Beyond Odin’s Gate by Greig Beck

January 19, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Beyond Odin’s Gate by Greig Beck
The Mysterious Island: Book 2
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Action/Adventure, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The legend of Lemuria, the Mysterious Island, and all its wonders and dangers were all too real. And it has been found.

But the ancient stories of the great treasure and great horrors that existed through the ice rift and beyond Odin’s Gate, could never have prepared them what they discovered – monstrous creatures that lived in the sea, in the air, and on land. And now Troy Strom and Anne Walsh are trapped there amongst them.

But they have a plan, and if they can retrieve the Heart of Odin, the massive ruby, they can use it to escape. Until then they must learn to live on a primordial island amongst horrifying life forms that defy the normal rules of evolution. To survive they need to travel into the dragon’s lair, and there find the truth about the ancient dragon of myth and what it guards, and also discover the fate of the first Viking clan that set foot there and what they had become.

The legend of Lemuria – the Mysterious Island – has been discovered and the tales of adventure and monsters are all too real. Troy Strom and Anne Walsh are trapped down there, with the creatures and wonders. But if they can retrieve the Heart Of Odin – a massive ruby – it can be used by them to escape. Only their enemies – Elle and Tygo – are not far behind them, even more determined to once again have the Heart Of Odin in their hand, and this time they don’t plan to leave without it.

I found this to be an exciting action/adventure story, filled with paranormal and amazing creatures and monsters. I feel the story covers a number of genres, from Mystery to mild Horror, to Paranormal and Adventure. While it’s the second book in what I expect shall be a trilogy I do feel readers could pick it up and enjoy it without having read the previous installment. I strongly feel for maximum enjoyment the first book should have been read before this – but the plotline, characters and story arc is very well explained by the author so it isn’t strictly necessary. Equally, some new characters and plotlines are introduced here in this book so it adds a lot to the overall arc – that of Lemuria and the mysterious hidden island – and definitely nudges the reader towards interest and curiosity on what will happen in the final installment of the trilogy.

I really enjoyed the fact there were a number of new types of monsters (very hungry monsters) in this book and Beck really needs to be commended on his imagination. I found the monsters he created were realistic, scary and very easy to picture. The fact the monsters managed to eat a fair number of random characters was just a bonus for me. Readers who like monster/horror style of adventure novels should definitely feel Beck does justice to this genre in the book. I was found the book quite amusing/ironic that just as a number of parties were trying to find their way into Lemuria and find the Heart of Odin, equally there was Troy and Anne trying to find their way out. That situation tickled my funny bone.

Overall, I thought this was an exceptionally well written story – full of adventure, monsters, a few really solid plotlines and plenty of interesting characters. I definitely feel Beck is an excellent author and am eager for the final installment in this trilogy. The pace of the story was fast enough to keep me gripped to my seat but didn’t feel too rushed or like it skimmed over anything. There were a few plots interwoven together and as they’re all so clearly linked to the one larger story arc, I feel this helps give the whole book a good cohesion and feel as if we’re rollicking along on a crazy – and monster filled – adventure together. A great book and I’m very eager for the next one to come along.

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Hard Case by John Carson

January 17, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Hard Case by John Carson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Three victims. Two men on the hunt. One killer to play the game.

Calvin Stewart has just retired from Police Scotland, but far from ready to sit in front of the fire with his slippers on. He has joined the small private investigation firm, run by a former colleague, Michael “Muckle” McInsh. Along with his friend, Finbar O’Toole.

Fresh off a case tracking down a runaway bride, they get a job to go north. A woman’s husband disappeared almost a year ago while on a golfing holiday with some friends.

Now, the body of a man has just been pulled out of the water. This man had identification on him. Just not his own. It belongs to the missing man.

The woman wants answers. Where is her husband? And why did this man have his identification on him?

Calvin and Finbar are sent to investigate after the police investigation stalls. But this might be a bigger job than even they can handle. They get their friends DCI Harry McNeil, along with DI’s Frank Miller and Charlie Skellett involved, and they uncover a crime far bigger than any of them could ever have imagined.

