I liked this book a lot, but it didn’t totally blow me away. I figured out the twist pretty early on. The writing was fast paced and it was a page turner. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a fast reading mystery/detective procedural. I wanted to like it but it wasn't my kind of book. I feel like the author was reaching too far for a sensationalized story with really distasteful situations.

The story unfolds through details that happened in the past and the present. Laurie and Robert move to Cedar Close to be close to a friend following Laurie’s involvement in an accident. It is the annual summer bbq and Laurie is braced to meet the neighbours for the first time. Not only is she suffering from PTSD but she discovers that Robert is having an affair and has fathered a child.

Fast forward to present day: Laurie and Robert have separated but he is coming to visit her this evening and she has prepared dinner for him and has high hopes. Predictably Robert is late, and Laurie over-indulges on the alcohol and falls asleep. Sometime later she wakes up in a bedroom, covered in blood and Robert is dead. She has no recollection or knowledge of what happened.

DI Riles is called in to investigate the case but is consistently thwarted by a colleague who is hell-bent on a fast conviction of Laura.

An excellent psychological thriller supported by police procedures. I did guess who the culprit was but I was a fair way through the book before I did. A very satisfactory read. Well done DI Riley.


Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

Typically, I am not one for detective novels. I don't do well with the lingo and the perspective of detectives. I've tried, truly I've tried, but I've never been gripped. But I am SO thankful I requested this, even more thankful that I was approved. I almost let myself be swayed by the stereotype of detective novels. But, pardon my thirteen-year-old-girl moment, OH MY GOD. Though this was the second with Detective Dan Riley, I feel like I didn't miss out on a thing. I loved his character. I loved that he was a lovable, cocksure, chivalrous, know-it-all. I grew incredibly attached to him. And this story line! The writing! There is so much, my heart feels so warm and over-flowy. I was riveted from the get go. I devoured it in two sittings and am going back to read the first Detective Dan Riley novel because I loved this one SO much. I highly recommend it.

I figured out the killer early in the novel, which is something I never do. I did not know the reasons behind the murder, but I had my suspicions. While this was an interesting novel, it went on too long. There were a few unnecessary side stories which took away from the plot. Additionally, I had no idea this was the second novel in the Dan Riley series. This has happened to me more than once. I wish NetGalley would make that information more prominent in their synopses.

This is a fast paced dual time line procedural featuring DI Daniel Riley. The basic plot line isn't especially innovative- Laurie wakes up covered in blood and finds her creep of a husband, from whom she is separated, dead upstairs. She's sure she didn't do it. So is Riley, who has a tragic backstory that somehow makes him more soft hearted than his colleagues. Who is the narrator of the story? You, like me, might figure this out early on but that won't make this any less entertaining of a read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A plot driven page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Weatherley introduced us to characters that loved and hated, wanted to succeed and others that we wanted brought to justice.

A tradition on Cedar Close is to have a summer barbecue hosted by a different resident each year. Laurie Mills has not been seen since they moved into this quiet neighbourhood. Dealing with a car accident, the loss of her almost full-term twins, depression, alcohol and drug dependence, she rarely if ever leaves her house. Then we add to this mix overhearing her husband talking to his mistress and finding out that they have a child together. This is more than Laurie can take.

When her husband Robert is found dead in their guest bedroom en suite, the first suspect - and only suspect in the eyes of some members of the police force - is his wife Laurie. She doesn't remember a single thing about the night before as she wakes up covered in blood. One thing she is sure of, is that she did not kill her husband. As more bodies pile turn up, thankfully Laurie has a champion on the police force that is not so quick to jump to conclusions. Sometimes our enemies are closer than we think.

Extremely gripping and suspenseful, hard to put down - just have to keep turning pages to find out what happens. Definitely deserves more than 5 stars. Looking forward to more from this author and soon.

While from the outset this book appeared to be one of the typical kinds of books I like to read, it contained content that made me uncomfortable. It was fast paced and I got through it quickly. I found the book fairly predictable though and worked out the twist early on. I enjoyed the detective aspect of the book and am likely to read other books in this series. I just didn’t like the characters in this particular one.

Laurie Mills has issues, She struggles meeting people and doesn't want to leave her home. Her husband is a cheat and a liar, sending her into a whirlwind of tragic events, that her to become the number one suspect in her husband's murder. She doesn't believe she could have killed her husband, but did she?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it. A great page turner that I devoured over a couple of days. The ending was well executed and brought the book together. I’ll read more from this author in future.

The neighbours are having a summer bbq when they meet their new neighbour Laurie Mills for the first time. When Robert (Laurie's husband) was found dead, Laurie quickly becomes the number 1 suspect. His body was found in her house but he had left Laurie for another woman with whom he had a child with. Laurie and Robert had moved to Cedar Close after Laurie had had an accident so that she could be closer to her best friend, Monica.

