Its probably not a surprise to many people that I am a HUGE fan of this series from Claire McGowan, I've always thought it was one of the top UK crime series and with Blood Tide that has just pretty much been confirmed for me.

The beauty is in the mix of personal and professional - each separate mystery for Forensic Psychologist Paula Maguire is entirely compelling and complete but each novel takes Paula further on a very personal journey, searching for her missing mother and trying to sort out a tangled set of relationships. Now here she is with a young child, a partner in jail and about to be thrown into a bit of a horror story - yes folks, Claire McGowan is channelling Stephen King and doing it with a touch of genius.

A couple have gone missing on an island - the islanders are used to being cut off from civilisation - Paula not so much. When things take a turn for the macabre she is stuck, without back up, a storm brewing and a killer watching her every move...

Blood Tide was both thrilling, chilling and utterly immersive - interspersing scenes on the island with little gems of information on what is going on elsewhere in Paula's life - you are thrown from one to the other, both strands totally gripping, leading to a spot on edge of the seat finale that had me pulling clumps of hair out. Then of course this author is STILL not done with you as she sets Paula up for the next stage of this journey..

Once again Claire McGowan speaks to the history, the troubles, in a way that genuinely educates readers like me who remember those times but in a vague I was young then sort of way - really bringing the aftermath and the effects of it to stunning brutal life - from the very first novel Paula has had this in her past, with a need to understand how it has affected her family. As ever this layer is incredibly emotive.

It is so beautifully done, you are in it all the way, Paula is still one of the most compelling female protagonists in Crime Fiction and is surrounded by a stellar supporting cast all of whom have you chasing the next part of their story. The Blood Tide is coming and the Island scenes are SCARY truly creepy insidious stuff, the parts of this novel I read when it was dark outside had me glancing around nervously - WHY DOES THE BOILER ALWAYS MAKE THAT NOISE WHEN I'M ALREADY JUMPY - one of life's little mysteries. *Dives under duvet in case it is actually an axe murderer*

Genuinely clever, beautifully written and best of all not at all predictable when it comes to what might happen to our beloved crew, I will miss Paula when her story is done. One can hope for happy endings but folks this ain't no fairy tale...

Highly Recommended. The entire series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Blood Tide, the fifth novel to feature forensic psychologist and missing persons expert, Dr Paula Maguire.

Paula's personal life is in turmoil. Her fiancé, Aidan, is on remand for murder and refusing to let her visit and she has recently found a letter from her mother written on the day she disappeared in 1993. Refusing to give up on either she has employed a private detective to try and find proof of Aidan's innocence and her mother's fate. In the midst of this she is asked to travel to the remote Bone Island in the Republic to help the Gardai hunt for a missing couple who have mysteriously vanished from the lighthouse they are living in.

Well, what a read! I was glued to the pages from start to finish and read it in one sitting. Ms McGowan is fairly even handed, running the professional and personal stories side by side with both having plenty of developments. Obviously the events on Bone Island, being current, have more action but there are a few interesting twists on the personal side as well.

The hunt for the couple, Matt Andrew and Dr Fiona Watts, takes place on the insular Bone Island during a very bad storm so it assumed some kind of accident took place but Paula isn't so sure. She senses something off about the island and when she gets trapped there it becomes dangerous. Told from Paula's point of view, supplemented by Fiona's take on past events, it is an exciting read with lots of twists and turns and a great, surprise ending. The plot may seem a bit fantastical but, unfortunately, the cause and effect are all too plausible.

Paula may have employed a private detective to help her and Aidan but it is an old colleague of her father, ex-sergeant Bob Hamilton, pulling the strings. This works well as we see the impact of the discoveries on Paula but we get the history from Bob's point of view and there was much more going on than 13 year old Paula could know or imagine. I am totally hooked on this plotline and am desperate to know how it will pan out.

Blood Tide is a masterfully plotted and executed novel. The pace never lets up with new developments in every chapter. The events on Bone Island are initially puzzling then tense as the full story starts to emerge so I have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent read.