Left for Dead

Detective Laura Warburton #1

by Jay Darkmoore

"Dark and delightful" - Booktok
"Nail bitingly, skin chillingly insane. A real deep crime thriller " - Booktok
"What a twisty book" - Goodreads
"A dark twist in almost every corner" - Bookstagram A new evil. An old nightmare.

As the head of the Major Investigation Team, Detective Inspector Laura Warburton must catch a killer that is preying on vulnerable women. The case strikes dangerously close to home for Laura. Once a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her ex-fiancé, Laura escaped with a shattered reputation, a drinking problem and tormented memories.

With the body count piling up, Laura barely holds herself together as she finds and pieces together the fragmented clues at the crime scenes. Like breadcrumbs, the clues lead her down a dark road to a past she wishes to forget. Trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse, is this a new evil in her life? Or is something much more sinister at play?

From the author of the psychological thriller 'The Space Between Heaven and Hell,' comes this new nail-biting crime thriller that will leave you guessing until the final page.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Crime

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2023

Reviews

[McKenzie]

4.25 Stars!!

What a twisty and dark crime thriller full of gruesome violence and murder!

I really enjoyed having the different POVs of the detective, the current victim, and the killer. It really helped pull it all together and keep the plot going.

Under 300 pages with short chapters and fast pacing- you will fly through this one! I definitely kept saying “just one more chapter” while reading this and needing to get other chores done😂

I had guessed one of the twists, but wow definitely way more to it than I had put together!

This is book one of the Detective Laura Warburton Series and can’t wait to read more! Recommend checking this one out!🖤

Thank you @jay_darkmoore_author for this #gifted copy!

[Shannon]

“ life is for living, not just surviving”

🔪Dark Crime Thriller
🔪 Police procedural
🔪 Suspense
🔪 Twists

✅We have a “hotshot” detective FMC, who has come down from the city for a change of scenery. Our MC seems to meet those expectations as soon as she arrives and causes tension in her unit initially. However, as we progress we learn that she seems to be a broken and unstable individual.
Her breakdown was just the highlight for me, really showed her to be human and vulnerable.

✅ Enjoyed the short chapters, it made it easier to follow the multiple POVS. I felt the POV of the killer was a nice touch as you got an insight into his mind.

✅ I appreciated how fast- paced this was, the action picked up and it stayed consistent right till the end.

✅ Wow the detail and how gruesome it was, truly shocked. Well done 👏🏾

⚠️ My only criticism would be that as it was a short read, it was hard find a character to really care about due to their development. I also felt that maybe there was too many twists for a short read.

⚠️ I also felt that the “love” interest as a character was a bit pointless to be honest. I think that we can just do away with this person. They had no contribution to the investigation, story and the MC at all. Also I don’t think we really needed the spicy scenes to be honest. Just my opinion, but they might become more involved in the next book.

HOWEVER, whilst I may have felt that it has left me wanting more!!! I can’t wait to see the next instalment- so Jay has done something right!

[luckykarmatx]

I received an advanced review copy of this book and felt it was a good, fast-paced read with lots of twists to keep me entertained well past my bedtime. The action starts from the moment you sit down, so buckle up! Short chapters made it easy to follow the multiple points of view, but I almost wish they were a bit longer because I would have enjoyed getting to know some of the characters in greater detail.

Without giving anything away, I can say our MC is flawed, as expected, but she's also a bit of an odd ball. We go in knowing she's going to be the hotshot detective, which sets up specific expectations from the moment she arrives to the precinct. These expectations were met right away, but she soon turns out to be battling some fairly serious demons. I'm not sure if I truly like her yet, but I'm really looking forward to the next installment in the series.

[michelle peckham]

Left For Dead by Jay Darkmoore

I received an advanced readers copy of this book to review.

🤯 This book is soo good !! I had a couple of ARCs to read and so I didn’t finish this book as quickly as I’d of liked.
If you’re a fan of Chris Carter, Karin Slaughter, Stuart MacBride then you will love this book.
@mariettewhitcomb @thriller_chick you both will love this book !
It is the first book in a coming series featuring Laura Warburton. Laura is head of major investigations fighting demons of a past with an abusive ex and drinking heavily. Moved to another team she is tasked with chasing what seems to be a serial killer preying on vulnerable women. Kidnapping them, torturing and mutilating and dumping their bodies.
This book is not for the faint hearted it is gruesome but brilliant and a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jessica Huntley]

4.5 Stars

My first book by this author and certainly won't be my last. Already got book 2 lined up to read!

