You (should) know you’re dealing with a psychopath when someone else is to blame

The above headline does not betray the plot of the second Joel Norris/ Lucy Rose novel (the author is clever), but in real life this is a good guide to dealing with psychopaths. The problem the two detectives in the novel have with their psychopathic killer is the level of sophistication with which blame is transferred -and that also translates to real life.

This is an effective page-turner of a thriller and much of the urgency comes from the poor relations the two leading characters have with colleagues: it’s a race against incompetent or uncaring intervention as much as it is a race against a clock set by the murderer. (One is reminded of the real life case of Stephen Port, now being examined in the coroner’s court, where a less dramatic but equivalent race was lost.)

What the public sees is a police service rendered helpless by its own rules, procedures and above all, assumptions. What they want are police detectives who will cut through all these to get to the truth and this is what Charlie Gallagher supplies in this novel. Doing the same thing in real life is going to be much more problematic, but if this novel succeeds to the extent that I think it will, it will be proof that the public are currently very frustrated with the police. “Dixon of Dock Green” spoke to a public who could trust the police and not be let down all that often. The Joel Norris and Lucy Rose series speaks to a public who expect senior officers to queer the pitch for any officer who’s actually trying to do the right thing against the odds. Full marks to the author for tapping into this, but the fact that the public is receptive to such a narrative is a serious problem.

This is the first book I’ve read by Charlie Gallagher but it won’t be the last. The book kicks off with a very tense scene, and from there, the tension never lets up.

Charlie kept me guessing as the intrigue was layered on and potential suspects were investigated. I couldn’t wait to find out who was behind the game!

The relationships between the members of the police team are nicely drawn and the officers worked well together. A really enjoyable, exciting read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of this book.

Firstly, this was an excellent prologue! Straight into the action! A woman has been kidnapped and she is pitted against a stranger in a deathly race to an unknown finish line...Oooohh. Very 'Squid Games' opening!

This appears to be a stand alone book, although there's some history and back story eluded to between the two main characters. But even if this is a book from a series (I can't tell from Goodreads), it's possible to enjoy as a standalone.

This book feels like a cross between a police procedural and a psych thriller. The main character - DI Norris - and his detective sergeant side kick are likeable enough, but mainly here it's about the plot. Which is fast paced and twisty and the author being ex-police, it mostly stays just about on the right side of believable. Mostly. Ok, not quite, but it's fun in a daft horror movie kinda way.

For me the book completely goes off the boil for the last 10%, when most of the story has already been wrapped up and there's no momentum left. This was a struggle to finish. But up until that point it was a great page turner. I just wish events had happened in a slightly different order to keep me hooked right until the end.

First publication by this author that I've read and it has left me eager for more.
Wasn't quite sure exactly what was going on in the initial chapter but as the chapters flew past it became crystal clear that a physcopath was on the loose and apparently picking random victims to play a bizarre game.
As the story develops our two main characters start to piece together exactly what is going on.
All of this makes for a cracking story and a solid five star rating from this reader.

Charlie’s Lethal Game is a Great story kept me guessing as what next and who done it it. It’s all a game until it’s not, all in all a great second outing for Joel and Lucy helped to flush out more of their back story look for to more.

This was a real page turner from the start. What an amazing premise, I got really anxious while reading as needed to know the outcomes of each game.

What a mind to come up with this plot.

I was given an advance copy by Avon and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Avon for an advance copy of #LethalGame by #CharlieGallagher.

What a whirlwind of a book. Starts off fast and the pace doesn’t drop..
DI Joel Norris did not come out of his last case well and he knows this time he has to get it right.
The stakes are high One woman dead, one in hiding and someone is playing a game with them, but Joel and his team don’t know the rules. How many more will die before he figures it out.
A roller coaster ride ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I never repeat the blurb. I always enjoy books by this author but am getting a little frustrated now as the plots are getting less and less credible. Get back to a few more plausible plots...please!!

What an intense fast paced, exciting l and suspenseful thriller. I was hooked right from the first page of this book and I enjoyed every single minuet of this books this was my first read by Charlie Gallagher who uses his own personal experience and knowledge as a detective when writing his books, the detail is incredible and I cannot wait to read some more of his books.

DI Joel Norris and DS Lucy Gallagher are sent on a murder case when the body of a woman is found by a phone box. After doing some digging it soon becomes clear that the killer is playing a lethal game and there is a lot more to these murders that meets the eye. When a similar crime is committed it soon becomes clear they have a “serial killer” on their hands although they are reluctant to call him this.

