IN COLD BLOOD BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 5)

In Cold BloodSynopsis: DI Amy Winter faces her toughest case yet as a serial killer couple kidnap and hunt their prey. After capture, the victims are released from an unknown location each day. But freedom does not come easily as the victim’s injuries become more severe, and if they haven’t escaped by day four, they won’t live to see the fifth.

At five months pregnant, Amy is feeling backed into a corner as the father of her child, DCI Donovan, urges her to share the news. But Amy doesn’t want to be treated differently by her team, much less lose their respect when they discover she’s in a relationship with her DCI. When a call comes in from the killer asking to meet Amy, Donovan intercepts and sends a decoy in her place. But while officers are concentrating on the decoy, Amy is kidnapped from outside her home. She is the next victim, and the countdown begins.

After being bundled into the back of a van and driven to a desolate woodland, Amy’s heart sinks in her chest as she realises the killers have no intention of playing fair.

DCI Donovan is distraught as he discovers Amy is missing. When his team receives a taunting video, he is left in no doubt of the danger Amy and his unborn child are in. He must pull himself together to hunt the killer down. But with no clues and no location, there is only one person with intimate knowledge of how a killer’s mind works. Lillian Grimes – Amy’s serial killer mother. But can he persuade her to help him in time? As the days progress, Amy’s injuries grow more severe, and her team are locked in a desperate race against time.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

My Review: DI Amy Winter faces her toughest case yet as a serial killer couple kidnap and hunt their prey. After capture, the victims are released from an unknown location each day. But freedom does not come easily as the victim’s injuries become more severe, and if they haven’t escaped by day four, they won’t live to see the fifth.

At five months pregnant, Amy is feeling backed into a corner as the father of her child, DCI Donovan, urges her to share the news. But Amy doesn’t want to be treated differently by her team, much less lose their respect when they discover she’s in a relationship with her DCI. When a call comes in from the killer asking to meet Amy, Donovan intercepts and sends a decoy in her place. But while officers are concentrating on the decoy, Amy is kidnapped from outside her home. She is the next victim, and the countdown begins.

After being bundled into the back of a van and driven to a desolate woodland, Amy’s heart sinks in her chest as she realises the killers have no intention of playing fair.

DCI Donovan is distraught as he discovers Amy is missing. When his team receives a taunting video, he is left in no doubt of the danger Amy and his unborn child are in. He must pull himself together to hunt the killer down. But with no clues and no location, there is only one person with intimate knowledge of how a killer’s mind works. Lillian Grimes – Amy’s serial killer mother. But can he persuade her to help him in time? As the days progress, Amy’s injuries grow more severe, and her team are locked in a desperate race against time.

FLESH AND BLOOD BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 4)

Flesh & BloodSynopsis:

A string of suicides. A community in terror. And a chilling conspiracy only DI Amy Winter can crack.

A wave of apparent suicides hits a string of seaside resorts, but when a police officer is named as the latest to die, DI Amy Winter suspects there may be more than mere coincidence to these tragic deaths. But what dark motive could cause someone to throw themselves into the cold depths of the North Sea?

Someone in the community knows more than they are letting on, but Amy’s questions are met with resistance. A group of mysterious teenagers might hold the key, but why are they so afraid to talk? Meanwhile, after the release from prison of her serial killer mother, Amy is fighting her own demons.

In her toughest investigation yet, Amy must confront her dark past if she is to put an end to the carnage. What secret is so terrible that it’s worth killing a police officer for? Amy needs to find the answer, before the sea washes up any more bodies.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

My Review: I was pleased to be back with Amy and her team in this book which is number 4 in the series. DI Donovan is still in charge and when a string of suicides goes on at a seaside resort the team don’t have the first clue they were even happening. That is until DI Donovans old colleague Carla becomes another suspected suicide. The whole team relocate down to the coast in the hope they can help DI Donovan’s old team to get to the bottom of what happened to DC Burke.

There are a few threads running through the storyline one of which is a group of teenagers that seemed to be linked to graffiti found at each scene of the supposed suicide. Amy and DI Donovan know that these supposed suicides are way more than they seem and it becomes clear that the more they dig, the more they find. It was great to see a little more of Amy’s team such as Molly Baxter and to get a little more of her backstory.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest book and will happily move onto book 5 of the series named In Cold Blood

LEFT FOR DEAD BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 3)

Left For Dead Synopsis: A victim on display. A detective on the rails.

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is admiring a Valentine’s Day window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and resplendent in lace—until she notices blood oozing from the mannequin’s mouth.

This is no stunt. A post-mortem reveals the victim was left to die on her macabre throne for all to see. When a second victim is found, it emerges that both women were ‘Sugar Babes’ arranging dates with older men online—and Amy finds herself hunting an accomplished psychopath.

As she tracks down the killer, Amy’s instincts go into overdrive when the charismatic head of the agency behind the display makes no attempt to hide his fascination with her serial-killer parents. What exactly does he want from Amy? With her own world in freefall as her biological mother, Lillian Grimes, appeals her conviction, Amy pushes the boundaries of police procedure when a third ‘Sugar Babe’ disappears…Is she as much at risk as the killer’s victims?

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: I started this series and have read books 1 and 2 back to back going straight onto book 3. This book was just as good as the last and I read this in a day and a half it was that good. Every opportunity was spent sneaking a few pages in until such time as I could actually sit and read a big chunk. While Amy is spending some time shopping with her sister she comes across a macabre window display and as she looks closer and realises that the ‘model’ is in fact a murder victim. All hell breaks loose and before you know it Amy and the team are working on this newest case.

The difference with this book is that we know who the killer is early on but that makes not one bit of difference to the story. If anything it amps up the drama and intrigue. We see Amy continue down a strange path with her mother the serial killer Lillian Grimes, as well as coming to terms with new working arrangements. DI Donovan is now her Boss and with her foot in both professional and personal camps where he is concerned she struggles to adapt.

This latest instalment flowed very well with lots packed into a book that flew by. This series is absolutely brilliant so far and I hope I continue enjoying the books as much as I have so far!

THE SECRET CHILD BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 2)

THE SECRET CHILDSynopsis:

DI Amy Winter knows evil. She’s lived through it.

Four-year-old Ellen is snatched by a stranger in the dead of night. Her devastated mother, Nicole, receives four identical phials and a threatening note in a familiar scrawl that chills her to the bone. But she always knew this would happen. She’s been expecting it for years . . .

According to the note, one of the phials is poisoned. Nicole is given a deadly challenge: if she drinks one, the sadistic kidnapper will notify the police of Ellen’s location. The sender claims to be Luka Volkov but Luka is supposed to be dead, killed long ago in a fire that haunts all those involved.

DI Amy Winter is still reeling from the discovery that she is the daughter of a serial killer, and her childhood trauma only makes her more determined to bring Ellen home. When another child is taken, Amy finds herself in a race against time. To rescue the children, must she seek help from the one person she wants to forget?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I am always pleased when I finally catch up with an author I like to find they have an amazing new series and Caroline Mitchell is one such author! Thsi new series featuring Amy Winter I thoroughly loved the first book and was pleased to be able to move straight onto book 2. This latest installment features a missing 4 year old Ellen. What I love about this series is Amy Winter’s background is far from ordinary. She realised in book 1 that she was the daughter of an infamous serial killer couple and has had to deal with the trauma surrounding her childhood.

Thankfully it seems that she uses this to her advantage and has a knack of spotting people that are slightly ‘dark’. There are plenty of people playing various roles within this dark and shady storyline and it takes some time to work out who has played what part but as each element is revealed it becomes clearer for the reader to see where this story could go. I found myself totally absorbed in the storyline and love the fact that we still get to see elements of Amy’s relationship with her deranged biological Mother.

This series is turning out to be pretty amazing and I am pleased that I still have a few books left in the series to become caught up. Definitely a great series to read and I would definitely reccomend!

TRUTH & LIES BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 1)

Truth & LiesSynopsis:  Meet Amy Winter: Detective Inspector, daughter of a serial killer.

DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.

Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.

While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.

But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: Ohhhh I just LOVE getting stuck into a new series and this one is right up my alley! DI Amy Winter is a copper just like her highly respected Dad who was also a serving officer. However, we meet Amy at a crucial time in her life as she buries her Father and is coming to terms with never seeing him again. Not only is she going through the tragedy and grief over losing a parent she has to deal with an even bigger bombshell.

Lillian Grimes is one half of a serial killer pair along with her husband and is currently in jail serving time for the deaths of many young women. She is the absolute definition of a psychopath however she also happens to be Amy’s biological Mother. She decides that it’s time to reveal the location of three of the victims but only on her terms and those terms heavily include Amy. Alongside all this a young girl is taken from her doorstep and Amy’s team are racing against the clock to try and find her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and getting to know Amy, her colleague Paddy and her Mother Flora as it’s given me such good history each character. The storyline has plenty going on, and I didn’t want to put it down. Thank goodness I am at the beginning of the journey and can now go straight onto book 2 to find out what is going to happen next.