The Innocent Angels, the third book in Alison Belsham’s Detective Lexi Bennett series, delivered an engaging and spellbinding police procedural. Based on prior experience, I went into this instalment with high expectations, and it delivered. After reading the first couple of pages, I realize that Lexie faces another complex case. One that will consume her and places her in danger yet again. All the books in the series are stand-alone, however I recommend you read them all. It’s definitely worth the binge.
A body in a cave. A family full of secrets. And time running out before the killer strikes again… For fans of Angela Marsons, Karin Slaughter and Val McDermid, The Innocent Angels will keep you hooked from the first page to the final shocking reveal. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: The Innocent Angels
Author(s): Alison Belsham
Series: Detective Lexi Bennett #3
Also in this series: The Girls on Chalk Hill , The Girl’s Last Cry
Published by Bookouture on November 7, 2023
Pages: 399
Genre(s): Crime Fiction, Mystery
Source: Publisher
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: 
Series Rating:
The case is one of the strangest Detective Lexi Bennett has ever seen. In a cave beneath a vineyard, ayoung woman wearing angel wings lies dead, her baby daughter crawling nearby.
Among the green vines and the rolling hills, Lexi finds no shortage of motives. The owner of the vineyard claims to be the father of the victim’s child, and his wife was clearly furious with her rival.
But when another woman is found dead in angel wings, her baby abandoned beside her, Lexi is certain the killer is following a strange and personal ritual.
Under pressure to arrest the obvious suspect and out on a limb, Lexi ignores her boss and follows her gut, deep into the past. When she’s attacked, she knows she’s on the right track. But the killer already has his next victim in his sights… and Lexi will have to risk everything to stop him.
After completing a half-marathon, Detective Lexie Bennett received news about an unexplained death at a vineyard. On her arrival at the vineyard, she was met with a distressing scene. A naked and deceased young woman is found with angel wings attached to her back. Some distance away from the body, Lexie discovered the woman’s baby, who also had wings attached, alive and screaming her head off.
At first key persons at the vineyard claim not to know the woman, but when Lexie started digging the owner came forward with a shocking claim. A claim which placed him on top of the extensive suspect list. However, another young single mother turned up dead at the same vineyard and her baby found alive Lexi and her team realized the case is not as clear-cut as they initially believed.
This evenly paced story delivered a complex and compelling mystery with some detestable characters. Once again, Lexie and her team faces the challenge of finding the killer before he strikes again. Lexie’s tenacity, dedication, experience and her willingness to find answers no matter the risk was once again on display.
The story gives us a glimpse into the killer’s mind through his daily journal entries. It was a challenge figuring out his identity. However, as the story progressed and the pieces slowly started to fit together, the picture became clear.
This was another great addition to the series. Hopefully in future instalments, Lexie will find the balance between her professional and personal life.
Readers who love mysteries and police procedurals would find The Innocent Angels fascinating,
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About Alison Belsham
In 2016, I entered and won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect competition. This secured me an agent and a three-book publishing deal with Orion for my police procedural series set in the world of tattoos and tattooing. My first novel, The Tattoo Thief, was translated into 15 languages, was a No 1 bestseller in Italy and is the first instalment of the internationally acclaimed Tattoo Thief trilogy. I also write in collaboration with my brother Nick Higgins – Canelo has published our action thriller series set in Afghanistan, Death In Kabul and Death in Helmand. Now I’m embarking on a fresh crime series with Bookouture. It’s set in Canterbury, featuring DI Lexi Bennett, newly appointed to lead the Major Incident Team after a spell working with the FBI’s specialist serial killer unit. I divide my time between London and Edinburgh, where I am a co-founder of the Edinburgh Writers’ Forum, providing professional development and networking for writers.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
I think I have the first book of this series as a freebie. Maybe I can get to this series sooner than later.
Another good-sounding mystery to add to my list…although I probably already have the previous books from this series on there. I really need to get caught up on my TBR list! ;D
With the victims being mom’s with babies, that would add some extra reason to quickly find answers and cheer on Lexi.
I have read a couple reviews of this book today and it definitely intrigues me. It sounds very gripping and heartbreaking. Great review, Nadene.
I love police/crime procedurals so I’ll check this one out!
I like police type stories in books.
This sounds like a series that I would enjoy. The mystery in this one sounds very interesting.
I like when we get the pov of the killer. Great review Nadene!
This is a new author for me but this sounds great.