Sarah Reviews… The Blossom Twins by Carol Wyer

Title: The Blossom Twins

Author: Carol Wyer

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 12^th December 2019

Format: eARC

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

About the book:

Their parents thought they were hiding…

One beautiful summer’s evening, thirteen-year-old twins Ivy and Erin Westmore snuggle down in a tent in their back garden, giggling and sharing secrets.

When their mother goes to wake the girls the next morning, their tent is empty.

The alarm is raised and Detective Natalie Ward is put onto the case. When the twins’ bodies are discovered on nearby marshland, covered with deep pink petals, an icy shiver travels down Natalie’s spine. Everything about the girls’ deaths reminds her of a horrifying case she worked on earlier in her career, which saw a killer of the worst kind placed behind bars.

The next day, that feeling is heightened when she receives a chilling note saying ‘I’m back’. Is this killer a copycat or did Natalie put the wrong person in prison all those years ago? In a small town, where no stranger goes unnoticed, what is Natalie missing?

Consumed by the case, determined to prevent more deaths, Natalie misses the fact that it is her attention the killer wants. And to get it, he has his sights set firmly on her precious daughter Leigh…

I started reading this on the relatively brief train journey to Dundee the weekend before Christmas, but it wasn’t until Christmas Eve that I finally had the opportunity to get properly stuck in, before finishing it before I got out of bed Christmas morning. No spoilers for The Blossom Twins here but there may be some minor spoilers for earlier books.

The Blossom Twins finds Natalie investigating a young girl who disappeared from an open air concert and was found dead not long after. When a second murder occurs it becomes harder for Natalie to ignore the similarities between the current cases and a past case from her time in Manchester that haunted her terribly. Throw in a former colleague sent to assist she was rather wasn’t there, and a marriage that’s fallen apart, it makes for a tough case for DI Ward

I found The Blossom Twins took me a little longer to get into than some of the previous books in the series but once I was hooked that was it! I stayed up later reading Christmas Eve and then finished it Christmas morning. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but I love Carol’s way of adding in throwback chapters, whether that’s a chapter explaining the killer’s past or explaining what really happened leading up to events we’ve already experienced. It really makes for an interesting read for me, she definitely knows how to hook you in! And those twists at the end?! I’ll say no more on them for now

It’s no secret that I really like Natalie as a character, and she really was front and centre of this story. Once again it was interesting to see her trying to balance her personal and professional lives. Trying to figure out a way to tell her children that the marriage between her and their father is over, while still living in a house with a man who seems determined to not make things easy for her. All at the same time as trying to deal with a case with serious similarities to a previous case that left her requiring therapy. After the ending of this book I’m not sure what’s next for Natalie on a personal or professional level but I’m looking forward to finding out.

Natalie’s family also feature and it was nice to see Josh being to grow up slightly, deciding to look for work, and to see Leigh so happy on her return from their trip with their grandparents. Ugh David, have I mentioned enough in past reviews how much I don’t like him? Safe to say he does absolutely nothing in this book to change my opinion of him. In fact I think I dislike him even more. On the other hand more Mike in the next book please!

With the focus so heavily on Natalie in this book I missed some of the secondary character development. Ian’s back working with the team, but is dealing with a very strained relationship with his ex, and limited access to his baby daughter, I would have loved a little more of this. Lucy is another character I really like, I’m hoping with the birth of her first child getting ever closer we’ll get a little more of Lucy’s life outside of work in the next book. Then we reach Natalie’s new boss Dan, I’m very torn on him currently. He seems very results driven, potentially to the point of not really caring the cost of obtaining them. He seemed very quick to go against Natalie, although maybe I am a little biased… The ending of the book may make him question himself slightly, I’m curious to see how he deals with the fallout in the next book.

Final Thoughts

Well Carol’s done it again! Another gripping instalment to the Natalie Ward series. After that ending I’m intrigued to see what’s next for Natalie, safe to say she won’t be the same again!

More Detective Natalie Ward via Goodreads

More Carol Wyer on SWB

About The Author

Carol Wyer, is an award-winning author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping thrillers. Her book, Grumpy Old Menopause won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

The DI Robyn Carter series has earned her acclaim as a crime writer and the first book in the series, Little Girl Lost, shot to the #2 best-selling spot on Kindle #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible, and was also a USA Today top 150 best-seller.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.

Carol is a signed author with Bookouture (part of the Hachette Group) Canelo and Delancey Press.