Good afternoon everyone I’m pleased to be re-sharing my review of the fabulous Her Deadly Friend by Rachel Sargent for the blog tour.
I read this book last year and really loved it so I’m thrilled to see it being republished with a snazzy new cover. I’m even more excited to learn there is a sequel, Her Charming Man, coming out on the 14th May 2024.
Find out more about the book below.
Book Synopsis:
A random sequence of murders rocks West Gloucestershire. First one, then another. From calculated and clinical, to opportunist and frenzied. As the body count tops five, Detective Inspector Steph Lewis’s investigations point to Amy Ashby as chief suspect for the rampage.
Steph and Amy were arch enemies at school.
Amy, still seething with fury about what Steph did back then, refuses to let the detective stand in the way of her current hunt for a new man and a fresh start. This time, it is for keeps.
As the evidence mounts, Steph is convinced of Amy’s guilt. But is Steph obsessed with a schoolgirl vendetta that could wreck her career and destroy her family? Or is she closing in on a deadly killer?
Her Deadly Friend is the first book in the Gloucestershire Crime Series, featuring DI Steph Lewis, a spirited, no-nonsense detective with secrets of her own.
My Review:
Her Deadly Friend is a fast paced, twisty read from one of my favourite authors.
Firstly I really liked the main character Stephanie and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She was a very real, sympathetic character especially as she’s suffering from a migraine for most of the book. As a headache sufferer myself I admire her strength to keep going despite this.
Steph and Amy’s interesting past was fascinating to unpick. I think it’s fair to say the pair have a lot of history between them and it was difficult to tell initially who was telling the truth about what happened. It definitely helped throw some mistrust towards Steph as I began to wonder if she what she was really like and what she was capable of.
This book grabbed me from the start and the action never really let’s up as there was always something happening to keep my interest. I had my suspicions about what was going on but had to keep reading to find out if they were right. There were lots of twists and red herrings, especially towards the end which kept me constantly second guessing myself.
I’m looking forward to reading more from this series in the future. Huge thanks to Rachel for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Rachel Sargeant is the author of The Roommates, The Good Teacher, The Perfect Neighbours and Gallipoli: Year of Love and Duty.
Her next book will be The Roommates, a psychological thriller set in a university freshers’ week.
She won Writing Magazine’s Crime Short Story competition and has been shortlisted in various competitions including the Bristol Short Story Prize. Her stories have appeared in My Weekly and the Saucy Shorts series by Accent
Press.
She was born in Lincolnshire and is a graduate of Aberystwyth University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. After many years in Germany, she now lives in Gloucestershire with her family. Her hobbies are swimming, visiting country houses and coffee shops, and going to the theatre.
She is represented by Marilia Savvides at Peters, Fraser and Dunlop.
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