This is a great start to what I hope will be a new series.
Holly is a criminal psychologist, who is obsessed with serial killers and all things about them.
She is called upon by the Police to advise on a case; and whilst it all seems a bit daunting at first, she soon settles in.
Holly teams up with DI Bishop and the two of them get on really well.
The case they investigate points to a copy cat killing but details become apparent that no-one knew about so questions are asked.
This book has lots of twists and turns and will keep you hooked throughout.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I was delighted when I was contacted to say this book might interest you..... ooooh where they right, serial killers, not sure why but love a good serial killer book!!!

Criminal psychologist Holly Wakefield is called in by DI Bishop to give a profile when the bodies of a couple, a prominent retired doctor and his wife are found staged and horrifically and brutally murdered in their own home.... its all a bit real for Holly as she is used to lecturing at college and rarely comes up against the brutality of those she studied all her life in reality!!!

The character building between Bishop & Holly was very well thought out, this is a dark gripping psychological thriller and for those with weak stomachs, it is very descriptive in parts so be sure to start reading on an empty tummy.... this book is twisty and jam packed and will have your mind trying to race ahead to figure things out but the author has done a fantastic job of reeling you in and drip feeding bits of information to try piece together, much like Holly & Bishop, you feel you are there in the investigation with them.... a great few twists which I was delighted with, no point in being able to figure it out.... where's the fun in that!!! Trust me when I tell you, you will not want to put this book down!! Absolutely highly recommend. I really hope and look forward to the next one!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Browne Book Group UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a review copy of When Darkness Calls, the first novel to feature forensic psychologist Holly Wakefield, set in London.

Through a series of events Holly is asked by DI Bishop to consult on her first murder case, the brutal murder of an older couple. She is apprehensive but her insights lead the team to believe that they are hunting a serial killer.

I enjoyed When Darkness Calls but obviously not as much as other readers as I didn’t find much new in it and was able to guess most of the twists before they happened. I understand that this is a debut novel so while it has some promise there are teething problems. These will not stop me from reading any follow up but were annoying in parts in this one.

The format is fairly standard, forensic psychologist is able to make breakthroughs the trained professionals in the police miss while hiding secrets of her own. The pacing is good with the reveals coming steadily, the twists well placed and the action scenes at the end thrilling. What’s not so good is the constant reference to real life serial killers as it gets boring and I ended up skim reading these parts. Most crime fiction readers have a good grounding in true crime so it comes across as padding when mentioned so often. The twists are well thought out but semaphored too loudly, making them easy to guess.

I’m not sure what to say about Holly Wakefield. Again I understand that most fiction writers want their protagonist to stand out from the crowd and have something unusual in their makeup but she’s a bit of an enigma. She has all sorts of weird secrets that are slowly revealed over the course of the novel, some of which would probably preclude her from working with the police in today’s climate of spin and accountability, but there is little of what makes her tick as a person. I didn’t identify with her or feel close to her.

When Darkness Calls is an acceptable read.

This is a thrilling book about serial killers but oh so gory so watch out!
There scenes in hospitals and asylums so even more dark places. It's here in the hospital holly visits where the worst of humankind is hidden. There's darkness in Holly and it was interesting to see how things all linked up.
I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of autopsies and the psychology of real life serial killers but not sure what that says about me! Not a one for locations but a great serial killer thriller set in the heart of London

Just when I thought I’d never find another decent serial killer thriller along came Mark Griffin with When Darkness Calls which also has a profiler as the main protagonist so you can call me one happy reader.

When Darkness Calls is perfectly paced, dark as you like and gripping throughout, Holly Wakefield has an intriguing back story – it had the added advantage for me of being unpredictable enough that I only worked out who the culprit was about four pages before Holly.

Great characters, the growing relationship between Holly and Bishop is compelling and the mystery element is well plotted and fascinating, whilst being often horrific and not a little creepy.

Overall thoroughly enjoyed this – count me in for Holly’s next case. Something wicked this way comes…

Recommended.

I loved this. It was a gripping read with a really interesting murder mystery. The characters were intense and drew me in. I especially liked the main lead who had lots of layers to her. I whizzed through this in no time at all because it's that sort of book where you just don't want to stop reading!

