Member Reviews

I really enjoyed A Cut For A Cut which sees Di Kate Young on the hunt for a serial rapist and killer.

Although this is the second book in the Detective Kate Young series this can be read as a standalone book and still enjoyed.

Kate is grieving and determined to find out who was behind her husband's murder and why but this latest case consumes most of her energy.

Because she is convinced there are bad apples within the force she begins to question her colleagues and their motives.

Can Kate trust those she works with?

Although I had my suspicions as to who the killer was the final twist still kept me turning the pages to see if I was right.

I am keen to read the next book to see what happens next!

And I really hope Kate is able to get justice for her husband's murder.

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I enjoyed the first book of the Detective Kate Young and the backstory from the first book continues with strong storylines in this book too. The grief Kate carries is well described and drives her determination to uncover police corruption. I liked that is not too predictable and you are not sure who is corrupt. I look forward to this series continuing.

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I always get excited when a new book by Carol Wyer comes out and A Cut for a Cut the second instalment in the Detective Kate Young series does not disappoint.
Still struggling over the death of her husband Chris, Kate Investigates a serial of rapes and murders. With the victims are tattooed with the words Mine on their bodies. Surprisingly one of the victims survives but is left traumatised. But they are able to give information to the police to help find the killer. She is also helped by her stepsister Tilly that has come back from Australia. She was raped years previously and somehow it is linked to her current case.
She is also investigating the death of her husband and of her boss Superintendent John Dickson who seemed to be having something to do with the death of her husband while he was investigating a club called the Maddox club. She is aware of some corruption in the Police force.
This is another exciting read from the author that is a continuation from the first book in the series. So, to have a clear picture of what is going on, you need to read the first one. Kate is a strong character and although struggling and also talking to her husband all through the story she still gets the job done.
The story is quite realistic in the way that the police have to cope with the long hours and shortness of staff, and I really liked the way that the author not only showed of her working life but her personal life too. It makes the story more believable. I also like the camaraderie between her small team. This is another fabulous read from the author and I can’t wait for book 3. 5 stars from me.

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I really enjoyed getting to know DI Kate Young in the first book so I was excited to get a copy of this second one in the series and it did not disappoint! It started out strong and it held up the intensity all the way through.
Kate is investigating a serial rapist and murderer and tries to figure out how they’re connected before he strikes again. While she’s handling the investigation, she’s still trying prove that Superintendent Dickinson is involved somehow in the murder of her journalist husband.
Meanwhile, Kate’s sister and her son come back to town to stay and that brings some further complications into DI Kate’s life, including a last minute revelation that brings new light to the case.
This is fast paced and full of intense scenes that leave you guessing up to the end!
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

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While I love the character I am more attracted to tsome other aspects of the novel. The imagery of this novel was mesmerizing.

I think that this series will very easily become one of my favourite series. It just has so much going on for it and it really shows just what I love about this authors work.

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This was the 2nd book in the Kate Young series and to understand the ongoing storyline these are best read in order.

Another gripping case to be solved by Kate and her team whilst running a personal investigation too.

Looking forward to the next instalment already.

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This novel is the second in the Detective Kate Young police procedural series and picks up on Kate’s grief after the death of her husband, also a policeman, an untimely and tragic murder. She is in a quandary and knows her usual decisiveness and drive are temporarily missing. She doesn’t even know who she can trust and feels like she cannot trust her own instincts. Literally and emotionally she is struggling and wavering between fantasy and clarity. She is desperate to bring down Superintendent John Dickson and expose the evidence of corruption she has hidden away to bring justice for her husband and avenge his death.
Meanwhile a disturbed and savage serial rapist and murderer is wreaking havoc in the local triangle of Abbot’s Bromley, Uttoxeter and Blithfield. He is seeking out and maiming young vulnerable ladies and leaving them for dead. One of his targets is a colleague known to Kate’s team and other police personnel on the beat. She was found unceremoniously dumped in a skip. She knows she must pull herself together and concentrate on matters at hand, so she can apprehend this twisted, determined and amoral adversary before the body count expands.
However her personal life is becoming a great joy to her, with her stepsister and nephew having returned from Australia to Stafford after a split up. Kate and Tilly have had issues in the past but their relationship is mending and becoming important to Kate. In fact it is a secret spilt by Tilly that gives Kate the impetus she needs to move the investigation ever forward.
The finale is totally unexpected. Oh my, the excitement and revelations were totally shocking, bringing a satisfying closure to the case. The cliff-hanger at the end is massive and I for one will definitely read the next novel in this thrilling series.
I enjoyed the novel which cleared up the case of a mysterious and brutal protagonist. I loved the very fine storytelling, the great characterisations and the strong and riveting storyboard. I thought the novel was well paced and engaging. The setting of this story is very familiar to me. I live within the local area and enjoy walking through the fields and woods surrounding Blithfield reservoir, I know Abbot’s Bromley tennis club and Uttoxeter town very well. It is an idyllic, rural and very beautiful area, thankfully very peaceful and quiet.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for my copy of this stirring novel, sent in return for an honest and fair review. It’s a 4* review from me.

