Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

This is already the fifth book in the series, and honestly, I just love this series more and more.. The story is well written, fast paced and thrilling throughout. Recommended!

I have read all Ed James’s books so it’s fair to say I was already a fan.
This the 5th book in the series continues Simon Fenchurch’s career as a Detective Constable in the darker side of London’s Streets.
A woman is found murdered in a hotel room. Recently embroiled in a tabloid scandal she is a local teacher who had in appropriate liaisons with a pupil.
As Fenchurch unravels the case his private life interjects as his young baby lies in intensive care.
Drug wars and a spate of acid attacks all become involved.
The book is well paced and continues the series with aplomb. Great read.
Keep them coming!

I received this as a review copy from Netgalley so no issue with value for money. I had read the first three books in the series so was familiar with DI Fenchurch. Having not read the fourth book in the series there were a few gaps in the background relating to Fenchurch's team and family but these soon got cleared up. I really enjoyed the previous books and was gripped until the end however this book left me feeling a bit flat and my motivation at the end was just to finish. Hopefully book 4 will be more enjoyable. Worth a read but far from the authors best piece of work.

I tried several times to read this book, but it kept on losing me. There were too many characters mentioned at the beginning, even though they weren't all "on stage", so to speak, and I kept on losing track of who was speaking and what was going on. It was too choppy, not very easy to read, and I was too easily distracted away. It didn't grab my attention at all. However, I won't give a low star rating to a book I didn't even finish reading.

I'm a bit disappointed with Kill With Kindness. I'm a fan of Fenchurch usually but I couldn't get to grips with this one. There were too many people involved and I kept getting lost. I also don't think I can stomach any more books where the police are far too busy undermining each other to do any proper police work. I didn't get what was going on with Liam and Katerina at all, or if Liam was a 'goody' or a 'baddie'. The whole thing was too convoluted and confusing for me. I kept going in the hope that the final reveal would clear everything up for me. It didn't.

I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer Publishing and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

I was immediately attracted to the blanket, you can see a young woman climbing the stairs.

When a young woman's body is found dead in a hotel room Simon Fenchurch will surrender against that it will not be a pleasure. He does not recognize the woman, a teacher who had a relationship with a student. He's going to have to move quickly to stop the chaos in London.

My very first book by this author, I found the story captivating, moving and full of suspense and twists and turns. Looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author, Ed James, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Kill With Kindness in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I found the storyline to be well thought out and written and the characters were engaging.
I was kept on the edge of my seat.
Definitely well worth a read.

Another great story from Ed James. There is a lot packed into this book. There is a gripping plot and some great characters and some dark humour thrown in. A brilliant read the whole way through. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

EXCERPT: Fenchurch thought it through, trying to piece it together.

Half past eight down in deepest, darkest Wapping. Take about half an hour to walk over to the Minories.

Next sighted at eleven.

Plenty of time for Steve to kill Gayle.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: A sadistic killer. An infamous victim. A crime that gets darker and darker…

The body of a young woman is found in a London hotel room, the victim of a suspected poisoning. Called in to investigate, DI Simon Fenchurch soon discovers the case is far more sinister than he could have imagined.

He should have recognised the woman at once—a teacher at a local school, her scandalous affair with a pupil has been splashed across the tabloids. As Fenchurch interrogates those closest to her, a web of suspicious connections begins to emerge.

Meanwhile Fenchurch’s own life is still in turmoil: his family fragmented, his baby son in intensive care, and his mentor replaced by an unsympathetic new boss. The streets of London are in chaos too, with a spate of acid attacks on seemingly random victims.

Struggling to hold on to hope on both fronts, Fenchurch faces the toughest few days of his career. Can he keep his family safe and catch whoever is behind the murder before more lives are lost?

MY THOUGHTS: I have read and enjoyed the previous books in this series, but Kill With Kindness just didn't hook me and reel me in as the others did. A few times, I thought I was there, but ultimately I just didn't really become immersed in this story line.

Perhaps there was just too much going on - the murder, the drugs, the family - all vying for the spotlight, and that's without all the peripheral sub-plots and characters. It all just got a bit too complicated in places.

But I like Fenchurch. He's a grumpy bugger, but loyal once you've won his respect, not quick to forgive if you haven’t. He's still finding his way with his family, adapting to the changes, and it's not over yet. Plus there are changes in his workplace, upsetting the balance. He's a man who calls it like he sees it, and I like that. He is often stubborn, and tends to hold on to grudges long after he should have let them go. He speaks his mind, often to his own detriment. But I like him.

So, will I be reading the next in this series? Definitely. 😊😊😊.5

THE AUTHOR: Ed James writes crime fiction novels, predominantly the SCOTT CULLEN series of police procedurals set in Edinburgh and the surrounding Lothians – the first four are available now, starting with GHOST IN THE MACHINE which has been downloaded over 280,000 times and is currently free. BOTTLENECK (Cullen 5) is out on 17-Mar-14. He is currently developing two new series – DI SIMON FENCHURCH and DS VICKY DODDS, set in London and Dundee respectively. He also writes the SUPERNATURE series, featuring vampires and other folkloric creatures, of which the first book SHOT THROUGH THE HEART is out now and free.

