Member Reviews

Thoroughly enjoyed this one - my favourite James Oswald book so far. Constance is a great new character with lots of potential, so sincerely hope she gets another outing. The contrast between London and Con's home village worked very well - the whole small town society, everyone knowing everyones business but still with plenty room for some pretty dark secrets.

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An excellent book, loved it. A brilliant plot which has many twists and turns as the plot unravels. Highly recommended. Five stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and James Oswald for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

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No Time To Cry by James Oswald was my 19th book of 2019.
I hadn’t read any of the author’s Inspector McLean series so I had no expectations. This crime thriller is very much more like the style of books I tend to go for.
Constance Fairchild, Con, finds herself in an undercover op that goes majorly wrong and she discounted her boss and friend DI Pete Copperthwaite tortured and shot between the eyes.
That is just the start of the twisted mess she finds herself in, being framed for murder and the search for a friends missing sister. Not forgetting that she has a price on her head and is being hunted.
The story takes us across London, Northants, Birmingham and Scotland.

I really enjoyed the fast paced storyline. There weren’t many storyline twists but that wasn’t derogatory to the story at all.
I really liked Con, you follow her all the way through the book and you can’t help but warm and relate to her. I liked the conversations she had with her old boss / conscience for rationale checks at key quiet reflection moments.
All in all I enjoyed this book very much. Thank you to @netgalley and Headline Publishing for this copy in exchange for an honest review. I give this 4.5/5

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With thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
It ha been a while since I have read a book by the author James Oswald and I had forgotten what a clever storyteller James Oswald is. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the adventures of DC Constance Fairchild, the first in a new series. I will look forward to reading other books to be written in the future about Constance Fairchild.
Highly recommended.

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I don't think that I have read any of James Oswald's other series..... and I'm really wondering why not??

I loved this book. The storyline was great and the plot and ending wasn't obvious from the start. It had me gripped and I couldn't put it down as I needed to know what was going to happen next. Our main character Con is just perfect and I could really picture her thinking what to do next, I do hope that some of the other characters that we have met also make a reappearance in future books too.

I'm very excited that this is a new series and I cannot wait until the next instalment is out for me to read. In the meantime I think that I'll catch up on the other series as I really do love the way that this book is written, it flows so well.

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I'm a big fan of the McLean series, having rattled through the lot earlier this year, and it's interesting to read a different protagonist from this author.
Con is certainly quirky, different, and I look forward to reading more in this series.

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Not having read a book by this author before I had no expectations beyond those engendered by the blurb and what I find is an excellent police procedural with a supernatural twist.

The first person point of view lets the reader experience everything DC Fairchild does, and this immediacy ensures that the other less exciting parts of the story don't drag and slow the pacing. The plot is not overly involved, but it has the necessary twists and shocks.

Constance or 'Con' as she prefers, is a worthwhile protagonist, enough background is revealed to explain how she came to be in the police but I suspect there are more revelations to come? As she is a new character, the story is all about her actions, emotions and motivations.

The story parades an exciting set of support characters, that gives the novel its identity and its trademark, supernatural twist. I look forward to more cases for this detective.

I received a copy of this book from Headline - Wildfire via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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This was a really enjoyable read. It was gripping throughout and i found the storyline refreshingly different to the usual crime thrillers. It definately peaked my interest to check out other books by the author.

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A great police procedural that will satisfy any lover of the genre.

There's no such thing as coincidence - a fact that becomes increasingly more apparent as this story progresses and threads begin to tie together to form a great tale for a summer's read.

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Thoroughly entertaining read.

I have not read James Oswald before but will now be seeking out his previous series featuring Inspector McLean, which I have heard so much about. This was a brilliant read.

The story was full of tension, with twists and turns all the way through. The action starts straight away and leaves the reader in no doubt this will not be simple and easy to solve.

DC Constance Fairchild is some character and her ability to bounce back and take on the situation makes this novel one of those I couldn’t put down. I am looking forward to the next in the series to see what Con decides to do.

I loved the part Pete played. It was a brilliant touch to the whole storyline.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Headline, Wildfire and James Oswald for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Entertaining read. Highly recommended.

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First book I have read of this author and I doubt it will be the last. Really enjoyable. Might have found a new author to keep on my book case forever.

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A messed up story of blame culture with lots of crime going on. Good read but not amazing, a couple of nice twists in it

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DC Constance Fairchild is caught up and blamed for the death of her boss and mentor in a horrific tortured murder. She finds herself suspended from work and investigating the crime and the cover-up by herself.

This is a great police thriller and written very well. I have read some of this author before and this is less mystical than those ones, which is better in my opinion. (I didn't find that side of his writing very believable). This book however, is full of believable characters, fast pacy plotlines and a twisted ending. Very good.

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Con or Constance, my heroine of No Time to Cry. What a cracking pace this novel sets when poor Con looks upon the corpse of her only true friend and colleague as seemingly an undercover operation goes wrong. The whole force turn against her, blaming her for the operation going wrong. I burnt the midnight oil reading this novel as it was such thrilling reading. Anyone looking for a great thriller with a few hours to make available should look no further.

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I loved: No Time To Cry, by James Oswald.

James has crafted this book to be so atmospheric I felt as though I were there; riding alongside Con as she tries to figure out what is happening and why. Rodger DeVilliers is a vile and despicable creature with no redeeming features. They do say power corrupts, but for him to take out his perverse sexual desires on a child the way he does, makes me wish that Izzy could have connected up the taser to 450 volts AC to kill rather than stun the bastard.

This novel has a cleverly devised plot with twists and turns along the way, that more than had me flipping over the pages. The writing, storyline and twists and turns along the way, left me unable to stop myself going back to it. I couldn't wait to see where this bright young detective constable would go to next as Con tries to clear her name, as well as find and protect Izzy.

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It took a bit of time to really get into this one and engage with the characters but the story got better as it went on and really hooked you in.

Thank you for letting me review this book.

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A well written book full of suspense. Keeps to on the edge of the seat. Can’t wait for the next one.

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Another great story with new characters and a new setting. Con is a fabulous character with many secrets and she has some interesting neighbours and relatives.
Fast paced,exciting story,heres to the next one.

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A completely amazing book that grips you and never let's go . It's a book Thatcher is you guessing all the way through

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Having not read James Oswald before, I was keen to give No Time to Cry a go to take measure of the good man's talents. An absolutely delightful and intriguing mystery caper from the fresh and enjoyable perspective of DC Constance Fairchild. Con, as she likes to be called, is a smart capable girl of a rather posh background. She is a faithful depiction of the offspring of a well moneyed family, as are her 'friends'. A concept not found in books of this nature so full marks for originality. Being a Detective Constable seems to be frowned upon by her family as being beneath her station in life though she excels at it. She has a good head on her shoulders and mixes well with people of all stations. She is a terrific, frank girl I would be happy to set up with my stepson, if she were a flesh and blood person, that is.

I really liked this novel as it wasn't overly gory, too heavy or dark. I'm not saying it doesn't have its shocking moments but it lacks the overtly evil, heart of darkness tones of many thrillers afoot today. It is a fresh take on a police procedural that is sure to please many looking for a good mystery featuring a character so fully formed. This is sure to be the start of a terrific new series and I anxiously await new installments.

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