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Gripping, Fast Paced…
The second in the Detective Kate Young series and Kate is having problems with knowing who to trust and when. With a disturbing plot line and characters that are well rounded and credible together with a solid sense of place this is a gripping, fast paced read and a worthy follow up to the first in the series.

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The 2nd Kate Young series from the excellent Carol Wyer,
This book doesn't disappoint after the strong first book.
A new mystery for the team to investigate and continues the arc about her husband from the first novel.
Very enjoyable and fans of Carol's books won't be dissapointed.

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A Cut For A Cut in the second in the Kate Young books by Carol Wyer and once again Kate is in the middle of fighting crime and police corruption singlehanded. In the first book Kate’s husband, a journalist has been killed and Kate is still trying to bring his murderer to justice. She is convinced that Dickson a senior police officer is behind his death and others and will try to prove it.
In this storyline Kate’s stepsister arrives from Australia for a visit with her young son, Daniel after she finds out her husband was unfaithful. Tilly was raped when she was 14 and the rapist has never been caught. Kate is investigating the vicious rape and death of women in this book and it looks to tie in with the attack on Tilly.
Highly recommended

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3,5*

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Carol Wyer for an ARC copy of A Cut for a Cut, I enjoyed it great deal and I hope others will as well. :)

The second book finds Kate right where we left her in previous, [book:An Eye for an Eye|53624264]. Having found out her husband was murdered, she is gathering evidence on her own about corrupted policemen and their involvement in underage prostitution at the Maddox club. Officially, she and team are having another hard case on their hands: that of a serial rapist and murderer who stalks his victims and renders them helpless in a heartbeat.

What I liked:
-I actually liked the plot of the second book much better than the first one.
On one side, new case is more sinister. Even if men were killed in gruesome way in first one, it did sound a bit too fictional or fantastical because the killer used a special type of tool. Like one of those ritual murders you see in movies. But in this one bad guy stalks women and knows their routine, so he attacks them in convenient places, renders them unconscious and then proceeds to rape them before he kills them. There is something truly vile about his entire <i>modus operandi</i> because it's rather simple and thus, realistic. There is no some kind of special reason, just an opportunity. Investigating this crime showed how hard it was for the police to find out anything and I doubt it would be much harder if the story is set in a bigger town.
-On the other side, the overreaching arc of Kate doing her own private investigation into death of her husband gets to be more complex. By all means, Kate we meet in first book is an excellent cop, well respected by her colleagues. She is suffering through some form of PTSD while her mind developed its own mechanism to cope with consequences. In book #2, we see Kate unravelling further. Right away in the first chapter we see how far she is ready to go to find out the truth and that is to compromise herself and her job. I like flawed characters and the ending line hints she is in much deeper problem then she or readers were aware. I'm truly looking forward to see what will Wyer do with this.

What I didn't like as much:
-Exactly because I liked the simplicity of the case and the new bad guy they have to catch, I was disappointed it turned out to be, once again, very close to Kate. Plus it made for the awkward and far-fetching culmination.
-Morgan and Emma were well realized side characters with their distinctive personalities. In this one, another person is added to their team and honestly, they all sounded interchangeable in dialogue scenes.
-There were certain parts that read like they were written as a part of scenario. I distinctively rememberer one particular scene that went something like: during an interview Kate's phone rings and she sees Emma's name. She says to person: "Excuse me I have to take this." And goes outside to call Emma. It really took me out of the story, because it crossed my mind it reads like a guide of how the scene plays out.

Despite those minor things that bugged me, I had a great time with it and read it in a single sitting. Looking forward to the next one!

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Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for my advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 in the DI Kate Young series by Carol Wyer. The first book needs to be read before reading this one, if you are to understand the background story. Some bits are repeated, but you may feel as if you are not fully up to date.

For me book 2 was a lot better than the first. Although there were very few leads or even red herrings to pull you in. It was blatantly obvious what was going to happen, fairly early on. The crimes are probably more standard crime story fayre than the first book, but still heinous and interesting.

