Member Reviews

I didn’t realise that this was the third book in the series until I finished and looked up the author, however that didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all and I will go back and read the others, this seems like it’s going to be a great crime thriller series with a resilient main character and fantastic plots

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Before She Wakes by Ed James is the third book in the Detective Max Carter series and was another excellent book by Ed. Every book i have read by him I have really enjoyed and been hooked from the beginning till the end and was a great page turner with great twists and turns throughout, All the characters were brilliant

I highly recommend this series, They have been addictive!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

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I'm used to reading this author's books about the police in Scotland ,so this one came as a bit of a surprise. I shouldn't have worried as it is another excellent read from one of my favourite Scottish writers. He's managed to write about the FBI as if it was 2nd nature. Terrific book and highly recommended.

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Fantastic as always. I'm a huge fan of the author and this one doesn't disappoint. Gripping and tense, with twists and turns to keep you guessing. Can't wait to read more from the author!

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This is the third book in the series , even though I havent read the first two ( which I will be now) . It was a very fast paced thriller which will have your heart pumping. I loved the way how family drama played a part in this book which made it all the more interesting.

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Max was back again with another complex story line which kept me hooked. I liked that parallel subplots soon found themselves to be joining together
This had secrets and missing teen at its core and it was a race against time for Max to get to the child
I liked how secrets in the family played their part in raising the stakes.
Overall, another solid investigation done by Max under the guidance of the talented author.

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Wow! I just couldn’t put this one down, or turn the pages fast enough, in my eagerness to discover the final outcome

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Lately I’ve been enjoying mysteries involving missing children, so I was excited to read the advanced copy of Before She Wakes. It’s fast paced, shocking, & one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I can’t wait to read more by Ed James.

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As with the first two books, the author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing. There are secrets to be revealed and lies to be unraveled - sometimes it seemed like more than usual. Writing reviews of crime novels is difficult for me because I hate spoilers. In an investigation that takes the course of the book, it’s hard to talk about details without giving away clues in the investigation. I thought the author did a good job of crafting a story that both newcomers and those who read the first two books could equally enjoy. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital ARC of the book.

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*4.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was enjoyable. It had interesting events and circumstances for some of the characters. It kept me thinking of what was going to happen next. It was a good read that was interesting, with great characters. Would recommend.

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Now this is how fiction should be done! I loved Before She Wakes, fantastic characters, shocking plots and that race to the end! I forgot to breathe!
Next level.

5/5

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Before She Wakes is a page-turning crime thriller that's told mostly from the detective's perspective, which I love! The book opens with Olivia, a super angsty teen, missing from her bedroom early in the morning. Her mom, Marissa, calls the police and her home quickly becomes a crime scene because it's clear that Olivia didn't leave willingly. All her stuff is still in her room and her mirror is smashed. On it, someone left a creepy message that no one can figure out the significance of. As Detective Carter unravels this mystery, he discovers more than he bargained for about Olivia's family, Marissa's boyfriend, and even himself.

I really enjoyed this book and love Ed James' writing! The pacing was perfect until we got to the end and then it started to feel a little jumbled to me, like we could've done with another few pages to space out all the discoveries. This was a great read and I'd be very interested to see what else James (and Detective Carter!) has up their sleeves.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

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I love the Max Carter series of books, all dealing with his career as a Seattle FBI agent in charge of investigating child kidnappings. In this book, a single mother wakes to find her teenage daughter has vanished from her room. Max struggles to find the reason, and create a list of suspects. The methods used, as well as the characters, are very interesting. A great mystery!

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A mother wakes to find her teenage daughter missing and her own memory of the night before seems fuzzy. There are many family secrets to be uncovered in the race to find Olivia before it’s too late.

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Marissa wakes up to find out when she goes to her daughter Liv's room that something's not right. Her things are all there but she's not. Her mirror is cracked and in red marker is "Never Forget". Max Carter is called in on the case. Marissa soon finds out that she doesn't know the truth since she finds that Liv has been lying to her and has a secret boyfriend. Her estranged husband is also has vanished. Marissa also finds out that she was drugged the night of the disappearance. Max needs to find Liv before anything worse happens.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

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3 for neutral. Unfortunately, I did not realize this was a series and because of my ocd could mot get into it. Will update once I get and read the previous books!

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Twisty thriller full of red herrings,as and secrets. Two stories intertwined,the back story of Max and a child's abduction.Lots of interesting nice and not so nice characters.

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Marissa wakes up feeling something is not right she only had one drink last night. She went to her daughters bedroom but she isn’t there. Olivia’s mobile and laptop are still in her room . Then she sees the mirror written in red is Never Forget.
Max Carter is called onto the case but he has problems of his own he believes his dad who kidnapped him from his mother then had his mother killed and an English policeman is coming to work the case.
Max finds out that Marissa’s wine from last night had rohypnol in it and her boyfriend Gregg was the one who brought the wine .
Max uncovers things about Gregg and he becomes the prime suspect.
But there are other suspects Marissa’s ex father-in-law needs bone marrow from Olivia as his daughter has cancer.
This book goes between the characters who are suspects and I really didn’t know who was going to be the culprit.
This is a great book
Thanks NetGalley

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Before She Wakes by Ed James is the 3rd book in the Detective Max Carter series, and my first book by this author. This book was a wild ride, with so many twists and turns. This was an absolute page turner. I recommend this for anyone looking for a fast paced thriller.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley for giving me a copy to review.
In this instalment Carter is looking for a missing child, at first I thought I had it all worked out but the big twists during the book mean I had not worked it out. This has a bit of everything from child abduction to drugs to HIV.
Highly recommend to any mystery fans.

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