Ed lives in the East Lothian countryside, 25 miles east of Edinburgh, with his girlfriend, six rescue moggies, two retired greyhounds, a flock of ex-battery chickens and rescue ducks across two breeds and two genders (though the boys don’t lay eggs). While working in IT for a living, Ed wrote mainly on public transport but now writes full time.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas and Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Kill With Kindness by Ed James for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

This is part of a series and I hadn't read the other ones, but didn't feel like I was missing anything, as I was able to keep up with the plot and characters. This book was a well written mystery and made me go back and read the other books in this series.

I've read all of these and while they are all packed with so many characters that it's sometimes hard to keep them all straight, it was brilliant...as ever...
Characters are genuine, credible and there's a true contemporary feel - real reflection of the current issues plus the personal stories the readers care about.
Thank you!!

Kill with Kindness by Ed James is another hit novel with our favorite DI Fenchurch. This is the fifth in the series however the author provides enough history for you to start with this one. I do recommend that you read the others as well because they are all wonderful. James has a writing style that is all his own. The ability to keep you gripped from the first page to the last and to keep the story interesting and at a pretty fast pace. I enjoyed the characters and the POV was very likeable as usual. I am not even sure I can do this one justice because I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

5++ stars ⭐️ out of 5

'Kill With Kindness' is the fifth novel in the DI Simon Fenchurch series by crime writer Ed James set on the gritty East London streets and published by Thomas & Mercer. Amazon certainly seem to be publishing some absolute gems from many well loved crime fiction authors of late. Having been lucky enough to gain auto-approval I have being taking advantage of the excellent books they are putting out consistently.

The story begins with DI Fenchurch attending the funeral of his late boss when he is assigned to the murder of a young woman. Found inside a bedroom in the London-based luxury hotel, she has been handcuffed to the bed with the state of her body suggesting she succumbed to poison. Although Fenchurch recognises the victim he cannot seem to place her. He then comes to the realisation that she was a teacher at a local school who had recently hit the headlines due to having engaged in immoral behaviour with one of her pupils. He decides to follow his gut that this scandalous affair had is in some way related to her untimely demise. But is he correct?

'Kill With Kindness' was an enthralling, engaging and exhilarating read that I enjoyed immensely. I tend to stay away from certain cliches when writing a review including stating that the book was unputdownable but here, I truly feel it is justified. It is an action-packed and sometimes complex story but one that could never be criticised for being banal. You need to keep your wits about you to ensure you follow the direction in which the book is heading! Once again, I have reaffirmed my admiration of DI Fenchurch as a character. He is a dogged investigator and I appreciated that he is given a far more substantial part in the overall plot than most detective get in crime fiction and it feels as though we get to learn new information about him and watch him evolve through each book.

The author has made sure there are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings to add to the readers enjoyment. Fenchurch's sub-plots are always fascinating as the run parallel to the main story and eventually converge to show that both plots significantly more related than we thought. Mr James also sprinkles his plots with topical themes - for example - drugs and acid attacks - play a part modernising the story. Highly recommended to all crime fans. I look forward to Ed's next book as this has swiftly become a series that I can rely on for an excellent storyline with surprising twists, unique characters, and not forgetting Fenchurch himself.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I tend to find that unless a book hooks me within the first few chapters, then it's not going to happen and I'm afraid this just didn't.

It begins with a police officer and his baby son who is fighting for his life in hospital and then progresses into a police procedural following the murder of a woman found in a hotel room who has been having an affair with a pupil and includes a storyline of illegal drugs and acid attacks.

I really wanted to like it, but, it just didn't pull me in and I didn't care sufficiently for the characters.

Thanks to netgalley and Thomas Mercer publishing for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

The first of this series that I have read but now that I have I will go back and seek the others out. I am not sure how much it will impact reading a later book first but will soon see. A real page turner with a storyline that makes you want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. Di Fenchurch was a great lead character and I enjoyed the (troubled!) personal aspects woven in alongside the main story.

This is the 5th book in the the DI Fenchurch series by Ed James and the 4th one I have read.
DI Simon Fenchurch is called to investigate the body of a young woman who is found in a London hotel room, the victim of a suspected poisoning. The dead woman is a disgraced teacher from a local school whose affair with a pupil has featured in the newspapers. DI Fenchurch questions the people close to her and some intriguing connections begins to emerge.
I found this book to be more gripping than the previous books in the series with a DI Fenchurch struggling to cope with solving the murder while dealing with the emotions of is seriously ill baby son who is in intensive care. Although the book is the 5th in the series I consider it to be OK to read as a stand-alone but you may wish to read the others to experience the full development of the characters.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story and it kept me guessing right to the end. My only criticism is at the start with the omp omp, I thought firstly that it was a mobile ring tone but I'm not sure what it had to do with the story.. I haven't read the other books in the series but I will, it is a stand alone book but as previous story lines are incorporated, I will be starting with book one. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the advance copy.

I’m still a little undecided on this one.

I wasn’t aware this was part of a series so some of the storyline was a little confusing. Perhaps due to this I found I couldn’t take to the characters?

Sadly not a hit with me however I look forward to sampling another Ed James book soon.

Wow! I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions with this book. I just love Ed’s writing style: fast paced, gritty and down to earth. As I don’t want to give any spoilers I won’t elaborate on the story, just that I think this is his best Fenchurch yet.