“Grabs you from the first page!”★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Could NOT put it down!” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A brutal Halloween slaying…When a teen kills both parents, only his therapist knows his darkest secrets but he’s not telling.Two murder victims. One confession. An open and shut case…right?Hot shot lawyer Isla Standing believes the truth belongs in court, even if that means risking her career. After overturning a … her career.
After overturning a police conviction and shattering a family man’s reputation, Harley Carroll’s case becomes an emotionally charged investigation full of unexpected twists for the Youth Crimes Team. DCI Bex Wynter must follow a long-dead trail of evidence, secrets and hidden agendas to solve this murder mystery.
But truth comes with a price and who will pay?
Courting Death is an action-packed police procedural made-to-order for readers who like their female detectives determined, smart and refreshingly human. Mixing legal suspense with realistic police procedure, it will keep you glued till the end.
Scroll up to buy Courting Death to experience this thrilling page-turner today!
For fans of Alex Kava, Tami Hoag, Harlen Coben, Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter, Sue Grafton and Victor Methos.
This is the third book to feature American Detective Bex Wynter at the London Met with the Youth Crimes Team. While each book in the series can be read as a stand alone, the story will be enhanced if read in sequence. That way the development of relationships between the characters can be better understood and appreciated.
What Amazon readers are saying about Courting Death
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “This is a fantastic crime mystery with twists and turns I never saw coming. I’m really loving this series with DCI Rebecca Wynter…The supporting characters add so much to this already fantastic story.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “This is the 3rd book I have read in this series and I love each one. I totally am into the characters as well as the twists and turns of the mystery. I can’t wait for the next book.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “A really excellent read! It drew me in from the beginning and held me to the end with well fleshed out characters, and a plot with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I love the “British Crime with an American Twist”, and although this book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone crime novel, I am now hooked on author Elleby Harper and have gone on to read the other books in this series!”
Books in the Detective Bex Wynter Files
Driven to Death
Stolen Girls
Courting Death
Death for Sale
Blood Lines
Killing Timemore
An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat. The perfect addition to this series, and a MUST for your TBR list!
Courting Death is the third novel about an NYPD detective who transfers to London to get away from the pain of her husband’s death. Detective Bex Wynter is a strong, complex character, and she’s one of the best things about this book.
The setup seems destined for an open-and-shut case: a teenager has confessed to killing his parents. But lawyer Isla Standing and DCI Bex Wynter begin to suspect that all is not as it seems.
The mystery is a good one. The reveals—not just of the killer, but of all the important clues—are well-placed, and quite satisfying. With solid twists, the investigation is compelling. It’s easy to root for the heroes—and the victims.
Harper has a good read on most of his characters, too. Although Isla’s husband, Quinn—coincidentally, a detective working for Bex—is mostly a jackass, he’s allowed some room to breathe in the second half of the book. Bex, too, is saved from being what could easily be a two-dimensional typical brooding detective by a few well-placed scenes that show the depths of her well-hidden despair.
I haven’t read the first two books in the series, and while I’m intrigued enough to want to know the details of what’s alluded to, I never felt lost or confused with the characters or the action. Many series don’t allow their sequels to work on their own, but the Courting Death is great to read as a standalone.
However, the book gets docked some points because many of Bex’s actions feel false, more in the interest in serving the plot than serving the character herself. Isla, too, is often in danger of being a little too perfect both in her tolerance of her intolerant husband and in the working relationship she has with Bex.
The ending is mostly satisfying, as well, but three characters have their arcs wrapped up much too neatly—and with a turn of events that strained my credulity too much. Without giving too much away, I’d just say that not only do I not believe that Bex would ever suggest the life-changing course of action these characters take, but the characters would never agree to it as quickly as they do.
Still, there’s a lot to like about Courting Death—and readers seem to agree, considering the high number of five-star reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads. This is a series—and a character—that I’d be interested in reading more about.
Remember that this is British crime book. Different from American crime books.
This is book three in a series of ‘character driven crime mysteries’ (author). I have read them all. The books are British Crime with an American Twist is how the author presents them. Now I freely admit that with books 1&2, I did not get it and was disappointed with that leadi-in. However, with this book and the getting to know the characters a little more , the lead- in is making more sense. Let me explain how I see ir: this is about how an American train police officer does their job within the British rules. This is the American twist. Just a sub current ( through the series) in the book but not plot line for the particular story. I see the character behaving a different way than written at times but understand why the author did what they did. It ties up nicely.
Also note that the book is written with British English. I note that because there are words , writing styles that are different. Some might even look like a typo for us Americans. So please keep this in mind and do a little research before making comment. For me in this book there is a certain word used among the police that I found offensive but found out that they use it among themselves. Taught this old dog a new trick.
The characters are showing growth and adjustments to each other. Nice to follow that. Learning about the differences to crime approach is interesting too.
Great book. Cannot say if stands alone since I read them in order. Now that the light has gone on, I can not wait for the next books in this series.
Note: this was an ARC and this is my honest and freely given review.
The third book in a series, Courting Death surpassed my expectations. I loved this fast-paced police drama. The characters are quite interesting in their interactions with each other and continue to develop throughout the novels. This is a great addition to the British Crime with An American Twist Series. Looking forward to the next one.
A really great read. I have enjoyed each book in this series and I think this one is my favorite so far. While, like the others in the series, it is basically a straight-forward police procedural, this story had some very unexpected twists and turns. I was never completely sure how the story was going to end; I just knew Ms Harper would do a great job of getting there. This book continues the antagonistic relationship between Bex and her second-in-command, Quinn Standing. It still feels a little strange to be wanting to throttle one of the good guys, but that is my strongest reaction to Quinn. In most suspense stories the heroine winds up in love with the man who most gets on her nerves and that’s what I expected to happen up until the middle of the second book when I realized there was no way these two could become an item. I am enjoying the change of pace. I can’t wait to get to reading the next book in the series and I hop Ms Harper doesn’t intend to end it any time soon.