The Killer's Girl by Helen Phifer is a psychological thriller..

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Information:

Morgan Brookes has always dreamed of being a detective. As a rookie officer, she finds the body of a woman, and is catapulted into the Crime Investigation Department under the direction of DS Ben Matthews, where she will work with him and DC Amy Smith.  After losing her mother, she is slowly re-capturing the relationship with her alcoholic father Stan.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

The strangled body of Gabrielle Stevens is found tied to her bed at her parents home.  The house looks ransacked.  Ben, Morgan and Amy are determined to find her killer.

When a DNA match is collected that not only matches a murderer already in jail, but also Morgan herself, the team is sure that a lab mix-up has occurred.  They start by visiting the prison and speaking with Gary Marks, the Riverside Rapist.  His blood may match, but he is definitely behind bars.

Meanwhile, Morgan's waking at 4:25 AM every morning is starting to wear her down, and the nightmares are getting more vivid.  If only she knew who the woman in her dream was.  She agrees to see a psychotherapist.

The next murder sends Morgan reeling.


My Opinions:   

This is a great series.  This second book only reinforces my love for the books, and the author.

As always, the plot is great, and twists abound.  It is a very fast read, with constant action.

The characters are all gaining more depth with this second book, and their cohesion as a team is great.  You can tell they really care for each other, and in particular for Morgan, their newest member.  I am enjoying watching the relationships build.  I love that Ettie from the first book is back.

There was a lot of foreshadowing, so I was not surprised at the identity of the perpetrator, but I was surprised at the death of one of the characters.  The author always takes a chance when killing off a main character in a book, and while it was sad, I think it had to be done.

Bottom line....I can't wait til the next one!

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Killer’s Girl’, the second in the Detective Morgan Brookes series written by Helen Phifer, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Gabby Stevens is attacked and her body found on her bed at home when her parents return from their holiday. As DC Morgan Brookes and her boss DS Ben Matthews investigate, the killer sends text messages to Morgan on Gabby’s stolen phone, but if he has Morgan’s phone number does he also know where she lives? The DNA taken from the victim comes back as having a close connection to Morgan although Ben doesn’t want to believe she’s involved. What Ben does know, however, is that the killer must be found before he has the opportunity to strike again.

‘The Killer’s Girl’ is the second in the Detective Morgan Brookes series and is every bit as gripping as the first one. Set in the Lake District, this is an action-packed police thriller that has plenty of drama, suspense, excitement and twists and turns, and although I guessed halfway through the identity of the killer I had to keep reading to confirm my suspicions. I like the character of Morgan who’s outspoken though unadvisedly at times when senior officers are present, and acts without thought of the consequences, but always endeavours to get answers for the families of the victims. The working relationship between Morgan and Ben is growing into a deeper friendship and I look forward to seeing where it leads to. This is a well-written, compelling and absorbing thriller that I’ve enjoyed reading but it ends with a bit of a cliffhanger so there definitely has to be another in the series.

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! The review is based on my honest opinion.

This book is the continuation of Detective Morgan Brooke's series, the first one One Left Alive. In the second book, a college student, Gabby Stevens was found murdered and her body was found four days later, partly decomposed. Morgan Brookes, working with Ben is investigating Gabby Steven's murder and while investigating, she also had to deal with the personal nightmares...

This like the first book was incredibly good! Fast paced thriller, twisty and unexpected chapters and as a reader I was hooked into the story that I simply couldn't put the book down! Most of the all, towards the ending, it got really interesting, like a cat and mouse chase story with the killer and I just gobbled and hooked into the story till the ending. The part where Morgan's DNA was found at the crime scene was the pivotal point in the story coupled with a deep secret that Stan was about to tell Morgan, made me get interested into the story more, as the thirst to know what is going to happen was great! The author did a good job of making the reader engage into the story!

Overall, this is a gripping, past paced thriller that you would not simply put down--worth five stars!

