Left For Dead was the perfect book to keep me during during my recent (and ongoing!) self isolating due to Covid. My concentration levels haven’t been great so I needed a book that would really grab me and this series by Joy Kluver is one of the best crime series out there at the moment! Honestly, it’s absolutely brilliant-gripping, current and with a protagonist that is crying out to be transferred to the small screen. I really hope that this series is picked up for tv as I think Bernie Noel deserves a wider audience.

This is the third instalment of the DI Bernadette Noel series and every book is an absolute pleasure to read. I love seeing how Bernie’s personal life progresses from book to book but there’s also a very distressing crime for her to solve in Left For Dead. As the title suggests, a girl has been attacked and her life is hanging by a thread so Bernie is brought in to solve the case. She’s also helped by a character I became very fond of due to…well, I don’t want to explain further but I will say that their personal circumstances were perfectly described by the author and I loved the fact that they featured in this investigation (hopefully raising awareness of inclusiveness in the police force too). In fact, characterisation is one of the authors strengths in these books as I became really involved in the lives of all the characters who appear in these books. They are brought to life with just a few choice phrases and that’s one of the main reasons I love these books. Crime novels really have to stand out for me to keep me following a series and very few make the cut due to protagonists not being engaging or intriguing enough for me to stay with them but Bernie Noel always hits the spot and I love catching up with her.

Left For Dead kept me thoroughly entertained and on edge the whole time I was reading it. There were plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep me engrossed and not get too complacent about finding out who had attacked Kiera or why. I can highly recommend it as a stand alone but feel you’d get even more from it if you’ve read the first two books in the series. And fingers crossed for book 4 and a tv adaptation in the future!

Excellent book. My first by this Author but I will read more. Did not realize it was 3rd in a series but had no trouble reading as a stand alone. Detective Bernie Noel is called to a scene where a young woman having been attacked is near death. Is her assailant the same person responsible for a number of other assaults? To me the Author has done a great job if I do not figure out the ending. I did NOT figure it out. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book

I could not post my review on Kobo. I did a “chat” and was told that because the book is not in my Kobo library the review option is not available.

I did post on Barnes and Noble.

This is Joy Kluver's third novel to feature DI Bernadette (Bernie) Noel of the Wiltshire police force. Bernie came to Wiltshire from the Metropolitan Police to escape. Following her involvement in a high profile prosecution resulting in her receiving death threats, she hoped that her move to the West Country would put all that behind her.

In Left for Dead, Bernie is on the case when a string of sexual assaults happen over for a few months, but when one victim is left for dead, the pressure increases to get the case solved.

The story is told mostly from the perspective of Bernie so the reader makes their discoveries when Bernie does. The investigation is a complex one and Joy Kluver cleverly weaves everything together. The plotting is masterful; the subplots were well executed and the many twists were dotted throughout the whole novel. I spent some time dwelling on the facts presented but still, the perpetrator's identity eluded me until the reveal.

Bernie's personal and professional lives are interesting. Joy Kluver has so far revealed enough about her to ensure she comes across as a switched-on, caring, believable woman while holding enough back to keep readers wanting to learn more. I also liked the situations between Bernie and her team; it's not all plain sailing and there are maelstroms in her private life. Left for Dead is a fantastic continuation of a new series which I’m sure will see readers coming back for more.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is book 3 in the series and I loved it!

Bernie and her team are back again but this time a woman is left for dead after a sexual assault.

From the start it is packed full of suspense and tension and will not let up until the dead.

