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Cora Lael #4
The Deadly Echoes
Four murder victims. One silent survivor. Can Cora hear the secrets he’s hiding?
When a terrified, bloodied man staggers from a boarded-up shop in broad daylight in the small Suffolk village of Evernam, police are called to the scene.
What they find inside the derelict building sends the community into four bodies, their throats savagely cut, arranged in a bizarre formation with objects surrounding them.
The survivor, Mark Lingham, insists that the deaths are his fault and is immediately arrested for murder. But police specialist Dr Cora Lael – a woman with the ability to sense emotional echoes from objects – hears a different story from the belongings placed around the bodies…
Working with DS Rob Minshull and the South Suffolk CID team, Cora is plunged into a deeply twisted case with more questions than answers.
With a rural community in disarray, a horrific murder scene that shocks even the hardened detectives of South Suffolk CID and a suspect suddenly changing his story, can Cora unravel the secrets and lies to track down a brutal killer?
A twisty, shocking and atmospheric detective novel that readers of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths won’t be able to put down.
When a terrified, bloodied man staggers from a boarded-up shop in broad daylight in the small Suffolk village of Evernam, police are called to the scene.
What they find inside the derelict building sends the community into four bodies, their throats savagely cut, arranged in a bizarre formation with objects surrounding them.
The survivor, Mark Lingham, insists that the deaths are his fault and is immediately arrested for murder. But police specialist Dr Cora Lael – a woman with the ability to sense emotional echoes from objects – hears a different story from the belongings placed around the bodies…
Working with DS Rob Minshull and the South Suffolk CID team, Cora is plunged into a deeply twisted case with more questions than answers.
With a rural community in disarray, a horrific murder scene that shocks even the hardened detectives of South Suffolk CID and a suspect suddenly changing his story, can Cora unravel the secrets and lies to track down a brutal killer?
A twisty, shocking and atmospheric detective novel that readers of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths won’t be able to put down.
- GenresFiction
360 pages, Paperback
Published June 6, 2024
6 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 5, 2024
This is book #4 in the Cora Lael series. Whilst it can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the books in series order for better understanding of the characters stories. Wow, what a read this was though! I've read all the books in the series, but this definitely has to be my favourite so far. The story begins straight into the action with the gruesome discovery of four dead men. The discovery of these men was shocking, but when another man is found covered in their blood and saying the deaths were his fault, it takes DS Minshull and his team on a journey to find out what actually happened to them.
I loved this book, it began fast paced and didn't let up until the end. I enjoyed seeing Minshull's team working together, but it was obviously a little too close to home for one of them and this caused some working problems between them. Minshull is a likeable, strong character and I love his both working and professional relationship with Cora Lael. I also like DI Anderson, and it's great to see that he and the rest of the team have come to believe in Cora's abilities. Cora is such a fantastic character, I really like her and love how level headed she is! Even being called up to help investigate the four horrible deaths didn't seem to faze her and she thinks nothing of running head first into danger!
The storyline was cleverly written, with lots of twists and turns. There are a lot of characters and lots of people to suspect, and I found myself mentally ticking them off my 'whodunnit' list before re-adding them as I just couldn't decide who was involved! There were bucketloads of suspense and tension and I was hooked into the story very quickly and couldn't put it down until the very end. This is a very unique series of books because of Cora's abilities and it's just going from strength to strength. I can't wait for book #5, and really want to see what happens between Cora and Minshull!! Would definitely recommend!
I loved this book, it began fast paced and didn't let up until the end. I enjoyed seeing Minshull's team working together, but it was obviously a little too close to home for one of them and this caused some working problems between them. Minshull is a likeable, strong character and I love his both working and professional relationship with Cora Lael. I also like DI Anderson, and it's great to see that he and the rest of the team have come to believe in Cora's abilities. Cora is such a fantastic character, I really like her and love how level headed she is! Even being called up to help investigate the four horrible deaths didn't seem to faze her and she thinks nothing of running head first into danger!
The storyline was cleverly written, with lots of twists and turns. There are a lot of characters and lots of people to suspect, and I found myself mentally ticking them off my 'whodunnit' list before re-adding them as I just couldn't decide who was involved! There were bucketloads of suspense and tension and I was hooked into the story very quickly and couldn't put it down until the very end. This is a very unique series of books because of Cora's abilities and it's just going from strength to strength. I can't wait for book #5, and really want to see what happens between Cora and Minshull!! Would definitely recommend!
July 28, 2024
I cannot express how much I absolutely LOVE this series.