Calvin Stewart has dealt with many killers in his career, but maybe not one quite as dangerous as this one…

Calvin Stewart might have retired from the police force, but he and his friend Finbar O’Toole are happily keeping busy working for a mutual friend in his Private Investigations firm. Calvin and Finbar find themselves working to find the missing husband of their client even though he’s been off the radar almost a year. Another man has been found drowned – but with the missing husband’s possessions on his corpse. For a seemingly simple missing person’s case, things get complicated fast and Calvin and Finbar need to untangle the web before they get stuck in it.

Readers who have experienced John Carson before should have a general understanding of the sort of story this is. There is plenty of banter, memorable and engaging characters and – as with anything related to Calvin Stewart – a ton of bawdy but well-meaning humour and a plethora of words that would singe your grandma’s ears off. That said, you can also expect a fast moving and well woven plotline, more than a few interesting twists and turns and a warm-hearted, good natured, romping adventure. This book is all that and more.

While there are a number of cameos from various Scottish Police friends and associates, this book does focus front and center on Calvin and Finbar. They each have quite a lot of experience behind them and are settling into their new careers with vigor and ease. I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of other characters – mainly from the DCI Harry McNeil series, but some of Carson’s other series’ as well – but this book really does mostly focus on Calvin and Finbar and the sleuthing team they are becoming together. I enjoyed their character and personal growth – both as a team and as individuals.

Readers looking for an enjoyable – albeit sweary – Scottish murder mystery should feel this really fits the bill. While Calvin isn’t a policeman anymore, decades of his training and previous experience lie here – as do his many connections and his overall outlook on solving the puzzle – so while this technically isn’t a police mystery it is a very close cousin of it. I actually liked the blending of PI work and police procedure – I feel Carson has written this in a highly believable, very organic kind of manner that makes it interesting but different; strongly believable and – with the banter and characters he is so well known for – thoroughly enjoyable.

This is the sort of story where you should get comfortable, grab a drink or three and settle in with for a fun and cozy weekend. I very much hope there will be more books in this series forthcoming. Highly recommended.

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Dead Lock by Damien Boyd

January 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Dead Lock by Damien Boyd
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Early on a cold Somerset morning, ten-year-old Alesha Daniels is reported missing by her father, a violent alcoholic. Her mother, a known drug addict, is found unconscious, but it’s her mother’s boyfriend the police are keen to trace.

As the hunt for Alesha gathers pace, a second local girl is taken, plunging another family into the depths of despair.

Cutting short his holiday, DI Nick Dixon races home to join the Major Investigation Team, but no sooner has he identified a network of local suspects than they begin to show up dead.

At odds with his superiors, Dixon is convinced the child abductions are anything but random, but nobody is prepared for the investigation to lead quite so close to home.

Can Dixon and his team crack the case before all the suspects are silenced? And will he find the missing girls before it’s too late?

When a ten-year-old girl goes missing Jane is called back from her weeklong holiday to help assist with the investigation. DI Nick Dixon understands completely, but he’s happy to remain away and get some climbing done. Only then another ten-year-old girl is kidnapped – and this one is the grand-daughter of a dear friend and colleague – so Nick rushes back to help with the investigation.

I found this to be a really interesting British police procedural style of mystery. I’ve been enjoying this series but was really pleased the story pretty much stands very well on its own. While the friendships and working relationships between Nick, Jane and a number of the close team members all has the weight of their shared history – the plot and story itself stands very well on its own merits and I strongly feel no prior knowledge of any of the books is needed to thoroughly enjoy this story.

While it’s clear from the outset that the two disappearances of the young girls are linked, I felt it an excellent bit of writing the few twists and turns that unfolded as the cases were more thoroughly investigated. I was well past the halfway mark of the book itself before I started to grasp exactly what was going on and even though I was wrong on a few points I felt the author did a good job giving enough insight that the reader could clue in on much of it as Nick and the other detectives pieced everything together. Then watching it all properly unfold was a real pleasure.

Readers of traditional mysteries should find this a well written and solidly plotted story. I have been greatly enjoying these books and am eagerly looking forward to more. Recommended.

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Sea Hunters: Shonisaurus by William Meikle

January 11, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Sea Hunters: Shonisaurus by William Meikle
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

John Seton, a grizzled British sailor, is a sea monster hunter.

When he takes on a job for an exclusive yacht club in South East Asia he expects it to be a simple one. It’s only one beastie after all.

But all too soon John and his crew discover that they are in big trouble.

An ancient terror from the deep has risen,

And it is out for revenge.

John Seton is a well-seasoned British sailor and a sea monster hunter to boot. He’s pretty much seen it all. But when he and his crew are hired for an exclusive job in Manila, John isn’t expecting anything too difficult. Very quickly he realizes just how wrong is initial assumptions were.

I’m a total sucker for “big beastie” types of stories – and I was actually really impressed and excited to find this wasn’t (exactly) a Jaws/Megalodon shark book. Sure, in an over-simplified way there is nothing groundbreaking or new here. But that in no way detracts from the fact it’s an easily read, highly enjoyable and fast paced paranormal/beastie mystery/horror style of novel. I am amazed and embarrassingly proud of the fact I spent the majority of the book equally rooting for random characters to get eaten by the beastie as much as for the captain to capture the monster.

Readers looking for high-brow literature absolutely won’t find that here. I adore the rough-and-tumble nature of the crew and John and find their sweary Scottish/British nature an absolute hoot to read. I found I really enjoyed the small cast of characters but was pleased Meikle spent a bit of time fleshing them all out so I as the reader could get to know them all a bit. That was lovely and added quite a bit of depth to the book in my opinion.

Readers who enjoy a “hunting the monster” type of mystery should find this absolutely fits the bill. I really enjoyed it and am hopeful there might be more in a similar vein coming down the track soon. Recommended.

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The Moor by LJ Ross

January 6, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Moor by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The circus is in town…

When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan’s doorstep to tell him she’s witnessed a murder, he has no idea he’s about to step into his most spellbinding case yet. The circus has rolled into Newcastle upon Tyne, bringing with it a troupe of daring acrobats, magicians, jugglers—and one of them is a killer.

Ryan and his team must break through their closed ranks to uncover a secret which has lain buried for eight years, before the killer strikes again – this time, to silence the only living witness…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan’s doorstep to get his help investigating a murder she witnessed Ryan and his team have no idea just how much all their lives are about to change. With the circus having returned to Tyne for the first time in almost a decade Ryan and his colleagues need to tread carefully and find which of the travelers are responsible for the dangers that begin once again.

I have been quite enjoying this series and found that the additional element this time of a precocious and inquisitive young girl really added a fresh element to the storyline. I feel readers can probably pick this book up without having read many (if any) of the previous stories, though the team have quite a bit of history together at this point and it make take a short time for readers to pick up on all those different threads. The two different plots in this story moved forward at a decent pace and I really enjoyed how they circled each other but remained realistic as two separate plots and didn’t dovetail together.

Readers who avoid cliffhanger endings should be aware that one part of these two plotlines wasn’t resolved – though very clearly that was set up to be completed in the next book. This was just one short piece of the plot that was left dangling – the vast majority of the secondary plot and the entirety of the little girl’s plotline were all very neatly and completely finished, so the book didn’t feel too much like a cliffhanger, though I won’t be waiting long to move onto the next book and discover what happened to the dangling thread.

I also was pleased that most of the characters had some fairly important personal progression in this book. Jack and Mel in particular made some important steps (both forward and – in my opinion – backward) and Mac and Frank also made some significant changes that will affect them in the coming books too, I expect. So, readers looking for some strong character developments should be very pleased with the movement in this story.

With a strong mystery and interesting characters this series continues to draw me along. I’m very eager for the next book.

