'Absolutely stunning!... wow it blew me away... I loved everything about it... 5 stars, although it is a shame I can't give it more, it's easily worth a 7.' Bonnie's Book Talk, 5 stars

One hot summer's afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home...

Two years later, Ava's body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party ...

Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that still keeps her awake at night...

Natalie soon discovers that Ava's mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she's sure Ava's father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she's not telling Natalie ...

Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn't come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?

Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will keep you flying through the pages long into the night. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.

Readers are going crazy for The Birthday:

'OMG this author has done it again!!!!!!!!... Fantastic!!!!!!!! I was hooked from the first page and stayed up till 3am to finish it.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

'Omg!! My heart is pounding so hard! I have just finished reading The Birthday and I am floored! This is the first in a new series from Carol Wyer, featuring DI Natalie Ward and her team. What a way to start! Speedy, sharp, heart stopping and engaging; this is a series I am definitely looking forward to!' TishyLou, 5 stars

'A rollocking rollercoaster ride ... dark, twisty and wonderfully gripping' Minimac Reviews

'Something special... This book truly is excellent... Heart-thumpingly good... A well-paced, heart-wrenching, pulse racing, edge-of-your-seat kind of book and a crime fighting team who you can genuinely root for... look no further as this could genuinely be your next favourite read. I tore through it.' Jen Med's Book Reviews, 5 stars

'What a twist! ...I read this book in a day!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars