REVIEW: The Bobby Girls by Johanna Bell (ARC)

The Bobby Girls (The Bobby Girls #1) by Johanna Bell

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 21st February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 26th December 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

Waiting with baited breath to immerse myself into THE BOBBY GIRLS, I was not disappointed. Although it is a fictional story, it is also steeped in plenty of history through the suffragette movement of how women came to enter the police force in 1914 as Women Police Volunteers (WPV). As volunteers they were not paid nor had they any powers of arrest but they did have specific roles in which they were to assist women in attempting to prevent acts of immorality. In other words, to help control their "loose" behaviour. In addition, women were more likely to respond to women rather than men.

In a highly male dominated profession, the women came up against a lot of resistance to the idea by men who thought they would merely be creating extra work for them, rather than alleviating it. And while not every woman was a suffragette, many believed that they could play a more active role in society rather than their only value being for cooking, cleaning and producing offspring.

It's London 1914 and many men are away fighting the Great War while a call has gone out for female volunteers to join the newly formed WPV. Amongst the many applicants, four women from different backgrounds join the ranks of volunteers and go through weeks of study and training in preparation for the tasks they will be undertaking. Of the four - Sarah, Maggie, Annie and Irene - only the latter three go on to complete their training as it is revealed that Sarah is far too short sighted for the job. Devastated, she returns to the one she was passionate about - a writer at "The Vote", a suffragette newspaper campaigning for the rights of women.

Maggie, Annie and Irene become fast friends as most of the other women are far older than they are. Then when, at the end of their training, they discover they are all placed at Bethnal Green Police Station in the East End, they are ecstatic. However, upon their arrival, just about every officer makes them feel unwelcome, making snide comments about their abilities and with no provision made for them they are forced to change in the toilet cubicles, in case a male officer should enter. Only one police officer, PC Frank Bird, welcomes their arrival and is responsible for showing them where they will be focusing their attentions and easing their role into the community.

But it seems no one is happy about their presence, neither the male officers - who see them as just creating extra work for them when they call on them to get them out of whatever scrapes they may find themselves in - or the community - who laugh at the very thought of "women policemen"! But with Frank's help and the support of each other, they soon fall into their roles within the community when the locals see they really are there to help them. Their daily patrols see them gaining the trust and advice from prominent locals such as Sally from the launderette, Bob the landlord of the local pub The Lamb and the elderly Arthur. Recording their daily activities in a diary in their breaks and at the end of the day soon provides evidence of their worth and the invaluable work they carry out every day.

When the Chief Constable gets wind of their activities through the daily diaries, he congratulates them on their work and begins them on night patrols. The three women are a little naive in what to expect of their night patrols believing them to be no different from their daytime ones. But they soon discover after dark a whole other world comes alive and their work intensifies but equally rewarding.

But trouble is brewing when a face from Maggie's past recognises her on patrol and realises he could capitalise on her duplicity by blackmailing her. Maggie soon finds herself in way over her head and without confiding in her two friends, lives to regret her decision.

Each women have secrets. Maggie comes from a privileged background in Kensington but has a traumatic home life with a controlling father who instills fear and compliance from his wife and children by beating them. Not only that, her beloved brother and best friend, Eddie has signed up to fight for his country, much to the chagrin and outrage from their father. But Maggie has an even bigger secret. She has lied about her age to join the WPV, and at 18 would have needed her parent's consent...which her father would never have given. And so she sneaks out daily on the pretense that she has taken up a volunteer position at an orphanage, which would be more acceptable to her father. Annie is incredibly shy and timid but gains her confidence through her work with WPV; her only fear is the fate of her beloved fiance Richard who, when he returns on leave, is a shadow of his former self. Irene comes from an impoverished background, working another job to pay the rent on a pokey little room with barely enough to eat. She finds their presence in the East End a little too close to home and lives in fear she will be recognised.

The depiction of the roles in the early 20th century is an authentic picture of the distinctions between the classes as well as those of men and women. The poverty, the injustice, the social aspects and the attitudes the first women police officers faced has been well researched as we follow Maggie, Annie and Irene in their journey as WPVs. Although the story followed is predominantly Maggie, the other two provided good background though I do hope future stories in the series will feature the other two respectively, as they featured so little in this one.

