Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Left For Dead is the third book in the mystery series featuring DI Amy Winter. While shopping with her sister, Amy notices a mannequin that looks a little too lifelike and discovers the body of a young woman. As the details of her death emerge, the case is eerily similar to an unsolved case from years past. While Amy investigates this death, she is also dealing with her birth mother being on trial for murder.

It is often the case that you can jump into the middle of a series and catch on quickly to the events of precious entries. I did not find that to be the case with this novel. The way Amy's backstory was shared throughout the book felt very disjointed. You would often be in the middle of Amy's thoughts about the current case when a rogue paragraph about her past would be inserted in a way that made little sense to me.

While it took me awhile to get into the book, once I did, the plot really took off. I'm not a huge fan of knowing whodunnit from the beginning but I can see why the author made that choice here. The denouement was still quite a ride. This was a miss for me but if you are interested in this series, I would say to start from the beginning to get the full details of Amy's backstory.

2-1/2 Stars

That scene in the shop window really chilled me. Amy Winter's team really have their work cut out on this case. Amy does seem to have heightened instinct when it comes to sniffing out a suspect.
A brilliantly crafted story that I raced through, desperate for the conclusion.
Seriously creepy in parts!
Thanks to the author for the early copy in which I give my honest opinion.

Another great read from Caroline Mitchell . I’ve been a big fan since I first picked up one of her books and they just seem to get better and better.
This is another D.I Amy Winter book and the story rolls along at a great pace with a new crime to solve combined with the continuing back story of what made Amy into the person she’s become.
Once again a great read that I’ll be highly recommending to all.

I love these books! anything by Caroline Mitchell is fantastic! Another well written installment of Amy!!! Very disturbing storyline at the beginning but great writing, suspense, shocks!

I started this book yesterday afternoon and finished it the early hours as couldn't put it down. I love Amy's character, yet again there's a serial killer and this one thinks Amy may be more like her mum than she thinks and tries to tease her to that effect.
Her relationship with her sister, Donovan and her mum all make this a gripping page turner. I can't get enough of this series more please!!!

I have only recently discovered Caroline Mitchell and I’m so glad I did. This is the third in the Amy Winter series and although can be read as a stand-alone its better to read them in order to get the background of the characters. I couldn’t put the book down and I so wish we didn’t have to wait ages for the next instalment!!

Third in the DI Amy Winter series, begins with Amy and her sister admiring a window display of a beautiful mannequin dressed in a lace wedding gown, encrusted with diamonds. The beauty and artistry of the display takes their breath away, until Amy notices a tinge of blue around the lips of the mannequin, and the grey pallor of the skin, and when blood begins to trickle from the mouth, she realises with horror that the mannequin is actually a dead body!

A post-mortem shows that the victim was alive when she was placed in the window, but was ‘Left for Dead’.
As more victims turn up, investigations reveal that they all have a connection to an online website named ‘Sugar Babes’, where older men arrange meetings with young women.

The perpetrator of these murders becomes known as The Love Heart killer, after all the victims are found to have had a heart carved into their chest. Amy and her team are clearly dealing with a psychopath here, and even though Amy has a suspect in her sights, the hunt will not only prove to be very difficult, but also dangerous for Amy herself, and tough and brave as she is, she may just have met her match this time.

It goes without saying, for those of us who are familiar with Caroline Mitchell’s DI Amy Winter series, that the dark and scary storylines are excellent and well executed, coming as they do with sub plots that always enhance one’s enjoyment, and in this particular storyline, some chapters are given over to the killer himself, so we know exactly what dark thoughts he’s entertaining, and who his next victim will be. Then there are the twists and turns, and interesting characters, not least Amy, who though very complex and not without her own issues, manages to get the reader onside.

It has to be said that this is another winner for Caroline Mitchell, and I look forward with great anticipation to the next in the series.

YES YES YES….. the third instalment in the DI Amy Winter series and certainly didn’t disappoint, the opposite in fact, I just love this series, quite different to the standard detective thrillers, Amy was born to serial killers the Beasts of Brentwood, Lillian & Jack Grimes and although she has been brought up as a Winter from the age of 4, she still feels she needs to atone for her birth parents atrocities, not an easy task!

During a shopping trip with her sister in Oxford Street, they stop outside a bridal shop, the display is fantastic, however, on closer inspection, Amy’s instinct takes over, the mannequin is not a mannequin, they don’t bleed or have a blue hue and Amy jumps into action. The body is that of a young woman and at the autopsy, she is discovered to have a small heart shape carved into her chest which mirrors a murder from years ago when a young teacher was found with the same shape, the killer at the time dubbed “the Love Heart Killer”. Amy has yet another brutal case on her hands and you can be damn sure she will have more than one body on her hands…….

With DCI Pike retiring, Donovan has been appointed to take over her job much to Amy’s displeasure (at first as they have history!), can she cope with Donovan being her boss?

As and aside, Lillian Grimes is currently in the middle of her appeal and this is being televised, Amy has a lot going on in her personal life, her biological sisters are backing Lillian for some reason, Lillian has been able to get them onside, what has she promised them and at what cost? Battling her demons from her past, Amy is starting to remember things from her time in the Grimes household, she cannot bear for Lillian to be set free but at the same time, she inadvertently assisted in her case for appeal by finding planted evidence from when Lillian was found guilty initially.

I loved that we got the POV from the killer himself, Sam Black of Black Media, on the face of it, he is a brilliant boss, perfect place to work, has won loads of awards, perfect family but he has a dark side that needs feeding more and more lately. Although Amy believes Sam Black is the murdered, all evidence points elsewhere, but we know Amy is not one to let this go and she works on her instinct and her insight!!

So much going on in this book between the murders, the appeal and Amy’s testimony and her battle with her feelings for Donovan…. Another fantastic instalment, I literally did not put this book down and read it in one sitting…. Break for a cuppa was it! I devoured it, it draws you in straight away and you get submersed in it, a fantastically written police procedural thriller, another winner, I just love this series, thank you Caroline Mitchell.

Wow! This book was a page turner. From the first few chapters, you knew who the killer was so we were going back and forth between Samuel and Amy as each of their own stories were revealed. The twist at the end was well worth it! I definitely recommend giving this a read!

Really enjoyed this book bit as with most series these days the back story is becoming boring and dragging between books.

Loved this book! Third in the Amy Winter series, this one even topped the first two books.

Although a series, this can definitely can be read as a standalone!!! (Why not just read them all!)

Plucky Amy Winter, DI, is passed over for the DCI position on her police force. She is not happy. This, especially as Donovan, a once "friend" (close?) takes the DCI position. On the weekend prior to Donovan's start Amy observes something weird in a dress shop. Actually, the mannequin in the wedding dress - to be exact. This takes Amy on quite the mission...

Excellent series!

Many Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a super read!

Another un put down book. Love the amy winter characters. Twists and turns throughout. It is quite dark and eerie. Whens the next one caroline?

Absolutely addicted to the Amy Winter series. How she gets in the mind of someone so evil and creates realistic characters and interesting plots.

Having loved the first two books in this series, I was excited to read this one and I wasn't disappointed!

Amy Winter is a fantastic character. She is a police inspector who is the daughter of serial killers, and has really good intuition and a tendency to go 'rogue' in order to catch criminals. I was hooked right from the first page and the plot moves very quickly with some real nail-biting moments towards the end.

There is enough background info to make this readable as a standalone, but I really suggest you read the first two books to properly understand Amy.

