I really enjoy this series. I was very excited to get a chance to read this book. I enjoyed it very much. I love surprise endings and this book has one. I think this author is very good and I have enjoyed these books very much so far. Keep up the great work Anni! *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t what I expected it was far more psychological. The plot was interesting and engaging and I enjoyed it up until the last page. The author developed the characters well and changing between Abby and Kate and also the present and past really helped build the story. The setting of the book and the description added to the mystery. I would certainly read another novel from this author.

This book was a bit eerie and dark. It has suspense and twists and turns. It is quite thrilling and it kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the suspect is. The characters are complex but lovable. I really liked this book.

Terrifying, scary, and so spellbindingly gripping as you read through the authors twists and turns. The author writes the characters well and you’re immediately gripped by the story. Kept me on the edge of my seat.

3 for neutral. Was not able to finish this book. Will update if able to finish at a later date. I tried on a few occasion, but it never grabbed me.

I hesitated before downloading the first book in this series because it was so long and I was not sure it would hold my attention. I was presently surprised and loved it, so I didn’t hesitate with this next installment.

I love the beautifully crafted, fully fleshed our characters in this series and I was really interested in this book because you get more of their backstory. I really enjoyed learning about how these characters got to where they are in the first book, and this storyline was really good. However, I really struggled with reading this. It just didn’t command my attention the same way as the first. I would read a couple chapters, put it down, go back to it later... it just wasn’t as compelling. That being said, I would actually be very interested to see if the format made the difference, so I’ll probably download the audio book if it became available on Audible.

This was great follow up to the first book in the series.,It was such a page turner! I really enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Detective Kate Wakeland did it again. This book is the second of Tallman's Valley Detectives and we meet again Abby and Kate in a twisted case called Lullaby Man (a sex predator with kinky ideas). I love the plot and the characters, and as the first book, even this one kept me interested. I did not expect the ending.
Thank you Netgalley for this adventure.

This is the second book in the Tallman’s Valley Detective Series and a fantastic follow up to “One Last Child”.

Det Kate Wakeland and her daughter have a lot of ground to make up and Abby is now seeing a counsellor to help her through, Abby more or less stopped talking/confiding in her mother from the age of 14, she changed and Kate could never work out why and now they have Ivy back (See Book 1), its time to get their family back on track. What is uncovered in Abby’s sessions is that she was in fact a victim of grooming, by a teacher no less, this man called himself “The Lullaby Man”, however, when he died in an accidental drowning, Abby shut herself off from her family and her friends even more so, she didn’t know how to handle it, she thought she was in love with the Lullaby Man. With her mother sitting in on her sessions, Kate thinks there is more to this “accidental drowning” than meets the eye and opens up a cold case investigation and delves into the secrets of the past but is she ready for what will be uncovered?

This book was an intriguing mystery, the details of which may be quite difficult to read for some people, I feel it was handled very well. This book had me gripped from the first page especially having read Book 1 in this series, I felt we got a more in-depth account of the Wakeland family dynamics and how secrets can destroy relationships. A fantastic series and I look forward to Book 3 to see what lies in store for Det Kate Wakeland.

Fourteen-year-old Abby was confused about her feelings for her teacher, but she was sure he felt the same about her. That period of time was a traumatic one for Abby and others – ten years later, twenty-four-year-old Abby, with her partner Logan and two beautiful children, knew it was time to talk about that period in her life – to let the dark secrets she’d been holding close to her chest, go.

