This was a fantastic plot, storyline and the characters were relatable so much so that I was cheering Kat on to solve the case quickly before anything bad could happen!. After all, her best friend had been murdered by this person!. Knowing this was personal and the killer had disappeared before anyone could bring him to justice the first time, really made this book have an edge and the stress nearly kill me!!!
Chasing down a serial killer is no mean feat , especially when you need all the evidence you can get to make sure they don’t slip through the system and get out to reoffend. I could feel how the police officers felt, how they worked together to get the right result, their disappointment when they had to try another way. Tom the newbie, worked well with Kat but she sounded like she was a good person to work for. A fair boss.
If this hasn’t made you stop what you’re doing and check out this book, there must be something wrong with you!!

DS Kat Ballantyne has never got over losing her best friend Liv, the last victim of the notorious Origami Killer fifteen years ago in Middlehampton so, when a young woman is found with the trademark of this evil man; the smell of lavender and an origami heart, she is certain he is back and Kat will do everything she can to finally put a stop to this man's crimes and ensure justice for her friend as this was, after all, the reason she joined the police in the first place.

The Seventh Girl is a new crime thriller and the first in the DS Kat Ballantyne series, with an intriguing plot that drew me in from the first page, we meet Kat who is a straight talking, no nonsense detective who just wants to get the job done and catch the perpetrator, and the rest of the team who are mostly likeable characters who I'm looking forward to getting to know more in the future, except for Stu Carver, Kat's misogynistic boss, what a despicable man he is! This is a steady paced read with some great twists along the way and secrets that some people are desperate to keep hidden, which all added to suspense of the story. This is the first book I've read by this author, but it certainly won't be the last.

I'd like to thank Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Murderer kills 8 girls in 2008 then goes missing. The last girl killed is Kats best friend Liv. Kat is now a detective and a girl is found murdered, in the same way as those girls 15 years ago. And they all bare a resemblance. Kat is now trying to find the re-emerged origami killer before he kills too many.

It was a good story. Police procedural like watching Kat and her new detective Tom uncover clues and look back in time to find the murderer. Seems like it will be a good series I will keep my eye out for. An air of suspicion and leaves you guessing until the end.

A good fast paced thriller with interesting characters that kept me involved in the storyline.

I can thoroughly recommend this book and thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing (Thomas Mercer) for this ARC.

Detective Kat Ballantyne #1

Fifteen years ago, a serial killer was on the rampage, murdering young women in Middlehampton. Then the killings stopped, and the murderer evaded the police. So when the body of another woman is found bearing the twisted killer's unique hallmark - the overpowering stench of lavender, and an origami heart - DS Kat Ballantyne knows this can only mean one thing: the killer is back. For Kat, whose beat friend, Liv, was the killer's last victim all those years ago, this is deeply personal.

This is the first book in the Detective Hat Ballantyne series, and I hope it's started out as it means to go on. The death of her best friend Liv by a serial killer was the reason Kat joined the police force. Then the killer disappeared without a trace. But now, the killer is back.

I liked Kat, and we are introduced to some great characters. Kat had her life/work balance, but then the Origami Killer is back. Kat is on a race against time to catch him/her before the count rises. There are a few suspects to choose from, several twists, and the pace is fast. This story kept my interest throughout. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer and the author #AndyMaslen for my ARC of #TheSeventhGorl in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow this was heck of a brilliant read and one that kept me gripped throughout.
This is a new author for me so am thrilled to see that this is just book one of a new series and I can’t wait for the next book. I loved the main character DS Kat Ballantyne she was wonderfully written with plenty of flaws to her character but a genuinely excellent police officer. There are plenty of other great characters and it feels like there will be a lot more to come from them in any future books. I love it when I read a book that I just can’t fault and this was one of them the writing , the plot line, the dialogue all were so very real and were well crafted.
So a fabulous read one that is not to be missed if you love a great police procedural with a cat of super characters. Massive thanks to Andy Maslen for a superb read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Uk and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and what an amazing read it is! The book has an excellent plot, teeming with suspense, surprise and intrigue, a host of well-rounded, well-developed characters – it was truly refreshing to have several strong, straight-talking females in one book. The story moves at a constant pace - I was absorbed from page one, and I am already looking forward to book two! Quite simply, this is a fabulous read, worthy of all five stars.

I enjoyed reading this book.The characters were good,and so was the story.Good book that kept me guessing.

Ds Kat Ballantyne is a strong woman, she has a good marriage and relationship with her son which is refreshing in a detective novel. She has a good work/life balance until it appears the Origami killer is back after a fifteen year hiatus. This case is particularly close to Kat's heart as her friend Liv was the last victim before the trail ran cold. Liv's death is the reason Kat became a police officer and the subject of her nightmares. In a race to find the killer before he strikes again she has a fast track detective to mentor and a misogynistic boss to deal with too. The odds are stacked against her.
I really enjoy a crime novel, and I think I've now found another author whose books I will want to continue reading. Great character development, and despite the subject there is also a little bit of humour at times.
I loved it

3.5 ⭐️

Overall I found this serial killer who dunnit crime book to be ok. The things I enjoy is the serial killer coming back after along hiatus. I also thought it was interesting how Kat was connected to the serial killer and how it molded her life moving forward.

