When a woman is shot dead at the side of a road, her brother becomes involved in the murder investigation. When more bodies turn up, it seems that a serial killer is on the loose.

I enjoyed the story for the most part but I found towards the end it involved a strange mixture of ritualistic killing and killing for necessity to cover up other crimes. I’m sure this was included to create twists and turns in the plot which had held my interest up till that point, but I just found it unbelievable. Although I’m no expert on murderers, I would have thought the motivation would be one or the other.

If you need to kill someone to cover up a crime, would you think about staging the victim or developing your own particular “signature”? If anything, surely you’d try to make them appear unrelated? You either plan out the murders like a puzzle for the police to solve I.e. your typical serial killer who treats it like a game, thinking he’s cleverer than the detectives on his trail, or you kill people through necessity to cover your trail because they know what you’ve done.

A couple of niggles with the writing style sometimes made it hard to follow. There were many long passages of dialogue between characters without explanation of who was speaking which meant that it was difficult to follow which character was speaking. The pronoun ‘he’ was overused as I couldn’t work out who the character was referring to - another suspect, the killer, one of the detectives.

Overall, this was a good idea for a story, I just didn’t think it was executed particularly well.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

# of Pages: 310
Genre: Mystery, thriller, romance
Star Rating: ⭑⭑⭑/5

It’s a cold night in February when Detective Chris Bailey is called to the scene of a murder on a rural back road - a young woman has been shot several times, her personal items stolen, and her body left behind on the roadside. As Bailey works to unravel the mysteries of who could have done this and why, he finds there may be more to this crime than he originally anticipated.
Despite being the third in its series, this book reads perfectly well as a standalone - I wasn’t lost or lacking in context. The plot, as a mystery thriller, is fun and keeps the reader engaged, while the characters do their job of allowing us to share in their emotions as we progress alongside them.

For a mystery thriller, there is a strong element of romance present. This at times can feel misplaced in the overall context of grief, fear, and anger, but overall doesn’t necessarily detract from the bigger picture.
The first few chapters, in my opinion, felt incredibly slow. I nearly resigned myself to calling this a DNF, and while I’m glad I didn’t, I do wish the beginning had been more engaging. The introduction of the characters felt choppy at times, and the dialogue was unrealistically sophisticated for casual conversation between rural Tennessee natives, however, despite this, I did enjoy the read and could possibly be inclined to pick up another at some point down the line.

Murder, mystery and mayhem are what you get when reading No One To Help Her by Katie Watterson.
The plot was intriguing….dead female found in the middle of a road late at night. Then more bodies are found. How are they related?
I like the characters in the story and enjoyed the romance aspect. The investigation of the murders was very twisty/turning. Definitely kept my interest as I tried to figure out what was going on.
Though this is the third book in the series it can be read as a standalone. With that said, I do encourage you to pick up the first two books so you get to know the back story of Detective Chris Bailey.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Detective Chris Bailey #3

It's the middle of the night when Detective Chris Bailey is called to the crime scene. A body has been found dumped at the side of a remote country road. The victim had been shot five times. She isn't wearing a coat, though it's late February. Her empty purse is strewn a few feet away. she is missing a shoe. Her brother, Mick, is devastated. He's only just moved back to the area after working a high-powered job in Chicago, ready to start a new life. And now this. Then the killer leaves Amanda's ID and missing shoe at Mick's house.

There was a bit too much romance in this book, not that I mind a bit of romance, but there was more romance than mystery/thriller. The plotline was interesting. The only character I liked was Detective Chris Bailey. The pace is slow throughout. Although this is book three in the series, it could be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #KateWatterson for my ARC of #NoOneToHelpHer in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize when I requested this on NetGalley that it was the third in a series ... or that it would be far more romance than I was expecting or wanting. Maybe if I had started with the first book it would have somehow made it more readable for me, but I don't really think so.

I have read the first two books in this series and was a little surprised that there was more romance than mystery in this one. I did enjoy it but it was just not what I expected

My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Here is the thing. I don't mind a bit of romance in my thriller novels.

When it makes sense.

And for me, it was more than a little odd to have the brother of a woman who has just been murdered (who, in fact, had just come from identifying her body, for crying out loud) to then be sitting in the home of his dead sister's best friend (even if she was his former lover) thinking about how sexy she still was. He should be grieving for crying out loud, not lusting after his former flame.

Now, I could have probably overlooked that had to story been enough to keep my attention, but I found that wasn't the case here either. There were a lot of little things, the fact that the author consistently used fancy-sounding words that the average reader will probably have to look up to understand, and the fact that everything was spoon-fed to us in great detail.

There were times that the dialog went on for so long that it became unclear who was speaking, and other times when the point of view changed entirely (something I am starting to realize is a trademark of this author).

Seeing as how this is the third time I have read something from this author that hasn't left me completely entertained, I'm going to chalk it up to their writing style just isn't for me. However, I'm sure other people will enjoy their stories, so if you like a little more romance with your suspense, give this one a chance!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I was not sure how I was going to like this book, since I did not realize that it was book 3 of a series. I did not feel like I missed anything from the previous books. There were a few references to previous books and that just makes me want to read those also. This book could be read as a standalone. I like how the POV switched between the four main characters and then came together at the end. This book has something for everyone unsolved murders, serial killers, cat and mouse chase, with a sprinkle of romance. Only thing I was left asking was Samantha pregnant? Hopefully there will be a book 4!!!! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of No One to Help Her, the third novel to feature Detective Chris Bailey set in rural Tennessee.

A woman’s body riddled with gunshots is left at the side of a country road, her handbag devoid of identification left near her. She is finally identified through her DNA as Amanda Reynolds and now her brother Mick is receiving attention from the killer, who left him her ID and a shoe. Unless it’s misdirection and he’s the killer. Chris Bailey isn’t sure, so the discovery of more bodies makes it less likely.

I thoroughly enjoyed No One to Help Her, which is an absorbing read with plenty of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view, mostly Chris and Mick, so the reader gets a wider take on events, although I didn’t think much of the killer’s musings at the start of each chapter as they were too vague to have any impact.

The plot is a mix of high octane investigation and domestic issues with both Chris and Mick pursuing relatively relationships, with Chris solving a cold case in double quick time as a side dish. On the subject of food I think that the emphasis on eating and drinking takes away from the tension of the ongoing investigation - who cares if it’s tacos or steak for dinner? Still, food aside the plot is engrossing with nobody, including this reader, having much idea why Mick is being targeted, so the field is wide open for guesswork. Even the explanations at the end are a bit vague and I didn’t come away satisfied that I had all the information.

No One to Help Her is a good read that I can recommend.

I went into this expecting a thriller/ domestic noir type but it felt very much like more of a romance book which just isn't as appealing to me. The writing was good, although I'm guessing you'll understand the various plot lines better if you've read the previous in the series. If you're going into it having read previous or wanting more of a romantic read then you'll probably enjoy this one. As a thriller though, it didn't quite land for me

I didn’t realise this was an ongoing series so maybe that is why I felt like there was too much going on that took away from the main point of the investigation. Based on this, I probably wouldn’t read the others.

Third in an ongoing series for the two main detectives, Bailey and Carter who are dealing with the murders of young women in a specific way. The detecting is good and the plots twisty. The trouble is the romance between Chris and current girlfriend then Mike, brother of first victim, and his girlfriend. Just too much for a police procedural. Sorry, it loses a star for this. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am conflicted about this book, I love police procedurals and thriller/mystery books so I liked this element of the book, I also dont mind romance elements mixed in with this genre. However, thie romance in this book seemed to be the main focus so that was slightly confusing and disappointing. I did however enjoy reading it, just not as much as I could have done

This book is marketed as a procedural crime mystery novel. Unfortunately, it has too much romance for my taste and reads more like a first draft. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this author. I will not be posting any negative reviews online.

No One to Help Her by Kate Watterson begins with Detective Chris Bailey being called to a crime scene. A body has been found dumped by the side of a remote country road. Then a second body is found. And a third. And the detective's brother is at the center of everything that is happening, but he is not the killer.

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. The dialogue felt stilted in places. The mystery was okay. There is a lot of romance in the book, which was okay, but it did seem to be more than usual in a book that is identified in the mystery/thriller genre.

This is book 3 in the series. I did not read the other 2, but I do not feel I missed anything. This can be read as a standalone book. I would recommend this book as it did have some good twists.

#NOONETOHELPHER #NetGalley @JoffeBooks

This book starts off with the discovery of a dead female on a country road in the middle of the night. When the victim is identified, her brother Mick is devastated. The body count rises quickly and Detective Chris Bailey is lead investigator. He quickly discovers that all the victims are linked to Mick in some way. I struggled to relate to the characters, apart from Chris, the pace was quite slow but I enjoyed the plotting. Although part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Book: No One to Help Her
Author: Kate Watterson
Series: Detective Chris Bailey Book #3
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller – Romance
Pub Date: August 10, 2022
Rating: 3.7 rounded up


Detective Chris Bailey is called to the crime scene. The victim ~ Amanda ~ is found on the side of the road, has been shot –five times, it is February and she isn’t wearing a coat, is missing a shoe, and her purse is empty and strewn on the ground.
Her brother, Mick, is very upset and to make matters worse the killer leaves Amanda’s ID and her missing shoe at his place.
Next another body is found then a third; same condition as Amanda’s killing - shot five times, and missing a shoe — sure enough the shoes show up at Mick’s place.

Although this is Book #3 in this series, I wasn’t lost but it has me wanting to read the two earlier books in this series- as well as looking forward to Book #4. I liked the characters.
I am a big mystery fan and not much of a romance fan but the romance in this story was nice.

Want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 10, 2022

While I do realize how hard it is to write a book, that doesn’t mean that every book and every author is going to be for me. That is my experience with this book. I think my biggest gripe with this book is that it’s nestled under the Mystery & Thrillers genre, but the author has thrown in a lot of romance in the book as well. Romance, that to me, wasn’t in the right place at the right time. It’s a personal opinion that when a character’s sister is dead, and the character is grieving, that they don’t particularly care about romance too much. I’m not saying that Mick shouldn’t have someone to grieve with, or care for, but maybe save some of the romance for the end, use the grief as a stepping stone to bring them together. Personally, the romantic parts really just chopped up the mystery and made it so that the book didn’t flow very well.

While this is part of series, I have not read the first two books. That beings said, I don’t think it takes away from this book at all. If I had not known it was a part of a series, I wouldn’t have suspected as much. I’ve also learned from reading a lot of mysteries and thrillers that if an author is trying to make the reader look one way too hard, it’s usually the wrong way. I thought the author here tried too hard to make me look one way. And while I didn’t suspect the murderer, I had a strong feeling it wasn’t who the author was directing me to.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Joffe Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Vibrant characters, a thriller you won't want to put down.

No one to help her by Kate Watterson.
Detective Chris Bailey Book 3.
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four . . . murder
It’s the middle of the night when Detective Chris Bailey is called to the crime scene. A body has been found dumped by the side of a remote country road. The victim has been shot five times. She isn’t wearing a coat, though it’s late February. Her empty purse is strewn a few feet away, she is missing a shoe.
Her brother, Mick, is devastated. He’s only just moved back to the area after working a high-powered job in Chicago, ready to start a new life. And now this.
Then the killer leaves Amanda’s ID and missing shoe at Mick’s house.
Then a second body is found. And a third. Both were left by the roadside, both shot five times, both missing a shoe — that later show up at Mick’s.
Mick is clearly at the center of everything, but it’s also clear that he’s a victim, not the killer. Who is trying to frame Mick and why?
Just as Bailey feels he’s making progress, he receives his own warning. Can he catch a killer, or will he be next?
Brilliant read. Love this series. I hope there is more to come. Twisty and tense. 5*.