Introducing the new detective from Chris SImms: DC Sean Blake. As a new arrival to the Serious Crimes Unit, DC Blake has to prove himself but all is not straight forward. With problems at home and at work, DC Blake is a thoroughly believable character trying to navigate his way through the complex case of a serial killer on a mission to silence certain women.

Set in Manchester, Loose Tongues touches on modern issues that instantly engages the reader. The killer's motivation may have you sympathising with him and almost certainly identifying with some of his frustrations caused by modern society. The observational and human flaws that Chris Simms weaves into his writing and characters enable the reader to become totally immersed in the story. From beginning to end there is a fast pace which matches the urgency to catch the perpetrator and the ending didn't leave me disappointed.

If you have read the Jon Spicer series and the Iona Khan books by the same author then this is a must read. I can't wait for the next instalment!

The action opens with DC Sean Blake’s first day in the Serious Crime Unit with Greater Manchester Police. Like many others the first day in a new role places him firmly in the position of the outsider, particularly as the other newcomer, Mark, has already spent time with this team. As the narrator Sean’s position allows the reader to experience this and the story unfolds from Sean’s point of view, with the few excerpts from the killer’s point of view and from Sean’s disabled mother (a former police officer who was injured during her police service).

When Mark gets stabbed on a police raid, Sean comes under criticism and is immediately ostracised by his colleagues and is given desk duties rather than regular duties. On a more personal level, Sean has been his mother’s carer since he was a kid and has never been free of responsibilities and unable to go his own way. As a result, the relationship whilst loving, is still claustrophobic. With the whiff of nepotism Sean is well and truly side-lined.

However, with Mum’s help, Sean is steered into questioning the paperwork he is called upon to review and heading down a different track.

Well-written and well-structured this book offers a different perspective which appealed to me. I was irritated by the mother and felt Sean’s frustrations whilst still acknowledging that her help was constructive – if not the frequent phone calls to Sean at inopportune moments. The end was a bit of a cliché but having said that, I did feel my pulse quicken and I read faster to reach the conclusion, so Simms must have done something right.

I didn’t find it brilliant, but I found it a good solid read, engaging and exciting and would not hesitate to recommend it – or indeed read more by Chris Simms.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This is the first Chris Simms novel I've read having missed his earlier series but Loose Tongues has really wetted my appetite for exploring his other works.
Losses Tongues is a fast and pacy page turner but despite that you find you care about the characters and your kept engrossed from the beginning. Sean Blake the central police office is facing his first day in CID and all doesn't go well for him. It's also refreshing to read about his normal if difficult home life. As for the crime I think many of us could identify with the perpetrator if not his action.
This is clearly the start of another Chris Simms series and I look forward to read how Sean Blake develops. It's myade me want to explore other of Chris Simms books

An excellent read.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this book. I found the story quite engrossing. I did not guess the ending and loved the ride.
I liked the uniqueness of the story being told from the young detective’s POV. Also, his relationship with his mother was interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the ARC.

LOOSE TONGUES by Chris Simms (Severn House, $28.99). Rating: A- It’s the first day on the job as a detective for DC Sean Blake and he’s immediately involved in a controversial and botched arrest of a murder suspect. His other first-day colleague is seriously injured and in a coma and others on the team suspect that Sean acted cowardly (but he knows that his actions were with the intent of saving the life of his colleague). So now he is under a cloud of suspicion and relegated to desk work. But he has a quick mind and is a keen observer so he is able to make valuable contributions to the investigation into the deaths of young women who are found with their cell phones jammed down their throats.
Aiding in the investigation is Sean’s invalid mother, herself a former policewoman injured on the job when she tried to stop a suspect from fleeing in his car. Her primary goal in life is to see her son succeed as a detective so she pumps him for information and does some investigating on her own.
I found this a very satisfying police procedural, peopled with unusual and fascinating characters. It will be interesting to see if Simms brings back Sean for more cases. I hope he does. [Review to appear in the next issue of Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

#LooseTongues #NetGalley I was keen to review this book as a) it was my favourite genre - British detective crime and b) it was set in Manchester, my original home town. after the first few chapters I wasn't sure if I would like this novel as it seemed a bit unrealistic that the newly promoted DC Blake was being ostracized for his assumed lack of help when a colleague was attacked, especially when he was offering a perfectly plausible (in my opinion!) explanation. However , as the murders and their investigations got going, I became engrossed in the story and the characters. I liked the fact that this was told from the perspective of an inexperienced junior detective rather than a DI/DCI and when the motive and MO for the murders was revealed, it was one that I had not seen before. The ending seemed to pave the way for future books in this series and I will be keen to read them if this happens.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for an advance copy of Loose Tongues, a police procedural featuring rookie detective Sean Blake of the Manchester Police Serious Crime Unit.

Sean is on his first day in the job when he is sent out to help apprehend the prime suspect in a series of brutal murders where young women are suffocated in their own home and their phone stuffed down their throat. Unfortunately there is more to the case and Sean soon finds himself involved in something more complicated.

I enjoyed Loose Tongues, especially towards the end where it gets quite tense although, initially, I found the procedure frustrating and not always credible, like the concentration on one suspect with no no proof except circumstance and some of the technical detail - Mr Simms does put a note at the end of the novel stating that he has taken liberties with this latter detail but it would have been more helpful to the reader to place it at the beginning.

The novel is mostly told from Sean Blake's point of view but it switches between his narrative and that of the unnamed killer. Kudos to Mr Simms for coming up with an usual reason for the killing and an extremely random victim selection method but his killer is rather pedestrian and pathetic, perhaps that's just more realism than I'm used to in my reading! This point of view switch means that the reader has much more information than the police and is left watching them play catch up. It's interesting but not my preferred approach.

Sean Blake is an interesting character. I like his backstory as carer to his pushy mother who was disabled in the course of her police duties many years previously. She is obviously trying to re-live her career through him, pushing and manoeuvring him forward. The friction and resentment between them seems very realistic and natural and is a highlight of the novel. His troubles at work do not seem as realistic.

Loose Tongues is a good read. 3.5*