A delightful story with some lighthearted moments, a bit of tension and a little heartbreak, THE BOBBY GIRLS is a smashing debut and promises to be the beginning of a warm historical saga.

I love how the author ended the book with some photos of the real Bobby Girls, giving a real authenticity to the story and the era. I look forward to reading "The Bobby Girls' Secrets" in May, "Christmas with the Bobby Girls" in November and "The Bobby Girls' War" in May 2021.

A highly entertaining and easy read, THE BOBBY GIRLS is perfect for those who enjoy wartime historical fiction.

I would like to thank #JohannaBell, #NetGalley and #HodderAndStoughton for an ARC of #TheBobbyGirls in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Hold Your Tongue by Deborah Masson (ARC)

Hold Your Tongue (DI Eve Hunter #1) by Deborah Masson

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural, thriller

Read: 19th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 26th December 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

HOLD YOUR TONGUE is the dark and gritty debut by Deborah Masson featuring DI Eve Hunter and set in Aberdeen, Scotland. Although slow to start, it soon picks up pace as an addictive and compelling thriller.

The opening Prologue sets the overall scene of what's to come. It is dark, it is disturbing and it is enough to make you balk in its vividity. And it's in this opening preface that we learn the significance of the title, which is more than apt. The identity of those in this prologue are unknown but as the story builds throughout it does become clear.

DI Eve Hunter is returning to work after six months leave following a brutal attack on her and her colleague, DS Nicola Sanders, leaving her with a badly broken femur resulting in a limp and Sanders paralysed from the neck down and in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Left with unresolved guilt Eve blames herself for the attack, believing she could have prevented it, and as we are drip-fed information throughout details of that night come to light further into the story.

In no condition to return, Eve must now lead a team where not everyone welcomes her or respects her - blaming her for what happened to Sanders. On her first day back, she is introduced to DC Jo Mearns who, although respectful, radiates an obvious air of animosity and contempt towards her. The fact that she came in replacing the very detective who suffered life-changing injuries on Eve's watch only fuels her hostility. It doesn't help that DC Scott Ferguson constantly sneers at Eve and makes snide comments regarding her ability to lead the team. Only DS Cooper remains in her corner as a friend and confidante, and someone she knows she can rely on.

But Eve has no time to dwell on her team's derision as she is thrust head first into the gruesome murder investigation on her first day. Eighteen year old Melanie Ross's body has been discovered in a hotel room tied with Venetian blind cord, her tongue removed and a newspaper headline pinned to her body. Upon informing Melanie's parents' they are quick to offer up a suspect and the case appears to be clear cut...until the following week, another woman is found in similar circumstances in a dance studio. Looking at the two cases, it is apparent that the killer is selecting these women based on the headlines pinned to their bodies where newspaper articles that had been written about them. So what, apart from the articles, links them? And what is the significance of the Venetian blind cord and removal of their tongues?

The following week, the arrival of a tongue sent directly to Eve immediately reveals the identity of a woman known to them and therefore has them questioning the significance of the victims. But it isn't until one of their own is targeted that brings the reality of these murders home to them and will have them stopping at nothing to unravel the mystery and catch this sadistic killer.

I didn't like Eve to begin with and although I warmed to her somewhat, I still found her constant martyrdom of self blame a little tiresome. I am not a lover of strong female leads who prefer their own solitude to wallow in self pity or drown their sorrows in a bottle of prosecco whilst putting up a front of strength and courage in the face of adversity and refusing help from concerned friends. Maybe I find it hard to relate to because that kind of behaviour is so far removed from myself but if someone is offering you a friendly ear or some company, where's the harm in that? Does being independent and self-sufficient make you a better person? Or just more lonely? Despite my niggles about Eve, I did warm to her a little further in and found myself advocating her along the way.

