Dead Inside by Noelle Holten [review] @killerreads @nholten40

Dead Inside - Noelle Holten
Title: Dead Inside
Author: Noelle Holten
Series: DC Maggie Jamieson #1
Publisher: Killer Reads

[Synopsis]

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?

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[My Review]

Dead Inside is a brilliantly crafted novel that’s fast-paced, punchy and intriguing.

Although it features detectives and police, and various cases which were being investigated (violent abusive men who’ve been murdered – is there a link?), it feels to me like more of an intense mystery/ drama, rather than your usual crime novel. This is in part because the characters felt so well fleshed out and very convincing, so I could feel myself completely sucked into the story, finishing this in no time at all.

Dead Inside is an easy, quick read in terms of language, because the plot and writing flows so well, but the subject matter gets pretty dark and disturbing at times; obviously it centers around abuse and violence within relationships, so this is to be expected, but some parts made me feel SO angry and indignant for the women who were abused – particularly Lucy who I really liked – that I felt myself wanting to scream at the men within its pages. It takes some skilled writing to evoke such strong emotions, and I felt this demonstrated what a great writer Noelle is.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel, as I enjoyed it so much and would happily read many more – so I’m already looking forward to book number 2! Addictive, compelling and definitely dark.

[Rating: 5/5]

Many thanks to Killer Reads for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.

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