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Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch

January 3, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

My name is Peter Grant, police officer, apprentice wizard and well dressed man about town. I work for ECD9, otherwise known as the Folly, and to the Murder Investigation Team as ‘oh god not them again.’ But even their governor, the arch sceptic and professional northerner DCI Seawoll, knows that sometimes, when things go bump in the night, they have to call us in.

Which was why I found myself in an underground station at five o’clock, looking at the body of James Gallagher, US citizen and Arts Student. How did he avoid the underground’s ubiquitous CCTV to reach his final destination, and why is the ceramic shard he was stabbed with so strongly magical?

As the case took me into the labyrinth of conduits, tunnels and abandoned bomb shelters that lay beneath the streets I realised that London below might just be as complicated and inhabited as London above.

And worse, James Gallagher’s father is a US senator, so the next thing I know, I’ve got Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds of the FBI “liaising” with the investigation and asking awkward questions. Such as ‘just what are you guys hiding down here’ and ‘how did you conjure that light out thin air?’

DC Peter Grant is learning about magic – and what, exactly, is hiding in London’s shadows – at a fast rate. So, he’s pretty happy when he’s called along “just in case” to what looks like a random stabbing death on the tracks at Baker Street underground tube station. He’s hoping it’ll prove completely mundane and that he’ll soon be back to studying at the Folly. But with buried rivers, London’s biggest sewers and magical pottery all muddying the waters Peter soon realizes there’s a whole other world underground.

I have been really enjoying this series and this – the third book – is no exception. Aaronovitch somehow manages to blend a really chatty style of writing, as if we’re at the pub listening to Peter tell us of his exploits, along with a decently paced plot, really vivid and at times hysterically funny characters and this delightful sense of absurd. At times I laughed aloud, and others I cringed and had to put the book down for a moment. This writing is really amazing but it’s utterly addictive.

The plot is both complicated and simple – much like the previous books in this series. While the main thrust is a regular murder and solving the puzzle of who-dun-it, there’s such a vibrant and multi-layered world encompassing everything it’s impossible not to fall down the rabbit hole. Some of the River’s have cameo’s and I was thrilled that DC Leslie May plays a much more active role here than she did in the previous book. I really like Leslie and Peter and the way they both work together but also sometimes spark off each other. I’m deeply intrigued into how their relationship – both as colleagues and friends – will develop in further books.

Readers who enjoy a solid British story and don’t mind a strong dollop of humour, the paranormal and a titch of the absurd absolutely should try this book. Personally, I’d start back at the beginning with the first in the series, but that’s not strictly necessary – I definitely feel readers could pick this up and really enjoy it just on its own merits. But the world building, the characters and just the series itself is well worth the investment and starting at the beginning is what I’d do for the maximum benefit. I also suspect that after another two or three books the world building will have been strong enough and layered enough you might not be able to just jump in halfway through but will need to come back to the beginning – so I strongly feel it’s an investment worth making.

An excellent mystery, strongly paranormal and laugh aloud funny – this is a great book.

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To Die For by JM Dalgliesh

January 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment


To Die For by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

What line would you cross for the one you love?
When the body of a man is found in his remote, isolated home, DI Tom Janssen and his team struggle to understand what motive there could be to murder such an inoffensive, seemingly placid local character.

The man lived alone, was well known in the community but kept his distance from others leading a haphazard way of life. What secrets did he hide in his private life that might be worth killing for?

As the team are about to understand, even the most nondescript of people can exist in a world darker than most of us will ever see…

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

DI Tom Janssen and his team try to unravel the apparent murder of a quiet, solitary local man. He – and his parents before him – have lived on their small farm for decades and while many of the locals know him and are superficially friendly, no one really seems to be close to him at all. And when a second – seemingly unrelated – body gets washed up on the tide can the team discover to motive and reasons behind both cases?

