⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Weird but gripping
Body parts have started to show up in Bury St Edmunds and it’s up to DI Nicki Hardcastle and her team to find out who they belong to and who is leaving them
This book looks at the police team during a major murder investigation and how they work together. The characters feel real and their stories links back to previous books in the series, however this story also works really well as a standalone book which I think is very important as a reader.
The multiple body parts case is the main focus of this book but there is also a parallel story linked to Nickis past which I found really interesting and that along with other factors made me curious as to what would happen next and therefore wanting to read the next book in the series when it comes out
I’m not going to lie, this book was weird and the more I read, the stranger it became but at the same time I found it totally gripping. I won’t say anymore as I don’t want to create any spoilers!
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a murder mystery with a twist which will catch your attention and have you reading until the last page

Before I started this book I decided to read the previous book in the series "The Missing Boy" and although this book can be read as a standalone I was glad I did. There is a story which runs through the series which is almost more exciting than the main plot. This is a bizarre case for any police officer to deal with and the randomness of the killings leaves them not knowing where to turn. There is plenty of tension throughout the story and I found the book very hard to put down. I think the detectives in this team are all very strong characters and look forward to learning more about them one by one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Nicki Hardcastle. I hadn’t read the first book but this book read fine as a stand-alone and I was totally gripped. Nicki and her team have a series of gruesome body parts to solve. First of all they are called out when a theatregoer finds a pair of human eyes on a seat in the theatre. Then a human tongue is found and in the cathedral a human hand has been left. What is really worrying is that they appear to be from three different people so the case has become more intense as a Nicki needs to ascertain whether the victims are dead or still alive. I enjoyed Nicki’s storyline and how the disappearance of her brother had affected her and her family. It is rather a gruesome read but I was hooked and look forward to reading more books in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Boks for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

On a dark December night Detective Nikki Hardcastle gets a call for a new case. An elderly theatregoer was settling in for an evening performance and received the shock of his life by finding a pair of human eyes at his seat. With this first find, Nikki and her team don’t realized that this is the start to a grisly, twisted game with the murder.

This book is told from several points of view (one being the killer) and is the second in a series. The author did well weaving each characters views into the book. It kept a good pace and had well thought out twists and turns. Suspenseful and intriguing I would definitely read more from Michelle Kidd.

I want to thank NetGalley, Michelle Kidd and Joffe Books for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

This was my first book by this author and I didnt realise that it was part of a series but it didn't really matter that much I soon got into it. This was really gripping and I did stay up late in the night waiting to find out what was going to happen and loved the cliff hanger at the end, got to find out what has happened.

All in all brilliant read

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

While this book was definitely interesting, I never felt particularly grabbed by it. The chapters following the police definitely slowed things down, and while I understand that real-life police work is often like this, I feel as though more could have been done with it to keep it interesting and to keep the pace flowing. Maybe a little less about how one officer was probably at his desk instead of at home or how another officer couldn't sleep.

There were also a few maybe not inconsistencies by things that didn't add up. For example, the police go to speak to someone who was caught lying to them, now this person had "done a runner" once already do this time the officers brought back up. And yet this same person was able to jump out of their window and run off again without being caught? What was the backup for? Especially when the first time, the officers didn't even bother to chase them. I also wish more time had been spent on the discovery the officers made when they finally caught the person behind the horrible crimes.

I did, however, enjoy the killer's point of view. It was interesting getting a glimpse into the mind of the killer. I also really enjoyed the way the author was able to weave a couple of interesting twists into the story, and am especially curious as to if the one subplot is going to be featured in future books and, if so, how it is going to play out.

All things considered, I would definitely give this author another chance, and I do think this book will appeal to people who like police procedural novels.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I enjoyed DI Nicki Hardcastle a lot. I really liked the storyline. I think that the author created an intriguing plot that really entertained the whole way through. I liked her scene description and her dialogue. I liked how the body parts were found. It was a interesting mystery to solve.

A night at the theatre should not be an occasion for trauma, but for those about to watch a play from the box it turned out that way when sitting on the seat were two eyes! Then a few hours later a call comes in reporting the find of a human tongue in a local landmark. When a hand is found in the cathedral DI Nicki Hardcastle wonders if they are looking at one victim or three. The body parts have been removed expertly- is this a clue?

The story kept me guessing & going off in various directions. It was pretty gruesome in places too! This is the second in the series. Sadly I missed the first one but I will be looking out for the next one. I really liked Nicki & her team as well as the setting of Bury St Edmunds. The story kept me guessing & going off in various directions. It was pretty gruesome in places too! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Gruesome Crimes..
The second outing in the DI Nicki Hardcastle series and a gruesome situation for he detective and team has arisen. Human body parts strewn across the town in a a bizarre series of horrific crimes. The chase is on and it certainly becomes a cat and mouse situation - as the detective is racing, determined to catch this killer or killers. An engaging plot populated with a credible cast and a well painted backdrop make this a compelling entry to the series.

Just loved this book from start to finish. Detectives Nikki Hardcastle is a detective in a small quiet area in Bury St Edmunds. They just don't have cases come in this gruesome and are totally shocked by them.
Someone is leaving parts of their victims in places for people to find.
Can she and others find who is responsible before someone else dies.
Fantastic book which I highly recommend.

it's a freezing December night when Detective Hardcastle gets the call. An elderly theatregoer settling in for the evening performance has received the shock of his life. Resting on the faded fabric of his Dress Circle seat is is a pair of human eyes. Several hours later, a few miles across town, comes the second macabre find. A severed human tongue. Then a worshipper at the Cathedral is appalled to discover a human hand under the pew in front of her. The pretty town of Bury St Edmunds has never seen anything like it. Someone is playing twisted games.

Detective Niki Hardcastle and her team have their work cut out for them trying to find who is responsible for the body parts being left in different locations all over the town. The story is told from several points of view, and we even get the voice of the killer. We learn some of Niki's backstory. There are references to the first book in the storyline, but it still reads well as a standalone. The story has a dual timeline that's told in the past and present-day format. The pace is steady in this twist filled read. It's also quite a gruesome read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and author #MichelleKidd for my ARC of #TheTrophyKiller in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the second in the authors DI Nicki Hardcastle series and, in my opinion, can be read on its own. There are references to the previous investigation in the previous book, The Missing Boy, that intrigued me and I will definitely read that book when I can. The author grabbed my attention and interest from the first page and held it right to the end. I think this is a very well written and engaging book and I liked that the story was told by different characters and from their perspectives. There are quite a few timelines here, which I thought really suited the book and the move from past to present times was done easily and effortlessly. I found the main character to be very likeable, as are her team of detectives who investigate the finding of a body part. I liked the pacing of the story, and the way the author built up the tension and suspense as the book progressed, and I correctly guessed who the killer was. Overall, a very good read and I'd recommend if you like police procedurals. Looking forward to the next one in this series.

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Detective Inspector Nicki Hardcastle doesn't have a life outside of work. Neither she nor her parents can forgive her for what happened to her brother Deano, but what did happen? Her last case - The Missing Boy - has drained all the team, and came close to putting one of them in a grave. So when a new case comes in just as they're all getting over it, they could have done without it. Especially a case where someone is leaving body parts around town. Rather than giving them bodies and keeping trophies, they're doing it the other way around. The first thing the team need to discover is whether the owners of the body parts are dead - and if there is more than one victim. Not a good time to be run down and exhausted.

Brilliant book - Loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This was pretty dark and gorey! Which was fine but I don't think it really added anything to the book by how twisted it was. It was a decent enough book, I liked that you also got the pov from the killer and that he's always part of the story and you're just trying to figure out who it is. There are some good twists and turns and the pace is pretty decent throughout

Three grisly crime scenes. Various body parts, removed with surgical precision, surface around town and it’s up to Detective Nicki Hardcastle to find the suspect. Are there bodies still to be found?

Told in several POV, one being the killer, gives detailed insight into what could drive someone to do such heinous acts. By far one of the more gruesome books I’ve read, but the dark thrill held my attention all the way through.

There are demons the Detective is also battling, which are part of the story but don’t contribute greatly to the overall plot. However, this is the second in a series, and while it works as a standalone, I think that will play into other books further. I’d definitely read more of Kidd’s work.

Solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

This is #2 in the DI Nicki Hardcastle series but can be read as a standalone. However, I enjoyed it so much that I went straight out and bought #1!

On a cold winter evening in Bury St Edmunds, a theatre-goer discovers a pair of human eyes on his seat. This gruesome find is only the first, as more different body parts are found around the town. DI Nicki is facing a stomach-churning, psychological case and she and her team need to work round the clock to find the people who the various parts belong to – whether dead or alive.

The book is written partly from the protagonist’s angle, so we know who the killer is, we just don’t know their name. It’s still a brilliant read that kept me on the edge of my seat and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

This was gruesome! Body parts start appearing around the town and DI Nicki Hardcastle and her team pick up the case.

I liked getting to know Nicki and her team and I thought the separate storyline of Nicki’s family history with her missing brother was excellent.

The history of the killer was overdone for me. It’s interesting and relevant to know the background of the killer to an extent, in terms of what drives them to carry out these crimes, however in this case, it went on too much and that part was fairly boring. The killer was identified to us early on, we just didn’t know what name he was now using in real life, so there weren’t really any twists as such, more of a straight mystery to solve to find him before he took anymore victims.

I enjoyed it overall and I would definitely read more in this series.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The trophy killer is easily the best, most exciting and most gruesome thriller I have read so far this year. I’m so excited this book is part of a series and I cannot wait to read the previous book prior to this one and any that will be written in the future.

Although this is the second book in the series I didn’t feel as though anything was missing having not read the first book and I’d definitely say it could be read as a stand alone thriller.

Detective Nicki Hardcastle is about to take on her most horrifying crime scenes yet. With various body parts being found in different locations of the town. The first body part to be found was a pair of human eyes at the local theatre, next there was a human tongue, and finally a human hand.

With various body parts turning up all over the town it’s a race against time for Nicki and her team to track down the killer and get him locked up before anymore brutal murders take place. However this local killer is clever and leaves little evidence for Nicki to go on.

Later on when more body parts turn up the pressure is on for Nicki as she and her team are given just 48 hours to find the person behind the crime, and get him locked up before he can strike again.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved all the characters in it and I love how sick and twisted the plot to this book was. I’d say it’s not a book for the faint hearted and if you have a weak stomach maybe avoid, however I loved absolutely every word I read, and have already recommended this book to some friends when it’s release date arrives.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book. If I could give more than five stars I certainly would. I’m looking forward to finding more books by Michelle Kidd and will definitely be following this new series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I enjoyed it overall. I liked Nicki and the suspense into her past along with the killers. There’s multiple POVs and timelines but at times were repetitive and not needed. I’d still recommend!

A gruesome tale not for the faint hearted.
For me it was the ideal thriller with enough red herrings to keep me guessing.
Very enjoyable thriller.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.