“The Dying Place” by Charly Cox

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the arid expanse of New Mexico, where the sun blazes mercilessly and secrets fester beneath the desert soil, Detective Alyssa Wyatt faces her most chilling case yet. The Dying Place, penned by the talented Charly Cox, thrusts readers into a heart-racing whirlwind of suspense, where every page crackles with tension.

When Kennedy Farmer, an avid runner, vanishes during her usual trail run, the dusty mountain paths swallow her without a trace. Her family’s desperate prayers echo through the canyons, but hope dwindles. Meanwhile, Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her seasoned squad grapple with a gruesome discovery: the lifeless body of Rheagan Pembroke, a young woman found in the unforgiving desert terrain near Albuquerque. The wounds on Rheagan’s body horrify even the most hardened detectives.

But this case takes a sinister twist. Stuffed into Rheagan’s mouth is a polaroid photograph—a haunting image of Gunner Galveston, a murder victim from fourteen years ago. Alyssa had been on that case, but the killer had eluded capture. Now, as the squad receives blood-curdling phone calls and gruesome packages, they realize they’re dealing with a serial killer—one whose bloodlust escalates with each life taken.

Alyssa Wyatt is more than a detective; she’s a force of nature. A devoted mother, she carries the weight of her past cases, haunted by the ones that got away. Her relentless pursuit of justice makes her a serial killer’s worst nightmare. Charly Cox has crafted a character who leaps off the page—a woman of grit, vulnerability, and unwavering determination.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it.

Fabulous!! This was a great story which I could not put down. Would recommend this to everyone who loves this genre.

Although I love Charly Cox and this series I felt this book was lacking some of the usual thriller/intensity of the four books before.

I still love the Alyssa and Cord duo and Hal………gotta love Hal. The characters were there but just was expecting more from the fifth book in the series.

Can’t wait to read what’s next. I won’t ever give up on this author. On my favorite list of authors for sure.

"The Dying Place: An utterly unputdownable, heart-racing crime thriller" by Charly Cox is a gripping and intense read that'll keep you on the edge of your seat till the very last page.

I really liked this book! It had quick, suspenseful chapters that had me wanting to find out more!

Kennedy Farmer is an avid runner who unfortunately does not return home from a run one day on her usual route through the mountain trails in New Mexico. Detective Alyssa Wyatt starts trying to locate Kennedy when a body of another female appears not too far from where Kennedy went missing. The real kicker is a photo that is found in the body's mouth which is from a case that Alyssa was never able to solve 14 years earlier. The state of the body is unimaginable and the race is now on to find this monster before they kill Kennedy (if they haven't already).

I enjoyed the chapters going back and forth between the detectives trying to solve the case and Kennedy's experience in this place where she is being held. The interactions with her captor were well written and it never gave away who they were until toward the end.

This is the fifth book in the series. I hadn't read any of the others and I wasn't lost at all. That being said, I definitely plan on reading the others because this one was great.

I was lucky enough to read this advance review copy for free and this is my honest review

Charly Cox did it again! I have really enjoyed her Alyssa Wyatt series. I felt like this book brought the main character's story full circle. The author does an amazing job setting up the mystery and executing major plot points.

Another 5 star read from Charly cox. I look forward to reading Charly’s books as I know I’m in for a great read.
Book 5 of the series was like all the others as it gripped me from the very beginning. Each chapter is fast paced and keeps you wanting to read more. All the characters are likeable, especially the main 2 Alyssa and cord.
I really hope there is a book 6 to this series as I don’t want them to end.
Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

There is a real edge to the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series. The criminals tend to be serial killers who do horrific things to their victims. The events are gritty and the consequences life and death.

I really have come to love the characters. The team is smart and works really hard to bring the bad guys to justice but even more to get them locked up so they stop hurting people. Alyssa really seemed irritable in The Dying Place but who wouldn't with a kidnapped victim to find before she is murdered. The team was doing the best possible investigation with the killer taunting them. As they started connecting cases over many years, they were able to eliminate some and also find some suspects.

I felt it was a bit overdone with the killer threatening the families of the team. That seems to happen in most books and I was glad it didn't happen. I was happy to see those families and Carter and Abigail from a previous book. There was quite a bit about families and relationships and specifically how marriages work, with Alyssa's daughter Holly getting married.

I love a good police procedural and how as information and evidence is collected, pieces are fit together in the puzzle. I look forward to more of Detective Wyatt and her team.

This is the fifth book starring Alyssa Wyatt and her team. This time they’re searching for a serial killer who Alyssa first investigated fourteen years ago. They have a vanished runner, a discovered body and a Polaroid. From this the investigate twists and turns to the very last page.
A great read and I look forward to book six!
Thanks to Hera books and NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for an honest review.
#TheDyingPlace #NetGalley

Really liked this story and this part of the series of Alyssa…makes me want to o back and read her precious instalments of this series. Unexpected killer, and a good ending.

What a ride: twisty, dark, gripping. A fast paced police procedural that kept me on the edge and guessing till the end.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book was good. It is a part of a series so some of the relationships I had to figure out more than someone that had read the other books, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. It was an entertaining read start to finish.

The Dying Place by Charly Cox
Detective Alyssa Wyatt #5

Dark, gritty, gruesome, sometimes difficult to read, serial killer murder mystery that had Alyssa and her team working long hours under pressure to find one kidnapped tortured victim of a ruthless and amoral sadistic murderer.

What I liked:
* Alyssa: dedicated, professional, diligent, team player and determined detective with a loving husband, teenage son, and daughter soon to marry
* The team: all of them seem to be normal hard working police detectives that are professional and without many of the issues so common in police detective series that I have read
* The plot, pacing, writing, red herrings, twists and turns
* The unflinching look at Kennedy as she suffered, struggled, and endured
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* Being able to abhor the killer
* Feeling that I was there with the characters
* It felt all too believable
* That the story was concluded without a cliffhanger
* Holly’s wedding, the reminder of previous cases, and…Ruby’s smile

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about why some people are evil and how cruel they can be

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

The Dying Place by Charly Cox is the sixth novel in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series. While each book can work as a standalone, there is mention of previous cases. When a young girl goes missing, it leads Detective Wyatt on a chase to catch a serial killer that got away once before….

The story hooks you from the beginning as Kennedy Farmer finishes up her evening run on trails in New Mexico. She never makes it home. Meanwhile, Detective Wyatt and her partner Cord visit the home of a family whose teenage daughter has gone missing.

When the young teen’s body is discovered with a photo of a murdered body of a victim from a cold case Wyatt worked fourteen years ago, things heat-up. The teen has been savagely beaten with evidence of restraint and torture.

The case that unfolds was suspenseful from the point of view of the victim to the clues that the Albuquerque P.D. gather. Cox did a splendid job of building the case as the team created a suspect list.

I devoured this and lost myself in the case. The twists and revelations were well done. It isn’t often I don’t work things out, and Cox took me on one heck of a ride.

The tale was grisly, especially when Wyatt’s own family catches the killer’s eye. The chapters, from their perspective, were chilling.

Each novel works as a standalone but may contain some spoilers from previous cases.

Strong characters and an interesting murder mystery make The Dying Place perfect for fans of crime, mysteries and suspense. I look forward to Detective Wyatt’s next case

The Dying Place is book 5 in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series by Charly Cox. This book will have you up late and up early to read as much as possible in a day as you try to figure out who the serial killer is. I devoured this book in 2 days and loved every minute of it! The Detective Alyssa Wyatt series is one of my very faves and they never disappoint! Alyssa and her partner Cord are called to a home for a missing person report. Kennedy Farmer has been reported missing by her twin sister who just returned home from a 5 day trip. Kennedy and her twin sister share a home and her sister hadn't been able to reach her the last few days she was away. When she got home she checked the tape from the security camera and saw the last time Kennedy left was a few days ago. She was dressed in her jogging outfit and she drove to a park trail to run. Her sister drove to the spot Kennedy parked and found her car, but no sign of Kennedy.

When Kennedy had finished her run a few days ago she was exhausted as she had beat her personal best record. As she was bent over and dreaming getting home, showering, and watching some tv she heard something or someone behind her. It was a man who seemed a bit familiar, but he looked angry and ran at her. He grabbed Kennedy and threw her into his car trunk after hitting her in the head to subdue her. Kennedy hoped she'd see her family again as everything went dark as the trunk was closed. Once the man got Kennedy to his space, he zip tied her wrists, put shackles on her ankles, and put duct tape over her mouth. When Kennedy woke up she saw another young girl hanging from a bar by her wrists and she was in very bad shape. Her face was almost non existent from the beating she had endured. Kennedy couldn't tell if the girl was dead or just unconscious.

The body of a young woman, Rheagan Pembroke, is found close to where they think Kennedy was taken. The detectives and responding officers are horrified by the wounds on Rheagan. Her face is basically gone from being beaten so much, she has stab wounds all over, and she has been beaten terribly. When the medical examiner is going over her body she finds a polaroid in Rheagan's mouth. The photo is of Gunner Galveston a murder victim from 14 years ago and a case that Alyssa was the detective on, but was never solved. How could these cases be related and yet 14 years apart? Could this be the same killer? Where has he been all of this time and why did he stop?

As Alyssa's team investigate the murders and try to find Kennedy before it's too late, they receive phone calls from the killer taunting them and threatening their own families. Who could be doing this and why? As the team zero in on a couple of suspects, do they have the right person? Will they be able to catch the killer before he kills Kennedy? Where could he be doing this with no one noticing? Will the detectives own families be in danger? Do yourself a favor and get this book! It is a fantastic thriller that will have you thinking about it even when you're not able to read it! That's the mark of a fantastic book. I rate The Dying Place 5 stars and look forward to book 6 in the series!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Hera for an advanced copy of The Dying Place in exchange for a fair review. #TheDyingPlace
.

Thank you Charly Cox, Hera Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC e-book. I will start off by saying although this is book 5, I read this book as a stand alone. I don's really think it was the best idea since there was some back story missing but the book did give enough information where the subject and characters I was able to figure out. Despite that this book was wonderful it had the right amount of mystery and crime to not be over the top and it was just the perfect book to pull you in. I couldn't put it down and managed to read it within a day I had to find out what happened and found myself constantly thinking about the book and trying to solve the mystery. An amazing crime thriller I cannot wait to go back and read the first 4.

An elusive serial killer that has slipped through their fingers for 14 years, what's not to love. The plot is disturbing, twisted and will have you on the edge of your seat. With multiple suspects to choose from it keeps you guessing until the end.

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read this novel.

When Kennedy Farmer does not return from her run, Detective Alyssa Wyatt has a missing persons case on her hands. As the police begin the search, the body of another girl is found with injuries that sicken even the most hardened of detectives. To complicate matters further, stuffed into her mouth is a polaroid photograph of Gunner Galveston, a murder victim from fourteen years before and a case that Alyssa worked on. The killer was never caught; has he struck again? With Kennedy Farmer missing and the killer seemingly escalating, this promises to be a particularly difficult case for Alyssa.

Charly Cox has a knack for writing heinous killers and she has certainly outdone herself this time! This man made my skin crawl as we see him showing no regard whatsoever for his victims, making them endure the most horrific torture imaginable. One of the author’s strengths is that she manages to show this sickening behaviour without ever being too graphic, leaving much of it to your imagination.

This is the fifth book in the series and we are now really getting to know the characters. Alyssa and her partner Cord are a great team who work well together and share a common determination to bring criminals to justice no matter what it takes. There are many other supporting characters who also make this series what it is and Hal is definitely my favourite – I’d definitely want him and his research skills in my team!

If you haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, this can be read as a standalone, but I heartily recommend reading them all as they are all gripping and engaging reads.

Great book! I never could have guessed the ending! Lots of twists and turns. Highly recommend this book!