3.5 stars. Really enjoyable debut novel with a unique storyline. Look forward to the next in the series

What a gripping read! There's a handful of characters to follow and it can be confusing at first. But once you get the hang of it, it gets easier to follow. It helps that the chapters are short. The culprit is predictable but that doesn't take away the satisfaction of reading it. I just wish the blurb didn't give away that much. Still, it is impressive and well-written. One I definitely enjoyed.

It was hard to believe that this is a debut novel. What a fantastic read!

Lucy Sherwood is a probation officer for domestic violence offenders. She is also living with an abusive husband. Three convicted domestic abusers have been found murdered and DC Maggie Jamieson is investigating their murders. Soon there is a fourth victim......and it is Lucy's husband. Lucy is connected to all of the victims. Is she hiding a terrible secret?

I found it a refreshing change to read a story which involves cross agency working and particularly detailing the involvement of the probation service with these offenders. I particularly liked the short chapters in the book - it made it easy to pick up and put down when I needed to. It also kept me up quite late just reading one more chapter...and then another! The story moves along at a fast pace - there is no unnecessary padding. The characters are varied and add depth to the story. There are a lot of characters but I found it easy to remember who they were and what their role was in the story.

This is a gritty and realistic story about domestic abuse and it is a shocking, emotional and uncomfortable read at times. A powerful hard hitting, well written book Well done Noelle, an absolutely brilliant debut book. I can't wait to read number 2 in the series.

Thank you to Harper Impulse & Killer Reads, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of DEAD INSIDE by Noelle Holten in exchange for an honest review. Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood frequently deals with wife beaters as part of her duties. When she’s in the office, she’s in control. However, at home, she, herself, is the daily victim of domestic violence. After several of her clients are brutally murdered, police look for someone to blame. As soon as Lucy’s husband is murdered, too, the police arrest Lucy as the perpetrator of all four murders. Is Lucy guilty? Will Lucy be exonerated? Either way, Lucy feels that her future will be better than recent past.

Though this is a DC Maggie Jamieson novel, the book actually focuses on Lucy’s story, and Maggie isn’t the key to cracking the case. I liked it, though.

Wow I can't believe this is the authors debut novel, it was awesome!

It took me a couple of chapters to truly get into it as there were quite a lot of characters but once I had got my head around who they were and where they all fitted I was well and truly hooked.

This book deals with domestic abuse so parts of it are pretty hard hitting but it's very sensitively done. You see the view point of the abused and the abuser which is quite a novel and interesting approach. I found this book really emotional and sad in places for what the victims were going through.

The storyline was intense and fast paced, the punches kept coming keeping me interested. I found it hard to put this book down at the end of the evening, I kept wanting more reading late into the night. I enjoyed getting to know DC Maggie Jamieson and her new team in the DAHU, investigating Domestic Abuse and Homicide, I feel there will be some cracking stories coming out in this series.

I can't wait for book two, I think Noelle has outdone herself with this one it’s a really good read. I am more than happy to give this a 5 star rating, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is the publisher's blurb on the book:

A dark and gripping debut crime novel – the first in a stunning new series – from a huge new talent.
The killer is just getting started…
When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.
The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered.
And he is Lucy’s husband.
Now the police are running out of time, but can Maggie really believe her friend Lucy is a cold-blooded killer?

A dark, powerful, emotional and compelling and at times an uncomfortable and painful read, Dead Inside is Noelle Holten’s debut novel and is the first in the DC Maggie Jamieson series.
The author having been a probation officer herself, the book has an authenticity and a realistic and honest approach to domestic abuse, the abusers and the abused.

Three men with a history of violence and domestic abuse are murdered. Is this the work of a vigilante or are the killings more personal?
Lucy, who has painful secrets of her own, is a probation officer and has the unenviable job of dealing with the scumbag (excuse my choice of word), every day. The three victims have one thing in common. They all have Lucy as their probation officer.
It is up to DC Jamieson and her team to find the answers. But when Lucy’s husband becomes the fourth victim, Maggie fears that the culprit they are looking for may be someone they know quite well.