Eve's team are an interesting bunch and while they don't always agree they do work well together, despite their differences. DS Mark Cooper is reliable, honest and remains a good friend to Eve throughout the past and present. He has a family who welcome all and sundry into the fold....his wife Louise is so warm and welcoming I could feel her arms around me and smell her delicious cooking. DC Scott Ferguson has the makings of a competent detective with good instincts but he is arrogant and hostile, undermining Eve at every opportunity. He holds Eve responsible for the attack that left Sanders paralysed and unable to continue as a detective. DC Jo Mearns hails from Bolton in England and is new to the team, replacing Sanders after her untimely attack. Often paired with Ferguson, his animosity towards their boss rubbed off on her and she finds herself disliking Eve at first sight. But as the story progresses we see a vulnerable side to Mearns which adds to her character and her early behaviour. Then there is DCI Hastings. At the mention of the name Hastings, I found myself constantly picturing Supt Ted Hastings from "Line of Duty"...lol...yet this Hastings (yes, like the battle...lol) was not as hands on in that respect, though he is no-nonsense and respected.

I thoroughly enjoyed HOLD YOUR TONGUE, despite its slow build and my niggles with Eve, as it is not your regular police procedural. It is dark, it is disturbing and at times gruesome. But it also came with a well-written solid plot with twists and reveals to have your swiping pages into the night.

I love the primary setting in Aberdeen, as well as visits to St Andrews and Dundee. While this part of Scotland does have its own indecipherable dialect, I was pleased to NOT encounter it here as I feel the inclusion of language that it is not familiar to anyone unless they are from the area only serves to alienate that author's works to readers far and wide. I do recognise the "granite" and "grey" descriptions of Aberdeen that I was first introduced to with Stuart MacBride, whose works are also fairly dark and gruesome but also filled with dry witty humour.

A dark, compelling, intense crime drama HOLD YOUR TONGUE is told primarily from Eve's third person perspective with the addition of the killer's deranged narrative peppered throughout. The reader is left pondering the identity of the killer as we are lead a merry chase but even I admit to not seeing that one coming.

The first in a new series, I look forward to seeing more of Eve Hunter and her team and will be keeping my eye out for the next installment.

Not for the faint-hearted, if you like Katerina Diamond or Stuart MacBride then I'm sure you will enjoy HOLD YOUR TONGUE.

I would like to thank #DeborahMasson, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers for an ARC of #HoldYourTongue in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Snakes and Ladders by Victoria Selman (ARC)

Snakes and Ladders (Ziba MacKenzie #3) by Victoria Selman

Genre: Psychological thriller, crime fiction, police procedural

Read: 17th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 17th December 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

When I read the tagline "Psycho meets Silence of the Lambs" I knew I just HAD to read this book! And wow...what can I say? It simply is...WOW!

SNAKES AND LADDERS is the third in the Ziba MacKenzie series, although I didn't know it at the time, but it reads well as a standalone. It was THAT good. There is enough background given throughout to ensure you don't miss out on anything. But be warned...once you start, you won't be able to stop and from there on in you then have a burning desire to get your hands on the other two books in the series and devour them in much the same way.

Ziba MacKenzie, who lost her husband Duncan in a shooting two years ago, is a profiler who specialises in serial killers on secondment to the FBI teaching at Quantico when she is called back to London to assist on a murder case. But not just any murder case. Someone is killing young homeless girls, mutilating their bodies and leaving behind various seemingly random items along with a single pink rose, earning him the moniker of the Pink Rose Killer. And word has reached Scotland Yard that there is to be another murder in two days' time.

While Scotland Yard has any number of profilers on their books able to assist police in their investigation, only Ziba can help. From his prison cell hundreds of miles from London, Vernon Sange (formerly Dr) holds the key to this latest mystery and he will help police on one condition - that he will only speak to Ziba.

Vernon Sange is a psychopath. But a very clever psychopath. Like Ziba, he profiles people, charms them, befriends them and even seduces them...to lure them into his trap. In his former life he was a successful university Don at Oxford, a doctor of philosophy, a lecturer, a teacher, a master, a murderer. It was Ziba's profile that lead police to him and an anonymous tip that sealed his fate during his trial. Now in his prison cell he is awaiting extradition to the US where he faces the death penalty.

Sange claims to know the identity of the PRK, and when and where the murders will take place. Ziba does not want to meet with Sange but knows, at this stage, police are out of options. And being so close to the next murder, if Sange knows anything and will only talk to her then she must see him and extricate any information she can from him. But that is easier said that done. Sange is a master. Ziba knows that as soon as he walks in Sange will be watching her. Looking for any reaction, even a flicker, that he can use to manipulate her. But Ziba resolves to give nothing away; she refuses to be played by him. But can she stop her subconscious from reacting? And can she outsmart Sange and get what she needs, never to return again?

But one thing is for sure...you can't outsmart a psychopath!

Faced with a deadly countdown, Ziba must get the answers needed to help catch the killer before he kills again. But for all his talk in her visit with him, does Sange actually ever tell her anything of use? At first, Ziba isn't so sure. But then she begins to piece some aspects together while others remain a mystery...earning her yet another long drive to the prison to see Sange once again.

While these visits are paramount to the investigation, Ziba dreads them...because Sange appears to read her effortlessly and he always wants something in return. His game is he will give her something if she gives him something first. But can she elude his mind games and figure out the clues on her own? And save the man she secretly loves?

Meanwhile in her private life, Ziba continues to grieve the loss of her husband two years ago. Although she misses Duncan, her friendship with his best friend journalist Jack Wolfe has grown into something more although she would never put Jack's life on the line by saying so. But somehow Sange knows even if Jack doesn't. And now Jack is in danger.

How does Sange know how she feels about Jack Wolfe? And why is Jack the only journalist the PRK writes to? While it is clearly Jack he sends these letters to, who is "O.D." to whom he addresses within them? And the code at the end of each letter...what do they mean? Is Sange involved more than they know?

So many questions throughout will have your head spinning that you won't want to put it down! As the truth begins to emerge piece by piece, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. Everything is smoke and mirrors. Mind games at its best!

SNAKES AND LADDERS is a well-crafted, well-plotted, brilliantly told murder mystery thriller that had me turning pages long into the night! I loved the short snappy chapters that kept the pace moving at a break-neck speed throughout.

I absolutely loved the dry wit peppered throughout the story. Ziba's thoughts on Fingerling as he sneered his comments at her had me chuckling on more than one occasion. Her passing thoughts on the weather even. If it didn't thrill, it made me laugh. Everything I love in a book.

Every character in the story is well developed and each has their part to play. None of them are insignificant or surplus to the tale. Victoria Selman has weaved each them into her web seamlessly leaving nothing to chance. Even one of the most likable characters with whom Ziba connected to wasn't by chance. And when that final plot twist came at the end, it was both shocking and brilliant!

While I haven't read the first two in the series, unaware at the time of requesting that this was a third installment, SNAKES AND LADDERS is everything I love in a thriller - fast paced, twisty, compelling, intriguing, witty and utterly unputdownable.

While it's always best to start a series from the beginning, I don't think it's essential to enjoy SNAKES AND LADDERS, as it flows seamlessly throughout with enough background given to know what is going on. I know I enjoyed it immensely without reading the first two...but let it be known, I have now added the first two to my collection and look forward to sneaking them into my reading list sometime soon. I suspect this is going to be one of my favourite series. Criminal Minds meets Psycho meets Silence of the Lambs.

That brilliant ending has me longing for the fourth installment now with that twist of a cliffhanger that leaves us wondering where the story goes from here...and that dawn of realisation that hit Ziba as she heard the news...I wasn't surprised, but she most definitely was. In the end, that final piece suddenly made sense to me and left me wanting more. Hands down brilliant!

Bring on book #4!!

I would like to thank #VictoriaSelman, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #SnakesAndLadders in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Book Ghost by Lorna Gray (ARC)

The Book Ghost by Lorna Gray

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 18th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 14th December 2019)

★ 1 star

I think I must be in the minority here because while I was excited at the prospect of reading THE BOOK GHOST and I had high hopes for it, I was so disappointed with it. I love historical fiction and losing myself to a world of books, so I thought this would be fantastic nod to that part of me. Not so.

Set in the beautiful Cotswolds in the post war ear of 1946, THE BOOK GHOST, aka "Mrs P's Book of Secrets", opens with a load of confusing waffle from seances to a book press. So much of what is written is so random I found it hard to correlate just what was going on. For example, when Lucy was talking to Robert Underhill, her uncle George bustles in and out of nowhere begins to relate to the other man how Lucy came to live with them. I mean, what the hell was that about? And why was it is important to tell him that snippet of information at that moment in time? I just didn't understand it. The rest of it just seemed to be ramblings that chopped and changed in direction and subject like a distracted person with ADHD.