There is nothing majorly wrong, but I am still struggling to connect with the supporting characters, or even sympathise with DI Young, don’t really know why. Personally, I felt as if there should have been more progress or even a culmination in the sub-plot, by now. It was still a good way to spend a few hours and an easy 4 stars, was contemplating 5 at one point but the ending was a bit meh.

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DI Kate Young returns in A Cut for a Cut which is the second book in the series by the prolific Carol Wyler and it is a very enjoyable police procedural novel.

Young and her small team are handed a complex murder investigation that soon escalates whilst Young is also trying to find out about the corruption which was behind the death of her partner.

The book is the usual page turner although I felt that the subplot at times overwhelmed the main storyline however I still enjoyed it and look forward to book number 3

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The second book in the Kate Young series is as exciting a read as I have come to expect from this author. The subplot going through the series doesn't take away from the main crime, that of a serial rapist and murderer. I loved the introduction of Kate's stepsister Tilly and her son, hopefully we will see more of them. The identity of the killer left me reeling, I wasn't expecting that at all. I am left eagerly anticipating the next book in the series. Soon please Carol.

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I am loving this author! Her books are just getting better and better.
Definitely a book my book club needs to read.

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I liked this one better than the first! Good paced, interesting (but difficult) story. Kate is still annoying, and definitely needs some professional help, which she won't get--see annoying. I'm also put off by the whole idea of work coming before anything else, like how dare anyone have family obligations or want to be around their spouse. But it was very engaging and readable.

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My first NetGalley review ☺️🤓 @carolwyer

#acutforacut #netgalley

A Cut For A Cut. Just WOW !! Another superbly written book by Carol Wyer.

Three days it took me to devour this novel, this was the second instalment in the Detective Kate Young series and I found it hard to believe I’d read the first one four months ago, it felt like I’d never left the story, what with another exceptional prologue taking you straight back to where you left off.

With the introduction of another case for DI Kate Young and her team but never losing the importance of the big case from the first novel. I found that the two novels were cleverly linked together and never forgetting the anti corruption dealt with previously.

There was so much powerful emotion throughout this novel in regards to how Kate Young deals with the murder of her husband whilst working her cases and running a separate investigation on corruption that could cost her, her job as DI.

I cannot wait for the next edition in this series and am intrigued as to how this is all going to end.

My overall rating for the one is five stars out of five because I felt completely gripped not only from the start but the whole way through; I didn’t feel as though I was left wanting more. Superb.

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I love Carol Wyer's police procedurals so much! After a few meh reads I needed something good before the dreaded slump hit me, so I turned to a trusted author and I was rewarded with an amazing story. It started with Robyn Carter (who I still miss Carol!!!), and then there was Natalie Ward and now Kate Young. 3 strong and determined police officers who I love to read about.

A Cut For A Cut is book 2 featuring Kate and we are still learning about her. She is still grieving the death of her husband and throwing herself into her work. She now knows who was behind his murder and is determined to bring them to justice. Her sister has come back to England with her young son and she is getting to know her all over again. All this while she is chasing a serial murderer and rapist, and one that has taken one of their own. Kate does not have alot of time for sleep.

Once again, I was left wanting more.. Carol has an way of sucking you into the story and writing characters that you can connect with. Ready for book 3 now!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for my advanced copy of this book. A Cut for a Cut is out June 29th

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This is book 2 in the Detective Kate Young series - and it' great!
There is a continued storyline as Kate deals with the death of her husband and attempting to reveal the true murdered, but this book could be read as a stand-alone.
In A Cut for a Cut, Kate Young is chasing down a serial murderer of several women who have been raped and strangled with a savage marking of "Mine." Kate doesn't know who to trust, including herself, when a member of her team is also killed and her stepsister reveals an old secret.

When her stepsister spills a long-buried secret, Kate realises she’s found the missing link—now she must prove it before the killer strikes again.

Great book, and fantastic series, Recommend!

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Having enjoyed the first book in this series I was pleased to be approved for this one. I did enjoy the book although it didn’t really wow or thrill me. Kate is grieving and determined to find out who was behind her husbands murder and why. At the same time she investigates the murder(s) of local women and has several false leads until her team get a much needed break in the case. I thought this was a well written, easy read that underwhelmed me just a bit - I liked the two separate story threads, the plot twists and I suspected correctly from early on who the murderer was. At times though I thought the story was just a little too drawn out for my liking, some of Kate’s police team characters irritated me and my interest in the story dropped a few times. I loved the final twist though, it was unexpected and did wow me ...... I’ll definitely want to read the next book to see what happens next.

3.5 stars

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