I didn't realise that this was book 4 of the DC Bradshaw series until I logged it into my goodreads account to record my reading progress, and was a little disappointed about this at first as I prefer not to join a series part way through. That said though, don't let this put you off from the book as it worked really well as a standalone.

The book begins with latest kidnap victim Eva waking up in a metal container with no means of escape. We have no idea why or where she is or even who has put her there which I found worked very well as you really get that unsettled feeling, maybe even bordering on a sense of panic which Eva must have felt at that point. Chapter two introduces us to shopkeeper Jenna who has recently bought her new business and is quietly trying to settle in to the community without making any waves. I have to admit I was a little bemused as to where the story was going with this introduction, unless Jenna was going to be next on the abductor's hit list? I was just going to have to wait and see.

The story continues on to introduce the detectives and other members of the team who would eventually be involved in Eva and Jenna's lives. Bradshaw is tasked with reviewing the cold case of several women who had disappeared some years before, seemingly unrelated yet surely too much of a coincidence not to be linked. The story ticks along steadily with updates on what happens to Eva during her captivity, the events Bradshaw and the team are influenced by in their investigation including the discovery of a murder victim who seems to be part of the case but can't quite be fitted into the puzzle, and then the suspension of several local detectives on charges of misconduct. How on earth all this was all linked I couldn't fathom.

The mystery is kept quite well under wraps for a large part of the book until eventually and in unexpected manner the big reveal comes to pass. The tension has built steadily through the chapters to this point and there is a flurry of adrenalin and action as the possibility of Eva being freed becomes a reality. The other elements which make up the tale all come into focus and I found this a satisfying book overall with some interesting characters and an unusual timescale which make the book stand out from the norm. I'm certainly interested in looking for other titles in the series having read this one.

An unusual detective thriller as it brought in two freelance journalists to help with police investigations. Not too sure how plausible that might be but it gave the novel an unusual bonus. End of time family seek an ark albeit made of concrete, whilst not exactly bringing in the animals two by two. No, its the occasional abducted woman. You may think the end of times prophesy is not exactly on the top of people's agenda, you'd be so wrong if you did. Literally millions follow it. So, armed with that gem, it makes reading The Chosen a little more worrying. It was an interesting read, had pace and a lot of the elements to make it a real early hours page turner but not for me and sadly I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Unless of course it was the happy ending?

3.5. Pretty solid British detective fiction - the fourth in a series but you can come in without having read the others (I did).

This one starts with Eva trapped in a metal box, a series of crimes that no coppers really want, and the persistent DS Ian Bradshaw of Durham police, with his journalist sidekicks Tom and Helen.

The crime is perplexing. Several women have gone missing, but with no particular clue as to why - it does not seem on the surface that they have necessarily been kidnapped or killed, and so it is hard to justify pouring police resources into it. But then a corpse of a woman who went missing many years ago turns up - and it looks as though she hasn't seen daylight in many years. How many women went missing in the past - how many now? And what is the link? Will it be discovered while Eva is still alive?

An 'enjoyable' read despite the subject matter. Not one that stayed with me for a long time but I'd read another by the same author.

This is the second title i have read by this author and it wont be my last hopefully. Fantastic storyline, kept me hooked throughout. Cant wait for the next one 🤞.

So we finally get to see Tom Carney and his partner Helen as well as Ian Bradshaw. I've read all of Mr L's books and this particular series has always been one I enjoyed, however I lean more towards Tom and Helen as favourite characters over Bradshaw but this latest book makes them feel more like a team of three which is beginning to feel 'the norm'!

Tom and Helen get called into help Bradshaw with the disappearance of a woman by the name of Eva Dunbar.We get to see Eva's terror at the beginning of the book as she experiences the worst horror imaginable. She wakes to find herself locked in a metal crate with no means of escape. She doesn't know how she got there or who did it, but her terror and fear literally drips from the first few pages.

One thing I love about these books is that they're set a few years ago (the mid nineties I think) and it's a time when police corruption has recently been exposed. This leaves Bradshaw's force rather lacking in staff so when he gets the go ahead to use Tom and Helen he jumps at the chance. Together they start to investigate her disappearance and before long it seems to ring a remarkably similar bell to some earlier cases.