First of all, a word of warning. If you're squeamish or don't like graphic gore or language, then stay clear.

This isn't a horror but a dark crime thriller full of violence, horrendous imagery and disturbing murders. Therefore, if you enjoy reading Chris Carter or Sam Holland then this book is right up your street.

Okay, enough build up. Onto the review. I freaking LOVED this book! Full of drama and a sometimes-hard-to-like main female character who has her set of issues but pushes through and gets the job done.

A thorough back story and addictive build up, leads to the end which absolutely caught me off guard. My only issue was that it all ended so suddenly and seemed to wrap up within a few pages.

Thoroughly recommend to lovers of dark thrillers. Onto book 2!

[Books, Booze, and Horror Reviews]

As someone who doesn't usually read crime thrillers, this had me captivated from the very beginning. I wanted to know more about Laura Warburton, and what she was running from. I wanted to scream at the sexist new colleagues and the condescending boss. Most of all, I wanted to know who (or what) was chasing her and threatening to destroy her already fragile psyche.

This was one of those "one more chapter" books that had me completely invested. I enjoyed the ride!

I'd like to thank the author for providing an advanced review copy for an honest and unbiased opinion of this book.

[Samantha]

I had the pleasure of getting my hands on an advanced reader copy of Left for Dead and I was gripped from start to finish.

With an unexpected story and characters that you connect to instantly this was one of my favourite books of 2023.

If your looking for your next favourite indie author then I highly recommend checking out Jay Darkmore!

[Stacey]

Wow, I truly could not put this book down.

From the first page you are drawn into the story and left rooting for the main character. The author has brought the story so vividly to life, that it truly had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart pounding in my chest at times. I struggled to put this book down, in fact sometimes I just couldn't, I had to know what was going to happen next.

From the descriptions, to the character's, to the plot, this book had me hooked and wanting more. I love Laura, and you are rooting for her from the very first page. The description really brings the story to life, it immerses you in the story so much that you are left wanting so much more. I honestly can't wait for the next book.

I truly love everything about this book.

[Shazna]

ARC review

Wow!!
Five star read. Very fast paced! Full of suspense!
Found myself holding my breath whilst reading this book.
Jay done an amazing job at captivating characters emotions in great detail. Full of twists that will leave you shocked and gripped till the very end!
Good read of 2023!
Great quote from the book " life is for living, not just surviving!"

Cannot wait for the next in the series😁

[kathleen Schneider]

I love mystery stories, thrillers, crime, murder and mayhem. As a retired nurse, I’m not offended by some blood and gore. However, I found this book impossible to read. The graphic descriptions were the worst I’ve ever encountered. Literally so repulsive and over the top it made me want to vomit. I cannot imagine what kind of a mind the author has to write like that. I’ll never read anything by them again. This is the first, (and I hope), only review I’ve had the displeasure to write.

[Rainelle]