Well done Noelle!

Thanks to the author, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I don't want to ruin this book for everyone who still has to read it, but believe me when I say that you are in for a thrilling read!
The story is really well written and I could not put it away. Can highly recommend!

I loved this book and would highly recommend it to all. It has a great story line, brilliant main characters and is a real page turner. I couldn't put this book down.

Dead Inside is a fabulous thriller that I could not put down. This is a must read for the year. The book is engrossing, written well, and great characters.

Never have i anticipated a debut novel as much as this one, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Noelle Holten really has produced a fantastic book with this, the first in the Maggie Jamieson crime thriller, and my lord, this is an author with a twisted mind! The subject of domestic abuse and the awful, awful consequences women suffer as a result has been tackled head on. It is clear the author has real life experience of dealing with offenders, because she writes so well and really draws the reader in. I can't wait for the second book in the series, and I've pre-ordered it so it drops neatly onto my kindle on publication day.

This was a fast paced and interesting story. I liked the main character and felt she was well written. I understood why she made the decisions she did, even as I was hoping she wouldn't!

The chapters are short, which makes it a very easy read as you can pick up and put down as often as you like. I found the story gripping and it stayed with me long after I'd finished the book. I'd like to read more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy.

Three thoroughly unpleasant men are murdered, all with a link to the same Probation Officer. When the fourth victim is discovered, it's even closer to home for the same Probation Officer. I won't tell you any more of the plot, so that you can enjoy it for yourself!

This is the debut novel by popular crime-blogger Noelle Holten and you can tell that she is steeped in the genre! Plus, I believe she used to work for the Probation Service - so tons of inside info there too!

There are lots of characters who may or may not be the murderer and there is an arc that will clearly run through to the second book in the series - so well done, Noelle!

This is the first time I've read a novel that is entirely based around domestic abuse - the abusers, the abused and the professional (and resilient) teams that have to deal with it all. It was a hard read for me, in that respect.. So much easier to read about some crime that is strange and unusual simply because it keeps you at a distance - it won't happen to you or anyone you know. Reading about domestic abuse, on the other hand, is difficult and uncomfortable because you know that it could be going on in your neighbour's house, your parental home - it's across the classes, across the generations..

I've given it 4 stars out of 5, only because I can't give it 4.5 stars - For me, it loses that wee half a star because I was pulled out of the story a few times by one of the characters whose name I know belongs to another blogger. and I kept thinking 'ooh I wonder if that's what sh'e's really like?!' :)

This is a confident start to what will be a long career as a successful crime-writer.. Roll on Book 2!

I’ve been anticipating this book for so long.
If you are a book blogger you will understand why I said that.

This is a debut novel, first in a series and boy oh boy what an example of a high standard of work here. It would easily shoot up in the ranks of Best Selling Authors who are already established.

The storyline is fierce, prompt, has pitch, power and pace, just the way I like it to keep my reader juices salivating to read more.

Lucy who is a probation officer for domestic violence is also experiencing this herself in her home life.
We see how this affects her and her job.

Maggie and her team are investigating several men going missing then things turn to more towards Lucy because the 4th man to go missing is Lucy’s husband.

It’s an intense fast paced read that will keep you turning pages.

There are a lot of characters that are introduced in quite a short time, but I was able to follow.

The only thing I had to get my head around were the familiar names in the book. Too many whom I knew on the net that for me knocked off one star.

Using one or two familiar people would be OK it’s been done plenty of times before, I’ve even been in a book once or twice, I just felt it was overloaded with familiar “known” people around the net.

That said.....
Once I got used to seeing them “in character” within the book itself it didn’t tend to matter so much.

An excellent read. And I can’t wait to see more from her in book 2

*these opinions are mine and may not reflect others*

This captivating debut expertly weaves the different viewpoints very well while drawing the reader deeper into the lives of the complicated characters with every twist & turn. It's an excellent introduction to what I hope will be a long running series. I look forward to reading the next investigation by DC Jamieson as it looks intriguing.

