Charly CoxCritiques

The poetry wasn’t bad, there were a few that I agreed with but I just didn’t connect with it. If she published another book, I would still read it though since she does have potential to grow.

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First book in series: 4.75 stars

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Good book that kept me guessing. Could have been a 5-star with better editing. Really, how often can people vomit?????

Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner, Cord Roberts, are back and facing off with a sadistic serial killer. The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful as Alyssa and her team scramble to save the killer's last victim from a horrible death. Thanks to Hal and others working on the case, the Albuquerque PD is finally able to capture this demented murderer. The ending was nice as Alyssa's family gathers for a wedding—although a bit anti-climatic for this police thriller.

The Dying Place by Charly Cox
Detective Alyssa Wyatt #5

Dark, gritty, gruesome, sometimes difficult to read, serial killer murder mystery that had Alyssa and her team working long hours under pressure to find one kidnapped tortured victim of a ruthless and amoral sadistic murderer.

What I liked:
* Alyssa: dedicated, professional, diligent, team player and determined detective with a loving husband, teenage son, and daughter soon to marry
* The team: all of them seem to be normal hard working police detectives that are professional and without many of the issues so common in police detective series that I have read
* The plot, pacing, writing, red herrings, twists and turns
* The unflinching look at Kennedy as she suffered, struggled, and endured
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* Being able to abhor the killer
* Feeling that I was there with the characters
* It felt all too believable
* That the story was concluded without a cliffhanger
* Holly’s wedding, the reminder of previous cases, and…Ruby’s smile

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about why some people are evil and how cruel they can be

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I think this is the first book of poetry and essays I’ve read since I left school. I enjoyed them as they were so relevant to the modern world and the social media lives we live. I know there will be some poems that I’ll be thinking about for a long time to come.

Warning! The Devil's Playground is pretty creepy—as the author delves into satanic rituals and Devil worshippers—but don't be scared off. While the story is highly suspenseful, it also has many heart-melting emotional moments. When Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner, Cord, are called out to investigate a bloody scene where two women are brutally slaughtered in their home, they are surprised to find two terrified children hiding in a closet. After learning from them that a third woman is missing, they begin a desperate search to save the kidnapped victim's life, fearing the worst. Where some murder thrillers get bogged down in police procedures, Charly Cox focuses on her character's emotions instead—often inserting flashes of levity and optimism into their relationships while they deal with murder and mayhem. I enjoyed this story immensely and look forward to the next book in this series.

Another winner by Charly Cox with this third installment of the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series. After solving the Toy Box trafficking case, the team at the Albuquerque, NM, police station are still reeling from the horrific images of abused girls that frequent their nightmares when they are hit with another disturbing double homicide. The heartfelt and protective bond between Alyssa and her partner, Cord, strengthens as they race to find a sadistic killer and rescue two kidnapped teenagers from murder or worse. This riveting, suspenseful thriller kept me turning pages right to the end where a plot twist I did not see coming ties everything together nicely.

Thank You to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC!!

All around Albuquerque, New Mexico, young women are going missing, seemingly vanished into thin air. With no link between the victims, Detective Alyssa Wyatt is quickly plunged into a horrifying case with no obvious clues. And when Jersey Andrews, the best friend of Alyssa’s teenage daughter, Holly, joins the list of vanished girls, the case becomes personal.

As the first tortured body of a young girl appears, abandoned on the streets, Alyssa is forced into a frantic hunt to track down the killers – before more innocent women lose their lives.

I haven't read the first book in the series but it really doesn't matter. This is an extremely dark book which addresses a serious crime that exists in our society. We get to read the ordeal the missing girls face in captivity and it becomes extremely difficult to control your anger and disgust. However their grit and determination will swell your heart with pride.

Overall a great book with interesting characters which keeps you on the edge till the end!!

Alone in the Woods by Charly Cox
Detective Alyssa Wyatt #3

Captured in the first scene of the book, both myself and the two girls kidnapped, and engaged through till the end, I was rooting for a successful conclusion to the murder investigation, a happy ending for Addis and Emerson, and the revelation and capture of the serial killer. Great addition to the series!

What I liked:
* Alyssa: normal, well-balanced, police detective, team leader, mother, wife, friend, unflappable – I like her as a person and admire her.
* Cord: work-partner to Alyssa, husband, soon-to-be-father, even tempered, normal, balanced, - I like him.
* Tony: intrigued by him and found him worth note – hope we see more of him in the future
* Addis & Emerson: strong, smart, tenacious, enduring, willing to do what it took to survive.
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* Glimpses of people from the last book as well as hints of what that last book was about.
* The writing and the slow release of information with twists and turns that eventually revealed who was behind the crime(s).
* Feeling I was there with the characters as the case unfolded
* That this book was not a cookie cutter replay of the previous one – there was violence and crime but though dark it wasn’t the same type of darkness and evil as in the previous book.
* The conclusion and knowing that there will be another book in the series.

What I didn’t like:
* The person I was meant NOT to like – easy to hate such a one! Truly deserves being incarcerated…or worse!
* Having to wait for the next book in the series.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

In this book, the second in the series, Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her partner, Cord, tackle the genuine horror of sex trafficking of underage girls. When her daughter's friend also goes missing in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area, it becomes personal for Alyssa, who is a tough but caring investigator who has no trouble doing whatever is necessary to rescue victims and bring the perpetrators to justice. This one was a fast-paced, nail-biter that was hard to put down. Definitely worth the time invested.

This is a real page-turner. Alyssa Wyatt, a homicide detective, investigates a woman's murder only to find a serial-killer that is not only a horrendous monster, but someone from her past! As her and her partner, Cord, go from clue to clue trying to unravel a tangle of misinformation, the monster gets closer and closer to her own family. Charly Cox certainly doesn't hold back when it comes to detailing the gritty encounters between the murderer and his victims. This is not a book to read late at night when you're alone in the house. Cox also makes her character's warm and human but adding humorous and touching family moments in between the scary parts. Good read.

The Toybox by Charly Fox
Detective Alyssa Wyatt #2

Well, the book description is correct…I stayed up till 3:30 to finish this book and then had trouble getting to sleep once in my bed. This was a book I will not forget any time soon. Gripping, gritty and gruesome this story is one that though not one hundred percent explicit left no doubt that the missing girls had more to deal with than anyone ever should have to bear.

What I liked:
* Alyssa Wyatt: this female lead character is one to admire. She has both feet on the ground, is a good leader, works well with her team, is compassionate and so much more. She is in a stable marriage with children she loves and cares for. She is…normal.
* Cord Roberts: job partner to Alyssa, he too is normal. A good man, happily married, good team player and someone I want to get to know better, too.
* Alyssa’s family: all seem to be normal (hear the repetition?) I am so ready for crime stories with people in charge that I can relate to
* The writing: plot, pace and writing were excellent
* That I was grabbed immediately then could not put the book down till the wee hours of the morning
* The issue of human-sex trafficking was presented in a way that was real and made me think about how to prevent it…
* That there was a happy ending for some

What I did not like:
* Knowing that human trafficking and sex-slaves really exist in this world and that there is so little regard for the plight of these people
* The entitled hands-off parents some of the girls had in their lives
* The evil amoral abusive people in the story – wanted to see them all experience exactly what they were so willing to do to the women they tortured
* Knowing that I missed the first book in this series – will have to see if I can find and read it soon

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, though the subject matter was not always easy reading
Would I read more by this author? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars