Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Fatal Endings", the third book in the Forrester Detective Agency Mysteries series by the incomparable Anita Waller. ( I am reading her other series, also, and recommend that one also.)
Having thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books in the series, I was so happy to be given the chance to review pre-publication. I was not disappointed, but it was an absolute emotional roller coaster of a ride (more about that later).
The Forrester Detective Agency is quite busy, with Matt handling most of the work as Steve and Hermia prepare for the birth of their child. Meantime, Karen Nelson (Matt's life partner) and her team are called out to a murder scene. It appeared that the victim had called Matt before her murder, but he had not answered the phone, as he did not recognize the number (and it was after business hours). Turns out, the victim had a tangential connection to the Agency, but was not a client or a subject. It appeared that she had been killed for the prescription drugs that she had just picked up from a night pharmacy. The investigation seemed to stall, until a second body was discovered days later in the same place, and the evidence from that killing pointed to whoever had murdered the first victim.
It was a domino effect of killings: the murder of Victim A related to the murder of Victim B (a young boy), and as a result of that second killing, a third - retaliatory - murder led the team to a very good suspect.
In the background, Hermia and Matt welcomed their baby to delight of all involved; and Matt and Karen became engaged.
What ensued absolutely broke my heart. I spent roughly the last quarter of the book with tears streaming down my face. I don't know the reason behind that plot twist (don't want to spoil anything, so enough said), but I guess we'll find out if/when there is another book in the series. This one was very aptly titled, as there were fatalities right, left and center.
Can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend you immerse yourself in the previous books - you won't be disappointed.

Fabulous read from this wonderfully talented author.
Characters big and small are well written and brought to life in my head.
Prepare for some real shockers, that is all i can say.
A not to be missed read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

Anita is one of those authors that flies under the radar I feel, and unfairly so. She is a great writer, her stand alone novels are fast paced and always bring a new perspective. This one is one of her police procedurals which o did enjoy but aren’t my favourite. Still a great read for fans of Anita!

Why? In the first 2 books of this trilogy, the author created a great world with wonderful characters and complex storylines, and that continued until perhaps 60% or 70% through this book. Then the author did something that I don't ever want to see, and because she did it brutally well, I cried through most of the remainder of the book. However, I don't read to have my heart broken, and I fail to understand why an author would choose to implode the world she created. As if that wasn't enough to disappoint fans of this series, the final plot line can best be described as a dark Lucy and Ethel scheme that is a particularly sloppy way to end a book, much less a series. I truly wish I had not read this final book in the trilogy.

Why then did I rate it with 3 stars? I did so because the majority of the book was well written, deserving of a 5 star rating, and I must give credit where it is due. Readers who develop no attachment to series characters, and can overlook an almost comedic murder plot, may enjoy it.

The narrator is deserving of a 5 star rating and did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life.

I just finished a great mystery read. Fatal Endings was a book that kept my mind occupied until the last chapter!

Fatal Endings by Anita Waller kept a fast pace and had good police procedural elements that held my interest.

When the murdered body of a woman is found in a Sheffield parking lot, former cop turned private investigator Matt Forrester finds himself embroiled in the case because the last call the victim made was to him.

But the case isn’t as simple as the drug theft it looks like, and when a young boy becomes the next victim, Matt and his life partner, DI Karen Nelson, realize they’re investigating a terrifying series of revenge killings.

I liked this book and liked the characters and how the author unraveled the mystery.

#FatalEndings #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks

Nobody is safe… When the murdered body of a woman is found in a Sheffield carpark, former cop turned private investigator Matt Forrester finds himself embroiled in the case, because the last call the victim made was to him!! Fantastic read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This is a good book! It is definitely nerve wracking trying to figure out who the killer as as more and more people are murdered. There are 5 murders this police mystery is investigating. The pacing is good and fast, it kept me reading to get to the end faster. The characters were written well, and I enjoyed it, thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review!!!

I remember reading the first book in this series and finding it a bit too cosy and soft centred. That’s certainly not the case here as there are five fatalities and a palpable sense of threat. It certainly lives up to its title! The central character Matt runs a private detective agency. He is ex police and his wife Karen is a senior detective. Anita Waller does a good job on characterisation and even relatively minor characters are brought to life and given a distinctive identity. There isn’t a lot of mystery associated with the murder investigation, but the procedural elements have a ring of authenticity about them and focus on the teamwork required to secure a successful outcome. I always find it a bit hard to swallow when ordinary citizens and private detectives solve crimes so I was pleased that the focus was very much on the police at the novel’s resolution.