Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for allowing me to read an early copy if this latest book by #MelSherratt.
The story will grab you as soon as you start reading and not let go until you’ve finished the last page.
Eva Farmer happily married to Nick is a journalist with a local newspaper following the story of four women who have been abducted, held for 10 days and then released. Until the fourth one isn’t released! While all eyes are looking for the forth victim Eva becomes the fifth.
A brilliant thriller you will stay up till late in the night to finish.

Women are disappearing from the streets and found 10 days later, this has happened four times, although the fourth person did not get released. Eva is a journalist and has been covering the story, little did she know she would be the next person to be taken!
I was hooked to Invisible Victim, the story grabbed me from the first few pages, wondering who the kidnapper was and why they did it.
The book has different timelines, from when something happened back in 2006, the months that each woman was taken and the present day.
I really liked Eva’s character, she seemed like a really nice person and journalist, wanting to tell the stories of the women who had been taken in a truthful but compassionate way. She was also very strong.
When the kidnapper was revealed, it was a shock and as their story was told I did feel for them, although I did have mixed emotions about them. They needed help that’s for sure.
Everything was detailed in a way that I could visualise it perfectly. The writing was amazing.
I really enjoyed reading it and I couldn’t put it down!

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

Women were being abducted off the street but the strangest thing was that after 10 days they were released...

Nobody had a clue who the perp was

And then Eva the local journalist is gone, she had interviewed the other victims so she had first hand knowledge of what was going to happen, though the victims were all drugged and had scant memories but they all said the same thing waking up in a cellar, mattress on the floor and a bucket

Why was the perp or perps doing this...

Another great book from this author, fast becoming one of my favourites

I love Mel's books and oh my this one certainly didn't disappoint. Fast paced, a massive twist in the middle and an unpredictable ending....just unput downable.

Eva is a journalist, married to police officer Nick, and trying for a baby.
She is currently covering the story of 4 women who had individually been abducted, 3 of them returned battered and maned 10 days later, one women still missing after the 10 days. She listens to their hard breaking accounts with no clue as to who the abductor is.

Suddenly Eva wakes up in a small locked room with just a bucket, mattress and sheet. It appears she has been abducted and drugged, and is victim number 5. As she begins her days of torture, her only hope is to count down the days. However when her abductor identifies their self and demands Eva writes their story. There unfolds historical revelations both for Eva and her captor. As the story begins to be told through the eyes of the abductor, behaviours begin to be understood

Thoroughly recommend this book.

Oh Mel, this has to be one of the best books you've written. I was gripped from the beginning. No lady in Stoke seems to be safe after 4 kidnappings. 3 of the women are released after 10 days. A journalist, Eva, is the 5th victim. There is a link to all the women but what is it? Why are they being targeted. If you want to be kept on the edge of your seat, read this book to find out.

A digital copy of this advance reader copy was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Eva, a journalist for a local paper writes a featured article for a woman who has been abducted and then released after 10 days. Then 3 more women go missing, until Eva finds herself locked in a cellar with no memory of how she got there. The abductor doesn't talk and slides a minimal amount of food through the door each day until a confrontation forces the captor to talk. Eva finds herself writing the story of the kidnapper and why each woman has been kidnapped in exchange for her release. This book is written from the kidnapper and Eva's perspective and intersperses the story of the women held captive. The book has some child and domestic abuse but it is a background story than the focal point. Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Mel Sherratt.

Eva is a reporter, telling the story of 4 women who have been kidnapped. Three have been taken for 10 days, then returned. The 4th is still missing, and Eva wakes up one day to find herself in the dark, minimalist room, realizing she is the fifth victim. Will the police find her, will she be released after 10 days, will her fate be similar to the still missing fourth woman, and who is the kidnapper?

Had a good premise but the execution lacked. You find out pretty early who the kidnapper is and spend the rest of the book listening to back story from them waiting to see if on day 10 Eva is released or not. It just seems like a lot of filler. I would have preferred not finding out who did it so soon.

The writing was lacking for me also. Quick and easy to read, but somewhat juvenile.

Eva is a Journalist who has been writing about all the women who have been abducted lately. Is that why she has now been abducted too? Is there another reason? What could it be? Will she be released on day 10 like all of the other women, except Jill? Her friend Jill, poor Jill. What actually happened to Jill, and is she still alive? It will take you on a journey to discover how and why all the women are connected to each other and their kidnapper. Mel Sherratt will blindside you about halfway through the book. It is a curveball that you won’t see coming but it will keep you on your toes for the remainder of the book. I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of Invisible Victim for an honest review. This was a captivating read for me with the missing women that were taken but let go. A journalist named Eva takes a real interest in this story and is following it closely interviewing one of the victims. The poor woman can’t remember anything about the abduction because the kidnapper never says anything. There is still a missing victim when Eva is abducted and scared thinking to herself surely I will be released too if I can hang on for 10 days.

I was drawn in to the story and the characters. I have not read this author before but will check out other books she has written. I would recommend this book.

Did Mel Sherratt pull of another psychological thriller? You bet she did.

I’m so glad I can still read this authors books. I love her romance/contemporary books and now veering into the thriller types I love.

I love her DI series but I was burnt out on that genre so shelved any DI crime series in mostly all authors.
But now I’ve enjoyed one of my favourite authors books again. That’s twice in a month, yippee.

The plot in this story is very good, and I would have never guessed what was revealed.

The main culprit was very well done and nasty but I found myself also understanding them yet hating what they did.

I can’t imagine the life they experienced and I can’t imagine being locked up either with just one small bit of food per day (if you’re lucky) and no one to speak to.


How did this affect me?
My reading never wavered. I was stuck like glue each evening I could read more.
I do hope she continues to write more in this genre I’d be the first to pick it up!

Invisible Victim by Mel Sherratt

Eva is a journalist who takes great pride in the articles she writes. She is working on a feature involving three women who had been kidnapped and released after ten days. A fourth women disappeared, but hadn’t come home at all.

Eva wakes up in a room described by the three released women. She’s stripped of her personal belongings and in someone else’s clothing. She’s sitting on a mattress, there’s a small hole in the door and a tiny window too high to look through. How did she get here? What day is? She can’t remember anything.

Is she now the fifth victim?

Why is the captor doing this? Will Eva be released after 10 days? Or will something else happen?

Mel Sherratt is a new author to me! I enjoyed this read! I kept wanting to read more to see what happened !

Thank you Mel Sherratt, Bookouture and NetGalley for the advance copy to read in return for my honest review!

Wow. I have read several books from Mel Sherratt that I really enjoyed and Invisible victim is even better than her previous ones.
Four women have been abducted. No one knows why and what is the link is between the four women. But ten days later they are returned all but one, traumatised, never really getting over what happened to them in that time.
Eva Farmer is a journalist and is investigating the disappearances when she is abducted and experiences the same fate as the others. But after interviewing the three women that she interviewed, she has some inkling what happens to them and hopes she too is released in ten days.
She wakes up on the first day after being drugged in a cellar in a dirty tracksuit that is not her own and a closed door with a hatch. At first, she doesn’t know if the person man or woman until she grabs the hand of the abductor and finds out that its female and the trauma they had as a child, to understand why they are doing what they are doing.
This is a another brilliant, gritty, unputdownable thriller from Mel Sherratt that kept me glued to every page. I read it in one day. This is a story of victims of terrible grimes especially with children can be overlooked and disappear through the system and why some of them turn to crime themselves to absolute themselves of the guilt they have. It is a cleverly written to see both sides of the story. Five stars from me.

What a book! I’ve become a huge fan of Mel Sherratt’s work recently, so I couldn’t wait to read her latest, Invisible Victim, and it’s such an incredible read. If you’re looking for a thriller that is chilling and will keep you utterly gripped right the way through, then I highly recommend it.

In Stoke on Trent, women have been disappearing off the streets and have been found ten days after they first went missing. The police can’t work out who is doing this and why. Are more women going to be taken?

Mel Sherratt delves into the psychology of her characters in her latest book. This is the part of the plot which I really loved. She explores just what made them into the person they are today. This is what I found really fascinating. It also made me think more about the person and their motives. This is especially the case when it comes down to the person who is responsible for the crimes. This is where it becomes so had to talk about the plot without giving any of it away.

The woman at the centre of the story is Eva, a journalist who has become the latest victim of the perpetrator whose crimes she has been reporting on. I felt her fear as she was being held captive and as she wondered who it was who was keeping her prisoner. Although Eva believes that she will be released after ten days like the other women and clings to this, this is not guaranteed. When we are first introduced to the person behind the kidnappings, you can see that their next moves are totally unpredictable. Eva, herself, begins to realise this as well, which heightens the tension all the more. I was desperate to know what was going to happen.

Invisible Victim is such a good read and a top notch psychological thriller. This is one of Mel Sherratt’s best books to date!

I have been reading about the victims and following them
About there tenth day and that they were still confused about it
Then the day when I came to be a victim and I was terrified
My name ie Eva and the person who has kidnapped me is well known
I had an ARC

“She couldn’t deny the truth any longer. She was the fifth woman to be abducted.”

Eva is a Journalist who has been writing about all the women who have been abducted lately. Is that why she has now been abducted too? Is there another reason? What could it be? Will she be released on day 10 like all of the other women, except Jill? Her friend Jill, poor Jill. What actually happened to Jill, and is she still alive? It will take you on a journey to discover how and why all the women are connected to each other and their kidnapper. Mel Sherratt will blindside you about halfway through the book. It is a curveball that you won’t see coming but it will keep you on your toes for the remainder of the book. I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARCl in exchange for an honest review.

Check out our blog for our full review before publication day. www.twogirlsandabookobsession.com
#bookouture, #bookobsession4, #twogirlsandabookobsession, #psychologicalthriller, #InvisibleVictim

Eva Farmer, a journalist at Stoke News, is covering stories where women disappear and turn up again ten days later with no knowledge of who the person is who held them or where they’ve been held. She’s interviewed the women and the stories of their time held are virtually the same, small room, no conversation and little food. Eva’s husband Nick is a police officer and is working on the investigation.
When Eva wakes up in a room that is eerily the same as described by the three women, she knows she is the next victim. She has no memory of how she got there.
As the story is told over the next ten days we are treated to a nerve wracking and tense thriller. The abductor stays quiet for a long time, but then we learn more about their background. And we also learn about Eva’s background, in which she didn’t have an easy childhood.
Told in alternating chapters between Eva and the abductor, it is a real page-turner that I didn’t want to put down. It got my heart racing. There were some emotional parts, with the subjects of domestic abuse and child neglect covered.
Mel Sherratt is one of my favourite authors, I just love her writing style and thoroughly recommend her books.
Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in which I give my honest opinion.

Eva Farmer is an investigative journalist who has been covering the abductions of four women. Three of them were each in turn imprisoned in a darkened cellar, given minimal food and drink and deprived of any form of human contact - even their abductor never spoke to them - before being released, with no explanation, after 10 days. They have no memory of how they got there and the police have no leads. A fourth woman, who was personally known to Eva and her police officer husband Nick, remains missing.

Then Eva herself becomes the fifth woman to be abducted ...

I hope that's made the book sound intriguing. Because it is. This is the second book I've read by Mel Sherratt, and one of the main things I took away from the last one - Good Girl - was how Mel seemed to possess an uncanny knack of drawing you right in to the lives of each character she features. This book, which is told mainly in the third person from Eva's perspective and in the first person by her abductor - was no different. I hoped and almost prayed that Eva would be released unharmed, and at the same time felt something for her kidnapper even though I sometimes doubted whether a single word in her chapters was true. We also hear Eva's recollections of her interviews with the previous victims, each of whom are terrified that they could, at any time, be snatched again and be powerless to prevent it. The sense of fear is palpable.

My main problem with this book is its front cover, and specifically the words "a completely gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist". For me, this wasn't really the case. The twist, rather than being "shocking" is one that I saw coming almost as soon as the abductor's name was revealed. But perhaps more fundamentally, I'm not sure that "completely gripping" was accurate either. For me, the best psychological thrillers are those that get right inside my head, to the point that when I finish reading them I absolutely cannot get the characters and their stories out of my head. With this book, even though I devoured it and enjoyed it very much, it took the "Letter from Mel" at the end of the novel for me to realise the questions that she wanted the book to raise. I thought about the answers briefly and then moved on.

When I finished the book I was hovering between three and four stars. Having thought about it before and while writing this, I'm happy that a fourth star is justified. Partly because the number of positive points really do outweigh the negative. But mainly for the answer to a simple question: this, as I said, was my second book by Mel Sherratt. Would I - sorry, correction: will I - be reading a third?

The answer is an emphatic yes.

My thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this book. I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

The story was good, and the subject matter well written. There was lots of suspense and emotion to keep me interested to the end. I like the even flow of a book,where I can lose myself in the story and feel the emotions of the characters. The change in time and narrator at the start of each chapter threw me off with this one, as it broke that flow. This style didn’t suit my reading tastes but may be fine for others. I would still recommend as a worthwhile read.

Four women are kidnapped and held captive. Three are released after ten days and one is still missing. So when local reporter Eva is abducted, everyone expects her to be released after the ten day period. As the search for Eva intensifies, can the police find a link between Eva and the other women?

A good thriller with plenty of twists and turns along the way which made for a gripping read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have not read anything from this author for a while and I shall be changing that. Fast paced read, good characters and an even better storyline