With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
The main character is an ex DCI now Dr. Love who inherits her uncle’s pub, The Loggerheads. The storyline flows between the 1970’s and 2017 and at times it is brutal and other times there is a dark humour flowing through. Set in Nottingham, the characters are all flawed and Sian Love has so many trust issues that her long suffering partner, Kris has to wonder why he bothers with his relationship with her.
It was an intense drama and I would like to read more stories with Dr Sian Love as the main character, she is tough, feisty and flawed.
Highly recommended.

When I read the synopsis for Dead Flowers I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it since it’s lacking information. Thankfully I requested it anyway and I’m really glad I did!
A gritty crime thriller flicking back between 1970 and 2017 when two dead bodies are found in a pub cellar, it’s dark, shocking and best of all it’s a bloody good book!
I absolutely loved Dead Flowers and highly recommend it.

Although I am not familiar with the author, I am a huge fan of British crime thrillers, and I always gravitate in their general direction. I'm not sure what it is but British crime thrillers and/or mysteries are just so much better and hugely intriguing. Maybe it's the setting, the history, the characters - I don't know. But if it's British, chances are I'm going to read it!

So without knowing anything about or by the author I wasn't sure what to expect when beginning DEAD FLOWERS...but what I got was a riveting thriller that had me captivated throughout. The concept, the narrative, the plot - it was all very cleverly layered with dark secrets and timely twists to make this a wonderfully gripping read.

The idea of the central character being a DNA analyst is a novel concept, though I'm not sure when she trained up in that area since she was a police officer prior, rising to the rank of DCI. That part was a little bit vague, but a minor aside. However, the over descriptive narrative involving the DNA testing, I must say had me thoroughly confused as it was way too scientific for my right-brain. I felt that much of that process could have been eliminated without confusing the reader or sending them to sleep in those couple of chapters with maybe just a slight reference to the procedure instead of the in-depth approach.

DEAD FLOWERS opens directly in 1967 Nottingham. The setting - the Loggerheads pub (love the name!). Here, we meet some interesting characters who will go on to be the cornerstone of the story that is yet to come as we the scene is masterfully set. There's Harry MacKenzie (Mac), a Scot who has dreams of being bigger than The Beatles but somewhat of a big mouth; his best mate, Bobby Q, an almost silent partner; Angela, who is seeking an escape from an abusive marriage and has the voice of an angel; Marilyn, Angela's sister who may not have the voice but certainly has the looks; and big Pat Walsh, who "wasn't a man you talked about". Harry also had dreams of owning the Loggerheads and set about buying it from Big Pat where he, Bobby and the two sisters set themselves up in a band called Midnight Roses, playing both covers and originals, hoping that one day they would be famous.

Fast forward fifty years and it's 2017. Sian Love, ex-DCI now doctor specialising in DNA analysis, has recently inherited her uncle's old pub - the former Loggerheads - surprising both her and her family. She was quite fond of her uncle and he would often regale her with his tales - one about his wife that she was never quite sure was truth or fiction. Because for as long as she'd known him he had never been married. And the story often changed so she wasn't sure what to believe.

Now she is moving into Loggerheads (as she still refers to it) with her German shepherd Elvis, an ex-cadaver dog, when she makes a gruesome discovery. The skeletal remains of two bodies, one partially mummified, secreted behind a door that has been plastered over in the cellar, injuring herself in the process. As an ex-copper familiar with the corruption in the local nick, she doesn't trust the police and is reluctant to get them involved but her Idris Elba-lookalike boyfriend Kris, who is also a DI, insists on doing so and calls it in.

But before they arrive, sporting her broken ankle complete with cast, Sian sneaks into the cellar to seize a tissue sample from the mummified remains to run her own tests. She's not sure what it will reveal but she doesn't trust the police to conduct a thorough investigation. She is even less confident in their ability to cast a wider net which would then inevitably result in the blame being placed on her uncle Rob for the murders, of which she is convinced of his innocence.

When she discovers that Detective Superintendent Dominic Wilkinson is the acting SIO on the case, she is less than happy. She's worked with Walker; she knows his style. Suspecting he is in the pocket of many a criminal, Walker is corrupt and she detests him. So when her Family Liaison Officer is revealed to be a Detective Inspector, Sian grows even more suspicious knowing full well that it is outside the remit of a DI to act as an FLO.

Sian doesn't know who she can trust. She barely trusts herself and struggles to do so with Kris and she knows she can't trust the police to do their job! So it's left to her to run the tissue sample she obtained to see what answers they may reveal. But is she prepared for the truth of those answers?

More than once Sian finds herself in danger as she is followed late at night, fearing for her life, in a case that turns out to be personal, uncovering the long buried family secrets and tragedy of the past. The deeper she digs, the more questions she finds. Just who was buried in that cellar? And why?

DEAD FLOWERS is a cleverly written multi-layered mystery that is atmospheric throughout. As the story unravels between the past and the present, there is something of a dark edge laced with menace which just exudes the right amount of suspense and tension.

The musical references in the chapter titles were a nice touch as a sign of the times - late sixties and early seventies - but in some aspects I didn't feel they reflected the content they titled. I won't give an example as that would just create a spoiler. But it was still a fitting nod to the past.

I cannot say I liked Sian a whole lot, especially to begin with. I found her a little closed off, detached, stubborn and somewhat unlikable at first. I know she has trust issues and I get that. But she did grow on me so she wasn't all bad. Elvis, however, was a star! (Thank you, Nicola Monaghan, for NOT hurting him!) Truly, he is...playing a key role!

I love the dual timeline feature, as it brings both stories together in a penultimate climax at the end. But just when you think you have it all figured out, there's another twist or two thrown our way, leaving readers gobsmacked.

I'm not sure where the reference to DEAD FLOWERS comes from; it's not from any song I know. I guess it could be kind of fitting "flowers" for the "dead"...maybe?

In any case, DEAD FLOWERS is a riveting thriller that weaves both the past and present together in a tapestry like no other, revealing the picture in its entirety with a final twist.

Recommended for those who love their crime fiction dark and thrilling, DEAD FLOWERS is a gripping read.

I would like to thank #NicolaMonaghan, #NetGalley#Verve for an ARC of #DeadFlowers in exchange for an honest review.

My favourite book of 2019!!

I devoid this book I honestly couldn't put it down, it had me gripped until the end, an easy five stars.

Dr Sian Love a DNA analysis (former DCI) uncovers human remains in the cellar of her Uncles pub which she has recently inherited, which has her asking questions how well did she really know her Uncle or her family come to that??

Not trusting of her former 'corrupt' colleagues she decides to take matters into her own hands by starting her own investigation, never imagining the secrets and truths she would unearth along the way.

Set in Nottingham the chapters switch between the past '1967' and the present '2017' with countless twists and turns along the way, great central characters (especially Elvis) a fast paced whodunit crime mystery.

A new favourite author for me!!

I think this is probably one of the best crime novels I’ve read this year. The central character is ex DCI now Dr Sian Love who inherits an old pub The Loggerheads in Nottingham from her uncle Rob. She makes a grizzly discovery there and what follows is a twisty, rollercoaster of a read as Sian tries to establish the truth about what she’s found and about herself. The storyline goes backwards and forwards fluidly from October 1967 to 2017 at no point did the different time frames feel anything other than organic. It is an extremely well written gritty book with the occasional flash of dry or black humour which I appreciate. I love that every chapter from the earlier period has an appropriate song title!

The characters from the earlier period are really interesting and well crafted. Harry seems charming initially but he’s determined and ruthless and will get what he wants by any means necessary. Bobby Q is much more likeable although he seems malleable and lurking darkly in the background is the menacing presence of Pat Walsh. The female characters of Angela and Marilyn are good and products of their time. From 2017, I really like the principal character of Sian and hope that she appears in future books. She’s feisty, dogged, brave and still haunted by her past but trying hard to trust again, in particular her Idris Elba lookalike partner Kris. The police characters are also good although you are not sure whether you can trust them. The dog Elvis is fabulous and he plays a key role.

I love the setting, the old pub is a great backdrop as is the town where I was born, in ‘bread and lard island’ otherwise known as West Bridgford! I was transported back to Nottinum, with the ‘ey ooop me duck’ and ‘yer bogger’ and at one point when Forest are mentioned I was back on the terraces cheering my team on heartily - we were successful then!!!! . The historical setting is fabulous and the author captures that so well. At times we feel tangible tension, then menace, then the confusion that Sian must feel as her life turns upside down. On a couple of occasions I think my jaw might have dropped as the climax of the book approaches and I like a book where you don’t see an end coming and the surprises keep on coming. This is so well written I couldn’t put it down and definitely want to read more by Nicola Monaghan.

Dead Flowers by Nicola Monaghan was such an intriguing read. Steeped in family secrets, this is a book that will keep you on your toes.

We are introduced to forensic scientist, Dr Sian Love who has just inherited a property, an old pub from her uncle once known as The Loggerheads in Newark. But within a short time after moving into her new home, Sian makes an unsettling discovery in the basement. Two skeletal remains have been abandoned there many years before. But after Sian and her partner, Kris reports the grisly find to the police, Sian finds that she can’t trust them. She sets out trying to identify the remains herself. This is despite Sian being an ex-police officer herself. Why doesn’t Sian trust her former colleagues? What discovery is she afraid they will make before she has a chance to find out the truth herself.

Finding the remains of two decaying human bodies is certainly not the welcome you would want when you move into your new home. I think if this ever happens to me, I would want to sell the place and move on. I couldn’t bear the thought of something dreadful that may once have occured there. I had a feeling right from the opening pages that Sian was going to uncover something very dark in her family history. But I couldn’t work out why she wanted to go about finding answers herself, rather than leave it to the police to deal with. Why would she want to risk her reputation and potentially do something illegal and especially Kris’s reputation as well, who is still a police officer? This is what gave the book an edgy feel as I wanted to see if there was any chance that Sian would be able to crack the case herself. Was she doing this to try and protect someone?

Both timelines which Nicola explores here are fascinating. Nicola takes us back to 1971 when The Loggerheads was a vibrant, busy pub at the heart of the local community. There were some very edgy characters in these scenes. They kept me on my toes as I waited to see how events between them were going to unfold. I knew something drastic was going to happen, and I wanted to see who was going to cause it and who would end up being the victim. Would any of them turn out to be the remains discovered many years later?

From the opening page, I wanted to see what dark secrets were going to be uncovered and what sort of an impact this would end up having on Sian. The edginess is there right from the start as Sian gets closer and closer to the truth, and ultimately she puts herself in grave danger. I wanted to see just how she was going to get out of this. Dark and suspenseful Dead Flowers is a very gripping read. I would definitely recommend it.

Nicola Monaghan's Dead Flowers is a marvellous crime novel, revolving around a cold case that goes back 40 years in the past, with a narrative that goes back and forth in time. Set in Nottingham, Dr Sian Love is 46 years old, a DNA analyst, once a high flying DCI on the murder squad, having quit after being disillusioned about the corruption, sexism and racism in the police. Sian has inherited the Loggerheads pub from her Uncle Rob, and is moving in with her ex-police alsation, Elvis, a cadaver dog. Elvis is instrumental in Sian's macabre discovery of two dead bodies in the cellar, getting injured in the process. She is reluctant to get the police involved but her partner, DI Kris Payne calls it in, triggering an intense media focus, and with the police crawling everywhere, Sian is forced to leave her new home.

Sian is reluctant to leave the case solely in police hands, she knows from personal experience that she cannot rely on them to conduct a competent and thorough inquiry, and she doesn't want to see her Uncle Rob carrying the can for the murders, even if he is dead, utterly convinced of his innocence. She is less than happy to see the detested corrupt Detective Superintendent Dominic Wilkinson lead the police case, and concerned over the involvement of DI Jon Breen, as the family liasion officer, a man she does not trust. However, Sian barely trusts herself and has issues trusting anyone, including Kris, responsible for dealing with her troublesome ex-boyfriend, Gary Bolton, a man she is still afraid of. The case goes back in time to the chaotic times in the Loggerheads pub history, to Angela's abusive marriage, the development of her relationship with Harry Kenzie, and her sister, Marilyn's with Bobby O'Quaid, the bartender. Harry has dreams of owning Loggerheads, for which he needs the support of the enigmatic Pat Walsh, with high hopes for his band, Midnight Roses, being bigger than The Beatles.

Sian finds herself in danger in a case that is personal, that uncovers long buried family secrets and tragedy. Monaghan writes a twisted, multilayered and well plotted atmospheric story, with a terrific central protagonist in the flawed and emotionally damaged Sian Love. Many of the chapters are songtitles, the novel is character driven, laced with dark edgy violence and menace, with plenty of suspense and tension. The historical parts of the novel captures the social expectations and attitudes towards women of the late sixties and early seventies. A great crime read that I adored and which I recommend to crime fiction fans. Many thanks to Verve and Oldcastle Books for an ARC.

This is book 3 to feature undercover detective Caelan Small and it is fast becoming a very good series. Caelan goes under cover with a vicious drug dealer whose sister goes missing, when she uncovers human trafficking. As she is drawn into the search for the missing girl, she discovers that someone is leaking information and her life is in danger. Very good character development, fast paced and plenty tension make this another excellent read from the author. I would recommend this series of books. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This is an interesting read. A proper whodunit, loads is suspects and more twists and turns than a very twisty corkscrew. Full of humour and loved the central characters. I read this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page at 1.am. A very happy reader. I have found another new author and I will definitely be looking out for more of this authors work. An easy four stars and recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Verve Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

LOVED this

well written, gripping and compelling - I couldn't put this down - I didn't see the end coming !

A great summer read

A gripping read with interesting and likeable characters
The book was well written and flowed well.
I couldn’t put it down. A great book

Well what can I say. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Right from the beginning to the very last page. It was written very well and the amount of twists and turns was unbelievable. It’s a definite who dunnit book. I hope there is more to come from this author as she has a new fan.

I really enjoyed this. It was a gripping read with interesting and realistic characters. It was also really well written and the book flowed really well. I couldn't put it down until I got to the end hopefully there will be more to come.

I loved the 1967 opening chapter of this book. It had humour, darkness and interesting characters - good start. From this point we come right up to date (2017) and meet Sian Love, ex DCI and now a Doctor specialising in DNA analysis. She is moving into her uncle's old pub (which features in the opening chapter). It was left to her in his will which surprised the family. The setting (and some of the language) is Nottingham which gave it a Northern bite which I liked. Many of the chapters are musical references which looked interesting.

The book continues with parts set in the 1970s and the rest with Sian in 2017. Almost the first things she discovers about her uncle's pub is that there are bodies in the cellar. She doesn't trust the police any more and it is just possible that this concerns her family. If she investigates will that cause problems with the police and just what might she find out?

I found the atmosphere authentic in both the eras covered by this story. The dialogue felt well crafted and is colloquial at times. The characters in this were definitely good enough. Sian herself was excellent and I found her convincing. More minor characters were good too and I did like the character of Big Pat (Walsh). The first thing people said about him was he "wasn't a man you talked about".... Nice!

For me this book started well and generally got steadily better. I was increasingly drawn into this tale of death in the 70s and life in the present day. This is one of those slightly unusual books where I can honestly say I liked the ending and hadn't seen some of it coming. If I have a minor quibble the musical references in the chapters didn't seem to lead anywhere particular. There is a group involved in the early part of the story but this device didn't go anywhere interesting to me.

I would certainly recommend this to people who want a good UK crime read. It's not quite in the league of Joseph Knox or AA Dhand but it does get close for me. This is not quite so dark nor as violent (quite) as their books but that is no bad thing. Definitely 4.5/5 and I really would like to read another book with Sian as the central character - I hope there is one.

Former DCI Sian Love finds human remains in the basement of a property she inherited from her uncle. But she doesn't trust the police...

Dr Sian Love inherits an old pub but on moving in discovers a grisly secret.  She doesn't want the police involved, for good reason, she used to be one and knows how corrupt they can be.  Was her relative responsible for murder? Is there more to the discovery?

This book is fast paced, it switches between 1967 the time of the murders to 2017. There are some really enjoyable characters and some you can't help but dislike, plus the dog you will grow to love. It delves into Sians relationships with her family, partner and the police as she seeks to find an answer tho who the victims are and who killed them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was a great mystery with a twist! For anyone looking for something that won't take long to read but provides a great storyline this is for you!

When ex police officer Sian inherits her uncles old pub , 2 mummiged corpses are not what she expects to find in the cellar. As she delves into who they are she realises that she didnt really know her uncle at all...

Absolutely loved this book and the Nottingham setting made it even better

Interesting read. I like that the main character is slightly flawed, makes her different from other books I have read. Good storyline as she unpacks what she has discovered. Look forward to a follow on

Really enjoyed this novel. The writing flowed and the characters were depicted very well. Couldn't wait to find out what happens next.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was a bit more procedure-ly than I had expected and that's not normally my favorite, but this book was so well-written and clever, and full of heart, I enjoyed every bit of it. I can't wait to read more in this series and from this writer.