It's rare that I start recommending a book before I've finished it but I started raving about this one at about 40%. Obviously I was praying that it wouldn't let me down and I breathed a sigh of relief as I finished it when my expectation was well and truly satisfied.
It features Holly Wakefield, a criminal psychologist, who has a personal obsession with serial killers and all that encompasses them. Boy did I learn a lot about them whilst reading the book. You may think that this would distract from the actual story being told but it was done in such a clever way that all the details of the famous killers and their personal predilections were inserted in exactly the right places, and to the right extent, to add to the story rather than distract from it.
She's called in to advise the police with a nasty case; their usual choice being indisposed with a family issue. She's a bit green initially as it's her first outing, but she soon warms up as she seems to be saying the right things and adding vital information to assist those investigating. She is teamed up with DI Bishop and the two of them form a good bond initially and that continues to develop throughout. I especially loved their interaction and banter along the way - especially important given some of the heinous crimes being depicted. Holly is a bit complex and has her own secrets but I'm saying no more about that here.
The case they are called on to investigate turns out to be familiar. Problem is, the perpetrator is incarcerated. Could it be a copy cat? But with details that were kept back from the original investigation being front and centre in these new killings, who could be copying the original? Holly and Bishop definitely have their work cut out for them.
Cutting to the chase, this book had me spinning around and about-facing all over the show. As the killer ran rings around the police, the author ran rings around me as a reader, dropping enough hints in to keep me going but holding back until the final reveal. It was refreshing not to have it handed to me on a plate; a hard task given the volume of this genre I devour these days.
It's fast paced and action packed as it reaches its conclusion. I did have to suspend belief a little when all was revealed but I was happy to take the small hits in the context of the book as a whole. As with all books and indeed authors who impress me, I had a peak at his profile and was astonished to see that this is actually a debut book. More kudos to the author for pulling the wool over my eyes! That said, I'm definitely keeping my eye open for the next in series to see what he has in store for Holly next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I do love coming across a sensationally good new crime series, and Mark Griffin writes an effortlessly gripping novel featuring a never to be forgotten protagonist in Holly Wakefield, a criminal psychologist with a professional and personal obsession with serial killers. She works with serial killers at London's Wetherington Hospital, where she shows compassion as we observe with her interaction with a patient, Lee Miller, and teaches with enthusiasm on the topic at King's College. Holly, a solitary person, is woken in the middle of the night, when she is asked to lend her professional expertise, by DI Bill Bishop, to profile a serial killer that has struck in a small village in Surrey, with the brutally gruesome murders of Dr Jonathan Wright and his wife, Evelyn, the bodies posed to showcase the horror to maximise the indelible impact on anyone who discovers the bodies and the police.

In the most twisted and complicated of investigations Holly and Bishop struggle to get a handle on the perpetrator or identify possible suspects that could commit such heinous crimes. Holly is certain that the killer has been actively killing for some time to have developed this level of skill and knowledge in their macabre art. A killer intent on domination, manipulation and control, who is running rings around the police. As the case takes it toll on the police and Holly, she is proven to be all too right as evidence emerges of a rising body count in the past and the present. The possibility of a copycat killer has Holly hotfooting it to Bayview Hospital, known as 'Monster Mansion', run by Dr Andell, with its 35 extreme patients. Holly has deeply buried trauma and secrets, which threaten her role on the investigation, and her past turns out to have connections with the present day horrors, placing her in the line of deadly danger.

An ex-army DI Bishop, with his injured leg, and Holly begin to develop a strangely close relationship, driven by the intensity of the police inquiry. Oddly enough, Bishop is not put off by a Holly he refers to as the 'Wikipedia of the Damned', nor by her creepy murderabilia room, where she displays those items she has acquired with connections to serial killers. Griffin's characterisation of Holly is riveting and Bishop too is compelling, so much so that I cannot wait to see where Griffin takes them next. This is a dark and gory, but an absolutely compulsive blood drenched must read, packed with quotes and facts about serial killers, and a unusual and charismatic protagonist in Holly. I am sure many crime fiction and thriller fans will love this. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.