Dead Scared (Lacey Flint, #2) in What Shall I Read?

Apr 10, 2012 Miles rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviews

SJ Bolton has done it again; I’m beginning to wonder if this woman can do no wrong! Dead Scared is the third title I’ve had the pleasure reading – not quite sure if pleasure is an apt description given the subject matter! - and once again she has delivered an assured and gripping title I couldn’t and didn’t want to put down. Read over two days, the majority in one sitting, Dead Scared had me hooked from the very first chapter as I raced through the book eager to find out what happened to the pro SJ Bolton has done it again; I’m beginning to wonder if this woman can do no wrong! Dead Scared is the third title I’ve had the pleasure reading – not quite sure if pleasure is an apt description given the subject matter! - and once again she has delivered an assured and gripping title I couldn’t and didn’t want to put down. Read over two days, the majority in one sitting, Dead Scared had me hooked from the very first chapter as I raced through the book eager to find out what happened to the protagonists. What I didn’t expect was to come across a couple of characters I last saw in Blood Harvest – Harry (the vicar from Heptonclough) and Psychiatrist Evi Oliver – it was great to see them again even though Harry’s appearance is rather fleeting, I wanted more!

The book also marks the second outing for DI Mark Joesbury and DC Lacey Flint and once again the pair skirt around an obvious animal/love attraction that’s clear for all to see but they refuse to give in to their feelings – or do they? You’ll just have to read to find out! Lacey Flint is an intriguing character; she appears more open this time around – a depth that wasn’t there in Now You See Me - yet at the same time a lot more vulnerable but dogged and determined all the same. Lacey Flint is a terrifically arousing literary character. Deep undercover as a young college student at St John’s College Cambridge we experience two sides to her character but she soon discovers keeping them separate won’t be as easy as she thinks. As soon as Flint arrives at the college she’s on the back foot and under pressure, her cover almost blown before she has time to settle.

Another character to shine through was Evi Oliver. Like Flint she’s having a tough time of it - both physically and mentally – but one thing’s for sure, Oliver is a fighter, she needs to be. I loved the way Bolton has written her into this story; she wrestles with patient confidentiality, struggles with a debilitating injury and an increasing pain her meds refuse to combat, she’s not in a great place.

Dead Scared is without doubt character driven but the story itself holds strong and along with a plot that is both imaginative and very well structured, the narrative is taut and as I’ve come to expect from SJ Bolton incredibly easy to read. One of my favourite parts with this book was the humorous exchange of emails between Joesbury and Flint. Mostly sent in the early hours of the morning, sometimes under the influence of alcohol and lack of sleep, the pair skirt around the flirtatious issues neither are prepared to admit face to face! The way Flint talks to her superior had me in stitches “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite”. Classic.

Full Review on my blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2012/04/05... ...more

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May 21, 2012 Jaffareadstoo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The suicide rate amongst young women students at Cambridge University is alarmingly high, and when DC Lacey Flint is sent undercover to break through the silence, she unleashes more terror than she could have imagined, and puts herself in grave danger.
This is the second psychological thriller in the DC Lacey Flint/DI Mark Joesbury series and is every bit as good, if not better, than the first book. There is the same fine attention to detail that S J Bolton does so well. The narrative is finely d ...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Nikki-ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: received-for-review

Having first appeared in Now You See Me, DC Lacey Flint once again finds herself involved in one of DI Mark Joesbury’s investigations, but she might just find herself in too deep.

Joesbury sends Lacey to Cambridge to work undercover as a vulnerable student. A student there has attempted to take her own life in a horrifying way and it comes to light that a number of other students have also taken their lives in extraordinary ways. Lacey and Dr Evi Oliver, the only other person in Cambridge who kno Having first appeared in Now You See Me, DC Lacey Flint once again finds herself involved in one of DI Mark Joesbury’s investigations, but she might just find herself in too deep.

Joesbury sends Lacey to Cambridge to work undercover as a vulnerable student. A student there has attempted to take her own life in a horrifying way and it comes to light that a number of other students have also taken their lives in extraordinary ways. Lacey and Dr Evi Oliver, the only other person in Cambridge who knows who Flint really is, must work together to find out exactly what’s going on, before it’s too late.

But as Lacey starts to experience disturbing nightmares, something reported by the dead students, it might already be too late.

OK, I have just finished Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton and it has to be the best crime/psychological thriller of the year! I’m not sure my review will give it the justice it deserves, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury aren’t the only characters to return from a previous book. Evi Oliver can also be found in S. J. Bolton’s Blood Harvest. You don’t need to have read the previous books to enjoy Dead Scared though, as a bit of background it dotted throughout the story. However, I do think you’ll know Flint & Joesbury’s backgrounds better if you’ve already read Now You See Me (another great read).

I found the book thoroughly gripping and tense. The story plays on the characters’ fears and S. J. Bolton does this brilliantly. The suicides are shockingly creative, but just on the right side of believable. It’s right there on the edge… but thankfully it’s just fiction!

The short chapters and exciting narrative had me racing through it. I felt that the story grabbed hold of me at the very start and didn’t let go until the end… In fact, I’m not sure it’s let go of me even now I’ve finished it! It’s one of those stories that gets into your head.

Dead Scared is a crime thriller that will creep you out! It will have shivers running up and down your spine and you might think twice about closing your eyes to go to sleep at night. I certainly began to think maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to be reading it just before bedtime!

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’d highly recommend Dead Scared to anyone after a fantastic read. I can’t wait to see what comes next from S. J. Bolton. ...more

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Oct 07, 2013 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, 13-female, 13-crime, 13-5, 13-october

DC Lacey Flint is called to work undercover in Cambridge after a series of apparent suicides throw up questions as to whether or not they are. Lacey is posing as a student named Laura, and it is as this persona that she woks with Dr Elvi Oliver to try and work out what has happened to these students. However, Elvi begins to find strange things are hoping to her; messages are being left around the house as well as things mysteriously disappearing. Lacey doesn't know who he can trust other than he ...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Vicky rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, purchased, thriller

Originally reviewed at:

Christ, why is it that every time I try to write about S.J. Bolton’s books I’m at a loss for words (and then end up writing a whole novella)? There are so many things I’d love to say, yet, I don’t want to give anything, not even a tiny hint, away in the hope that you’ll pick them up and read them. Because what I can’t possibly emphasize more is that they are brilliant, unputdownable and are guaranteed to chill you to the bone.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the firs ...more

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