This is my first Carol Wyer and it won't be my last. The characters are well established and fleshed out. This is a gripping thriller on the hunt for a possible serial killer. There are many twist and turns to keep the reader guessing and plenty of suspects. Thank you for the advance review copy.

This was the 2nd read i picked for the #OWLs2019Readathon for potions and i am pleased to say i have now passed it. This was a sequel as this was #3 in the detective Natalie Ward series. I am obsessed with these books, they are bloody fantastic! Every time i read these i think, this is the one - the one i am going to work out and do i? Nope.



When Savannah Hopkins doesn't return home as usual from her school, her mum freaks out - her mum was late home too and now she isn't there and she cant find her. In her frenzied state the police are called. Natalie is leading the investigation and determined to bring this teenager home. However, this isnt the case when the teenagers body turns up, around the same time - another teenager goes missing. With few leads but possibilities its only a matter of time before another body turns up.



The Dare is a gripping thrilling read that takes you on the investigation journey, discovering characters - possibilities and leads. There was no way i could figure out what was happening. I really tried, I still adore Natalie and i am in awe of how she runs on so little to get the answers all whilst trying to keep her family on the mend after the issues they have faced.



By far one of the best books i have read so far this year, and this was my favourite Natalie Ward, they just get better and better and more full of twists and turns. I couldnt see alot of it coming and when i was starting to figure it out (i thought) nope, still wrong. It was tense, full of drama and down right fantastic!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

A pretty good thriller over all. I thought the storyline was really good, but I feel that there was really just too many suspects, too many bad guys who just coincidentally happened to be involved in the storyline. Not everyone need to be a suspect. I will say, it was a pretty good story and a pretty quick read, great for our road trip over the weekend.

Does any parent know what actually goes on behind the facade of their teenage children. I think we think we do, but we really don't!

Jane thinks she has a good rapport with her daughter. Not being rigid but there are guidelines and when her daughter does not return home by 4 pm on a school day and when none of her friends know where she is Jane's nightmare begins. Her body is discovered just a few hours later.

Natalie Ward is the detective on the case and she knows that this one is not going to be an easy ride. She feels that she is getting close to the killer, but then a second girl goes missing and she knows the killer is mocking them with the clues he leaves behind. A killing of a similar nature in another city rings a bell and now Natalie has to find some common link with the previous killing to check whether a serial killer is on the rampage. When Natalie's own daughter goes missing the nightmare comes closer to home.

Full of suspense this is a real page turner.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* 'The Dare' is the third book in the Detective Natalie Ward series and like the two preceding books, it does not disappoint. Teenage girls keep disappearing... and then turning up dead. It is revealed that the girls' disappearances may be linked to a series of online dares. The book is littered with suspects and red herrings, that keep the readers on their toes. Things become even more serious for Detective Ward when her own teenage daughter, Leigh, fails to come home from school. Can Ward rescue her own daughter, or will she suffer the same fate as the other victims? As well as being a thrilling mystery novel, once again, insight is given into the lives of the police officers investigating the crimes. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Oh My God! I cannot imagine being a parent and reading this, my child would be homeschooled and never leave my eyesight. Good grief Carol Wyer keeps her readers ingrossed in the pages and unwilling to stop turning the page because you have to know who freaking did it! I can't wait for book 4 and I will be requesting an ARC as soon as I can
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this eARC for review.

This is the third book in the Natalie Ward series and after reading all three I have to say you will love this series !!

DI Natalie Ward is called in to investigate after 13 year old Savanna Hopkins goes missing on her way home from school and then the following morning her body is found. The case is extra hard on Ward as her own daughter, Leigh, is a similar age. Whilst investigating another girl goes missing, is this the work of the same person ? Another body is found and another girl goes missing. Can DI Ward discover the killer before it all becomes a bit too personal for her ?

This is a great read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially if you have teenage daughters !! A great cat and mouse style novel with plenty of twists and turns. Can you join the dots before DI Ward ?

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Carol Wyer has done it again! She has proven me once again you can't go wrong with her books and she is one of my go-to authors whenever I'm in the mood for an entertaining and fast-paced detective thriller. The Dare is already book number three of the Detective Natalie Ward series... And her team has another complicated case on their hands. While Natalie has never managed to grow on me completely (I can't put my finger on the why though), what I love is the dynamics between the different members of her team. They all have their own unique personalities and add a little something to the investigation; sometimes the story switches to one of their POVs as well. In The Dare the story alternates between the police and the killer. We slowly learn more about the killer's past, the meaning behind the title, the significance of the snake and why he does what he does. It shows the danger of the internet and its influence on teenagers... Especially since the younger generation seems to be getting more tech savy than their parents every second. There are a lot of twists and turns involved in The Dare, adding to the overall suspense and keeping you invested until the final reveals. Things will also get quite personal and a lot will be at stake for Natalie this time around. If you are a fan of fast-paced, well written and entertaining detective thrillers, you should definitely try meeting Natalie Ward.

