An old Victorian tradition proves to be the setting for Detective Morgan Brooke’s newest case. The murder scene is quite eerie, with two very specific things based on that tradition - the clocks have been stopped and all the mirrors have been covered. It’s quite natural to for Morgan to see that something is very wrong in the house where the murder took place, especially when another murder happens with the same setting. What is more is there something that was found in the first victim’s house that was used to kill the second victim.

Despite these similarities, the women seem to have no ties that would connect them to each other. However, it is clear that the killer has a path that they are traveling on and it is up to Morgan and her team to try to find whatever connection she can before the life of another victim is claimed. On a personal level, Morgan and her boss Ben Matthews have moved their relationship forward, as they are now living together.

Considering this is Morgan’s first case after a horrendously harrowing experience (Book 5, Find the Girl), her hands are certainly full. Furthermore, the team has a new boss, DI Marc Howard, and things are not going well. In fact, this intriguing book has more than a few surprises as well as clever misdirection. Ms. Phifer is certain to keep the reader’s attention in this captivating installment. There are some chapters that go back to 1989 peppered into this story, and that raises the level of intrigue in this exciting read. With excellent pacing, this sixth book in this thoroughly engaging series was easily a one-sitting read. One thing that makes this book so good is that with all the twists and turns it was impossible to figure out who the killer was.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/V_aAq543_b0

Another good read in the Morgan Brookes series. A good case that keeps you guessing with the twists and turns. Looking forward to the next one.

DC Morgan Brooks is back at work following a previous serial killer case. Soon a call comes in of a death of an elderly lady alone in her flat. On the scene, Brooks surmises that something is off with the scene and it is finally agreed to be murder. Soon another body is founds, killed with a knife from the first victims house. With other similar characteristics at the scene, Brooks and the team are hunting down another killer against the clock.
This is my first instalment, this being book 6, but will be going back to read the books in order. A great team and love story on the side. The crimes scenes are descriptive and gritty to keep you wanting to know who could possibly be behind the killings. A really enjoyable read.

This book is number six in the series. I have read this as a standalone but I recommend that you read the others. This moves at a fast pace and is full of twists and turns . I was hooked from page one.

If police detective led crime thrillers -
Involving cases with serial killers -
Are what you're looking for
Then you don't need to look any more!

When a dead woman in her home is discovered
With her clocks all stopped and the mirror covered
Detective Morgan Brookes is one of the first on the scene
And immediately worries about what it might mean.

A new boss jumps in, not thinking first,
Making tempers rise, fit to burst.
When another victim is found with her clocks stopped, too,
Can they find the connection before there's more to view?

A riveting read, with personal drama and more
As possible motives are sought to explore.
Suspects, secrets, childhood events and history
All have a role in solving this crime thriller mystery.

It is a book I wanted to read straight through to the end
Not wanting to put down until I knew what happened.
A brilliant twisted story, with great characters, too
That I have no hesitation in highly recommending to you.

For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review

This is a great addition to the series. With intriguing mysteries and a great cast of characters I'm always looking forward to reading more.

Part of a series featuring Detective Morgan Brookes,set in the Lake District. A complex ,strange death,is it or isn't it murder? Then there's another,can the team solve it. Gripping and fast paced.

Reading Between the Wines book review #79/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 ½ 🍷 🍷 🍷 1/2
Book 🎧: Sleeping Dolls, Detective Morgan Brookes Book 6
Author: Helen Phifer
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Book 6 and I love to see Morgan happy. Even with her being happy she still is investigating and putting criminals away. This story had me on the edge of my seat because Morgan and the rest of the detectives were so close to the killer at one time. I am tiring of Brookes always having to get attacked and hurt. It is so unrealistic. I would love for Book 7 to show a great mystery but one where Morgan isn’t having a near death experience, or anyone closest to her. Book 7 is next on my list and I can’t wait to share what I think.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @SleepingDolls.

#SleepingDolls #HelenPhifer #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This detective series just keeps on getting better and better.. Right from the start this book had me utterly hooked. A brilliant read.

I really wanted to love this book, but it was too slow for my liking. I had a really hard time staying engaged with the story due to the slow development. It is a good story, with an interesting plot. I just wished it moved faster.

This is the sixth book in the series featuring Detective Morgan Brookes and is set in Ryder Falls in the Lake District. Following her last traumatic case Morgan has finally moved in with her boss Ben and now they need to discover who has murdered Shirley Kelly. They were called out and discovered her body in her flat. She had been subjected to a vicious attack but what was more puzzling was that all her mirrors had been covered and the clock had been stopped at six o clock. When a second woman is murdered with a knife from Shirley’s home and left in the same circumstances they realise that it is important they find the link that connects these killings. This is another fast and gripping read in this series and I can’t wait to see what awaits Morgan and Ben in the next book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another in the Detective Morgan series
And another brilliant read
This is the sixth in this series and they just keep getting better and better
Can’t wait for the next one
Thanks NetGalley

After reading the first few chapters I noticed that the book had a lot of narration talk to it and not that much dialogue. As the book progresses the entertainment of the book picks up. The writer did a good job of describing the gore of the victims. The book was intense.

Helen Phifer has become a go to author for me and the Morgan Brookes Series in particular is excellent and it is great to see that in this book the high standard has been kept up.

In this one Morgan discovers a dead body, which at first impression doesn’t seem suspicious, but Morgan wonders why every clock in the house has stopped and every mirror is covered; the woman doesn’t seem harmed. However, Morgans suspicions are confirmed when another body is discovered stabbed by a knife from the first victim’s house, and the house is staged the same way. The strange thing is there seems no connection between them and there appear to be no suspects.

This requires Morgan and the team to dig well into the past to find any sort of connection. There are many twists in this case along the way as the team hurry to find the killer before another victim is found. There is a great ending to the book full of tension.

This was a wonderful book that I just found impossible to put down. Amongst everything else going on the team gets a new boss and this causes a lot of friction, especially for Ben who finds himself at loggerheads with him. I strongly suggest if you are going to read the series that you read them in order as it adds so much to the series with the developing plot lines, especially in Morgan’s past and her developing relationship with Ben.

Thanks to the publisher, author and Net Galley for a review copy of the book in exchange for a fair, open and honest review.

Outstanding. One of my top reads of 2022! Love love love this author and every single one of her wonderful books. And this one is just wow! A triumph of a book in a truly outstanding series.

I adore Helen Phifer and this series is such a great read. I would recommend reading in order though just to get the characters back story. I love that we finally get an answer to the will they get together question that's been hanging over Morgan and Ben since book 1 and I have to say I have finally warmed to the idea. There's a new boss and I spent the whole book questioning if he was what he seems. Morgan has also calmed down and seems to be thinking before she acts. This also means the team works together which is great because I love her team. The murders are creepy and I was hooked from beginning to end. Definitely recommend and I look forward to more.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Helen Phifer is a gem, and this book is one that absolutely must be read. I have devoured page after page in just one sitting. My only regret is now I need to wait for the next book.

Morgan Brookes is a fantastic character and I’ve been completely invested from the beginning. This is a great book and I’m so happy we get to continue the journey with Morgan.

This is far from a smooth journey. There are twists and trials thrown in that will leave you speechless and wanting more. I have definitely found this an unpredictable read. This is a book which I haven’t been able to put down.

At times, my heart has pounded as I’ve read this one. I’ve been transported and felt as though I have been watching the events play out in front of me.

Phifer writes in such a way you are completely immersed in this one and unable to put it down for even a minute.

I absolutely cannot say anything negative about this one. It’s a gem and a definitely a must read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, not sure how I have missed this series!!

I loved the authors writing style and the characters she created, This reads well as a stand-alone, I will be going to the start though and reading from book 1.

Sleeping Dolls is the sixth book in the Detective Morgan Brookes series and was the best one yet. I do recommend you read this series in order as there is a lot of character and team building that you would miss, but each case is solved by the end of the book. Morgan has returned to work after taking some time off due to injuries she sustained in Find the Girl. Their boss, Tom, has retired and they are expecting a new one in a couple of weeks. It doesn't take long for Ben Matthews, Morgan and their team to get a new case. A woman is found dead in her apartment due to the smell of decomposition. It turns out she has been strangled and Morgan is sure the fact that the mirrors are covered and clocks stopped at 6:00 has something to do with the motive of the killer. When a second woman is killed and her clock is also stopped, they are worried they have a serial killer on their hands. Can they find him before someone else ends up dead.

This was a well written and plotted police procedural that kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end. Morgan and Ben are now living together, and still make a great team both personally and professionally. When the new DI, Marcel Howard (Marc), shows up early, he quickly ruffles some feathers and he and Ben almost come to blows. That adds some personal dilemma to the story. The case itself was interesting with a few different suspects and some red herrings. The story is told in two timelines, the second from 30 years earlier, when we see the culprit as a boy and how his mind becomes damaged. The reader will find out who he is, and why he killed the first two victims, but the chase is on. I always enjoy how the team put the clues together with their research, instincts and questioning. One thing that was well done in this book is seeing the human side of the "coppers" in several different instances. I like that they are made human and show real emotions when coming upon victims and dealing with witnesses. The characters created by Helen Phifer are amazing and I love how she involves them all in these stories, showing us different sides of various characters in each book, but of course, Morgan Brookes is the star and central to each story. I can't recommend this series enough and am already anxious for the next book in this series.

Detective Morgan Brookes goes to a case where a woman is found in her apartment and she has been dead for a while. Morgan has to solve this plus other cases.
I was blown away with this book, it was great.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.