And breath!! What a superb, emotional, disturbing read this was! Carol Wyer is just a unbeatable force at writing this type of story. She has such an ability to write characters and plots that get you so invested in what happens to them.

I love Natalie and her dogged determination to bring justice to the victims and their families. When a case she is working on becomes linked to a previous case, she starts to question the outcome of that case. She is still struggling in her personal life and tries desperately not to let that interfere with her work.

The Blossom Twins is an unputdownable addition to a series I have loved and I absolutely can't wait to see what Carol Wyer has to offer next.

Di Natalie Ward is juggling child care and the messy separation from her husband when she is called to investigate the murder of a 14-yr old girl, Isabella Sharpe. From the start there are startling links back to one of her greatest failures - the Blossom Twins double murder some years earlier.
Insights into the mind of the serial killer reveal both his motivation and his delight in finding pairs of teenage girls - could this be the real killer of the Blossom Twins?
Then two more girls vanish and are found dead. And then another pair. His mission is clear. He is focusing on one person - Natalie. This is personal and he means to make her suffer.

A young girl goes missing from a free outdoor concert. She was left on her own for a short period of time while her sister went to buy some drinks - now she’s been found murdered nearby. DI Natalie Ward and her team are investigating and Natalie can’t help but see similarities in the way the body was placed to one of her previous cases in Manchester. A set of twins and two sisters were killed and left facing each other and covered in blossom. Then a set of twins disappear, Erin and Ivy were camping in the back garden overnight but weren’t there when their parents went to wake them up the following morning. When their bodies are discovered Natalie is convinced that the killer has a link with the previous case. Her superior gives her an extra officer - DS John Briggs worked with her on the original case and there is no love lost between them. While the investigation is continuing Natalie is still trying to find the right opportunity to sit down and tell her children that she and her husband David are separating. When two more girls go missing Natalie realises that the case has become personal to her and could wreck what’s left of her family.

What a read! What an ending! Couldn’t put it down - another fantastic installment in this series by Carol Wyer. Absolutely brilliant - highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Boookouture and Carol Wyer for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Loved all of the Detective Natalie Ward books and could not wait to read this latest one. It did not disappoint, I was gripped all the way through, so many shocking twists, leading to a shocking and devastating ending.

Another winner in this magnificent series!!
So we are back with detective Natalie Ward once more and a case that is a real difficult one for her as it bears a striking resemblance to a old case that affected Natalie badly, added to all this Nat has a new superintendent that is not the easiest to like to say the least and as more murders take place things begin to become more and more difficult when a old face from Nat’s past is seconded to the team to help out and he seems hell bent in trying to undermine her authority at every turn.
Poor Natalie has the continued complications with her home life also to deal with and all this makes the book a brilliant read and one that I just flew through till I reached the shocking ending and that was a real stunner that made me gasp !!
As always Carol Wyer writes one hell of a clever and absorbing story leaving me desperately needing the next in this gripping series and no hesitation in giving it a 5 star rating and well recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

One evening 13years old twins Ivy and Erin goes to camp out in the back garden
When her mother gets them up she finds the tent is empty
I got an ARC

The Blossom Twins

Don’t be fooled by the sweet title because the Blossom Twins has to be Carol Wyer’s most chilling book to date.

Natalie Ward is haunted by an horrific crime from her past when the body of a young girl is found with huge similarities to it. The Blossom Twins’ killer was eventually caught but due to a wrong turn in the investigation he was able to kill again. Natalie being a consummate professional has carried the guilt around with her ever since.

Her personal life is shattered but she has to carry on in her job to find the killer and prevent them from striking again.

The story races along at an incredible pace as we join Natalie as she tries to solve the crime and my heart was pounding out of my chest in some parts.

The unexpected devastation hit me like a punch to the stomach and shakes Natalie to the core. I felt totally bereft at the end.

Carol Wyer is brilliant at writing utterly gripping stories, each investigation has been unique and thrillingly twisted and the insight into Natalie’s private life as she feels constant guilt for not being around for her family has been fascinating.

Another fantastic read which I devoured immediately and now I’m desperate for the next one.

This book will reel you in, chew you up and spit you out a completely broken and emotionally spent mess. Author Carol Wyer threw all of herself and her emotion into writing this book and it shows. You have been warned.

This is a very difficult book to read if you are a parent. There is a killer on the loose, a vicious mind preying on young girls, whose calling card bears all the hallmarks of a man that Natalie thought she had put away for good years before. COuld she have made a mistake, and if so, how many more girls will die before she can catch the killer?

One member of the team down, Natalie is forced to work with a face from the past, Detective Sergeant John Briggs, a man who bears her no small amount of ill will for taking a promotion he felt he deserved. It makes for an additional layer of conflict in an already complex and tense investigation, putting extra pressure on Natalie. Now fans of the series will know that she is already under pressure from a very fractured family life, something which has not improved any this time around. It makes for a heady mix, an unnecessary distraction, but one which helps the killer no end.