Not only is the killer playing games with his victims, playing them off against each other he is also running rings around the police just when Joel and Lucy think they’ve got their killer he managers to slip through their fingers. Will Joel and Lucy be able to catch the killer and put an end to his lethal game before more killings are made.

There were plenty of twists and turns in this book and it was so well written in terms of the detail at times I had no idea who were behind the murder and I suspected a fair few people I very much enjoyed the cleverness of the murder and I loved the wild goose chase the police were sent on and the nice twist at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Gallagher and Avon books UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

This is my first book by this author and will not be my last, it was a great thriller and will have you on the edge of your seat, when you pick up this book you will be turning the pages to find out what happens next, the story flows great the characters are good I really enjoyed this one. Will be checking out the other books by this author.

The first book in the Norris and Rose series The Friend was a slow burner but still a five star read. His latest Lethal Game takes off like a rocket . This is one hell of a high octane crime thriller which I could not put down. Hence I finally turned the last page at 3am. With this author the reader say just one more page or chapter but it never happens .
Overflowing with tension and suspense, original premise which blew me away and was so clever right upto the heart stopping climax. I am a great fan of this author and this is his best book to date. It deserves more than five stars so switch off your phone, order a takeaway and tuck into this fantastic five star read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

A psychological thriller of a ride. A good book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

A compelling page-turner, but I didn't find the characters very convincing, and the plot was just too unbelievable. The best crime novels are based on a normal situation which suddenly goes wrong. I also felt that there was too much procedural detail. I know the author was a former police officer, but this felt like overkill. It would make a good TV series though.

An amazing thriller and police procedural. DI Joel Norris and DS Lucy Rose are brought in to work on the brutal murder of a young woman in a quiet Kent village. The prologue sets the atmosphere as a tense and deadly game is played out.
Great characters with strong personalities, plenty of twists and surprises and such tension, I couldn't put this book down. Highly entertaining.

I really enjoyed this book. The prologue was absolutely brilliant and made it impossible for me to stop reading. It was well written with lots of suspense and tension. The main characters were interesting with fascinating backgrounds, and I especially loved Eileen wearing her carpet slippers at work! The plot was great, the action was non-stop, and the twists and turns kept coming. Really, really good. So good that I’m now reading the first in the series, and that’s something I don’t usually do.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow!! Where to start....

The book opens with two women tied to a wall in a farm building, they have both been kidnapped and their families threatened unless they take part in a deadly race, it was quite a graphic beginning and not for the faint-hearted!

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Joel Norris and DS Lucy Rose (prefers Lucy and not DS Rose!), I hadn't read the previous book but this did not stop me from enjoying the story at all.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, but suffice to say, it's a cracking read, a real page-turner, and will keep your heart near your mouth for a lot of the time.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

Although a police procedural this has a lot of psychological thriller about it too. DI Norris and DS Rose investigate the gruesome and gory death of a young woman whose body is found in a remote telephone box. It all revolves around a board game called "Escape" which, it soon becomes clear, is being acted out in real life by a twisted killer. There is plenty of tension as the story proceeds and we hear from various points of view - the police, the killer, or is it?, the victims. It's certainly no cosy detective story. I like the way that the two main police officers are developing and, for once, didn't find paragraphs about their histories too distracting. They are clearly different characters and I'm glad that Rose is around to try to keep Norris onto a moderately straight and narrowish path. The writing is very good and keeps the story moving along nicely. I dropped a star because there were quite a few occasions where I felt the story a little too over the top in gruesome-ness, but that's me. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Charlie Gallagher does it again! This is the second book in the series to feature DI Norris and DS Rose but it can be read as a standalone. Another powerful crime thriller, filled with suspense and intensity. It's fast paced and very addictive. I love the character development and the insight into Rose's background, the complex plot and the build up to the cracking finale. What more can a reader want? it's an easy 5* from me for this book and an author who has to be up with the best in the genre! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Excellent book!
Lethal Game is just that, a game where the police are constantly playing catch-up in the hope that people don’t die. But who is the killer?
DCI Joel Norris and DS Lucy Rose have taken on the case, but they also have their own demons to deal with, in and out of work.
A very well thought out book and definitely one that I can recommend.

Charlie Gallagher is the man! I've read every single one of his books and have not been disappointed. This book gives you a bit of a clue in the title. The first thing that came to mind was the phrase, "shall we play a game?" from the movie War Games. I was drawn immediately into the different characters' situations and felt part of whatever was going on with each of them.

Tension and suspense abound in the story! You won't be able to put it down! Charlie Gallagher, thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank you #NetGalley for providing me with AC of the book!