Review - The Girls Next Door by Mel Sherratt

About the book

One warm spring evening, five teenagers meet in a local park. Only four will come out alive.

Six months after the stabbing of sixteen-year-old Deanna Barker, someone is coming after the teenagers of Stockleigh, as a spate of vicious assaults rocks this small community. Revenge for Deanna? Or something more? 

Detective Eden Berrisford is locked into a race against time to catch the twisted individual behind the attacks – but when her own niece, Jess Mountford, goes missing, the case gets personal. 

With the kidnapper threatening Jess’s life, can Eden bring back her niece to safety? Or will the people of Stockleigh be forced to mourn another daughter…?

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My Review 

The opening chapter definitely got my attention and continued to keep me hooked with lovely descriptive and compelling writing. I used to really enjoy watching TV programmes focused on the police and it's been ages since I've watched anything like that. One of the things that springs to mind is that both Eden's character and the story itself would come together to make a brilliant TV show. The characters are interesting especially Eden she is a strong, resilient and determined woman who just wants to get the job done. Mel Sherratt has done a great job of bringing her to life along with her family and fellow police officers. I enjoyed how the book followed different characters, I thought that this kept the story both interesting and engaging as you got a better feel for the characters.

This story is realistic in the sense that this could happen to anyone, if a child gets mixed up with the wrong crowd then an entire family can suffer. Mistakes are made every day but some are bigger than others and this story shows this brilliantly. There were a few moments where I thought things were going in one direction only to be spun around and sent the opposite way. The plot flows smoothly right from the start and continues to do so right through to the conclusion.

I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the Detective Eden Berrisford series I can't wait to see what the next case will be.

Realistic characters with a story that will keep you entertained right to the very end!

Four and a half stars from me!

Thank you to Bookouture & Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.