Enjoyed reading this book, it was fast paced and kept me thinking about what would happen next. The characters are well thought out and relatable. I did guess the killer very quickly and worked out how it happened, but that didn’t detract from the reading in any way, and if anything encouraged me to finish this faster to see if I was right. I would recommend this as a good read to anyone looking for a good thriller.

A great crime novel which keeps you interested and the story leaves you wanting more.... A must read and roll on the next one!

Harper McClain is a crime reported for a Savannah newspaper and in this novel pursues justice in a murder case where the police are struggling to find a perpetrator.

This is the second book featuring Harper. I haven't read the first but this one worked well as a standalone novel Echos to what must have been the content of the first novel are sufficiently explained that it doesn't matter when one has not read it.

There are sufficient twists and turns in the story and the back story of Harper which runs through this book, and I assume the previous, do not interfere with the main tale. The cast of characters is varied and enjoyable to read.

Recommended reading.

I really enjoyed this book. Haven’t read the first Harper McClain book, but I didn’t feel this distracted from my enjoyment of the book. Excellent plot and pacing, and well drawn characters. Highly recommended

An alibi set in gold. Or is it?

Harper McClain, a journalist, working for the Savannah Daily News, had been at playing pool at The Library, a pub where her best friend Bonnie works, when Miles Jackson, the photographer she works with calls her to say that a young woman has been shot in the upmarket part of the city. Bonnie decides to go with her and is shocked when she realises that the girl is Naomi Scott. She worked with Bonnie in the pub and had left before her shift had ended.

The police immediately suspect that her boyfriend, Wilson Shepherd is the killer, but after talking to Jerrod Scott, Harper becomes convinced that it can’t be him. She starts digging into Naomi’s past and discovers that Naomi had taken out a restraining order against Peyton Anderson, but he has a solid alibi.

A fast-moving storyline following Harper McClain as she tries to solve this senseless murder. What I enjoyed most was being inside the heart of the newspaper and being part of the complexities of its operation. Christi Daugherty's prose flows, and with strong characters throughout, this book was a pleasure to read.

Dietes

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

While I thought this was a very thrilling, chilling read, which was easy to get into and riveting, I wish I had known prior it was a series. More because I’m ocd, than the fact that it doesn’t do well as a stand-alone. I think it was a great book and easy to get through, because the author made sure to give intriguing plots and characters which draw you in. I will eventually read book one and hopefully get another by this author.
Will use in a challenge and recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

A solid 4 stars.
This is book 2 in the series, but There was enough information about the events in book 1 that it worked fine for me. Harper McClain is the crime reporter for the Savannah Daily News. She goes the scene of a murder with her friend Bonnie, a bartender at the Library Bar. The murdered woman is the other afternoon shift bartender, Naomi Scott. Harper wants to solve the case, because she feels the police are pursuing the wrong man. She identifies another suspect Peyton Anderson, son of the local District Attorney. The police tell her that Peyton has a rock solid alibi, but won't reveal the details. How she solves the murder of Naomi makes for an exciting mystery/thriller
One quote:
Heat--"When she stepped out of the newspaper office, the sun was fierce. Humidity hung so thick it left a white haze in the air, giving the gold;d dome of the City an oddly electric shimmer in the distance.
August was always brutal, but this year it seemed even worse than usual. It had been over 100 degrees for two weeks ."
Thanks to Harper Collins UK for sending me this eARC through NetGalley

I enjoyed this book which was no2 in the series. Would definitely recommend this novel and look forward to her next offering. Great characters and premise. Fast paced and exciting thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

A great read. Told from the perspective of a crime reporter for the local newspaper.
I haven’t read the first book in this series but it was easy to pick up on what has happened previously. Harper McLain had a great working relationship with the police, but after she gave evidence against one of their senior officers, they are now reluctant to work with her, or give any information.
Harper attends a suspcious death, to find that its a waitress from the bar which she often vists as her best friend also works there.
The police quickly find a suspect and are content they’ve solved the crime. Harper however, isn’t convinced - so she puts herself on the line to prove her point. A great mix of police drama and life inside a newspaper office.
I’ll definitely be buying the first book in the series to fill in the gaps!

This is a really good read. The characters and their back stories are really interesting and I am looking forward to finding out more about them. The plot was really good and gripping. I really liked the writing style and I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Having not read The Echo Killing before, I went into this book blind with no preconcpetions. As a standalone, we meet Harper McClain a tough, hard edged reporter, whose passion for justice is a fundamental part of her persona. She works for a struggling newspaper, of which she is quite clearly their star reporter. Parts of Harper's history make her strong, fierce, independent, but also volunerable. She's an interesting and very three dimensional character which I liked. The description of the Savannah heat and the settings were great, I felt like I could see the steam rising off of the pavements.

Did I like all of the characters? No, I felt some needed a bit more work. Saying that, I liked them enough that I didn't actively dislike them. And the writing style was easy to read and follow. There was nothing in this book that blew me away, but having said that would I read the next one? Absolutely. The are clear cliffhangers for the next book that have got me hooked.

I will add a warning that if you read this book, it's hard to go back to read book 1, so for anyone who thinks they can flit between the two, I wouldn't attempt it. This series needs to be read sequentially.

I have loved every single page of this book, what a page turner, it had me enthralled, excited and jumping of my seat at times
The story revolves around a newspaper, the police, rich boys and a murdered woman. The murder of Naomi Scott seemed cut and dried her boyfriend was good for it, except Naomi's dad didn't believe that and the police didn't entirely believe they had arrested the right man. So Harper McCain reporter for local newspaper decided she would solve it, unfortunately the police wanted nothing to do with her as she had been responsible for sending the chief of police to jail the previous year, what no one knew was she visited Smith in prison she still valued his advice especially on cases like this one. Harper was convinced as was Jerod Scott that rich boy Peyton Anderson had killed her he had restraining orders filed by Naomi and 2 other women at law school
The only problem was he had rock solid alibi he had been stabbed and was in hospital that night or was he?
Harper sets out to find the truth almost getting herself killed in process. And who has broken into her flat and left helpful paperwork in her car?? Someone was watching her but who?

