The Devil's Playground

I was absolutely thrilled to get this ARC from Netgalley as the Alyssa Wyatt series is one of my favourites.
What I love about these books is all of the twists and turns, this one came with a twist that I just did not see coming and it was one of those moments that I had to read two or three times! Aside from the twists and turns though, Charly Cox just writes the best characters. I had tears in my eyes so many times in this book, Cord really came into his own as a character I thought, he had such a good storyline with the kids and I even fell in love with the wolf dog! Four books in and I’m still dying to read the next one, hopefully not too long to wait!

They're back!!! Detective Alyssa Watt and her partner, Cord Roberts, are one of my favorite pair of criminal investigators. I absolutely love this series and was super excited to be allowed access to this ARC!! This book was extremely intense, twisted and quite disturbing! I LOVED IT!!!

I was seriously terrified at times but could not stop reading. It's a fast read and definite page turner. Charly Cox, once again, excellently delivers a tale filled with what one could only describe as your worst nightmares come to life. I found myself teary-eyed, cringing or picking my chin off of the floor quite a few times. The relationship and connection between Alyssa and Cord is so well developed that I feel like I know them personally. And adding their family lives into the mix makes them even more lovable and interesting.

The Devil's Playground is book #4 and can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend starting with book one, All His Pretty Girls. You will not be disappointed!

Huge thank you to Hera Books, NetGalley and the author for granting me free access to this ARC!

Bone Chilling!!

This is the fourth book in this series and let me tell you this author does not hold back.

Murder ,Devil Worshippers and a crazy race to find the killer keep the pages flying.

‘Just to be clear,’ Cord said, ‘exactly what are you suggesting here?’

‘I’m not suggesting anything other than a possible occult angle.’

Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner Cord Roberts have there work cut out for them. If your in the mood for a intense thriller that holds no punches this is it.

Thank you NetGalley and Hera Books for the copy of this book, I loved the previous books so I was excited to get a copy of this one. This is the fourth book in the Allysa Wyatt series. The relationships have changed and grown over the course of the series, so if you haven’t read the other books, I encourage you to.
The horrific things that happen in this book are counteracted by how much Allysa cares about the victims and the beauty of the relationships between Allysa and her team and her family. The characters are so good in this book- even the ‘supporting’ characters are well-drawn.
The story was intriguing and held my interest, first to make sure the victims were ok, and then to see how the criminals were caught. Believe me, you will want the criminals caught, and to find out why they did what they did!
If you are looking for a new, well-written series, this is for you! If you are already reading hte series, this is for you!

Best one in the series!! Gritty, dark, fast paced. Highly recommend!

Thank you #netgalley and #herabooks for the eARC.

well written with a good storyline and well developed characters. It was gripping, suspenseful, twisty and unpredictable. I couldnt put ti down, I really enjoyed it.

Holy SMOKES!

What a ride.

From the first page my heart was pounding. Pounding. I could not look away. This book was so good. This series is a favorite of mine.
This author has a fantastic way of pulling you in from the very start. Fast paced thrill ride!

And I literally teared up at the end. So dang awesome. I love how the characters are growing. I especially love the detective and her partner’s family dynamics. Not only do you love the chase of finding the killer. You become invested in the characters as well.

Thanks to netgalley for letting me review this book.Having not read anything by this author before charly cox is now firmly on my list. The story has everything, twists, blood, violence, murder, loved the story and found it quite dark in places with all the cult sacrifices and how the killers came to be be killers..loved the detail. The only thing that kept baffling me was the names, and i kept having to go back to see who they were. Definately recommend

Omg this book is absolutely amazing! It's so nice to read a thriller that is the old school, dark, murder mystery rather than the tamer domestic noir type! From the oust, this story just grabs you and drags you through the chapters without letting up. I often see books referred to as "fast paced" but this one most definitely just has you speeding full speed through so many twists and turns. The characters are all well written and not the typical clichéd cast you often find in police murder mystery books. This book is dark..... its possibly not for the faint hearted but it is also so engaging and captivating and doesnt have anything vile thrown in just for shock value. I always think the sign of a trully well written book, especially a thriller, is when it not only has you holding your breath and questioning everything, but when it actually brings the reader to tears! That is just how deeply this book gets under your skin and just how invested the reader becomes. Which I always find to be very rare in a thriller/ murder story. It's not all gore or suspense, this book literally covers so many genres that there will be something in it for almost everyone. It's complex and yet never gets confusing. There's no waffle or filler, everything is relevant and does its part to keep the story progressing at a break neck pace. I went through it in a day and loved every second of it. The second I'd finished, I was off to download the authors back catalogue! Absolutely, this is what other thrillers/ suspense/ police books aspire to be. This will keep you up reading through the early hours, it will have you leaving everyone to cook their own dinners because you have reading to get on with. I just loved every second, 100% recommend

