This book is about Charlotte. She is recovering from a car incident. When there is a killer on the loose who targets teenage girls in the age group of her daughter, she gets a bit overprotective. Which leads to a lot of tension at home. T.M.E. Walsh is a new author to me, and this won't be the last book I'll read. The writing style is really good. I was hooked from page one. At first the pacing is slow, but it picks up soon enough. I like that there are lots of unexpected twists in this book. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I have a confession to make. Although ‘Pretty Little Things’ has been on my ever growing ‘TBR’ (To be read) pile for a while, I have never actually read it. On finishing reading ‘Pretty Little Things’ all I can think is, where have I been all this time? I absolutely flipping well loved reading it but more about that in a bit.
Charlotte is a bit of a funny old fish. When we first meet her, she is the mother of a girl called Elle and married to her husband. There was an accident a while ago and Charlotte appeared to be on the brink of losing everything. The accident has left Charlotte with some memory issues that affect her to this day and she often forgets things she is supposed to do. I did wonder if perhaps she was depressed as well because she does not come across as a happy bunny, she is still suffering as a result of the car accident and she lost someone close to her. As a consequence of losing someone close to her and the fact that four local girls were kidnapped and subsequently murdered, Charlotte has become even more fiercely protective of her daughter, to the point where she is stifling her. By that I mean that Charlotte seems to be determined to limit her daughter’s independence and her everyday life because she wants to keep her safe. Don’t get me wrong I totally understand the reasons behind it but Charlotte’s obsession with her daughter’s safety started to become a bit creepy for me. DI Madeleine Wood is in charge of a small team of detectives investigating the disappearance of the girls. She is one feisty, determined and sometimes stubborn lady. She puts all her energy into the case and this has led to conflict with her home life, which is suffering because she is so busy at work. I could understand why she was so dedicated to her work but I think that she had a bit of a wonky work/ life balance.
Oh my giddy aunt this was one hell of a scary rollercoaster ride of a read. Blimey oh riley there were more twists and turns in this book than you would find on a snakes and ladders board. I was also not expecting certain things to happen and when they did I felt as though I had been punched in the gut. The book began with a bang, the story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. I became addicted to reading this book from the moment I picked my Kindle up the book had me under its spell for quite a while. I was so wrapped up in DI Wood’s investigation and Charlotte’s fears for her daughter, that I just had to keep reading. As a result the page numbers seemed to fly past in a blur and before I knew what was happening, I had finished the book, which I had mixed feelings about. Don’t get me wrong I was pleased to finish because I knew how the story ended but at the same time I was enjoyed the author’s writing style, the story and the characters so much that I just wanted the book to continue. I picked the book up at an ideal time because I was in need of a distraction and boy did this book distract me. Some of the details were perhaps a bit gruesome but that didn’t bother me as both of my parents were nurses, so you can imagine some of the slightly disgusting conversations that were had around our dinner table.
To conclude I have to say that this is a brilliant book and I really can’t understand why I hadn’t actually read it before. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I can’t wait to read more from this fantastic author. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board just has to be a resounding and well deserved 5* out of 5*.

When I received the HQ Blogger newsletter asking for people to sign up to their June blog tours, one of the books that caught my eye was Pretty Little Things by T.M.E Walsh. I don't know what it says about me that at the moment I am drawn to books on the dark side...

The story is narrated from three main viewpoints, Charlotte, a mother who was involved in a near death car crash six months ago, DI Madeleine Wood, who is investigating the case of the missing girls, and 'anon' the perpetrator behind the crimes. Through their three voices you are really able to get into the heads of the characters and see all sides of the story as little clues and red herrings are thrown in to unveil numerous suspects as to who it could be. I think at one point or other I suspected every male character that was introduced...

The author has done a really good job with creating a character that really gets under your skin, I found myself constantly getting frustrated with Charlotte. Having been through a traumatic experience herself which left her suffering memory loss, and being friends with one of the missing girls mother, it's understandable that she is worried about her own daughter's safety and wants to do whatever she can to protect her but her actions put herself and those closest to her in immense danger...

From the opening chapter I was hooked, even if at times I found the descriptions a little too gruesome, as a cat and mouse game unfolds to try and catch the killer before any more girls fall victim. I can't say much more without giving away a massive spoiler but it's fair to say that the author must have really done her research to get into the mindset of the killer as the final few chapters were really chilling and felt so spinetinglingly realistic.

Despite having bought the first couple in her DCI Winters series which are still in my TBR collection on my Kindle, Pretty Little Things is the first book by this author that I have read but if this is any indication as to what I can expect then I need to go back and start reading her other books sooner rather than later.

I have to say this book left me speechless. I can’t tell you why as it will spoil it!
I was intrigued by other reviews that said about a twist at the end but I wasn’t expecting it when it happened.
Charlotte is recovering from a near fatal car accident and is trying to get her life back on track. Her husband and teenage daughter are very supportive but her memory lapses are starting to try their patience.
Petty arguments start up and as more and more teenage girls go missing, and are then found murdered, Charlotte becomes very over-protective of her daughter, Elle.
There’s another person who is trying to get close to Charlotte and her husband really doesn’t trust him but to Charlotte he seems harmless until she starts to get her memory back about the accident.
This is a real edge of your seat thriller and I loved the ending.
Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book started off good. It started off really good. Girls disappear. Bodies are found. Obviously there is a serial killer at work. Parallel to this story is the story of Charlotte dealing with the aftermath of a horrific car accident. Then the two stories seem to merge. But then, somewhere at about 75% of the way through, the wheels fall off the wagon and the wagon (analogy for the story) falls off the side of a cliff into the abyss of roll your eyes unbelievable. And while I realize that this is fiction and supposed to be a bit beyond realistic, this was too far to not leave a bitter taste in my mouth after finishing the book.

Ohhhhhh my word! I'm not afraid of gruesome novels by any means, but this one is Gruesome with a capital G! Four young girls went missing, and now four young girls have been found. Dead. With the formal identification of the bodies taking place, locals (as well as the Police) have their fingers crossed that they aren't the bodies of the missing girls. But they are. Who in their right mind would kill four young girls, then put them in a place where the killer knows that they will be found sooner rather than later? 

Local parents are keeping their daughters close to them after recent events, but with the teenagers not taking the situation seriously, the safety of their daughters become an obsession rather than a necessity. Can the police find out the truth? Will the police find the killer before they find another body? Time is of the essence...

I am so, so, so glad that I wasn't eating whilst reading this book as oh em gee, the storyline is severely dark and twisted! The killer wanted to describe how he murdered the girls as they were proud of their 'achievement' as it were. I on the other hand, would have felt a lot less nauseous if the descriptions didn't then turn into such vivid imagery in my head! I'm not complaining, obviously, but it is very gruesome.

It has been a while since I have read a novel which completely funked over my head, so when 'Pretty Little Things' completely funked over my head more than once, I was over the moon in such a weird, weird way. The psychological element of this book was on point! So many dead ends leading to unanswered questions, with the author dropping red herrings left right and centre to keep the readers on their toes; I felt like I was constantly going round in circles! I had no idea who or what to believe, all I wanted to know was who killed those girls.

I felt sorry for Charlotte several times as her life recently hadn't exactly been plain sailing. To be honest, her life had actually been wobbling on the edge - she nearly lost everything and the aftermath was still causing her multiple problems in her every day life, as well as her relationships with her husband and daughter. It must have been tough for Charlotte, that's for sure!

Reading 'Pretty Little Things' was like being on a roundabout from start to finish. The theme of the book may have been highly disturbing and very graphic, yet it worked incredibly well with the high level of intensity. Without giving anything away, there was a part of T.M.E.Walsh's novel which BLEW MY MIND! Totally unexpected. Extremely shocking. And by golly was it addictive. That part came out of nowhere, taking the shock value of the storyline away above the clouds. I would love to write 'OMGGGGGGG YOU MUST READ THE PART WHEREEEEE' but I can't, so please do trust me when I say that you need to expect the unexpected with 'Pretty Little Things' as there are tons of discoveries to be made along the way.

Jaw-dropping, spine tingling, disturbingly graphic yet unbelievably addictive, 'Pretty Little Things' will make you dizzy with excitement, whilst also keeping you on your toes until the very end. I may have been way out of my comfort zone with this book, but I can assure you that T.M.E.Walsh has now found another fan and I cannot wait to read more from this author if 'Pretty Little Things' is anything to go by!

Charlotte is recovering after a bad car accident. She becomes focused on a case of missing girls in the area, while worrying about her teenage daughter. When her daughter disappears too, she is convinced someone close to her is a killer. This was really good. Some big twists with a really unusual ending. 4 stars.

Oh! I do love it when a thriller is truly gruesome and bloody. This didn't disappoint on that front! My family couldn't get a word out of me whilst I was reading this, not until I had finished. I fell under the spell of T. M. E. Walsh from page one, my first read from her - I must remedy that.

PRETTY LITTLE THINGS starts slowly but gains pace if you persevere, this slow-burn had me gripped and when the pace increased I enjoyed it even more. I can't get enough of serial killer thrillers, and this is an exciting one! Edge of my seat would be an understatement. And that finale, I was shocked! So bloody good! Bravo!

I would like to thank T. M. E. Walsh, HQ Digital, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty Little Things by TME Walsh - wow!! This was my first book by this author but most definitely will not be the last!

I got hooked into this one fairly early on, the story has me needing to find out more. Charlotte was in a major car accident 6 months ago, leaving her extremely vulnerable. She lives in a small town where everyone knows each other outside of Milton Keynes. She lives with her husband and teenager daughter.

There is a murderer on the loose... teenage girls are being taken and now their graves have been discovered. The police are sure it is a local - but which one and why?

The ending of this book will have you gobsmacked.. it did me. I love that I was shocked - reading so many thrillers it doesn't happen as often as I would like.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for an advance copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest views

I loved every minute of this pacy crime thriller. Split over multiple points of view, including DI Madeleine Wood, village local Charlotte and the chilling ‘Anon’, the book kept me turning the pages.

The story starts with the discovery of four missing teenaged girls - a story that’s gripped the small village. Understandably, mother Charlotte goes to great lengths to protect her own teenaged daughter whilst trying to overcome the after-effects of a terrible accident. I don’t want to give anything else away but I’m sure you’ll enjoy every twist and turn of this book as I did. I felt like I was part of the investigation, looking at the clues along the way and I couldn’t be sure of ‘who did it’ until the end.

I have to say it takes a lot to have an ending catch me off guard, but Pretty Little Things managed to do just that. This book is a fast pace page turner with twists and turns that are sure to catch you off guard as it did to me.

Great storyline. Although I guessed quite early on that Charlotte was responsible I really enjoyed the later chapters getting to understand joe and exploring DID within the story. Great ending

Missing children or teens seem to be popular in psychological thrillers, but each one I have read so far, including this, brings something unique within its premise.

I found it difficult to put down as I read the last 20% which revealed a totally unexpected ending.
Highly recommend. No persuasion needed to give a five star rating to this fast paced psychological thriller.

I really tried to like this book but unfortunately I didn't like it. I like the story line of finding the missing girls but the one of the main characters Charlotte I found to be annoying so it was hard to continue reading. Got half way thru the book then I gave up.

I would like to thank HQ Digital and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Pretty Little Things’ written by T M E Walsh in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Six months ago Charlotte was involved in a car accident that nearly killed her. When local girls of a similar age to her seventeen-year-old daughter Elle are abducted and then found murdered Charlotte becomes very protective of Elle, not wanting her out of her sight.
Meanwhile, DI Madeleine Wood and DC Charis Braithwaite of the Major Crimes Force are carrying out a search for the killer of the girls before any more are snatched.
T M E Walsh has written a gripping and horrifying psychological thriller which kept me hooked from the beginning, spine-chilling and gruesome with lots of blood and carnage. There were a number of suspects anyone of whom could have been the killer but I definitely wasn’t expecting the twist at the end which came as a massive shock. I think it takes an exceptional author to write such an intriguing story as this one which had a complex and intricate plot.

