It took a little bit to get into this book but once you get past the laying the story down it picked up and I really enjoyed it. It made a nice change to the usual set up. I would recommend this book and stick with it it's worth it. Thanks to NetGalley author and publisher for my arc copy x

A vividly imagined police procedural with a very clear English flavour, the writing in this book is superb. However, the story was tough to get into, with so many characters and threads at the beginning that it was hard to keep track of who's who or what was going on. As the threads come together it begins to fall into place, but the pacing was a little slow for me. However, the ideas had a lot of merit and I'm interested to see where it goes next.

This has everything you want in a modern-day thriller. Lots of characters you can relate too, or suspect, or dislike. Lots going on. Based in the UK so you can visualise it all. A gripping read that I read in almost one sitting!

I loved this book and was reaching for it whenever I had a spare moment. The characters are realistic and the story kept me hooked. I loved the way it was written and am hoping there will be more books to follow

Such a thrilling book to read, I couldn't put it down at all and stayed up all night just to find out what happens ar the end.

Suspended from the Met for misconduct and with no job or income, DI Robin Lyons returns to her parent’s home in Birmingham with her teenage daughter. A family friend offers her some temporary work as a private investigator, where she starts looking into the disappearance of a young woman, but she struggles with her somewhat dysfunctional family and her uncertain future. At least Corinna is up here, her much-loved best friend since schooldays. Or at least Corinna is there until she isn’t … as violence engulfs Corinna and her family and Robin’s world disintegrates further.

Robin can’t stand by and simply watch the local police investigation into what has happened to Corinna and her family, but as she follows up her own leads, the mystery deepens and she is forced to question whether she really did know the people she thought she knew inside out.

After the first few chapters that introduced quite a few characters to get your head around, the pace picked up and this proved to be a genuine edge-of-your seat thriller (lots of coffee needed today after reading until the early hours of this morning to finish it!) The characters were rounded, engaging and believable and I was left wanting to know what happened to them next – always a good sign that the author has managed to capture your imagination and empathy.

Excellent thriller. Loved it … will be looking out for more by this author.

The start of the book was a bit confusing for me as I felt like there's too many characters to keep up with, but once I got hold of who is who I really liked the story line. The relationships between the characters are interesting to read as much as the main event, I liked to see this is first in a series, would love to read the next books in line!

Detective Inspector Robin Lyons has lost her job and is up to her neck in debt so she goes back to home - Mum, Dad and brother in Birmingham. After working for the Met, life is changing and her daughter, Leanne, has to change schools and share a bunk bed with her mother.
Robin starts working for a friend, Maggie, as a benefits fraud investigator. Then, her best friend is found dead in a burnt out house, her son is critically ill in hospital and her husband missing and under suspicion.
Maggie and Robin take on an investigation involving a missing girl but is there a link to the murder of her best friend and if so, how and why. It doesn't help that the officer in charge of the investigation is an ex boyfriend.. Robin starts to investigate on her own and ends up putting her own family in danger.
This is a fast moving book with many twists and turns and i look forward to reading the next one!!

Not bad, but not great either.
Too many characters and a vagueness to the narrative meant that there was no real sense of urgency or connection.
There were some great ideas and hopefully book two in the series will be tighter and faster paced.

Loved it. Robin has returned to Birmingham, her tail between her legs, after being fired from her job as a DI in the Metropolitan Police. She and her daughter Lennie have to move in with Robin's parents - and share bunk beds too. Robin's best friend Corrine is murdered within a couple of days of her coming back, her job with Maggie goes pear shaped and life is really not treating her well.

Twists and turns abound and I find the story totally immersing.

DCI Robin Lyons is dismissed from her prestigious job in the met as homicide detective. She has no choice to move back to her childhood home with her teenage daughter Lennie. She has afraught relationship with her mother and her brother seems pleased she has been brought back a peg or two.
Her closest friend and her husband will be a support but things do not go to plan and Josh becomes the main suspect in the murder investigation of his wife Corinna.
Robin is sent a lifeline when a close family friend, who is a private investigator offers her a job investigating benefit fraud. Robin cannot bear being on the outside of the police investigation and her behaviour begins to cause problems for everyone.
There is lots going on in this story, and it’s clear Robin has not learnt from previous mistakes. She maintains an attitude that her way is the right way and is reluctant to share information.
It’s a solid plot bit I didn’t particularly engage with the main character.

This is a police procedural with a flawed main character but it is engaging and the story line keeps you hooked from the outset. This is the first book in a series about Detective Robin Lyons but at the opening of this novel she has been fired from the Met for going against the orders of her boss. She returns home to Birmingham where, as a single parent, she is forced to live with her parents with whom she has an abrasive relationship.
Her return goes downhill from the outset with the death of her best friend and following a fire at her home the disappearance of her friend’s husband and her friend’s son being admitted to hospital with life threatening injuries. She is offered a job as a private investigator for an ex-policewoman which is beneath her talents but she is forced by her circumstances to accept.
She begins her role as an investigator and also tries to solve the mystery of her friend’s murder without endangering her position. The story line keeps you guessing throughout and the relationship between mother and daughter is believable. There are a number of minor characters but they are all integral to the story. A well plotted story and I look forward to reading the sequel.

First of a new crime series that has left me wanting more.

Fast paced, realistic characters and a good storyline all made this an excellent read. I really can’t wait for more in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. How I liked the character Detective Inspector Robin Lyons. This was such a good read, started slow but built up. Would recommend to other people

A great book that will keep your attention with no issues, everything isn't always as it seems so lots going on. Plus work and family stories throughout so roll on the next one...

This book is a slow build but the more I read the more I became engaged with the characters and the story. Robin due to circumstances has to return to her home town with her daughter. Going from being in the police to a private detective. is a hard transition. Robin has relied on Corinna all her life but suddenly she is no longer in her life. Robin is left to try and work out what happened to her friend. This book certainly left me wanting more I did not feel ready to let the characters go at the end of the book. Hopefully this is the first book following Robin

Unusual thriller with lots of misdirection,good female characters and an intriguing plot.There will be more hopefully.

When you reach a certain stage in life the phrase 'going home' when it refers to your childhood home is best if it means a short and hopefully harmonious visit. The woman who used to be DCI Robin Lyons, but was now just Robin Lyons, went home with her thirteen-year-old daughter after she was dismissed from the Met. She was going home to the room which she'd had as a child: she would have the bottom bunk and Elena - Lennie to those who knew her well - would have the top bunk. The room was redolent of the time she'd shared the room with her brother Luke - and they weren't good memories.

Her mother - Christine - did her best, but she was still her mother and thought she should act as such. Her father, Dennis, was more understanding - he was ever the peacemaker. The job with MH Investigation Services at least got her out of the house. Maggie Hammond was a friend of her mother, so there was a bit of 'doing a favour' to it, but even chasing benefit fraud suspects was better than sitting in her parents' home all day and it brought some money in, albeit much less than she was used to. Then Becca was reported missing by her mother. Valerie had been to the police, but they didn't seem overly concerned as Becca was an adult. The trouble is that Michael Sams, kidnapper and murderer, and Fred and Rose West were reasonably local and thoughts tended to jump to the awful possibilities.

Oh, but this was a cracking read. I was confident that I was in safe hands by the time I was at the bottom of the first page, and by the end of the first chapter I knew that the book would have to be wrestled from my hands if I was to put it down before I found out what happened. I read it in less than twenty-four hours, delighted to find that it was the first in a new series and only disappointed that there wasn't another book in the series to pick up. Why? Well, the plot is excellent with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, but it's completely unforced. I felt as though a good friend was telling me a story - and towards the end I was urging her to tell it a little faster! It was all completely believable.

The writing is classy. Do you need to know any more about this young lady:

Cheap black trousers, slightly scuffed high heels - career-dressing on a budget.

Or on the feeling of having to return to your parents' home when you're in your thirties:

The powerlessness - the complete, stifling powerlessness.

I loved the book. It was a delight to find a new author and best of all that it was the start of a new series. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

Very good story I liked all the characters and kept you drawn in to know more, jumping to the wrong conclusion from the beginning then realising you were so wrong it was very well written and easy to follow overall I would recommend this book and look forward to reading about Robin.

Wow! I have only just stumbled upon Lucie Whitehouse but I will certainly be reading more of hers! Captivating, clever and chilling, I was on the edge of my seat throughout this story and the ending intrigued me and left me wanting anothet installment, I hope this becomes a series!