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The Cold Case Mysteries #3
The Newlywed
Detectives dig deep to discover what happened to a lost bride
After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace.
There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.
Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.
What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave?
Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…
After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace.
There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.
Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.
What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave?
Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2023
317 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
July 20, 2023
When Detective Inspector Veronika Pope requested the cold case of the missing Jane Wilson from the small seaside town of Seabreak near Perth, Western Australia, she knew she and her team needed to handle it with care. Seven years prior, when Jane had disappeared, the cop in charge had focused solely on the husband. The department ended up being sued and Richard Wilson didn't say another word. Veronika and her team knew the approach was to be "softly, softly".
As Veronika and her team investigated, they discovered other women had gone missing from the same area, women who had also never been found. Then there was one who had escaped - Veronika found and interviewed the woman, but didn't get a lot. But as Veronika and Jim returned to Seabreak, she knew they were getting closer. Would the Special Crime Squad break this cold case and give closure to a lot of families?
The Newlywed is the 3rd in Cold Case Mysteries by Aussie author Anna Willett and it was an excellent police procedural. Set in Perth and Seabreak, the tension gradually mounted - and I had no idea who the perpetrator was! Really good characters, with Veronika a great cop. Highly recommended.
As Veronika and her team investigated, they discovered other women had gone missing from the same area, women who had also never been found. Then there was one who had escaped - Veronika found and interviewed the woman, but didn't get a lot. But as Veronika and Jim returned to Seabreak, she knew they were getting closer. Would the Special Crime Squad break this cold case and give closure to a lot of families?
The Newlywed is the 3rd in Cold Case Mysteries by Aussie author Anna Willett and it was an excellent police procedural. Set in Perth and Seabreak, the tension gradually mounted - and I had no idea who the perpetrator was! Really good characters, with Veronika a great cop. Highly recommended.
January 15, 2023
This was a quick and engaging crime read - very easy to fall into with an enticing mystery and numerous suspects.
This was my first Anna Willet, so I'm not sure if there is more character development in the previous 2 Cold Case Mysteries, but the switching back and forth between characters was only irritating in that I didn't have enough of anyone other than Veronika to really latch on to and feel the stakes for/investment in. That said, Veronika was an interesting and easy-to-root-for character - I wanted to see her and her team succeed.
The book itself felt very similar to watching an episode of Law & Order - which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing. It is a procedural crime story with a fitting ending. I enjoyed the journey of getting to who the culprit was, and that there was enough of a red herring that I did second guess my initial assumptions.
If you're a fan of crime/mystery stories, Willett won't disappoint, but I would like to see what the author does with books with more character development.
Thanks very much to Henry Roi/the PR team for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Anna Willet, so I'm not sure if there is more character development in the previous 2 Cold Case Mysteries, but the switching back and forth between characters was only irritating in that I didn't have enough of anyone other than Veronika to really latch on to and feel the stakes for/investment in. That said, Veronika was an interesting and easy-to-root-for character - I wanted to see her and her team succeed.
The book itself felt very similar to watching an episode of Law & Order - which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing. It is a procedural crime story with a fitting ending. I enjoyed the journey of getting to who the culprit was, and that there was enough of a red herring that I did second guess my initial assumptions.
If you're a fan of crime/mystery stories, Willett won't disappoint, but I would like to see what the author does with books with more character development.
Thanks very much to Henry Roi/the PR team for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2023
Shortly after Jane Wilson gets married, she and her husband travel to the small coastal town of Seabreak. Jane is nervous, but all goes well until she goes missing one night.
Years later, Detective Veronika Pope and her team reopen Jane's cold case and their reinvestigation leads them to other cold cases that occurred in the area. Are they all connected? Is there something going on in Seabreak?
My thoughts:
I've read my fair share of thrillers, but very few, if any, involve cold cases, so that was a nice change! I definitely changed my mind many times as the story progressed on how the book would end, and honestly, I didn't see it coming!
At only 250 pages, this was a quick read, too. If I didn't have a toddler at home, I would have finished it much faster than I did!
Thanks to the author and her team for the digital copy. This honest review is voluntary.
Years later, Detective Veronika Pope and her team reopen Jane's cold case and their reinvestigation leads them to other cold cases that occurred in the area. Are they all connected? Is there something going on in Seabreak?
My thoughts:
I've read my fair share of thrillers, but very few, if any, involve cold cases, so that was a nice change! I definitely changed my mind many times as the story progressed on how the book would end, and honestly, I didn't see it coming!