This is the fourth book to feature Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her crack team and OMG WHAT A READ!!!
Bone chilling, visceral and bloody terrifying. It starts as a home invasion, then double murder and a kidnapping. Craven and Mara are devil worshippers and they want to experience the power they believe they will receive by taking a human life. Be warned this book is graphic and definitely not for the squeamish. The best in the series so far. This very talented author is well on the way to being known as the Mistress of the Dark!!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review

When I saw that another book was coming out in this series I literally squealed with happiness. Alyssa and Cord are back! This is one of my favorite series and this book was SO good! What happened the night Skye and Elena were murdered and London kidnapped? and why? I found this book so captivating and the storyline was different then anything I have read in awhile. Not your typical murder mystery. This book has so many layers of suspense. I think what makes this book and this series so good is not just the different storylines it's definitely the characters. Following the stories of Alyssa, Cord, Hal and really all the main characters you can't help but not want to keep following their lives in every book. This book will keep you reading into the night so plan on not sleeping or doing anything! Perfect thriller! I will again be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Keep on writing Charly Cox your such a good author. This series just keeps getting better!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

Wow, this was one brilliant read. I loved, loved, loved it and didn’t want it to end. This is the fourth book in the author’s Detective Alyssa Wyatt series and I think this is the best one so far. Detective Wyatt is back investigating a double murder and a missing person with her partner Detective Roberts. I’ve always liked her as the lead character from the first book All his Pretty Girls and in the subsequent books the side characters, the team Alyssa works with, have grown on me to the point I feel I know them all really well now. I think this is a very well written book that grabbed my attention with the opening chapter and held it right to the end. I love the separate story threads, the twists that kept me guessing and I’d say expect the unexpected with this read. One of the best things for me was that Detective Roberts (Cord) really came into his own as a character and it was great seeing a very different side to him. I think Charly Cox connects so well with her readers through her characters and writing and has excelled here. Overall, a great read with characters you just root for throughout and I eagerly look forward to the next one in the series. If you like police procedurals I’d recommend this although I would say start from the first book and read the series in order.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this before publication. While The Devil's Playground takes on an unpleasant subject, we are spared the worst of the details and this makes it slightly easier to read.
Our story begins with London reading a story to her friend's two young children when she hears noises she wasn't expecting to. Concerned by this unexpected occurrence, she hides with the children in the closet and we are in for a tense wait as we try to work out what this might mean.
The evening results in the ritual killing of two young women, the abduction of London and the children safe but traumatised by their experience. Detective Alyssa Wyatt is called in and, as with the previous books in the series, she approaches her task with grim determination to ensure she gets the result she wants.
The remainder of the book then splits our focus. We are given details from the perspective of Detective Wyatt as she investigates. We see the torment London is subjected to as she is tortured. We also see inside the minds of the two responsible for these brutal killings. What we don't see until late on is how the little details combine, and exactly how the various details piece together.
Without giving too much away, this is a solid instalment in the series. We continue to see the main characters develop, and we also get an insight into their work.

I would not normally read a book that contains such horrific moments however it was written in such a way that didn't overshadow the plot, and meant I kept reading in order to find out what happened. Different points in this book made me feel many different emotions including shock, upset, anger and even a bit scared at times. I think this was due to how invested in the characters I was. Time was taken to really allow me to understand them and that meant my emotions were heightened in my desire for them to get the endings I felt were appropriate for them. I would read another book by this author after reading this one.

This is the fourth book in the Alyssa Wyatt series. There are references to the previous books, so it's best to read them first, but not necessary.
Wyatt and her partner Cord are investigating the double murder of Skye and Elena, plus the kidnapping of their friend London. We get come pretty horrific details, but they don't take away from the plot.
I really like Alyssa, Cord, and the supporting characters.
An excellent series!