In The Deadly Echoes, we are reunited with Dr Cora Lael as she advises the South Suffolk police team on an unprecedented and quite frankly horrifying case. When police are called to a disturbance in a little village, no one expected to be confronted with a quadruple murder, and with a man covered in blood claiming that it’s all his fault. Rob Minshull and the rest of the detectives have got their work cut out for them, as they face a particularly challenging and complex case. Cora faces her own internal battles as she struggles to push her abilities to extreme limits, in an attempt to try and help the team with finding answers.
I’ve loved all of the previous books in the series but I felt like the crime that featured in this one really was a step up. It was definitely a lot more grisly and it had a darker tone to it, which I personally really enjoyed. There were loads of twists and turns which kept me hooked, and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming, it was very clever - especially when we learnt how the objects related to each of the bodies. The final third or so was particularly tense and had me on the edge of the seat, it was brilliant!
I just love this cast of characters, and I really liked that Cora finally felt like one of the team rather than like an outsider. I loved Drew in this book too and it was nice to see his vulnerable side. I even missed Les, hoping he returns for book 5! These books honestly just keep getting better and better and I would HIGHLY recommend the series, it’s so unique and just fantastically written, roll on the next instalment!
In The Deadly Echoes, we are reunited with Dr Cora Lael as she advises the South Suffolk police team on an unprecedented and quite frankly horrifying case. When police are called to a disturbance in a little village, no one expected to be confronted with a quadruple murder, and with a man covered in blood claiming that it’s all his fault. Rob Minshull and the rest of the detectives have got their work cut out for them, as they face a particularly challenging and complex case. Cora faces her own internal battles as she struggles to push her abilities to extreme limits, in an attempt to try and help the team with finding answers.
I’ve loved all of the previous books in the series but I felt like the crime that featured in this one really was a step up. It was definitely a lot more grisly and it had a darker tone to it, which I personally really enjoyed. There were loads of twists and turns which kept me hooked, and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming, it was very clever - especially when we learnt how the objects related to each of the bodies. The final third or so was particularly tense and had me on the edge of the seat, it was brilliant!
I just love this cast of characters, and I really liked that Cora finally felt like one of the team rather than like an outsider. I loved Drew in this book too and it was nice to see his vulnerable side. I even missed Les, hoping he returns for book 5! These books honestly just keep getting better and better and I would HIGHLY recommend the series, it’s so unique and just fantastically written, roll on the next instalment!
May 23, 2024
Book 4 of A Cora Lael Mystery.
When a terrified, bloodied man staggers from a boarded-up shop in broad daylight in the small Suffolk village of Evernam, police are called to the scene. What they find inside the derelict building is four bodies, their throats savagely cut, arranged in a bizarre formation with objects surrounding them. The survivor, Mark Lingham, insists that the deaths are his fault and is immediately arrested for murder. But police specialist, Dr Cora Lael - a woman with the ability to sense emotional echoes from objects - hears a different story from the belongings placed around the bodies. Working with DS Rob Minshull and the South Suffolk CID team, Cora is plunged into a deeply twisted case with more questions than answers.
The action starts straight away when a bloodied and terrified man staggers onto the street from a boarded-up building. Inside there are four bodies, their throats have been cut, their bodies arranged in a bizarre formation. DS Rob Minshull and his team are on the case.
The pace is fast, and the story is told from multiple perspectives. Dr Cora Lael is called in to help out with the investigation as her ability to decipher echo sounds from objects she touches could help solve this case. The character were well-developed, the case is complex, and we have twists and red herrings. This book could be read as a standalone.
Published 6th June.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HeraBooks and the author #MJWhite for my ARC of #TheDeadlyEchoes in exchange for an honest review.
When a terrified, bloodied man staggers from a boarded-up shop in broad daylight in the small Suffolk village of Evernam, police are called to the scene. What they find inside the derelict building is four bodies, their throats savagely cut, arranged in a bizarre formation with objects surrounding them. The survivor, Mark Lingham, insists that the deaths are his fault and is immediately arrested for murder. But police specialist, Dr Cora Lael - a woman with the ability to sense emotional echoes from objects - hears a different story from the belongings placed around the bodies. Working with DS Rob Minshull and the South Suffolk CID team, Cora is plunged into a deeply twisted case with more questions than answers.
The action starts straight away when a bloodied and terrified man staggers onto the street from a boarded-up building. Inside there are four bodies, their throats have been cut, their bodies arranged in a bizarre formation. DS Rob Minshull and his team are on the case.
