Detective Rachel King is called in the day before her maternity leave is due to end when a two month old baby and the baby sitter goes missing and the baby is the child of Scott Agnew gangland boss. Then and elderly mother of another gangland boss is taken. Who is behind these disappearances and when Rachel King's partner Jed is arrested on suspicion how is this going to affect her family, career and her relationship with Jed.
A read to keep you turning the pages until you get to the end and even then you look forward to reading the next instalment in the series.

Last Victim by Helen H. Durrant is the fifth instalment in the DCI Rachel King series but reads relatively well as a stand-alone. Rachel has been on maternity leave when she is called back the day before her expected return to work. A baby has been kidnapped. A few days later, an elderly resident of a senior home is also kidnapped. The two victims are related to two of the men in Trio, an organized crime group responsible for distributing drugs in Manchester. Rachel and her staff must solve these crimes and a few other secondary crimes. I found that there were too many characters, leading to subsidiary storylines which were more confusing than useful. The writing is that of a professional writer but it was difficult for the poor DCI to keep her eye on the ball. This led to the resolution of the crimes being confusing and rushed. I understand that a mystery in a series should leave the reader wanting more. But there was too much left up in the air and this prevented Last Victim from being a satisfying read. Please note that this review is my opinion only. Thank you to Joffe Books, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well! I was going to say I have a new writer to watch, because the writing was strong. I was implying she was actually a new writer, though, and after finishing saw this was at least her 25th book! I like that. Someone who has practiced and knows what they're doing.

The subtitle sold this as having a "massive twist," though, and it was quite a small twist. There were also a ton of characters, enough that I had a hard time remembering who was who.

This is the latest in Helen Durrant's DCI Rachel King series of Manchester police's Serious Crime Squad, with her team of DS Elwyn Pryce, DC Jonney Farrell and DC Amy Metcalfe. Rachel has a complicated personal life, she has 2 older daughters with her ex-husband, and has recently given birth to her son, Len, ex crime boss Jed McTeer, a man she is living with. Coming to the end of her maternity leave, Rachel returns to work to a humdinger of an investigation, there has been an abduction of a baby and a elderly mother is taken from a Care home, all connected with the organised crime gang, Trio, of Scott Agnew, Ray Hutton, and Brendan Blackmore who disappears. The finger of suspicion is pointing at Rachel's partner, Jed, and with Rachel finding it difficult to juggle the challenging demands of her personal and professional life, will she be able to get to the truth? This is an intense, dark, and entertaining crime read, a terrific addition to this series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

New to this series I’d the great pleasure of being able to binge read the whole series over a weekend
Quick, easy, but nonetheless very enjoyable reads, I read this one in an afternoon
I really like the characters and development in the sub plots and This, the most up to date instalment is no exception and there’s a brilliant twist at the end

Thank you for an advanced copy of this book to read.
Wow! Another fantastic instalment of this great series, I love the characters and their personal personalities.
The story was easy to follow and gripping, keeps you guessing all the way along.
I really love this series and can’t wait to read the next book !
4 stars !

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Joffe Books for the advance copy of #Last#Victim by #HelenHDurrant
This is the fifth book in the Detective Rachel King series and Rachel is just starting back at work after maternity leave.
Called in early to the kidnapping of a baby Rachel, is thrown in at the deep end. The book starts fast and just keeps going
An engrossing read that will keep you engaged.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nothing to say except once again I loved it. I always look forward to seeing a new book by Helen H Durrant and I am never disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed the book and the writing style. I feel like it’s not a standalone book though and I needed to have read the others in the series to understand why Rachel was involved with Jed, their relationship just didn’t seem credible to me! I also felt the story got completely wrapped up all of a sudden, which all seemed a bit too tidy for me! That said, I did enjoy it and will read more by this author!

This is the fifth book in the "Victim" series.. I did not find it quite as exciting as the other 4 but nevertheless I would recommend it. I liked the storyline and the characters but am not too sure about Jed. I am looking forward to No. 6.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffre books for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.

