Black Heart: A totally gripping serial killer thriller (Detective Dan Riley Book 1) Kindle Edition

I just couldn't finish this book for various reasons and just gave up. I listened to the audio book, firstly, and the reader had enough of an accent that made it hard for me to make out certain words. But I thought I'd continue on anyway, but then it got to several spots where Dan was reliving his life with his now dead wife and he was going into great detail about the dresses she wore and the designs, etc. and it was just plain boring so I chucked that one and anymore to the series, aside. Done!!!

Normally books are over rated but this series was not. Loved the main character. Read the second book in the series first. Immediately ordered and read the first book and the third book in the correct order. They are written as a stand alone book so a few details about the main character were repeated in each book but it was necessary to get the full enjoyment out of each book. I recommend starting at the beginning and reading the books in order to get the very most out of the story.Great writing entwining the lives of several people involved. Very fast paced. You were going from one character to the next. Have to pay attention. I did not see the ending of the series coming. I can normally figure things out because I read so much but was totally blindsided by this one.Wish I could give it 10 stars. Read all 3 books in about 4 days.Looking forward to reading more books from this author.

Story takes you on the minute you start reading, and just keeps you reading till the end. The story line is one that I have never read, so different, but enjoyable. First you have a detective with his own set of problems, but slowly gets his job done. Yet he is trying to move on in his own life after his wife gets killed. Don't want to give too much away, but this is one you would really get into, give it a try, enjoy it !!!!!

This was a great book to read and a nice series to start. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the book and never would have guessed the ending, but it suits the main character.

I've always been into crime thrillers and this was quite interesting. I instinctively trust DI Rikey and DS Davis, he's quite tenacious, relatable & well-intentioned. Pretty gripping as well, I used every free moment to continue reading until I finished the book. Now I'm on to the next 1!

I recommend this book. I couldn't put it down. It says a totally gripping serial killer thriller....and it is! I'm looking forward to reading Anna's other books!

I totally loved the premise of the story. It was very interesting and kept me hooked, however, if I never hear the name Rachel or Rach again, it would be too soon. My goodness! I don't want to give away any spoilers, but that aspect of the story was complete overkill.

Really good but hard to comprehend that someone could be so cold and calculating...until you learn what made her that way!

I really enjoyed this book. I read it straight after 'The Couple on Cedar Close' and was not disappointed.I've studied psychopathy at some length as layman, and this author deals with the topic with skill.Great plot and sympathetic characters.I like her writing style very much.However,I can't believe I'm alone here in protesting about some awful grammatical gaffes which stopped me from ever giving this book 5 stars.Don't authors check their own texts before publication ?A thin fragment of something is a 'sliver' not a 'slither' ! The word was used 4 times and only once spelt correctly.People would not 'clamour' up a cliff edge they would 'clamber'.The third participle in the UK is 'got' not 'gotten' as in the USA and which sounds really clunkily out of place in an English context.There's a large list but I won't bore you further although I'd love to.These crass mistakes are ruinous to the continuity between author and reader as they jolt you back to reality from an otherwise truly absorbing experience.Instead of being lost in the story, thoughts such as "Oh they must have an American proof reader" or even "Did anyone actually proof read this at all?" invade.I accept that the characters may come up with grammatical variations but they should not be in the commentary.A pity because I think both books are otherwise everything a good crime drama should be.

4 Star RatingI love Detective Dan! I had no idea what to expect at all with this book.  I'd actually purchased the third book in the series, realised it was the third book, then went on to buy the first and second book and WOW I'm so glad I did!  I LOVED this book!It could easily be considered a stand-alone book, so if you're not into a series, don't worry about that.  In fact I'm guessing I could've just stuck to the third book I'd purchased with out bothering with books one and two, but like I said, I'm so glad I did!"Goldilocks" in a psychopath.  She reminded me very much of Villanelle from Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings.  The story didn't at all, but the character absolutely did.  It's a strange thing when you really like the character who's quite clearly a total psychopath. There's Detective Dan who has a heart breaking past, who you can't help but love.  It's so nice to have a main character you love.  He's so down to earth and understanding.  He's investigating the murders made by Goldilocks.The twists are fantastic.  There was a completely unexpected twist that left me thinking "oh, how's that going to turn out?" and I couldn't wait to get to the part where I was going to find out exactly how that turned out!I love the fact the chapters are so short.  I can't put a book down that has short chapters.  It keeps my distracted mind engaged.  However unlike most people who like smaller chapters because they can then leave the book and go back to it easily enough, it makes me constantly think "just one more chapter" and then I'm waving hello to the rising sun at 4am!The story is an excellent fast paced story, never a dull moment.  However I did feel that it was a little rushed once we got to the resolution.This isn't beneficial to anyone who's maybe using this review to consider reading the book, but my best friend in school was called Kizzy too, one of the characters early on in the book.  Just had to say so because it's such a strange name lol.So there it is.  I would definitely recommend reading it.  I've already told my bookworm sister she has to read it too!  Enjoy, if you do read it :)

Black Heart is the first story in a series featuring DI Dan Riley.When a man is found with his wrists slashed, the initial assumption is that he has committed suicide. However, the post mortem results point instead to murder, and DI Riley is tasked with uncovering what has happened.A woman calling herself Goldilocks seems to be acting out a twisted version of the fairytale on which she has based her name - and she has found her Daddy Bear. But can the police catch her before she kills again?The interesting thing about this thriller is that, as the reader, you know who the murderer is from the start, and this adds to the tension. I felt like I was watching something horrible unfold, armed with the necessary knowledge to stop it, but totally powerless to do so.Switching between first and third person narrative made it very easy to know which character each section was focussed on without the author having to explicitly state it, and I liked this.I’m looking forward to reading The Couple on Cedar Close, the second book featuring DI Dan Riley.4 stars out of 5

I really liked the author’s other book Cedar Close, but this one felt very limp and weakly written. The main narrator (a detective) was boring and annoying, and I felt the story was full of unnecessary dialogue and descriptions. What’s with all the random old pop references? Why are we being hammered over the head with the fact that the detective is grieving for his lost love? It doesn’t have any impact on the story at all and by the 500th time of reading about his beloved Rachel I wanted to scream. Why are we constantly being told that someone is using the detective’s Christian name when we can see that for ourselves, or being told how facetious the narrator is being? Plot line is very obvious and the murderer is uninteresting, don’t bother buying this book.

This was one of those books that I just picked up and before I knew it I found myself lost in the pages and almost at the end without moving my backside from the sofa! A cracking hook to drag me in and a fast moving, intriguing plot that kept me reading!A dark twisted fairy tale sees Goldilocks play out her own special showing of the classic tale! This is one woman who has no boundaries on how far she will go in her quest and Black Heart provides an intriguing exploration of the whys behind her action. It was chilling to read the parts of the book that were told from her point of view, being taken inside of her head was not a pretty place to be!I loved Dan Reilly’s character, although his grief did seem a bit full on at times. Oh dear, that makes me sound like not a very sympathetic person! I am honestly and I did feel for him! It was just a massive part of his character. That isn’t a negative though as it soon becomes clear that Dan’s grief very much impacts on his behaviour and his decision making, which makes for some very interesting reading! Dan’s story was told in the first person; I’m not always a fan of the first person POV but it worked well for Dan as it dragged me inside of his head, which wasn’t always the happiest place to be given the experiences in life that he has had. Despite his intense levels of grief, there was just something about Dan that drew me to him and I would definitely be keen to find out where he goes in the next instalment of this series!Full of intrigue, twists and turns this one is perfect to sit down and lose yourself in for a few hours!