Dead Pretty by Joy Wood
1977 – Six student nurses embark on their nurse training at Harlow Wood Orthopaedic Hospital. They are young, excitedand soon develop a strong friendship bond within their cohort.
But there is a predator amongst them.
A man that takes great delight in killing young, pretty girls.
He’s done it before.
He watches their movements to decide which one is next.
And then he kills for the thrill.
A student disappears – quickly followed by another.
There are no leads, no evidence, and no bodies.
He’s clever.
But is he as astute as he thinks he is?
About the author
Joy Wood has worked as a nurse most of her adult life and turned to writing six years ago to ‘see if she could.’ Her earlier work was adult romance and intrigue, but more recently she has switched genres to romance with a crime element. Joy lives in the small but charming seaside town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire and her writing ideas come from watching the tide turn daily, of course with the obligatory ice-cream – someone has to support the local economy!
Social Media Links –
Facebook www.facebook.com/joywoodauthor
Website https://joywoodauthor.wordpress.com/
Email joymarywood@yahoo.co.uk
Review
‘Dead Pretty’ is a dark and twisted thriller that will keep you guessing right until the end! This was the first book of the authors that I have read and I was impressed and will be keeping an eye out for what she does next.
1977 - a new intake of nurses arrives at Harlow Wood Orthopaedic Hospital. They are young, and excited and soon form a strong bond between them. But there is a predator among them. A man that takes great pleasure in killing young pretty girls. When a student nurse disappears people are horrified. But then another student goes missing and people don't know what to do.
Well, this author knows how to make a dark and twisted story, doesn't she? The tension was palpable and I was fully captivated from the first couple of chapters. I flew through this in a day as I was really invested in the characters and wanted to know whether they were all safe or not. The author manages to plant evidence right under your nose without you noticing until the very end. I got some of them but I didn't work out who the killer was that is for sure!
I really liked the characters of Louise, Kym and Guy. They were all nuanced and well-formed and I think as readers we all have a wee crush on Guy! I enjoyed getting to know their backgrounds with their families and this helped create genuine and authentic characters. Even the killer is a complex character and their chapters in the narrative really helped to build the tension and have the readers furiously trying to work out who they are!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