Wow gripping so many twists and turns pulled into the plot from first few pages it a page turner you be hooked characters are so strong great writing style easy to read I can not recommend enough a great books

Detective Constable Morgan Brookes is called to the scene of a woman’s murder. The house has been searched, but it doesn’t appear that this was a robbery. Morgan promises to get justice for the woman and feels even more so after she begins receiving taunting text message from the dead woman’s cell phone. DNA from the crime scene will lead to even more questions as they are a match to a man who has been in prison for years for several rapes and the murder of his wife. When they also show a match to someone related to Morgan…how could this be? A devilishly complex mystery that will delight the reader as Morgan and her team search for the killer, but is he closer than they realize? Morgan will finally get some answers to her past, but at what cost? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Oh my! This was a supremely convoluted case where the forensics led to the discovery of the killer being linked to the main detective Morgan Brookes. The story was eerie in its premise and the killer perverted enough to bring the trail of blood to Morgan’s house. Author Helen Phifer wrote a seamless story where the hunter became the hunted with a stroke of a pen.

Book 2 of the series, I didn’t remember the earlier book as I’d read too many police procedural in this year, but this book stood strong as a standalone with the murderous case. Called to the scene of a young girl’s murder, Morgan and her partner Ben started their investigation. The DNA pointed toward a convict who had been incarcerated for the past 20 years. Then the killer struck again, taunting the lead detective, and the DNA seemed a closer match to her. Did author Helen Phifer make Morgan the killer?

The characters were etched well, where they worked as a team even when the forensics pointed toward one of their own. I liked how the subplots laid a trail of breadcrumbs, waiting patiently for me to follow them. The killer went one step ahead and sent texts to Morgan from the dead girl’s phone. I liked the fear and the icky feeling it evoked.

Morgan’s family past was well amalgamated showing its effects in the present. There were a few shockers awaiting her which made the twists and turns in the story. Suspense was slowly built up as it usually is in such a story. I was too lazy to try to guess the killer as I just wanted to enjoy the writing. Luckily, I could keep pace with the story which read fast where the intrigue pulled me in with its short, snappy chapters.

Quite a kickass police procedural with the author inverting the whole plot.

Highly gripping crime thriller, young detective Morgan is out to prover herself to her team, she is a strong well rounded charterer with her own dark background. This is the second book in this series and like with many books in a series it would be better to read after the 1st but its not important if you don't. The book makes reference to the first but its ok a stand alone. Its fasted paced and a easy to follow plot. overall a good read.

Book 2 in this series . DI Morgan Brookes and her police colleagues are trying to find a killer who viciously attacked and murdered a young woman leaving her family and friends devastated. The race is on to find the killer before they strike again, At the crime scene the police team find DNA from the killer but things aren’t as straightforward as they look.

When you cannot put down a book and read it in one day is surely the sign of a super read. Well this was that book for me. I was engrossed in this book from the start and oh my goodness it certainly didn’t disappoint. This is a brilliant police crime series and I’m just in love with it and cannot wait to read more .Another superb story and I’m loving the development of the characters as the series develops. A great big 5🌟 read .

I love this series so far!! It has all the suspense and action!! Definitely a must for a thriller fan!! Can't wait to see what's next!!

Another brilliant book in the Morgan Brookes series.
Morgan and Ben are called to investigate the death of a young woman, found by her parents on their return from holiday.
It was a brutal murder and one which throws up some interesting forensic evidence.
Morgan then starts to receive texts from the dead woman’s phone so is persuaded to stay with Ben until they catch the killer.
Stan is working hard at staying sober and Morgan is happy to get to know him better, but she has some questions about her childhood that she needs him to help with. She’s been suffering from nightmares and keeps seeing the same woman, but who is she?
There’s another murder and again the forensic evidence shows an anomaly so Ben has to hurry to prove its not the person that it seems to be.
Morgan seems to be a magnet for danger and soon she’s fighting for her life again.
This is a brilliant book and I loved every minute of it.
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book didn’t grab me as much as the first one in the series (One Left Alive). Young women are being murdered in their homes and DC Morgan Brookes is on the case. Despite the lack of evidence, finally they have a teeny scrap of DNA to analyse and - that’s strange - it links to an offender already in prison, the infamous Riverside Rapist. It also links to Morgan - could she be a suspect?