DCI Claire is not going to have it easy with this one. Six teenage girls are missing. The bodies are not found and when four are found in one area next to each other, it seems the killer is almost egging them on to try to find him. Other than the fact that they are local girls, there seems to be no common link. Typical teenagers confronting authority both society and at home a couple of them had threatened to run away and had done so previously. What had made them accept a lift on a lonely road after explicit instructions had been given not to hitch hike. Did they know their kidnapper and murderer.



Charlotte has just this one child. She is determined to keep Elle safe. Elle is not happy with the situation at all and when her birthday party is cancelled after the four bodies are found she is furious. The story upto this point was the usual thriller/mystery/murder sequel. Detectives trying to piece together fragmented stories, no CCTV footage so the killer seemed to be aware of them, no finger prints, and a community tense and in turmoil.



Midway suspects emerge. As a reader you go through the whole gamut of obvious people around - John who is just separated from his wife, making a play for Charlotte, then there is Iain in whose garage a toolbox is discovered with keepsakes from each girl who was murdered. At this point it looked very bleak for Iain but the end is not in sight for the detectives who are fearful when another woman this time goes missing. A woman who has harassed Charlotte over and over again even in public. The fact that it is a older person kidnapped makes detectives fear that the killer is now spiralling out of control.



The end is twisted, unexpected and I guess no single reader has guessed it until now! I doubt any reader will.



An absolute page turner.

A slow start but put you in a death grip when you it grabbed you. This book is one I almost gave up on, because it's one that just started slowly and really made me think I was wasting my time reading, but it shocked me and the ending was amazing!
Will highly recommend in Chapter Chatter Pub!

Wow this was so intense it took my breath away! Fantastic book I loved it and devoured every page. A really clever piece of writing I would never have guessed that ending in a million years. A really well deserved 5 stars for this it was awesome.

Wow. This is a real page turner, I honestly could not put it down. It’s a really clever story and the characters are so well written you really do empathise with them. It has a jealous husband, a stalker-ish person, a potential affair, a solid police procedural, teenagers and a murderer. And the ending was a real shock, absolutely loved it. This really did have a proper, unexpected twist.....oohh brilliant.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ Digital for an advance copy of Pretty Little Things, a stand alone psychological thriller set in Buckinghamshire.

There is a serial killer on the loose in the villages around Milton Keynes and DI Madeleine Wood and her team are at a loss. With four teenage girls missing they suspect the worst but can't prove it. Charlotte Moore, a local woman, almost lost her life six months ago in a car crash and having had to re-evaluate all she holds dear is currently making her daughter, Elle's life a misery by smothering her with overprotectiveness.

I found Pretty Little Things to be a bit of a mixed bag for my personal taste but have rated it 4 stars because I recognise the novel's strengths and know that most readers will love it. The novel is mostly told in the first person by Chalotte Moore with a switch of perspective to DI Madeleine Woods' investigation from time to time and an occasional interjection from "Anon". I chose to read this novel as I love police procedurals but the police perspective is muted with Ms Walsh preferring to concentrate on Charlotte, so it's another novel, another unreliable narrator. I really struggle with this approach as flaky characters don't hold my interest and I get annoyed with their poor decision making.

This reservation aside, Ms Walsh does an excellent job of ramping up the tension and disguising the killer's identity and motive. I was clueless and had several suspects in mind as the novel progressed. The last few chapters are masterful as the full scale of events is revealed. It's fair to say you won't see it coming and while it may not be the most believable ending it fits the novel completely.

Charlotte Moore is obviously struggling with some kind of post traumatic stress after the accident and has behavioural issues. She's paranoid, mistrustful, erratic and extremely unlikeable. I felt no connection with her and groaned at most of her decision making so I can't say she is an enjoyable companion.

I'm glad I stuck with the novel as the ending makes it all worthwhile but I didn't always enjoy the journey.