The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer @AshleyDyerAuthor @wmmorrowbooks @tlcbooktours @harperaudio #bookreview #audiobook #thecuttingroom

Happy Tuesday all and happy publication day to this deliciously disturbing book!

I’ve been really trying hard not to start any more crime thriller series, but I am certainly glad I gave this one a try! It was seriously SO good! Thank you so much Trish for my invitation to this tour!🎨

About The Cutting Room

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (June 18, 2019)

Detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver, introduced in the electrifying Splinter in the Blood, must stop a serial killer whose victims are the centerpiece of his macabre works of art.

While Britain is obsessed with the newest hit true-crime television show, Fact, or Fable? detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver are tormented by a fiendish flesh-and-blood killer on the loose.

Lured to a “crime scene” by a mysterious digital invitation, Ruth Lake is horrified by what she finds: a bizarre and gruesome tableau surrounded by a crowd of gawkers. The deadly work is the latest “art installation” designed by a diabolical criminal dubbed the Ferryman. Not only is this criminal cold-blooded; he’s a narcissistic exhibitionist desperate for an audience. He’s also clever at promoting his deadly handiwork. Exploiting England’s current true-crime craze, he uses social media to titillate and terrorize the public.

Ruth is joined in the investigation by her partner Greg Carver, who is slowly regaining his strength after a run-in with another sadistic criminal. But Greg can’t seem to shake the bewildering effects of the head wound that nearly ended him. Are the strange auras blurring his vision an annoying side effect of his injury, or could they be something more . . . a tool to help him see a person’s true nature?

In this utterly engrossing and thrilling tale of suspense, a pair of seasoned detectives face off against a wickedly smart and inventive psychopath in a tense, bloody game that leads to a shocking end.

My Thoughts

ᴅɪsᴛᴜʀʙɪɴɢ. ᴅᴇʀᴀɴɢᴇᴅ. ᴅᴇʟɪᴄɪᴏᴜsʟʏ ᴅᴀʀᴋ.

Ashley Dyer has twisted together One deranged, disturbing, and deliciously dark tale! Would you follow a serial killer on Instagram? This book picks up shortly where the first book leaves off (from what I can gather). I did not read the first book and I still thoroughly devoured this book. However I think it would’ve been nice to have read the first book because both Ruth Lake and Greg Carver are suffering from repercussions from their previous case. There is a sadistic serial killer on the loose, preying on the men of Liverpool. Not only does he kill, but he publicly displays the body parts and calls it art. A narcissistic psychopath who thrives on attention. Attention that is easy to get in the age of social media. The serial killer really whipped the public into a frenzy creating a mob mentality where ever his artwork was displayed. Made you wonder could this really happen? Would people follow a sadistic killer on Instagram?

This was such a well done crime thriller! I loved all the investigative and forensic details. I particularly liked all the time that Lake and Carver spent with the medical examiner. The characters were all so well developed, so real. I particularly was fascinated by Carver and the auras he would see as a side effect of his head injury. Oras that allowed him to read peoples moods and emotions, that really helped him in his role as a detective. We also got a glimpse into Ruth Lake’s past and private life. Glimpses that I am sure will be expanded on in future books. I also got to spend some time in the mind of this serial killer. This book was told from multiple perspectives including that of this sadistic deranged killer. If you’re like me and like spending some time with crazy you will love how off the chains this character was! I’ve really been trying to avoid starting any new crime series, but I am certainly glad I gave this one a shot! Going to try to read the first book before the next one comes out. What a wild and crazy ride that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of!🎧🎧🎧 Peter Noble masterfully narrated this dark tale. I thought he had the perfect English accent to draw me into this atmospheric story. When you read a book set in England there is nothing better than having it read to you by someone with an accent, it really gives you a true sense of the story.

*** many thanks to William Morrow and Harper Audio for my copy of this book ***

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Ashley Dyer

Ashley Dyer is a writing duo based in the United Kingdom.

Margaret Murphy is a Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector for the Royal Literary Fund, a past chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), and founder of Murder Squad. A CWA Short Story Dagger winner, she has been shortlisted for the First Blood critics’ award for crime fiction as well as the CWA Dagger in the Library. Under her own name she has published nine psychological suspense and police procedural novels.

Helen Pepper is a senior lecturer in policing at Teesside University. She has been an analyst, forensic scientist, scene of crime officer, CSI, and crime scene manager. She has coauthored, as well as contributed to, professional policing texts. Her expertise is in great demand with crime writers: she is a judge for the CWA’s Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction Award, and is a forensic consultant on both the Vera and Shetland TV series.

Find out more at their website, www.ashley-dyer.com.