Left For Dead. My fellow readers I have gone and done it. Done what you say?! Oh I’ve crossed the genre line and perhaps tip toed among the serial crime, psychological thriller fields. I know! Don’t look at me. I couldn’t help myself. There was a book. A book by a writer who completely caught me by surprise. As I read his perfectly spun words, I was instantly hooked. You will be hooked too.
This book is insanely good. The writing is absolutely incredible. Not only will you enjoy the writing, but the characters as well. I couldn’t get enough of the main character Laura. Her determination to confront the killer and her demons was mind blowing.
One moment you will be like, alright Laura. I got you, to What the (you know what) is happening here? There are moments in here that are so shocking that they make the story that good. The amazing twist and turns that the plot or as I call it, the storyline had me wanting to read the book very quick. As a die hard reader you know why.
Just so that I could make it to the end, to find out who the killer is. But the true reader in me stuck it out. Yep that’s right. I soldiered on. Laura and I was in this together.
More so her than me. I have another thing to say about the writing. It’s very bold (that a good thing writer) and imaginative. From the start the plot was so interesting and exciting. As you read the book, you will see how there are many things that make this book feel so real. Bringing in a DI who has first hand experience with tracking down criminals that are very challenging is fantastic. Laura’s character I thought was a bad (you know what) to take on a serial killer, with just her knowledge is beyond good. I love the strength of her character, even though she travels through the book, with some of the harshest struggles that a human being can go through. I also love that the writer chose a female as the leading heroine in the book. The plot touched on a number of challenges that female DI’s would experience when taking on a new major crimes team, whose participation is at a level two.
As I said the plot is bloody good. You will read how the storyline is very believable. You will also read how the plot associates with the characters and how the story relates to modern times. It was easy to see that the writer did the research required for such a book like this. There is information that touches on things that are related to the human mind.
There are snippets of how the characters find ways to cope and release all the emotions that a person can experience on a suspect such as this one. Also, some research on the formalities that a officer must go through to capture their suspect. Anyway, as I said the plot is very creative and superbly good. I did stumble on a couple scenes. Mainly at the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
I felt that these should read with a smooth transition so that reader can maintain that connection with the story and the characters. Picking back up with the characters. Wasn’t that insane at the ending? I had no clue that it would end that way. Well I did have a clue with one character, but I needed more information before I actually made my conclusion.
There is one character above all that you can not help but root for. My girl Sheree. She is a beast! The strength and the will that she exudes is so impactful. The serial killer, called the Straw man.
His character is Sick with a capital s. Where would one even begin to come up with the crimes that he committed in the book? Talk about shocking and disturbing. These words are like confetti to him that he throws out, over the cruelties that he distributes among his victims. The writer got it so right with the morbid mind of this individual. Exposing his disconnection with the realities and people around him. His only gratification is the sick pleasure that he feels, as he dispenses all his rage and hatred on his victims (his dolls). The descriptive details of the killers cold and calculating acts was certifiably insane. I mean from what I imagine is probably not as sick as what the police and detectives face day to day, but non the less the descriptions here is one more tool that makes this book, a must read. This is a book that is amazingly good.
The writer reminds me of two writers. Kevin O’Brien, a writer who can write a story that will have you on your tippy toes, shouting for the main character to take out the bad guy. The next one is from the dark mind of Chris Carter. A well know criminal Psychologist who could scare you in your dreams with one sentence. The entertainment in the plot is genius.
I give this book two snaps and a, “Catherine, you need a raise and take up self defense lessons girl. You’re going to need them.”Until next time my fellow readers. Read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Rowena Robinson]

‼️Possible Spoilers‼️

⚠️please note there are talks on substance abuse and SA mentioned in the book⚠️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A mother knows her children as she knows herself”

If you love a good fast pace thriller book, then trust me when I say this book is for you.

Detective Laura Warburton, she transfers to a different police met to tackle and crack down a mad man running lose and killing off people. As Laura is trying to crack down on it, she’s also dealing with her own personal issues from what she went through when she was with her ex fiancé.

Laura believes her past has come back to haunt her, and she kinda goes on a spiral (to be honest you can’t blame her). Laura’s feel like her team are helping her the best that they should and kinda feels undermined 👀👀👀

Now the plot was plotting, at some point my jaw was on the floor, even some bits took me by surprise, but I love that in a book. But as always there’s always that one character that gets me screw facing and saying “bitch” more than once.

Can I just say poor sherree, the stuff what she went through, I was praying for that woman 🫣🫣

This book was giving me vibes from the films, Saw, The Bone Collector and Seven. It’s proper fast paced book which I enjoyed and short chapters which is even better.

At the end I just wanted to read more on that evil cow 😤 (yes I am not a fan of that woman). The author left the book on a mini cliffhanger WITHOUT ANY TEASERS (not fair), but it had me gripped from the start and that’s what I always love about a book. I am fully intrigued now to see what next happens with Laura and will defo be getting the next book.

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book, I am fully hooked and can’t wait to see what Laura gets herself into next.

[Amy Tackett]

A brutally shocking glance at British crime ❤️‍🔥🔪

Jay Darkmoore’s writing style captivated me from line one! It was immersive, intense, and gruesome.
I really felt like I was part of Laura’s team, and I enjoyed following her story as she dealt with her own traumas. The pacing was fantastic, the structure was brilliantly executed, and the suspense was killer. 10/10 would definitely recommend!

Read if you like:

🔍 British crime
👀 Edge-of-your-seat suspense
💃 Fiesty FMC with a trauma-filled past
🔪 Gruesome cases
❤️‍🔥 Gritty, real-world issues

[Tina]

🫨

Page turning psychological thriller.
First in the series and pretty good start I'd say.
The story and a good lead up to some pretty intense stuff and a good conclusion.