The story bounces between Natalie's tangled domestic life and the investigation, the occasional chapter taking us back into the past life, and the motivation, of the killer, a person who uses flower petals as their calling card. The flow of the story is spot on, the pace picking up and slowing down as the tension and progression of the case (and lack there of) dictates. Vital clues are dropped in for the reader, with our intrepid detectives left in the dark, and with no end of potential suspects, you will be left reeling by the final reveal.

The characterisation is brilliant as always, Carol Wyer really capturing the naivety and gullibility of the young girls who are easily lured to their death. There is one victim who is harder to fool, but ultimately even then will find it hard to beat such a cunning and deranged mind as that of the killer.

But it is in the final pages of the book that you will find the real emotional heart, the part of the story that will potentially break you and leave you wondering just what the author has done and how anyone can recover from this. For the emotionally invested reader, I suggest you keep some tissues handy as what happens is a real game changer.

I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here because no matter what has happened before, what you thought about Natalie's character, her complexities and her forthright nature, after what happens in this book one thing is for sure. Nothing will ever be the same again.

You are a cruel lady Carol Wyer. I love it (love as in a 'purely for the purpose of how it will drive the narrative of future novels' kind of way, of course ... Not what you did. Never, ever that. ;))

When I get a NetGalley request approved I usually try and wait to read it until nearer the publish date. This is so that I can get on the promotional bandwagon and help the author out as much as possible. However, when I got my approval for ‘The Blossom Twins’ I deliberated for approximately two seconds and decided I couldn’t wait! I know I’m always in for a treat and a fantastic read when in DI Natalie Ward’s world, so why deny myself the chance to read this NOW! (I will still promote this closer to release date, though, don’t worry!)
Well, to the book itself, I’m not sure what words will do it justice. I tweeted Carol Wyer the moment I finished to let her know she’d broken me and that I was heartbroken. I needed to tell someone, I know it’s just a book, but when reading the ending, it felt more than that. I still feel emotional over 12 hours later.
In my review for the fourth book, I said that was the best, well that was then! This is now the best of the best, and I think it is even making my top five books for the year!
The investigation is once again fast-paced, and we are along for the ride for every part of it. That’s what I love about these books we are in the trenches with the detectives. We find out what they know as they do. However, there was a little bonus for being the reader during ‘The Blossom Twins’. We were getting to see inside the killer’s head, so for a moment, we are actually ahead of the detectives. I found myself willing them on to uncover what I knew!
Along with the investigation, Natalie’s home life is creeping more and more into the story climaxing what has been building up over the last four books. When I first read book one, I wasn’t 100% sure about following her personal life as it seemed irrelevant. However, I have read all of the books this year in quite a quick concession, and that intimate element has really worked and come together nicely. It is this fondness I have developed for the character that broke me towards the end; I’m even welling up as writing this.
Carol Wyer wrote the most perfect yet poignant ending to this story I wouldn’t have wanted it to go any other way even though it has hollowed me out and left me devastated. I am glad there are more books to come, and I am waiting very impatiently! I’m glad I didn’t wait to read this one, but it does mean I have longer until the next instalment, oh well!
If I could give this more than five stars, I would, absolutely brilliant, shocking, gripping and just perfect!

This is the most exciting book of the Natalie Ward series yet. This book sees one her most challenging cases where girls are being murdered, identically to an early case of Natalie’s. Is this is copycat killer, or did they put away the wrong man years before?

Natalie has other challenges in having a new boss with whom she doesn’t see eye to eye, and the detective she previously worked with is brought in. She has since been promoted, he hasn’t. She also rebuffed his advances to her years earlier - he obviously holds a grudge or two and she has to find a way of working with this rather brash detective.

Things are no easier at home with Natalie having finally deciding that she can no longer live with David. Finding the right opportunity to tell the children though is difficult. Mike agrees that they can’t take their relationship any further until Natalie moves out.

In all these aspects alone would make for thrilling read, but it does not prepare you for the rollercoaster of an ending and the shocking twist at the end and I do wonder how on earth Natalie is going to recover from this.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to read this at night like I did, you will not want to put this down!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the arc of this book and the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

5* for the book (and a huge virtual hug to Natalie)

Wow, I just didn't want to put this down. I've heard of having the rug pulled out from under you but I felt more like I'd had a house dropped on me with this storyline.
Enjoyed the advancement in character storylines through the team which had to dynamically alter to fit in a new detective and new boss overlooking the team. As they navigated a disturbing case of a twisted serial killer who was hunting and killing two at a time. As well as the police teams personal stories which have grown through the series overall, can't wait for the next book.