The pace is fast, and the story is told from multiple perspectives. Dr Cora Lael is called in to help out with the investigation as her ability to decipher echo sounds from objects she touches could help solve this case. The character were well-developed, the case is complex, and we have twists and red herrings. This book could be read as a standalone.
Published 6th June.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HeraBooks and the author #MJWhite for my ARC of #TheDeadlyEchoes in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2024
The Deadly Echoes
MJ White
(Hera, 2024)
The quiet of an English village is disturbed by a bloodied and incoherent man stumbling out of a boarded-up shop. When the police enter the building, they find five other men lying with their throats cut surrounded by seemingly carefully chosen objects.
The sole survivor claims the killings are his fault but can’t explain how they happened. As tensions in the community starts to simmer towards boiling point Suffolk CID seek the help of Dr Cora Lael, a psychologist with the ability to ‘hear’ emotional echoes left at a crime scene.
MJ White has managed to find a new angle on what might at first glance appear to be a familiar storyline. One that is made more refreshing by her common-sense treatment of what might otherwise have been an unwelcome excursion into all things spooky.
She treats Cora’s abilities as another, if unorthodox, branch of the professional insights she brings to her role. This is neatly combined with engaging characters and a crime that is based in all too believable human failings, making this and her other books something to be enjoyed by fans of intelligent crime writing.
MJ White
(Hera, 2024)
The quiet of an English village is disturbed by a bloodied and incoherent man stumbling out of a boarded-up shop. When the police enter the building, they find five other men lying with their throats cut surrounded by seemingly carefully chosen objects.
The sole survivor claims the killings are his fault but can’t explain how they happened. As tensions in the community starts to simmer towards boiling point Suffolk CID seek the help of Dr Cora Lael, a psychologist with the ability to ‘hear’ emotional echoes left at a crime scene.
MJ White has managed to find a new angle on what might at first glance appear to be a familiar storyline. One that is made more refreshing by her common-sense treatment of what might otherwise have been an unwelcome excursion into all things spooky.
She treats Cora’s abilities as another, if unorthodox, branch of the professional insights she brings to her role. This is neatly combined with engaging characters and a crime that is based in all too believable human failings, making this and her other books something to be enjoyed by fans of intelligent crime writing.
April 26, 2024
The Deadly Echoes by M. J. White had so many characters to keep track of that it sometimes got a bit confusing. This is the fourth case for Dr. Cora Lael, DS Rob Minshull, and the CID team from South Suffolk Police.
When a terrified, bloodied man staggers from a boarded-up shop in broad daylight in the small Suffolk village of Evernam, police are called to the scene. What they find inside the derelict building sends the community into shock: four bodies, their throats savagely cut, arranged in a bizarre formation with objects surrounding them.
Working with DS Rob Minshull and the South Suffolk CID team, Cora is plunged into a deeply twisted case with more questions than answers. And twisty the story is!
I liked getting to know these characters. This is the first book I've read in this series. It would have helped if I read the other books to know all the characters mentioned.
I would recommend this book and this author. A good, solid mystery with page-turning action.
#TheDeadlyEchoes #NetGalley
When a terrified, bloodied man staggers from a boarded-up shop in broad daylight in the small Suffolk village of Evernam, police are called to the scene. What they find inside the derelict building sends the community into shock: four bodies, their throats savagely cut, arranged in a bizarre formation with objects surrounding them.
Working with DS Rob Minshull and the South Suffolk CID team, Cora is plunged into a deeply twisted case with more questions than answers. And twisty the story is!
I liked getting to know these characters. This is the first book I've read in this series. It would have helped if I read the other books to know all the characters mentioned.
I would recommend this book and this author. A good, solid mystery with page-turning action.
#TheDeadlyEchoes #NetGalley
May 29, 2024
The Deadly Echoes is book four in M J White's gripping crime thriller series and is probably by far the best, which is not easy to achieve since books one to three were pretty epic. It can be read as a standalone but to enjoy the series fully I do suggest investing in all four books - plus they look fabulous on the bookshelves!
This has everything a brilliant crime thriller series needs - suspense, good characters, a familiar team and a strong setting. Throw in the added character of Cora Lael and her extremely unusual talent and you've got yourself something unique that you won't be able to put down until you've finished reading.
We hit the ground running from the very first pages and a bloodied and terrified man staggers into the street from a boarded up building. From there the case unravels as DS Rob Minshull and the team try to work out what is seemingly impossible. There are multiple perspectives, a hint of main characters back stories and a complex case with the perfect amount of twists and red herrings.
This has everything a brilliant crime thriller series needs - suspense, good characters, a familiar team and a strong setting. Throw in the added character of Cora Lael and her extremely unusual talent and you've got yourself something unique that you won't be able to put down until you've finished reading.
