#ADGIFTED all thoughts and opinions are my own, I read because I love books, I choose them on the genre and author I know I enjoy.

THE SCARECROW KILLER (Detective Cassie Rowan #2) by Margaret Murphy

“Pace, taut plotting and great characterisation.” Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves

AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING CRIME THRILLER FULL OF TWISTS.

A body swinging in the trees. A mysterious hit and run. Rumours of a voodoo curse. Detective Cassie Rowan tackles the most disturbing case of her career.

Just before dawn on a clear October morning. Detective Cassie Rowan is driving home, exhausted, after a gruelling night on duty. Her headlights catch a sudden flash of movement by the side of the road, a streak of bright, metallic blue. Cassie pulls over to take a look. For a moment, she thinks she imagined it: a body swaying among the trees — hanging from a branch.

Cassie scrambles up the slope, already dialling emergency services. And stops short. The macabre sight that greets her is not what she expected at all . . .

A week later, there’s a fatal accident on the same stretch of road. Seventeen-year-old Damian Novak mown down in a hit-and-run. No witnesses.

Something about Damian’s death doesn’t add up. Cassie is convinced that the hit-and-run and her mysterious swinging body are connected.

Cassie discovers that Damian isn’t the first local teenager to have died in strange circumstances . . . and he won’t be the last.

In each case, a sinister effigy of the victim appears a week before their death.

With wild stories of a voodoo curse running rife, Cassie is in a race against time to track down a brutal killer before they kill again.

ONE OF THE ABSOLUTE MUST-READ PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIME THRILLERS OF 2023.

If you like Patricia Gibney, Helen H. Durrant, Robert Dugoni, Angela Marsons and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love The Scarecrow Killer.

THE DETECTIVE
Detective Constable Cassie Rowan is a young policewoman who has been the main carer for her younger brother, Neil, since their parents died. She has to balance this role with her demanding job. She is determined and outspoken, which sometimes brings her into conflict with her colleagues. Forensic scientist Dr Ian Chan is on her side, but her boss Detective Chief Inspector Pat Warman thinks she is uncooperative and needs to work as part of a team.

THE SETTING
The great northern English city of Liverpool is a place of contrasts. The city boasts a stunning Insta-worthy waterfront and architecture of World Heritage pedigree. A few miles inland, the Mersey river is dotted with picturesque villages of sandstone and thatch, nestling on the edges of misty salt marshes abrim with birdsong. Steeped in antiquity, these secret havens can seem aloof from modern cares. But scratch the city’s glossy façade — take a few steps beyond these enclaves of affluence and privilege — and you might stumble upon an edgier landscape of crumbling tower blocks looming over grimy courtyards, where danger lurks in every shadow. Here, decaying social housing huddles around grey rows of tightly shuttered shops — sad remnants of what were once thriving neighbourhood hubs. And where generations have been trapped in a cycle of deprivation and low aspirations, it falls to a courageous few to fight for a better, safer world for their communities.

Readers love the Detective Cassie Rowan series:

“Wonderful writing, gripping storyline, the suspense is intoxicating.” P.A. B.

“Lots of scary scenes . . . The ending is breathtakingly tense.” Daniel S.

“Plenty of unexpected twists . . . Clear the decks in preparation for a thrilling read.” Saddeck S.

“One of the best, if not the best, novels I’ve read.” Tripslipper

“A brilliant read. Couldn’t put it down.” Denise T.

ALSO BY MARGARET MURPHY
DETECTIVE CASSIE ROWAN
Book 1: BEFORE HE KILLS AGAIN
Book 2: THE SCARECROW KILLER

AUTHOR BIO – MARGARET MURPHY
Margaret Murphy writes internationally acclaimed psychological thrillers. She is a past Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), founder of Murder Squad, and a former RLF Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector. She’s been a country park ranger, biology teacher, dyslexia specialist and Visiting Professor in creative writing. A Short Story Dagger and CWA Red Herring award winner, she has also been shortlisted for the ‘First Blood’ critics award and CWA Dagger in the Library.
BOOKS BY MARGARET MURPHY
CLARA PASCAL SERIES:
• DARKNESS FALLS
• WEAVING SHADOWS
DETECTIVE JEFF RICKMAN SERIES:
• SEE HER BURN
• SEE HER DIE
• DON’T SCREAM
• DETECTIVE JEFF RICKMAN BOOKS 1-3 BOX SET
DETECTIVE CASSIE ROWAN SERIES:
• BEFORE HE KILLS AGAIN
STANDALONE NOVELS:
• DEAR MUM
• HER HUSBAND’S KILLER
• THE LOST BOY
• DYING EMBERS
• THE DARKEST HOURS
FOLLOW MARGARET ON
AUTHOR WEBSITE
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GOODREADS

MY REVIEW I believe this is a new author to me, and who wouldn’t want a book with this title? Instant desire to read. Now I will say it’s more gruesome than most books I’ve read, I don’t mind it, but perhaps others would prefer a lighter more naïve Agatha Christie style book. I felt a tad confused with last name and first name switching when addressing the same character, this I thought would of been better using the one name throughout. Some relationships throughout the book were charming to visit and read, but others not so much. Though the author has plenty of scope to build these characters into more with each book. The storyline was well paced for me, glad it was a bit slower as I needed something slower this time round due to my own life circumstances. I hope as time goes on I will enjoy learning more about Cassie, as I found her like a petulant teen at times and arrogant. But at least that is like real life, you do meet people like that lol.