Senior Detective Kate Wakeland knew when she heard what her daughter Abby had to say, that she needed to reopen the ten-year-old case which had been deemed an accidental death. She promised Abby to do her best to keep her name out of it, but it might not happen. As Kate and her partner Franco concentrated on finding more evidence on the cold case, new and startling facts came to light. The Lullaby Man had infiltrated many young lives, but would they be able to find him? Was he still around, casting his evil spells – or was he long dead? What Kate didn’t know when she started the journey, was how far down the twisted, evil path she would be taken…

The Lullaby Man is the 2nd in the Tallman’s Valley Detective series by Aussie author Anni Taylor and it was spectacular. Breathtaking, heartbreaking, astounding – the twists and turns kept me on my toes, the reveal at the end I hadn’t picked. I love the fact that Ms Taylor has left the end open for #3 – not that she didn’t conclude this one. She did, very satisfactorily. But I can see where our next will possibly go and am looking forward to it already! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

*I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I don’t read many mystery thrillers, but I definitely have been wanting to pick up more, and this one was a good one.

Mr. Lullaby sounds like a nightmare, and he definitely is in this book. He’s an awful man that likes to prey on young girls.

As I was reading this book, I tried to figure things out, like whodunnit, but I was completely wrong. This book had a good amount of twists that were believable and flowed with the story. I enjoyed each one, and had no idea how Senior Detective Kate Wakeland would solve this case because it seemed she kept hitting walls. But, of course, everything was wrapped up in the end.

Detective Kate Wakeland reminds me of Olivia Benson from Law and Order: SVU. She’s a serious, take no bullshit detective. I really liked how this felt like the detective TV shows I like to watch.

I have not read the first book in this series, and it’s not necessary to read before this book, but I will be reading it now because I really enjoyed ‘The Lullaby Man’.

I can’t wait to see Detective Kate solve more cases. Especially future cases, after reading this book. It definitely sets up the next book.

I wish I had read One Last Child first! This book stands alone but I think there would be a lot of value in having more of the back story.. This is a terrific read - a genuinely good thriller but also bordering on the horror genre simply because of the way the author draws you in and makes you face the worst of humanity. The characters fascinated me and I wanted to like the girls who had survived so much but somehow they were not appealing to me. The writing style is sophisticated and the author has brought to life a truly terrifying tale.

I went into this book with high expectations because the first book I loved. This didn’t let me down although there were some aspects of this book that irritated me.

What did I like?
- The writing is consistently good. I enjoyed the plot and the concept was imaginative.
- The characters! Again, Kate is such a passionate detective and is searching for the answers constantly. I liked her a lot in this book!
- The ending was shocking. I had an idea throughout what was happening and I was surprised.

I think one major issue I have is this book centres a lot on Abby and she is such a problematic and irritating character. I didn’t like her in the first book and she seems so bogged down with issues that I don’t understand how’s she functioning.
I also find the first 30% of both books d r a g. The chapters are so blocky and boring I do sometimes question if I should carry on reading. But equally, I’m glad I did.

Overall, a good thriller that keeps you on your toes.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in this series and I thoroughly liked it and highly recommend it. The pace was fast and uniform throughout unlike the first book which was slow to start. The red herrings and twists were really unguessable and from the left field. The subject matter is quite heavy and I feel some readers may require trigger alert. Fantastic book

Oh wow this book was fabulous! Absolutely loved it. It was a tragic and deep story full of twists as the plot unfolded. It was dark and twisted full of despair but also hope and understanding. I really enjoyed this book it was great. Highly recommend it.

Senior Detective Kate Wakeland of Tallman Valley is back with another mystery to solve. Her twenty four year old daughter Abby has plucked up the courage to tell her that ten years ago she was the victim of an older man, one of her teachers who gradually groomed her. Calling himself 'the Lullaby Man' he would instruct her to carry out strange rituals while he watched. This all stopped when her teacher drowned in the lake at the front of his house, but the experience affected her deeply as well as her relationship with her mother. Now she's agreed to talk to a psychiatrist with her mother present and Kate has also re-opened the investigation into the drowning of Abby's teacher.

This is a well written mystery with a multi-layered plot that unfolds gradually. The setting of the Blue mountains, with a community living around a picturesque lake works well as a backdrop and there are also some quite creepy and atmospheric scenes in an old funfair. Kate and her colleague Franco conduct a good investigation with Kate dropping back when necessary to avoid a conflict as the mother of a victim. Kate's a great character, an older woman in her sixties who keeps fit and loves her job and is good at reading people. There are quite a few unexpected twists in the plot, all of which helped to make sense of what happened previously, as well as an ending that I didn't see coming. All in all, another engaging crime story in an excellent series.