I found this to be a really enjoyable, slower paced, British police procedural mystery/suspense novel. While the book is part of a larger series – the “Hidden Norfolk” series – I strongly feel this can be picked up and read by itself and thoroughly enjoyed. Tom’s team works very well together – but with a new officer starting her way and the other’s meshing together into a tight knit group I don’t feel readers new to this series and missing much of the previous cases and background will really feel the lack of that. The few tidbits (like Eric’s wedding and such) are very well detailed and explained and I feel should be easy for a new reader to slide right in.

Most importantly of all – the two main cases in this story are very well plotted and are very self-contained within this story. I found the pace of the story was good enough for me to be reading along quite enthusiastically and eager to know more – but it wasn’t an action orientated or breakneck pace, I didn’t have to go back and re-check things I might have missed the first go around which I thought was great.

Readers looking for a solid, well woven and smaller town feel to their mysteries should find this book exactly fits that purpose. I also enjoyed the fact the police team was somewhat smaller than you often find – around five primary characters – so I didn’t have any problems juggling around the main characters or trying to keep everything clear in my head. I found this a comfortable, smooth and engrossing read with a solid mystery, two plots that were both equally intriguing and enough questions that it took me a while to sort out what I thought was going on under the surface.

A strongly written mystery with good characters and an interesting outline – this was a great book and a series I can heartily recommend.

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Heads Or Tails by Damien Boyd

December 19, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Heads Or Tails by Damien Boyd
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A man has been mutilated and left to drown on the incoming tide, handcuffed in his van. With the murder bearing a striking resemblance to a string of sadistic killings carried out with surgical precision in 1990s gangland Manchester, it can mean only one thing: the killer is back.

Transferred to the Major Investigation Team, DI Nick Dixon is assigned a new partner and sent to Manchester. Meanwhile, the gruesome murders in Somerset continue.

Convinced of a connection with the unsolved gangland killings, and with the odds stacked against him, Dixon takes the ultimate gamble, determined to bring the killer to justice before it’s too late.

But is it the same killer? If so, why has he resurfaced now? And how many more must die?

DI Nick Dixon is transferred temporarily over to the Major Investigations Team when a mutilated man is left to drown inside his van, handcuffed as the tide comes in. The case has eerie similarities to a spate of murders carried out back in the 1990s. When another murder quickly follows Nick needs to uncover what’s really going on before more people die.

I enjoyed this British police procedural story. While Nick still had some support from his regular police team and the usual characters in this series, I strongly feel this book can be picked up and read by itself. Many of the usual characters are in the background and the murder plotline is definitely well contained in this story. Readers who have no prior knowledge of the other characters can easily follow along I feel and there’s none of that usual weight of history and previous ties or cases here. This would be a good story to read to discover if you like the author’s style and tone and then decide if you wanted to go back to the beginning of the series and join along.

I also really thought the plot was well handled. There were a few red herrings and enough threads to keep my interest and I didn’t guess what was going on too early in the book. Even when I (and the characters) began to piece together what was happening there were still enough questions and tension to maintain my interest and I thoroughly enjoyed the book in its entirety. This is certainly more of a police procedural style of story – not an action/adventure book that’s just go-go-go, but I greatly enjoyed the mystery and putting the pieces together.

Readers who enjoy a more classic who-dun-it style of mystery should find this an excellent book that is easily picked up and well worth a try.

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Crash And Burn by John Carson

December 12, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Crash And Burn by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

They left him for dead. They made a mistake.

On sabbatical from the force after a personal loss, DCI Harry McNeil spends his days renovating an old cottage he bought, and his nights down at the local bar. He’s living in a small town where nothing much happens. Until it does.

Harry meets a young woman who is searching for her brother who went missing in the area two years ago. He is special needs and she’s convinced he wouldn’t just run off.

Meanwhile, over a hundred miles away, a body is pulled from Loch Lomond, badly decomposed. In his pocket is the name of the missing man.

When the corpse is identified, it throws the missing man’s case in a new light.

Harry gets embroiled in the search and before long, his own life is put in danger.

A killer is on the loose and now he’s back in the town where Harry thought he was going to get peace, but he’s going to get much more than that…

After the recent upheaval and struggling with his grief, Harry McNeil is on an extended sabbatical and renovating a cottage he purchased. In the small town, nothing much happens, until one night Harry stumbles on a young woman who is searching for her missing brother. A seemingly easy favour quickly grows into something far larger and soon Harry is back doing what he does best – investigating.

On the surface this is an easy to follow mystery/suspense story with a number of excellent characters and plenty of Scottish flavour. I have to admit though – much of my patience and interest for the first quarter or so of the book is catching up with Harry himself and learning how he is coping with the recent death of someone very important to him and the ramifications from that loss. Readers who haven’t read the previous few books might feel the start of this book is a little slow and equally they might not understand the importance of this catching up in the start of the story. While I do feel readers who are new to this series will still enjoy the book, I think it will have far more weight and importance to those who – like me – want to catch up on how Harry is dealing with things.

That said, once the investigation gets underway the pace moves a little faster and the case certainly gets more interesting with a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I feel this strong police procedural mystery really gets going and readers will find themselves as hooked as I was. A number of the series favourites are showcased here – though there are a few exceptions – and overall, I feel this is an excellent quick mystery novel. Harry is away from his home ground and not working in an official capacity as he struggles with his grief and coming to terms with the new settings in his life, all of which I find completely understandable.

Readers who have been following along this series should enjoy this mystery and the update to how Harry is progressing, and I equally feel this is a good read for those new to Harry McNeil as a whole. While knowing the background to a number of the secondary characters and Harry’s recent problems might make this story more emotionally compelling this will give new readers a really good taste for Harry’s world and Carson’s writing style, and I feel is a good place to see if this is a series they’d enjoy. Recommended.

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Cold Sanctuary by David J Gatward

December 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Cold Sanctuary by David J Gatward
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

A tragic farm accident… or so it seems. Can this former big-city detective defeat the human monsters lurking in the Yorkshire Dales?

DCI Harry Grimm’s happy emotions are confusing the hell out of him. Enjoying the company of his new girlfriend and furry black dog, the usually gruff detective finds himself feeling genuinely content for the first time in a very long while. But it’s soon back to business as usual when the idyllic countryside is rocked by the demise of a popular farmer in a horrific hay-baler accident.

After the coroner rules the mangled remains a homicide, Grimm sends his team out to follow clues that provoke more questions than answers. And as his officers drop like flies, the victim’s adopted son vanishes, and suspicious threats emerge, the justice-driven investigator vows he’ll restore peace and slam another killer behind bars.

Can he shed light on the darkest of sins before more lives are lost in the hills?

DCI Harry Grimm is called out to a local farm in what at first glance appears to be a farming accident gone horribly wrong. But the evidence quickly points to something far more sinister. The situation grows more complicated as tragedy strikes one of DCI Grimm’s own team members and all too soon, they realise the tensions boiling under the surface of their idyllic home are about to burst.

I’ve been really enjoying the DCI Harry Grimm series and found this to be one of the strongest additions yet. I feel Harry himself has really settled into both the countryside and his role leading the local police team. I love how tight knit the small team is and how the characters work so well together but each with their own distinct personalities. I also really enjoy how even though this is set well into the dales and countryside the problems and crime are both realistic but also utterly relatable. This is an exceptional blend I feel and really helps sell me on the series as a whole.

I also really enjoyed how while the plot was fairly straightforward from the start there were still a number of twists I didn’t foresee but the pace kept along at a good clip so at no stage did I feel the story was dragging. While the two main plots/cases did take up the lion’s share of the story I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the team work together and continue to grow. After the last few books – where there has been a lot of character growth in particular – it was nice for this to take somewhat of a back seat and the police procedure to once again come more to the forefront.

Readers should easily be able to pick this book up as a standalone story. The plots are well contained in this story and while the characters are a solid team and clearly have history together, I feel this doesn’t mean readers can’t pick this book up by itself and enjoy it on its own merits.

A strong mystery with interesting characters and a well woven plot. Recommended.

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