I’ve been a huge fan of this author since I read her first book when it was featured on Richard and Judy’s book club, so I was very excited to be offered an early copy of her latest book to read. I was not disappointed as this was another engrossing and thoroughly intriguing read.

This book has quite a complicated plot in that there is a few different threads running alongside each other so there is always lots going on. I didn’t find this overly confusing though and found it quite easy to follow each story as it develops.

The most interesting part of this book for me was the way the reader gets to follow the main character Robin both through her investigation but also in her home life and her difficult move back home following her suspension. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Robin’s relationship with her mother which was definitely a complicated one as they drive each other mad but still love each other and want a better relationship between them. I have to admit to not being a huge fan of Robin’s at the start as I found her very opinionated and quite a selfish person who always thinks she knew best which meant it took a while for me to warm to her.

This is a slightly unusual police procedural as due to her suspension Robin isn’t able to have access to certain things and isn’t able to command the same authority in her investigation. It was very interesting to see her try to adapt and change how she works.

I thought this was a very well written book which had lots going on to keep the reader interested. The tension is slowly built up until the book becomes almost impossible to put down. There are lots of twist which I thought were very cleverly thought out and took me by surprise which I always enjoy. I will definitely look forward to reading more of this intriguing new series.

Huge thanks to Martina from Midas PR for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

What a great book. The story had me gripped from the beginning. Robin had problems with her boss at her post in London – he I guess not taking her seriously which led him eventually to see the “error of his ways” when she was proved capable of making the decisions she did. Having to face the consequences of her run in with him and her move to Birmingham with her daughter made the book credible. Going back home to live with her parents came across as destructive and sympathetic to all. Robin’s father, the peacemaker, did a great job in stopping the wheels falling off the relationship. Robin’s brother came across as a difficult and jealous person and this was proved towards the end of the book and I look forward to hearing how this is dealt with in book two which I cannot wait for. We all think we know our friends especially the long standing and closest to us but this book proves you cannot always get that right even with the ones you think you know in your circle. I did not expect this twist in the book with Corinna and it laid the groundwork for a great story. Hopefully the wait for the next book in the series will not be too long.

This book is clearly intended to be the start of a new series of books featuring ex-Met police Detective Inspector Robin Lyons. Suspended from her job for misconduct, she is forced to move back into her parents' house, along with her teenage daughter. Working as an investigator, things become very dark when her best friend is murdered. I really loved the style of writing, and perhaps unusually in a crime novel I became invested in the characters. The novel kept me reading with huge interest, and the ending suggests a rich vein of books about Robin yet to come. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc of this book.
I have read 2 other books by this author and really enjoyed them, but for me this wasn’t the best. I liked the characters of Robin and Lennie, but the storyline just didn’t seem to work and there was too much going on. I would hope there will be another book with Robin and that it will be better than this one.

After been dismissed for misconduct from the Met, Robin is on the way home with her daughter Lennie. Reduced to accepting a job from her moms' friend as a private detective and living with her parents' things feel like they can't get much worde. One plus is been back with her best friend Corrina. But then things get so much worse than Robin could have imagined as Corrina's family is torn apart by violence.

Maybe because it is set so close to home I connected with this book straight away. My home town even got a name check (if you knew my town you'd know why this was exciting haha). There are a lot of characters but apart from one confused moment of "Who the hell is Elena?" and realising this is Lennie (my daughter also Elena is now been cursed by me calling her Lennie!) I found it easy to keep up - the writing is tight and economical - there are no wasted sentences here. It is a slow burner, and it is in the third act that things really hot up but the whole book is immensely enjoyable. Looking forward to more of Robin and co.

Critical Incidents is the first in a new series. I found it a little slow to start and there were a lot of characters to keep track of but overall it was an interesting read.

Lucie Whitehouse introduces us to DI Robin Lyons, the lead protagonist of a new crime series. We are essentially treated two 3 separate cases, one that has resulted in Robin being dismissed form her previous job and sent back home to Birmingham with her tail between her legs, one from her new PI Role, and one that is just a little too close to home.

This book seems to have received lower ratings then what I feel it deserves. It was an enjoyable read all in all, with interesting, believable characters with some interesting back stories, making the groundwork for what should be a good series to follow. I have got to the point where I often begrudge the ‘untold’ crucial information that is so often withheld by the protagonist in order to build on the plot. In Critical Incidents though, it felt a little more believable than what I have experienced lately, and it was definitely delivered far better than anything experienced lately.

Robin has been dismissed from her job at Scotland Yard after failing to follow orders. She and her daughter Lennie move in with her parents and Robin gets job helping Maggie a family friend with her private investigations.

Robin is not happy to be back at home in her old bedroom, sharing a bunk bed with her daughter. Things take a turn for the worse when her best friend Corinna’s family is hit by tragedy and her missing husband is accused of murder.

Robin and Maggie are investigating the disappearance of a missing teenager and the death of Corinna. It was interesting as Robin does not have the power of her police I.D badge to investigate the cases, but she is stubbornly determined to find the truth even if it could endanger herself or her family!!


I loved this book, it took me a while to get into the characters and then I was hooked. Pleased to see this is the first in a series and will definitely be looking out for her next.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review

This was a fairly interesting read. Good setup of characters for future novels/series but overall a bit of a letdown.
Good amount of action but rather long-winded and ultimately anti-climatic by the end. I think Whitehouse was using too many mysteries/secrets all in one go (four, to be precise) and they didn't really gel well together. Our main protagonist was rather exasperating with her constant self-deprivation and constant assurances of her independence.
Decent holiday reading but nothing mindblowing or unique.

Total page turner, filled with gripping moments and plenty of humour. Love the characters too, especially Robin - a disgraced Met officer who's been sacked for misconduct, moved back with her parents and bringing up a teenager, while getting involved in a Misper. If that premise doesn't grab you, nothing will! Terrific read,

I'm terribly sorry, I requested this book but at the present time I won't be able to read/review it, also, as there's a requirement to leave a 'Star' rating I've had to select only one star and this doesn't represent my opinion on the book.

A new series. Not a bad start, Good characters, a little slow to start, but it got there in the end, a great story, I am looking forward to reading more in this series. Recommended.

Our main character, Robin, has been fired from her position on the Met for not following orders and allowing a suspect to go free as she was convinced he was innocent. With her young daughter in tow, Robin heads back to Birmingham to stay with her parents and try to salvage things.
Within days of going home, her best friend is murdered and the husband is a suspect. Again, convinced of his innocence (which has something to do with a secret in their past) Robin starts her own investigation.
There’s a lot of strands to this, and some of the links are hard to credit. However, the character is an interesting one and I’m certainly curious to see how she’s developed. Robin is not without her flaws, but she is trying hard and seems to be coming from a place that people can identify with.
Robin learns a lot about herself and her friends during the course of this story. Some areas are definitely uncomfortable and I was somewhat taken back by the links established. However, by the end of the book there was a clear sense that things were moving in the right direction.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication in exchange for my thoughts.

Robin Lyons, dismissed from the Met for misconduct, she had released a man she believed to be innocent, but her seniors wanted him for murder….

She will appeal the dismissal, but as she needs an income she becomes an financial investigator, for a family friend, looking into fraud cases. But her first case is about a missing woman…...then further events make her wonder if the cases are linked.

This can be a bit slow at times due to the number of characters and a lot of dialogue, but it is an interesting private eye thriller.

Thank you to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for free. This is my honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed reading this this book, the characters and the story were brilliant. I would recommend this book to fans of detective stories where the life of the detective outside of the investigation also features, like Rebus. Looking forward to reading more in this series

Enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing throughout, with twists and turns. I liked Robin's character and will look forward to seeing more of her.

Forced to move back to Birmingham with her teenage daughter to live in her childhood home, Robin Lyons thinks things can get no worse but when her best friend of 20 years faces losing her husband who is a suspect in a murder, Robin takes it upon her self to try and clear his name

This was one of the books which I had problems following, with a myriad of characters and timelines. I usually enjoy this genre of story but was overwhelmed by this one.

I didn't think the twists and plots in this book were very surprising or worthwhile and I really struggled with how the book was written. It felt very clumsy and was at times difficult to follow and seemed to jump around alot - I don't know if this is down to the editing or the author trying to keep you on your toes and give the book and fast paced feel? It felt very slow in some parts and then very thrown together and rushed at others i.e. the first big incident happening so quickly and then chapters and chapters of quite frankly infill to get to the end and finally solving everything was done basically in only a few chapters and swiftly and every outcome was a total disappointment. Nothing shocking or exciting! The main character was difficult to invest in and care about and mildly annoying and there are too many people mentioned in the book and it's hard at times trying to remember who is who and how they are connnected to which plotline. The flow of the storylines felt off at sometimes and I would often need to go back and re-read or make sure I hadn't missed something as the text would simply run straight into something else which felt random and difficult to grasp what was happening now. The biggest shock in the book, to be honest, was totally unbelievable and then didn't really come to anything or explained properly. The ending might be one of the worst I've ever read. Really hard book to read and follow, plotlines, although somewhat at exciting sometimes, were just poor in the end. Some of the writing and way the author described something were beautifully written, but it was often lost in amongst a million other pointless words to fill it up. The book could have been at least ten chapters lighter with lots of "fluff" in the book which amounted to nothing. Did not enjoy

It’s quite unusual to have a detective thriller set in our second city so I was intrigued to find out how it would be portrayed. Lucie Whitehouse has given a great deal of detail of the area which possibly is more of interest to Brummies than readers from further afield. Without this level of interest the fairly slow pace would have been an issue. I would liken Critical Incidents to decorating; 90% preparation and 10% finish.