Living on the streets Lee is after revenge on Scott Agnew after what happened to her sister Laura and jumps at the chance to kidnap his baby son by pretending to be the new babysitter from the agency. But just who is “the boss” who gave Lee the job? Will there be a ransom demand or is the motive more sinister? The Trio, Manchester’s brutal organised crime drug dealing ring run by Agnew, Ray Hutton and Brendan Blackmore, are on the boss’s hit list as well as Lee’s and it’s not long before Lee is given orders to take Hutton’s elderly mother from her care home. She wonders if there will be a third target for her.
DCI Rachel King, now living with reformed criminal turned property developer Jed McAteer, is due back at work the next morning after taking maternity leave following the birth of their now six-month-old baby Len. She can’t wait to get back as it is the job she lives for, and it’s no real hardship to be called out the night before to the scene of baby James’s abduction. She is still stationed at East Manchester CID running her small loyal team of DS Elwyn Pryce and DCs Jonny Farrell and Amy Metcalfe, unfortunately now with new Supt Mark Kenton who Rachel knows and dislikes from their past overlapping cases. As the detectives pursue their investigation into the infant’s kidnap, reports come in of the abduction of Hutton’s mother and the two-day disappearance of Blackmore. They wonder if someone is planning to take over the city and all eyes, including Rachel’s, fall on Jed. Of course all the while Jed is under suspicion Rachel knows she won’t be allowed near the case, so first she needs to prove him innocent and then set about finding the new boss’s true identity. With so many twists and surprises being thrown up by the evidence and police interviews, and no idea who can really be trusted, will they ever discover the real truth before anyone else gets hurt?
As I have come to expect from this series this is a story with a complex and fast paced plot and loads of shocks, viable suspects and red herrings along the way to a stunning conclusion. This book could be read as a stand-alone but I would definitely recommend reading the series in order as many of the characters have a lot of history between them. I do hope there will be more stories to follow. 4.5*

The fifth in the DCI Rachel King series with Rachel about to go back to work after maternity leave. She's thrown in at the deep end with three missing people - a baby, an elderly mother and a husband - all families have links with the Manchester Trio drug ring. There are plenty of twists and turns, Rachel is trying to juggle motherhood and work with theoretical help from her partner although less in the practical sense. He's a reformed character or is he? Is someone trying to takeover the Trio or simply trying to throw the blame on others for their own bizarre reason? A very good mix of questions. She always seems to be one step behind catching up with the baddies and then comes to the conclusion that one of the team has to be bent, adding more complications (although this is a minor part of the story). Well-written and certainly well plotted. The ending was yes or no right up until the end. Where next for Rachel and family then? We wait with bated breath. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another good thriller from Helen H Durrant full of pace, twists, red herrings and disappointment for our heroine. Life is never dull for a true police detective even if they sometimes can’t see the truth.
Well worth a read

Last Victim by Helen H Durrant is book 5 in the DCI Rachel King crime thriller series. This book begins as Rachel is returning to work after having her and Jed’s son, Len. A child is missing and then a mother disappears from her care home and then a husband is missing. They are all connected as being part of the Trio in charge of the drugs and crime crime in Manchester.
Rachel’s return to work may be comprised by the Trio’s involvement because Jed used to run this syndicate. Is he involved again?
Highly recommended

Last Victim is the fifth instalment in the DCI Rachel King series, set in and around the city of Manchester. In a fantastic prologue, the story really starts with a bang that had me hooked even before I had swiped my e-reader to take me to the second page.

Helen H. Durrant has drawn a very deep and complex character in DCI Rachel King. She is back from maternity leave and has secrets that she'd prefer to keep buried. As with the other books I've read by this author, several in this series, two from her 'Calladine & Bayliss' series, and two from the 'DI Harry Lennox/DS Jess Wilde' series, the intricate plot is well written. There are suspects to watch, and twists and turns that resemble a long roller coaster ride. The characters and their respective relationships are credible and I especially enjoy the way their professional and their private lives are interlaced.

