Stolen Darlings — Helen Phifer

The girl's body is lying still and the crown of rare darling roses is perfectly positioned in her beautiful auburn hair. Morgan thinks she looks picture-perfect. Until she notices the blood dripping down one side of the boulder beneath her... Following her colleague Ben up to Castlerigg Stone Circle, Detective Morgan Brookes is shocked at what she finds. A young woman has been killed, left on display at the top of the hill with a crown of roses on her head. As the team race to get the popular tourist spot cordoned off, Morgan hears the heartbroken sobs of the woman who found the body, as she identifies the victim as her best friend Cora Dalton. Morgan can already see that Cora didn't struggle when her throat was cut. There's no blood on the beautiful white gown she was wearing, which means that Cora knew her killer. But everyone, including her boyfriend Jay, has an alibi. As a local shopkeeper, Cora was a huge part of the community, and her neighbours are devastated to lose such a sweet soul. Then Morgan's team discover that a local photographer had arranged to meet Cora, and it's clear from his messages that he chose her elegant white dress. Could their photoshoot have taken a sinister turn? But when another body is found at another stone circle, wearing an identical flower crown, while the photographer is in custody, Morgan loses the only lead she has. Tracking down the florist who made the crown, Morgan pores over their records and realises the killer purchased three circles of roses... Certain another innocent life is at risk and with the killer already steps ahead, can Morgan find the connection between these girls before another life is stolen? An unbelievably gripping new crime thriller in the Detective Morgan Brookes series. Readers of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Lisa Regan will be holding their breath as they race through the pages to the final, epic conclusion. What readers are saying about Helen Phifer: 'Wow!!!... I did NOT in a million years see THAT coming!!!... I smashed this in one sitting and could not sleep until I finished it which ended up being 3am!!!... Absolutely unputdownable page-turning book... Absolutely LOVED IT... I was just gobsmacked by the twist... Will stay with me for a long time.' Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