Third in the DI Amy Winter series, this gripping thriller is not one to miss. Admittedly, I haven't read the first two but this can be read as a stand-alone novel. However, I'll definitely be going back to catch up on those because I'm already craving more.

While shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter discovers one particular mannequin is a little too lifelike. Blood oozes from the mouth and the eyelids are held with sellotape to stay open. This is no stunt. As she tracks down the killer, Amy's instincts go into overdrive when the charismatic head of the agency behind the display makes no attempt to hide his fascination with her serial-killer parents. But what exactly does he want from Amy? Is she as much at risk as the killer's victims?

The character of Amy is brilliantly written. She's realistic, isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes is right, and is straight to the point. A former police detective herself, I imagine Mitchell has allowed her own experiences to come through in the way Amy thinks and reacts. It's a unique piece of knowledge to have that gives the character more depth. As well as tracking down the murderer, there is a secondary plot that focuses on Amy's personal life but it doesn't steer away from the main story line, which I appreciate.

Mitchell's style of writing is one of my favourites. We aren't given too much description straight away or have an excessive amount of details thrown in our face, which can sometimes make books feel almost overwhelming. It's enough to keep the reader interested and craving more, turning the page fast enough so no time is wasted in finding out what happens next. It's simply that captivating. With short chapters throughout that switch between three different characters, it's easy to pick up and read whenever you have a spare few minutes. In spite of there being multiple characters' point of view, things don't get muddled up, which is something I have experienced with other books. Mitchell does a wonderful job at keeping things unpredictable; when you think you have a clear picture of where things are going, she pulls out another twist that leaves you shocked and begging for answers.

There is one particular chapter I think deserves a mention, but to avoid spoilers I'll keep things brief. Chapter 30 is short yet affected me the most. It's heartbreaking in so many ways and gives the reader a completely new level of understanding for certain characters. Was that Mitchell's intention, to rip our hearts out? Maybe. Maybe not. But it happened and I love her for it.

In short, Left For Dead offers a great plot, well-developed characters and an ending to satisfy everyone.

D I Amy Winter a detective with a very troubled past, manages to get herself into many life threatening situations. However using her guile and wit always manages to save the day leaving her superiors dismayed as they appear to have little control over her actions. But all ends well. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank You to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC!!

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is admiring a Valentine’s Day window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and resplendent in lace—until she notices blood oozing from the mannequin’s mouth.

A post-mortem reveals the victim was left to die on her macabre throne for all to see with a heart carved in her chest. When a second victim is found, it emerges that both women were ‘Sugar Babes’ arranging dates with older men online—and Amy finds herself hunting an accomplished psychopath known as "The Love Heart Killer" .

This is my first book in the DI Amy Winter series and I wonder why on earth didn't I ever read this series before!! I really enjoyed this book and it kept me hooked right till the end. The killer is revealed in the beginning itself but the way he operates gives you the creeps. There are so many twists and turns that you don't see coming. Overall an amazing mystery. Highly recommended!!

A woman dressed in a wedding gown is posed on a throne on a shop display. With a heart carved in her chest, she is left for dead...
Will DI Amy Winters catch "The Love Heart Killer" before he moves onto his next victim?

The story weaves between three perspectives; Amy's, the killer's, and his wife's.
I requested this book because I read and loved The Perfect Mother, but I failed to notice that this was the third book in the series. As a result, because the story was full of details from the previous books, I felt annoyed at not having a full picture of Amy's past.
I'm sorry to say that this book didn't turn out to be to my liking.
I'm not a huge fan of stories where the killer is made known from the get-go, so it contributed to the lesser enjoyment as I found it took away the suspense that would otherwise ensue.
The ending was good ( albeit it was a bit unbelievable that a seasoned inspector would do what she did ) and had me captivated, but overall it was just an average read.
It seems that I'm in the minority on this, so I think you should check it out yourself.

Where to start with this book. It had everything. If I had a checklist of things I wanted in a book then this one had it all. I absolutely loved the first and second book in the series but for me this one found another gear. I think this has to be my favourite book by this author and I’ve read them all. Needless to say I highly recommend this book.

Another marvelous book by Caroline Mitchell. She just always hits it out of the park. I love Amy Winter, a deeply flawed person yet one to be deeply admired at the same time. The storyline was gripping and I can't wait for the next Amy Winter book.

Wow. This author keeps getting better and better I love this series. So many twists and turns that you don't see coming. Would recommend this book to people

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is fascinated by a window display featuring a bridal gown, fascination turns to horror when she realises the mannequin is in fact a dead body

The 3rd instalment of the series had me racing to the end to finish and each in the series just gets better and better

Police thriller,continuing the series featuring Amy Winter. Characters are great and the story moved along quickly with a few twists.

Left For Dead I'd book 3 in the DI Amy Winter series. I was attracted to the premise of the book, and it did not disappoint! This was a great mystery/thriller. If you're looking for a great mystery/thriller, look no further!

This is a well-written police procedural starring an appealing detective, DI Amy Winter (who is accurately described as sort of a British John Douglas of Mindhunter).

The book presents a solid detective story with a great premise and all the necessary elements are present. It is less of a “whodunit” and more of a cat and mouse game between the detective and the killer, who is identified early. Both DI Winter and the killer are characterized very well. It definitely shows that the author was herself a police detective as all the police procedure is very detailed and realistic.

I did not realize that this was the third book in a series and for me it was a little hard to read as a stand-alone. This is mostly because events from the previous book, including a previous case and a situation with Amy’s family, take up a lot of space in the book also. Having not read the previous books, I was not really that invested in this part of the plot and at times was not able to follow it. I also was not a huge fan of the ending, which got a little cliche, but was still well-executed.

Overall a solid and well-written police procedural that I’d give 3.5 stars. But you’ll probably get more enjoyment out of it if you’ve read the other books.

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and Caroline Mitchell for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Policing For Dummies

I was attracted to the premise of a dead woman posed as a mannequin in a store window.

Enter Amy, a somewhat rogue Detective Inspector who made the discovery and acts as a primary to the case. Written from several character's perspectives, we know who the culprit is, but will they be caught in time to save others from the same fate?

Some readers don't like beginning a book in the middle of a series but I'm usually okay with it. In this case, it would have helped because the parallel story dealing with Amy's family is convoluted. I was and still am a bit confused about her adoptive, foster, and birth families.

There's also a romantic element as a minor subplot but it's handled discreetly. No awkward play by play, steamy or not.

As a side note, I enjoy colloquialisms so when one of the characters asks a visitor if she wants a "chocolate digestive with a "cuppa", it made me smile.

Thank you to Caroline Mitchell, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for my advance electronic copy

This is a must read series. Amy's character has grown a lot in this third book. She is dogged in her pursuit of the killer. I love how her past comes into play in her work. The murders are creepy. Samuel is disturbing. Then the shock factor comes into play and I was both stunned and gripped.

Her mother's appeal takes place in this book. There were a couple of events there that took me by surprise. It will be interesting to see the results of this plot point play out in the future.

We don't see a lot of Amy's team in this one. However, I really enjoyed the interaction between her and Donovan.

This series keeps getting better. The darkness of the cases draw you in and keep you invested in the outcome. You really want to see justice. The characters are interesting and complex. The family dynamics suck you in. I can't wait for the next one!

my first foray into the netgalley thing! i didn't realize when i downloaded this that it's the third book in a series, but no matter—it was enjoyable regardless, and an easy read all in all.

left for dead is a procedural novel starring DI amy winter, who's thrown into the hunt for a serial killer—known as the love heart killer—when she realizes that a mannequin in a store display isn't a mannequin at all, but a corpse. her life is further complicated by the upcoming trial of her mother, also a notorious murderer.

don't get me wrong, this is a pretty good book. that the author has firsthand experience in law enforcement and all of its bureaucracy is evident and breathes a little extra life into the story. but it falls prey to—and often relies on—some tired clichés which made it so-so for me, rather than truly gripping. the most genuinely interesting parts had nothing to do with the case, but rather amy's family and the trial; to a point, even those were predictable.

the first thing that pushed this book into the "this is kind of cheesy but not cheesy enough for me to stop reading," category for me was its storytelling structure. i am ok with multiple points of view—and thoroughly enjoy that. i am also ok with having the antagonist's point of view. just... not like this. revealing the perpetrator from the get-go demands walking a very fine line in order to engender any kind of tension or invested interest: they need to have some measure of dimension. as an villain, samuel is boring. he's got that "i seem nice, but i actually have a secret dark side" thing going on, except not-so-secret, because not only is his entire character arc a tired trope, he's so obvious about it too. he's a cardboard bad guy who froths at the mouth at the idea of killing women.

which leads into another issue—somehow none of the characters saw anything coming, despite samuel being so obvious. amy is the only one who, like, sees the darkness in his eyes, and even then she's not so sure—even though, again, he's! so! obvious! it's almost laughable. this of course leads to a lot of poor, stupid decision-making; decisions which conveniently move the plot along, but shouldn't have been made in the first place.

there are also some minute things relating to technology—nothing glaring, but enough to make me pause and chuckle. in chapter eighteen, for example, there's a reference to "a link to her social media profile," as if there's only one, universal social media platform; or in chapter nineteen, when they have a discussion about installing a virus onto an iphone that would wipe all the data on it should the incorrect pin be entered—but this is just a standard setting that's available on all iphones?

honestly, amy is not a particularly likable nor unlikable character; she's just... bland. i saw no evidence pointing to her being a spectacular detective. her introspection isn't enthralling in the slightest. the side characters are, for the most part, forgettable, with the exception of sally-ann and lillian grimes. i wonder if they'd have been less so if i'd read the previous books? i'm not so sure.

also, marianne was just an unnecessary addition. i believe she's mentally ill—she's portrayed as severely irrational, unpredictable, with a sort of scorned-woman-gone-crazy slant alongside the whole oh-no-she's-off-her-meds trope. while i didn't find this depiction outright offensive, it just... made me cringe? is there no complexity to be had here? safe to say i probably wouldn't consider character-building one of this book's greatest strengths.

i think left for dead would have been far better conceived as a novel where we could see amy investigating the intricacies of black media as a company, sifting through possible suspects without the reader immediately knowing who's to blame. still, i don't want to say i didn't like it, because i did! it just wasn't groundbreaking. 2.5 stars.

*arc received from netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This is the 3rd Amy Winter book and they just keep getting better! I’m looking forward to the next chapter in Amy’s life!
Amy and her sister are walking down a London Street where they stop to look at a beautiful bride display in a store front window. Amy notices there is blood coming from the manikin’s mouth. She immediately takes control of the situation and puts the store in lockdown.
During the autopsy they noticed a heart was carved in the victim’s chest. Days later another victim was found with the same heart. Amy’s research reveals that years ago another woman was murdered with the same heart carving. Amy is now on the hunt for a serial killer Add in Lillian’s return and the turmoil of her potential release from prison reflects on what an amazing woman Amy is!!!

Very fast paced & thrilling roller coaster ride! Caroline Mitchell knocked it out of the park!
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me the privilege of reading this ARC!

This was my first time reading a book by this author. I found out it wasn't the first book in the series so I wasn't too sure what my thoughts would be. After reading the prologue and first chapter I felt it was a little slow but that honestly didn't last long! 100% regret thinking that! I was just too quick to judge! I've got to say, I didn't think I'd get hooked so quickly! after chapter two that was it! I couldn't put it down, the chapters where intense! With a lot going on, making me want to keep turning the pages. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this so much so, I had finished it in a few hours! I can't wait to see what the next one has in store.

Would most definitely recommend to anyone who likes police investigation, thriller type books.

Another great Caroline Mitchell book . Detective Amy Winter proves again that she is out to get the villain. She is relentless, methodical and perspective in dealing with her team , the low life Samuel Black, Lillian Grimes ( her evil birth mother , her siblings the victims and her boss Donovan. Mitchell writes short intense chapters that force her readers to keep reading to see what happens next.

This was the first book I read in the DI Amy Winter but I was able to follow along with what was happening easily. Excellent writing and story. I will be back to read more of Caroline Mitchell's books!

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Given that I haven’t read any of her previous books this one was pretty decent. It started off a little slow for me but once you get about 30% in you will be hooked. I was able to read this in a few hours, I couldn’t put it down!

A victim on display. A detective on the rails.

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is admiring a Valentine’s Day window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and resplendent in lace—until she notices blood oozing from the mannequin’s mouth.- Goodreads

This is the third book to the DI Amy Winter series. I did not know this when I requested this arc on Netgalley. With that being said, you need to read at least the previous book. On top of the current murder investigation, a previous issue, that takes up 90% of Amy's head space, is extremely prominent within this novel.  Although I enjoyed this read, I would have loved it if I read the previous novel. So go do that before reading this review and the book :)

I was sucked into this book fairly quickly. It is told in multiple point of views and it was great. It wasn't great because Amy wasn't a good voice to read but it was great because each perspective gave actual insight to the case and everything else that was going on. Yes, you do get the killer's point of view and its creepy. Like he is a creep but that isn't what made it creepy.

Beyond this the book is fast paced but it was a hard read for me because I didn't read the previous books. When I realized this was a third, I expected there to be some reference to the previous books not chapters about them. It took away my interest and it also made the current murder seem so small.

Despite this, I really enjoyed this book. The writing style is captivating. How everything moved together behind everyone's eye took a lot of talent.  Do I plan on reading the previous novels? Not sure. Since I know how some things end, it might not do me any good. 

Overall, would continue this series. 

3.5 Pickles