“Reputation is everything

When a packed commuter train runs over a body on a stretch of track known to locals as ‘Suicide Mile’, it soon transpires that the man was a victim of a calculated murder.

As the investigation evolves and a pattern of murders is uncovered, Detective Sergeant Kay Hunter realises the railway’s recent reputation may be the work of a brutal serial killer.

With a backlog of cold cases to investigate and attempting to uncover who is behind a professional vendetta against her, Kay must keep one step ahead of both the killer and her own adversaries.

When a second murder takes place within a week of the first, she realises the killer’s timetable has changed, and she’s running out of time to stop him…

Will to Live is the second book in a new crime thriller series featuring Kay Hunter – a detective with a hidden past and an uncertain future…

If you like Angela Marsons, Peter James and Robert Bryndza, discover the latest addition to Rachel Amphlett’s new series today.”

I am delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Will to Live blog tour.  Will to Live is the second book in the DS Kay Hunter series written by author, Rachel Amphlett.  I read and reviewed the first book in the series Scared to Death a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so was looking forward to making a start on Will to Live.

And once again, I very much enjoyed DS Kay Hunter’s latest outing.  Maybe more so than the first book.  I felt this novel gave a lot more information about Kay’s past which I was left wondering about previously.  And the other characters seemed to shine through a little more.  In the first book one character in particular, DC Ian Barnes, left me a little cold.  This completely changed whilst reading Will to Live and I became rather fond of Kay’s sarcastic sidekick.

I absolutely loved the killer’s method of disposing of his victims.  What a different and interesting solution, and it fitted beautifully with the rest of the story.  Throughout the book I struggled to tie the different threads together and couldn’t predict which way Amphlett was going to take the story.  And when it came to the big reveal, I was both surprised and shocked at the outcome.  A joy to read.

There are some fairly gory scenes in this book which of course, ticked all the boxes for me but some readers may find them a little hard to stomach.  Don’t let that put you off though as this book is worth it even if you’re not one for blood, guts and gore.

Would I recommend this book?  Most definitely but make sure you read Scared to Death first.  You could read this as standalone but I think it works better if you start with the first book in the series (same with every other series out there really!).  A really absorbing plot, great characters who are really coming into their own and a series to watch.  I can’t wait to see where Rachel Amphlett takes Kay Hunter and her team next.

Four and a half stars out of five.

I chose to read and review an ARC of Will to Live.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Will to Live by Rachel Amphlett was published in the UK by Saxon Publishing on 4th April 2017 and is available in paperback and eBook formats (please note, some of the following links are affiliate links) | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Goodreads | Rachel Amphlett’s online eBook store |

Rachel Amphlett is the bestselling author of the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the new Detective Kay Hunter crime thriller series, as well as a number of standalone crime thrillers.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel’s novels appeal to a worldwide audience, and have been compared to Robert Ludlum, Lee Child and Michael Crichton.

She is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold, being sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint in 2014.

An advocate for knowledge within the publishing industry, Rachel is always happy to share her experiences to a wider audience through her blogging and speaking engagements.

You can keep in touch with Rachel by signing up to her mailing list via her website (http://www.rachelamphlett.com), or via Facebook (http://on.fb.me/TN7rpu) and Twitter: @RachelAmphlett