When Martina Cole raves about the first book by a new writer you just know you have to read it.
This was a really good debut novel. Tense, the main action was well spaced out and I loved the short chapters. This book certainly didn’t leave me feeling dead inside.

Phew! This is a real emotional ride, which holds no punches and tells it like it is. It is a gritty and very realistic police procedural with a difference. Bang up to date in terms of multi-disciplinary teams and cross-agency working, I felt the probation officer point of view really added a great dimension to the story. And what a powerful story it is! Really well written with fantastic dialogue, the story kept me gripped, flipping through the pages to find out what was going on. The pace was fantastic, with lovely short chapters, just how I like it. and an intricate plot to mess with your mind. I don't want to spoil anything, but really, I had no idea... Enough said. Zipping my mouth. You'll just have to read it!!!

Dead Inside by Noelle Holten is the first in an upcoming series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson. I enjoyed reading this book and was curious about how it was all going to conclude. There are quite a few characters so you need to pay attention as they are introduced. I liked the main character of Lucy, a probation officer for domestic abusers…she herself is abused by her husband. No one would ever suspect what goes on behind closed doors of her home. Lucy hides it well. Or so she thinks.

When three domestic abuse offenders are found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.

The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered. And he is Lucy’s husband. Now the finger of suspicion points at Lucy and the police are running out of time. Can Maggie and her team solve the murders before another person dies? And is Lucy really a cold-blooded killer?

I love how the author weaved together a gripping story and with different characters and various backgrounds that really kept me guessing. I thought I might have figured it all out but I was wrong! This was a fast paced book that you can read in a couple of hours. Very good- I look forward to the author’s next novel!

3.5 stars Lucy Sherwood is a probation officer who supervises domestic violence offenders. Which is ironic, as Lucy well knows, since she herself is a victim of an abusive husband. When first one, then two, then three domestic abusers are murdered--the situation for both the police and the probation department
becomes a pressure-cooker. The fourth murder finds Lucy as a suspect.

To start with - thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this brilliant debut. Thanks also to Noelle Holten for writing an awesome debut.

This is the start of a series in which DC Maggie Jamieson plays the main role. She is a feisty, easily likeable character and one who readers will enjoy following. This book was centred around the work of probation officer, Lucy Sherwood. It was great to have the perspective of a different service instead of the usual police procedural. It gave the book tremendous depth from the start.

The beginning of the book introduced new characters very quickly and it was difficult to keep up with all the new names and their stories. As the book progressed this became less of a problem as each character had their own voice and part to play. Lucy dealt with domestic violence abusers in the probation service and also lived with the reality of it at home. This was her secret though. And one she manages to keep almost throughout the book.

The character of her husband, Patrick Quinn is so well drawn by Noelle Holten that I challenge anyone to like him. He is thoroughly despicable and vile and a brilliant “baddie”. To reflect Lucy’s dread as he comes into the room, I found myself taking an extra breath as I was reading. Her escape into work each day was understandable. Her fear of leaving him was evident and played out well. It was an uncomfortable read on times but this was well written and not gratuitous in any way.

It was a good introduction to a new team, and one which I am looking forward to reacquainting with in Noelle’s next book. I hope Dr Kate Moloney is involved in the full series as her punk character was a lovely invention. It is great when a new series starts, particularly one that starts as well as this one. I am looking forward to DC Maggie Jamieson’s next adventure and hope that it lives up t9 the high expectations that this book has set.

I couldn't believe this was a debut novel!!!!! You would seriously think this author has been writing for years. I read it in a day because once I started I couldn't put it down. Lucy has a great career and good friends, on the outside she looked so happy but on the inside she was a crumbling wreck, my heart ached for her. The story makes you feel every emotion possible. This is one of my top reads EVER and can't recommend it highly enough. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.