I liked this book and would recommend it to other readers. However, I have only given a 4 star review as the reason I have enjoyed the author's previous books is that they have seemed a little bit different, and while this is well written and has some interesting twist it is essentially another detective novel. The main character has an interesting past and a few quirks but nothing really different.

I've enjoyed Lucie Whitehouse's previous psychological thrillers, especially The Bed I Made and Before We Met, but this police procedural, the first in a series, fell flat for me. The three intertwined storylines made the plot over-complicated, and the pace is off; the first two-thirds drag, while the resolutions all seem to come too quickly. The central protagonist, Robin, failed to win me over, and I struggled to keep track of the large, undifferentiated cast. At a structural level, the scene transitions were often not clearly signalled, and flashbacks and flash forwards were inserted quite randomly, which made the writing even more difficult to follow.

Full review to come nearer publication date.

To begin with, I was a bit overwhelmed by the host of characters, but they all played a crucial part in what turned out to be a really brilliant crime drama. I hope it’s the first of many in a series - I’d love to hear more from Robin & co. A welcome return for Lucie Whitehouse - hope she doesn’t leave it so long next time!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an impartial and honest review.
Enjoyable book set in Birmingham and a decent read, which would appear to be the first in a planned series of books featuring the main character.
As others have said, I felt that there were too many family member characters and attention to detail is required to remember exactly who is who.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed it and would have no hesitation in recommending to those thatl ike this genre of book.
Look forward to the next one in the series.

A good story with an original plot, but it becomes lost in the overly described background information. Every nook and cranny of the areas of Birmingham the story passes through, every nuance of every character, and too many thoughts of the characters are described fastidiously. Some people will like this style of writing, but for me it just over complicated things and I found myself skipping huge chunks of text

Set in present-day Birmingham, ‘Critical Incidents’ is a new departure into the world of policing and private detectives for author Lucie Whitehouse. Recognised for her attention to domestic detail and convincing characterisation from her earlier novels, this detective story is no exception and that is what makes it such a compelling read.
Banished to Birmingham to live in her parents’ home after being suspended from Homicide and Major Crime Command in London, single mother DCI Robin Lyons is not the only one who is suffering. Her daughter Lennie also feels lost, having to cope with the move to a big comprehensive, so different from the all-girls independent school she has been thriving in back home.
Family friend and private investigator Maggie Hammond steps in to offer Robin a job and the couple are immediately caught up with investigating the disappearance of Rebecca, a young girl in her 20s who has mysteriously disappeared. Her mother, Valerie, and her boyfriend, Harry, are distraught and her friends at work can think of no reason for her disappearance.
On top of this comes the news that Robin’s best friend, Corinna, has died in a house fire; her son, Peter, is in intensive care and her husband, Josh, has disappeared. Robin refuses to believe that Josh is the perpetrator and does her best to make unofficial enquiries, knowing that she is breaching police protocol.
Whilst the novel is very carefully plotted, the piece of the jigsaw that pulls the two stories together is a little implausible. No matter though as the exploration of mother-daughter relationships, sibling rivalry and the meaning of ‘home’ is just as intriguing as the policing elements, if not more so. Whitehouse’s talent as creator of a wide range of credible characters is not to be underestimated. The novel concludes with a plot development that suggests that Number 2 in the Robin Lyons series has already been conceived. Looking forward to its arrival!
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK 4th Estate for an e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

A very enjoyable read. Well written with a great cast of characters playing their part in this sometimes quite complex tale. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Why do senior police officers in stories like this have to have dysfunctional personal lives? In this case,it is an important part of the plot. This is a well written book but it requires concentration. There are several plots,not all essential to the main story and there are too many people in it,many of them with relatives and abbreviated names giving opportunities for confusion. There is also too much description not relevant to the plot. Don't think it is a book to lift and lay. It requires sustained attention!

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a very developed thriller. The plot is complex and there’s lots of characters in the book. I felt however that there were too many characters which interrupted the flow.
The writing is very accomplished and I really wanted to give it 5 stars but overall for me, it’s a strong 4 stars for me.

This is the third book I have read by this author and I have enjoyed each of them.

Robin Lyons and her daughter Lennie are on there way back to Robyn's childhood home in Birmingham where Robin has a fractious relationship with her mother. Newly unemployed, after making a wrong decision at work back in London where was a Detective Inspector in the Met, Robyn has a job working with an old friend of the family's, working to unveil benefit cheats. When her best friend's house goes on fire, the police are quick to suspect the husband but Robin is not convinced and wants to use all the skills and tools she can to try and fathom out what really happened.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book.

Police detective Robin Lyons is at a low. Forced to leave the Met, she and her daughter are living with Robin’s parents in Birmingham and she’s got a dodgy private investigator job with a family friend. Soon she’s embroiled in a shocking accident involving her best friend and forced to face her past and some uncomfortable truths.
This is a great thriller: it does that too rare thing of both great plotting and characterisation. You really believe in Robin and the relationships - including the toxic ones - are so well observed.
I’m a fan of all of Whitehouse’s novels and this is her best so far.

I really enjoyed everything about this book, the premise, the characters, the story. Recommend this to people who like a police procedural mixed in with a bit of a family saga. Would definitely read more books about these people.

First in a new crime series so well written multilayered characters that drew me in from the first pages.Looking forward to next in the series . #netgalley #criticalincidents #harpercollinsuk,