Highly recommend

Left for dead by Joy Kluver.
Detective Bernadette Noel Book 3.
When DI Bernie Noel hurries to Keira Howard’s hospital bedside, she knows that Keira has been lucky. Barely conscious and badly injured, at least she is alive. Convinced that Keira’s attack is the latest in a string of increasingly violent assaults on young women in the area, the next victim might not be so fortunate. So she vows to find the man who did this, and to stop him before anyone else gets hurt.Spurring her team into action, she quickly hones in on a prime suspect. But then he suddenly dies while on police watch, and Bernie’s investigation goes into freefall. When Bernie’s superiors won’t let her take the case any further, her gut instinct tells her there’s much more to his death than meets the eye. If it was murder, who would want him dead, and why? So she determines to set out on her own to find out what happened. But the closer Bernie comes to discovering the truth, the more she is putting her own life in danger. And with Keira finally strong enough to talk her about her attack, Bernie worries she may be at risk yet again. There’s someone out there who has killed to stay safe in the shadows; can Bernie stop another senseless death, and save Keira, before it’s too late?
I did enjoy this book. I do love my mysteries. I loved the cover. Bernie was my favourite character. 4*.

Just wonderful. I love this author - she is an absolute master of the craft delivering edge of the seat thrillers every time and this one is no different. In fact it's even better. I just could not put it down.

Rejoining DI Bernie Noel a few months from where book 2 left off, LEFT FOR DEAD is the best yet. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down! And while each book can be read as standalones, to get the most out of Bernie's background and ongoing story, it's best to have read Books 1 and 2 first. Readers will be less likely to be in the dark surrounding some aspects as they fall into place rather leave you wondering what went on before.

As I said, I think this book is the best one yet. The team have not only grown but so has Bernie. Having transferred from the Met to Wiltshire a short while ago, Bernie was running from a past she would rather have left in London. Hence, her reluctance to front press conferences or to be seen on camera. In the first two books, there appeared to be quite a bit of angst among the ranks...particularly regarding her stand-in superior in the last book who was filling in for DCS Wilson, and DI Dougie Anderson brought in as FLO in the first book and to whom Bernie took an immediate dislike. Things didn't improve in the second book either as he was drafted in once again by her stand-in superintendent.

LEFT FOR DEAD opens with Bernie being awoken from sleep with the baby she is now expecting pressing down on her bladder but before she can answer the call of nature, her phone rings with the news that a nineteen year old woman, Keira Howard, has been found in Town Gardens brutally attacked and sexually assaulted. Without another thought she is up and on her way to the scene with her now live-in partner Dougie Anderson on route to headquarters to which he's been summoned.

At the scene Bernie meets Local Crime Investigator Leigh Roberts, based out of the local nick in Swindon, who has been investigating a spate of sexual attacks on young woman in the area. It appears that Keira could be the fifth victim but Bernie's not so sure. Still, she seconds Leigh to help on the investigation given her knowledge of the case and her thorough investigative skills. But she soon learns that Leigh is not all that she appears to be leaving her team wondering if she has made an error in drafting her to the team.

Meanwhile, Dougie has been working on a covert op in Serious Crime but when it goes belly-up and the suspect makes a run for it only to be collected by a lorry, Dougie finds his neck is on the line and is suspended from duty pending further enquiries. But when Bernie overhears a conversation between DCS Wilson and the Chief Constable regarding the identity of the suspect who was no in ICU, she wonders what bearing it has on her and why they deem it imperative to keep his true identity from her. Something else is going on here and despite it being none of her business, Bernie resolves to get to the bottom of it somehow. Especially as Dougie is being made the scapegoat for an operation that was, in effect, the Met's.

When Keira wakes, Bernie and her DS Kerry Allen head to the hospital to question her, hoping she can offer them the answers they need to move forward in the case that appears thus far to be stalling. But the nurse only allows five minutes with Keira during which time they could ascertain nothing that didn't already know before being shuffled out.

Investigations lead Bernie and the team back and forth from Swindon, including Bernie's introduction to Swindon's magic roundabout (google it and prepared to be wowed) which left her somewhat addled amidst her aching wrist from a previous injury and baby brain.