Just finished reading the latest DI Natalie Ward. All I can say is wow this book is brilliant Carol has kept me engrossed from the start to the end with all the twists and turns. I always look forward to Carol's books coming out. Can't wait for the next one. She will always be one of my favourite Authors.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have read each of the previous instalments in this series and am impressed with the way Natalie's on-going family issues are handled - they feel realistically difficult, but Natalie still manages to do her job, and handle her disloyal colleagues, and sort out her housing situation.

The plot of this instalment referred back to a case from the past which had apparently scarred Natalie: a killer murdered and posed twin sisters, but was eventually apprehended and committed suicide in prison. Now the murders have started up again - is this a copycat or was the wrong person convicted before? There are chapters from the point of view of the murderer, which work well, and I thought the identity of the killer was a very satisfying conclusion, although the ending was shocking in other ways.

If I had a niggle there were also scenes, in the italics which had been used for the murderer's POV, which dealt with Natalie's life and the time frame for these was often confusing. Still, overall a great read and a page-turner.

Emotional rollercoaster of a read. Been following Natalie Ward series from the start but wow this instalment was the best yet. Kept you guessing til the end what a fantastic book

Wow! Just wow! This book has floored me.

Each book in this series is more heart stopping than the last. Each baddie is more scary and creepy than the one before. The progression in Natalie's story and the changes in her personal life are keeping me hooked.

The huge twist in this book had me weeping and left me shaken to the core.

Bravo, Carol!!

Four years ago DI Natalie Ward was faced with a case which almost broke her and left her fearing for her sanity. Someone was killing pairs of young girls but eventually they caught him and put him away. But now girls are being murdered again and the team are left wondering if they caught the right man.

Like all Carol Wyer's books this one is almost impossible to put down. The story races along at a breakneck pace through various twists and turns leading to a climax which has left me breathless. I will be literally counting the days until the release of the next book in this series.

Review will be posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Oh my gosh!
I mean...
Seriously!....
This totally shocked me!
What a twist!
Carol, all those days with hardly any sleep are totally worth it to a reader like me.
Thank you x

When a teen girl is killed, Detective Natalie Ward is fairly certain that a killer has resurfaced. In her mind, evidence points to a previous case with the moniker of "The Blossom Twins". With one girl having found dead, others are not so sure. But, before long, twins Ivy and Erin Westmore were found murdered, and due to a shocking clue, Natalie is more than convinced that the killer has indeed returned.

As pressing as these cases are, Natalie's personal and family life are in an upheaval. She is very unhappy with her husband David and knows she must make some serious changes. Not only that, Natalie knows she must put aside feelings for co-worker Mike until her situation with David is resolved. With two teens, Josh and Leigh, Natalie is undoubtedly worried. On the job, she has a new boss and he is rather unpleasant. Another issue at work is the appearance of DS John Briggs. Natalie worked with him on the previous murder cases and they really did not get along well.

Despite all of these concerns, Natalie is determined to discover who the killer is, why he stopped for several years, and why he is killing twins. Meanwhile, the killer's POV is relayed throughout the book. From beginning to end, my attention was sharply riveted, and I experienced more than one shocking twist.

The Blossom Twins by Carol Wyer is one of the most intense reads I have read in a long time. It was so difficult to put down, but I had to step away for a moment to take a very deep breath. I have no idea how Carol did it! I want so much for Natalie! I am so very eager for the next book in the series. Each book gets deeper and even better.

Many thanks to Bookoture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This book completely blew me away. It was bone chilling. The end I never saw coming and I had to go back and re read because I was wait that can't be! So thrilling and twisted. Thought I had it figured out and I could NOT have been more wrong. This one is(and I can not stress this enough) NOT to be missed.

What can I say about this book, other than Wow!
It pulls you in from the first few pages and doesn’t let go until the nail bitingly tense conclusion.
This one is a real shocker that will chill you to the bone - you have been warned!
Natalie and the team are investigating the murder of a teenage girl, found after a local concert. It reminds Natalie of a previous case but she’s told it can’t be linked as the killer was caught and it was always twins or sisters that were killed.
Soon the bodies of two twin sisters are found with petals laid on top of them and Natalie knows this is definitely linked to the Blossom twins case.
The team are given help with the case but when it arrives, Natalie’s heart sinks as he was on the Blossom twins case with her, and he’s known for his arrogance.
John is soon rubbing people up the wrong way, except for Natalie’s boss who can’t see anything wrong with his actions.
Life is getting more difficult for Natalie at home and despite David wanting to give their marriage another go, she’s made her mind up this time, and agrees they’ll tell Leigh and Josh when the case is over.
This one is a tense investigation from the word go as a local man is implicated and other leads take them down equally tricky paths.
I loved how this book came together at the end and it was definitely a nail biting ending.
Thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for sending me this advanced copy to read.