Although this is the second book in the Harper McClain series, this is my first read and to say I thoroughly enjoyed it is an understatement. Harper McClain, crime reporter is a force to be reckoned with, wont' stop until justice has been served even when all the cards are stacked against her! When Naomi Scott is shot on one of the busiest streets, the police are clueless and do what they always do, turn to the boyfriend, yes his alibi is somewhat shaky given he was alone but with Naomi's father standing by him, he believes there is no way on earth he did it, he loved his daughter.

Harper hands them a new suspect, only this suspect is from a very wealthy powerful family with their hands in many pies in the town, he has a rock solid alibi but with injunctions taken out by three girls, including Naomi against him for stalking, surely it has to be him right??

A very cleverly written crime mystery, a well thought out plot and engaging characters, what's not to like about this book. I'll be looking forward to the next instalment, I feel invested in Harper and what happens next, will the past catch up with her?

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book, Harper is a great character feisty, strong yet shows her vulnerable side too. She's up against the police who think she betrayed them, someone stalking her breaking into her house, an ex who she's not over all while she is trying to solve a murder, the main suspect being someone with a dad in power who no one wants to upset, but Harper will stop at nothing to get justice.

Read this book in 2 days. Couldn't put it down. Really enjoyed the storyline. Looking forward to the next installment

Having missed the first book (The Echo Killing) in the Harper McClain series I was slightly concerned that this would spoil my enjoyment of ‘A Beautiful Corpse’. Not so. It was clear that Harper had history but this was dealt with efficiently and left me free to concentrate on what was happening now.

Harper in an investigative journalist on the late shift in Savannah and the text captured the heat and excitement of the time and place. Armed with her police scanner Harper is ready, willing and able to rush to the scene of the incident, meeting up with her photographer, to get the story onto the page - front, in possible. The time, 2.00 a.m. and she learns of a murder in the wealthy tourist district but there are no witnesses. She discovers that the victim is known to her – a beautiful, vibrant law student who works as a bartender, Naomi Scott. The suspect? Naomi’s boyfriend, a black man, who was seen brandishing a gun.

Harper has other problems to deal with: she still needs to discover who murdered her mother. Due to events in the first book, she is suffering from a freeze from her usual contacts in the police department, including her former boyfriend. To add to this, not only does Harper need to investigate this crime, she is subject to internal politics at the newspaper with the fear of redundancies. And, is she being stalked or is she paranoid? A lot to deal with!

Clearly it would have helped to have read the first in the series. Equally clearly, the story is not over as we are left with a cliff hanger. Episode 3.

You have one question? Did I like it? Indeed I did and I would certainly recommend it. It was a well constructed plot and great characters, particularly Harper.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I had been dying to read this since I finished The Echo Killing and I was not disappointed. I love Harper McClain and A Beautiful Corpse is a great follow up. I raced through it in 24 hours, I couldn’t put it down. Great story, engaging characters and just a brilliant read! Bring on the next!

A well developed story with good characters, cleverly written and a good paced thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Fiction for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A very enjoyable read! I was very interested in getting my hands on this one after I read the blurb and I am pleased to say that I was not let down.

The story is written very well and the characters are interesting and jump off the page. I would recommend this read!

This is the 2nd in the crime reporter, Harper McClain series set in the small town of Savannah, Louisiana. This worked fine as a standalone but I should warn there are major spoilers here about events that occurred in the first book. A 24 year old woman, Naomi Scott, is shot twice in the tourist district of town. Harper and her best friend, Bonnie, arrive on the scene only to discover to their horror that they knew the victim, and had seen her earlier in the night. Naomi had worked part time as a bartender with Bonnie at The Library Bar. She was beautiful, ambitious and compassionate, a promising law student, with a boyfriend, Wilson Shepherd. The prime suspect for the police is Wilson, after all, most women are murdered by someone close, who claim to love them, the most ordinary murder of all. This is a big story and Harper investigates, only this turns out to be a thorny and complex dangerous investigation.

Harper carries the scars and nightmares of previous events that ended in her being shot, and led to her being considered a pariah by Savannah PD, as she nailed a highly respected killer from their own ranks. The police are an unforgiving bunch as they refuse to share information and harrass her, preventing her from doing her job. Harper is forced to deal with this issue head on, but she has other problems, further job cuts at Savannah News threatens her job, and someone is breaking into her apartment on an ongoing basis. Then there is the murder of Harper's mother when she was a child, and Harper is desperate to find her murderer, and she is willing to whatever it takes. Harper's personal relationship with Detective Luke Walker was a casualty of previous events, but he now enters her life again, will it all end in tears again? Wilson Shepherd turns out to be not the only suspect in Naomi's killing, there is the son of the DA, and looking into him carries the inherent dangers of taking on the most powerful of forces in town. Then there is the owner of The Library Bar, Fitz, spending most of his town inebriated. Will Harper be able to find the killer whilst the police struggle?

Christi Daugherty writes highly entertaining crime fiction and her protagonist, Harper, proves to be feisty and determined character, vulnerable with a traumatic history, which really makes you root for her. She has a solid cast of characters and friends that are there for her and help in getting to the truth of what happened to Naomi. Her workplace has its own dramas, with her boss, Emma Baxter, doing her best to shield Harper from the intrigues within the higher echelons of management. This is wonderfully engaging crime fiction that never failed to hold my interest, and I am certainly planning to read the next in the series. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.