Cover Image: The Dare (Detective Natalie Ward Book 3)

The Dare (Detective Natalie Ward Book 3)

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Member Reviews

Because I went straight from book 2 on to book 3 no introduction was needed and I was keen to see what the gang were up to now. Of course another time and another murder investigation! This however seems to be only the tip of the iceberg as another girl goes missing. What makes this whole scenario even worse is that our lead character Natalie has a daughter the same age as these girls that are being found murdered and going missing.

There is an added element to this latest story as the reader experiences flashbacks from the killer which makes you wonder who this person is. Once again we also get to see a little more of the team and their personal lives. On the flip side of the work, Natalie’s home life is becoming more fraught as her marriage is under serious strain. I cannot say I am disappointed as I absolutely loathe David as a character and think Natalie needs to move on from him.

Overall, another brilliant read and once again this made me want to continue reading about everybody so straight onto the next book I go!!!

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I LOVE Carol Wyer's Natalie Ward series. This book has more twists and turns than a back country road! Don't miss out on this series!

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Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

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Unfortunately I did not finish this title due to life getting in the way.
I can't say much for the story, however I will be purchasing this book to finish as I enjoyed the start of the book very much.

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I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well-written characters. This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I would recommend this story to all thriller and who-done-it lovers.

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Such a long time ago since I read  a book by this author and I was very pleased to sit down with one of her stories.

The book fitted the weather over here perfectly. Cold and rainy is great to snuggle under a blanket on the sofa and enjoy a crime story.

DI Ward and her team have their hand full. They are dealing with a very clever killer who does not give them a lot of time to breath and does not leave any clues behind. She has more than enough suspects though…

They have planned everything very carefully and it all runs smoothly, but why not play a little bit more?

They drive the police team nuts. DI Ward pushes herself and her team to the limit. And then suddenly there is that little snippet of info that breaks everything wide open.

High time to put this wicked person behind bars once and for all and we can finally find out who it is and why they were driven to these actions.

I had a lot of names going to my head, but did I pick the correct one?

A great story that I enjoyed very, very much. 5 stars

Thank you

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Another great book by Carol Wyer and one that grabs your attention straightaway. I devoured this in a couple of days and it certainly kept me guessing as I read on. Maybe lacking in a little drama compared to her other books, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Looking forward to reading the next instalment!

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The Dare is the 3rd book in the Detective Natalie Ward series. It can be read as a stand-alone. I really enjoy this series.

Like the previous books, Detective Natalie Ward is juggling to be a good detective, mother and wife. Teenage girls are going missing and their bodies are found shortly after. This is especially hard for Natalie since she has a daughter, Leigh, the same age as the missing girls. But it hits home when Leigh goes missing. Did she run away from home or did the killer take her?

This book took me away on page one. The pacing is spot on, the tension palpable, the shocks and surprises coming thick and fast. And this is one you surely will not figure out who the killer is.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for a copy of "The Dare" in exchange of an honest review.

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I spent the last 5 chapters of the book with tears in my eyes and the last pages crying. The story has made me feel sick to the stomach and made me want to wrap my mini-me up and never let go. I am already fearing what our relationship will be like when she is a teenager and with these crazy “dares” floating around I am worried. I am worried before it has even happened but as a parent, you can’t help it.

I am beginning to work out how Carol’s dark mind is working and it is always to expect the unexpected. I had kind of figured out who had done it and eventually why, but crazy as it sounds I wanted it all to be make-believe. I did not want to read the story in front of me. I am terrified!

Natalie’s life is just spiralling out of control with David, he is keeping his secrets and when this case hits home for Natalie you do wonder how much more she can take. The home life is pivotal in one respect for events that occur and I think it could be the catalyst for something big to come. (Spoiler, I, unfortunately, know what is coming but I won’t spoil it here) There is not so much on the home life as in the previous books, we have a lot more on the case and well…Mike. Mike is prominent for Natalie, she knows it’s wrong but he gets her and he gets this case, so it’s just a safety measure, right?

I don’t want to talk about the plot too much because it is one you need to discover for yourself but it is not one to take lightly. The scary world of internet and social media is large and I mean who the hell creates a website called Disappear! I mean who creates something that would parents and friends through hell, well apart from Carol’s mind! Terrifying.

