Tick Tock

Written by Mel Sherratt

Narrated by Colleen Prendergast

‘Fans of MARTINA COLE will love this’ Katerina Diamond

A gripping new series from million-copy bestseller Mel Sherratt.

Praise for Mel Sherratt:

‘I love all Mel Sherratt’s books’ IAN RANKIN

‘Twists and turns and delivers a satisfying shot of tension’ RACHEL ABBOTT

TICK…

In the city of Stoke, a teenage girl is murdered in the middle of the day, her lifeless body abandoned in a field behind her school.

TOCK…

Two days later, a young mother is abducted. She’s discovered strangled and dumped in a local park.

TIME’S UP…

DS Grace Allendale and her team are brought in to investigate, but with a bold killer, no leads and nothing to connect the victims, the case seems hopeless. It’s only when a third woman is targeted that a sinister pattern emerges. A dangerous mind is behind these attacks, and Grace realises that the clock is ticking…

Can they catch the killer before another young woman dies?

The #1 bestseller returns with a breathtaking thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: May 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9780008361549

Mel Sherratt

Mel Sherratt is the author of fourteen crime novels, all of which have become bestsellers. For the past four years, she has been named as one of her home town of Stoke-on-Trent’s top 100 influential people. She regularly appears at festivals and speaks at writing conferences throughout the UK, and pens a column for her local newspaper, The Sentinel, as well as feature articles for other newspapers and magazines. She lives in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with her husband and terrier, Dexter.

Reviews for Tick Tock

[edwardsgt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

DS Grace Allendale has returned to Stoke following her husband's death and trying to rebuild her life with a new partner, a local crime reporter, which creates tensions. Grace leads an investigation into the puzzling murder of a teenage schoolgirl with subsequent murders ramping up the pressure to find the culprit, who seems to be copying a Manchester murderer who is still in jail. Taut plot which keeps you guessing how is behind the murders.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tick Tock – Stoke Finally Got InterestingMel Sherratt is one of the best female crime writers around at the moment. Tick Tock is her thirteenth, yes thirteenth crime novel. This is the second of her DS Grace Allendale series, and it is a completely gripping read and a wonderful voice, she has even made Stoke look interesting. From her books it is clear to see a vivid imagination at work, I shudder to think what goes on in there, but I am sure we will read more about it at later dates through this series.A schoolgirl is murdered while on a cross country run during the PE lesson, her friends and the teacher had only lost sight of her for a couple of minutes, and that is all it took. A couple of days later a young mother disappears on her way home from work, only to be found dead in a park. It looks like the work of the same killer.DS Grace Allendale and her team are on the case, where there are seemingly no clues as to whom their suspect or suspects should be. Grace, at the same time is still dating Simon, a journalist, whose daughter, Teagan, does not like her. Even more complicated when it is one of Teagan’s friend has been murdered and another seriously injured. Grace is the first to see a link back to an old case she had been involved with, when she was a Police Officer in Manchester. When she heads back, she tries to find out about who and what he was like before he committed his crimes. She knows he is hiding something, and it is for her to find out.Grace knows that this investigation is going to be a race against time before someone else is killed and the police need to get on top of the case. Can she find the killer or killers before another dead person is killed?Mel Sherratt really knows how to get under the skin of the reader, so you do not get a dreary police procedural novel. You get a gritty and gripping thriller that is a roller coaster ride through murder and Stoke. As someone from Manchester, I tended to think of Stoke as about as exciting as watching the bacon slicer at the butchers. Mel has managed (just about) to change my mind.A fantastic read, breath taking, with more twist and turns than a game of twister.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was so pleased when I heard about Tick Tock, the second book to feature DS Grace Allendale and her colleagues. I loved Hush Hush, the first in the series. So Grace is back. She's still with Simon, the journalist, which sometimes makes things a little awkward (the relationship between the police and the press is a tricky one) but she's determined to make it work. His daughter, Teagan, isn't all that keen, mind.When a teenager from a school in Stoke is found murdered during a cross-country run (oh the hell of those!) Grace and her team are called in to investigate. What I do find interesting with these books is that Grace is a DS, so not the highest officer, and yet she's the main character. It's quite unusual I think. Anyway, she's a force to be reckoned with, especially when, a few days later, a woman is found murdered in a similar way. Is this a serial killer? I think Tick Tock got off to a slower start than Hush Hush but I was soon completely engrossed by it. There's a lot less about Grace's family issues, although they do play a part. What I really enjoyed was the good old-fashioned policing that helps the police to solve the crimes. As one of the characters says, it's often about dotting the i's and crossing the t's. Short chapters really keep up the pace and kept me turning those pages. Tick Tock is exciting and thrilling, particularly towards the end when the whole thing is coming to a conclusion. I hope there will be another outing for Grace as she's a stellar policewoman and a fabulous character. I really loved Tick Tock.