At only 250 pages, this was a quick read, too. If I didn't have a toddler at home, I would have finished it much faster than I did!
Thanks to the author and her team for the digital copy. This honest review is voluntary.
August 9, 2024
Setting: Western Australia; modern day.
Seven years ago, newly-wed Jane Wilson travels from Perth to the seaside town of Seabreak to meet her husband's twin brother, Edward. But she has bad memories of Seabreak from her teenage years and her husband, Richard, can sense her disquiet. He encourages Jane to put it all behind her but, on waking up the next morning, there is no sign of Jane - and she is never seen again....
Seven years on, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her Special Crimes Squad are tasked with looking at the Jane Wilson disappearance as a cold case. It soon becomes clear that someone in Seabreak doesn't want the truth to come out and the team are soon seeing links with other attacks on women....
This is an excellent Aussie crime thriller which seems to work all right as a stand-alone, as I have not read the previous two books in the series. Certainly a gripping storyline - even though I had my suspicions as to the killer from partway through the book, which proved to be correct, this did not detract from my enjoyment at all and this author rarely disappoints with her writing - 9/10.
Seven years ago, newly-wed Jane Wilson travels from Perth to the seaside town of Seabreak to meet her husband's twin brother, Edward. But she has bad memories of Seabreak from her teenage years and her husband, Richard, can sense her disquiet. He encourages Jane to put it all behind her but, on waking up the next morning, there is no sign of Jane - and she is never seen again....
Seven years on, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her Special Crimes Squad are tasked with looking at the Jane Wilson disappearance as a cold case. It soon becomes clear that someone in Seabreak doesn't want the truth to come out and the team are soon seeing links with other attacks on women....
This is an excellent Aussie crime thriller which seems to work all right as a stand-alone, as I have not read the previous two books in the series. Certainly a gripping storyline - even though I had my suspicions as to the killer from partway through the book, which proved to be correct, this did not detract from my enjoyment at all and this author rarely disappoints with her writing - 9/10.
February 18, 2023
I received a copy for this for free to give an honest review.
I thought this was a fast-paced crime novel about when dating goes wrong. The writing style was great & keeps you hooked throughout the story.
I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller & crime story.
I thought this was a fast-paced crime novel about when dating goes wrong. The writing style was great & keeps you hooked throughout the story.
I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller & crime story.
January 9, 2023
I received a copy of this for free to review.
When I began reading, my first impression was that I was interested in the characters. That's something I consider to be important when I find characters interesting or like them, I feel more able to engage with the story.
I did like the characters in this book. I liked the detective, which is something else that I consider important. I knew that this book was part of a series and hadn't read the previous books, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of this one.
This was an intriguing thriller and had me turning pages. It didn't drag in the middle or seem overly complicated. I would probably consider reading the others in the series.
Thank you to Henry Roi and the author for a free copy to review.
When I began reading, my first impression was that I was interested in the characters. That's something I consider to be important when I find characters interesting or like them, I feel more able to engage with the story.
I did like the characters in this book. I liked the detective, which is something else that I consider important. I knew that this book was part of a series and hadn't read the previous books, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of this one.
This was an intriguing thriller and had me turning pages. It didn't drag in the middle or seem overly complicated. I would probably consider reading the others in the series.
Thank you to Henry Roi and the author for a free copy to review.
July 15, 2025
Third in the series about cold cases solved by DI Veronika and her team. In this, several years previously, a young newly-married woman called Jane disappeared soon after arriving at her husband's old home town. She had seemed nervous on their journey there and her husband found her sitting on the back steps of his brother's home, where they were staying, in the early hours of the morning. She told him that she had been to the seaside town before, when a teenager, and had witnessed something. Her husband has the impression that someone might have been listening to their conversation, and in the morning, Jane has vanished.
The case is handed to Veronika as a hot potato because her unpleasant boss wants her to fail. The team work well together as usual to uncover the mystery and on the way discover that other women have disappeared along the coast nearby over a number of years. The previous investigations have been cursory or bodged, with assumptions made that certain women had been morally lax and had run off with other men etc. Jane's disappearance had initially been pinned on her husband who sued the police department and won the case, so Veronika has to handle him with kid gloves as she cannot afford another complaint.
One thing that I found irritating in this is the behaviour of Veronika, in going off by herself to interview a suspect without telling her team where she is going - and walking straight into a deadly situation. This happened in a previous book, so it makes the character seem incapable of learning from experience. Overall, I would rate this one at 3 stars.