Christi I am assuming is writing a follow on book she can't leave this at this point it would be very frustrating!!

Oh my word!!
I wait with bated breath for the next installment. Christi Daugherty, you have a gem of a series on your hands.
Great characters, great story and I am still in love with Luke.

Harper McClain is a Crime Reporter for the local newspaper in Savanna Georgia.A young girl is found shot dead ,Harper knows her and is determined to find the killer when the local Police seem to have given up .I loved Harper ,she is so feisty .I haven't read the first book in the series but this book is a good standalone .The description of Savannah is so good I could almost feel the heat. There are old Families in Savannah who have a lot of influence and power both with the Police and the Newspaper .The story was full of twists and turns with a really good ending that left me hanging and ready to read the next Harper book .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I nearly gave up on this book, as it doesn't have a brilliant start. It began with some very cliched writing, and nearly lost me completely when a character appeared with a 'chiselled' jaw. However, I was very glad that I persevered with it. The plot was good, and the pacing tight throughout. Some of the characters remained a bit predictable, but the overall story carried it through. A few great twists near the end.

Hurrah, Harper McClain is back! Last year I read and raved about The Echo Killing, the first book in the feisty crime reporter's series (you can read that review right HERE) and I was very excited to catch up with her again. Boy, I was NOT disappointed.  

Harper McClain is a crime journalist for her local Savannah rag, investigating and exposing murderers and villains in the name of public interest. This time, the city is shocked when a pretty law student is shot. With her boyfriend appearing as the obvious culprit, surely this is an open and shut case? But he claims he's innocent, and the victim's father believes him. With the police keen to shut the case down, convinced they have their man, it's down to Harper to investigate and search out the truth. 

Once again, Christi Daugherty had me gripped from the very first page and I sped through this book in a couple of huge, breathless sittings. This is super fast paced reading, with one more chapter quickly leading to half a book and a complete inability to look away. There's action, twists, suspicion and doubt which, along with the heat of the Savannah setting and yes, a bit of will they/won't they love interest in the form of dashing Detective Luke Walker, makes for an tense and exciting edge-of-your-seat ride. 

I particularly loved how this book flowed on so easily from the first in the series, despite it being a year since I'd read it. It felt like I was just picking up where I'd left off and straight away I was familiar and comfy with it. While it probably could be read as a standalone, I think you'd probably benefit most if you read The Echo Killing, in particular for a lot of background on Harper (who has an intriguing backstory).  She's a fascinating character, firmly cemented now as a personal favourite. I love her strength, sense of justice, empathy and feisty-ness, splashed with a raw vulnerability which makes her both likable and relatable. I want her as a pal!   

A Beautiful Corpse is a compelling, unputdownable read, which manages to maintain the  high standard set in the first book more than matching my high expectations. This is a series which mixes a sublime blend of brilliant characterization and pitch perfect pacing - I really can't recommend it enough. With the book ending on a bit of a cliff hanger, I'm now waiting eagerly for the next in the series and hoping it isn't long before once again I'm engrossed in Harper McClain's world.

Authentic, fast-paced, with an absorbing plot and a likeable protagonist, A Beautiful Corpse’ is the second book in the Harper McClain series, the crime reporter investigates the murder of someone she knows and uncovers a web of fear, lies and privilege.

This story works as a standalone read and there is enough backstory on the main characters and previous events for this to be enjoyable. However, it’s so good, you’ll want to read the first book too.

The setting is atmospheric and bought to life by the details of the buildings, people and the social ethos. The characters are vividly portrayed and their motivations and interactions with each other believable. The life of a crime reporter is intrinsic to the story and is expertly written.

I like Harper she is driven and skilled at her job and hides her vulnerability well. Her relationship with the police officers, whose cooperation she needs to succeed, is explored and provides some important conflict in the story.

There is an overriding theme to this story, the search for Harper’s mother’s murderer, more clues are discovered in this book but it ends with new questions that may lead the crime reporter into personal danger if she pursues the truth.

The exciting ending is ultimately satisfying, tieing up the plot, but posing further questions for Harper, presumably to be resolved in the next book.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a gripping novel. Harper McClean may be a crime reporter but she is more successful in detecting crime than the police. She brings to the story events from earlier books and leaves us with unresolved issues which will no doubt be picked up next time! Many of her police contacts will not speak to her because of her role in bringing down one of their superior officers for murder in a previous book. That gets in the way of this investigation. The murder of her mother many years ago still haunts her as does a broken love affair. Or is it broken? There are many story lines in this,all superbly pursued,and there is enough solved to leave the reader content. This is a very powerful novel.

A very personal case again for Harper, crime reporter in Savannah. Running alongside her investigation into the death of a law student is a mysterious situation which began in the previous book and that seems to relate to her mother, murdered 16 yrs before. The book is set up well for a sequel.

Shots ring out on one of Savannah's most famous streets. A beautiful law student lies dead.
Three men close to the victim are questioned. All of them claim to love her. All of them say they are innocent of her murder. As crime reporter Harper McClain unravels a tangled story of obsession and jealousy, the killer focuses on her.
This is the second book in the series, it could be read on its own but it does give spoilers for the first book so I’d recommend reading in order. Once again a well written book with very good characters & a well paced plot. It drew me in from the start & held my attention all the way through & I look forward to more in the series