Cover Image: Want You Dead

Want You Dead

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Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this. So many secrets and lies in one plot and it makes for a twisty, gripping read. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

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Steve Frech is one of my favorite male authors these days. I read two of his mystery and suspense thriller stories, and this second novel from his newest series featuring Detective Meredith Somerset is another gem to look forward too!

Who would have thought that a birthday party could be a perfect place to kill someone? It was sickening, especially for the children who witnessed it.

This gripping crime thriller not only focused on the death of the guest but also the people who were last seen near the crime scene. The digging part of getting evidence was the hardest, but Detective Meredith and her awesome partner, Foles, did an amazing job.

It was a well-planned killing, and though I had a hunch who was the murderer, I was still surprised by the motives. I cannot wait for the next installment because the side story of Meredith's missing sister is not done yet.

Thank you, HQ Digital and Netgalley, for the ARC.

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I’m unsure how to feel about this one. I really enjoyed the first novel in this series but it felt like a long wait for this one. This story was super complex, with so many perspectives it was much less a somerset and foles story and more about the current crime and murder and the complex back story with that. It had aspects of somerset and foles which were completely rushed and forced feeling.

I will give the next one a try, but im hoping for a little more than just the last chapter relating to Meredith’s sister back story.

Side note: a person with Down syndrome will not grow a hole in their heart. They are born with one. If it’s not there at birth it will not form later in life.

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An unputdownable mystery that kept me turning the pages late into the night. I am still smiling about that ending! Mr French has become one of my must-read authors!

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Steve Frech continues to be an auto-read author for me. I love that he has an ongoing series now with excellent characters and back stories. Want You Dead had all the twists and turns you expect from Frech. Thrilled to read more!

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Yet another fast paced, keep you guessing book from this author.
While reading this book, I kept thinking how different it was from others books I’ve read by Frech, then looking back on a previous review for him I had said the same then!
As you read this you find out more about the detectives lives as well as following the current case, how did someone end up dead at a child’s birthday party??
With twists and turns a plenty it will keep you guessing until the end.
Will certainly seek out more titles from this author.

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This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone. Steve Frech weaves murder mystery into a deeply character-driven detective procedural. The writing relies heavily on the reader's ability to relate to the struggle the two main characters face in their personal lives and the relationship dynamic they have with one another. The slow-burn murder-mystery has several plot twists but not enough for any shock and awe moments, Overall, an okay read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #WantYouDead which was read & reviewed voluntarily.

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Want You Dead is Steve Frech's second novel to feature Detective Meredith Somerset of Cobb County, Georgia Police Department. When a child's birthday party becomes a murder scene, Meredith Somerset and Tyler Foles are on the case. The victim is one of the parents of a child invited to the party, beaten and covered with a blue paper tablecloth. Told from various points of view, the detectives' personal lives are a sizable part of the story, alongside the investigation. The investigative voice, whether from Meredith or Tyler, is strong throughout and additional voices are used to good effect allowing the reader to speculate whilst also providing intrigue. A series I intend to stick with, I'll be watching for book three.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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Steve Frech is an amazing writer! From the first chapter to the last he always has me captivated wanting more. I love how his writing is a mystery inside a mystery. The end of the book blew my mind and I can't wait for the next! If you have not read this book I suggest you start the series!

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I was so impressed when I read the author’s book Deadly Games that I quickly read all of her other books which left me disappointed because they were nowhere near as good. Unfortunately this book is even worse and will be the last time I bother with his books. I was very underwhelmed by the first book in this series and I think it’s only getting worse in this one. We get far too much boring sidetracks of the detectives personal lives and a very slow paced story. This plot was incredibly convoluted and full of very unlikeable characters. Even worse the mystery from Meredith’s past is once again teased but not answered. That had me curious enough to read this book but this was so bad I’m done with it. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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A great murder with so many red herrings, so much subterfuge and so many lies that it is quite hard to keep everything straight in your own head!

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Talk about a killer party...

When a child's birthday party becomes a murder scene, Meredith Somerset is on the case. The victim is one of the many parents who attended the party, beaten to a pulp and haphazardly covered with a tablecloth. With 20 children and all of their parents in attendance, Meredith tries to whittle the guest list down into a manageable suspect list. The only problem is that many of the partygoers have a motive for murder, and the victim isn't exactly anyone's BFF. The clock is ticking, especially when another guest from the party disappears. As secrets and lies unravel and the case spirals out of control, will Meredith crack the case before the murderer kills again?
I loved this long-awaited sequel to Secrets to the Grave! I loved the gruesome description of the crime scene and the body. I had a suspect list and some theories but I was very surprised at how the story played out! I enjoyed the audiobook while also reading the eARC. The narrator was amazing at pulling me into an already engaging and thrilling novel. Steve Frech continues to amaze me with his thrillers, and Want You Dead was an incredible sequel. I swear his books just get better and better! I can't wait to read more of the Detective Somerset series. Definitely check this series out if you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat experience!

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A brutally beaten body is discovered at a children’s birthday party? Glad I didn’t get an invite. Want You Dead is the second book in the Detective Somerset series and was worth the wait! When Meredith and Tyler are called to the scene, they are faced with a list of suspects who all had a motive and plenty to hide.
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I have read everything by this author and he never disappoints. This was another great detective/mystery/whodunnit with interesting characters and plot. As always, the writing and pacing is on point and I can’t wait for the next book. You could read this one as a stand alone but there is history and a side story with Meredith which continues on so definitely worth it to start at the beginning. FYI, both books end on a cliff hanger so be prepared.

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Murder at a child’s birthday party … why couldn’t it have been the clown! Just kidding, there is no clown. But it is a murder at a kid’s birthday party that kicks off Steve Frech’s latest thriller: Want You Dead, the second book in the Meredith Somerset series. So who ‘ruined’ the party and why? That’s just the mystery Detective Somerset and her partner Detective Foles are called in to solve. The problem is the guest is loaded with suspect who all seem to have reasons to want the victim dead.

Secrets to the Grave, the first book in this series, also happened to be the first of Steve’s books I read, and it instantly made me a fan of his. (I’ve since picked up his entire back catalog.) With a great cast of well developed characters and a complex story, this is another excellent thriller and a worthy follow up that is every bit as good as the first book. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Want You Dead.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1S9FTVEPAVKXC/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

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I just love the relationship between Meredith and Tyler. Their relationship alone makes this book so much better. The mystery was really well thought out & it definitely kept me guessing the whole time. I enjoyed the ending & I really love reading about Alice’s case.

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Wow did this start off intense!!!! Love Steve Frech writing. I'm invested in this series and hoping we get to find out who took Alive. And if she is still alive!!!!

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This is the second book in this series and is a great read.
With a body is discovered badly beaten, at a child's birthday party the book gets off to a gripping start.
The body is found after a magician entertains the children and as a number of people left the magician's performance leading up to the discovery of the body, questions need to be asked.
Detectives Somerset and Foles work their way through the people and it's clear more than one of them is hiding something, but are they the killer?
This is a fast paced crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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Another gripping and solid thriller by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed and it kept me on the edge till the end.
There's a lot of twists, it's fast paced and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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This is the second book in this series and it’s just as good as the first.

When a child’s birthday party ends with one of the parents found battered to death, Detective Meredith Somerset and her partner Tyler Foles are called in to investigate. As they dig deeper into the investigation, they discover that the man had plenty of enemies, but who would want to kill him at a children’s party and why?

A good thriller with twists and turns along the way which made for a gripping read.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of Want You Dead, the second novel to feature Detective Meredith Somerset of the Cobb County, Georgia Police Department.

A children’s party ends in disaster when one of the guests is found murdered. Meredith and her partner Detective Tyler Foles lead the investigation and quickly establish that the killer had to be one of the guests. The victim was extremely unlikeable so motive and opportunity are so plentiful that they threaten to derail the investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed Want You Dead, which is full of secrets and lies and a most unusual conclusion. I really liked the construction of the novel, starting with the inviting tone that encourages the reader to keep turning the pages. It is told from various points of view, but this is not the distraction it could be as the author uses it as another way of drawing the reader in. The investigative voice, whether Meredith or Tyler, is a strong anchor throughout and the additional voices are used to sow mystery and intrigue. They all have secrets, but as they are not explained explicitly it allows the reader to speculate and urges them to keep turning the pages. It’s well done.

The investigation centres on 5 people which should keep the plot tight, but with them all lying and holding their secrets close it sometimes disappears down the rabbit hole of speculation, but only sometimes because the main impression is of a dedicated team using their experience to sort the wheat from the chaff and move forward remorselessly. Bubbling in the background is Meredith’s unofficial hunt for her sister who was kidnapped as a teenager 20 years ago. I think the author is strong on her obsession and its effects on both her and those around her, but ongoing threads are wasted on me - I like a book to be one and done in a plot sense.

Want You Dead is a good read that I can recommend.

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