Oh I did love this. I wanted to watch the tv show, but I haven't seen it yet, so I consoled myself with Book 1, and I'm glad I did because it's brilliant.
Dexter has a unique, funny voice for a serial killer. His childhood trauma is hinted at throughout the book and revealed at the end. It has left him with a hunger to kill and a strange relationship with blood. Despite this, or because of it, he becomes a blood splatter analyst for the Miami police, helping to find killers. But Dexter has his own way of dealing with those who he believes have committed serious crimes.
He was adpoted as a child and his father Harry, knew exactly what his son was and tried to steer him away from killing the innocent and only killing the guilty. Like a vigilante, Dexter uses Harry's code as his conscience, otherwise he'd kill just for the hell of it.
Dexter often says he has no feelings, and yet he doesn't want to disappoint Harry, who is now dead, and he loves children. Probably because he has a child like quality himself. He know's he's not normal and has taught himself to blend in. Most humans are fooled by his mimickery of normal, but dogs can sniff him out instantly!
In this book, another serial killer gets his attention. He is supposed to help the police and his sister Deb, a cop, catch this serial killer, but Dexter secretly admires his work and when he is given coded messages by the suspect, he loves the challenge and is not convinced he wants to catch the killer.
I loved the writing style and the plot and the characters, especially the crazy, funny monster that I should at least fear but I can't help wanting him to win.
I can''t wait to read book 2.

I had to wipe away my tears reading this book because Wendy is so amazing. Her struggle with early onset Alzheimers is emotional and hard, the very essence who she has always been is disappearing. However, she has learnt to live a different life, to adapt her way of living so she can live with the disease and not be defeated by it. She has a constant battle to hold onto the skills she once had. Part of her journey has been to educate others, including healthcare professionals, about what it means to live with Alzheimers. It has been an eye-opener for me and I have a much better understanding now of how this affects people. For anyone who knows someone battling with this then this book is an essential read but it makes for an inspirational read for anyone. Very highly recommend this.

Tom and his young son Jake, move into a sleepy village in search of a new start after the death of Tom's wife. But Tom moves into a place called Featherbank and he moves there because his son picked out a strange house from the internet. Featherbank has a dark past where, fifteen years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five young boys. The killer was finally caught and put behind bars. He is known locally as The Whisper Man.
Soon after Tom and Jake move into Featherbank, another boy goes missing and the whispers start again.
I loved this plot, it had me hooked with the tension and the twists and turns, I couldn't put it down until I knew everything.
It is written in the third person point of view, except for Tom who tells the story from first person.  I guess because he drives the story forward and it works this way.
Little Jake, however, stole the show for me. This is a brilliant piece of writing from a child's perspective.
I also loved DI Pete Willis who caught the original killer at a huge emotional cost to himself.
This book is not just a scary, creepy story, it also explores the themes of father-son relationships, grief, and loss.
A great compelling plot with plenty of cliff hangers and twists and turns.
A great read and will make a brilliant film.

Stella is a radio show host. She loves her job and you can tell because she is so good at it, speaking to her listeners as if addressing each person personally. However, she is leaving and tonight is her last show. She has decided that the theme of her last show will be secrets. If you tell her yours, she'll tell you some of hers.
And she does have secrets to tell, which she slowly reveals throughout her show and the reader gets to understand the complexities of Stella. She has a boyfriend Tom and a relationship that is complicated and fascinating, her mother who has returned into her life after being absent for fourteen years and a father she has never known.
Then someone calls the station and they tell Stella they have information on who killed Victoria. Victoria was pregnant and brutally murdered in an alley by the station, just three weeks ago and the police are still hunting for the killer.
The tension is so creepy, especially when we know that Stella is all alone in the station and it is late at night and a killer is out there. Wonderful plotting.
Stella is a great character, when you understand the trauma she has suffered in the past you really do relate to her.
The writing is, as always with Louise Beech, beautiful and moving. The plot is scary, full of tension and conflict and twists and turns. The ending is completely unexpected and shocking.
Although it is a psychological thriller, it is also a very moving, very sad story about abandonment and love.
Brilliant reading that I recommend to everyone.