Thanks publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This is book #4 in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series and it’s another wild ride. This was a keep reading till I was finished, can’t wait for the next one read.
Alyssa and Cord are called to the scene of a double murder, where 2 small children are found hiding in a closet, having witnessed the murder of their mom and her friend. All is not as it seems though and a 3rd woman has been kidnapped by the killers. Can they find her and keep the children safe before anyone else is killed.
Nothing but good things to say about Alyssa and her team and oh my heart, the relationship between Cord and little Carter.
Can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading all of these because you are missing out on some great reads if you skip the first three in this series.
Hopefully book 5 won’t be too long of a wait!

Yay! A fourth entry in the Detective Alyssa Watt series. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, it’s great to read them in order and see the character development. That’s what I love about this series. Each one involves a gripping investigation/mystery, but the characters are fully fleshed-out, not caricatures. In "The Devil's Playground", Detective Alyssa Watt investigates the disappearance of a woman from the scene of a grisly homicide. This one is just as engrossing as prior novels.

Detective Alyssa Wyatt is back with another adventure!!!

Skye, Elena and London are having their girls night out on Thursdays. But their usual girls night out is interrupted when two intruders enter and brutally kills Skye and Elena and kidnaps London. The only survivors of the torment were Skye's children, Carter and Abigail who witnessed the entire scene. Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner Detective Cord were set to investigate the case and they find more disturbing things about the murder cases, including a Satanic cult involved in the case.

From start to finish, I was literally hooked into the story. The story was fast paced filled with twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. I was on the edge of the seat as I was reading this book and the author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story. The torture scene the ordeal London the third victim was going through was actually disturbing to read but nonetheless and in a disturbing sense, that's what made the story more interesting!!! I was anyway glad that London got saved in the end and that the perpetrators were caught, although I didn't expect those particular characters were the perpetrators.

In all, if you love an unputdownable, twisty thriller that will keep you on the edge, then this book is one for you. Do you have to read from the first? Suggestable but you can choose not to. Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hera Books for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It kept me guessing to the end. It was the type of book where you say 'just let me finish this first' before doing anything else. I have read others in this series and eagerly await the next one.

Evil most human - tense page-turner, this one will keep you up late until you finish! Truly bad, and believable, very bad guys keep the good guys on their toes to hunt them down - suspense to the max!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hera Books for an advance copy of The Devil’s Playground, the fourth novel to feature Detective Alyssa Wyatt of the Albuquerque PD.

A home invasion leaves best friends Elena and Skye tortured and murdered and a third friend, London, no where to be found. Fortunately Skye’s two children, six year old Carter and three year old Abigail were hidden in a cupboard by London before she disappeared. Alyssa and her partner, Detective Cord Roberts realise that time is of the essence to find London and the murderers, especially when they suspect the involvement of a satanic cult.

I enjoyed The Devil’s Playground, which is a fast moving detective story with extras, as it is told from not just Alyssa’s point of view, but also London’s and her kidnapper’s. Even young Carter gets a turn. It works well as it gives the reader a rounded view of events and ramps up the tension, but it should be noted that there is a level of violence often absent from this type of fiction and a light exploration of satanic beliefs, so it might not be for every reader.

The plot is fairly straightforward in its premise, find London and her kidnapper. The twists come in the details of the hunt. I was surprised by some of them, others I guessed immediately, although there were more surprises than accurate guesses. I think the author does the tension well, with the urgency of the search for London coming over well. There is a certain amount of serendipity in the plot with certain events leading to lucky discoveries. I don’t think it actually matters as they maintain the forward momentum and keep the reader entertained.

The undoubted star of the novel is six year old Carter. He is wise beyond his years and extremely resourceful when it counts. It’s highly improbable but he gets a pass because he’s so cute.

The Devil’s Playground is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I came across this author originally on Netgalley, where I got accepted to read her 2nd book. I obviously went off to buy her first book, and i instantly became addicted to this series.
Now although this book is book 4 in the series, this could easily be read as a standalone too as it doesn't delve into the past books too much at all.
Charly's books are very fast paced, and they reel you in from the start.
This one was centred around Satanic worshipping, and it was quite brutal in places but I loved it and would highly recommend it.
I would actually put it out there that Is my favourite series of books I have ever read.

This is the 4th book in the Alyssa wyatt series. Although it is book 4 I’m sure it could be read as a stand alone.

As with the previous books this one keeps you wanting to read more. It’s fast paced throughout.

I can’t wait for the next instalment of this series.

