My Little Eye by Stephanie Marland #BookReview @crimethrillgirl @TrapezeBooks #BookBlogger #Blogger #Thriller #CrimeFiction #Review

• My Little Eye.
• Stephanie Marland.
• 352 pages.
• Crime / Thriller / Mystery / Fiction.
• My Rating: Hell Yeah Book Review.

Book Blurb.

KISS THE GIRLS
A young woman is found dead in her bedroom surrounded by rose petals – the latest victim of ‘The Lover’. Struggling under the weight of an internal investigation, DI Dominic Bell is no closer to discovering the identity of the killer and time is running out.

AND MAKE THEM DIE…
As the murders escalate, Clementine Starke joins an online true crime group determined to take justice in their own hands – to catch the killer before the police. Hiding a dark secret, she takes greater risks to find new evidence and infiltrate the group.

As Starke and Bell get closer to cracking the case neither of them realise they’re being watched. The killer is closer to them than they think, and he has his next victim – Clementine – firmly in his sights.

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Book Review.

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Initially, I declined a copy of My Little Eye to review. It looked intriguing but it was a case of too many books and not enough time and I wasn’t sure if (when) I’d get around to reading it.

I’m posting this review before the April paperback release and yes, I’m well aware of the immense irony of that above statement, it is dripping like blood droplets from a killer’s knife!😱😂

I agreed to take part in the upcoming blog tour and due to that, the publicist (thanks, Alex) was kind enough to send me a copy just for being part of the tour.

I’m very much a ‘read what I want, when I want’ type and ultimately, after finishing my last book I decided that I wanted to read a thriller and here we now are.

My point is, I didn’t accept the book to review, ended up giving it a chance and to sum it up, I absolutely loved My Little Eye!

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In London, a series of murders have taken place and the killer who’s MO is the same for each and is being referred to as ‘The Lover‘. The police investigation is being led by MIT Detective Dom/Dominic Campbell and his team and it is faltering, the press is baying for answers, with each new killing there are no new clues, breakthroughs or leads and the fear is that The Lover will strike again sooner rather than later.

Clementine Starke is part of a true crime Internet group. A PhD student who unbeknownst to the rest of the group is researching them for her thesis and theory that a true crime group without police resources could solve a live crime. A small portion of the group is interested in attempting to beat the police and solve the case. Highlighting both, the current fallibility and failings of the police force and to prove that even without the amenities and resources available to the police that amateur crime enthusiasts can be beneficial and can solve live crimes.

With both groups after The Lover, it’s a race against time to find out the killer’s identity and to stop them before they claim their next victim.

Without going into detail, both of the main characters are quite tortured, Clementine from a traumatic past event that year’s later, still haunts her and Dom from a recent undercover police operation that went horribly wrong and is still under an ongoing investigation.

Personally, I was eager to learn more about the pair and I found them both to be engaging and interesting catalysts to propel the story forward. I felt that the backstories of the main characters really added to them. Throughout the book, we get to learn the truth behind Clementine’s past as it is slowly revealed to us in flashbacks and the backdrop of the bungled undercover investigation and the subsequent fallout that is hampering Dom’s efforts with The Lover case adds an extra depth to him.

With Marland’s use of an Internet group and their transfer from anonymity and the relative safety of purely online interaction to meeting in real-life My Little Eye is a very topical read. It is also relevant to today’s society and makes you question how much do you really know about the people you are in contact with on the Internet. You get to know them and in some cases, even bond with them through shared interests (oh my, book blogging and honestly, I have my suspicions about some of you) but are they really who they say they are? Do they have secrets? Is their profile picture really them? Is their online persona different to their real-life personality? These are all questions you’ll find yourself contemplating whilst reading the true crime group segments of My Little Eye and let’s be honest, I’m fairly certain that they are all questions we will have asked ourselves before about our Internet acquaintances at one time or another.

I really liked how it wasn’t just the police searching for the killer in My Little Eye with Marland incorporating the group of amateur sleuths alongside the professionals in trying to solve the case and catch the killer. I felt that amateur element added an extra dimension to the story making for a refreshing change from the far more standard police hunting criminals trope that is often the norm in thrillers.

Marland writes in a style that is easily accessible and really draws you in with the pages flying by in a blur of compelling lead characters, twists and a bountiful amount of mystery. The chapters in My Little Eye are short and snappy and as you swap between the amateur and professional groups, their investigations and Clementine and Dom as the focal points you will find yourself constantly being drawn back to the book and to reading (even if you should be doing other things but, of course, other things can wait when you are engrossed in a book).

As an introduction to the pairing of Starke and Bell, My Little Eye serves as a stellar starting point to get you invested in the duo for future releases.

I enjoyed my time spent reading My Little Eye and found it to be a thoroughly addictive and page-turning read.

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My Little Eye, out now on Kindle and available for UK pre-order in Paperback, out April 5th.

Amazon UK  /  Amazon US  /  Book Depository

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