This is the perfect mash up of police procedural and a psychological thriller. The story jumps back and forward from the present day to the past. I easily guessed who the culprit was, the reason why I could not predict though. As the story unfolds, there are plenty of twist and turns with some surprises along the way. I like DI Riley and although this is the second book in this series, it can be read as a standalone. I was hooked from the start. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in this fast paced series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Anna-Lou Weatherley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Just Wow! Such a fantastic story sown in so many webs! I loved the kind smart detective that trusted is gut. I enjoyed the banter between detectives trying to solve an unbelievable murder. Little by little the pieces came together and really kept you on the edge of your seat, unable to stop reading. I look forward to finding more stories by this author.

The Couple on Cedar Close by Anna-Lou Weatherley is the second story in the series about Dan Riley. I haven't read Black Heart (the first story) but had no trouble following along. The Couple on Cedar Close gives the reader a mystery to follow with just enough personal information about regulars in the series. I'm looking forward to reading more about Dan Riley. I was given an early copy to review.

The Couple on Cedar Close was more procedural than psychological thriller. It's not a bad thing per se, but I prefer the later genre. The plot was easy to predict and even disclosed around halfway so there was no surprise/twist. Too many POVs and most I didn't care about, think it'd better if it was interchangeable between the DI + culprit only. I kept forgetting that the DI was <i>male</i> because it didn't feel like it. For someone who is the center of the series, DI Dan certainly didn't leave me any good impression. The case took up too much, but if author wrote about Dan and his colleagues or his romance-thing, I didn't buy it.

writing: 2/5
plot: 3/5
characterisation: 3/5
my mood reading this: 2/5

overall: 2.5/5

<i>(I received a digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)</i>

Thanks Netgalley, Booukouture, and the author for the ARC.

I really loved this book. It is a slow burner at the beginning, but soon picks momentum.
There are many surprising twists and turns which kept me hooked and entertained.
I would recommend this book.

This is my first book by this author and I didn’t realise until after I had read it that it is actually book 2 in the series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone but I will definitely read the first book in this series as I liked Dan Riley and hopefully the first book will give a bit of background into him. This book though I really enjoyed, plenty of twists and it hooked me right from the start and I couldn’t put it down. Although I guessed the murderer before the end it didn’t take the enjoyment out of the book. I would definitely recommend this book.

Laurie and Robert are beautiful couple, but when they move to Cedar Close (which I believe is a dead end street in British speak), it is evident something is off with Laurie.

The story opens with a neighborhood barbecue and Laurie finds out something that she didn't want to about her husband. The whole neighborhood is then privy to their fight and what has occurred.

Three months later, Laurie is in a grocery store planning a dinner for Robert. However, later that same day, Robert is found brutally murdered in the house. Laurie has no recollection of what happened, but she is immediately the main suspect, especially when information about their volatile relationship surfaces.

Laurie's best friend, who lives across from her, jumps into action to help her friend and we're off and thrown into a story filled with lies, deceit, affairs, psychological abuse and pathological behavior. I won't give too much away here.

The detective in the case, Riley, is a good character and I learned while reading this, this is his second appearance in a book by this author. He's definitely one of the good guys and you want him to get a win that he is so desperately due for.

My two cents:

I was very excited to read this advance copy I requested from NetGalley. I thought it sounded like it had great promise. The story was well written, fast paced and I read it very quickly. Now, there were some aspects in backstories of certain characters that unsettled me, but to each their own. Also, while this was a crime/domestic abuse story, for me (and again this is just me) there was NO mystery. I just felt that it was made very obvious what was going on very early, when it seemed like that wasn't the author's original intention.

This was an entertaining enough story and I appreciate the copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Releases January this year!

I hate to say that I did not love this one. It started strong, but soon the dialogue became stilted and it became confusing to see how everyone fit in to the story. The plot was straightforward and entertaining, and I enjoyed the twist at the end. Overall though I felt like the characters and writing needed some additional work to be believable and for the writing to flow better.

Thank you Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Anna-Lou Weatherley for this ARC.

Ooooh, I loved this book! It sucks you in right from the start, and keeps you intrigued throughout the whole story. I figured out the "surprise twist ending" halfway through the book, but that didn't stop me from being shocked at the end. That twist was definitely a shocker!

Fantastically written story, by a new favorite author. Loved it.

Another miss for me, this book just did not keep my interest. I think it had a very strong beginning and then the one of the characters refers to "More Than a Feeling" as an REO SPEEDWAGON SONG!! That is just plain wrong and is a very strange editing mistake to make.. In any event, that may have clouded my judgement on the rest of the book-I forced myself to read it. I think this would be a good book for strong mystery buffs that are not sticklers for their late 70's or early 80's Rock classics.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.