Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten

I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for this, the third DC Maggie Jamieson book from fab author, friend and blogger extraordinaire Noelle Holten. Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book on the Bright Side for inviting me and to the author and publisher for my review copy. Can't wait to buy the paperback when it's out! 

The Blurb:

A murdered woman…

When the body of a young woman is found in a local park, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she’s dealing with no ordinary killer. The murder victim has been disfigured; her outfit changed to resemble someone else. Someone Maggie knows all too well…her close friend Dr Kate Moloney.

A determined detective…

Maggie is determined to keep her friend safe, but with Kate already struggling with a threatening stalker, Maggie now fears Kate’s life is in real danger. Who else would want to harm Kate and why else would the killer be turning his victims into exact replicas – his living dolls?

Can Maggie find the depraved killer? Or will Kate become his next living doll?

Dead Perfect was published as an eBook by One More Chapter on 16th October 2020. It will be released in paperback on 24th December 2020. You can buy/pre-order it from Hive, Waterstones, Amazon or your usual bookseller.

My Review:

I was so looking forward to reading this after thoroughly enjoying Dead Inside and Dead Wrong, which ended on a bit of a cliffhanger! So, very excited for this one. And I'm very happy to say I wasn't disappointed. 

In the last book Maggie's friend and colleague Dr Kate Maloney received some unnerving correspondence and at the beginning of this one Maggie is worried about her, So when Maggie can't reach her and a body matching Kate's description is found, Maggie is beside herself... But this is just the beginning of a creepy, complex, troubling investigation which Maggie struggles with due to her feelings for Kate. But there is a killer out there and Maggie must put her personal feelings and anxieties aside and, together with the rest of the team, solve the case. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I really like Maggie. Noelle has created a well rounded character who whilst easy to root for can also be frustrating. Maggie is tenacious and hardworking, fiercely loyal to those around her, and often able to look at things slightly differently from her colleagues. She becomes deeply invested in her cases, and this one more than others as it involves someone she cares about. She does sometimes rub people up the wrong way, particularly if they can't see her point of view, and can be a touch abrasive. And I really worry that she has no life to speak of it outside of work! The team dynamic is interesting with former colleague Nathan now her boss, but his promotion doesn't seem to cause any problems. Most of the time, anyway. With the exception of Nathan and Maggie's brother Andy, the key players are mainly women which is great to see. I have to give a shout out to Bethany, who beavers away behind a computer - easily one of the hardest working members of the team, I reckon! Journalist Julie Noble certainly adds something to the story, even if Maggie does find her involvement less than palatable. Or does she?

From the very creepy prologue, this book grabs you. The crimes are horrific and there is plenty of detail given here. The chapters from the point of view of the perpetrator had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, they were so disturbing! Many of the chapters end on a mini cliffhanger, meaning you just have to carry on reading, regardless of the time! I did, anyway. The storyline is terrific and terrifying, with a great denouement. I didn't guess who the perpetrator was and I was certainly surprised by their motivation. 

Dead Perfect is a tight police procedural reflecting Holten's many years of experience working in probation and dealing with the police service. She also has the qualifications to back up her writing. It is a tense, thrilling drama that rattles along at a real pace, and easily stands up there with her first two books. And the wonderful thing is there's another wee cliffhanger at the very end - hopefully book four will be along soon! An all round great read. 

The Author:

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BAs – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog.

Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.


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