[Tee_and_Books]

Fast past gritty dark crime thriller. Wow this book packs a punch. I raced through this book. If you love gruesome details then this book is for you! Fab! Can’t wait to start book 2

[Tracy Wright]

AMAZING

Wow! I absolutely loved this book! Jay Darkmoore did an awesome job keeping me hanging on. Every scene I could see in my mind due to his very descriptive writing. This may not be for the faint of heart or may be triggering for some… but man I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Annette Sullivan]

dreadful frequent bad language

Just not my thing all with all the bad language. What I did see was pretty awful. It goes from the criminal to the cop looking into the crimes chapter by chapter I gather.

[Lou Macdonald]

Honest review in return for a free copy of the book from the author:

Thrillers are not my normal genre of book at all but when I was offered a free copy I thought why not let’s give it a go. And I’m so glad I did it had so many twists and turns throughout that you think you know how it’s going to end but then the twist happens and has you second guessing what you thought earlier in the book. The authors are explorations of different kinds of trauma and abuse and how they can’t shape a person are so interesting and thought provoking. Definitely not the last book of Darkmoore’s I’ll be picking up!

[Tamriel Official]

We can never fully understand how every individual will react to or cope with traumatic events. Detective Laura Warburton did all the things. She went to therapy, she Google'ed self-help, and eventually immersed herself into her work with the help of wine. Just when she thinks she is about to start her life anew, her past reaches for her from the bowls of decaying society.

It's obvious the writer went to great lengths to achieve the depth of details in the scenes. I didn't have much time to latch onto any particular character, but the story never gave me time to pause. It kept me eagerly flipping to the last page.

[Emily]

Wow! What a twisty book!

I loved this from start to finish, I could not put it down! (Read within 12 hours!!)

I was hooked right from the start, desperate to know what the hell was going on!

This was a real deep crime thriller, which had me fooled the whole way through! The outcome was crazy and I genuinely didn't see any of it coming.

Highly recommend this if you're up for a dark horror vibe thriller!

Looking forward to the second book in the series.

[Jasmine Martin]

This was an enjoyable crime thriller, written by an ex-police officer who used his experiences in the police force to write this debut in the Laura Warburton series.

Laura transfers from the MET to Wigtown for a new life, running away from her life in London. She arrives to a new seemingly incompetent team, who appear to have no group cohesion and are just going through the motions of work and life.

I feel the author did a good job of showing us what the costs of underfunding the police are in the UK, and the morale this likely brings to teams across the service. The writing was a little repetitive - the author clearly has his favourite metaphors. Steam train of vomit rising in the throat being one of them. It read a little like a high school story where the learning objective of the day was "Use similes and metaphors in story writing".
I also wasn't so keen on the romance. Aside from one sentence, there was no lead up to suggesting the romance. It just felt to really come out of left field, leaving no space for development. I appreciate the portrayal of Laura's desperation and despair at the time, but it just felt crowbarred for me. I'd be interested to see if this relationship is given space to develop as the series continues. For these reasons, I have given it a 3 star rating.

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book - and though I had my suspicions where it was going, the ending was surprising and kept me up to find out how it all ended!

[Shelly Rogers]

This book! It is absolutely fantastic. From the very beginning I was hooked and found it incredibly hard to put down.

I found this book's plot to be very well developed and easy to follow. While you do get different perspectives, I never felt confused. And the addition of the unaliver's head was brilliant. This will take you on an rollercoaster experience right up until the end. I was turning the pages so fast trying to figure it out. And I was not prepared for that ending!

The characters! Detective Laura Burton the epitome of strong woman and I am here for it. I was pleasantly surprised the author gave her so much dimension. She has been through a lot and she overcame it. I found her to be very relatable. Personally, when I feel a connection to the character it adds to the reading experience and just makes it that much better. I would love to see more of her in the future (which I'm hoping since this is a series!)

***Please read your trigger warnings. This book has some dark content and content that some may not be comfortable with. So just please make sure you are aware before jumping in.***

Go get this book today!

Happy Reading Ya'll!

[Anne]

It could have been a contender…

The e-version of this book is crying out for a good editor (or at the very least, for a spelling and grammar check). Poor word choices, bad grammar and spelling errors let down the narrative.

Instead of writing ‘police dog’, or ‘K-9’ (or even mentioning the breed or the dog’s name), the author refers over (and over and over) to ‘land shark’. The lead character is not allowed to sit down but must “place her ass” on the seat.

As for sentence construction, grammar, and spelling, there are too many errors throughout to list. Just three examples: ‘it’s’ for its, ‘permitter’ for perimeter, ‘fury’ for furry) were so irritating that I stopped reading and starting skimming, unable to tolerate the writing style but still interested in how the traumatised, drunken Detective Inspector Laura Warburton would solve this gruesome murder mystery. But then it turns out that unlike most human beings she can run with broken glass in her feet. Just not credible.