The Dare is the third book in the Detective Natalie Ward series. It’s a tale of revenge, missing children and sinister videos. From the first page you are drawn into the book which quickly gathers momentum. It’s impossible to put down and will keep you enthralled to the very end. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Dare, the third novel to feature DI Natalie Ward of the Staffordshire police.

When Jane Hopkins gets home late from work she is panicked that her 13 year old daughter, Savannah is not home from school. Natalie and the team are called out next morning to Savannah’s Murder site but have hardly started investigating when a second teen, Harriet Long, has gone missing.

I enjoyed The Dare which is a fairly typical procedural with several suspects and little to go on forensically. The novel is told in the third person from the team’s point of view, mostly Natalie’s, with some italicised chapters to reflect the killer’s past and thoughts. I must admit that I mostly skim read the latter as I have compassion fatigue for yet another fictional psychopath giving it poor, pitiful me. I also think that guessing the perpetrator from early on in the novel didn’t help. Otherwise the novel is good with the team initially chasing their tails trying to make headway. I admired the way that their suspects’ motives could be interpreted in different ways and are only gradually teased out as the novel progresses. It’s interesting. I also liked the sense of panic in Jane Hopkins when she discovers that Savannah is missing as it gets the reader involved in the tension and panic.

Natalie Ward is trying to investigate murder but is dealing with personal problems, she believes her husband, after almost bankrupting the family, is gambling again. I was decidedly unimpressed with the resolution to this problem but can’t say more without spoilers. Apart from that she is a smart, tenacious detective, unafraid to tell it as it is.

The Dare is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Brilliant addition to the series. A twisted addictive story that you cant put down. Brilliant characters, can't wait for the next book in the series

Book 3 to feature detective Natalie Ward did not disappoint. Set in Staffordshire and featuring missing schoolgirls, it makes for compulsive reading. I am liking the character development and the pace of the book. Another well written book by this author. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook.

The Dare is the third book in the Detective Natalie Ward series. Once again Natalie shows herself to be a strong, intelligent police officer. Time is of the essence in finding evidence in this case were there doesn't seem to be any. Natalie struggles to find a suspect or a motive but when this case becomes personal it really is a race against time. Another thrilling read from Carol Wyer.

This is the third in the series and, to get the very best from it with regard to character backstory and development, it's a good idea to start from book one and read in order. That said, the main story herein is self-contained so you could read it as a stand-alone.
In this, her third outing, Detective Natalie Ward has her hands full with the disappearance of a 13 year old girl. I say disappearance, she and her team are actually called in proper as the girl's body is found. But their investigations throw up multiple suspects and so they struggle to make sense of it all. Then the worst happens and another girl goes missing. To muddy the water further, both girls appear to have shown an interest in an internet site which dares kids to do really rather dangerous stuff, including going missing for a while. Is this related to what happened to the children and can Natalie and her team find both the victim and killer and put an end to their heinous crimes?
As with a lot of books these days, this one features stuff that is quite prevalent in this day and age of social media. I lose track of all the stupid stuff that people - adults and children - are dared to do, and post evidence of, on the likes of Facebook. This made the book a whole lot more realistic and indeed scary as the things depicted therein are a little closer to home than usual.
As with the previous book in the series, this one deals with some nasty stuff but the author does manage to keep the book balanced by adding some lighter moments so it never got too heavy. The plotting was tight and well executed and the characters, both series-existing and episodic, were well drawn and came across a believable. The author also managed to pull the wool over my eyes enough so I didn't guess too early!
All in all a cracking addition to an already loved series which hit the ground running and left me satisfied at its conclusion. My thanks got to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

It was really fantastic to dive back into Natalie Ward’s crime world once again. I only read the other two books at the beginning of March, but it feels like ages ago and I’ve been chomping at the bit to read this one but time kept running away with me. I was determined to get it read before the end of the month though, and I’m so glad I did.
Like I said in the second book, it was like revisiting family. Not a lot of time has passed by just a couple of weeks, so we haven’t missed out on much of Natalie, Lucy, Ian and Murray’s world. It was good to have little snippets of familiarity thrown in, so you really feel like you know them.
The crimes taking place did echo those from the first book ‘The Birthday’, a little, whereby a child is killed, and then another and then…
The background story was very different, but the book had a very similar pattern. We still get to go along for the ride learning of the evidence at the same time as the police officers. We are given a little insight into the killer’s mind but not enough to give anything away. I did guess the perpetrator in this book which I hadn’t managed for books one and two, so it wasn’t so much of a shock for me. I think it was the pattern used in the two other books that helped me along the way with this. So I would have liked a more significant twist.
Saying that, though, it didn’t stop me from completely enjoying this book. I couldn’t put it down as I wanted to know the outcome. I really liked the ‘dare’ aspect as it is easy to see how this could become a reality with all the silly challenges that teenagers must feel pressure to partake in. This book is certainly a precautionary tale!