What didn't work for my was the pacing. For me it just was really slow and it I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I don't think I'll be continuing with this series.

If you enjoy crime books and the slower pace isn't a problem. I think there is an audience that will really enjoy this book. It has a lot of positives even if this wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

In this at , we are introduced to Kat in the first book of a new series. Kat is investigating a serial killer who. Killed her best friend. There is a gap in years between when the Origami Killer stopped and restarted killing and Kat is in a race against the clock to solve the case before anyone else dies.

It was a little slow for me, I did enjoy Kat’s character and getting to see her take the lead on an important case for her.

I’m pretty sure this is my first time reading his work. And I’m excited to start this new Detective series.
The Seventh Girl is book 1 in the Detective Kat Ballantyne series by Andy Maslen.
I was very intrigued to start this book. I thought it was a good read with a great story.
All the characters were well-fleshed out and I look forward to reading more about them in book 2.
This was a strong, character driven thriller. With an intriguing police procedural storyline that kept me entertained until the final twist.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A great start to a new series! There was so much happening in this book just when I thought I figured things out, a new twist would come. The characters were well developed and interesting. The ending tied together everything nicely and I would have never expected the killer. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to future books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

A decent whodunnit crime thriller that kept me reading and interested to the end.

Detective Kat Ballantyne is searching for the Origami serial killer, a man who killed her best friend years before and ultimately led to Kat becoming a law enforcement officer. 15 years later, the killer is back.

The book is decently paced, some strong characters including the female lead, there were a number of plot holes and back stories that remained unexplored, possibly for book series reasons.

Slow burner. Unlikeable characters. Too much Australian jargon which was hard to understand. Not for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Kat is a detective trying to solve a serial killer case that hits close to home because her childhood best friend was a victim. This series has the potential to be something. There were just a lot of reveals too soon like it was just too easy to solve. I like trying to figure it out as I read along and there just wasn't anything to figure out.

Really interesting, this is a DS Kat Ballantyne thriller. She is a great character, really well written and rounded out. Fully enjoyed it, was keen to back to reading it each night after I'd put it down the previous one. Love a thriller with a smart woman on the case and this one is very well written. I like that there was a personal angle to the case too. The detective is not just solving any murder, she is trying to find out who murdered her friend and wondering, who would be next. Very good, definitely recommend for anyone who likes thrillers

4.5
Very enjoyable, great characters and interesting story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of The Seventh Girl, the first novel to feature DS Kat Ballantyne, set in the fictional Hertfordshire town of Middlehampton.

Fifteen years ago DS Kat Ballantyne’s best friend, Liv, was the last victim of a serial killer nicknamed the Origami Killer. Now it seems he is back when a body is found with his trademarks, an origami heart hidden in the same place on her body and a strong smell of lavender, things that were never common knowledge. It’s personal to Kat and she’s going to do all she can to catch the killer.

I enjoyed The Seventh Girl, which has a fast moving plot, i.e. several bodies and suspects, and an interesting subplot on departmental politics. It is told entirely from Kat’s point of view, so the reader knows what she knows and gets a bird’s eye view on the big twist and its ramifications and her off piste activities.

I can’t say that I really took to Kat Ballantyne. Everybody has their own preferences in characters and I confess to liking characters with an even approach to their investigation. Kat is more emotional in her approach and by the end I found her slightly tedious. I understand her need to get a result - saving lives is important, but tainting the evidence with illegality and simply knowing that the suspect is a murderer won’t keep him behind bars. It is such a cliché to have an emotional woman as a protagonist and has a whiff of misogyny.

The plot is fast moving with several more murders and three persons of interest and a feud between Kat and her immediate boss, DI Stuart “Carve up” Carver. There is the odd moment of tension, but overall it is even paced with the content doing the talking.

The Seventh Girl is a solid read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it in less than 48 hours. We are introduced to DS Ballantyne who joined the police after her life was torn apart when her best friend was killed by the serial killer known as the Origami Killer, whose signature calling card was an origami heart left at the scene. But this was 15 years ago and when another girl is found murdered, Detective Kat Ballantyne knows that he is back.
The book had great pace, the lead character was very strong and I loved her I don't take any sh*t attitude. In fact. she wasn't the only female character in the book that I enjoyed. There are so many other characters in this book that will allow the author to delve into them in more depth in future books and I am eagerly waiting for that to happen. There were quite a few twists and I was left not knowing who the killer was until the end.
Thanks Net Galley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.