‘I was on the edge of my seat every time I turned the page!! One of the best crime books I have ever read!!!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
You don’t want to play their games… horrifying case with no obvious clues.
And when Jersey Andrews, the best friend of Alyssa’s teenage daughter, Holly, joins the list of vanished girls, the case becomes personal.
But this investigation will lead Alyssa and partner Cord into the most sinister depths of humanity; an evil place where life is expendable, and where the depraved can fulfil their darkest desires – if they have the money to pay for it.
As the first bodies appear, abandoned on the streets, Alyssa is forced into a frantic hunt to track down the killers – before more innocent women lose their lives. But when the truth comes out, it seems that the key to solving the case was hiding in the last place anyone expected…
A dark, tension-filled and absolutely nail-biting crime thriller with a twist – this one will have you reading until the small hours. Fans of Robert Bryndza, Melinda Leigh and Lisa Regan will not want to miss this addictive read.
Readers can’t get enough of The Toybox:
‘This book is, in short, incredible… I was completely invested in all the main characters and didn’t see the twist coming.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘Don’t plan to do anything else until you finish reading this book… intense, suspenseful and realistic… Excellent
read.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘OMG!!!… an edge of your seat page turner with lots of action…and many twists and turns with one that most won’t see coming.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘I was blown away…I don’t think I took a breath the whole time I was reading.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘There were many twists in the story that really surprised me! This was a book that I wished hadn’t ended!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘OMG WHAT A READ!!!…Plenty of heart in your mouth moments and packed with tension and suspense. This crime series is one of the best I have read’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘a dark and thrilling crime read that will have you on the edge of your seat… This is a book you NEED to add to your TBR
pile.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘HOLY COW! This book will take you for the ride of your life…I was left stunned when the truth was revealed’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘There is just so much to love about this series..A dark and chilling read that will have you hanging on for dear life!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘raw, gritty…one of the best crime fiction novels I’ve read this year.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘what a gritty fast-paced novel, I couldn’t put it down!…gets your heartbeat racing’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘I have not read a thriller that I felt so physically and
emotionally connected to…started with action and didn’t stop until the last page… I will be recommending this one for fans of thrillers and crime reads for a long time.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘Creepy, spooky, and fill of adrenaline… Highly recommended!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘a very tense and nail biting book…I ended up reading the book in one night – didn’t want it to finish’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘Page-turningly brilliant…can’t recommend it highly enough’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
‘kept you guessing until the end…It was a dark story that never let you catch your breath.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review
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This is the second book in the series following Detective Alyssa Wyatt. The author does a fantastic job of covering such a difficult topic – sex trafficking – without being exploitative at all. This story sucked me in on page one and didn’t let me go until the last page. I enjoyed getting to know more about Alyssa’s partner, Cord, in this book as well. The story was hard to read at times because of the terrible reality of sex trafficking in our society. I really appreciated that the author didn’t go into explicit details about the nightmares the girls had to live through but she gave enough information that the reader could empathize with them. Charly Cox is an amazing author and I look forward to reading more of her work. A great read for anyone who loves psychological thrillers with believable characters and loads of twists & turns.
OMG!!! I thought the first book in this series was good, but this one is even better!! While the subject matter is very hard to read, its reality. It shattered me into a million pieces while slapping me in the face with a dose of reality.
I don’t have any triggers, but I have to say parts of this book were very hard for me to read. I cried and that’s very unlike me. This is an edge of your seat page turner with lots of action (some of which is just pure evil!), great characters (even the evil ones), and many twists and turns with one that most won’t see coming.
While this book can be read as a standalone, do yourself a favor and read all his pretty girls first as its really good and introduces you to the main characters. I really hope there will be more books in this series.
#Alyssa #Cord #Evil #GreatBook #NetGalley
Don’t let the title fool you there is nothing playful or funny about this story. What it is about is raw, gritty and sometimes hard to read. It’s also one of the best crime fiction novels I’ve read this year. The second book in this series is even better than the first.
Detective Alyssa Watt and her partner Cord are called into investigate several missing teenage girls.
The evil in this story is terrifying because it happens every day. If your a fan of Lisa Gardner which I am you will love this book.
Timely and well-researched, The Toybox delivers a cast of characters too real to forget. Author Charly Cox’s beautifully crafted words quickly evolve into images which are at times too vivid and painful to read. And yet we turn the page …because the story is so compelling.
Entertaining and riveting, but also heartbreaking and disturbing, The Toybox makes us laugh, cry, and get very, very angry. Somehow though, by the time we reach the last page, we’re left with hope. Inspired by Detective Alyssa Wyatt’s passion, thank you very much Charly Cox—we set the book down, determined to speak up!
I don’t generally read dark crime novels, but I couldn’t stop reading this one! Ms. Cox does such an excellent job of balancing the horror of the topic with the resilience and strength of the characters–it’s riveting. She nails what had to be challenging do –getting the pacing right and juggling so many characters and having it all continue to read smoothly and clearly. Highly recommend!!
This was the first book by this author that I’ve read, and I’m thrilled. It’s the second in a series which I didn’t know, and that wouldn’t have been a problem, except that the entire plot of the first book is given away! So, that was kind of disappointing. Otherwise, it’s a good mystery with characters that I enjoyed and can see getting to know better in more books to come.