Morgan starts getting cryptic text messages sent from the first victim’s phone. Her boss DS Ben Matthews is very concerned for her safety but when the DNA match is confirmed, Morgan is taken off the case. This, however, does nothing to ensure Morgan’s safety and she ultimately finds herself in the killer’s crosshairs.

This book feels like the literary equivalent of ‘paint by numbers’, there was little originality to the plot and you could see the twists coming a mile away. The dialogue felt like it was targeting YA readers or beginning thriller readers. I was especially disappointed because I have enjoyed the author’s other books much more, particularly the Lucy Harwin series. I appreciate being provided a copy to review from Netgalley, Bookouture and Helen Phifer. My opinions are my own.

The Killer’s Girl is the second instalment in the Detective Constable Morgan Brookes series, set against the stunning backdrop of the Cumbrian Lake District. The story begins in September 1999 with Janet Marks browsing the latest issue of The Cumbrian News when she comes to the sudden realisation that her cheating spouse, Gary, may be involved in something more than just infidelity. The headline ”The Riverside Rapist Strikes Again” gets her attention when the dates of the attacks happen to coincide with his apparent late-night fishing trips, but surely the man she has two beautiful babies with is not evil? She packs his personal belongings for when he returns and puts both 3-year-old Skye and 5-year-old Taylor to bed out of the way of the imminent commotion. But things end in tragedy. Meanwhile, in present-day, Gabrielle Stevens is spending a few hours with friends at The Golden Ball pub and after a bottle of rosé and a couple of vodkas walks back home to an empty, dark and silent house. Her parents are currently on holiday in Madrid and aren't due back for a couple of days. She is glad for the peace but a startling sound on her walk through the small town of Rydal Falls and a text message asking if she was home the second she stepped through the door has left her unnerved.

Tired after a busy shift she puts on her pyjamas and heads to her bedroom but something stops her in her tracks; her bed is neatly made. Peeling back the sheets she discovers a folded note—”you look much better naked.” The hair on the back of her neck begins to prickle before she's grabbed from behind by a man in a ski mask, brandishing a knife, who gags her, ties her up and punches her in the head several times. She manages to remove his balaclava and soon realises she knows exactly who he is. But are these two cases, many years apart, connected? This is a riveting, intense and terrifying thriller with plenty of police procedural elements to it and enough action and drama to keep you glued to the pages. DC Brooke is a troubled soul who has been through a lot in life and in this instalment, her father, Stan, is brutally murdered, which leads to her being granted compassionate leave. There is plenty going on in both the main storyline and Brooke’s personal plotline, and I must admit I was engrossed and gripped throughout. Moving between 1999 and present-day we get a fully rounded tale, which is compelling right from the startling opening page. A really enjoyable, scintillating page-turner. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advance reader's copy of The Killer's Girl by Helen Phifer.

Let me start by saying it's possible that I have read too many of the same type of thriller lately. Female English detective trying to prove herself to her male counterparts and then becoming the target of whatever killer that she is hunting. That could be why I had trouble really staying interested in The Killer's Girl, which features Morgan Brookes, a young detective obsessed with true crime and serial killers. When a young woman is murdered in Morgan's small town she is pulled into an investigation that will uncover more than anyone bargained for and change Morgan's life forever.