Interestingly an ex-girlfriend from Tom's younger years Jenna makes an appearance and reaches out to Tom for help with a problem she is facing. The relationship between Tom and Helen is beyond frustration, but is interesting to see how it unfolds as the series progresses. I liked Tom's girlfriend Penny though and thought she brought an extra thread to the story (albeit a smaller one) but it will be interesting to see if she goes the distance and makes it to the next book.

This latest release was as usual a brilliant read and although I was a little reluctant in the beginning all three of these characters are now incredibly readable, even Bradshaw who initially I couldn't stand! This latest book felt like it had a slightly more dark and sinister edge to it than earlier ones in the series and that was a definite plus for me. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this latest one and think the series is one you should definitely try!

Great book and very well written, telling the story of some missing women. The story starts with one of the women waking up in a metal box. Who is she and how has she got there?? The disappearances are investigated by DS Bradshaw who is helped by two journalists, Tom and Helen. We also get into the personal lives of Tom and Helen which adds some good dimension to their characters. Readers are kept guessing until the end as to the reasons behind the disappearances. Really enjoyed reading this.

Two freelance journalists, Tom and Helen, are helping DS Bradshaw in his endeavours to unravel the disappearance of 5 young women over a period of 6 months. We learn that at least one is held captive and follow her efforts to escape. A body is found but this person went missing 18 years ago although her death is recent. .Could there be a link? Not much to go on but Howard Linskey weaves a gripping yarn whilst relaxing some of the tension with snippets about Tom and Helen's relationships with one another and other in their lives. The book moves towards its climax but with yet more dangers and threats. A good read which reminded me of a recent television serial drama, 'Hidden' Books can be more graphic than the screen and this one certainly is.

Recommended.

An extremely well written story which keeps you guessing right till the end. Women are disappearing and have been for years but who is responsible? As the story unfolds and the reason why the women disappeared is revealed, will you feel the urge to sympathise with the victims or the perpetrator....!?!

A new name to me, Howard Linskey sets his novels in the north east and they feature Detective Ian Bradshaw. 'The Chosen Ones' starts with the thoughts of a kidnapped girl and the book slowly unveils how she got there and that she was not the first.

Set in the 1990's, although parts of the book flashback to the early 70's, Howard Linskey has a deft writing style and soon draws the reader into the book. It is a page turner with plenty of shocks along the way and Ian Bradshaw uses two journalists to help him on the case, which of course brings its own problems as the press and the police are not natural allies.

Very impressive and a book where you keep wanting to read just that little bit pore to see how the story progresses. Howard Linskey is now added to my 'must read' list of crime writers.

This book gave me the chills but in a good way. The story unfolded and although you can see the path it would/should take there were twists and turns along the way.

Great read.

This is the fourth book in the series involving DC Ian Bradshaw. I had not read the previous three in the series and was worried I would be stuck but can be read on its own, After reading this one, I definitely am going back to read the other three. I requested this book after I read the synopsis which gripped me. Set in Durham, Bradshaw a beneficially mutual friendship with a local journalist called Tom Carney - they trade information on cases.and Carney along with his journalist partner Helen get the inside information on the current case.

Story starts with Eva who wakes up in a large metal box with no memory of what happened. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 5 women in the area which links to cases of missing women going back a couple of decades. There are a lot of twists which you may not see coming at you in this dark, riveting read which will have you hooked from page 1!

Thank you PenguinRandomHouse UK and Netgalley!

This book has a very intriguing start, Eva wakes up in a metal box, and has no idea how she get there. It's quite claustrophobic and is well reflected to the reader. I liked the story and how the truth revealed.
It was an okay read overall, I can't say it was bad, but maybe because I've not read the first 3 books in these series, some parts felt like I am missing somethings especially about the characters and the relationships between them.
I was invited to read this book, I wish I have been told this was a series, and maybe would have been a more pleasant reading experience if I've read the first books.

Eva Dunbar wakes up in a large metal box, she has no idea how she got there or who has taken her. With no leads whatsoever, Detective Ian Bradshaw is given the task of finding her. Eva isn't the first person to disappear, over the years several other women have also disappeared. Are the cases linked?

Although this is book number four in the DC Bradshaw series it can be read as a standalone. The plot was good and it all came together well but I think it lacked a bit in execution. The ending seemed rushed and predictable and I think an epilogue would have been good.