We hit the ground running from the very first pages and a bloodied and terrified man staggers into the street from a boarded up building. From there the case unravels as DS Rob Minshull and the team try to work out what is seemingly impossible. There are multiple perspectives, a hint of main characters back stories and a complex case with the perfect amount of twists and red herrings.
April 27, 2024
What a gruesome return to Minshull and his team but a thrilling investigation that kept me guessing until the end. After reading this series from the beginning I loved catching up with the different members of CID and using different POVs I could see how this investigation in a close knit community affected those closest to it. I've always like Drew Ellis but now I love him more.
Because of its complexity Cora's voice wasn't introduced until later in the book but her abilities and views have matured since the first book and I love how characters grow and evolve thanks to experience good and bad.
As well as a strong premise, immersive writing that kept me gripped The Deadly Echoes didn't shy away from the pressures of policing in austerity and problems faced in rural forces. This helped keep things real.
This series is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves and Helen Phifer.
As its part of a series, enjoyment will be intensified if you read the previous books and know the characters stories.
Because of its complexity Cora's voice wasn't introduced until later in the book but her abilities and views have matured since the first book and I love how characters grow and evolve thanks to experience good and bad.
As well as a strong premise, immersive writing that kept me gripped The Deadly Echoes didn't shy away from the pressures of policing in austerity and problems faced in rural forces. This helped keep things real.
This series is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves and Helen Phifer.
As its part of a series, enjoyment will be intensified if you read the previous books and know the characters stories.
May 11, 2024
Deadly Echoes is the fourth book in the Cora Lael series; it can be read as a standalone but I'd recommend reading the series in order to get the best of it (and the characters' backstories). I've read them all, and I the series gets better and better with each book.
Dramatic opening with the discovery of four dead bodies and a fifth covered in blood and claiming it was all his fault. DS Rob Minshull and his team need Cora Lael's help and her extraordinary abilities (to hear echoes of sounds when she touches an object) to help them solve the case. It's also close to home as one of the team was good friends with the dead men and the one who says it's his fault, and that adds extra pressure.
Excellent characterisation; lots of twists and turns and some brilliant red herrings (some of which diverted me until quite near the end!).
Thoroughly good read. Solid five stars. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.
Dramatic opening with the discovery of four dead bodies and a fifth covered in blood and claiming it was all his fault. DS Rob Minshull and his team need Cora Lael's help and her extraordinary abilities (to hear echoes of sounds when she touches an object) to help them solve the case. It's also close to home as one of the team was good friends with the dead men and the one who says it's his fault, and that adds extra pressure.
Excellent characterisation; lots of twists and turns and some brilliant red herrings (some of which diverted me until quite near the end!).
Thoroughly good read. Solid five stars. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.
May 11, 2024
This is the fourth case for Dr. Cora Lael’s series. This was the first in the series that I have read, and it does stand alone, but I think you have a better perspective of the characters if you start with book 1. This book has different POV from the Police and Cora which makes it interesting to see what the characters are feeling and thinking. A well-written and action-packed mystery. Tons of twists and turns with a few red herrings thrown in to keep you reading. South Suffolk CID have come across a heinous murder of 4 men and one survivor. Mark Lingham is the only one to survive these killings and states he is to blame. He is arrested and brought in for questioning. Follow Dr. Cora Lael and DS Rob Minshull to see if they can solve what happened to the victims and his Mr. Lingham guilty of 4 murders. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
May 4, 2024
This was a gripping mystery that kept me thoroughly engrossed in the story. From the moment the story began with a man covered in blood emerging from a building, the discovery of the quadruple homicide contained within all the way to the tense end. This story had me guessing. My mind was constantly trying to solve the mystery. The added ability that Cora has for "hearing" echoes from objects was an interesting twist.
I liked the interactions between the CID team working on the case. The only complaint with them was that there were a lot of them to try to keep straight.
Loved this thriller and would recommend it. I'm definitely going to check out the other three stories that include Cora ( I didn't know that this was the 4th book when I received this ARC).
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the interactions between the CID team working on the case. The only complaint with them was that there were a lot of them to try to keep straight.
Loved this thriller and would recommend it. I'm definitely going to check out the other three stories that include Cora ( I didn't know that this was the 4th book when I received this ARC).
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 as I simply could not put down The Deadly Echoes .
DS Rob Minshall and Dr Cora Lael are racing against the clock to solve one of the most gruesome crime scenes that have ever encountered
The small village of Evernam is in shock when 4 bodies are discovered brutally murdered.
