The second to last book is done! With that I only have one book left to read in the Annie Graham series and I can’t really tell where this will end. Helen’s fifth book in this series is called ‘The girls in the woods’.

Can you imagine you are a photographer and a really good one at that but get more excited when you photograph a fresh corpse in your studio? Well, then definitely read this!

After the last incident and Annie being pregnant, she has gone on sick leave, no policing until the baby arrives – Will has also been on sick leave to recuperate and before going back to work they take a vacation to Hawaii where they soak up the sun and the beauty of this place. Annie is quite sad about getting back to their normal live seeing as she can’t go back to work.

Will isn’t even back a full day when he gets called in to work but he doesn’t have to go far for this case since a skeletal body has been found on the outskirts of Hawkshead village keeping him close to home. Busy days since the body has been found, a lot of officers are combing through the forest for clues and scene guard the place like no other. The scene is quite close to the home of Heath and his wife Jo. Heath has been a photographer for a long time and his schedule has been full for a while.

Heath has been abusive towards Jo for quite some time, she has learned what his triggers are or what to look out for when he’s close to the edge. There is one important rule in their household and Jo has broken that one; caught in the act she has gotten a beating that left her head hurting and her eye swollen shut. When Annie goes for a routine checkup she bumps hard into Jo, who has fallen to the ground by the impact. Apologizing profusely Annie asks Jo for a coffee and that’s when a friendship blooms between the two.

Annie’s niece Tilly has wanted to be a model for a while now and found a photographer to make portfolio shots of her but her mother Lisa is so strict that she knows that if she told the truth, she wouldn’t have a chance. So, she comes up with a plan. A bogus interview at some hotel in Barrow, her mother doesn’t want her to go but after talking it over with both parents she gets her way.

In a short while, Will’s colleague has gone mad and almost assaulted Annie – When he was taken home, he bolted on the way over and eventually leaped in front of a fast-approaching police car. Tilly has gone missing when one her adventure and hasn’t been seen since. Sniffer dogs are roaming the forest in search of other bodies and Heath is feeling the heat, hoping nothing can be linked to him and his obsession.

Obviously, it wouldn’t be an Annie Graham book if either Will or Annie get through it unscathed. At least one live threatening situation should take place within one.

Can they link the body found to local photographer Heath? Will Jo find the courage to leave? Where did Tilly go and will she be found in time? And who of the two will be going through something live threatening?

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars for this book, thrilling again and so well put together! I was missing a bit of an update on Will’s colleague though.