Yet another fantastic read from Charlie Gallagher, full of intense moments , a plot like no other, couldn’t put it down at points . So many twists and turns, when you think you have it all worked out it twists again. Highly recommended.

At first I thought Charlie had fallen into an old plot line used by many others; sadistic rich men hunting weak sex slaves. Silly me. I had not taken into account his love of the twist.
The first one settled my nerves and had me on edge at the same time. This was cruel and, yes, sadistic. Two young women, perfectly matched, facing off against one another. To quote Highlander "There can be only one".
I never have liked claustrophobic red telephone boxes but now they are on my list of things never to use, along with electric knives and scuba diving gear.
Closely following the women came the men. But they had a plan. They would turn the tables on the bad man. Most women know that men are useless at following plans. these two ran true to form and Charlie provided the details. Bloody, gory details (add scissors to my list).
Charlie Gallagher's talent grows with every book. I gave five stars to his first so now he has so many out in the sky making his own astral body. Forget Orion's belt this guy is providing a full set of armour.
Fair warning this book is gruesome in places and emotional in others. If you live near a telephone box in the country this may not be for you 😐

Brilliant book.
Kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
Charlie is one of the best crime writers around.

Oh my goodness! What a brilliant thriller. I held my breath so many times, it was just so scary.
The plot is original and the malevolence of the perpetrator of the terrible crimes leaps off the page.
Absolutly love the all police team, but I have developed a real soft spot for Eileen and her slippers.
Charlie Callager is a writer I have followed from his first novel and he just gets better.. His police experience helps him to create the best thrillers.possible and he never disappoints. I highly recommend this book, quality reading from a writer at the top of his game.
My thanks to Charlie, his publishing team and to NetGalley for an advanced reader e-copy, absolutely my pleasure!

A non-stop thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. You will not want to put this one down! The plot and the characters are well developed and makes you feel as if you are there.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Charlie Gallagher is a brilliant crime author so this book is as well written as ever but for me the jury is still out on this new series. There's just something about it that hasn't fully gelled for me yet

Well this book certainly did not disappoint. The first chapter had me wondering what it was all about. The story line is a unique idea which is followed through the book. Another real page turner as the plot developed and you were left wondering who and why the next victim would be. The story line left you guessing nearly to the end as who to believe. Joel and DS Rose were excellent throughout and it was good to see the start of their characters developing.
I always make sure my diary is clear for a couple of days before I start one of Charlie Gallagher’s books as they never fail to keep you turning the pages until it is finished. Perhaps the best one yet.

Good grief………….where to start reviewing this one, Charlie Gallagher! I remember commenting on The Friend, the first book in the Norris & Rose series that it started differently, a bit more slowly………..well trust me this one certainly does the opposite. Book two starts with Joel Norris and Lucy Rose literally waiting for some jobs for the fairly newly set up Serious Crime Investigation Team. The team has expanded with a new DCI Jim Kemp (who I took to straight away) and a brand new to policing intelligence officer/analyst who is a quite a character, extremely efficient, quite bossy and disapproving but in a likeable way. Then a job comes in…………………….

I’m not going to précis the book for you, that’s done by far better writers than me on the book itself! All I will say is that I cannot think of anything scarier than the scene that starts the book off!

This book explodes into a nail-biting, breath-holding, scary ride that I loved every minute of!

The pace continues at helter-skelter breakneck speed and the tension mounts as they realise they are involved in a real-life gruesome game. I didn’t realise who the perpetrator was until the moment it was revealed in the book! I love that! I love to be surprised! But even then the game isn’t finished and the tension just keeps on mounting!

Charlie Gallagher is my favourite author in this genre, I can never get enough of his books and this one is right up there as quite possibly the best yet……………till the next one!

My huge thanks go to Charlie and his publishing team, and to NetGalley for an advanced reader e-copy in return for an honest review. Absolutely my pleasure!

400 Pages

5 stars

DI Joel Norris and his Sergeant Lucy Rose are two very competent and determined officers. Following the near-disaster of his last case, Joel finally gets a new case. The young woman is found stabbed and shot to death in a phone booth in an isolated area. She is wearing a sack-like dress. This doesn’t look right.

At the same time, the police get reports of another young woman who looked beaten up and also wearing a sack dress. She boarded a bus, begging the driver for a free ride. They follow her with CCTV, but lose her. Finally identifying her, she has fled from her lodgings. What is going on?

An intense investigation is undertaken, and clues begin to appear. They meet Margaret, the mother of the murdered woman and her next door neighbor. His name is Billy Easton.

Billy is obsessed with a role playing board game. He designed it. He started a company to promote the game, but lost it. Time passes, more facts are uncovered and Billy Easton becomes the prime suspect. Joel, however, doubts that Billy is guilty. His demeanor just doesn’t match the situation.

After intense questioning, Billy is released.

The reader also is a witness to the first hand suffering of the “participants” in the “game.”

Mr. Gallagher has a talent for coming up with original premises for his books. I have read his books since the first one, and the novels just keep getting better. I really like the way he paints pictures with his words. The writing is clean, without gore and gratuitous sex. The police team get along very well and I appreciate that very much. I also like the way we are shown snippets of Joel and Lucy’s home lives. It helps to flesh them out as people, without intruding on the story line.

Extremely well done. Mr. Gallagher! Keep up the exemplary work!!

There are a significant number of typos which I assume will be corrected before publication. There is also a problem with a couple of transitions toward the end of the book. The transitions from the police to the victims are squashed together and it’s a little jarring.

I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for forwarding to me a copy of this most entertaining and exciting book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

DI Joel Norris is starting to get used to his new role, but with very little to do still isn't gaining much on the job experience. All that is about to change when his new boss introduces himself early one morning and gives him details of a new case the team have been assigned. Although team might be stretching it a bit as there are just the three of them, Joel and Lucy having been joined by Eileen, an analyst who wears her carpet slippers and hand knitted cardigan at the office!

Now, with a crime scene in the Kent countryside and an unidentified victim on the slab, Joel knows they are once again up against the clock to find a ruthless killer but nothing could prepare him for what is discovered next. As the victim is finally reported missing it becomes clear they're up against someone with an agenda so twisted none of them can even begin to guess at what is to come.

This is so good! Charlie Gallagher writes from experience and it shows. The second Joel Norris investigation happens at breakneck speed and with periods of enforced inactivity, both adding to the tension and Joel's frustration which is palpable. There is also an opportunity to learn more about DS Lucy Rose which added a lot to her character development and why she behaves the way she does. The culprit is also expertly crafted twisting and turning their way to the end and I was completely drawn in the entire way from start to finish.

After his previous successful series it is clear Charlie Gallagher is onto another winner with Norris and Rose. As in his Maddie Ives series the action is written in such a manner it leaps from the page and I was very sorry to finish a book which is easily one my favourites so far this year.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is absolutely excellent, I recommend reading book one first and prepare for enjoy another brilliant series from an expert crime writer.

Another fabulous crime thriller from one of my favourite authors, Charlie Gallagher. This is a very intense story, one that focuses on a human contest, betting one person as pawns against each other. The stakes are high and the lives of you and your family are balancing on the edge and there is really no way out, you have to play the game. Sound like this scenario will keep your attention? Well it truly kept mine, what a thrilling ride this was. Lots of actions and deep breaths wondering where this is going and how any of the characters will come out alive. Fast paced, full of tension and suspense, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an addictive crime tale, you will find yourself glued to the pages. Five stars.

Thank you Avon Books UK and NetGalley for this intriguing new story from Charlie.

Lethal Game is and extremely enjoyable story that held me captive till the very end of this book!
What I enjoyed most were the characters they were intriguing and so interesting.
The writing was phenomenal in every way possible.
The plot.... Man this plot was everything!
An atmosphere of spine-tingling malevolence permeates the pages with heart-pounding, terrifying suspense.
This gripping story will have you on the edge of your seat. And its one you won't want to miss!

I found it enjoyable, entertaining and very cleverly plotted. Don't be fooled, just because Charlie Gallagher is an ex police officer this is not true life crime, but more of a puzzle to work out, centered around an adult strategy board game.
Its a quality read with interesting characters, who have intriguing background. Very well written. I am looking forward to seeing how the characters develop and progress.

I couldn't wait to read this the second in the DI Joel Norris series. The first is the series The Friend, is my favourite Police Crime thriller I've read this year.

It starts with a bang, a young woman tethered to the wall in a farm building, preparing to race for her life, knowing the winner lives and second place dies.

The characters are excellent and refreshingly human and fallible, there is some very nice characters development in the characters we already know. The plot is original and the plotting is complex, multi-layered and unpredictable. After the initial race to survive I found it took a while to build up momentum, but when it did I was completely hooked.

As always, ex-Police Office Charlie Gallagher writes the Police aspects with a convincing, easy confidence and once again builds up to a nerve-shredding tense action finale.

Strap yourself in for another dark, twisting and deeply unpredictable thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins

LETHAL GAME is eerie and heart-racing from the very start, followed by a gruesome discovery. Terror rises in a nightmarish scene. Secrets and lies complicate the cryptic mystery raising tension. It's like a sinister and diabolical rollercoaster ride into a house of horrors. Another grisly find precedes a hellacious maze of mirrors making this mystifying conundrum unsolvable. When new information comes to light, a fast paced, action packed race against time ensues. Spine-chilling, edge of your seat suspense permeates every page keeping them flying by right through to the hair-raising dynamite, explosive finish.

DO NOT MISS THE CHILLING AND INNOVATIVE LETHAL GAME!