The case is handed to Veronika as a hot potato because her unpleasant boss wants her to fail. The team work well together as usual to uncover the mystery and on the way discover that other women have disappeared along the coast nearby over a number of years. The previous investigations have been cursory or bodged, with assumptions made that certain women had been morally lax and had run off with other men etc. Jane's disappearance had initially been pinned on her husband who sued the police department and won the case, so Veronika has to handle him with kid gloves as she cannot afford another complaint.
One thing that I found irritating in this is the behaviour of Veronika, in going off by herself to interview a suspect without telling her team where she is going - and walking straight into a deadly situation. This happened in a previous book, so it makes the character seem incapable of learning from experience. Overall, I would rate this one at 3 stars.
January 6, 2023
An expertly written mystery thriller which begins as new bride Jane Wilson and her groom, Richard, set out to visit his twin brother, who’d missed the wedding. Just hours after arriving in the small Australian fishing town of Seabreak, Jane vanishes. Suspicion falls on the husband but no one is charged. Then, seven years later, a new investigation is launched, led by conscientious detective DI Veronika Pope. Potential suspects appear around nearly every corner as the sleepy town gradually betrays its grisly secrets and the killer (whose identity was totally unexpected) is eventually unmasked. A skilfully crafted novel that I would thoroughly recommend. A terrific read!
January 18, 2023
Richard and Jane had been married a few months before they went to SeaBreak to see his brother Edward but he was out when they arrived. Jane went to bed then went missing the next morning. She seemed to vanish without no-one seeing her. She had mentioned to her husband about something that had happened the last time she had been in Seabrook to someone she knew, they had been murdered and she had seen it.
Detective Inspector Veronika Pope picked up the cold case and decided to investigate it with her team. She thought there was a little bit more to the disappearance and it deserved a second look. When they went to interview Jason Reece, they found him dead, he had hung himself so they had to treat it like a crime scene and call forensics out. DI Pope checked the local mini mart and the rope Jason used wasn’t available from there. She even asked the guy behind the till if anywhere else in Seabreak sold rope. She had learnt that Jason Reece had a visitor the night before he was killed and that something happened to his wife approx 15 years ago.
Haru approached DI Pope when she was in the office with some information he had found. ‘I think I have found something from about four years ago’, he said, ‘Veeta Seckov reported being attacked as she walked home from the beach in Ledge Point.’ ‘Go on,’ she said. ‘Well, that’s about it. She screamed, fought off her attacker and ran. She didn’t get a look at the man. With no description of the perpetrator and no witnesses, the investigation stalled.’ She asked Haru to email her the details, that he be ready to brief the squad the next day and to try and track Veeta down tomorrow. He agreed and thanked her for the rest of the afternoon off to rest.
Sergeant Jim Drommel was still in Seabreak when he heard of a missing girl that Sergeant Nuse was investigating and he asked if he could tag along, it might be nothing or it could be a match to the cases he was currently working on with DI Pope. The girl, called Ashley Simcock, had been missing since Tuesday, her boss had rung up when she didn’t turn up for work on Wednesday. The mother spoke to a friend of Ashley’s who saw her arguing with a man called Evan Malacci at around 11.30pm Tuesday night. Sgt Nuse said she would speak to the bar staff and she instructed Colin to take notes. Jim said he would look around outside. He walked towards the point. There was just the usual parkland on one side with sand dunes and salt marshes on the other. As he turned to go back, the sun caught on something metallic catching his attention. It was a small silver heart earring. He placed a card by the earring and got his phone out to take a picture. He rang Madge Nuse to report his find. They sealed off the scene, took more photos on their phones and waited for Madge to catch up with them.
Jim was wondering if there was a body on the beach? Could it be connected to their missing ladies cases? After he had returned to Jason Reece’s house, he had come to the conclusion that Jason had been killed and it wasn’t suicide. Will they catch the killer?
This was a really good read, very intriguing as a cold case mystery but then more murders happen. What is interesting, the book is set in Australia which is nice as not many books are set there. I liked the writer's style of writing which was easy to read.
I liked the plot and how it developed right through to the end. I could recommend this one and there are a few other books that she has written which I would like to read as well. This is the first one of hers I have read.
Detective Inspector Veronika Pope picked up the cold case and decided to investigate it with her team. She thought there was a little bit more to the disappearance and it deserved a second look. When they went to interview Jason Reece, they found him dead, he had hung himself so they had to treat it like a crime scene and call forensics out. DI Pope checked the local mini mart and the rope Jason used wasn’t available from there. She even asked the guy behind the till if anywhere else in Seabreak sold rope. She had learnt that Jason Reece had a visitor the night before he was killed and that something happened to his wife approx 15 years ago.
Haru approached DI Pope when she was in the office with some information he had found. ‘I think I have found something from about four years ago’, he said, ‘Veeta Seckov reported being attacked as she walked home from the beach in Ledge Point.’ ‘Go on,’ she said. ‘Well, that’s about it. She screamed, fought off her attacker and ran. She didn’t get a look at the man. With no description of the perpetrator and no witnesses, the investigation stalled.’ She asked Haru to email her the details, that he be ready to brief the squad the next day and to try and track Veeta down tomorrow. He agreed and thanked her for the rest of the afternoon off to rest.
Sergeant Jim Drommel was still in Seabreak when he heard of a missing girl that Sergeant Nuse was investigating and he asked if he could tag along, it might be nothing or it could be a match to the cases he was currently working on with DI Pope. The girl, called Ashley Simcock, had been missing since Tuesday, her boss had rung up when she didn’t turn up for work on Wednesday. The mother spoke to a friend of Ashley’s who saw her arguing with a man called Evan Malacci at around 11.30pm Tuesday night. Sgt Nuse said she would speak to the bar staff and she instructed Colin to take notes. Jim said he would look around outside. He walked towards the point. There was just the usual parkland on one side with sand dunes and salt marshes on the other. As he turned to go back, the sun caught on something metallic catching his attention. It was a small silver heart earring. He placed a card by the earring and got his phone out to take a picture. He rang Madge Nuse to report his find. They sealed off the scene, took more photos on their phones and waited for Madge to catch up with them.
Jim was wondering if there was a body on the beach? Could it be connected to their missing ladies cases? After he had returned to Jason Reece’s house, he had come to the conclusion that Jason had been killed and it wasn’t suicide. Will they catch the killer?
This was a really good read, very intriguing as a cold case mystery but then more murders happen. What is interesting, the book is set in Australia which is nice as not many books are set there. I liked the writer's style of writing which was easy to read.
I liked the plot and how it developed right through to the end. I could recommend this one and there are a few other books that she has written which I would like to read as well. This is the first one of hers I have read.
March 26, 2023
The book was gifted by the author for free.
Author: Anna Willett
Page Count: 235 pages
Published Date: 9th January 2023
Genre: Theiller, Mystery
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SYNOPSIS:
Detectives dig deep to discover what happened to a lost bride. After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace. There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.
Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave? Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…
MY THOUGHTS:
This book I found was good to start of with and then around the middle I found it was a little slow with too many characters and I wasn't expecting the ending but I enjoyed it. I like how you don't really need to read all three book for them to fit but you can if you want and I like how all these books have the same police detective people. After reading all 3 books I did enjoy this one better than the other 2 although I rated the first 4 stars too I did prefer this one. I have rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Author: Anna Willett
Page Count: 235 pages
Published Date: 9th January 2023
Genre: Theiller, Mystery
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SYNOPSIS:
Detectives dig deep to discover what happened to a lost bride. After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace. There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.
Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave? Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…
MY THOUGHTS:
This book I found was good to start of with and then around the middle I found it was a little slow with too many characters and I wasn't expecting the ending but I enjoyed it. I like how you don't really need to read all three book for them to fit but you can if you want and I like how all these books have the same police detective people. After reading all 3 books I did enjoy this one better than the other 2 although I rated the first 4 stars too I did prefer this one. I have rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.
January 2, 2023
Jane travels to Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, but soon vanishes without a trace. Years later, DI Veronika Pope re-investigates with her team and soon finds that the case may be linked to other cases...can they find the truth before anybody else is in danger?
Another brilliant book by Anna Willett. Great plot with brilliant twists and turns. Loved it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.
Another brilliant book by Anna Willett. Great plot with brilliant twists and turns. Loved it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.
December 31, 2022
Anna Willett is a new author for me and although this book is short, it certainly packs a lot in. The Newlywed is book 3 in The Cold Case Mysteries and I felt you were given enough of a back story that you didn’t need to read the first two novels although I will go back and read these. I found this book to be pacy with a good plot line and hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, The Book Folks and the author for the chance to review.
August 9, 2023
Netgalley review: thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. Although it says number 3 in the group, it's the first time I've been aware on this author and the first book I've read of hers. The book had me gripped from the beginning, throughout the story I jumped to various conclusions all of which were incorrect. A gripping storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Overall a good read, and it's made me want to read more from this author.
Overall a good read, and it's made me want to read more from this author.
September 5, 2025
This book was a great read!
November 24, 2023
Good police procedural thriller
The story starts with the newly married Richard Wilson and Jane Wilson. Richard loves his wife but everything about coming back to Seabreak and meeting his twin brother, is putting him on the edge. Something about Jane is also making him uneasy because Jane also seems very worried and out of character.
The seagull coming and hitting the windshield starts the tension in the story because it is obvious that things are not going to go well after that.
They don’t, and after a really strange conversation with her husband at night, Jane Wilson goes missing and by a quirk of fate no one other than her husband has seen her at Seabreak.
Things move seven years later where the Jane Wilson case is famous but it has not been closed. Richard is untouchable because of the work of the police in this matter.
Veronika reopens the Jane Wilson matter and the police procedural comes in, but the tension keeps building up.
It was not easy to guess the culprit in the story and the clever flashback at the appropriate times turned out to be a good red herring.
The police officers investigating the case, especially Veronica, Jim, Madge Nuse and Brian all had their lives and were interesting characters in their own right.
Very interesting mystery with sufficient twists and turns and going back to twenty years all neatly woven together. Good read.
The story starts with the newly married Richard Wilson and Jane Wilson. Richard loves his wife but everything about coming back to Seabreak and meeting his twin brother, is putting him on the edge. Something about Jane is also making him uneasy because Jane also seems very worried and out of character.
The seagull coming and hitting the windshield starts the tension in the story because it is obvious that things are not going to go well after that.
They don’t, and after a really strange conversation with her husband at night, Jane Wilson goes missing and by a quirk of fate no one other than her husband has seen her at Seabreak.
Things move seven years later where the Jane Wilson case is famous but it has not been closed. Richard is untouchable because of the work of the police in this matter.
Veronika reopens the Jane Wilson matter and the police procedural comes in, but the tension keeps building up.
It was not easy to guess the culprit in the story and the clever flashback at the appropriate times turned out to be a good red herring.
The police officers investigating the case, especially Veronica, Jim, Madge Nuse and Brian all had their lives and were interesting characters in their own right.
Very interesting mystery with sufficient twists and turns and going back to twenty years all neatly woven together. Good read.
March 3, 2023
Disclaimer: I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way affected my rating, and the below thoughts are mine alone.
Out of all the crime books that I've read, almost none of them have been a cold case mystery novel. I've read my fair share of police procedural stories, and a ton of small town crime novels, but for some reason, I haven't read much of any books revolving around cold cases, so, when I was offered a chance to review this novel, naturally, I snapped it up.
Coming in at around 250 pages, The Newlywed is a lightning fast read, one that I managed to blaze through entirely in one day. Unlike a lot of other crime novels, this book never seemed to slow down, there was no sloggy middle section that felt like a drag to get through, there wasn't any filler to boost page count without adding to the mystery. Instead, it remained at a fast pace throughout the entire novel, with an ever evolving mystery that kept me hooked until the last page.
As the story moved towards its conclusion, it became a lot gritter, and a lot darker than it had been at the start. The stakes had been raised, and things were now a lot more dire than before, and this is when the novel really came into its own for me. This is where it shined. My only wish is that the whole novel had that same darker, more intensive tone.
Out of all the crime books that I've read, almost none of them have been a cold case mystery novel. I've read my fair share of police procedural stories, and a ton of small town crime novels, but for some reason, I haven't read much of any books revolving around cold cases, so, when I was offered a chance to review this novel, naturally, I snapped it up.
Coming in at around 250 pages, The Newlywed is a lightning fast read, one that I managed to blaze through entirely in one day. Unlike a lot of other crime novels, this book never seemed to slow down, there was no sloggy middle section that felt like a drag to get through, there wasn't any filler to boost page count without adding to the mystery. Instead, it remained at a fast pace throughout the entire novel, with an ever evolving mystery that kept me hooked until the last page.
As the story moved towards its conclusion, it became a lot gritter, and a lot darker than it had been at the start. The stakes had been raised, and things were now a lot more dire than before, and this is when the novel really came into its own for me. This is where it shined. My only wish is that the whole novel had that same darker, more intensive tone.
January 25, 2023
This is a first-class mystery/thriller told in a taught style. It keeps moving forward by virtue of concise prose and appealing characters.
Pros: There are lots of possible solutions to this mystery and Willett presents them in a way that allows the reader to jump his or her own conclusions without pointing you in one direction or another. You will be left guessing till the very end when the villain is revealed.
Willett thankfully dispenses with the age-old trope of the rogue detective with superior instincts who is at odds with his commander. The police investigation is conducted by a team that is led by an appealing senior detective. Characters are developed well enough to keep you interested in them without slowing down the story.
Willets’ writing style is to-the-point. She sticks to the facts and tells you how the characters are experiencing the events in the book, including how they are feeling. This is a thriller as well as a mystery. So pace is important.
Cons: I can’t think of any. This is a well-written and well-told story.
Overall: Readers who enjoy police procedurals and mysteries will enjoy this book. I recommend it.
Pros: There are lots of possible solutions to this mystery and Willett presents them in a way that allows the reader to jump his or her own conclusions without pointing you in one direction or another. You will be left guessing till the very end when the villain is revealed.
Willett thankfully dispenses with the age-old trope of the rogue detective with superior instincts who is at odds with his commander. The police investigation is conducted by a team that is led by an appealing senior detective. Characters are developed well enough to keep you interested in them without slowing down the story.
Willets’ writing style is to-the-point. She sticks to the facts and tells you how the characters are experiencing the events in the book, including how they are feeling. This is a thriller as well as a mystery. So pace is important.
Cons: I can’t think of any. This is a well-written and well-told story.
Overall: Readers who enjoy police procedurals and mysteries will enjoy this book. I recommend it.
January 18, 2023
Anna Willett's latest crime read really packs a punch! It is the third book in a series. I had not read the previous books but it definitely works as a stand alone. This is my first book by the author but it surely won't be my last.
Newlyweds Jane and Richard travel to the small town of Seabrook to meet Richard's twin brother Ed. Jane is apprehensive about the trip because she had a haunting experience there in her teens. When Jane vanishes without a trace, investigator Veronika Pope and her team begin searching for answers. The case soon spirals as more connections are made to disappearances and murders in the town over the years. The race is on to find the killer before they strike again.
An immersive, fast-paced thriller with plot twist that will have you turning the pages at a rapid pace! Highly recommend if you enjoy quick short mysteries.
Thanks to Henry Roi PR team and Anna Willett for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Newlyweds Jane and Richard travel to the small town of Seabrook to meet Richard's twin brother Ed. Jane is apprehensive about the trip because she had a haunting experience there in her teens. When Jane vanishes without a trace, investigator Veronika Pope and her team begin searching for answers. The case soon spirals as more connections are made to disappearances and murders in the town over the years. The race is on to find the killer before they strike again.
An immersive, fast-paced thriller with plot twist that will have you turning the pages at a rapid pace! Highly recommend if you enjoy quick short mysteries.
Thanks to Henry Roi PR team and Anna Willett for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
March 5, 2023
The book starts with a newlywed couple visiting the husband's brother in the town where they grew up. The new wife tells her husband that she thinks she witnessed a murder in the town years ago but told nobody. A few hours later, she has vanished.
Years later, the case is reopened, and the disappearance is still as baffling as it was at the time. However,closer investigation reveals that other young women in the area have also gone missing over the years...
This is the third in the Cold Case Mysteries Series, but it worked well as a standalone, and I didn't feel at a disadvantage, not having read the earlier books.
I particularly liked that the book is set in Australia, so the setting and characters were fresh for me. I will certainly go back and read the first couple of books in the series.
Thanks to the author and Henry Roi PR for the eARC of this book.
Years later, the case is reopened, and the disappearance is still as baffling as it was at the time. However,closer investigation reveals that other young women in the area have also gone missing over the years...
This is the third in the Cold Case Mysteries Series, but it worked well as a standalone, and I didn't feel at a disadvantage, not having read the earlier books.
I particularly liked that the book is set in Australia, so the setting and characters were fresh for me. I will certainly go back and read the first couple of books in the series.
Thanks to the author and Henry Roi PR for the eARC of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2023
I really enjoyed The Newlywed by Anna Willett. The characters were very well written, I would love to go back and read the first 2 stories in this series, featuring Detective Veronika Pope. Going in blind, I didn't know what to expect. At first I assumed it was going to be about the newlywed's but after a few chapters in, it reads more like a who-done-it, detective novel, which I actually loved! So many twists and turns, I read this book in about 3 days. I just wanted to know who was the perpetrator. I thought I had it figured out, but I was way off from the truth. I love Anna Willett's writing style, even with a lot going on and a lot of characters to keep up with, I was able to understand and in the end loved this book.