Teenage girls are being taken in New Mexico, including the good friend of our main narrator’s daughter. That narrator is Detective Alyssa Watt and she and partner, Cord, are determined to figure out how these missing girls are linked and who could be behind it all. Alyssa’s daughter, Holly, also feels a need to help her missing friend Jersey, especially because she and Jersey’s cousin Sophie feel like they could have prevented her abduction. We also see from the perspective of one of the captured girl’s, Rachel. She gives us a horrifying glimpse into what they are being subjected to. It’s hard to contain your emotions as their torture is described, as the details are grisly. But these girls are tough, and though they are suffering, they are determined to be brave and survive to see justice served.
I love discovering a new series that doesn’t disappoint. The setting is also a nice change, as I don’t think I’ve come across any other set in the Southwest US, which is depicted quite vividly, making you feel the burning sun coming right through the pages. But there is evil everywhere, no matter the location, and Detective Alyssa Watt is determined to bring justice to those who have been wronged. I can’t wait to see what she tackles next!
The Toybox by Charly Fox
Detective Alyssa Wyatt #2
Well, the book description is correct…I stayed up till 3:30 to finish this book and then had trouble getting to sleep once in my bed. This was a book I will not forget any time soon. Gripping, gritty and gruesome this story is one that though not one hundred percent explicit left no doubt that the missing girls had more to deal with than anyone ever should have to bear.
What I liked:
* Alyssa Wyatt: this female lead character is one to admire. She has both feet on the ground, is a good leader, works well with her team, is compassionate and so much more. She is in a stable marriage with children she loves and cares for. She is…normal.
* Cord Roberts: job partner to Alyssa, he too is normal. A good man, happily married, good team player and someone I want to get to know better, too.
* Alyssa’s family: all seem to be normal (hear the repetition?) I am so ready for crime stories with people in charge that I can relate to
* The writing: plot, pace and writing were excellent
* That I was grabbed immediately then could not put the book down till the wee hours of the morning
* The issue of human-sex trafficking was presented in a way that was real and made me think about how to prevent it…
* That there was a happy ending for some
What I did not like:
* Knowing that human trafficking and sex-slaves really exist in this world and that there is so little regard for the plight of these people
* The entitled hands-off parents some of the girls had in their lives
* The evil amoral abusive people in the story – wanted to see them all experience exactly what they were so willing to do to the women they tortured
* Knowing that I missed the first book in this series – will have to see if I can find and read it soon
Did I enjoy this book? Yes, though the subject matter was not always easy reading
Would I read more by this author? Definitely!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Great suspense novel I couldn’t put it down. Will read .more from this author.
Terriic book, really enjoyed it. I couldn’t put it down.
This story of human trafficking is chilling!
i hated every word and while it hit on a very horrible situation in real life it was tooo hard to read.
I don’t usually give reviews but had to with this one..absolutely the best book I have read for awhile. I got so emotionally involved with the characters and the story where I literally could not put this book down. I got so caught up in it that there were times tears came, where I could not read fast enough. I highly recommend this book. I read this one before I read her 1st book where I went back and bought it. Probably would be better to read the 1st book first but really do not need to. Will not give any hints to this story line just that you won’t be disappointed if you buy..
In this book, the second in the series, Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner, Cord, tackle the genuine horror of sex trafficking of underage girls. When her daughter’s friend also goes missing in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area, it becomes personal for Alyssa, who is a tough but caring investigator who has no trouble doing whatever is necessary to rescue victims and bring the perpetrators to justice. This one was a fast-paced, nail-biter that was hard to put down. Definitely worth the time invested.
The Toy Box is the second book in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series and holy shit what a book! Unfortunately when I started this book I was unaware it was a part of a series, however it was still easily read on its own. There are mentions of the events of the first book and the brief glimpses given were enough to ensure me that book 1 is definitely worth reading also.
The Toy Box is a dark and thrilling crime read that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole book. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. While this is a work of fiction the subject matter of the book is not. Sex trafficking is a very real issue. That fact alone makes this book so much more horrifying.
You will be horrified and shocked by the treatment of these young women. Your heart will shatter for them. The young victim’s strength and determination will amaze you. And the truth behind their betrayal will leave you shocked. This is a book you NEED to add to your TBR pile. This is a book you will not regret picking up.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Rachel attended a frat party she really didn’t want to go to. She never made it home after the party.
Jersey Andrews went missing after a big blowout with her boyfriend. She walked away alone .. and disappeared.
When the two teenage girls wake up, neither of them know where they are or how they got there. They are not alone, either.
Upstairs is a room called the Toy Box. They will be introduced to the room at a later date.
Detectives Alyssa Wyatt and Cord Roberts immediately start interviewing parents, friends, co-workers looking for the reason these girls did not return home. This hits really close to Roberts and his anger may lead him to tank this case.
And then another girl disappears on her way home from school .. she’s only 13 years old.
What connects all these girls? They mostly come from higher income families, although there doesn’t seem to be anything else. Boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, fathers, step-fathers are all looked at very closely.
What the detectives find is something so horrifying that they almost can’t believe it themselves.
TRIGGERS: RAPE, PHYSICAL ABUSE, TORTURE. This may not be the book for everyone.
Although second in the series, this reads easily as a stand-alone. I do recommend reading ALL HIS PRETTY GIRLS as some things are mentioned in the second book that may impede surprising twists and turns in the first book. The plot is solid … characters are deftly drawn.. with a few surprises thrown in to keep the reader somewhat off-balance. I look forward to seeing this series extended.
Many thanks to the author / Hera Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.