Enjoyed this book, I like the way the story unfolds and that the first part about the police raid on illegal immigrants being used for prostitution, the story moves on to another case the police are dealing with. Eventually the two stories link together. In addition the police men Mariner and Knox personal stories add an extra and interesting angle to this story. I definitely recommend it as an excellent read.

I received a digital ARC of #BabyLies from #NetGalley for an honest review.

I really liked this book. I got caught up in the story very quickly and couldn't put it down. I felt like it had a lot of potential but for me it slowed down a bit towards the end. The last 30% or so was much slower paced than the first 70%. I did like the unexpected twist towards the end which I hadn't foreseen. The person I thought was somehow involved, actually wasn't!

My one grumble was the ending though. It seemed far too abrupt - one minute I was reading through a scene, I turned the page, and am shocked to see the words "The End"! I mean, yes everything was explained - who was involved and how a related to b, and how c happened, etc. I just didn't expect it to end where it did that's all.

Otherwise it was a good read that had barely any spelling errors in, which was a nice change for an ARC.

This was the first book I have read by Chris Collet, and I completely enjoyed it.

The book told the story of an abduction of a six week old baby and touched on human trafficking, working mothers, relationships, family dynamics, and other themes while creating memorable characters.

While the book did move quickly, I was confused for some time about how all the plotlines would come together in the end, but there was no need to worry as the author did a great job wrapping things up.

I will definitely check out this authors other books.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing an advance copy of this book.

Thank you Net Galley. Another interesting and gripping read from Chris Collett. A police procedural with twists and turns galore, it combines the pacing of a police procedural with the roller coaster ride of a thriller. Definitely a book to read.

I started reading Chris Collett books fairly recently and enjoy the good plots and excellent character building in her novels. This is the 4th book I have read in the Detective Tom Mariner series based in my native Birmingham and centred around a dedicated policeman named Tom Mariner. As with a lot of successful crime series the main character in this case Tom Mariner comes with baggage and a fair few problems in life.
In this story a six-week-old baby named Jessica is abducted from a local nursery and Detective Tom Mariner cancels a well deserved holiday to lead the hunt. The police get a good description of the woman who took Jessica, but the appeal to the public doesn’t generate a single lead and the case proves to be not as straight forward as first seemed.
The book works as a stand alone but I would recommend reading the whole series to get the full enjoyment.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Joffe Books for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this series is best read in order to benefit from how the stories link and progress. There is plenty of background information on the characters which in my opinion enhances the read.

Baby Lies by Chris Collett

What a pleasure it is to see Chris Collett’s DI Tom Mariner available for the Kindle! I read several of these books years ago and enjoyed them very much, so I was sorry to discover that they were not available for the Kindle until recently.

“Baby Lies,” the fourth book published for Kindle is every bit as good as I remember the earlier books being. Detective Inspector Tom Mariner is a Birmingham police officer and this book is a police procedural with some attention paid to the private lives of the officers. I don’t like spoilers so I am not going to give away the plot; suffice it to say that there are several mysteries all of which are satisfactorily explained by the book’s end.
I have already bought another one to read, and I cannot commend these books and this writer highly enough. An enthusiastic five stars.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion.

This is the third book in the Tom Mariner series I have read and it follows on nicely from the previous one.

This book starts off with Tom and his team raiding a number of Brothels around the city and taking all the girls into the police station to interview them and try to find the ringleaders to shut them down.

Tom is then about to go on a well earned 7 day leave when a call comes in that a 7 week old baby has been kidnapped from a nursery in the middle of the day so all leave is cancelled until she is found. Tom then has to investigate this with massive press attention, whilst also preparing to go to court and be a witness against his half-brother who tried to kill him previously.

The story involving the kidnapped child was brilliantly written, although you would have to question a nursery which let anyone in without a password to take a child away who wasn’t their own, Ofsted and the Local Council would be all over it and shutting it down.

We are with Tom as he investigates the kidnapping and trying to work out the reasons why she was taken in the first place, along with the other storylines that are running in the background alongside this, and find out things at the same time, which makes for a very interesting and engaging read.

I also really liked the dynamic between Tom and his partner, where they are split between staying in Birmingham and leaving for a new adventure. I’m not sure how long their relationship will last, but it has survived bigger things than this in previous books.

Overall I would give this book a massive 5 stars and can’t wait for the next one

Another dark twisted instalment in this now well established series with several overlapping mysteries. I would recommend reading the previous books before this one to fully understand the characters but it would read OK as a stand alone novel.

I have read all the previous books with characters DI Tom Mariner and Tony Knox and this book was also an enjoyable read. DI Tom is trying to get over some traumatic events in his past including a bombing and being held captive by a step brother he didn't know he had. He also is having trouble in his relationship with long time partner Anna, as she wants to move to the country and start a family. During all this he is also trying to solve the mystery of a baby snatching and a sex slave ring where young girls are tricked into moving to England for jobs, only to be held as sex slaves and baby mamas. Lots of suspense and good dialogue,and action. Looking forward to the next Mariner novel.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Baby Lies, the fourth police procedural to feature DI Tom Mariner of Birmingham police.