Omg, what a book! I knew author Anni Taylor was fantastic. With Lullaby Man she blew my mind away, and I still have butterflies in my stomach at the twists in the story. The reveals oh my freak!! They twisted my insides, and no part of me was left unaffected. I couldn’t take a single deep breath while writing this review. The book kept me in throes of excitement.

Though this was book 2 in the Kate Wakeland series, this book could be read as a standalone. Kate’s daughter Abby came to her with the secrets of her childhood when she was fourteen years old about a Lullaby Man. Kate had to investigate and get to the truth. Believe me, a rotten apple in a bushel.

My second book by this talented author, I already gushed about her in book 1, One Last Child. And I was right, I read this book with bated breath. I was addicted to the story and couldn’t move from my couch until I got to the last page.

The investigation was thorough and detailed, and I could see the strength in Kate reflecting in every chapter. Her brilliant partnership with Detective Franco made me glad she had support in her corner. The writing made smooth inroads into darker alleys of society, with some jaw-dropping twists, and the last few chapters had me gripping my kindle so hard, that I was sure there would be permanent fingerprints on it.

Anni Taylor is one fantastic author whose first book made me excited, the second twisted, eagerly awaiting the third. It is simply one heck of a thriller!! A must-read!! Just a warning – once you start, you can’t stop!!

I've really enjoyed Anni Taylor's work before, but this didn't work for me as much as some of her previous books. I can't really pinpoint what it was; it just seemed slow-going for me.

I saw this book on Netgalley. I wanted to read it based on the cover alone! It’s perfect and so creepy. The premise was interesting. Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Anni Taylor herself telling me that this book would be best read after the first in the series, One Last Child. So of course I read that and boom! I’m hooked. Tell me another story Ms Taylor, please.

The Lullaby Man is hinted at during the last chapter of One Last Child where Abby tells Kate that she wants to explain what happened to her when she was just fourteen. Kate knew that those were difficult years where Abby had shut herself off from her family, but she put it down to normal teen angst.

Kate is apprehensive but she definitely wants to go on this journey with her daughter and decides to join her in her therapy sessions with the approval of the therapist. The sessions are tense for both of them and Kate has a difficult time staying in check when her daughter begins to tell her about the Lullaby Man.

No spoilers her, you just have to read it. The book flips back and forth between present day and ten years previous when the events of one fateful summer will change everything.

Once again, the author is hinting at what might be in store for the next installment during the last chapter. I’ll be waiting!! Thanks to Netflix, the publisher, and Ms Taylor for letting me read the ARC. So happy to discover a great new series.

Abby Wakeland has had a secret for 14 years. She's finally brave enough to tell her mother... Detective Kate Wakeland ... about what happened to her.

All her mother knows is that something changed in Abby when she was a young teenager. She became moody, didn't talk to mom anymore, was angry or extremely happy.

But Abby finds that looking into her mother's eyes is not working. As Abby has been seeing a therapist, she recommends tht Abby talk to him while Kate listens.

What Abby reveals sets the wheels turning on a case of accidental drowning that might well have been murder. And when the body of one of Abby's friends is found ... they discover she has been dead for 10 years. So who had been texting her mother?

This is a well written story with an intricate plot that holds your attention from start to finish. It's a page-turner with suspense starting with the first page. The characters are carefully drawn and will not easily be forgotten. Told in part by Kate ... in the present, and by Abby, through her memories of the past, and finally through a long-forgotten journal, it's a riveting read.

Although second in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. I read the first book and wasn't all that enthusiastic about it. I am so glad I decided to take a chance on book 2. I understand that Book 3 will be out in 2021 .... and I'm looking forward to see what happens next for the Wakeland family.

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