couple of twists in the story. The detective characters are likeable, but have their own problems. In places, I thought that some of their behaviour was questionable but that did not really spoil the read for me.
The book is set in the Lake district . The main character is Morgan, a new policewoman who joins a new team. I liked the way the relationship with her new collegues developed. There was an incident of bullying (?) which I thought could have been dealt with better in this book. If this is a reflection of reality in the police force, it does not show the force in the best light .
I am looking out for more by this author. I like her writing style, the suspense and the details in this book.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was an enjoyable enough way to spend a few hours, but the story was all a bit too neat and tidy for me. There wasn’t a lot of mystery involved, no big secrets, no major twists, and no big reveals. I also found the brewing romance a little off-putting. There was no need for the young, rookie investigator and the seasoned, damaged investigator (also, her boss) to begin developing feelings for each other, which I imagine will grow deeper in Book Two. It was a stretch to think a rookie would be pulled into investigations on her first solo day on the job, but I overlooked it and went along on the journey anyway. Like I said, it was enjoyable enough but it wasn’t an edge-of-the-seat thriller, by any stretch. **2.5 stars**

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

A great start to a new series.

Morgan is going to be a great character and her relationship with Ben is interesting. Amy is also a kick ass character and I'm looking forward to reading more about her.

I was hooked from the first page and I totally raced through the chapters.

I look forward to reading the next book.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be the last.

Rookie Police Officer Morgan Brookes is first on the scene when the body of a woman is found hanging from a tree. Although everyone believes it to be a suicide, Morgan has a hunch that there is more to the tragedy than it appears. Seconded into CID, she then discovers the rest of the family with severe head injuries.

When she finds that another family was murdered in the same house over 40 years ago, she is determined to discover if the two cases could be connected. Can Morgan put all the pieces together to help solve the case?

A good start to this series. An interesting plot line. I look forward to more from this author.

4 Stars from me

My first time reading anything by this author and I really enjoyed the simplistic and open writing style - I can see this appealing to a wide audience and it certainly made the story easy to get into.

Morgan Brookes sure caught a lucky break - it's a bit of a dream scenario being plucked out of the masses and seconded to CID on your first day! 

I love that it was set in the Lake District, this made for some delightful imagery among all the gore! 

The storyline itself was good, a nice amount of intrigue and a race to find the killer. I found the relationship between Morgan and Ben a little bit 'off' not sure why, think it was all so rapid and although only having met her once everyone seemed to be heavily hinting at it - something just didn't sit right there.

Overall, a good read with a lot packed in!

what a story was engrossed from page one .Morgan has completed her police training on her first day she is called to a suicide . Olivia Potter . but as the story unfold all the potter family have been murdered in the basement but one is still alive Bronte . CID want Morgan to work with them Ben and Amy. and they find out that another family before the potter s where murdered in that house how this story unfolds is brilliant i so cant wait for book two highly recommend

The story started with a good plot and fast paced investigation, but as it progressed it began to drag and felt as though the author was just filling the pages. As this is my first book by this author I would like to give a one more try. 2.5 stars

THank You NetGalley, Publisher & Author for this gifted E-Book

Summary
She knelt down by the side of the first girl. She had to force herself to breathe as she lifted the soft white cloth covering the girl’s beautiful face…
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.

Review
This is book 1 out of a series.
This was a well written the writing was easy to follow book.
It was a good book to sit down and just read. I found it hard to stop looking at my Kindle casue I wanted to hurry and finish this baby up.
I love the characters. The way this book is told amazing. The ending great.
I cant wait to start this book to this series.

Rating- 4/5

On her first week alone as a Police officer with the Cumbrian Police Force Morgan Brookes is called to what appears to be a death by hanging. Then when the rest of the family cannot be contacted Morgan goes back and she finds the husband and two daughters in the cellar covered in blood. When she is calling in her deathly find one of the daughters moves making the need for an ambulance urgent. During the next week it is discovered that in the 1970's another family was murdered at the same house is there a problem with the house or is it a copy cat killer.
Helen Phifer does this type of book so well .Page turning compulsion with regrets having the book down and characters that come alive. I would highly rate this book and hope it is the start of a series .