This is the second book in a series. It isn't absolutely necessary to have read the first book but having read the first book would help to explain some characters and references in this installment. In the end I did enjoy this book and the identity of the killer was a surprise to me. For those reasons I can recommend The Killer's Girl by Helen Phifer. Try not to read this one right after a similar book and you'll enjoy it a lot more than I did.

this is the 2nd book in the Detective Morgan Brookes series and it was as brilliant as the first. An explosive fast paced gripping thriller that was hard to put down from the first page . I love Helen Phifer's' books and her style of writing. I cant wait for another one in the series .Highly recommended

This book was given to me an exchange for an honest review by NetGalley. I may have found my new favorite series! This is the 2nd in the Morgan Brookes series. I was so excited to read this because I liked the first book so much, and I was not disappointed. In fact, I may have liked this one better!. Morgan Brookes is new to the detective division and is called to a murder scene of a young woman, found in her bedroom. She promises the victim's mother that she will find the killer, but the killer finds her first. There is a lot of Morgan's past that is brought to light, that she didn't even know. I love Declan, the pathologist. He takes care of the victims, is so gentle and remembers that they were people before their horrific deaths. Morgan is a strong, bold and stubborn woman, Ben her boss is always trying to watch out for her, and Amy her colleague speaks her mind. I love all the characters in this story. Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Helen Phifer! Can't wait for #3!!

I really enjoyed this book.

A great fast paced plot with some omg moments and some good twist and turns.

I look forward to the next book to see what else is thrown at Morgan and Ben.

The storyline was spine chilling and I was kept guessing till the end. I loved the twists and turns and the tie ins to the serial killer from the past. I did however find this book to move a little slower than I would like and I wasn’t crazy about the characters. I like this author though and will continue to read her books, this one was a one off for me and I just didn’t connect with it. It was well written it just didn’t capture me like I had hoped. Overall still a solid read.

Detective Morgan Brookes is a troubled young woman. Suffering from insomnia she wakes every morning at 4.25 and knows she also has regular nightmares which she struggles to remember in detail. These two things are part of the reason she is awake when the body of a student is discovered by her parents as they arrive home from holiday.

With boss DS Ben Matthews she vows to find the monster who killed Gabby Stevens and left such an horrific scene for her devastated parents to find. With few clues to go on they wait for the forensic tests to be completed. When the results come through however, Morgan finds herself thrust into the centre of the investigation in ways she could never have imagined and no idea how to save not only her career but also quite possibly her life.

The first book in this series hit the spot for me and I wondered if this would reach those heights. It absolutely does, and as only the second book in this new series it hit the ground running and didn't let up on the continued trauma, determination and confusion that is Morgan’s life. Her relationship with teammates, Ben and Amy along with the tentative steps being taken between Morgan and her father, Stan, are written so well that the flow from both sides of this story never threaten to overwhelm each other.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. There are no spoilers from book one here but to not read it as well would mean missing out on the start of an excellent series.

A quick, fantastic page turner. I figured out the killer about half way through but that didn't stop me from being engrossed in the story. Morgan is a likable cop and you root for her throughout. Another great murder mystery by Helen Phifer. Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Helen Phifer's exciting new crime thriller THE KILLER'S GIRL.

Initially, what drew me to this book was Helen Phifer as I adore her Dr Beth Adams series and while I'm disappointed there hasn't been another since, I was excited by the premise of THE KILLER'S GIRL. Despite it being the second book in the DC Morgan Brookes series, I have yet to read the first. But if Helen's writing is anything to go by from her previous series, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed...even if I did come late to the party. And I wasn't.

The story begins with a compelling prologue taking place in 1999 that drew me in from the very beginning. Janet Marks knows her husband Gary is cheating on her and as she reads the front page of the Cumbrian News, she gets a chill sweeping through her body. The Riverside Rapist has struck again and she now knows without a doubt that it's Gary. He has not been home on any of the nights the rapist struck claiming to be night fishing but Janet knows the truth. And now she wants Gary gone. She packs his things and leaves them in a suitcase by the door as she sees to her sleeping children, 5 year old Taylor and 3 year old Skye. But when Gary returns home, things don't go to plan and it's a bloody end for Janet...as Skye screams from the top of the stairs.

When Gabrielle Stevens leaves her friends in pub one night, she has no idea that it will be her last. She arrives home to a dark and silent house as her parents are holidaying in Madrid and aren't expected back for another few days. But that's OK...Gabby is enjoying the time to herself. But as she climbs the stairs to her room she stops at her bedroom door. Her bed is made. And Gabby is certain that she left it a crumpled mess that morning. Shrugging to herself, thinking maybe she did make it, she draws back the covers to discover a folded piece of paper. As she reads it, a chill runs down her spine and the hair on her neck bristles. She can feel the presence of another in her room. She is not alone. She is grabbed from behind and he begins to squeeze the life from her, she pulls off his balaclava as recognition dawns...and the note he left her is forgotten.

"You look much better naked."

DC Morgan Brookes awakes at the same time every morning - 4.25am - without fail, her troubled dreams becoming shadows. She takes herself off for a walk/run, returning home as her mobile rings. Her boss DS Ben Matthews has just received a call for a woman found murdered in her bed by her parents returning from holiday. Morgan immediately swings into action as she is thrust headlong into a murder investigation that ends up hitting too close to home.

The killer, it seems, made off with Gabby's mobile phone and, with the flip of a coin, decides to start toying with police with random messages. His recipient is Morgan which he finds to be a delicious coincidence. His glee at seeing them cluelessly chasing their tails is almost as gratifying as the killing itself...but not quite.

Then when Morgan's father, Stan, is murdered she is devastated. Although she and her father had had a difficult relationship since the tragic death of her mother some years before, they have been slowly rebuilding their relationship and Stan was now in AA. His murder comes as a brutal shock as the team ponder who would kill Stan...and why?

The case takes a confusing turn when DNA from both crime scenes quickly identifies the killer. But he couldn't have committed the murders. After all, he has the best of all alibis - he's been in prison for the past twenty years! But that's not all the DNA throws up. Something even more puzzling and more baffling than Matthews could ever explain.

Meanwhile, Morgan has been placed on compassionate leave in the wake of her father's murder. The question is why was he killed? All Morgan has to go on is her father's final text which she found puzzling at the time but may have been the catalyst that lead to his sudden death. What did he mean in those final words he sent her? As Morgan delves deeper into the past, beginning with her mother's suicide, she soon discovers some home truths that will rock her foundation to the very core as things take a more personal turn for the young detective.

I must say, it's refreshing to read a police procedural where the team actually get along and the senior officers are not constantly trying to oust the main character. I am tired of the stereotypical and cliched cop that seems to run rampant through crime fiction. So this is a refreshing change. I love Morgan's team as well as Morgan herself. She is not afraid to admit her weaknesses whilst learning from her mistakes. She certainly has the makings of a good detective and I hope we see more of her in the future.

I love the short snappy chapters which always keep the story going at a fast but steady pace, swiping the pages in an attempt to get there quicker. I had quickly figured out the link to the historical case at the beginning to the current one as well as the killer but it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment for one minute. I always feel a sense of achievement if I've guessed correctly before the book's end.

The only flaw I found was with the death of Morgan's mother, Sylvia. Although it was the catalyst to Morgan's estrangement with her father, it was mentioned more than once that she was 15 at the time of her mother's death and that it was five years before. However, Morgan also said she was 23, being the same age as Gabby Stevens. That would make it eight years since her mother died or, if five years then she'd have been 18 and not 15. I thought it a misprint at first, but when it was mentioned several times I found it to be an anomaly that should have been rectified in editing.

Nevertheless, THE KILLER'S GIRL is an excellent book and a fast paced intriguing crime thriller that I devoured in record time. It really is THAT good. I look forward to book 3 in the series, as the ending in this one has given the reader a teaser for future plots.

Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction with a well-written fast paced story that is intriguing from beginning to end.

I would like to thank #HelenPhifer, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheKillersGirl in exchange for an honest review.