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The Dare
| Title | The Dare |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2023-12-12 20:22:00 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Jane’s daughter is a good girl. What is she hiding? When thirteen-year-old Savannah Hopkins doesn’t come straight home from school, as she always does, her mother Jane immediately raises the alarm. Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward whose daughter Leigh is the same age as Savannah. Soon Natalie’s worst fears are confirmed when the teenager’s broken body is found in nearby shrubland. Evidence points towards a local recluse, but just as the net is closing around him, one of Savannah’s friends, Harriet, is reported missing. As Natalie delves into the lives of both girls, she soon discovers a sinister video on their phones, daring the girls to disappear from their families for 48 hours. But Natalie isn’t quick enough for this killer, and she is devastated to find Harriet’s body on a fly tip a day later. Caught up in the case, she takes her eye off her own daughter and when Leigh goes missing after school she knows she must be in terrible danger. The clock is ticking for Natalie. Can she catch this killer before her little girl becomes the next victim? This gripping rollercoaster of a read will have you up in the small hours turning the pages. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Caine and Robert Dugoni will love The Dare. Readers are going crazy for Carol Wyer: ‘Absolutely nail biting! … From the first page, I was hooked; I could not put this book down … Halfway through the book, once everything clicked, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor … I would start to read it on a day where you have no other commitments; you won’t want to put this one down!’ 5 stars – Clues and Reviews ‘OMG this book had me hooked from the first to very last page ... It’s impossible to put down, I was falling asleep about 3 in the morning with my kindle still in my hands!’ 5 stars – Goodreads Reviewer ‘Absolutely stunning!... wow it blew me away. Totally my favourite book so far of 2018… I loved everything about it… Amazing… 5 stars, although it is a shame I can’t give it more, it’s easily worth a 7.’ Bonnie’s Book Talk, 5 stars ‘Oh my god what a brilliant book you have to read it … This book grabs you from the first page right till the last page with so many twists and turns you do not know what is coming next … If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.’ 5 stars – Goodreads Reviewer ‘Everything Carol Wyer touches turns to gold. She most definitely knows how to write an addictive and tense page-turner and this one is no different. Compelling from the first page, this will have you hooked in a heartbeat.’ Novel Deelights, 5 stars ‘Omg!! My heart is pounding so hard! I have just finished reading The Birthday and I am floored! This is the first in a new series from Carol Wyer, featuring DI Natalie Ward and her team. What a way to start! Speedy, sharp, heart stopping and engaging; this is a series I am definitely looking forward to!’ TishyLou, 5 stars ‘Absolutely freaking amazing...
Review
The Dare is Carol Wyer's 3rd book in the Natalie Ward series. Though the central characters are well established, this can be read as a standalone. Amongst the many thrillers & police procedurals, The Dare sets itself apart with some clever writing, strong characters and some unique twists to a solid plot. When teenaged girls start going missing, the pressure is on DI Ward to find the killer before he strikes again. But as she starts closing in on the killer, the killer starts closing in on her. At the heart of the book, it is a solid police procedural. The plot may feel slightly predictable at the start but the writer manages to give it some unique twists. The writing is engaging and the pace is fast. The writer was able to build the tension throughout and all the suspects remained in play till the end. The depiction of working of the police force, the office politics and family pressures were accurate, which allows the readers to experience a proper police investigation, with far little clues and many dead ends. I also liked the perspective of the killer and his backstory, which was really well written.I think this is the first detective story I have read that tackles the issue of the dark side of social media (remember the Blue Whale Challenge). I loved the fact that the author chose to address this frightening and real threat through this book.Another unique thing about the novel is that forensic evidence takes a back seat in the entire investigation. The entire investigation is through ‘old school’ interrogations and checking out alibis and CCTV footage. With clues hard to come by, this added a different dimension to the novel.Even as a police procedural, this story relies on some strong characters to drive the story forward. I regret not reading the earlier parts as tracking the characters over the course of the series would have been great. The protagonist, Natalie Ward is a strong character herself but she is not the center of attention all throughout, and like some good teamwork, her other colleagues get an equal scope.Overall, The Dare is a gripping thriller with some well-rounded characters and a well-written story with some unique twists. If you like a good police procedural, you will enjoy this. 4/5 stars Many thanks to the publishers Bookouture, the author Carol Wyer and NetGalley for the ARC.
