Tag Archives: police procedural

Buried Sins by Louise Mullins

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5 Stars from me

In a lot of ways, Buried Sins is a horrible story about horrible people who do horrible things, yet among the rubble of the depravity there sits a little girl called Carys who somehow manages to create a family and a life for herself.

On the cover, this is described as a ‘gritty, addictive, psychological thriller‘ and I would have to agree that is a pretty fair assessment, for Buried Sins is certainly addictive and I think a lot of this is to do with the clever way in which the story unfolds – it flits back and forth between childhood Carys and adult Carys and reveals layer by layer of truth along the way.

There is a lot of information regarding childhood abuse and some effects on of trauma on memory – this was very tightly woven into the story and did not feel gratuitous or out of place. As much as is possible, I felt this whole aspect of the book was dealt with sensitively.

I think what I found most disturbing about Buried Sins is the air of authenticity it has, especially when describing the family dynamic between Carys and her parents – both of whom seem as equally messed up as each other!

The miracle for me throughout this dark and disturbing tale is that Carys has managed to sustain a marriage and keep together a family of her own. In all honesty this stretched the realms of reality the most for me but then I remembered how much I enjoyed Harry Potter and Twilight and that this was also fiction and I shut up!

DI Locke and her team were background players for me and I wonder if we will learn more about them in future books; I hope so.

My thanks to Random Things Tours and to Louise Mullins for letting me take part in this blog tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis: Introducing Welsh Detective Inspector Emma Locke who appears in her very own upcoming procedural series.

Readers who enjoy books by C.L. Taylor, K.L. Slater, and Rachel Abbott will love this gritty, addictive, standalone psychological thriller.

When Carys returns to her childhood home, inherited after the death of her father, she is shocked to discover the bones of an infant buried in the paddock. Days later, DI Locke’s team uncover the remains of a missing girl, sparking vivid memories of the day Carys was abducted by The Shadow Man.

While the evidence against her father mounts, Carys recalls more of her past. And each new revelation provides DI Locke with the proof she needs to close the cases of several girls’ disappearances.

Sometimes the past refuses to stay buried.

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A Deathly Silence by Jane Isaac

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5 Stars from me

Jane Isaac has a lovely writing style, she is among the group of authors whose books I pick up without hesitation for I know that I am guaranteed an exciting tale with comfortable and well rounded characters.

DCI Helen Lavery is fast becoming a favourite of mine and I might just adopt her mantra for myself:

“Assume nothing. Believe nobody. Challenge everything.”

In A Deathly Silence Helen is just returning from an absence – I loved the opening scenes with her in the hotel ordering a bottle of wine, SO real and total sucked me straight into her life – and finds herself plunged deep into a major investigation as a fellow officer has been found murdered.

Not only has one of their own been murdered but also quite brutally tortured and yet the victim seemed to live quite a blameless life – liked by fellow officers and respected by criminals for her fairness – and she leaves behind two young children and a grieving partner for whom Helen is determined to find justice.

There are many lines of enquiry and we follow Helen has she determinedly set off to work through them all. The book has a great pace and I could easily have devoured it in one rainy day into evening sitting, however I made sure to spread it over a couple of days! Having looked forward to reading A Deathly Silence for so long I made sure to do it justice.

Characterisation throughout is spot (as I would totally expect) and all characters – from our two young scallwags, through all ranks of the police and a variety of members of the public – are all beautifully well defined.

This is police procedural at its best and I can easily visualise it becoming a TV series, much like Tennison.

I would heartily recommend #ADeathlySilence and indeed any of Jane’s books to any fans of crime thrillers and police procedurals and I look forward to reading more.

#ADeathlySilence @JaneIsaacAuthor @Legend_Press

Synopsis: When the mutilated body of a police officer is found in a derelict factory, Hamptonshire force are shocked to the core.

DCI Helen Lavery returns from injury leave and is immediately plunged into an investigation like no other. Is this a random attack or is someone targeting the force? Organised crime groups or a lone killer?

As the net draws in, Helen finds the truth lies closer than she could have imagined, and trusts no one.

But Helen is facing a twisted killer who will stop at nothing to ensure their secrets remain hidden. And time is running out…

In The Dark by Cara Hunter

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5 stars from me

Clever clever book.

I absolutely loved Close to Home so was almost concerned that I could only like In the Dark less, simply because the only way left was – in theory – down. How wrong I was. To start with you leap straight into a police procedural and I was wondering in my head whether I was enjoying the style – then had to laugh to myself as I realised that I’d had a cup of tea, two cups of coffee and some toast and I was 49% through the book.

Cara Hunter is the queen of ‘unputdownable’, you find yourself utterly sucked into the story and needing desperately to know what happens next.

I look forward to reading more DI Adam Fawley books and I hope that his current colleagues will still be in the team, particularly Gis, Somer, Quinn and Everett. Very intriguing sub plots run alongside the main story without detracting from it.

There were so many different strands to In the Dark, it is a very clever and well put together tale. It moves fast and you should do yourself a favour and cancel your weekend plans so that you can get comfy, get the kettle on and read!

My thanks to NetGalley for a review copy 🙂

 

Synopsis: DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY’RE HIDING IN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR?

From the author of CLOSE TO HOME, comes the second pulse-pounding DI Fawley crime thriller.

A woman and child are found locked in a basement room, barely alive…

No one knows who they are – the woman can’t speak, and there are no missing persons reports that match their profile. And the elderly man who owns the house claims he has never seen them before.

The inhabitants of the quiet Oxford street are in shock – how could this happen right under their noses? But DI Adam Fawley knows that nothing is impossible.

And that no one is as innocent as they seem . . .

On Laughton Moor by Lisa Hartley

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4 stars from me

It’s a solid 4 stars too, this is a really good debut.

Lisa Hartley has created a set of characters here that I immediately want to know more about. In fact that is probably the major reason I’ve given 4 stars and not 5. (Is that the world’s worst back handed compliment? I’m not sure.)

DS Catherine Bishop is a great leading lady. Very likeable, very tangible. Her love life is a bit of mess and I have to admit to feeling a bit sorry for poor old Louise!

DI Jonathan Knight was the cause of some frustration for me. Great character but didn’t shine as much as I thought he could – and what is his back story? I really want to know! I’m hoping that we might find out more in book 2 – one this is for sure though, I really, really want to read book 2!

Potentially a tiny bit of a spoiler so look away now if you haven’t already read the book…. Another reason for 4/5 stars is that I felt it was left a little unresolved in terms of exactly how the killer had found the victims!

 

Synopsis: Detective Sergeant Catherine Bishop has an enigmatic new boss, DI Jonathan Knight. How he’ll adapt to life in Lincolnshire after years in the Met is anyone’s guess.

When the body of a well known local thug is discovered, an intriguing message found on his battered corpse raises unwelcome questions. Is DS Bishop herself being accused of the grisly murder, or does the message point to a more sinister secret?

As the body count grows higher, Bishop and Knight find themselves in a race against time to discover the identity of a merciless, faceless killer whose motivation is a mystery.