I really enjoyed this one! First book I’ve read by this author, won’t be the last. The characters are very well written and the way the author segues into how they are connected each chapter was superb! Interspersed through all this is the story of a horribly abused young boy from years past.

There were some good surprises and red herrings. I thought I knew the culprit a few times and I was wrong. I did eventually get it right before the reveal but barely!

I really liked Lucy. She is kind, funny, smart and hardworking. She treats her coworkers with respect. So many female detectives are written with such horrible and overbearing personalities. She is a bit obsessive but in that job I’m sure it’s standard and not such a bad thing. Her relationship with her daughter Ellie, who is a typical teen😏, was sweet.

Again, this was really good! I highly recommend! Third book in the series but can be read as a stand alone.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

Mildly interesting at best. This was never a page turner and it did not get interesting until about two thirds through. Lucy Harwin would be fired from any self respecting police organization. If you are a fan of 'Midsomer Murders' then you will be disappointed in Lucy Harwin.

This is a first-class read, fast paced, well constructed and with believable characters. I read a lot of crime fiction and this is a great example of the genre.

The discovery of a hideously posed corpse begins an investigation in which the police and those members of the community caught up in such a horrendous crime have equal billing with each group linked through the local church and the lead detective. DI Harwin is a likeable character, she has an inbred desire to work for those who she thinks need her the most even though it alienates those closest to her. She isn't a maverick and it was refreshing to see her work well with her superior officers and team rather than rushing off at a tangent. Of course she isn't a doormat and her conscientious approach does ruffle the odd feather but I cheered for her and thought she was realistically portrayed throughout.

There is also an insight into what makes the killer tick and why the crimes are committed and although this made the whodunit aspect quite easy to work out it didn't give any hints as to how the story would eventually conclude.

There are surprising moments as well as some which announce themselves beforehand and between the two the discoveries and reactions feel authentic and well researched. The only thing I thought glossed over was the way both the press and social media would have reacted to a killer in our instant news society.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this novel thanks to Netgalley and recommend it highly.

This is the third book in the DI Lucy Harwin series where bodies start appearing in churches and the all appear to have a religious connection. DI Lucy Harwin and her team try to unravel the clues to find the killer. Lucy's personal life is still in turmoil after her divorce when her husband leaves her for a younger woman , bringing up a teenage daughter and dealing with a demanding murder case.

I really enjoyed this book and certainly didn't expect the ending. Once again a great read by Helen Phifer

well what can i say about this book 3rd in series its brilliant i figured it out halway lucy is so sassy i love her in this series mattie is her bestie the storyline will draw you in as both of her other books i cried in this one its very gripping this is a must read book twisty gripping and one hell of a read helen phifer just gets better and better i hoping next book lucy gets a man

4 and 1 / 2 stars

DI Lucy Irwin and DS Matthew “Mattie” Jackson respond to the call of a body found in an old abandoned and burnt out church. They see a horrific scene of a poor woman hanging upside down on a crude cross made of burned timber. The victim’s name turns out to be Sandy Kilburn.

This is my first Helen Phifer novel, and it certainly won’t be my last. I have discovered a new author! I truly enjoyed this book. The reader gets an excellent picture of newly promoted DI Lucy Irwin; from her home life to how she does her job. There is not so much information given that it distracts from the story, however. Lucy has a great attitude and a great team. I especially liked her partner DS Mattie Jackson. This novel is both well written and plotted, interspersed with little vignettes on the killer’s life story. There are a few twists in this novel, so be prepared to be surprised. I really appreciate books with twists in them as I love to be kept guessing as to what is going to happen next.

I want to thank NetGalley and Boookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this great novel for me to read, enjoy and review.

In the fourth book of the Lucy Harwin series, a killer is hunting. Lucy is I'm charge of a new team tasked with finding out who killed a woman and hung her upside down from a cross. The killer seems to be liked to a church where Lucy's daughter volunteers.

Honestly I will read anything by Helen Phifer. She didnt disappoint with her latest book. There were amazing twists and turns.

Having read this authors books before I was looking forward to this one.

This book gives us an insight into the start of Lucy Harwins career as lead detective. The case she finds herself on puts her at risk of violence herself as she attempts to solve several crimes which may, or may not, be linked.

The story is fast paced and I loved reading about the relationships between Lucy and her fellow officers as they tried to stay focused on the job at hand.

A brilliant read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Last Light, the third novel to feature DI Lucy Harwin of the Brooklyn Bay police.

Newly promoted to detective inspector Lucy undergoes a baptism of fire when her first murder investigation has ritualistic aspects to it and when another body turns up she is facing the possibility of a serial killer.

I enjoyed Last Light which is a fast moving procedural with some unexpected twists. It is mostly told from Lucy's point of view although there are several chapters devoted to the unnamed killer's past. There is not much new to read in the killer's accounts, just more of the mistreated as a youth which causes deviant thoughts and behaviour. I've read it all before elsewhere so I can't say it held my attention and there is enough detail to get a good grasp of the motive and guess the perpetrator. The investigation is much more to my taste as Lucy and her team battle desperately to stop the killer with little to go on. I found the critical evidence that leads to identification unusual and interesting and makes a change for it to hinge on something out of the way. I like the sense of tension and urgency that Ms Phifer builds around the investigation.


I really enjoy Ms Phifer's characterisation which always seems natural and realistic from the grumblings about colleagues' weaknesses to the inappropriate dark humour. Lucy is the lynchpin in the novel so her character is more developed. She's devoted to her job to the extent that her husband has left her for another woman and her teenage daughter flits between the two households. Her emotions in this upheaval are natural and understandable, some of her digs at her ex made me laugh.

Last Light is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Last Night Helen Phifer

Well here’s something you don’t come across very often, a prequel to a series. This is the book that tells the story of Lucy Harwin’s first case as a Detective Inspector, and what a gruesome one it is to cut your teeth on as the Senior Investigating Officer.

When a bunch of 13 year olds decide to go ghost hunting in a derelict church they get more than they bargained for. A woman is hanging upside down, on a crude crucifix made from burnt wood, with her throat cut.

Newley promoted Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin is sent to the scene as the duty SIO and meets up with her, DS Mattie Jackson.

It’s every Police Officers worst scenario, a brutal murder with no clues to work on, and a newly promoted Lucy finds it particularly frustrating. Her team are chasing around trying to identify the body and find any sort of evidence when a second body is found.

This second body brings with it another nightmare for every Police Officer and puts Lucy under even more pressure.

As the body count rises other factors start to lead Lucy and the team down some lines of enquiry that not everybody is comfortable with.

The first time I read one of Helen Phifer’s books I was taken aback by the way she writes, using the correct procedures and terminology, keeping the pace of the book up all the way through. Right up to the end I was captivated by the pace of this story.

There’s more to her writing than that though. The stories are great, and just like the others this one kept me engrossed from start to finish.

From the first chapter I was sucked into a great scenario. Helen has chosen to use a once prosperous English seaside resort as her setting. I have recently worked in a couple of these towns and didn’t realise how much they had become run down. How they had become great places to set crime stories.

I would usually comment on whether a new book, in an already established series, could be read as a stand-alone.

Well as this is a prequel the answer is obviously yes.

So, I’ll comment on whether people already reading the series will be disappointed by Helen going back to the start of Lucy Harwin’s career as a DI.

No, they most certainly won’t. What a great tool for giving us more of the back story to some of the key characters in the series, especially Lucy.

And what a tool for getting new readers hooked on a series that is already out there, because if this is the first DI Luck Harwin book you read, I can guarantee you will read the rest of the series and wait for the next instalment as eagerly as me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc.

Another Lucy Harwin story! This was another non-stop read for me. Very tightly paced and great, great characters. Oh sure, there were a couple of false trails that had to be followed as well as Lucy's on-going relationships (personal and professional). But that's what makes these books "must reads" for me.

Most of my questions were answered by the end and left me fairly well satisfied. Only a couple of big questions that I hope will be addressed in the next book of this series (what about Tom? Are he and Lucy going to be able to work together in the future?? What about Ellie and Bella?)

Please continue writing Ms. Phifer!

Detective Lucy Harwin is put to the ultimate test as she takes command of a new team just as a woman’s body is found in a derelict church. With no real leads, Lucy and her team are stuck, and then another body turns up, this one belonging to a very religious elderly woman. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the murders are linked to the church, the same church where Lucy’s own daughter volunteers her time. I liked this book because of the attention the author paid to Lucy’s private life and how it intersected and potentially jeopardized her professional life. Strong characters set a fast pace

A woman's body in an abandoned church, horribly killed. A decapitated cat on a doorstep. And everything linked to the local church - including :Inspector Lucy Harwin's teenage daughter.

This is the first title by this author that I've read. Enjoyable enough, but pretty obvious from early on who the killer was