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The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
30th May 2023. This is another original and beautifully written story that is as much about the characters as the plot. The tension and emotional reactions of the parents, particularly the mothers, as children go missing is particularly well-written, but distressing to read. The twists and turns as the abductor is identified and tracked down are as tense as they are surprising. And then there are the relationships at the core of the story, adding to the conflict, tension and complexity. But there’s also humour and social commentary to lighten the darker aspects and help the reader through the emotional moments. It all adds up to page-turning story that’s intriguing,…
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Frozen Minds by Cheryl Rees-Pryce
15th May 2023. The second DI Winter Meadows story in the series begins with a body in a freezer at a residential home for adults with learning difficulties. From the outset, it’s clear that all is not well at the home. But equally, it’s going to be a challenging investigation due to the nature of the residents and the mental health issues they have. All is not plain sailing within the investigation team either, as Meadows was brought into the department from outside, even though he grew up in the area. But with the pressure on, the team must pull together to chase up the irregularities they uncover. But as…
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The Portsmouth Murders by Pauline Rowson
9th May 2023. This is a gritty, intense and complex story about DI Andy Horton, a man who has lost almost everything, following allegations of misconduct that remain unresolved. When he returns to duty, there’s no escaping the suspicion and rumours among his colleagues. At home, he’s lost his wife and daughter, with little prospect of winning them back. You’d think finding a body on the beach at Portsmouth on the day of his return to duty is the last thing he needs. His colleagues aren’t sure he’s the person to investigate, especially when he uncovers links to a local businessman, who may be involved in events that led to…
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Bring Them Home by DS Butler
9th May 2023. This is an interesting crime story, featuring the police investigation of two girls, who leave school early one afternoon and disappear into nearby woodland. DI Karen Hart leads the investigation, convinced there’s a link to a previous disappearance. That case was never resolved. The investigation and reactions of the parents and local community are deftly handled, building the tension and suspense as Karen Hart struggles to make progress. Her failures on the previous case haunt her and colour her actions and as the pressure mounts to find the missing girls. The tension keeps you turning the pages as the list of suspects and motives grows with each…
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The Thames Path Killer by Biba Pearce
1st May 2023. This was an interesting investigation into a serial killer, who attacked women engaged to be married. It’s DI Rob Miller’s first case as senior investigating officer and he wants to take the chance to show his superiors what he can do. But the long, relentless hours pursuing the killer have a dramatic effect on his own love life, alienating his fiancée, Yvette. It’s a well-written investigation with some strong characters in the police team that investigates. The author shows the pressures and stresses involved with murder enquiries, both at work and at home. The story zipped along, which might explain why I felt Rob Miller’s character lacked…
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Blood and Money by Rachel McLean
29th March 2023. I enjoyed this first book in a new series, featuring a newly-created Police Scotland department, specialising in complex crimes. There’s no time for the new members to get to know each other when they’re thrown straight into a murder investigation. An Internet billionaire is shot at his retreat on the shores of Loch Lomond. While it’s not a straightforward murder, the killer leaves no trace and DI Jade Tanner suspects an assassination. It echoes with a similar killing in Glasgow the year before, adding to the challenges. Assisted by psychologist, Petra McBride and a new DS, Mo Uddin from Birmingham, the officers set about building a team…
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Dead Men’s Bones by James Oswald
15th March 2023. I enjoy reading the DI MacLean novels because they offer something a little different from the usual police procedurals. The books are always intriguing on several levels, and like any series, you get to follow the characters, their lives and relationships. The stories also have a supernatural element, which I find fascinating. In this fourth outing, Drew Weatherly, a well-known and influential politician has killed his wife and children before taking his own life. The investigation looks fairly straightforward, but you know it won’t work out that way. There’s the unexplained death of a former soldier, who was tattooed over his whole body before he fell to…
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Lost Girls by Angela Marsons
13th March 2023. Wow, what a story. This is the third book in the DI Kim Stone series and it left me drained by the end. It’s a difficult read because of the kidnapping of two young girls, but compulsive. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Kim Stone may be driven and totally committed to finding and saving the girls, but she’s not the most experienced officer for the job. The tension is unrelenting throughout. The kidnappers have an agenda and plan. The parents put their trust in Kim. But they’re always playing catch up. And the kidnappers are doing their best to pit the two families against each other by…
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Underneath the Arches by Barry Faulkner
9th March 2023. In the latest Serial Murder Squad novel, Detective Chief Superintendent Palmer faces his most curious case to date. Locks of hair are being sent to a homeless hostel. DNA analysis shows the hair comes from dead people. But who’s taking the hair and why are they sending it in the post? Who does the hair come from? The squad are soon on the case, identifying one of the victims from the missing persons register. Taking advantage of Gheeta’s IT skills and Claire’s ability to ferret out information, coupled with Palmer’s instincts, it isn’t long before they’re on the trail of a killer with an unusual motivation. As…
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Murder in a Welsh Town by Pippa McCaithie
5th March 2023. In the fourth book of this excellent series, Fabia Harvard and Matt Lambert have a murder on their doorstep when Ivor Gladwin, one of the actors in the town pantomime, is found dead. He took satisfaction in winding people up, which means plenty of suspects for his murder. And some of those suspects have problems of their own, which come to a head for one couple when a second person is murdered. It’s a complex case that overlaps with an undercover operation Lambert has not been informed about. With tensions running high, and one of the undercover officers in an affair with a suspect for Ivor Gladwin’s…
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A Whisper of Sorrows by JD Kirk
24th February 2023. Child killer, Mr Whisper is back and after Jack Logan’s blood in the sixth novel of the series. Having escaped from a high security hospital, Whisper wastes no time in killing those who helped him escape. He starts taunting Logan straight away, his desire for revenge clear. Nothing but Logan’s death will do. Logan’s return to home turf in the Highlands brings no respite. Whisper kidnaps the young brother of one of his colleagues. It’s not long before Logan’s every move seems to be known to the killer. Someone is helping the killer, but who? And more importantly, why? When Logan’s daughter is kidnapped, the stakes couldn’t…
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Little Girl Lost by Cheryl Bradshaw
16th February 2023. As a fan of Cheryl Bradshaw’s books I looked forward to reading this first in a series novel, featuring Georgiana Germaine. She’s an intense and focused police officer, who’s walked away from her job after an incident that scarred her. She’s alone and enjoying her own company away from her former life when she learns her brother-in-law has been murdered. Worse still, her niece has been kidnapped. Georgiana returns home, determined to find her niece and the killer. Her aggressive, no-nonsense approach ruffles feathers within the community and her own family. But you have to shake the tree to get the fruit to fall, and she’s soon…