Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Where the Bruised Pieces Go" by Jane Fawley is a gripping psychological crime drama that delves deep into the darkest corners of the human psyche. Set against the backdrop of a blood-stained London, the novel follows psychologist Sam Stirling as he aids DCI Albert ‘Smiley’ Riley in tracking down a serial killer whose gruesome displays of victims leave the city in terror.

Fawley's narrative is a complex tapestry of emotion and suspense, weaving together the lives of Sam Stirling and psychotherapist Emma Malone as they race against time to stop a killer who is always one step ahead. The killer's evolution is chillingly portrayed, with victims left at iconic landmarks, a pear in one hand and their heart in the other—a macabre signature that haunts both the characters and readers alike.

The author, a psychotherapist turned crime writer, brings authenticity to the story with her intricate understanding of psychological profiles. The novel is not just about the chase; it's about the damage that damaged people can inflict.

I am excited to read more from this talented author!

The author could offer lessons to many of the seasoned practitioners of serial killer thrillers. The pages disappear in a trice as the storyline gathers momentum, and in a very clever and deviously crafty structure one is given access to the killer's identity whilst those attempting to catch him are still struggling in the dark.
This is a creepy, disturbing novel, charged with emotion and tension and bold realism. It delves into the terrifying vicious circles of child abuse and its consequences. The killer stalking the streets of London is treacherous, dangerous and unpredictable-a deadly chameleon. Those hunting him: the senior detectives, and the profiler, are just as brilliantly drawn, as is the therapist who is unwittingly pulled into the spider's web.
The denouement is drenched in atmosphere, charged with adrenaline, and delivers a twist that is quite simply in a league of its own.

I thought this worked well as a psychological thriller element, it had everything that I was hoping for from the description. The characters had a strong concept and I thought it had a great crime element to it. It uses everything that I wanted and glad I got to read this.

Nothing is quite as fun as a delicious cat and mouse thriller. So twisty and fun and I wanted to devour it!

London is being terrorized by a serial killer who's getting more and more twisted with each victim. What's freaky is how they're leaving bodies at famous landmarks and east end gardens, with a pear in one hand and the heart in the other - talk about gruesome!

Enter Sam Stirling, the psychologist tasked with building a profile to catch the killer. He's got a great mind, but even he needs help from Emma Malone, a psychotherapist who gets drawn into the investigation. Little do they know, the killer's got a creepy obsession with Sam and Emma's caught his eye too... eek!

As the body count rises and the clues get more disturbing, Sam thinks he's closing in on the killer. But oh boy, the tables turn and it's a race against time! I can't say more without giving it away, but trust me, you'll be hooked! The writing's top-notch, the characters feel real, and London's eerie atmosphere adds to the tension. If you're into crime thrillers, this one's a must-read!

Where the bruised pieces go by Jane Fawley is a brutally, gripping, mesmerising story of a serial killer and how Emma, the psychotherapist and Sam, the psychologist both become entangled in the killer’s brutal killing spree. Sam because he works for the police building a criminal profile that DCI Albert Riley and his team can use to catch the killer.
Emma because she is the psychotherapist who works with the criminally insane and also counsels psychologist Sam to ensure that he is still able to cope with his demanding job as a profiler. Events take a bizarre turn, when Emma arranges a mother and son to have a therapy session at the prison hospital and the situation reaches crisis point when Emma is taken hostage by Ben, the son and everything unravels.
Deeply disturbing psychological thriller that mesmerises the reader.
Highly recommended

This is an honest review in exchange for an advanced reader copy.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. It’s a graphic, often disturbing thriller. I read it as fast as I could and then spent time analyzing what I had read.

Someone is murdering women but that’s not all. He’s creating a story with each body and he’s working to a calendar. And right on target another girl goes missing. Enter Sam Stirling, a psychologist building a profile. Sam seeks assistance from psychotherapist Emma Malone. The killers develops an unhealthy obsession with Sam and starts playing games. Sam falls for Emma.

The killers strikes again and leaves a new clue, which helps the case make sense. Will Sam solve this case in time?

This is an excellently written book. The details are realistic and graphic. I am happy I got to read it.

What happens when a demented serial killer is on the loose? What happens when he is a thread away from snapping? What happens when a criminal profiler cuts that thread?

This is one of those books that the author starts to slowly show her hand. There is a lot of stuff that you figure out along the way. It's almost like the author failed to keep you in the dark. But, then you realized that showing her hand along the way distracted you for the plot twist. LOL I thought this book was a diabolical read. The killer is an absolute whack-job and makes you cringe every time his POV comes up. There are multiple POVs and it is pretty confusing at first before you know all of the characters, but it gets easier to digest. All in all, I enjoyed the book and had a good time.

Entertaining and engaging. A recommended purchase for collections where darker crime and thrillers are popular.

This was incredible book! It was scary and thrilling and had horror all wrapped into one! I was shocked with the way the author incorporated fairytales into the story but in a scary way. I thought it was well written and I didn’t want to put it down!

We start with another murder. Another woman brutally killed and displayed at a monument. With adornments, she almost looks like a work of art. Heart in one hand, a pear in the other. Headless.
DCI Riley is floundering so enter psychologist Sam Stirling to assist. To build up a profile of the killer (think Criminal Minds BAU). We also have Emma, who is Sam's therapist to assist him, and then we also hear from the killer himself, Ben. In all the gory, macabre, details...
It's not one for the faint hearted. It's rather graphic and heinous. And when Sam puts himself in the spotlight he catches the eye of the killer, and through him, Emma too, and that when things really start to get really bad....
As already mentioned, this book pulls no punches in the awful things it depicts and describes. Especially as we get to know Ben better as he divulges more about himself during his chapters.
It ticks along nicely, following the usual route until the final denouement where I have to admit that I was a bit thrown. Maybe I missed something along the way but then, the following part, after the shock, had to explain a few too many things for it all to make sense. It felt a wee bit disjointed and I wasn't as satisfied as I could have been. That said, the rest of what I read was good and, as I firmly believe this to be both a debut book, and the start of a series (?) I am hopeful that book two will come out stronger! She definitely knows her psychological stuff - but then she is a psychotherapist herself.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Where the Bruised Pieces Go is a quick, fast-paced crime story for fans of shows like Criminal Minds and CSI. I don't quite have any books to compare it to, and that's part of why WTBPG is a standout in the genre. I'm an avid crime, thriller, and suspense reader, but I have never read a book where the crimes detailed are so macabre and where the psyche of the killer is so graphic in its presentation. This is likely a polarizing factor for a lot of readers, as it may be too disturbing for some - but I, for one, really enjoyed this aspect of the novel. Even though the narrative is written in the third person, the killer's inner-monologue really painted a picture of a disturbed and troubled man.

However, I do feel that the story could have added more depth in its subplot with Sam and his therapist, Emma, and more detail with the plot in general. While the crimes were described immensely and the writing was superb, the story felt lacking in nearly everything else, and I didn't feel particularly connected to Sam or Emma. The ending's plot twist also felt a bit abrupt, leading me to feel that the pacing could have been executed more effectively. All in all, I did enjoy the novel and would read a sequel featuring more of Sam's profiles if Jane Fawley was to write one.

Thank you to the publisher, Troubador, via Netgalley for providing me with an electronic advanced copy of Where the Bruised Pieces Go by Jane Fawley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

London wakes to another dead womans body displayed at yet another monument like a piece of art.
Another victim to the recent disappearances and series of murders claimed by a psychopathic serial killer. Each Woman is found headless and naked with neatly folded clothes at their feet along with a red hat, holding their heart in one hand and a pear in another. The Story alternates between characters Sam Sterling a Criminal profiler, his partner Riley an investigator, Emma Malone a Psychotherapist and the actual Serial Killer himself; Ben. Can they solve the puzzle behind the clues and stop the Serial Killer in his tracks?

This book is Dark! The chapters with Ben dive right into his Psyche, as he takes each of his victims. Plenty of Gore. Turned my stomach! I could not get through each chapter quick enough, wanting to find out how this all was going to turn out. Very thrilling! Loved the twist!

The ending though.. Ugh.
Did not see that coming and nobody will, because the characters didn't have the development to build to that possibility. Then, as your told what happens, the author adds 3 more pages to attempt to convince you of the backstory. No. No mame.

I enjoyed this book. I would even recommend this page turner.
Hate the ending. Don't love this cover and could have been 30ish pages shorter.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Where the Bruised Pieces Go by Jane Fawly
✨Crime✨Psychological Thriller ✨Drama
__________
Negalley Arc Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Pub Date: 28th January 2024

A story of a serial killer who leaves a pear in his victims hand and their heart in the other, a detective whose haunted by these unsolved cases, a therapist who works at a prison and a prisoner who is victim turned abuser.

I loved the interwoven connection each character had with each other, each story had the potential to be great but the execution fell short. I felt like their stories needed to go more in depth.

The plot twist i was not expecting but it happened so fast and then a blink later it was over, the pacing just felt a little rushed.

Overall i did quite enjoy this book, and if in the future Fawley writes another book with these characters i would definitely pick it up

This book follows a serial killer hunting several victims and also follows the detective, therapist, and prisoner who become connected.

What I liked
- there were interesting facts and statistics shared throughout the plot
- The stories connection to characters
- It kept me guessing and wanting to read more
- The theme and pattern that connects to the cases was revealed about 50% of the way through and it was a theme that I connected with and was “fun” for me

What I didn’t like
- it was hard to keep the characters straight at first and not a lot of development because of the different people involved
- Too dark/ bloody/ gruesome for my liking
- the build up for the book fell flat at the end for me

Sam Stirling, a psychologist, teams up with a DCI in London to try to stop a serial killer.

I think for a mystery, we were thrown in with too many characters with little explanation early on. I think we could have started at a crime scene to help situate the reader. And then gone from there. I think too that if Sam's chapters had been written in first person, it would have helped us navigate whose perspective we were in. Or chapter titles/headings with people's names.

This was an exciting read, especially as the stakes changed and the tension and pace mounted up which added to the excitement and suspense.

I started this book. I got it as an ARC. The first page was a lot. I tried to finish it. I really did, but it got too intense. I got all the way to chapter 10 and then it just got too graphic and gory for me. Maybe it’s good if you read it all the way through, but I couldn’t do it. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read it early. I’m glad I did and didn’t buy it later. I wouldn’t want it sitting on my shelf.