I’d like to thank netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Skye, Elena and London are enjoying their usual Thursday night meet up. London is reading to Skye’s children when the hear blood curdling screams. London and the children hide and when London thinks the coast is clear to call the police, the intruders kidnap her and takes her to the ‘Devils Playground’ and is tortured.
Detective Alyssa Wyatt investigates and the team start to link the murders with an old cult movement. Are they able to find London in time.
A gritty plot, full of gruesome details, but entirely gripping. This is the fourth instalment of Alyssa Wyatt and each book better than the last. It can be read as a standalone as well. Can’t wait for next in the series!

A gritty, gripping, fast paced thriller that kept me hooked and on the edge till the last page.
It's the best in this series and I thoroughly enjoyed the well plotted story, the characters, and the solid mysteyr.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The fourth of the Alyssa Wyatt series, The Devil’s Playground by Charly Cox is a twisted macabre murder mystery. Three friends enjoying a weekly get together are preyed upon by evil, and a bloody murder scene baffles the police. Then two children are discovered hiding in a wardrobe and things just don’t add up. As Alyssa and the team investigate, a missing third young woman and satanic ritual possibilities are discovered. This is a dark tale of the occult and the police’s effort to solve a gripping murder mystery. A most enjoyable police procedural if you like hard edge crime, with realistic characters and chilling narrative that makes for a four-star rating. With thanks to Hera Books and the author, for an advanced copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

A movie night among friends ends up in death. Two women are killed as a third woman hides two young children. Finally believing it is safe, she leaves their hiding spot only to be captured and taken. Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner Detective Cord Roberts have witnessed the horror of murder, but what was done in this house was based on evil. Finding the two children hidden in a closet, Cord is able to reassure them that he will protect them. The killers aren’t finished as they plan the torture of their hostage. When they learn there were children in the home, they must be silenced. Although there were some graphic parts and the main theme was the investigation and hunt for the killers, the strength of the children (especially Carter who protects his sister), the camaraderie among the members of Alyssa and Cord’s team and the support of their families made this an overall excellent mystery. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

The murder of 2 women have detectives Alyssa Wyatt and Cord Roberts stumped. Why didn't the 2 children get murdered as well? Is another girl kidnapped?
This story keeps you racing to get to the end to find out what happens next.

4.5 stars.

The Devil's Playground grabs your attention from page one to final page.

I was looking over my shoulder, checking the doors were locked.

Alyssa , Cord and team are horrified and are racing to solve these gruesome murders.

Where is London the missing girl.

The descriptions were so realistic, I found myself cringing and crossing my fingers for London.

I can not believe I have not read this series before (you can read it as a stand alone) and I am off to buy the first 3 books in the series.

I can't wait to follow Alyssa and Cord on another case.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera books for introducing me to a new series that will surely be a favourite of mine.

When Detective Alyssa Wyatt is called to a crime scene, she is not prepared for what she finds: two women have been brutally murdered and another is missing, presumed dead. Finding two young children in the property, one of them having witnessed the horrific events, their safety is now a priority. When the evidence leads them towards the occult, Alyssa knows that there is a race against time to find the killers and prevent any more deaths.

This series has previously dealt with some very dark topics but this is arguably the darkest to date. I’m not a fan of reading about the occult but I’ve loved the previous books in the series and so I put my views aside to read The Devil’s Playground. Thanks to Charly Cox’s brilliant writing, what I found was another superb page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Charly Cox writes such brilliant characters and I am a huge fan of Alyssa Wyaytt and her partner Cord. They feel very much like real people and I love how they interact with each other, both of them full of determination to do their job well while showing huge amounts of compassion. Their compassion is shown in a big way at the end of the book and I look forward to seeing how this progresses in the next book.

The Devil’s Playground is packed full of tension and I was certainly kept guessing with regards to the perpetrators. In many books, the ‘whodunit’ element is easy to spot so I was happy to be surprised by who the killers were.

This really is a brilliant series and I urge you to give it a try if you haven’t already done so!

There's nothing worse than being able to figure out the ending of a thriller, and this one kept me guessing. A wonderful and incredibly rich novel . . . Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through.

If you like strong characters crafted into believable characters, then get a copy of The Devil's Playground by Charly Cox.

Alyssa and Cord have a great partner relationship, and their banter cuts through the tension of the scenes so that you can take a breath between the action-packed plot. The action started from page one and didn't let go until the exciting end.

This is a book involving the occult and ritual sacrifices—scary stuff. My heart was pounding, and I had tears when they encountered and then interviewed the two children. The author wrote such gut-wrenching and vivid scenes that made me feel right there with the characters. I did not see some of the action coming, and the story was exciting. There were raw emotions, and the action leaped from the page.

Will check out more books by this author.

#TheDevilsPlayground #NetGalley @HeraBooks

Skye, Elena and London are best friends. They work together and each Thursday have movie night at Skye's house, with wine, snacks and films as well as story time for her two children with their aunties. This time however someone plans to gatecrash the party determined their visit will be unforgettable.

Experienced detective, Alyssa Wyatt and her partner of seven years, Cord Roberts are called to the scene of a home invasion in a quiet residential area which shakes even their hardened resolve. As they try to set a time line and work out what happened inside the small family home their discoveries make everything suddenly and unbelievably worse than they could have imagined. Alyssa and Cord know time has already begun slipping away from them with nothing they uncover giving any clue to who committed the heinous crimes or why. Their team is determined however and gradually get nearer to a truth which none of them could have come close to envisaging.

In this fourth Detective Alyssa Wyatt book the action starts at full speed on page one and never lets up. The six members of Alyssa's team are all present but Cord takes centre stage a little more than usual which I really enjoyed as he is definitely one of the good guys. This book isn't for the squeamish and not being good with snakes in any way, shape, or form, including the written word meant I skated over one part of this very quickly! The final few chapters were a shocking surprise for the most part which is always a good thing!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an excellent, fast moving, addition to a very good series which I have thoroughly enjoyed from the start and happily recommend.

A fast paced tnriller I encourage everyone to read ASAP. I couldnt put this down and read every chance I got.

4+ stars

I enjoyed an earlier book by Charly Cox so was thrilled to receive this one and it did not disappoint. In fact it kept me glued to my seat, unable to stop reading as it was a very suspenseful story.

Three friends - Skye Fleming, Elena Garcia and London Brecken gather for their regular Thursday girly movie night. Skye’s young children, Carter aged 6 and Abigail aged 3, have been put to bed but they beg London to read them a story, something she is happy to do. During this interlude there is a knock on the door and then the sounds of a violent struggle and terrified screaming coming from Skye’s room. The children are petrified but London gently urges them into the wardrobe where they huddle together trying not to hear the awful sounds.

When it is finally quiet, London ventures out of the room to find her phone to call for help but the killers are back! She is stabbed and abducted. A neighbour has has called the police and the traumatised children are finally discovered still hiding in the wardrobe.

London however is not yet dead. The killers have terrible plans for her. She is tied up and left in the dank basement of a crumbling old church which has recently been given over to satanic rituals. Eeeeek! These killers are stone cold, ruthless and relentless. I had a guess for one of them but I am pleased to say I was wrong.

This book is book 4 in the Detective Alyssa Watts series. I haven’t read books 1 and 2 but I am seriously considering doing that as the stories are so good. The star of this story was young Carter. At 6 years old he was so brave and protective of his little sister he stole my heart. Alyssa’s partner, Detective Cord Roberts gains the little boy’s trust which helps them progress the case. The police are desperately hoping to find London alive but it is looking less and less likely.

The cracking pace never let up until the end which was kind of sad. If you’re looking for suspense (without the romance) this is a great series to read. The police team are professional and relatable with no gimmicks. I will eagerly await the next book in the series. Many thanks to Netgalley and Hera Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Damn this book is dark and disturbing. It is definitely not for the faint hearted. I love this series and the other books are pretty gruesome but this one is extra creepy. The main reason I adore this series so much is Alyssa and her family. They’re just so adorable and it makes a change to have the main character cop not be a grouchy loner. I also love Cord and Hal. We love to see a disabled character whose disability isn’t the plot point (although not using the term wheelchair bound would be nice). I hope we get a new addition to this series and get to see more of certain adorable characters.

Now onto the crime part of this thriller. As I mentioned it’s dark, creepy, and full of suspense, it had me hooked. We get to see the story unfold from the POV of Alyssa, London, the kidnapper, and Carter. The chapters from London’s POV were absolutely terrifying and it really felt like we were there with her. Carter's POV shattered my heart and I may have shed a tear or two. I had no idea who the kidnapper was and every time I thought I’d figured it out I was proved wrong. The twists and turns kept me sucked in until the shocking reveal.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review