Blog Tour Review: Hold Your Breath

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Hold Your Breath by Helen Phifer
Also by this author: Last Light, One Left Alive, The Killer's Girl , The Hiding Place
Series: Detective Morgan Brookes #9
Also in this series: One Left Alive, The Killer's Girl , The Hiding Place , First Girl to Die
Published by Bookouture on 2nd June 2023
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 289
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle

The biting wind whips around the crystal-clear waters of the lake. The girl sits with her eyes open, as if transfixed by the waves on the shoreline, but she has taken her last breath…
When Detective Morgan Brookes is called to Lake Thirlmere one frosty night, she’s devastated to find the body of a young woman positioned in front of the glistening reservoir. She has ligature marks on her limbs, glue residue on her eyes, and her beautiful face is as cold as ice. Knowing only a dangerous serial killer would arrange a scene so carefully, Morgan is in a race against time to stop them before more innocent lives are lost.
The victim is twenty-year-old Jasmine Armer and her mother is distraught to hear that her beautiful daughter is gone. And Morgan is shocked when she learns that Jasmine’s father recently committed suicide at the same picturesque spot. The killer must have known the family. Then Morgan receives a terrifying package at the station of an intricate death mask. She immediately recognises Jasmine’s long lashes and perfectly-plump lips.
With the killer taunting her, Morgan knows time is running out. And then Morgan gets the heart-shattering call that her friend, Emily, has been killed. Ligature marks on Emily’s arms are identical to Jasmine’s. Heartbroken Morgan knows this isn’t the end of the killer’s twisted game, but can she track them down before they take another life?

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is the 9th book in the Detective Morgan Brooks series but they can all be read as standalones.

Helen has written another book that is going to creep me out for weeks to come. She is one of those authors that is not afraid to show you the nitty gritty. She’s not afraid to kill off any characters. Some might not like this but for me it makes it realistic. Not everyone is saved. Every one of Helen’s books has had a murder that I could imagine happening (not that I want to mind you). 

It was great to see the team again and to see how Cain is now fitting in with them all. He is a great addition and will be really food for the team. Morgan as usual disregards everything and puts herself in danger. She is determined and a good officer but she really has no regard for her own safety. You would think by now she would have learnt something but clearly she has not. 

The pace was spot on and Helen had me racing through this one from the very first page. I was loathed to put it down for any length of time. If you love a gruesome crime thriller then this is one for you. 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2023 Goodreads Challenge
• 2023 Netgalley Challenge

Related Posts