‘Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin ‘Kept me hooked’ Angela Marsons ‘An excellent read’ Martina Cole ‘Gritty, dark and chilling’ Mel Sherratt A dark and gripping debut crime novel – the first in a stunning series – from a huge new talent. The killer is just getting started… When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows … themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.
The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered.
And he is Lucy’s husband.
Now the police are running out of time, but can Maggie really believe her friend Lucy is a cold-blooded killer?
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Kept me hooked … excellent pace and a very satisfying ending.
This book broke my heart in more ways than one. It’s never easy to read about domestic abuse, but Ms. Holten’s prose is so personal and painfully honest, I couldn’t help but feel for Lucy who was trying her utmost to reconcile her career as a confident parole officer dealing with domestic abusers with her life as an abuse victim at home. I could only imagine how such duality affected her mental state and pushed her to the brink. Meanwhile, a serial killer vigilante applies their own justice to the notorious domestic abusers and one can only guess when they will strike again.
I would definitely recommend “Dead Inside” not only to fans of the psychological thriller/suspense genre, but to literally everyone. It’s not only a riveting read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page is turned, but it’s also a deeply psychological study that explains the mentality of both victims and perpetrators, what makes victims stay in the abusive relationship, and why perpetrators tend to get away with such horrific abuse. It’s a frank, absolutely spellbinding, and so very important read. I really can’t recommend it highly enough.
Noelle Holten’s debut novel, “Dead Inside” is book one in the Maggie Jamieson Crime Thriller series, and boy does it catch your breath right from the prologue! I was practically glued to the pages; when I couldn’t read it, you can be sure I was listening to the audiobook!
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Now, on to the storyline… after closing out the brutal ‘Chopper Case’ in the ‘Major and Organised Crime Department,’ or the ‘Murder Team’ as she liked to call it, DC Maggie Jamieson takes on a position in the ‘Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit,’ or ‘DAHU’ for short. Here Maggie works alongside her new team and Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood, as they take on one of their most unfavorable cases yet – trying to solve a string of murders in which the domestic abusers themselves are now the latest victims!
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Right from the start, the author provides her readers with multiple narrations and short chapters, making this a relatively quick and all-consuming read. I was particularly interested in Lucy’s story, an accomplished probation officer and a domestic abuse victim. Scratch that, a survivor of domestic abuse. While her choice of profession and everyday life consisted of keeping these types of abusers in line, she was not immune from it herself. Lucy was like many others in her situation; she fell in love and dreamt of her happily ever after, only to realize all too late that her nightmare had just begun. Before long, she had more than just herself to think about, but also the children, her career, and the logistics that came with her very survival.
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“Dead Inside” was a page-turner, to be sure—an addicting, interesting look into domestic violence and what goes on behind some closed doors. The narrations from Lucy and the other survivors were powerfully eye-opening. Learning of the author’s own experiences with abusive relationships helped bring further insight into the subject matter. However, the book does quite well all on its own at evoking the appropriate emotions throughout.
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While this was a Detective Maggie Jamieson book, the driving character here was Lucy Sherwood. “Dead Inside” does a fine job introducing readers to Maggie, learning of her past case, and current struggles. Luckily I’ve already read book two, and, as I write this, I can tell you “Dead Wrong” is majorly Maggie-based, and the pieces of her that are provided in book one are precisely what’s needed to prepare readers for what comes next!
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I would recommend this novel to those interested in police procedurals and crime thrillers with a heavyset theme of domestic abuse. It’s important to note that this book is a part of a series and does end with a cliffhanger. Rest assured that all of this individual story’s I’s are dotted and t’s are crossed, the ending scene purely leaves you wanting and ready for the next installment! If this is your kind of read, then dig in!
The subject of domestic abuse can’t be an easy one to tackle, so full marks to the author for depicting the suffering women can endure at the hands of their partners. Getting inside the heads of the abusers must have been a challenge. Their thoughts, attitudes and behaviours were certainly chilling and abhorrent at times.
The effect of being trapped in a violent and loveless marriage was shown through the eyes of probation officer, Lucy, who suffered to protect her adopted daughter. This was her story in the main, though she was one of several women who suffered violent abuse.
This made me wonder why the publishers were promoting this story as a serial killer thriller, with DC Maggie Jamieson as the main investigating officer. This suggests a police procedural, especially when three male abusers are murdered. But the police investigation into their deaths lacked depth and detail, and felt more like a subplot in comparison to the lives and traumas of the main female characters.
