I really liked this thriller. It was clever and smart and I couldn’t put it down. There were some disturbing parts and a little hard to read. Definitely dark and twisty!

I absolutely give "The Trap" a solid 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating!

This dark and clever thriller from the Erica Sands detective series had me hooked from start to finish. Gregg Dunnett masterfully crafts a complex and twisted plot that keeps you guessing until the very end. The depth of the characters, particularly Erica Sands, is truly remarkable. Her complex relationship with her psychopath father, Charles Sterling, adds a fascinating layer to the story, and you can't help but empathize with her struggles.

The scenes between Erica and Sterling are positively electric, reminiscent of the iconic Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling interactions. There's an undeniable tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next.

The incorporation of mathematics, cryptography, and psychology into the storyline is done with authority and adds an intriguing layer of complexity to the plot. It's clear that the author has done their research, and it shines through in the narrative.

While some aspects may have been a tad predictable, they were undeniably exciting, and the story's pace was fast and relentless. The book concludes with a cliffhanger that left me eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Overall, "The Trap" is a fantastic addition to the Erica Sands detective series, and it surpasses its predecessor. Erica is a captivating character, and DI Luke Golding is immensely likable. If you're a fan of dark and complex thrillers, I highly recommend this book. Kudos to Gregg Dunnett for another gripping read! 🔥📚 #Thriller #MustRead

I thought this was a good book! I like that it kept me interested and was hard to put down, I kept wanting to keep reading til the end!!

A Chilling Case..
The second outing in the Detective Erica Sands series finds Erica faced with a disturbing and chilling murder case which sends her spiralling when she is further faced with the fact that her estranged father may hold crucial information pertaining to the case which he is only prepared to share with her. As further crimes are discovered, Erica discovers unsettling links to her own past. Fast paced and well written this is a satisfying addition to the first in the series with a detailed, immersive plot and a credible cast of characters.

DCI Erica Sands is questioned by Commander Black on a recent case. The murder of Jane Smith had been handed over to Erica’s deputy, John Lindham. However intrigued by Black’s questions, Erica decides to have a look at the crime scene herself. What she discovers unfolds a series of events that cause chaos and mayhem within Erica’s team, not to mention dragging up Erica’s past.

Full of suspense, this makes a great read. Love the characters and the interaction between them. Exciting plot, you never know who to trust!

This is the second DCI Sands book and the momentum is building to make this a great series, hopefully many more to look forward to.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm.

I really enjoyed this book and the twists! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is after a binge worthy book!!

A creepy psychological thriller whether it comes from the murderer or Erica's past, never far away ! Overwhelming tension all way through, I couldn't put the book down. Good characterisation focusing on the psychological side .... Some gore details were depicted which I could skip as there were not many of them. I also had enjoyed book 1 and now I can't wait for the third book!!
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

The Trap is the second installment in Gregg Dunnett's Erika Sands series, a very promising new police procedural series. I give only four stars because I extremely rarely give five - I want to hold something back for the truly extraordinary - but this series is great so far and very promising. The police work seems realistic and the denoument is satisfying. The book is exciting. Personally, I still think The Glass Tower is the best book Gregg Dunnett has ever written, but I'm keen to read anything that comes out, and I'll definitely read the next installment. Given the developing secondary plot, which I won't give away, I'm really looking forward to it.

Thank you to NeGalley and Storm Publishing for my approval to read and review this boo.

This is the second in the series featuring DCI Erica Sands. Erica's Dad is serial killer, who is based in a high security prison. This book develops Erica's relationship with her father and you see how controlling he is when she was a child. Erica needs her father as he has some of the answers to the murder of Jane Smith and recent crimes that have been happening. Erica has to go back to her childhood to solve some of the clues she has in her memories. I was surprised by the ending and I hope there will be a book 3 in the series.

Well-written and suspenseful, this is probably the author's darkest novel yet. Drawing comparisons to Silence of the Lambs, this is the 2nd Detective Erica Sands novel. While this can be read as a standalone, it probably helps to know some of the back story. This book kept me involved, kept my interest and drew me in....but...

Spoiler alert


I hated the ending. Hated it. Abrupt, with no resolution. Not much I can do about it, except wait for the third novel.

I received a copy of the novel from the the publisher and NetGalley and am reviewing voluntarily.

When I saw Gregg Dunnett had released a second Erica Sands book, I couldn’t press “read now” quick enough! I absolutely loved The Cove, and The Trap definitely didn’t disappoint.

Book 2 in the Erica Sands detective series sees the relationship between her and her serial killer father develop further. When it becomes clear he is involved in yet more murders, Sands agrees to meet him. But can she work out how the mastermind is participating from his high security cell?

I love Dunnett’s writing style. Suspenseful, thrilling and oh so clever. Another well thought out crime piece. I’m so glad we got more from her father in this book, and loved that the relationship with Golding carried on - the pair make a wonderful team.

Please, please tell me we get a book 3! I need to know what happens next.

Massive thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my advanced copy.

A narrative with vivid description enough to send horror coursing up and down the spine. Featuring an imprisoned serial killer and his police inspector daughter. To catch another murderer will she give in to her father’s demands? Not easy to break away from the story once you start to read.

Book Two of Erica Sands whos father Charles Sterling is a serial killer currently incarcerated. He killed her mother and sister and she hasn’t seen him for 20 years no matter how much he begs her.
Another killer is on the hunt and Sterling says that if she visits him in prison he will help her with the investigation.
A similar vein to Silence of The Lambs and calculating Sterling is possibly leading Sands straight into The Trap.
Another great book by Greg Dunnett

4.5 rounded down

DCI Erica Sands, South West Murder Investigation Team #2

Three months ago, fifty five year old Jane Smith is found dead in her cottage in rural Dorset, is it a case of a burglary gone wrong? Why is Commander Black so interested in this case? He asks Erica some very odd questions about it. On a search at the cottage she finds a strange, disconcerting concealed note. Later, Erica is summoned to a meeting with Black and James McDonald, the Director of high security Highmoor Prison where her serial killer father resides. Charles Sterling claims to have information on the Jane Smith death but he’ll only give it to his daughter in person. Erica has not seen him since his trial and incarceration but fervently believes this is a trick and initially refuses to play his game.

Parts of this book absolutely wow me. Erica’s understandably complex feelings about Charles, how her life has been ripped apart by him is done so well you can’t help but feel empathy and sympathy and fully appreciate her reasons for caution. As for Charles Sterling is he the monster Erica believes or a reformed character as McDonald tends to think? The sections of the two together are powerful and positively electric as they verbally bat back and forth as he toys with her like a cat playing with a mouse. The scenes are reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter’s first meeting with Clarice Starling - an inspiration I wonder?? There’s a chilling and palpable sense of something very bad about to happen which proves to be horrifyingly and shockingly true. There are some jaw dropping and high octane moments in which you can scarcely breathe. The complex plot is fast paced but there are some opportunities to inhale oxygen again as the author takes the storyline into some fascinating and clever lines of investigation. You’d expect some maths (head above but even I with my dunces cap on can see it’s clever!) as Sterling is/was a well known mathematician but there’s also cryptography and some psychology which is all told with an air of authority!

The storyline builds and there are some extremely tense and gripping scenes. However, Erica brings down one manipulated soul a bit too easily in my opinion and one or two key aspects are easy to predict - that’s not to say these things aren’t exciting as they undoubtedly are. It all ends on a cliffhanger- will she, won’t she? I for one can’t wait to find out.

Overall, this is shaping up to be a very good series, I enjoyed the first one but this is in a different league to that. Erica as a central character is an excellent conundrum and DI Luke Golding is immensely likeable too.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Storm Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A fantastically dark, complex, and clever thriller. Will keep you guessing all the way to the end. Great, well developed characters bring this to life and make it a real page-turner. HIghly recommend.

The first novel in the Erica Sands detective series, The Cove, was one of the most memorable books I have read in the last few months - even though Erica herself was largely out of commission for much of the book. So I was very excited at the prospect of reading this second book about her by Gregg Dunnett.

The Trap delves further into police officer Erica's relationship (or lack thereof) with her psychopath father, Charles Sterling, a prolific serial killer who also murdered her mother and younger sister, Claire - namely, his wife and younger daughter.

Sterling spared Erica on the grounds that she was like him. She understandably begs to differ on that point, and has rejected everything that he stands for - not least by going into law enforcement.

Yet Erica finds herself in a difficult situation. Now held in a maximum security prison, Sterling finally has the leverage he needs to force his daughter to visit him: he has inside information on what appears to be a new serial killer.

This is a twisted plot, if not quite as ingeniously twisted as The Cove. I found the focus on mathematics a bit distracting, but I could understand it, given the importance of cryptography in this story. The ending was also a little too abrupt for my taste.

But there was a lot that was interesting about this story. It was good to get to know Erica better. And the Bitcoin element was inspired. The Egyptian connection was also a nice touch, ramping up the weirdness factor. All in all, definitely worth a read.

This talented author has written a page turner. Mystery and intrigue. A thriller. Realistic characters keep this story moving quickly. A page turner. Don’t try to discern the ending early. Difficult. Thanks Netgalley.

I read this book over a weekend and it was an incredible read. The lead character Erica Sands was really well drawn, with a dark and fascinating background. The whole story was gripping from start to finish.
I have now purchased book one in this series, and plan to start reading that next. Highly recommended, you will not be disappointed.

A dark creepy read. ,Full of mystery, murder and plenty of action. This is for anyone who enjoys a twisty edge of your seat who done it.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to get immersed in the story especially with the dark and tense atmosphere throughout.