February 15, 2023
Gone, not forgotten but found again
What started out as newlyweds going to meet the groom's only family, his twin brother, turns into a scenario encompassing twenty years of missing women in th groom's hometown. When the wife goes missing the day after arriving, a female lead detective and her very astute team believe the missing woman is related to cold cases of other missing women. The first detective investigating the newlyweds disappearance claimed the spouse did it and looked no further. The case was not solved = cold case. More missing women in the area lead to a full blown investigation by our new detective digging deeper and deeper & thinking the husband didn't do it cause all the missing related to a serial killer who was found out at the end inadvertantly. Good read. Solid characters. Surprise perp, but if you follow the dialogue clues are there to who dun it and all the missing were found again. Case closed.
What started out as newlyweds going to meet the groom's only family, his twin brother, turns into a scenario encompassing twenty years of missing women in th groom's hometown. When the wife goes missing the day after arriving, a female lead detective and her very astute team believe the missing woman is related to cold cases of other missing women. The first detective investigating the newlyweds disappearance claimed the spouse did it and looked no further. The case was not solved = cold case. More missing women in the area lead to a full blown investigation by our new detective digging deeper and deeper & thinking the husband didn't do it cause all the missing related to a serial killer who was found out at the end inadvertantly. Good read. Solid characters. Surprise perp, but if you follow the dialogue clues are there to who dun it and all the missing were found again. Case closed.
January 18, 2023
Detectives dig deep to discover what happened to a lost bride
After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace.
There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.
Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.
What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave?
Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…
This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
After travelling to the breezy seaside town of Seabreak with her new husband to meet his twin brother, Jane Wilson vanishes without a trace.
There is never any sign of her again, and despite blame initially being cast on the husband, with no evidence of a crime, nothing is done.
Years later, Detective Inspector Veronika Pope and her team at the Special Crime Squad reinvestigate the disappearance.
What really drove Jane to return to the town? And what made sure she would never leave?
Detective Pope is convinced the town and its windy dunes hold the secrets, but she is faced with the grim determination of others to keep them buried forever…
This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
January 29, 2023
The Newlywed is about a young woman named Jane that disappears the night she arrives in Seabreak with her new husband, Richard. She is not found and the case goes cold for 7 years. It is then picked up by a special unit, who quickly connect it to an even colder missing persons case.
This is the third book in The Cold Case series. I had not read the first 2 books and had no problem getting right into it! There are multiple POVs from the characters, Veronica Pope being the main character and detective on the case. There's also some back history in the story on some of the characters.
This story kept me on my toes. I had no clue who the suspect was going to be. I went back and forth trying to figure out out. The ending totally caught me off guard and was wrapped up perfectly!
I ended up buying the other 2 for my Kindle ❤️
Thank you to @annawillettauthor for asking me to review her newest book! I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading more in the future!
This is the third book in The Cold Case series. I had not read the first 2 books and had no problem getting right into it! There are multiple POVs from the characters, Veronica Pope being the main character and detective on the case. There's also some back history in the story on some of the characters.
This story kept me on my toes. I had no clue who the suspect was going to be. I went back and forth trying to figure out out. The ending totally caught me off guard and was wrapped up perfectly!
I ended up buying the other 2 for my Kindle ❤️
Thank you to @annawillettauthor for asking me to review her newest book! I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading more in the future!
March 25, 2023
The plot is about a cold case of a missing bride that leads to the opening of a few missing-person cases. Detective Veronica Pope and her team of detectives work well together to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of Jane Wilson. But they did not expect that more names of a missing person will come out. The main suspect 6 years ago was Jane’s husband Richard but nothing was proven.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is hard to put down. I have a main suspect as I started reading and then end up with multiple suspects as I get close to the end. But I still did not get the right one. That is how good the twist of this book is good. The last few chapters are so suspenseful and intense that I end up finishing this book until the morning.
I always love a badass female detective and Detective Veronika’s team has her and Stacey. Add in Madge Nuse who is from the local PD.
I’m recommending this to those who love suspense thrillers with a strong female character detective. This is book 3 of The Cold Case Mysteries series. But it can be read as stand-alone. The book 1 and 2 of the series is now on my TBR.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is hard to put down. I have a main suspect as I started reading and then end up with multiple suspects as I get close to the end. But I still did not get the right one. That is how good the twist of this book is good. The last few chapters are so suspenseful and intense that I end up finishing this book until the morning.