Then when the team finally hone in on a suspect, with surprising results, they are then further shocked when he dies whilst in police custody, thrusting Bernie's investigation into freefall. Given the gravity of the situation and apparent tenuous links, her superiors recuse her from the case sending her home for some much needed rest and placing her DS Kerry Allen in charge. But Bernie refuses to let go as her instinct tells her there is more to his death than it seems. So if is was murder, who would want him dead? And why? And how, given that he was in a secure unit under police watch? Surely someone had seen something.

Regardless of the circumstances, Bernie is determined to uncover the truth and find out what happened. But the closer she gets, the more she is placing herself and that of her unborn child, in danger. And now that Keira is awake and able to talk, she too could be at risk yet again. But the clock is ticking...Can Bernie find her attacker and her suspect's killer before it's too late?

WOW! This certainly is a gripping crime thriller and, I say it again, the best one yet in the DI Bernadette Noel series. At last all the team are working from the same page and no longer is there any angst amongst the ranks. And the developing relationship between Bernie and Dougie is rather sweet and a refreshing change from the usual single workaholic detectives that find themselves alone with a bottle to drown their sorrows. And how the two cases entwined was very clever and even lead me in a different direction. I have to say, Joy Kluver has hoodwinked me yet again because I don't think I have ever correctly guessed the villain in her books when I easily do in others. And this one was no different. While I did partially guess correctly, I was completely off-base with the rest of it.

LEFT FOR DEAD is a thrilling and addictive fast paced read, made pacier with the delightfully short and snappy chapters. As in most cases with the series, the book leaves us on something of a cliffhanger but in a good way. The ending actually left me with tears in my eyes. Bring on Book 4!! I can't wait, especially as Bernie's pregnancy advances and where that will leave her in future books.

Fantastic read, LEFT FOR DEAD is perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Carol Wyer and Carla Kovach.

I would like to thank #JoyKluver, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #LeftForDead in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐

Left for Dead, the third book in the brilliantly addictive Detective Bernadette Noel series is a gripping tale. That does start off rather sedately but soon bursts into life as DI Noel and her team are asked to investigate a series of sexual assaults and a possible link to a young woman Keira Howard who is left for dead in a park in Swindon.

But DI Noels case soon gets more complicated when evidence points to an attacker who has connections to a county lines drug investigation being run by her boyfriend DI Anderson and with Anderson caught up in a bad investigation and Bernie's past in the Met brought to the fore the case of Keira Howard becomes even more complex.

And I had no idea what was going to happen next, and who was responsible for what. But I had so much fun finding out! And honestly by the halfway point I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

I would definitely recommend and genuinely can't wait for book four.

What a page turner!
DI Bernie Noel by Joy Kluver is a compelling and engrossing read. This is the third book in the series and though I have not read the previous books, I certainly will be picking them up as soon as possible. I had no problem reading this as a standalone read.
DI Bernie has a lot going on in her life. With her unexpected pregnancy with a surprise and a new case to figure out, she is feeling a bit overwhelmed. With a great team helping her, they begin getting answers to what is going on.
Intriguing storyline with great characters.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to get some answers…..if you read this book, you will know what I want to find out.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and author, Joy Kluver, for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was introduced to this series at the beginning of 2021 Bernie is a strong, determined, compassionate character who you can't help but like.

Was lovely to see the edition of "Leigh" an ASD character brought into the fold I hope that she makes a reappearance in future books within he series.

Left for dead is an intense crime drama with a complex plot. and you can really see the characters developing in the series.

Book 3 in the series and the best one yet. I was hooked from the first page and read it in one day. There was twists galore to keep the pages turning. Loved it.

Left for Dead is the third book in the Detective Bernadette Noel series. I have read and enjoyed the previous two books and I really believe this series just gets better and better with each book. I really enjoyed the story in this one with plenty of suspects and red herrings to throw me off the scent. I also enjoyed how the personal lives of the characters are developing throughout the series. I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Number three in the series and definitely the best yet. I really enjoyed the previous two books, in fact I’m sure I gave them 5 stars, but this book is a step above both of them. The book grabs you from the start and both the main plots and the sub plot are gripping. There are some twists and turns providing a great read but then suddenly it really steps up a gear. Brilliant book with a great ending and the introduction of a new and complex character who I hope we see more of in the future.
As this is my first read of 2022 its set a very high bar!

The third in the Detective Bernadette Noel series, Left For Dead by Joy Kluver is a crime mystery. Not having read the earlier books, there is no knowledge of previous adventures. A woman is attacked on the way home, in what seems to be a serial offender and as Bernadette and the team investigate complications soon arise. Then connections to other cases have major consequences too close to home and things are not as they seem. A reasonable police procedural with interesting character variety including biracial, autistic and pregnancy. Overall, a fine standalone police investigation, with various leads and twists that make for a three-star read rating. With thanks to Bookouture and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and are made without fear or favour.

Another brilliant book in this series.
Bernie is called out after a woman is brutally attacked in a local park. She’s barely alive and the attack has similarities to some others that have happened recently.
Leigh has been working on the other attacks so is asked to help Bernie and the team. It takes a while for them to all get used to each other, but they soon work as a great team.
Bernie’s other half, Dougie, is on another case which goes badly wrong, and he ends up being suspended.
He’s done nothing wrong but it seems someone from above is pulling the strings.
Keira gains consciousness after her attack and the clock is ticking to find out who did this to her.
This is a gripping crime thriller that really had me hooked.
I loved the way the two cases interlinked and could never have guessed the outcome.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Having suffered a terrible attack in the middle of the night and being left for dead, Keira is now lying peacefully on the hospital bed, on the verge between life and death. On top of that, evidence suggests that she is pregnant. It is DI Bernie Noel and her team's responsibility to find out who did it and whether there was sexual abuse involved, or only a physical one. It is an extremely complex case and there are a lot of other cases intertwined, as well as many characters involved, including some from Bernie's own past. On top of this, her partner Dougie Anderson is involved in what seems to be a different complex case and is facing a decision on his future.
Parallel to this, Bernie is unsure whether her current partner or ex-boyfriend is the father of her child, which is an issue that weighs heavily on their relationship.
This was the first #JoyKluver novel I have read and I was really impressed with the style of writing. It kept me on the edge and I finished it in one breath. The case involved was quite complex but it was well written and all the characters involved seemed like the perfect team to work with. In particular, I liked how the author had included the element of autism through the character of LCI Leigh, thus revealing the abilities people with autism possess and how important it is to give them the chance to use those abilities.
Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel. I really enjoyed it.

This was absolutely gripping and I loved it. Although there is a backstory it does really work and read well without reading the previous books.

About half way through I thought oh how can this get any better and it just went in a completely different direction. Loved that

I am so intrigued and now will go back and read the previous and future ones.

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

This is book 3 in the DI Bernie Noel series but works well as a stand alone. it's a very good police procedural with excellent characterisation and a very interesting plot. Bernie is now pregnant and investigating the attack of a young girl who had been left for dead. It starts at a slow pace but quickly picks up as events begin to spiral. There are multiple suspects and a few red herrings thrown in, couple that with a twist at the end and this is a sure fire winner for the author and one I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Di Bernie Noel has several problems on her hands. From a work perspective, she's got a victim- Keira- who was raped and, well, left for dead- possibly by a serial criminal. Leigh, who has been working the serial case, wants to take over Keira's but Bernie thinks there's a different villain out there and she's ultimately proven correct. Then there's her pregnancy. Who's the father? And Dougie, her partner, is in hot water because an arrest went very wrong. I'd not read this series so I'm sure I missed some nuance but the characters still grabbed me. Leigh's unique, Bernie's a good twist on the tortured detective, and I was rooting for Dougie. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Good red herrings and a fast paced plot make this a good read.

Another fantastic outing for DI Bernie Noel in Left for Dead by Joy Kluver! The tension ratchets high and continues to engage throughout. Loved the ending! Can't wait for #4!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!