I do love that we see more of Lucy and Bethany but we hear more about Murray and Ian, but I would still love to know more about them. I know it’s the Natalie show but the team are her life support outside of her family unit. I do worry about her.

A new dimension has been added to the series, we not only have Natalie’s team, we have Mike’s team but also Missing Persons have been added to the story. It creates a fluidity to the story as we see how everyone works together to solve the crimes and that the different units are not working singularly.

I did have to chuckle when I saw a Zoe, Shane and an Alicia (spelt Alisha) in the book because it was like my family were immortalised in a few sentences! But this is not about me!

I can not even lie, this book is intense. The subject matter is one that will hit home, Carol knows how to twist the knife when she needs to. Everything ramps up way too quickly and takes your breath away and it most definitely shocks you. Not only does the book ramp up but so does Carol’s writing, she has ramped up the darkness and she has no qualms with writing this darkness down. It is like she is peering into your mind and taking the dark thoughts out of them, the things you keep deep in your mind, your worst fears and she creates a case for Natalie to take on instead.

I would love to say, Natalie, her family and the team have it easier in the next book but I read the blurb and I can’t lie to you! I now need to go to bed and give my mini-me a huge squeeze!

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Oh man, this was a wild ride. To my ever-loving happiness, 'The Dare' was actually a *thrilling* Thriller. Maybe I’ve become jaded, but it seems like more often than not lately, a book billed as a Thiller doesn’t actually hold my attention as much as I think it should. That was not the case with this book.

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I can't say enough how much I love Carol Wyer's writing. Just when I think a story can't be even more twisted and thrilling she shows me that it absolutely can.

The third installment to the Natalie Ward series was a roller coaster ride. The team discovers a girls body next to a pile a garbage with no clue as to who could have done this. There is no DNA, there is no fibers, no evidence to even give a partial headway to the investigation. All they find is that she was on a site to complete a DARE. As they become quickly frustrated on the absence of clues another teenage girl goes missing.

Quickly they find the second teenager, the same as the first. Near rubbage that is close to home with no evidence or clues. The mothers and fathers in the story have no idea what their teenage daughters are up to and doing in their spare time. One thing that connects them all is a website to complete a new DARE.

I love that Wyer provides flashbacks into the killers life. It really sheds light on who they are inside and what makes them a monster. I was very quick to guess who the culprit was and ended up being correct. Twisted to say the least and very uncomfortable. But when Natalie's daughter winds up missing that is when I about puked.

Now, I won't tell you how it's ends for Natalie's daughter but it makes me want to keep a tracker on all my children after they are born.

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Another cracking read in the series and I can't wait for the next one. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and I really like Natalie's character and sub-plots involving her family.

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I’ve read and loved the previous 2 books in this series and this is another fantastic gripping read!!!!!
When thirteen year old Savannah Hopkins doesn’t come home from school her mother raises the alarm immediately. DI Natalie Ward is on the case and she discovers a web page with a challenge called “The Dare”!and all the missing girls have visited it so the race is on to find them but DI Natalie’s daughter Leigh goes missing it becomes personal!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carol Wyer for the arc of The Dare my review is honest and unbiased.

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So this is the third in the DI Natalie Ward series and actually the first one I’ve read. I think it works perfectly well as a stand alone but if you want to get the full back story you should probably start with the first in the series, The Birthday.

When Savannah Hopkins goes missing, everyone is hoping that she will just turn up. Natalie is assigned to the case but their worst fears are confirmed when she’s found dead near her house.

A second girl goes missing and a disturbing video turns up on a website daring people to disappear. With her boss breathing down her neck, can Natalie and her team get to the bottom of it before another girl gets hurt?

When I finished this book, I said to myself, why haven’t I started reading this series sooner??? The Dare really gripped me from the very beginning with loads of twists and turns.

This is such a realistic and scary scenario. It’s every parent’s nightmare if your child doesn’t come home from school, I know it’s one of my top fears as the mother of a teenage boy (even if he is a grumpy bugger most the time).

I also enjoyed the little snippets throughout the book from the killer’s perspective, giving the story that extra bit of creepiness.

I liked Natalie. She’s a meticulous detective but also battling a complicated home life, with a husband she’s not sure she can trust and teenage children.

I did have an idea of who the killer was but boy did Carol Wyer keep me on my toes, second guessing myself, until the end.

The Dare is a gripping and realistic police procedural that will keep you guessing until the very end.

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"The dare" is the third book in the DI Natalie Ward series, and in my opinion, the weakest one. It touches upon teenager's obsessions with social media challenges, and that may be my main issue with the book, teens taking stupid decisions again and again (helloooo Natalie's daughter!). Also, I think her domestic life situation is being dragged for the last couple of books.

All in all, "The dare" is an OK police procedural with lots of red herrings (maybe too many).

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Carol Wyer just does not disappoint! If you love a good murder mystery series like I do delve into this one!

The story line hooks you immediately and the attention to detail that Wyer uses is perfection!

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It is such a huge step for children to move into their teens, classing themselves as a grown-up and thinking they know everything but it is a nightmare for the parents. When Savannah Hopkins doesn't come home after school her mum knows there is something really wrong and phones the police. What begins hopefully as a young girl just being at a friends turns into a murder investigation when her body is found.
The case really hits Detective Natalie Ward pretty hard, having a daughter the same age herself. It isn't long before a second girl goes missing too and the urgency to find her increases with every passing minute. The only thing is that everyone is keeping quiet, no-one wants to dob on a mate.
The killer makes appearances in short sharp chapters drip-feeding small tip bits of his deadly serious game. The chapters unfold to give an insight into both the killer and the girls and the way they interact with each other. The price they will pay to be one of the popular girls.
The number of suspects grows in this breeding ground of red herrings but Natalie Ward chips away until she gets that tiny breakthrough that opens up a totally new terrifying lead.
Carol Wyer creates the perfect balance of Natalie's work and home life, where she is facing tremendous pressures from both. When both begin to overlap it puts her into new shoes, giving her a different perspective to the case.
I love how the author can make all her characters lift from the paper and feel so real, a super talent. This story has a very modern theme which I am sure will put many a shiver through many parents. I was kept guessing right to the end as to who the killer was. An excellent storyline, brilliant insights too into the families of the victims. Super series.

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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

wow this book grabs you and keeps you reading till the end to find out what happens, the characters draw you in and you feel as though you know them as if they are people that you work with and this was my first book by this author...it wont be my last

this is about social media at its worst...theres a game to be played called disappear

three girls disappear one each day and they all turn up...but not alive...they are discarded like pieces of trash...

can the police find the perp before he strikes again...though with the daughter of the leading detective now missing the race is on

wow brilliant book, and another author to add to my ever growing collection of authors to keep an eye out for

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sadly this book wasn't downloaded successfully onto my kindle and now is achieved so I will be unable to review :(

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From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the third book in Carol Wyer's Detective Natalie Ward series, and each book has been fantastic...one more addicting and thrilling than the previous one! I was a huge fan of Carol Wyer's DI Robyn Carter series and while I was bummed to see that series come to an end, I can absolutely say I am loving this new series, especially since it has another strong female lead!

I think what I love most about this series is that the character development is top notch. Carol Wyer continues to build her characters and we see that in each and every book. I love Detective Natalie Ward and I love that we really see just how hard it is for her to balance work and life. She loves her job and loves her family, but it's hard for her to juggle the two, and it doesn't help that things are not great between her and her husband - I so wish she would just kick him out! I would if it were me...but that's just me. I do like that we see how she is constantly dealing with issues of trust when it comes to him...and that this has been an on-going issue.

I love when we get the perspective of the killer thrown into the mix of storytelling. To me, it just amps up the tension and suspense. I always try to see if I can figure out who it is, based on any clues the author might throw in, but I was not successful this time. But still, these segments were chilling and eerie and I loved it!

The case that Natalie and her team were involved in was every parents worst nightmare and ended up hitting quite close to Natalie herself. It really reinforces the idea that parents don't always know every little thing their children are up to, especially when it comes to what they are doing online. I don't have children, but I have a ton of nieces and nephews and this scares me so much. You can't monitor them 24/7, but at the same time, you do have to be aware. This case preyed on a parent's fear and I felt that come across in this book.

The books in this series can all be read as stand-alones, but I think they work so much better if you read the books in order. You get a much richer reading experience, and you will fall in love with these characters, I promise! I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, The Sleepover, which is out in September...these books are so addicting and binge-worthy. They keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out just what is going on. Have you read this series yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

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