This was such a gripping crime thriller that had my heart racing at times and once I had started reading, I didn't want to put it down. I was enthralled right until the great reveal, which was unexpected, to me anyway. Last Victim was brilliant, highly addictive and fast-paced and I can't wait to see what treats might be in store if there is a book six. This is a must-read, very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Joffe Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

DCI Rachel King and her team are called to investigate when an infant is kidnapped by the babysitter. The missing baby belongs to Scott Agnew, a part of a major drug ring ... The Trio.

Shortly after, the elderly mother of another Trip boss also disappears. There are no ransom notes, nothing to indicate exactly why they were both taken.

If these are retaliation kidnappings, or if it's someone who wants the Trio dissolved for his/hr own nefarious reasons, only one person is the prime suspect. Someone very close to Rachel ... her partner and the father of her youngest child.

Rachel is prepared to do whatever it takes to prove his innocence ... if he is innocent.

This is a great addition to the series. The suspense starts on the very first page and only elevates until the most surprising conclusion. Suspects are varied with multiple motives. although a motive is not an element of a crime, evidence of motive can be introduced to hep establish intent. Without a clear motive, Rachel finds it hard to separate the wheat from the chaff and figure out who's lying and who's hiding their secrets. The characters have been solidly defined and I like the blend of the professional along with the personal. Although 5th in the series, this can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading books in order.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions /Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Last victim by Helen H Durrant.
Detective Rachel King Thrillers Book 5.
A two-month-old baby is missing. James’s parents left him with a babysitter while they went out for dinner. But when they get home, there’s no sign of baby or sitter.

This is the last thing DCI Rachel King wants to hear on her last night of maternity leave. But worse is to come. The missing infant belongs to Scott Agnew, alleged member of Manchester drug-dealing ring, the Trio.
Omg my favourite detective is back. I love Rachel. Absolutely brilliant read. Read in one sitting. 5*.

3.5 stars

Last Victim by Helen H. Durrant is the fifth in the Detective Rachel King series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Joffe Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:  (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DCI Rachel King is with the serious crime squad for east Manchester. Her team consists of: DS Elwyn Pryce, her long-time colleague and friend; DC Jonny Farrell, whose father is disappointed in his career choice; and DC Amy Metcalfe, who is a bit unreliable.  Her boss is Mark Kenton.  Rachel has two daughters from her ex-husband, and a new baby from Jed McAteer, a man with a criminal past, but the love of her life.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Just back from maternity leave, Rachel's first case is the kidnapping of a two-month old baby.  The parents went out for dinner and left him with the baby-sitting agency that they always use, but when they got home, both were missing.  The father of the baby is Scott Agnew, an "alleged" crime boss of a ring called the Trio.  Then the elderly mother of a second Trio mob boss disappears.

Word on the street is that someone new wants to take over the territory and that the Trio will be wiped out.   Unfortunately, the prime suspect is none other than Jed, Rachel's partner.

Speaking of Jed and Rachel....living together is not quite as perfect as Rachel had hoped.  Although they were going to share responsibilities, things are not going as planned.

Between the stress of being a working mother to a newborn, having a "reformed" criminal for a partner, and a job that is anything but stress-free, Rachel is struggling.


My Opinions:
As always, this was a fast-paced and easy read.

The suspects were plentiful, and some of the characters highly entertaining.  The plot twisted repeatedly, and the possible identity of the perpetrator changed just as fast.

In past reviews, I have never held back my dislike of the relationship between Rachel and Jed, and this certainly hasn't changed.  However, I don't think we've learned all about the current situation, and I am fairly certain there is a lot more to come.

So overall, other than the Rachel & Jed issue, this book had a really good plot.

I love that appendix of British slang that the author adds to the end of every book, but I will reiterate....I wish the words were used in the foot-note format.

This is book five in the DCI Rachel King series and I have enjoyed reading the series from the start and this is another great edition to the series.

This is an engaging faced paced crime mystery full of suspense and red herrings a cracking read that held my attention from the beginning to the end.

This book is the 5th in a series, but works well as a standalone novel.

This is a police procedural whodunit that follows the investigation of two kidnappings. No spoilers as always, but murder, gangland bosses, and bent coppers all play a part in this fast-paced story.

All in all, an enjoyable read!