[Vix]

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads.

Dark and gritty with chilling murders. Book 1 in the Detective Laura Warburton series.

Thrown straight into the grisly killer's presence and then meeting no nonsense Laura was a great introduction to the book. I loved the chapters with the killer as I felt their determination and unwavering focus, void of emotion compared to the victim's terror, feeling everything under the sun.

I struggled to match up old Laura and new Laura - I just couldn't imagine them being the same person. I also felt the sex scenes weren't really needed. I guessed a certain involvement, but had no idea how they linked in.

Overall, an interesting start to the series and I like the darkness of the writing. I want to see where Laura goes next from the little teaser at the end.

*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review

[Effy]

Darkmoore is a new author to me and this book (#1 in the Detective Warburton series + his debut crime novel) has piqued my interest for sure 👏🏽. A dark, gruesome, action-packed and twisted plot, paired with well-developed characters and multiple perspectives + timelines made for a gripping and engaging read.

I did guess PART🤏🏽 of the twist but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book at all: the majority had me fooled and I did NOT expect the ending. I really enjoyed the character-building of our FMC Laura— quirky, slightly odd and definitely flawed, I’m not 100% sure I’ve warmed to her yet, but I appreciated the vulnerability and human-ness shown through her breakdowns, and the reputation that preceded her arrival at the unit. I’m intrigued for the next instalment of Detective Warburton!

𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🥀

[Charlie Morris (Read, Watch & Drink Coffee)]

From an author with an experience in criminal investigations and who loves the macabre, this is exactly what I was hoping for.

Left For Dead is a well-written and fast-paced crime thriller that's brilliantly dark and gorey. The police procedural elements are developed and detailed really well, and the short chapters and clever twists keep you on the edge of your seat.

At 260 pages long, I found that this was the perfect length for a snappy and effective crime thriller. Of course you don't get to know the characters too in-depth, but you do get to like them enough to make you want to continue the series, and I think that's a very clever tactic that's executed well!

Fans of Chris Carter are sure to enjoy this new series. Not every author dares to go 'there', but I certainly like the dark depths that Jay Darkmoore explores!

[Josette Thomas]

a great read

A horror book that is about a serial killer. What a book combination! I really felt for Laura. She was trying to restart her life after ending an abusive relationship. Right from the start she has issues. With her new team, with her own demons and her fear of thinking her ex was coming for her. The psychological fear was present throughout this book. When Sharee was faced with the terror of her situation, I could feel her fear. When the writer described the fear Laura felt when she was not sure who was in her house, I swear, I wanted to check the locks in my house. Knowing there are people out there capable of committing these atrocities makes me not want to trust other humans.

[K.B. Mallion]

A Gripping Delve-Into-The-Mind-Of-A-Killer Read

Although I watch a lot of crime/detective dramas, I don’t read a lot of them. From the enticing teasers and trailers that I had seen from this author, I just HAD to read ‘Left For Dead’, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It had everything a seasoned true crime watcher like myself, would enjoy.
✨A dark venture into the mind of a calculating killer.
✨Relatable characters with troubling pasts.
✨Scenes that make you wince and keep you on the edge of your reading seat!
✨Twists and turns.
Yup, this story ticked a lot of boxes for me. Brilliantly penned!

[Vickiec192]

Short, snappy and packs a massive punch!
A very gruesome who dunnit, fast paced and a cliffhanger on pretty much every chapter. I read the whole thing in one go, having picked it up thinking, I'll try the first couple of chapters. This was to me what a bottle of Malbec is to Laura Warburton.
It says a lot when you can get so much from a fairly short book. Deep character profiles and a never ending rollercoaster plot, all achieved by some exceptional writing.
I love Laura, such a great character, her backstory and her attitude are fantastic.
It's a pretty dark story, a little gruesome, but I loved it. Cannot wait for Breaking Point!!

[Tiffany]

This book was a mind-blowing experience full of descriptive writing that was dark and ominous that had my pulse pounding front start to finish.

I fell in love with the FMC Detective Laura!!!! She is a strong-willed, determined, and straightforward baddie!

Short chapters, multiple POV, and fast-paced! Grusome, but oh, so good descriptions! The only thing I would change would be more in one book 🤣.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I am stopping here...

I had the pleasure of being an ARC reader for this intriguing and mind-blowing murder mystery.

Fans of Karin Slaughter would love this!