Title: The Devil's Playground (Alyssa Wyatt 4) by Charly Cox
Date Published: 14th April 2022
Publisher: Hera Books
Genre: Police Procedural
Description:
From behind her came a noise, and she whirled around. Two pairs of cold, murderous eyes stared back at her from beneath hooded cloaks. She stood cemented in place, even as her brain screamed at her to run…
It's their usual Thursday girls' night in, and best friends Skye, Elena, and London are enjoying hanging out at Skye's house in New Mexico, eating junk food, drinking wine, and playing with Skye's little children, Carter and Abigail.
Until the intruders arrive.
Hearing the horrific screams from Elena and Skye, London hides the children, tiptoes out to see what has happened… and disappears.
After Carter raises the alarm, Detective Alyssa Wyatt is called in to investigate a bloodbath that appears to have no motive, no evidence, and worse still – no sign of London.
As Alyssa and her team dig deeper, the truth is always out of their reach… but what is clear is that they need to find London, and fast.
And as they uncover a link between the murders and a sinister local cult, can Alyssa find the young woman who has vanished without a trace – before London joins the list of victims?
Meet Detective Alyssa Wyatt. Mom, Wife… and a serial killer's worst nightmare.
Review:
I want to thank Hera Books for providing me with a copy of The Devil's Playground in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fourth in the Detective Alyssa Wyatt series and can be read as a standalone. I would still recommend you read the other three books in the series just because they are great books too!
Alyssa and her team arrive at the scene of a brutal double murder. That's bad enough, but they find two children hiding in a wardrobe who could have overheard the attack. Things get even worse when they find another woman, London, has been taken. It's a race against time to find London and keep the children safe.
Wow, The Devil's Playground didn't just pull on my old heartstring but gave them a good old yank! I found myself teary eyed occasionally throughout the novel.
Alyssa and her partner Trent are brilliant characters. Their dedication and steadfast way they investigate makes you wish all real-life police officers were like them.
A special mention goes to Carter, one of the children who was found in the wardrobe. He was absolutely adorable and should get the big brother award for looking after his three-year-old sister throughout everything and he's only six!
Satanism is one of the themes of the book, so of course religion, .i.e. Christianity, makes an appearance. I'm not usually a fan of this, but it wasn't overly done and shoved in my face like other novels I've read.
Another thing I loved about this book was the fact I had no idea who the culprits were until they were revealed. I completely missed any clues!
A little warning though, this series tackles a lot of dark subjects, but I believe this is the darkest to date, so if you like your police procedurals on the cosy side, these books might not be for you.
The Devil's Playground is a hard-hitting police procedural that had me engrossed from beginning to end.
About The Author:
Born in the South, raised in the Midwest, Charly now resides in the Southwest in the Land of Enchantment where she enjoys eating copious amounts of green chile and other spicy foods. When she's not reading, writing, or plotting sinister evils with her antagonists, she enjoys doing jigsaw and crossword puzzles, hanging out with her husband and her spoiled Siberian Husky, visiting her son in Arizona, and traveling, preferably to places surrounded by sun, sand, and warm uncrowded beaches.
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