Overall it was a good read and I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars

I hadn’t realised this book was the fourth in a series when I started to read it, I always prefer to read a series in order to get the background of the main characters but this book did a good job of summarising any gaps and I don’t feel my reading experience suffered as a result of missing the earlier episodes.

The Chosen Ones follows Detective Ian Bradshaw and his helpers, journalists Tom Carney and Helen Norton, as they try to unravel a case that nobody else wants to touch. Young women have been disappearing and Bradshaw is tasked with finding any link between the missing and ultimately solving the case. When the body of a much older woman who has been missing for eighteen years shows up in horrific circumstances, the team start to wonder if there are links between the cases.

What unfolds is the tale of a highly disturbed individual who believes he is “saving” the women he abducts. With twists and turns along the way we are lead along the path of a seriously warped culprit and follow the team’s desperate attempts to find him and his victims.

This my first book by Howard Linskey and I really did enjoy it. It is well paced and super tense throughout and although the format of writing in the present and flashing back to the past is well used, it works perfectly in this novel. I did guess some of the twists but do you know, this didn’t affect my appreciation of the story. I think sometimes when you ready as many detective thrillers as I have you develop rather a knack for working these things out! The whole plot, although somewhat unbelievable at times, builds to a crescendo which is utterly unputdownable – which is just how such a novel should be. I was happy to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the story and that says a lot I think.

I also found myself liking the main characters Ian, Tom and Helen and wanting to know more about them. Safe to say I will be reading any new books in this series and I will be looking to find the time to read the previous ones also.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinBooks for a copy of #TheChosenOnes in return for an honest review.

The Chosen Ones is one of the best thrillers I have read recently. The characters are likeable and smart, there are no moments where you think “damn, how can you be so stupid” and the focus isn’t solely on the missing women which is refreshing. The conclusion for me, also felt different to usual thrillers and it made sense, I didn’t feel cheated or confused. A thriller well worth reading.

A very clever book showing how messed up life can be. This is a great crime story with lots of emotional levels running through it. It didn't capture me to begin with but I'm so.glad I persevered with it!

I really struggled with The Chosen Ones I was looking forward to reading it but it lost me after the first few chapters so I gave up. Disappointed.

Excellent story. Wonderful characters and plot line. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book.

The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey is a wonderful new (to me) retro crime series that combines good old fashioned policing with investigative journalism. I cannot wait for the subsequent books.
I thought the storyline was well thought out. It both messed with my mind and quizzed my brain. Psychological torment and religious fanaticism were the order of the day.
A copycat killer? Or one who had been dormant? You decide as the action hots up.
An unlikely pairing of journalists and detective piece together the answers to the crime. A coppers nose plus the ability to sniff out a good story stand the trio in good stead, giving a unique flavour to the novel.
The characters were well drawn, eliciting a variety of responses from me.
The Chosen Ones would make a fabulous ITV drama and would perfectly complement Vera, that is also set in the North of England.
Roll on the next book. I am really looking forward to it.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

What an absolutely fascinating and compelling read 'The Chosen Ones' was. The storyline was, in my opinion, so original and fresh that I just had to keep on reading to find out what would happen next and I was not disappointed.

I did not know when I started reading this book that it was part of a series but you don't need to have read the previous books to follow the story. I will, in the future, however be seeking out the previous books as I now am a big Howard Linskey fan.

Eva Dunbar awake one morning feeling groggy and disorientated and is horrified to find that she appears to be locked in a storage container and is being held hostage by a masked gunman who is refusing to acknowledge the reasons behind her abduction.

DC Ian Bradshaw is now tasked with investigating the disappearance of five locals girls and needs to find a link that will bring these cases and previous cases together. Alongside investigative journalists Tom and Helen can the pieces be linked together to get to the bottom of this mystery?

Honestly, this book was so refreshing and the setting of a nuclear war bunker was just beyond creepy and intensified the obvious fears for the girls being held against their will. The motive was bizarre but again completely fascinating. I also loved the fact that the book was set in 1997 and therefore technology in the story is obviously not as advanced as nowadays - albeit I found that highly frustrating later on in the book when Helen decided to investigate by herself.

All in all this is a fascinating read and I can't wait to read more.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy of this book.