Book Description
One missing girl. Five bodies. Time is running out.
When nineteen-year-old university student Emma goes missing, Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel is called in. But what is a simple missing person case soon turns into something much darker as Gravel’s inquiries lead him to the graves of five young women - each of whom looks just like Emma.
With a serial killer on the loose and his latest victim already in his control, can the police find Emma in time? Or will Emma have to save herself?
The Carmarthen Murders is the first book in the dark, edge-of-your-seat Carmarthen Crime thriller series set in the stunning West Wales countryside.
*Previously published as Portraits of the Dead*
REVIEW
Review for 'The Carmarthen Murders' by John Nicholl.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for John Nicholl and Boldwood Books
Publication date 20th June 2022
This is the fifth book I have read by this author and it was previously published as Portraits of the Dead. It is also the first book in the 'Carmarthen Crime' series. I have previously read 'Killing Evil' and 'The Doctor' (First book in the 'Dr David Galbraith' series) and 'The Wife' (Second book in the Dr Galbraith series) and 'The Father' (Third book in the Dr Galbraith series) which I would also highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its unique eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I am a huge fan of true stories and although this book is fiction it is based on a true story. I loved John's other books called 'Killing Evil' and 'The Doctor' (which is the first book in the Dr Galbraith series), 'The Wife' (which is the second book in the Dr Galbraith series) and 'The Father (which is the third book in the Dr Galbraith series) and if this is half as good as they are it's bound to be a page turner. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Boldwood Books. I have yet to read a book published by Boldwood Books that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 32 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Carmarthen, Wales 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that I live in Wales and only live a few miles from Carmarthen is amazing as I'm hoping to recognise a few local places.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Emma, Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel. "The Man", DI Clive Rankin and PC Carys Williams. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
This book was reviously published as Portraits of the Dead.
'The Carmarthen Murders' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book John discusses/includes strong language and sexual abuse.
OMG!!!! Yet another fantastic success by John!! What a read!! Just Wow!!! This is one of the best psychological thrillers and series I have read in a long time,in fact that I have ever read!!!
The book is written perfectly and with such vivid descriptions it really feels that you are with the protagonists walking the streets of Carmarthen with your heart pounding in a race against time.
Clear your schedules before picking this up because you won't be able to put it down!!
The storyline is absolutely addictive and gripping. I seriously WOULD NOT even start this book unless you have cleared your schedule because you will not be able to put it down!!! I absolutely blew through it in one sitting and it genuinely was unputdownable!!! A true page turner absolutely rammed with suspense, tension and everything you want when you read a psychological thriller. This would be absolutely amazing if turned into a movie, if done right of course!!! This is an absolutely gripping and addictive storyline. I absolutely loved John's 'Galbraith series' and when I discovered this series was being republished I couldn't wait to get stuck in. I didn't think John would be able to bring out another series as good as the Galbraith one as that was utterly explosive but yet again he managed it! For anyone interested in 'The Galbraith Series' the books in order are 'The Doctor' (previously published as 'White Is The Coldest Colour'), 'The Wife' (previously published as 'When Evil Calls Your Name' ) and 'The Father'.
This book is an absolutely explosive and addictive start to what promises to be an action packed series. I love the fact that this book is based in Carmarthen which is literally 15 minutes away from me by car. The fact that I recognised so many places really brought the story to life. John really describes Carmarthen perfectly and even when this book is filled with crime and murder he manages to portray the beauty of local areas. The storyline is absolutely ram packed with crime, mystery, murder, suspense, tension, and everything you could ask for in a page turner. It also has just the right amount of humour in to lighten the mood which I always love in crime books. I was absolutely mind blown on so many occasions in this book and one part especially had me shouting out WTF!! I just could not believe what I was reading and my partner had a earful about how shocked and absolutely devastated I was about what happened. Will I say more? Nope, sorry for the tease but you'll just have to pick up a copy to find out what I mean. I can't go spoiling it for future readers now can I? I love how John wrote this book giving the readers so many different perspectives from various characters so you get such a good insight into what is happening including from the killer. Again, I was completely shocked when I found out who that was so seriously a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS John I cannot remember the last time I was so mind blown by a book!! I think I'll have to leave this here as I dont want to risk giving anything away but needless to say this book is an absolute must read with an unexpected ending. I would love to see this turned into a movie!!
It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too.
I previously met the main protagonist Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel in the Galbraith series and I was pleased to "meet" him again. Not quite the hero that some may expect Grav is sarcastic, has an attitude problem, loves to swear and has nicotine stained teeth but at least their his own! All of this made him one of the most realistic characters I have ever met in a book and he had me laughing out loud on several occasions!! I love that he says it how it is and doesn't hold back. I also enjoyed meeting Detective Sergeant Clive Rankin who was another huge part of the team and is very likeable. All the characters are realistic and strong. Grav and Clive made a great team in and out of work and they worked perfectly together. I love the fact that neither of them were completely by the book and both had great attitudes and personalities. The killer made me feel absolutely sick, an ABSOLUTELY perverted sicko and it wasn't just them that shocked and disgusted me. However, sadly they are just as realistic as the other characters. Regardless of whether you love or hate them these characters worked perfectly to make this book absolutely unputdownable and I cannot wait to get stuck into the next book in this explosive series 'The Tywi Estuary Killings'. Keep your eyes peeled for my review for that.
I really cannot compliment and recommend this book more. It is a heart racing, nail biting, suspense packed psychological thriller that will stay with you for one hell of a long time.
Congratulations John on yet another absolutely addictive nail biting edge of your seat novel. This is exactly why you are on my favourite author list!!! As always I'm looking forward to reading your next page turner!!!
Overall a unputdownable, heart racing, nail biting and addictive psychological thriller
Genres covered in this novel include Fiction Classics, Contemporary Urban Fiction, Thriller, Hardboiled Mystery, Adventure Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction Classics, Mystery, Urban Fiction, Police Procedural, Death & Grief, Cromer Fiction and Crime Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as Charlie Gallagher, Mark Edwards Lisa Regan, Carol Wyer, DK Hood and anyone looking for a page turning series.
276 pages.
This book is just £1.89 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback via Amazon at the time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
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Author Bio
John Nicholl, a former police officer, social worker and lecturer, is the award-winning, Amazon bestselling author of numerous darkly psychological suspense thrillers. He began writing after leaving his job heading up child protection services. You can find out more about John and his books at: www.johnnicholl.com. You can contact John at johnnichollauthor@gmail.com
Purchase Link
Thanks for reviewing The Carmarthen Murders on your brilliant blog.