Book Review | The Murder Club by Nikki Crutchley

The Murder Club is a tightly woven mystery plot infused by intriguingly flawed characters and many mind-blowing twists and turns.

What I Liked

The main character, Miller Hatcher, is a character that I enjoyed getting to know. Her name alone is intriguing to me. It is not a feminine or even a typical unisex name. It caused me a great deal of pondering and sometimes even confusion – and I enjoyed that bit of a shake-up. She is also just the kind of female character that I like – smart, determined, and generally a strong female lead.

I enjoyed the pace of the second half of the story very much. The first half read a bit slow for me, and I determined that I was getting bogged down by a bit of overwriting. But, once I got to the second half of the story, I felt much more in my reading comfort zone with lots of fun twists and turns and a pace that kept the pages turning at breakneck speed.

I also enjoyed the setting. The story is set in New Zealand, which I don’t often see in the books I read. I enjoy experiencing a new area of the globe through books, especially ones that I would love to one day visit (but I’m not sure how probable a visit truly is).

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for a mystery with a strong female lead and a pace that picks up as the story goes along, The Murder Club fits the bill.

---

About the Book

---

‘Not all evil, on the surface, is ugly and menacing. It doesn’t always lurk in city centres after dark. It mows your lawns, frequents your local pub, takes its kids to school and contributes to communities.’

When the first letter arrives saying that ‘tonight it begins’, journalist Miller Hatcher ignores it. But then the body of a murdered woman is discovered, strangled, a scarf around her neck.

Cassie Hughes has always vowed to find the man who murdered her mother. Cassie knows he’s out there and wants him to pay, and Miller agrees to bring the cold case back into the public’s eye.

Logan Dodds has been obsessed with true crime ever since his sister was murdered thirty years ago. He has turned his obsession into a career and has created the True Crime Enthusiasts Club and his newest venture, True Crime Tours.

The lives of Miller, Cassie and Logan – all affected differently by murder – become entwined as The Scarf Killer, desperate for infamy, and Miller’s attention, makes his mark on the small town of Lentford.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Club-Miller-Hatcher-Novel-ebook/dp/B08F31N25V

US – https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Club-Miller-Hatcher-Novel-ebook/dp/B08F31N25V

---

About the Author

---

After seven years of working as a librarian in New Zealand and overseas, Nikki now works as a freelance proofreader and copy editor. She lives in the small Waikato town of Cambridge in New Zealand with her husband and two girls.

Nikki has been writing on and off her whole life and before she turned to crime writing had success in flash fiction. She has been published in ‘Bonsai: Best Small Fictions from Aotearoa New Zealand’, and ‘Fresh Ink’ anthologies.

Crime/thriller/mystery novels are her passion. Her first novel, ‘Nothing Bad Happens Here’, featuring journalist Miller Hatcher, is set on the Coromandel Coast of New Zealand. It was a finalist in the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Award for best first novel. Her second book, ‘No One Can Hear You’, was long-listed for the Ngaio Marsh Award for best novel in 2019. ‘The Murder Club’ is the second in the Miller Hatcher series.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/NikkiCrutchleyAuthor

https://twitter.com/NikkiCAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/nikkicrutchleywrites/