Tick Tock by Mel Sherratt | Review

Tick Tock (DS Grace Allendale, Book 2) by Mel Sherratt
Published by Avon Publishing on May 2, 2019
ISBN: 9780008271084
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Crime, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural, Family Life, General, Hard-Boiled, Suspense
Pages: 376
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased Book
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‘Fans of Martina Cole will love this’ Katerina Diamond
A gripping new series from million-copy bestseller Mel Sherratt.
TICK...
In the city of Stoke, a teenage girl is murdered in the middle of the day, her lifeless body abandoned in a field behind her school.
TOCK...
Two days later, a young mother is abducted. She’s discovered strangled and dumped in a local park.
TIME’S UP...
DS Grace Allendale and her team are brought in to investigate, but with a bold killer, no leads and nothing to connect the victims, the case seems hopeless. It’s only when a third woman is targeted that a sinister pattern emerges. A dangerous mind is behind these attacks, and Grace realises that the clock is ticking...
Can they catch the killer before another young woman dies?
The number one bestselling author returns with a breath-taking police procedural thriller series that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Praise for TICK TOCK:
‘I love all Mel Sherratt’s books’ IAN RANKIN, author of Inspector Rebus Series
‘Twists and turns and delivers a satisfying shot of tension’ RACHEL ABBOTT, author of The Shape of Lies
‘A gritty, authentic, fast-paced read that you won't want to put down.’ Caroline Mitchell, author of The Secret Child
‘I was drawn right in! This book is so tense, so chilling, it’s an edge of your seat thriller!’ Reader review
‘Tick Tock is a masterpiece of writing... I genuinely couldn’t put the book down’ Reader review
‘It’s a spell-binding, unsettling novel that grips you immediately’ Book Reviews
‘Absolutely loved this thriller! Excellent character development, exciting dialogue and fascinating plot. What more can you ask for?’ Reader review
‘Tick Tock, isn’t just a good read – it’s outstanding!’ Stoke Sentinel
‘This is easily becoming one of my favorite series’ Reader review
‘A fantastic and gripping crime thriller. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat’ Dark Raven Reviews

Tick Tock was everything it promised…raw, gritty, and undeniably electric.  I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while now, regrettably it has taken me a while to get around to it, but I will be continuing with this series with haste.  If you love strong independent female detectives that are served with humanistic flaws, then this is going to be right up your alley.  A story with a chilling narrative, it made me look over my shoulder constantly whilst reading it. 

Mel Sherratt, has an amazing skill at drawing you in, constantly whispering closer, closer.  You keep edging closer even though you know it might mean your doom.  Both her narrative and her characterisation is a double-edged sword.  The author has the ability kill you off slowly with her emotional and nerve-wracking hard boiled crime stories.  The prologue and the final chapter left my eyes blank and staring, I suffered the same disbelief and was left not quite knowing how to develop coherent thoughts, there was so much of the story that I just didn’t see coming. 

Tick Tock has the scent of an author that lives for her art.  Its meticulously planned, outstandingly sharp and its storylines remind you just how deadly humanity can be.  This is the kind of book that originally got me interested in book blogging.  It’s a story that captures you up and has you needing to shout about it from the rooftops.  As far as crime fiction goes, Sherratt has slotted herself into the top table with some of the greats. 

Okay, enough waffling, let me tell you a little about Tick Tock.  A deadly serial killer.  A dead girl during a cross country lesson.  Grieving friends and family.  Can DS Allendale solve the case before another target is killed?  There’s enough action to have you lacing up your Nikes and running away from the imminent danger.  Can you feel the tension yet? 

The victims all fit the same mould.  Blonde, loving families and have their entire lives ahead of them.  No-one seems to have a bad word to say against any of them.  So just why would someone target them like that?  DS Allendale has had her fair share of trauma but its her strength and will of character that makes her so likeable, she’s undeniably human; she makes mistakes but her will to get the bad guy in jail is astounding. 

There isn’t a passage in this book that is boring.  Every little word is used to its greatest effect.  It only takes a sentence to bring a world to life and that is what Sherratt uses to hypnotise her readers.  I think I only turned three pages before I was a complete goner.  So many questions and by the final page every single one of them was answered.  No wasted motion and that’s what made Tick Tock so outstanding. 

Tick Tock was a twisted, cold journey that took me on a wild ride.  The characterisation is meaty and the storyline had me racing to the end. 

ABOUT MEL SHERRATT

Home is where the hurt is…

Okay, I know I don’t look all dark and moody like most crime writers appear in their images but I do like to be different…

So what do I write? Actually, it’s what don’t I write. I have published fifteen novels so far: police procedurals, psychological thrillers and fiction with a punch – or grit-lit, as I call it. And then there is my pink side – writing as Marcie Steele. I have written five books as Marcie.  All my novels take you to the heart of the story.

Since 2012, all my books have become bestsellers, each one climbing into the Kindle UK top 10, with several in the top 3, and many international bestsellers too.

I live in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with my husband and terrier, Dexter (named after the TV serial killer) and makes liberal use of my hometown as a backdrop for some of my books.

I’m not sure which I’m most proud of – being on the list of Stoke-on-Trent’s top 100 most influential people 2017-2020, or after years of rejection going on to sell over 1.5 million books. 

Shortlisted for the prestigious CWA (Crime Writer’s Association) Dagger in Library Award 2014, my inspiration comes from authors such as Martina Cole, Mandasue Heller, Kimberly Chambers, Lisa Jewell and Clare Mackintosh.
I regularly appear at festivals, conferences and events across the country – my favourites being London Book Fair and Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate.

So that’s me in a nutshell. Thanks for coming to my website. Don’t forget to sign up to my monthly newsletter and follow me on Twitter and Facebook. 

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