Book 3 in the DI Amy Winter series and it’s the best one so far. It took me a while to get into this series after the fantastic Ruby Preston books, but now Amy Winter is a firm favourite. You really have to read the first 2 to understand Amy’s backstory or else the whole new trial of Lillian Grimes won’t make much sense. I love this book, it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The main story is very dark and fairly graphic but wonderfully written. Relationships are tested and we get a great insight into how much people will do for someone they love. This is a fantastic thriller and I highly recommend it

DI Amy is out shopping when she spots a rather odd looking valentine’s day window display. A “bride” in all her finery who looks rather real. When blood begins to drip from her mouth it quickly becomes a crime scene. Amy has a new DCI who has brought in a TV team to up the police profile which Amy would rather not do. Amy has her own issues as her biological mother is in prison and due for an appeal hearing shortly. Years ago her and her husband were sent down for several murders. Meanwhile Samuel now runs a very successful marketing company however this does not fulfill him. He has a secret, make that a few. Something that he fantasises about and to do this lives in a totally different world from that of the highly successful millionaire businessman he portrays to the world. Amy has her suspicions but he is squeaky clean, perhaps too much so. I enjoyed this and I liked Amy and her determination. She has a past relationship albeit fleeting with her boss which adds to the spice between them, however she is a very driven DI and relationships are something she now steers well away from. This is the third in the series but happily stands alone (I hadn’t read the others and it worked for me). There is background to Amy and enough given without needing to know what has gone on before. A read that kept me within its pages and one I found very entertaining and enjoyable.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

I struggled to connect with this book and enjoy its writing. Having never read a book by this author before I was aware that I was coming in on book 3. Normally this wouldn’t bother me as at some point you’re generally brought up to speed with any back story and characters relationship to the lead.

Unfortunately the authors style of drip feeding backstory on this occasion just was t enough. It was clear from the start there was quite a big story to catch up on but I felt held back by not being privy to it early on. This drip feeding of information was also applied to other elements of the book which I began to find a bit annoying as it felt like it was a late edition to a plot that was supposedly moving quite quickly.

Overall it’s an okay read but it wasn’t groundbreaking or utterly gripping in its writing.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The 3rd DI Amy Winter book in the series, but can’t easily read without reading the previous books. A mannequin in a shop window is not as it seems as it starts bleeding. A second victim is soon found. Winter needs to capture The Love Heart Killer before he strikes again.
Gripping read and well recommended.

Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell. Third book in the series featuring Amy Winter. The story moved along fairly quickly with a few obvious twists. Knowing from the beginning (as the reader) who the killer was took away the intensity and suspense of the investigation of the killings. Sam and Marianne were without much depth and it was hard to get invested in their story. The backstory of Amy, her birth family and Lillian's trial is was made the book an interesting read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is admiring a Valentine’s Day window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and resplendent in lace—until she notices blood oozing from the mannequin’s mouth. This is no stunt. A post-mortem reveals the victim was left to die on her macabre throne for all to see. When a second victim is found, it emerges that both women were ‘Sugar Babes’ arranging dates with older men online—and Amy finds herself hunting an accomplished psychopath. As she tracks down the killer, Amy’s instincts go into overdrive when the charismatic head of the agency behind the display makes no attempt to hide his fascination with her serial-killer parents. What exactly does he want from Amy?

Wow, what an incredibly dark, twisted read this is. I have not read the other Amy Winter books but I did not find that to be a disadvantage at all as Mitchell clearly explains previous events and I still found myself feeling like I knew Amy. The read is very fast paced from the beginning, an aspect I loved, and the read made for very intense reading.

The crimes in this are dark and gory, not in a sensational way though and I actually found them to be very original and clever but be warned this is not for the faint hearted. One aspect where this read is unusual is the reader knows from the beginning who the culprit is. We then read perspectives both from Amy and the culprit, enabling us to not only understand them both but also see where the other tricks each other and I found myself swept away into their mind games. The plot for this is very intense and addictive and I could not put it down.

There is a subplot within this around Amy's mother and her appeal, this is where the previous books in the series would come in but as I have already said I honestly did not find it to be a hinderance and I could still appreciate the events taking place.

Mitchell's characters are very good, they feel established as you would expect from a series. I for one enjoyed getting to know them and will be looking out for the next Amy Winter read.

'Left For Dead' is an intense, intoxicating read that was highly enjoyable. I found myself enthralled by this fast-paced crime read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy.