Biography

 

Helen Phifer is the #1 Bestselling crime and horror novelist of the Annie Graham, Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams and Morgan Brookes series. Helen lives in a small town in Cumbria. Surrounded by miles of coastline and only a short drive from the beautiful Lake District. She has always loved writing and reading since the days she learnt how to in infant school. She loves reading books that make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and make her afraid to go to the toilet, alone in the middle of the night. She is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years. Unable to find enough of the scary stories she loves to read, she decided to write her own.

Her debut novel The Ghost House was released October 2013 and introduced readers to police officer Annie Graham. It went on to be an Amazon #1 bestseller in Canada. It reached #1 on the Amazon Contemporary Horror Charts in both the UK and the US, pushing her idol Stephen King off his #1 spot many times. She was thrilled when the second book in the series The Secrets of the Shadows managed to push The Ghost House off its #1 spot even if it was a little surreal. This was followed by The Forgotten Cottage, The Lake House, The Girls in the Woods and The Face Behind the Mask.

The Good Sisters is a standalone old, fashioned horror story which Helen admits scared her so much when she was writing it that she couldn’t write once it got dark. Set in an abandoned convent it will definitely give you the chills.

March 2017 saw the publication of Dark House, a gripping psychological thriller which introduced readers to the dangerous world of Detective Inspector Lucy Harwin. This was followed by Dying Breath and Last Light.

The Haunting on West Tenth Street is a supernatural thriller set on the streets of New York and features Homicide Detective Maria Miller.

Her series featuring Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams. The Girl in the Grave and The Girls in the Lake were published in 2019

 

Her latest series features Detective Constable Morgan Brookes and readers are loving solving the cases with Morgan.

 

‘One of those rare books that really is unputdownable. A must read.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A gentle breeze blew her blonde hair across her face, her glazed eyes staring blankly into the sunset. Her small frame looked lost hanging from the large oak tree. On the branch next to her was a worn child’s rope swing. She looked too young and beautiful to be dead.

When the body of a woman is found hanging from a tree in her front garden, rookie Detective Morgan Brookes is first on the scene. But Olivia Potter is past saving. And when her husband and daughters cannot be traced, Morgan knows there is more to this tragedy. And then she finds them. Lying huddled together in the dark basement, each of their faces covered with a small cotton cloth, their bodies cold to the touch.

But as Morgan kneels beside the family, she realises that one of the girls is still breathing. As she holds Bronte’s fragile hand in hers, begging her to hold on, she vows to find out who has done this.

Every day Morgan wakes at 4.25 a.m., her old insomnia now mixed with a new fixation on the case. But every clue about the murdered family leads to a dead end. Until, trawling through old files, she discovers a link to a cold case from years ago. Another family was found murdered, their innocent faces covered with white cloths.

When Morgan returns to the scene of the crime to discover more about this forgotten case, she finds another body. With Bronte still unconscious in hospital, Morgan must act fast to solve this case before the killer returns for the girl left alive…

A chilling and gripping crime thriller that will have fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Rachel Caine glued to the page.

 

Readers love One Left Alive:

‘Wow oh wow!! This book has definitely given me all the feels, how can I possibly write a review which shows how much I have enjoyed this book?… I devoured this gem in just one sitting. It completely pulled me in and was utterly impossible to put down. I love Morgan, she's a fantastic protagonist and I truly cannot wait for the next instalment… At points I've literally shivered… I have loved it!! A definite strong five star read and one which is deserving of higher. I highly recommend this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a page turner! I enjoyed this book very much. It had a perfect pace, a great plot, and people I’d like to get to know better… It is a well-written book, it flows nicely, and I did not want to put it down. A good start to what I believe will be an excellent series!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Ticks every box, dots every i, crosses every t and is a wonderful surprise right from the start… I wanted to know what happened but didn't want it to end, it was a pleasure to read and I enjoyed the whole experience enormously.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Such a great story. I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series already ��
Wow I give 5 stars for this.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This was a great read. I found myself becoming irritated by real life obligations that pulled me away from my reading time.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me gripped from the start… Downloaded and read in one go… Could not put it down, thought a few times that I knew what was happening and then as usual the red herring threw me.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I loved the story… 5 stars from me.’ B for Bookreview, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a story. I was engrossed from page one… Brilliant.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely loved… gripping.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