I always love a badass female detective and Detective Veronika’s team has her and Stacey. Add in Madge Nuse who is from the local PD.
I’m recommending this to those who love suspense thrillers with a strong female character detective. This is book 3 of The Cold Case Mysteries series. But it can be read as stand-alone. The book 1 and 2 of the series is now on my TBR.
January 10, 2023
Synopsis:
DI Veronika Pope and her team in the Special Crime Squad took in a cold case of a missing woman and uncovered a string of events that may not be mere coincidences.
Thoughts:
The Newlywed initially threw me off, especially when it started with a dialogue. I had to grasp what was happening in the first scene, but it did not matter because as the story progressed, the author reeled me in—hook, line, and sinker.
Veronika, the lead detective, is very human in this story. She was a mother struggling with the idea of her son all grown-up and moving out. Veronika also was a woman in a workforce where some looked down upon her gender, and she had to prove her worth. I could appreciate that despite her position behind the strong facade, she also had challenges.
Veronika's team in the Special Crime Squad also had its personality. Now and then, I got a glimpse of their backgrounds and, most importantly, their individuality. The author showed how tight they are as a group. As for the villain, I felt more scared of him. I won’t delve more to avoid any spoilers.
For a suspenseful mystery, this was fast-paced, which is what I want in a thriller. A true page-turner, I cannot put this book down. The red herrings were distracting enough, despite my paying close attention. I thought I solved the mystery, but I only came close.
Thank you to HenryRoi PR for sending me an ARC for this book in exchange for my honest review.
DI Veronika Pope and her team in the Special Crime Squad took in a cold case of a missing woman and uncovered a string of events that may not be mere coincidences.
Thoughts:
The Newlywed initially threw me off, especially when it started with a dialogue. I had to grasp what was happening in the first scene, but it did not matter because as the story progressed, the author reeled me in—hook, line, and sinker.
Veronika, the lead detective, is very human in this story. She was a mother struggling with the idea of her son all grown-up and moving out. Veronika also was a woman in a workforce where some looked down upon her gender, and she had to prove her worth. I could appreciate that despite her position behind the strong facade, she also had challenges.
Veronika's team in the Special Crime Squad also had its personality. Now and then, I got a glimpse of their backgrounds and, most importantly, their individuality. The author showed how tight they are as a group. As for the villain, I felt more scared of him. I won’t delve more to avoid any spoilers.
For a suspenseful mystery, this was fast-paced, which is what I want in a thriller. A true page-turner, I cannot put this book down. The red herrings were distracting enough, despite my paying close attention. I thought I solved the mystery, but I only came close.
Thank you to HenryRoi PR for sending me an ARC for this book in exchange for my honest review.
March 11, 2023
Even though this book was part of a series and from an author I had not read before I did not find it difficult to follow.
This story had me interested and I found myself guessing who was responsible for the disappearance of the girls.
I did enjoy this book and liked the storyline and had not read one with the same storyline before so was rather interested.
I will go back and read the first two books in this series.
Thanks for the chance to read and review this story.
4/5
This story had me interested and I found myself guessing who was responsible for the disappearance of the girls.
I did enjoy this book and liked the storyline and had not read one with the same storyline before so was rather interested.
I will go back and read the first two books in this series.
Thanks for the chance to read and review this story.
4/5
February 6, 2023
absolutely loved!
I absolutely loved this book! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and just could not put my kindle down unless I had to! I’m always quick to figure out who did it and the plot twist but I literally could not until it was right in front of me. It’s greatly written and just so worth it. I highly recommend it.
I absolutely loved this book! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and just could not put my kindle down unless I had to! I’m always quick to figure out who did it and the plot twist but I literally could not until it was right in front of me. It’s greatly written and just so worth it. I highly recommend it.
March 13, 2023
A surprising whodunit
This is a good story that keeps you engaged as you try to solve a dreadful crime. Quick turns and unexpected endings for several characters
This is a good story that keeps you engaged as you try to solve a dreadful crime. Quick turns and unexpected endings for several characters
March 2, 2023
Excellent
There are cold case novels, and then there are Anna Willett cold case novels! These novels have excellent plots with a range of likable characters, woven together by excellent writing set in Western Australia. Recommend.
There are cold case novels, and then there are Anna Willett cold case novels! These novels have excellent plots with a range of likable characters, woven together by excellent writing set in Western Australia. Recommend.
January 13, 2023
This book is so compelling, I couldn’t put it down! So many twists and turns. Loved it
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