I did try to like the book. But it was just so difficult as I couldn't immerse myself in the story without it feeling like a tennis match. I didn't know where to to look or what I was meant to see because everything just seemed to ramble. I know what the premise tells me the story is about but there was no sign of anything like that until at least 30% in and by then my interest had waned and I really didn't care for the mystery of this child anymore. It wasn't at all what I thought it would be and I couldn't connect to Lucy at all.

Two things I hate in books are long chapters (though I can live with them) and loads of endless descriptive narration, which in this case jumped from hither to nither leaving me wondering what it was she was talking about. The writing was long and rambling and if there was a purpose in that then I missed it because I simply lost patience trying to decipher Lucy's waffle.

I love my historical fiction to be beautiful easy reads. I don't mind some complexities but I found THE BOOK GHOST to be such hard work I was exhausted just reading a chapter. I dreaded picking it back up again. And if I am at a point where I literally have to force myself to continue the book then I know it's missed its mark completely with me.

THE BOOK GHOST had an interesting premise that just didn't live up to expectations, sadly. Life's too short to get bogged down with books you don't enjoy, so move on. Which is what I did. But you just might enjoy it!

I would like to thank #LornaGray, #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #TheBookGhost in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Why She Ran by Geraldine Hogan (ARC)

Why She Ran (DS Iris Locke #2) by Geraldine Hogan

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural

Read: 15th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 19th December 2019)

★★★ 3 stars

It's been a long time since I've read two books from the same series one after the other. So when WHY SHE RAN came up as next on my TBR list, and I hadn't yet read the first one, something told me I had to read the first one before the second one. And I am glad that I did. Because had I dived into this one first, I would have been disappointed to have comes across the spoilers from the first book peppered throughout. So trust me....read "Silent Night" aka "Her Sister's Bones" first!!!

DS Iris Locke is still reeling from grief and coming to terms with the revelations that have left her life in turmoil. Unable to return to her flat after the events culminating towards the end of the last book, Iris has taken a room at boarding house for the interim but has thankfully stayed on at Corbally and the Murder Team in Limerick. Despite the ghosts of the past surrounding her in the town, Iris knows this is where she belongs.

When her partner DS Ben Slattery calls her with a new case, Iris leaps at the chance to push her thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on the investigation at hand. A young woman has been found murdered at Curlew Hall, a residential care facility for troubled teens with rich parents. Rachel McDermott was bludgeoned to death on the kitchen floor and the patient in her care, 15 year old Eleanor Marshall, has disappeared.

As the daughter of a prominent local businessman, Eleanor has been deemed troubled for years. With reports of arson, violence and aggression leading to her being placed in the care facility and now the fact that she is missing, leads detectives to suspect that Eleanor is responsible for Rachel's death. But Iris is finding it difficult to connect a 15 year old to such a violent crime...and yet the evidence appears to point in her direction. But if she's innocent, then why did she run?

Eleanor's father calls a press conference pleading for the safe return of his daughter and yet he supplies a photo that is at least 4 years out of date. What is he hiding? And why is he trying to control the information being conveyed to the press?

A massive search is underway as both the Gardai and the public comb the woods surrounding Curlew Hall for the missing teenager. But the woods are endless and the area massive...and Eleanor is a vulnerable girl suffering from epilepsy. What if she has a grand mal seizure? And if she does, what if, with no help at hand, she dies as a result? The race is on to find Eleanor before it's too late. Too long in those woods and they could be looking for a body.

When a body of a young girl is found in the woods near Curlew Cross, Iris and Ben immediately feel they have failed Eleanor by not finding her time. But upon arrival at the crime scene are surprised to find the victim is not Eleanor but her younger sister Karena. The mystery deepens as the team then try to figure out who would want to kill Karena and why?

Returning to the care facility, Iris and Ben question staff and residents once again. Someone is lying. Where is Rachel's laptop? Why did she have over twenty thousand euro and where did it come from? And what possible motive did someone have for killing her? Rachel was well-liked by everyone. And Karena? Where did she fit into all this?

Although I didn't pick the villain in this one, it didn't shock me. I'm not sure why that is...maybe coming out of the first book with a twist that was both brilliant and shocking, I may have felt this one was a bit of a let down. If Iris is still reeling from the shock of those revelations in "Silent Night", I'm still reeling as well!

I enjoyed meeting up with the same old characters and the camaraderie between them all, particularly that of Iris and Ben who work extremely well together. Despite being so vastly different from one another, they seem to get each other perfectly. It was also somewhat bittersweet watching Ben with his estranged wife Maureen, in light of her recent diagnosis of dementia. The one character that was sorely missed from this installment was DI Coleman Grady. I especially wanted to delve into his past and uncover his secret tragedy. I hope his secondment was temporary because he was incredibly missed!

WHY SHE RAN is well-written but again, the story moved a little slowly in parts, going back and forth between the same people over and over. I don't have a lot of patience with overt descriptions and slow pacing in crime fiction. I enjoy the fast pace with pieces of a confusing puzzle coming together in an attempt to solve a baffling crime. But although it didn't have the same breakneck speed race to the end as the first one, but it is still enjoyable just the same.

Whilst I heartily recommend WHERE SHE RAN, I do advise you to read "Silent Night" aka "Her Sister's Bones" first. This is one series you can't do standalones with.

I would like to thank #GeraldineHogan, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhySheRan in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Her Sister's Bones by Geraldine Hogan (ARC)

Her Sister's Bones (formerly Silent Night) (DS Iris Locke #1) by Geraldine Hogan

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural, thriller

Read: 14th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publications date: 23rd August 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

As a fan of crime fiction and police procedurals, after a while many of them tend to be a little "samey" in the sense that they have all the same cliches - usually a bit of tension between the ranks as well as the token drunken cop with no life outside of work or the pub. While SILENT NIGHT did have these, it also had something a little different to offer. Something that you probably wouldn't see coming.

The fact that I did probably shows I read a little too much crime fiction thrillers that I see a twist around every corner. Ironically, I pieced most of the puzzle together at about a quarter of the way through...just because the conclusion I foresaw was a twist I honestly didn't see happening. I just though it would make things interesting if it did...

The story opens in a Prologue some 30 years ago with ten year old Anna in complete awe of her newborn baby sister, whom she silently named "Janey" after her doll. She was so enamoured by her that she even replicated the little birthmark Janey had on her right hand on her own and on her doll, so they were triplets of a kind.

One afternoon, with a storm in the air, Anna is gazing lovingly into baby Janey's pram whilst her mother is bustling about the kitchen and telling Anna to "stop bothering the baby and to go play with Ollie". Ollie was a boy who lived in the next cottage and they had played together for as long as she could remember. But now that baby Janey was here, Anna could see no point in such frivolities when she had a new baby sister to take care of. Even when Ollie came calling, she sent him away with a flea in his ear informing him that she was "minding her new baby sister".

But then suddenly, Anna felt a cold shiver up her spine and she turned to look back at where baby Janey's pram stood in the afternoon sun, her eyes wide. Her mother looked up and saw Anna's face as both mother and daughter ran to the pram, pulling back the shade. The pram was empty. Janey was gone.

Thirty years later and after a marginally successful undercover operation that went belly up, Detective Sergeant Iris Locke is now stationed in her hometown of Limerick, despite her father's reservations. As a detective who quickly moved up the ranks to Superintendent and on the force for over 40 years, Jack Locke cannot help but worry for his daughter. He doesn't want her to see the things he used to see and face the things he had to face during his career. But all Iris ever wanted to be was a detective on a Murder Squad like her father...and to make him proud.

Early one morning, Iris is called out to a horrifying crime scene that every guard, whether detective or uniform, hates the most. The burnt out remains of a house with three victims inside...and one of them is Anna Crowe, formerly Fairley, whose baby sister vanished without a trace 30 years before. Now Anna has been killed along with her own two children. But it's not as simple as it first appears. There was no electrical fault, no embers from the fireplace, no cooking accident. The three victims were all shot in the head before as they lay sleeping in their beds by the time the fire took hold. Who would do such a thing?

The team begin their investigations, looking into Anna's estranged husband Adrian and an art teacher at a college she had once attended. But Iris believes the key to Anna and her children's murders lay in the past...and a missing baby that was never found. She begins digging around and finds that the case files for the Fairley investigation have gone missing from archives and those uploaded to PULSE are restricted.

Frustrated, Iris is forced to ask her father about the case and is shocked to learn that he was the senior investigating officer in charge of the investigation. Her father had had a stellar career with an almost 100% solve rate...but the Fairley case was the only one he couldn't solve. But Jack is reluctant to discuss it saying only that it was the general consensus that the mother had been responsible for killing the baby whilst suffering post natal depression and was later institutionalised.

Iris doesn't understand why, not only her father but everyone else, brushes off her concerns surrounding the missing baby and the current case with the possibility of them being linked. She is determined to get to the bottom of both cases and prove one way or the other whether they are connected.

From her first day on the Murder Squad, Iris is teamed with DS Ben Slattery, an overweight aging gruff copper who enjoys a pint of Guinness and a whiskey chaser a little too much. The pair clearly do not hit it off but Iris refuses to let the bad-tempered detective get under her skin...and even if he does, she is just as determine not to show it. But as the investigation goes deeper, Slattery appears to gain a fresh appreciation for his new partner...even if she is the daughter of the old "guv".

But when it seems Slattery's days are numbered on the force, his first instinct is to head to the pub but instead he parks up in front of the house he shared with his wife for more than twenty years. Pondering her recent diagnosis after a car accident that almost killed her and claimed the life of another, Slattery wonders where he fits into anything - her life, the job - before his mind wanders to the case of Anna Crowe. He receives a phone call from a snout he'd visited with Iris earlier that day with some information on a senior officer that could turn everything on its head, and in turn he pieces the puzzle together with a shocking clarity.

The characters in SILENT NIGHT are an odd bunch that compliment each other. Iris, as the lead, is the typical strong determined detective that I often find irritating in books but I didn't in this case...though I'm not sure why. She's hardworking and ambitious but is a closed book. She doesn't want to live in her father's shadow but rather make her own mark in the guards, and resents any thought of favouritism.

Slattery is the stereotypical type. Failed marriage, drink problem and a bad attitude to boot...although this tough exterior hides his soft underbelly and the fact that he truly cares deeply about his cases and the victims. Despite his gruff nature, I quite liked Slattery.

DI Coleman Grady is another closed book. It is hinted that only Slattery and another detective know of his past which apparently affects him deeply...though to watch him at work you wouldn't know it. I look forward to picking his secrets apart and getting to know him further.

There are a few other characters peppered throughout that are crucial to the investigation such as June Quinn and Westmont (I think his name is), and another I can't begin to spell or pronounce (LOL). Their roles, while still significant, aren't at the forefront though I am sure we will get to know them as the series develops. However, we are introduced to everyone on the team in such a way that we do get to connect with them on some level that we look forward to getting to know them better.

Overall, the pace was rather slow to begin with although it did end up being a fast read. But it was well worth it to get to that ending.

The twist, when it came, was shocking despite having pieced it together myself just a quarter of the way into the story. I still didn't expect it eve though I had suspected it. And it was that twist that set this procedural apart from others. I just hope the series continues as one that is set apart from the rest which would make it unique and interesting.

SILENT NIGHT, which I believe has had its titled changed to HER SISTER'S BONES, is a brilliant debut to this fresh new series. It is compelling and intriguing with something a little different in store for readers despite its slow pace to begin with. Normally, that is something that would irk me, as I loathe slow burns, but there was just something immediately compelling about this book I simply had to devour.

I enjoyed SILENT NIGHT far more than I thought I would and as I am a little behind in my reading, I thought I would slot this one in first before tackling DS Locke's second installment. And I am glad I did because I didn't want to come across any reference to the first book made in the second to spoil what I essentially had yet to read. So my recommendation is read SILENT NIGHT aka HER SISTER'S BONES before tackling further cases by DS Locke.

As an aside, I don't see how either title SILENT NIGHT or HER SISTER'S BONES have much bearing on the story. I can see why the second was chosen but after reading it, I still fail to see its significance.

I would like to thank #GeraldineHogan, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SilentNight #HerSistersBones in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Midwives of Lark Lane by Pam Howes (ARC)

The Midwives of Lark Lane (Lark  Lane #4) by Pam Howes

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 12th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 13th December 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

Although this is the fourth book in the Lark Lane series, it is my first. However, despite coming into the story so far in I didn't feel as if I had missed anything as Pam Howes gives the reader plenty of background on the characters who have featured throughout. But as I enjoyed this one so much I have added the first three to my ever growing TBR list in the hope I will find some time to revisit Lark Lane again soon.

