The Birthday

Detective Natalie Ward, Book 1

By: Carol Wyer

Narrated by: Diana Croft

One hot summer’s afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home....

When five-year-old Ava Sawyer goes missing from a birthday party at a local garden center, the police are bewildered by the lack of leads. That is, until two years later, when Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party....

Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that still keeps her awake at night....

Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi, and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden center Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie....

Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?

Gripping, fast-paced, and nail-bitingly tense, this book will keep you listening long into the night. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, and Karin Slaughter.

©2018 Carol Wyer (P)2018 Bookouture

What?

This book was too full of different characters. I had to keep rewinding to figure out who was talking, what their role was in the plot, etc. Are usually don’t have trouble with books that contain a lot of characters, but this one was really a struggle to get through. When I got to the end I felt a tad disappointed in the storyline.

Love the cover design, made me want to read the book!

Listened to audible version, excellent narrator. Good plot. Enjoyed book. Will read or listen to more of the author's books. Late in book it became confusing if it was in present or past. Surprise ending, at least it was a surprise to me. Good mystery.

The Birthday Killer

This audiobook was excellently written & by Carol Wyer & gracefully narrated by Diane Croth.
Story

Storyline and blot was robustly written with oranization. Great weekend thriller....waiting on Book two.
A DeAnn DeVille Review

read if you want to try and guess the villain!

it was suspenseful, intriguing and didn't know who did it until the very last. Carol Wyer made you feel anxious, I had to start cleaning to get to the end while listening. She gives you enough details if you go back and relisten to the book to see her clues. Very exciting and thrilling.

The Birthday could be a 4.5 easily

This story about a murder of a missing birthday girl, Ava, whose body is discovered two years after the party. Not missing, dead. Tragic enough, but little girls are being abducted and murdered at an alarming rate. The girl's are dressed in similar party dresses as Ava was dressed at her party. But they also attend same schools and more connections between the victims. Natalie and her team rush to save the most recent abducted girl. The author created scenes that stunned me (wait for the bedroom with the dolls) took my breath away. It wasn't gore, it was story telling genius. My body wanted to feverishly run with Natlie, DI, and her police team and find the last little girl. This is suspense at its best. I'm a new fan.