I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Lost Victim’, book six in the Detective Rachel King series written by Helen H Durrant, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

No sooner is DCI Rachel King back at work after having three months in witness protection than she’s thrown into investigating the murder of pensioner Mary Dunn whose body has been found in the church where she arranges floral displays. The DNA points to notorious serial killer ‘Slasher’ being involved but that’s not possible as he died in prison. Could the person leaving false evidence be the character called Ghost? But if it is, then Rachel and her team need to discover the identity of Ghost.

‘Lost Victim’ is a good solid police thriller with the welcome return of DCI Rachel King and DS Elwyn Price. The storyline is strong and involves murder, people trafficking and drugs but also touches on Rachel’s private life and childcare concerns. The plot is strong with dramatic occurrences, interesting characters and twists and turns leading Rachel to follow the odd red herring until she finally works through the clues with a little help from someone important in her life. This is a fast-paced thriller that’s easy to read and has kept me so involved I read it in a day. Will there be another in the series? I do hope so.

DCI Rachel King investigates the killing of Dorothy in a local church, and uncovers drugs dealers, local gangsters, bitter histories, and unsupportive colleagues. An enjoyable read

This is my favourite series of this authors. I love this one just as much as the last.
Helen H Durrant is a great writer, and her characters are always well written and interesting with a fast paced storyline that keeps you guessing. I can't wait for the next installment.

Lost Victim by Helen H. Durrant is the sixth book in the Detective Rachel King, series and I have loved it. I was gripped from the beginning till the end especially as it had a great story line with lots of great twists and turns throughout. I really love following the Detective Rachel King's character from the very first book and watching her character grow.

"With Three months off, a gruesome murder throws Detective Rachel King back into the thick of it. But can she cope? The pressures of the job and of being a single mum are taking their toll.

It’s a horrifying sight. The body of an elderly woman is carefully posed on the altar. There’s gaffer tape over her mouth, her hands are crossed over her chest, tied together with white ribbon. A single white rose is placed between her fingers.

The victim is quickly identified as Mary Dunn, whose turn it was to arrange the church flowers. Everyone loved Mary. The motive for her murder is a mystery.

Then forensic evidence produces a shocking a link to the Slasher, a notorious serial killer who stalked the streets of Manchester fifteen years before. But the Slasher was murdered in prison — so how come his DNA is found on Mary’s clothing?

Does Detective Rachel King have a serial killer on her patch?

One who’s back from the dead . . .Ghost!"

I highly recommend this series. Another 5 star book by Helen!

Part of a series, this was an exciting read! This is the first book I’ve read in the series, but the characters were easy to follow! Enjoyed the tense moments between the killers and the detective, Rachel.

Book six in the Rachel King series which pick a up the thread from book five, we see Rachel return to work doubting and questioning her ability in both her personal and professional life.

Despite her reservations she hits the ground as she is thrown head first into a murder case that leads to unexpected revelations.

I've been a fan of this series for a while it's fast paced, gritty and full of drama.

Another fab edition to this engaging series that has lots of layers that all combine to reach a satisfying conclusion.

This is the sixth in Helen Durrant's Detective Rachel King series of thrillers. I'm a big fan of all Helen's books so was thrilled to receive this book to review. It begins with Rachel returning from enforced semi witness protection in Wales with her 3 children after the exploits in book five. Things get off to a good start with bodies soon turning up and the team hitting the floor running to solve the murder. However, Rachel's mind is not on the job. She is torn between her family, her criminal ex and her job. Is she losing her touch and her taste for police work? Although the story progresses in the expected way and is a good read, I definitely got the impression that the author might be working towards winding down the Rachel King series. I hope not!
Thank you Netgalley, Joffe books and Helen H. Durrant for giving me the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Lost Victim, the sixth novel to feature DCI Rachel King of Greater Manchester Police.

On the first day of Rachel’s return to work from three months extended leave she gets a murder investigation. Eighty four year old Mary Dunn has been murdered and laid out ritualistically on the church’s altar, where she had gone to arrange the flowers. She is perplexed when forensic evidence links her to a serial killer known as the Ancoats Slasher, who has been dead for over a decade.

I enjoyed Lost Victim, which is an event filled read with several twists and turns. It is told mostly from Rachel’s point of view, which gets the reader close to her thoughts and problems and makes the read immersive as there are few of the distractions a constantly changing point of view tends to offer.

The plot is well thought out and has plenty of momentum. There are more bodies, drug dealing gangsters, an elusive character known as Ghost and plenty of secrets. I liked the way it was not clear who was behind it all and why until the final denouement. I like the puzzle of who did what and I confess to not having much of an idea about that until all was revealed. I just, therefore, went with the flow and was surprised by every reveal and twist. It held my attention throughout.

Rachel King is a single mother with two teenagers and a toddler. She has a childcare crisis, a broken heart and a lack of faith in her investigative abilities, in fact she’s wondering about leaving the job for a more stress free life. Then there’s her latest ex, possibly former gangster, Jed McAteer. She thinks he’s returned to a life of crime, he swears he hasn’t. The spark is still there, so what will she do about it?

Lost Victim is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another fantastic book from Helen, I can’t put her books down, always brilliant and this one is no different

Read most, if not all of Helen H. Durrant’s books and this latest one didn’t disappoint.
Might be a little lightweight at times for some, while the twist that I expected didn’t materialise, but it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to Helen’s next contribution to the bookshelf.

From one of my top best selling authors.
D Rachel King is back with book six in this unique crime murder thriller series.
With Rachel and her personal life as a lone parent to Mia and Megan and her work it's a full on struggle and both always have to come first not second.

Dorothea Hart finds her friend Mary Dunn's horrific body at the alter in the church with a white rose between her fingers who would do this to a eighty four year old lady, she is a regular member of the congregation, The rev Henry Neville Is no help, and Rachel knows he knows more, when they ask to be let into the crypt that he insisted never gets used they find Emma Gilbert and this is not a old death so what is the connection to these two woman and they need to get more out of the man who and what is he hiding.

Oh My God what a twisted book this is right through that is all go go go.
It's a unputdownable big read to leave you hanging on your seat.
it will open your eyes as you read chapter after chapter.
There's never a dull moment in this authors work that I love.

Another good read from the author in the Rachel King series and can be read as a stand alone. The developing characterisation is very good, especially Rachel's two daughters. The plotting was intricate and twisty as the team search for the killer of an elderly lady, murdered in a churchyard. The pacing was steady throughout and there were plenty red herrings to keep readers interested. The ending was a little bit rushed but I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another fast paced and interesting book in the DCI Rachel King series. Rachel is wondering if she’s up to the job when she’s called to a murder on her first day back from a three month hiatus from her job. How will she cope when there’s no evidence to follow and her children are in danger.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe books, the publisher, I read a free, advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

The sixth in the Detective Rachel King series arrives with a very gruesome and most bizarre murder indeed. An elderly woman, grotesquely posed on an altar, tape around her mouth, hands tied and a white rose placed between her fingers. Rachel is still getting her bearings and worrying about struggling to cope following her return to work - can she get to the bottom of this case? When links to a serial killer compound matters, Rachel realises that she needs to act fast. A gripping and well paced police procedural with a deftly drawn cast. A worthy addition to this series.

256 pages

4 stars

Returning to work following a three-month leave of absence, Detective Rachel King is nervous. She feels inadequate and is not sure she wants to continue in policing.

Suddenly, she is assigned to the terrible murder of an elderly woman in a church. She and her team begin the investigation.

This is a very well written police procedural. Book six in the series follows Rachel’s painful return to work and illustrates the doubts she has about her job. At the same time, she powers through her doubts and dedicates herself to finding the woman’s killer. Her team is very competent and works together quite satisfactorily.

There are some very tense and dramatic scenes in the book. We have kidnappings, more murders, drugs, and backstabbing among criminals. We even have a bent copper.

I admire Ms. Durrant;s talent. I have read the entire series, and have enjoyed all of the novels. Her writing is smooth and intelligent. The characters are fully fleshed out and the reader can relate well to them. We even have a cameo by the bad boy old flame of Rachel’s. No book is complete without him.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

This is #6 in the DCI Rachel King series. Rachel has just returned from a forced period of time off. She's feeling jittery and rather unsure of herself. She doesn't have time to ease back into work as the morning of her return she and her team are called out to a local church. That morning one of the parishoners, Mary Dunn, was found stabbed to death in the church. Who could this well-loved elderly lady antagonized so badly they killed her?
This is the third of the DCI King series I've read and I've enjoyed them.

Lost Victim is a brand-new crime mystery from author Helen H. Durrant with a massive twist. I read this book in one day as it had me glued to my chair. The action was intense, and the characters were written well, with flaws and believable actions and dialogue.

Lost Victim is Book 6 in the Detective Rachel King series. After three months off, a gruesome murder throws Detective Rachel King back into the thick of it. But can she cope?

She is called to a murder, which is a horrifying sight. The body of an elderly woman is carefully posed on the altar. There's gaffer tape over her mouth, and her hands are crossed over her chest and tied with a white ribbon. A single white rose is placed between her fingers.
Does Detective Rachel King have a serial killer on her patch? One who's back from the dead.

I really like these characters and this series. The author skillfully unravels the story. Lost Victim is a thrilling mystery that will keep you guessing until the final reveal.

Something happens at the end of the book with Rachel King, but I don't want to say it as I don't want to give anything away. The only thing I can say is if she does this one thing, I could see this as a new mystery story waiting to happen!!

A great addition to the Detective Rachel King series. I look forward to reading more from this author and this series.

I would recommend this book, this series, and this author. A solid 5 out of 5 stars.

#LOSTVICTIM #NetGalley @JoffeBooks

This was my first foray into the world of DCI Rachel King, however, the book worked fine as a stand alone.

Searching for the killer of elderly Mary Dunn, Lost Victim is an easy read with some good moments. The story slowly builds throughout but ultimately left me with a few moments of surprise as to how some characters acted (all Mary’s friends).

Lost Victim was a nice easy one off read if you’re not looking for anything too heavy.

My thanks to Net Galley and Joffe for this arc.

Who killed elderly parish worker Mary Dunn and left her body at the church altar with her hands tied holding a white rose? Everyone liked her and had no reason to murder her. But someone did. Who also murdered a young girl whose skeleton was found chained in the crypt of the church. Detective Rachel King discovers to the 2 cases are connected which takes her into the world of sex trafficking, kidnapping, and drug dealing.

Really good book. Quick read, story flows, page turner, great character development. Highly recommend.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, and Joffe books and the fantastic author Helen Durrant for an early copy of her book.

This is the 6th book in the Rachel King series,I've not read books 1-5 but do have them all on my kindle to read and looking forward to reading them.ive read some of her other series (Calladine &Bayliss) which I'm enjoying.you can read her books as standalone as same main characters and different storylines. This book starts with Detective Rachel king she investigates a murder of a popular woman who works in a church where she was found dead..who would kill her?another victim was discovered in the same church.Theres so many suspects a fantastic read her books are fast paced and easy to read chapters,very engaging books the ending for me wasnt exciting.looking forward to reading more of her books highly recommend this author.

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