Emma O'Brien is not looking forward to leaving her daughter Jessica in a crèche for the day while she gives a lecture at a hospital but she is reassured that the the hospital has recommended the crèche and has a standing agreement with them for temporary cover. She is horrified when Jessica isn't there when she goes to collect her. Tom Mariner is minutes away from his well deserved holiday when the call comes in but immediately gets to work. What he and team discover is far darker than any one of them could have imagined.

I thoroughly enjoyed Baby Lies which has a well devised plot and more than enough twists and turns to hold my interest throughout. I love the straightforward third person narrative from Tom or occasionally his sergeant Tony's point of view without a hint of the perpetrator's thoughts or motivations. It makes for an immersive read, allowing the reader to speculate along with the police and to be surprised by some of the twists. It might not be the current fashion but it's my favourite style. Great stuff.

I also like the way the case builds slowly with several false starts and blind alleys as they try to make sense of the kidnapping. It seems very realistic as they start from nothing and gradually build a picture as new leads, information and events inform their thinking. It's amazing how they get from nothing to a solution but as an avid true crime documentary watcher I know it is often the way.

Ms Collett does not neglect her characterisation either. Throughout the series Tom has been in an uneasy relationship with his girlfriend, Anna as they seem to want different things from life and he is a bit of a commitmentphobe. She moves their relationship on again in this novel and it involves a bit of soul searching. It makes him a bit more human.

Baby Lies is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
DI Mariner and his team close down a house containing illegal sex workers, freeing the badly nourished, teenaged girls who were held there against their will. Right after that they are called out to the kidnapping of a little baby snatched from a creche. So much for his short vacation with his girlfriend... she's not happy.
This outing (#4 in the series) focuses heavily on the selling of human beings and unfortunately it's a realistic scenario.
It also shows the widening cracks in Mariner's relationship with Anna, his partner, who has lost their baby and wants them to move to the country and try to focus on creating a family. It's very obvious Mariner isn't keen and the I did feel like slapping both of them to wise up and start being honest with each other.
It helps to have read the previous books, there are storylines that go back, but it could easily be read as a standalone... I feel it's a better experience knowing more of the back stories.
This is a good read, albeit depressing at times. It was difficult for me reading about the kidnapping of the tiny baby, and the plight of the young girls.

After the successful completion of Operation Ocean Blue,DI Tom Mariner is looking forward to some well earned holiday.He needs time to prepare himself for the upcoming trial of the man who attempted to kill him.He is just about to leave his office when Pc Mann informs him that a six month old baby girl has been abducted from a local nursery.Although the police have a good description of the woman who took baby Jessica even after putting out an appeal to the public they can't generate any leads.

Then the kidnapper calls demanding money for Jessica's return and a dreadful discovery is made in the woods.

Tom Mariner and his team find themselves investigating a complex case that turns out to involve a lot more than a child abduction.

After the intense opening chapter that chronicles the conclusion of Operation Ocean Blue,Tom and his team swiftly find themselves caught up in the mysterious disappearance of baby Jessica.I really liked DI Tom Mariner and his DS Tony Knox,two likeable characters who had a mutual respect for each other and were friends as well as work colleagues.There is a lot more to this book than Jessica's disappearance and the scary truth is that the issues raised throughout this story happen every day all around the world.It's terrifying when you realise that there are people who actually think and behave in the way that the unsavoury characters did in this thriller.

Although this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone there are threads that continue on from the previous books.Fortunately the trial wasn't dragged out for too long,it was dealt with in one chapter,I'm not a big fan of court scenes myself.In my opinion there was a bit too much about Tom`s personal life,I prefer the story to concentrate on the case or cases being investigated and there to only be snippets about the police teams personal lives.Just enough to add some dimension to the characters but not so much that it disrupts the flow of the main story.

I did enjoy the investigation parts of this well written thriller,I liked the sympathetic police team,there was some unexpected twists,The story kept the reader guessing and was heart breaking at times and also thought provoking.

THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “BLOOD MONEY.”

Just when DI Tom Mariner thinks he is about to escape for a week with his girlfriend, Anna, he gets a call about a possible kidnapping of an infant.

The 6-week-olf infant was taken by a local day nursery. A woman walked in, presented herself as Jessica's mother and walked out with the child. No one knew the woman, so how was she allowed to just walk in and take the baby? There seems to be no motivation at all, until the child's father is found to work at a research company. His company has been the target of animal rights activists.

Surprisingly, an anonymous note lets the police know where the baby is being held and she is returned unharmed.

Something keeps tickling at Mariner's guts and he knows there is something more. And more is what he gets. One of the nursery workers is found murdered. And what he finds while investigating this hit and run, he discovers something that will change everything he thought he knew.

This is part of a terrific series. Although the fourth book, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. However, I recommend starting at the beginning.. if only to be able to completely follow Mariner's issues with his girlfriend.

The themes of child abduction, baby sales, and white slavery keep the reader glued to the pages. It's fun to watch the police procedural play out .. one question, one clue at a time.

This is an excellent addition to an excellent series.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Interesting story line filled with thrilling twists and gripping turns! I thoroughly enjoyed the detectives in this series as they worked their way through the harrowing case of a missing child that wasn’t what it seemed. Great book! * I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *