Gone in the Night
Detective Morgan Brookes Book 16
Helen Phifer
305 Pages
Bookouture
published September 29, 2025
About the book
Morgan tries to steady her trembling hands as she enters the abandoned tent in the shadow of the mountains. The woman once lay peacefully watching the stars in the glistening night sky. But she has been dead for some time…
When a farmer reports an abandoned campsite in Rydal Falls, Detective Morgan Brookes hopes its occupants are just out enjoying the beautiful views nearby. But nothing can prepare her for the smell of death in the air, or what she finds as she crawls inside the wind-ravaged tent. A young girl has been killed in her sleeping bag, her belongings ransacked, a knife twisted into her body.
Scrolling through beautiful images of solo wild camping on Sharon Montgomery’s social media, Morgan can’t imagine who would want the sweet girl dead. But then Sharon’s mother breaks down on arrival at the morgue, admitting through choked sobs that Sharon and her stepfather had a blazing row. And Morgan soon discovers that Sharon had a boyfriend, Jack, who did everything he could to keep their relationship a secret. Both men knew where Sharon was camping, but her autopsy report details more than thirty wounds on her body. Were they angry enough to do something so brutal?
When another girl is viciously stabbed while camping alone in another picturesque spot in the mountains, the team find delicate blue fibres at the scene that connect her and Jack. But Morgan isn’t convinced. Independent and single, Lydia Williams also had Lake District beauty spots all over her social media. Is someone trying to make sure all the women in town will be scared to venture out on their own? And can Morgan get inside this killer’s mind and track them down before they claim another victim?
An absolutely addictive crime thriller with a heart-pounding twist. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Rachel Abbott.
My Review
I really like this series. Morgan, Ben and the rest of the team are a well oiled machine. And they work tirelessly to their community safe.
A camper is found dead. As the team investigates, there is something off with her family and the man she’s been dating. He is part of the police and known to the team. As Amy goes out on leave to have her baby, Tristan joins the team to help round it out.
I was drawn in from the start and had a hard time pinning down who did it. The story moved along quickly and kept me guessing. I enjoyed seeing the adjusted dynamic with a new team member. I am a fan of Morgan. Not only because she is smart and capable but she’s different than your normal detectives in both looks and how she goes about things. It was great catching up with the team and getting to see a little more of their personal lives as Amy is ready to have her baby.
The case and the team create a perfect balance and made me want to not put the book down. Which is normally the case. After that ending, I am even more eager to see where the series heads.
About the author
Helen Phifer is the bestselling writer of the hugely popular Detective Morgan Brookes series. As well as the Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams and Maria Miller series of books. Her debut novel The Ghost House featuring Annie Graham went on to be a global bestseller. She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District. Her favourite hobbies include reading, chasing the Aurora Borealis when it puts in an appearance, visiting Salem, watching the sunset, the moon rise and drinking coffee.
Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years, and to Alice Hoffman’s beautiful stories for inspiring her love of all things witchy and to write fantasy novels alongside her crime thrillers.
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