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.
Sleeping Dolls by Helen Phifer Also by this author: Last Light, One Left Alive, The Killer's Girl , The Hiding Place
Series: Detective Morgan Brookes #6
Also in this series: One Left Alive, The Killer's Girl , The Hiding Place , First Girl to Die
Published by Bookouture on 13th June 2022
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 321
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle
The beam shines around the dark room, lighting up the woman in sky-blue pyjamas lying on the couch. But she doesn’t wake under the bright glow, she isn’t sleeping at all…
When a concerned neighbour reports a woman missing, Detective Morgan Brookes squeezes through the stiff front door to find the woman dead. At first, the case appears unsuspicious, but something about the scene unsettles Morgan. Every clock in the house has been stopped, every mirror covered, and the woman seems physically unharmed except for one missing lock of hair.
Shirley Kelly was loved by her friends and hated by her ex-husband and his new wife, but they have an iron-clad alibi, and Morgan is certain that the scene-staging holds a vital clue. She’s devastated to be proved right when another woman is killed, and her home arranged in the same way. The only difference is that the second victim has been stabbed, using a knife from Shirley’s own kitchen…
The team can’t find a connection between the two women, but Morgan is sure that there is a deadly pattern to the killer’s actions. She hunts through each woman’s past until she finds the link: years ago, they both worked for a woman called Evelyn Reynolds, before tragedy struck her young family. But what has made them targets now? Morgan knows this twisted case is far from over, can she find the final clue before the clock stops for the next name on the killer’s list?
Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is the sixth book in the Detective Morgan Brookes series. All books could be read as a standalone but you will probably get more enjoyment if you read the whole series.
There is quite a lot going on in this instalment. We have a new boss, Morgan and Ben have finally stopped messing around and got together and then we have these strange murders. Morgan is less green around the ears and is starting to think a bit more before acting. Given Morgan’s previous incidents I think this is a very good thing for her long-term health.
The story is well-written and fast-paced. I liked the flashbacks to 1989 to give a more rounded picture of the case. Helen always has a way of writing books that seriously creep you out. The sort that makes you want to sleep with the light on and this one is no different. I was seriously creeped out by some of the things the killer does in this book and it makes me very glad that I don’t live alone.
Another excellent addition to this series and I can’t wait for the next!
About Helen Phifer
Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children.
Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
@helenphifer1 Thanks so much, Emma!
@bookouture Thanks so much lovely 🥰😘 xx