I would have preferred the focus to remain on Lucy and her conflicts and challenges, showing the police investigation from her perspective, leading to a more balanced and incisive story.
Great read.
Unrealistic. Characters were either all bad or all good.
I started reading this book when I had guests coming to stay and had to keep sneaking off to read another chapter. Powerfully written with credible characters and a plot that kept me guessing right to the twist at the end, it certainly had me hooked. The domestic abuse scenes were sensitively but credibly written and anyone who has gone through this will relate to Lucy and understand her actions. Highly recommended. I can’t wait to read Noelle’s next book.
A brilliant debut – gritty, dark and chilling. Noelle Holten knows her stuff.
What a debut and what a brilliant start to a brand new crime series. This novel had me chewing through my fingernails, tensely reading on to find out who the murderer was. It isn’t for the faint-hearted. Anyone reading will know that as they finish the first chapter. The tone is set from the start and the story continues it gets grittier and grittier.
It is written in a very believable way, tackling the domestic violence theme with an honesty that was so immersive. My heart was breaking for Lucy all the way through. I wanted to wrap her up and take her away from her horror. She has the career; she’s financially self-sufficient – on the outside she looks like she has the perfect life, but behind closed doors, we see how vulnerable and trapped she is.
Maggie is a great character and I loved the police team, especially Mark. The team dynamics felt authentic and the novel gave great insight to how probation staff and police work together.
It’s also thought provoking. The murder victims were the evilest of the evilest but did they deserve to be brutally murdered? Love, love, love the vigilante feel to it. The police, all professional, showed how they have to leave their own personal views behind when investigating a case.
If you’re looking for a read as gritty as an eye full of sand, as honest as a toddler reaching for the cookie jar in full view and as heart-thumping as a boat in a storm, then this is your page turner!
An excellent read.
I would have liked have to known more about the interactions between Lucy and Patrick. It never really was made clear just how bad the abuse was. There are only glances aside from the last big fight Lucy and Patrick have. I liked the story and it surely wasn’t bad but I think it would be more interesting if there would be more insight into the mind of the abuser.
DC Maggie Jamieson investigates when three men, who abused their wives, are killed in a most gruesome way. Maggie knows that she has a killer delivering their own brand of justice. Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood works with abusers who have been placed on probation, while not dealing with her own abusive situation at home. She fears her husband, Patrick, but tries to keep the knowledge of his abuse from her family and others. She knows he was a victim of abuse and stays with him as a way to protect and care for his daughter, Siobhan, whom she loves. The police determine that the three men were all connected to Lucy…is she delivering payback to other abusive husbands? When her own husband becomes a victim, did she finally snap and kill him? A very heartbreaking and absorbing novel dealing with domestic abuse and those that are trapped in the cycle of abuse. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
Three men were murdered, and they all had two things in common: a history of domestic violence and Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood. DC Maggie Jamieson and her team are in the midst of their investigation when Lucy’s husband becomes the fourth victim. Is it all a terrible coincidence, or is Lucy a killer? The team needs to solve these crimes, and soon… before someone else turns up dead.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading several unputdownable crime thrillers since I started book blogging, and I’ve come to have high expectations for novels in this genre. I want several characters who seem shady enough to be a viable suspect. I want to be shocked when something unexpected happens. Most importantly, I want to be surprised when the killer is revealed.
Holten’s spectacular debut easily met all those expectations.
Dead Inside is a well written story told from multiple points of view, which I enjoyed because I like to get into the head of several characters. Getting into the heads of the abusive men in the story was disturbing at times, but the realistic portrayal of them was necessary to the story, in this reader’s opinion.
I was somewhat taken aback to find myself feeling a momentary glimmer of sympathy after reading one of the victims final thoughts. That is something I wouldn’t have thought possible as he had done something pretty awful in a previous chapter. I rarely feel anything other than disgust for such an unlikable character. For an author to make me feel compassion, instead, is quite impressive. Well done. Very well done!
The ending blew me away, knocked me off my feet, and now I’m dying to read book two of the series. I can’t wait to see what comes next for DC Jamieson!
If you love crime thrillers and you’re looking for a new author to read, I highly recommend this book… and I hope you love it as much as I did!
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Killer Reads via Netgalley.