In this third outing for Detective Natalie Ward we find her investigating the cases of missing teenage girls whose bodies are discovered a couple of days later lying close to their homes, dumped in areas usully reserved for trash.
This is a tense rollercoaster ride as Natalie and her team race to discover the identity of the killer and the reasons behind the crimes.
Suspects present themselves but when it is discovered that all the girls have been visiting an internet website that dares kids to disappear for as long as they can, the stakes are raised.
Is it just a case of an internet trend or is there something far more sinister going on.?
The sense of urgency builds with each disappearance.
Can they solve the case before any more young girls die.
For Natalie it becomes even more personal when her own daughter Leigh disappears.
A totally gripping read, a story that is very current in this time of social media challenges, enough to make any parent worry.
I loved it and cant wait for the next book in the series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this in return for a honest review.

4.5 stars! I have enjoyed every one of the Carol Wyer books I have read, and this was no different.
Well written, great charecters and a good storyline, if not a bit unsettling.
This is the 3rd in the Natalie Ward series, and I cannot wait for the next one.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Dare’, third in the Detective Natalie Ward series and written by Carol Wyer, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thirteen-year-old Savannah Hopkins fails to arrive home from school, the police start searching and the following day her body is found at a rubbish tip. Then one of Savannah’s friends, Harriet Long, is also reported missing only to be found in similar circumstances. This is a particularly difficult case for DI Natalie Ward as she struggles to find a connection between the girls, and her daughter Leigh who’s the same age as the missing girls also vanishes on her way home from school. Have the missing girls been involved in dares that have gone wrong or is there a serial killer in Watfield?

‘The Dare’ is an exciting thriller and a worthy addition to the DI Natalie Ward series. It’s fast-paced with a tense plot, lots of suspects, and twists and turns. I enjoyed finding out more about Natalie’s private life, how she works such long hours she can’t give her two children the attention they should be getting, and her marital problems with David as he continues to gamble away their money despite promising to stop. Will their marriage survive? We’ll be waiting for book four to find out!

This is an excellent but concerning book. The power of social media is explored alongside the more normal teenage concerns which are linked together to provide a worrying picture of the pressures girls especially are under. Added to this is a brief look at the family life of one of the detectives and a more detailed storyline for the lead investigator which follow on from the previous books.

The part of the story surrounding Natalie's daughter, Leigh, was a bit of an anticlimax and left me feeling a little flat at the end of the book but apart from that it was a really good read and the way one crime uncovers others was very well written.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone following this series or who likes their murder mysteries with a very modern slant.

I get very excited now when I get the chance to read a new novel by Carol Wyer as I always enjoy her police procedurals.

I think The Dare is Carol Wyer’s most chilling crime novel to date and I was kept gripped right from the start. In her latest Natalie Ward thriller, she delves into the dark side of the Internet and explores a terrifying scenario. It does open your eyes even more to what is potentially out there online. Following on from the craze of the ice bucket challenge a few years earlier which took the online world by storm – which I have to say I never took part in, but I know people who did – Carol explores a much more chilling challenge that is encapsulating young people. But as this new craze takes hold, something goes disastrously wrong leaving Natalie and her team desperately hunting a terrifying serial killer who is exploiting young people.

There’s a real sense of urgency right throughout this book which Carol keeps turning up a notch as the case takes each new turn and as people continued to keep disappearing. This is proving a difficult case for Natalie and her team to crack, especially as she has her own problems going on in her home life as well, particularly with her husband. You know that the killer is going to keep killing until they are brought to justice. Carol cleverly keeps their identity under wraps until the final reveals, there are plenty of characters who will keep you thinking and wondering if it could possibly be them.

The plot is well thought out, and it kept me guessing as I tried to work out who could potentially be responsible for the crimes that were happening and this kept the pace flying forward. There were moments when the tension was so high that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Natalie is a character who is fast becoming one of my favourite detectives. She is a brilliant protagonist who has kept me intrigued over the past three books in this series, and after the final chapters, it’ll be interesting to see how her character develops further from here. And I don’t think she’s going to be given an easy ride any time soon.

This is another excellent addition to this series that just keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to read the next instalment. If you’re looking for a crime series that will keep you guessing and keep you on the edge of the seat, then look no further than these books.