One survivor who ran for his life was found outside the abandoned building.
Twists and turns, secrets and no one is telling the truth.
MJ White leads the reader down a twisted path that will have you holding your breath.
This series keeps getting better and better and I cant wait to see what happens in the next book.
DS Rob Minshall and Dr Cora Lael are racing against the clock to solve one of the most gruesome crime scenes that have ever encountered
The small village of Evernam is in shock when 4 bodies are discovered brutally murdered.
One survivor who ran for his life was found outside the abandoned building.
Twists and turns, secrets and no one is telling the truth.
MJ White leads the reader down a twisted path that will have you holding your breath.
This series keeps getting better and better and I cant wait to see what happens in the next book.
July 25, 2024
When four bodies are found with their throats cut, the South Suffolk police team think they've got their man in the form of Mark Lingham, the sole survivor. However, as they get more evidence Minshull and his team are less sure and call in Cora Lael to help them. Lael is able to hear voices from artefacts and her help is invaluable to the team.
Normally I wouldn't read a book with such a psychic element but I picked this one up and actually rather enjoyed it. The focus is not placed too heavily on the ability to 'hear voices' and this is almost an adjunct to a fairly solid police procedural. It's an entertaining enough read and almost believable!
Normally I wouldn't read a book with such a psychic element but I picked this one up and actually rather enjoyed it. The focus is not placed too heavily on the ability to 'hear voices' and this is almost an adjunct to a fairly solid police procedural. It's an entertaining enough read and almost believable!
June 4, 2025
Another fab instalment in a wonderful series! This book held me gripped from the first page to the last! What really happened? Who was to blame? I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know the main characters and their relationship to each other more and more through each book in the series. Although this can be read as a stand alone, I would highly recommend reading them in order as the dynamics and growing relationships between the characters are just as important as the plot, in my humble opinion. Now to find book 5 on my bookcase!
May 21, 2024
I love the creative concept of this series so was thrilled to be offered an advance review copy. Cora hears the human stories behind objects and contributes these unique talents to solving crimes. The melding of the supernatural and police procedural works - its understated and compelling. In this book, the objects surrounding a murder scene are strangely quiet. If you enjoy character driven police procedural stories this is definitely recommended!
June 9, 2024
Book four in this fabulous series featuring Cora Lael. From the first chapter I was engrossed in this book following DS Minshull and his team through twists and turns with a few red herrings along the way which made this an exhilarating and exciting read. Cleverly written this series has got better with each book.
June 8, 2024
From start to finish what a brilliant book, I couldn’t put it down. Finished in a day. Miranda you smashed it again
December 1, 2024
Brilliant series. Unusual and the characters are easy to warm to.
October 1, 2024
Well I took a glance at the other reviews and can see I am on my own with this one! Although I could see a lot of them were from publishing house reviewers.
This book is set in a police station in Suffolk and deals with a bloody man rushing out of an empty shop and shouting "it's my fault". Four men lay dead on the floor of the shop with some objects arranged around them. The police aren't sure if the man did this but he isn't saying he did just that it was his fault. The story plods along and then into the scene appears Dr Cora Lael, a pyschologist who senses emotional echoes which are emitted from objects and helps the police find murderers. Hmm...
I could just not get into this woman who just looked at objects and they spoke to her. She was walking through the wood where a mannequin was found hanging from a tree with a warning to the bloody man leaving the original crime scene whe she heard something at her feet screaming "get rid of it" repeatedly followed by another voice saying "I'm doing my best". It turns out to be coming from a bag containing the bloody knife wrapped in a headscarf.
I gave up at this point, not even Uri Geller could hear the spoons talking said one of the police officers in my family!
This book is set in a police station in Suffolk and deals with a bloody man rushing out of an empty shop and shouting "it's my fault". Four men lay dead on the floor of the shop with some objects arranged around them. The police aren't sure if the man did this but he isn't saying he did just that it was his fault. The story plods along and then into the scene appears Dr Cora Lael, a pyschologist who senses emotional echoes which are emitted from objects and helps the police find murderers. Hmm...
I could just not get into this woman who just looked at objects and they spoke to her. She was walking through the wood where a mannequin was found hanging from a tree with a warning to the bloody man leaving the original crime scene whe she heard something at her feet screaming "get rid of it" repeatedly followed by another voice saying "I'm doing my best". It turns out to be coming from a bag containing the bloody knife wrapped in a headscarf.
I gave up at this point, not even Uri Geller could hear the spoons talking said one of the police officers in my family!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews