You can cover up the truth but it won’t stay buried forever.
A man is found bludgeoned to death in woodland by the village of Canwick, and the close-knit community is sent into shock. Detective Karen Hart, still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter nearby, is brought in to investigate the horrific murder.
It soon becomes clear that dark secrets lie behind Canwick’s unspoiled … secrets lie behind Canwick’s unspoiled appearance. When Hart begins to suspect that a modern-day slavery ring has been hiding in plain sight among the villagers, she faces a race to find proof before the culprits slip from her grasp. But when key witnesses start disappearing, it’s obvious that there’s a deep-rooted conspiracy to keep prying eyes away from the truth.
But in a village where everyone knows everyone, who knows more than they are letting on—and who can Hart really trust? She’s in deep and she’s never been more alone. She must confront the tragedy of her own past if she wants to catch the killers before it’s too late. Because one thing’s for certain—there’s no turning back…
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Total page turner!
A man is found bludgeoned to death in woodland by the village of Canwick, and the close-knit community is sent into shock. Detective Karen Hart, still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter nearby, is brought in to investigate the horrific murder.
It soon becomes clear that dark secrets lie behind Canwick’s unspoiled appearance. When Hart begins to suspect that a modern-day slavery ring has been hiding in plain sight among the villagers, she faces a race to find proof before the culprits slip from her grasp. But when key witnesses start disappearing, it’s obvious that there’s a deep-rooted conspiracy to keep prying eyes away from the truth.
This is the third book in the series & can be read on its own. I haven’t read the earlier books but after being totally caught up in this book I’ll certainly be reading them now. A fast paced story, well defined characters all made for a read that I was loathe to put down & I read it in two sittings. There are plenty of twists, turns & red herrings also some revelations that had me gasping & made the pages fly by. I liked that it was written from the point of view of the investigators so I was able to see if I could work out the solution before the team
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I would like to thank Amazon Publishing UK / Thomas & Mercer and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.
I love the beautiful cover of this book where you can see Detective Karen Hart, I think it’s her, running on the road.
When you read this book you learn a lot of things, the first thing you learn is that you can hide the truth about a lot of things, someone will know the truth one day.
It all begins when a man is found beaten to death in a wood near Canwick. Karen Hart is still in shock over the tragic loss of her daughter and her husband is being investigated for the murder.
To Karen it seems obvious that there are terrible secrets lurking in the village. Like a network of modern slavery well hidden from the sight of the villagers. She will have to find evidence before the culprits go away. Until the day when key witnesses disappear, Karen thinks there might be a conspiracy somewhere. Who can she trust?
A book read in one go, so much so that I hooked into the story, so moving at certain passages, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters.
November 2, 2020
Twisty mystery!
The evil of the bad guys and girls in this book made my skin crawl. But Karen and the team are wonderful characters to read as they work out the clues.
A very good police procedural featuring a widowed detective sergeant and her boss. The murder leads to bigger things being discovered in their small town. Very good writing and characters made for a good read. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, D. S. Butler, and Thomas & Mercer. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this work of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend D. S. Butler to friends and family. She writes a tight tale, British police procedurals based in Nettleham, and they are interesting and unique among their genre.
DS Karen Hart carries a heavy burden of grief as she makes it through the days and years after the death of her husband and daughter. She is tired of sympathy from friends, family, and co-workers, but she cannot accept that the accident that took her family was just that – an accident. She has learned, over time, to keep her suspicions to herself but this latest murder case is covering some of the same ground that she was working back then and brings the accident and the losses all too close to the surface again. When the clues from this new murder take them back to the Red Lion Inn, she finds she cannot separate her suspicions centered on Rod and Patricia Perry, suspects now, and then for the death of her family. It is something she has to try to cover, as her co-workers already think she is a bit daffy when it comes to that period of time. But where do you draw the line between fact and paranoid?
Detective Karen Hart, still grieving the deaths of her husband and daughter, is called to investigate the horrific beating and murder of an unidentified man.
When investigating, Karen and her team find a tenuous link to a possible modern day slave operation. Key witnesses start to disappear … and their prime suspects were killed in a house fire .. the victims of arson.
It’s a small village where everyone knows everyone else … but there are also dark secrets that are firmly buried. And someone doesn’t want those secrets exposed. Karen doesn’t know who to trust … someone close to her may be at the heart of these crimes.
This is a page-turner, lots of twists and turns, and plenty of suspects to watch out for. Not everyone is who they say they are. The characters are deftly drawn and remain memorable even after reaching the unexpected conclusion. Although 3rd in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing UK / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.