The story follows Cathy now grown and marrying the love of her life and father to their 18 month old Lucy. Gianni, her husband, works with a travelling fair performing alongside his father in the Wall of Death motorbike show. The couple share their wedding day alongside Cathy's mother Alice and her new husband Johnny before a brief honeymoon and a return to the travelling fair.

Upon arrival they are given a brand new caravan by Gianni's father Luca and his wife Maria, who have painstakingly prepared it for the couple. Cathy is overwhelmed by their kindness and happy to be with Gianni but she is unsure about her place with the fair. She was training to be a nurse but those dreams had ended when she discovered she was pregnant with Lucy and then marrying Gianni. Although she wished to return to nursing, this was the 1960s and all nursing students must be unmarried. So with her training incomplete and now living with the fair, Cathy has no work to keep her occupied.

Then the fair begins and so with it brings new problems. It is noisy and smells and there is no way she can settle little Lucy down at night. She closes the windows, the caravan is stifling. She opens them for air and it is too noisy. Cathy becomes more tired as they days wear on and Lucy is tetchy and unsettled. Although it is early days, Cathy finds she is not enjoying fairground life but this is Gianni's life and she cannot and will not make him choose.

But circumstances bring new opportunities as Cathy returns to Liverpool to live with family while Gianni remains with the fair. Gianni urges Cathy to return to her nurses training and to follow her dream of becoming a midwife, alongside her friends. And it's not forever as they will be reunited when the fair arrives in town and when the fair breaks for the winter months. Cathy is not sorry to leave the fair, but she is with leaving Gianni. She will not miss Maria's daughter Eloisa with whom Gianni had a one night stand and she has carried a torch for him since. But she trusts Gianni...she just doesn't trust Eloisa.

Dividing her time between her mother's house and her Granny's, Cathy returns to nursing and eventually qualifies as a midwife alongside her friends Jean, Karen and Ellie. When a large exclusive house with sprawling grounds comes up for sale, Cathy and her friends' dream of opening their own maternity home for unwed mothers and those wishing for private accommodation during the birth of their child are realised. With the help of their families, the women set to making their dream a reality.

Meanwhile, alongside Cathy's story is that of her ex-stepfather Jack Dawson. He was serving a long prison sentence for raping her friend Ellie one night in the hospital grounds, but opportunity arose in the form of a new cellmate hailing from Glasgow, and the pair escaped whilst being transported to a new prison. They parted company and Jack joined up with the travelling fair after seeing one of their flyers requesting casual work labourers.

Taking up the persona of Scottish Dougie Taylor, Jack had mastered the accent after sharing a cell with the Glaswegian. He knew Gianni but with his long hair and beard, Jack doubted he'd be recognised. Still, he kept out of his way just in case. It wasn't long before Eloisa caught his eye, showing him her wares that she shamelessly had on offer. But Jack never lost sight of his main objective - to return to Liverpool and show Cathy "a real man".

When the fair arrives in Liverpool, things come to a head in more ways than one. There is tragedy, heartbreak, love and loss and the tension is palpable as Cathy and Jack's paths stories intertwine, all the while unbeknownst to her.

Beginning in 1960 and taking us through to 1964, THE MIDWIVES OF LARK LANE is a simple, fast and easy read. A feel-good book that you just want to lose yourself to right up to the end. Whether the series ends here, I don't know, though some have stated that it would be a good place to end it...but I must admit I would like to see what else happens with girls and their families.

There is a touch of the TV series "Heartbeat" as well as "Call the Midwife" to this book, given the 1960s era, so if you are a fan of these shows then I am sure you will love this installment of the Lark Lane series. It is also very similar to Nadine Dorries' Lovely Lane series so you like that then you will love this!

Despite being the fourth book, THE MIDWIVES OF LARK LANE can be read as a standalone because the reader is given enough background information to make the necessary connections of where the story has been as well as where it is going. But like all series, I'm guessing that they are still enjoyed best from the beginning.

I definitely recommend this book, as a standalone or as part of the series!

I would like to thank #PamHowes, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMidwivesOfLarkLane in exchange for an honest review.