All His Pretty Girls: An absolutely gripping detective novel with a jaw-dropping killer twist

by Charly Cox

'A fast-paced, breathtaking read This will definitely be making my list of favourite books of the year' Go Buy The Book

Detective Alyssa Wyatt is hunting a serial killer.

She doesn't know that he's hunting her.

A woman is found naked, badly beaten and barely alive in the New Mexico mountains. The shocking discovery plunges Albuquerque Detective Alyssa Wyatt into a case that will test her to the limit.

It appears that Callie McCormick is the latest plaything of a shadowy psychopath that leaves a long shadow on the streets of New Mexico an individual linked to a string of deaths but leaving no evidence.

But when Alyssa makes a breakthrough that just might reveal the killer, she unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of a brutal maniac one with an old score to settle.

Because the killer knows Alyssa very well, even if she doesn't know him. And he's determined that she'll know his name even if he has to extract his deadly revenge on her and everything she loves.

The launch of a dark, gripping, completely unputdownable crime thriller series, All His Pretty Girls introduces New Mexico detective Alyssa Wyatt. Fans of Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh and Angela Marsons will be utterly engrossed.

Reviewers are hooked on All His Pretty Girls:

'Oh boy, was I swiped off my feet as what was already a totally gripping read escalated into my top five for this year It felt like my heart was beating in the back of my throat!' Books From Dusk Till Dawn

'I raced through this book!one of the most exciting crime books I've read in a long while!' Alternative-Read.com

'A serial killer chiller where the action never flags, the suspense is red-hot and the twists and turns jaw-droppingly brilliant, fans of the genre need to add Charly Cox to their list of must-buys.' Bookish Jottings

'Sharply plotted, and full of tense twists, this is extremely well written An extremely confident, exciting and chilling new entry on to the crime thriller scene' Alex J Book Reviews

'a compelling thriller that I could not put down! The killer was insane, the story was addictive and the writing was fantastic. This is everything I want when I pick up a police procedural!' Jessica Belmont

'some real heart in the mouth moments It flows so easily, with a fast pace and really is unputdownable.' The Bookwormery

'like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns had me totally gripped and I was on the edge of my seat throughout.' Ginger Book Geek

'This is one of the best debut novels I've read in a while' Cheeky Pee Reads and Reviews

'Wow did All His Pretty Girls pack a punch! I was shocked when I found out this was a debut a heart in your mouth read that will have you racing through those pages.' On The Shelf Reviews

'I don't think I took even a single deep breath while reading this Each chapter raised my tension and I couldn't stop tapping my ereader' Shalini's Books and Reviews

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2019

About the author

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Charly Cox - Crime, Young Adult

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid police thriller! Will be picking up the others. Thanks Chas 🫶🏽

[CaityKaboooom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going with ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see edit) because I’m not sure how I want to rate this book yet.

First: Cord, Rafe, and Guthrie— not a law office, but the names the Charly Cox chose for her male characters. If you follow my reviews, you know that I can’t stand bad name choices or out of place name choices. Those…. Are not good.

Second: if Charly Cox mentions Alyssa’s love of coffee in the whole series as much as she does in the first book, god help me. It was a lot.

Now, on to actual thoughts about this book…

The twist, which I first expected to be that Timmy was killed by Carl Freeman, the man who has Evan, was actually that Timmy was Evan. Okay. Sort of… but it was also expected. But I’m not entirely mad about it. I just wish it hadn’t been so thinly veiled.

Now, I’ll say that the pacing and tension were great, and I was totally pulled into the book. I wanted to get to the ending and the big reveals. The most surprising thing was that Evan abducted Isaac. I was fully expecting him to go for Holly.

I’m not sure if I liked this or didn’t like it. I have to read the second book to decide how I feel. I will say, I’m not usually a series kind of lady and I’m rarely one to read a series back to back, but I’m going to go ahead and read the second one and see what I think. Hopefully it will help me decide what I think about this one.

Edit on 5/12/26 I’m changing my rating to 4⭐️ because this book hooked me enough that I proceeded to read 5/7 in the series back to back. I like plucky Alyssa. So, I’m changing my rating.

[Alex S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I almost DNF it. The story had so much potential but I could not get past the writing, grammatical errors, and the lack of quotation marks. Why are we using ' ' for quotes?

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best suspense books I have ever read! I didn’t see the ending coming! I will be reading more of this author!

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt the twist came entirely too early and the final suspenseful scene was over too quickly. I definitely didn’t see the twist coming and I stuck it out to the end to see how it played out, but it failed to truly pull me in.

[DKall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline was a good one and interesting throughout. I liked the connections between two separate crimes that are central to our main character. I also liked our split POVs however, I feel like certain aspects that ended up irrelevant for our subject were highlighted that were never explained (his inner voice talking to him so much- who does it represent or is it mental illness?). I REALLY enjoyed that this book follows a female detective and there’s NO ROMANCE TROPE. She’s already married to some regular guy and their romance is minimal. That is refreshing. I think it’s a bit cheesy at times with the kids acting like parents consoling their mom, but I again like that we aren’t villainizing the female detective for having a family and her career, that she can do it. I’ll definitely continue this series when I need a brain break.

[AMBER · Rating 4 out of 5]

January Read: All His Pretty Girls by Charly Cox ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️We’re introduced to Alyssa Wyatt, a detective with the Albuquerque Police Department whose childhood trauma shaped her path into law enforcement. A brutal case involving a calculating psychopath forces Alyssa to confront memories she’s spent years burying. When the investigation turns personal, her resolve hardens—but it also places her directly in the killer’s sights, shifting the balance from hunter to hunted.
The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, including Alyssa’s, her family’s, her partner Cord Roberts, and the murderer’s. The killer’s POV is especially chilling, offering an intense look into the planning and execution of each crime. The characters are well-developed, the pacing is strong, and the psychological tension keeps the stakes high throughout. A dark, gripping read that doesn’t let up.

[Nicole Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

All His Pretty Girls by Charly Cox is a strong, suspenseful start to the Alyssa Wyatt series. Alyssa is a compelling detective with a haunting past that resurfaces in this case, adding emotional depth to the story.

While I enjoyed it, I felt a few reveals came too early, which lessened some of the suspense—especially the connection between Alyssa and the suspect. I personally prefer being kept guessing until the very end.

That said, the characters are well developed, and the premise is gripping. I’m definitely interested in continuing the series to see where it goes next.

[Bailey Mosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ this has been an anticipated read for YEARS for me and i finally got it checked off my tbr! it definitely lived up to the hype that i created in my head and the plot twist had my jaw on the FLOOR 🤯 i was not expecting it all and flew through this book! can’t wait to continue the series and see what else Detective Alyssa Wyatt gets into!

[Rosemary Beattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great book!

I chose this book bc I used to live in NM and not a lot of mysteries are set there.

The book had so many turns it felt like I was on a roller coaster. The twists and turns never let up.

The book was a great mystery

[Cheyenne Reiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, but many errors

The plot was pretty solid, but there were quite a few grammatical errors and mistakenly using the incorrect name for one of the characters more than once.

[Deirdre Gately · Rating 5 out of 5]

true thriller

This book had me from the first page. It twist and turned all through the book. It allowed me to know the characters without being bored to death by stupid paragraphs of pointless history.

[Sarah Dorais · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart was in my throat as I thought of my own son. This book was with me even when I wasn’t actively reading it, at work, in the car, even when trying to fall asleep at night…right up until the end.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really excited to read more of this series! The twist literal jaw on floor

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this criminal minds vibe. The ending was good too.

[KIMBERLY A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

heart stopping

Couldn’t put it down- even if I wanted to! Read in 2 days and can’t wait to read the next in the series!

[Mary Mense · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good but kinda sad!!! I couldn’t stop reading it tho

[Kathy Zizwarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

twists and turns

This book kept me turning the pages! Looking forward to reading book 2 in the Detective Wyatt series.

Also fun became I've lived in Albuquerque and others areas of New Mexico for 26 years!

[Ruby Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

will definitely read more of this series

Fast paced. I Will read more from this author. . . . . . . . . . . .

[Lethicia O'Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much.

It is not a super fast paced read, but honestly that is what made it so good. The slow build really lets you get into the story, the characters, and the investigation. It pulls you in little by little until you are fully invested.

The tension keeps growing and by the time everything starts coming together, you are completely hooked. And that twist… so good.

If you like crime thrillers with depth and a strong build up, this one is absolutely worth it.

[Marilena EchoHawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

dark ..intense.. 🤯

All His Pretty Girls is a dark, tense, and addictive thriller that kept me turning pages long after I planned to stop. Some parts felt a bit drawn out, but overall it’s a solid, chilling read that I’d definitely recommend to anyone who loves crime fiction and wants something compelling and well-crafted.