Introducing Detective Eve Hunter - it’s been a while since I read a crime book and I’m glad I picked up this one. A new release for paperback that if I you like crime fiction I think you should buy!

Uncovering the murders of others, this story links to the life and past of Eve and how it can’t really be forgotten! I really enjoyed it from the start. It definitely showed signs of a up debut novel but that didn’t deter from the writing itself.

The whole time I was reading this I was trying to piece together the clues, coming up with my own theories about who could have done what and the only thing that knocked my rating down was that I guessed it right - although there was a bit that I didn’t guess or expect!

A really good read, a great start to what will hopefully go on to be a series. I recommend for anyone interesting in police/crime books!

With thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

DI Eve Hunter is returning to work after 6 months out following an horrific attack that has left her with a permanent limp and her friend and colleague DS Nicola Sanders disabled and confined to a wheelchair.

With the guilt and anger from the previous case still unresolved, she is emotionally fragile.
Her old colleagues are wary of her and a new DC, recruited in her absence, is openly hostile.

She is immediately thrust into a new case. Perfect!

Young aspiring model Melanie Ross is found murdered and mutilated in a hotel room. Her tongue has been cut out and a newspaper cutting is pinned to her body.
Is someone sending a message?
The team have a few good leads but they quickly prove fruitless.

As the killings continue, Eve struggles to deal with the investigation and her emotions. Her team are mostly still wary and unsure of her, personally and professionally.
She struggles to overcome her doubts and assert herself to her team as she knows she must to catch this ruthless killer.

Masson has come up with a multi layered and relate-able heroine in this, the first in a new series.
I look forward to seeing how she progresses in subsequent books.

Eve is finally back at work after a horrific incident injured her and a colleague. Shes soon thrown into a case whether shes truly ready or not and it might be connected to her own incident. A killer is attacking women and removing their tongues. Can she and her team figure out the mystery before his work is done.

Wow what a ride. It's a slow beginning but really dramatic once it gets going. This is quite a dark story and it really gets to the reader as it develops. The killers identity is very clever and took me by surprise. I liked the lullaby twist and trying to figure who his victim might be. I did suss out his last victim but it was done really well. I liked the dynamics between the team. Plus the backstory with Eve develops slowly through the story adding more depth to her character. A great read.

This is a debut novel by Deborah Masson. With an injured female DI Eve Hunter who has returned to work after a lengthy absence caused by here and her partner being beaten almost to death by thugs.

The characters are believable, the writing is good, the whole book is interesting and kept my attention throughout. I look forward to more DI Eve Hunter books.

Loved it.

I read a free advance review copy courtesy of Net Galley and the publishers. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

With thanks toNetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy.

This is a first novel and a very worthy addition to the crime genre. DI Eve Hunter returns to work after a lengthy leave of absence following a serious injury, racked with guilt over a fellow officer’s involvement, and facing doubts about her judgement. She returns to reservations on the part of her colleagues, and straight into the start of a run serial murders with a unique and rather horrifying MO.

The story is as much about Eve’s coming to terms with her residual guilt over the past and her winning back the trust of her colleagues, as it is about solving the murders and catching a serial killer. Like all good serial killers, he seems to be a step ahead all the way, and Eve, like us, is misled by the obvious candidate until the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together.

The book is cleverly and tightly plotted and makes for compulsive reading. I thought Eve’s guilt was perhaps just a bit overstated, but she is undeniably a likeable, all-too-human character with much scope for development in (hopefully) future novels. A very good first novel and I’ll be looking forward to more.

Hold your tongue is the debut novel from Deborah Masson and she is of to a galloping pace and I look forward to reading more from her, introducing DI Eve Hunter, a detective who has just returned from sick leave and has to fit back into her team, not an easy job as some of them believe she caused her old partner to be left paralysed by her reckless actions, no sooner is she back, when a body is found, mutilated and missing her tongue, clues point to someone but are they correct? This turned out to be a great read where the pace never let up and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

DI Eve Hunter is already fighting her guilt and past demons. Unbeknown to her, things will soon turn for the worse. First day back at work Eve is drawn into a case involving the brutal murder of an eighteen-year-old girl. Few of her colleagues are not so happy with her return to the job. With things running against her and a serial killer on the loose, will it push DI Eve Hunter to the edge or will she come out of this mess with hope?

Chapter 1 of the book starts with Eve sitting with her police therapist, trying to navigate her way of it. There starts the backstory for Eve and a few other characters. The entire setting is intriguing. Only as the story moves forward, the reader is plunged into a deeper mystery. Each of the murders is very well described by giving the reader time and pace to understand the intricacies of the crime scene.

The killer narrates some parts, unknown to the reader, until the end. The ending comes as a perfect surprise, not the scene itself but the culprit. The book runs through a maze of unforeseen twists and turns. It will keep you on your heels throughout the book.

Other than DI Hunter, the writer introduces the reader to other characters who are part of her team. Each of the characters takes a justified amount of time. They have been given adequate space to grow throughout the book. Like, DC Mearns holds prejudices against Hunter even though she’s working for her the first time. Eve is not depicted as a hero. She’s flawed, but she has the zeal to pull through the worst and overcome her guilt.

The book has varied central theme. It ranges from abuse, guilt and prejudices based on hearsay. The author handles these topics through surreal narration. The writer uses smooth writing to project these topics to the reader.

For a debut novel, Deborah Masson is right on the spot with the writing and the narration. I’d highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Penguin Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read.

Unfortunately I thought this was just a really average crime thriller.

I've read quite a few now and this one had no stand out qualities. Everything was just very average.

It was quite dark in places. So if you like gross thrillers you might enjoy this one but saying that it definitely isn't one of the darkest books I've ever read.

The writing was okay, the characters were okay but again nothing special.

I liked how we got to know DI Eve Hunter and her backstory. But it didn't really stand out compared to other DI books I've read nor did I really connect with her as a character.

If this is one of your first crime thrillers you've ever read you might enjoy it more than me. Unfortunately I felt like it fell into a lot of crime thriller tropes and is pretty forgettable.

TW: body mutilation, graphic descriptions of murder

A strong debut, Masson has given us a dark, compelling and intense crime drama. With perspectives of a killer with severe mental health issues and a DI who is struggling after a traumatic event that left her injured and her partner paralysed.

I think for a first book and introduction to Eve Hunter series is was great!
Everyone struggling with their own personal problems, an imperfect DI, a crazed killer.
One thing I struggled with was I couldn’t get quite invested in to Eve’s character but I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.

A stunning debut from Deborah Masson. "Hold Your Tongue" is the first in what I hope will be a long series of novels featuring DI Eve Hunter and her team. It's a nail-biting read till the bitter end. Thrilling plot, solid police procedural and an interesting back story. The Scottish setting is the icing on the cake for me. Loved it.

Hold your tongue? At times I was holding my breath. I hope this is the start of a series - I will be looking out for more on DI Eve Hunter. Set in Aberdeen, where I've spent some time in recent years,I like to envisage some of the areas in the book. The book is very cleverly put together - I felt as if I was led down several blind alleys. Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, something else happened to show that wasn't the case. I truly didn't see it coming. Some horrific crimes, a great backstory and some all too human police officers. One of the best crime reads this year. #holdyourtongue #netgalley

What an epic debut novel Hold Your Tongue is. That opening chapter is enough to make you squirm, and at every attack scene that was described in vivid detail, I squirmed and held my breath some more. What a vicious and cruel act to hack at someone's tongue. Stomach churning. But why did the serial killer do this to their victims? Well obviously I'm not going to tell you that nugget of information. Get the book and find out.

In this book we are introduced to DI Eve Hunter. Now I'll be honest when I started reading this story and as I got more into it, I did wonder if in fact I had missed out on a book somewhere. Hunter has a backstory that is referred to a lot. A previous case that went a little bit wrong. And, I'll be honest I was getting a bit confused and annoyed as to why on earth we were having to read about something that isn't in another book. But, then it dawned on me. This was to build the character of Hunter and her colleagues, it was also crucial to see how they all worked together and it gave us a basis for a clearer image of our lead character, rather than little titbits here and there.

This story is edge of your seat stuff and the evidence and clues are dropped to us at just the right times to keep us hooked. Even when I was rolling my eyes at the mistakes the police were doing, this showed how clever the author was in her writing ability because whilst I was thinking what on earth are they playing at? The author throws a curve ball here and there that slots the puzzle into place.

A cracking debut novel and I hope we get to see a lot more of DI Eve Hunter in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my gifted e-arc copy in exchange of an honest review.

I loved this. A true police procedural to start with, then the gruesome crimes kick in and we have an excellent whodunit. I didn't guess the murderer and was pleasantly surprised by this fact, when I found out who it was. I loved the tendon between the force and the returning main character. I loved the plot and it was written very well. Overall a great read, and I would recommend.

DI Eve Hunter returns to work after six months recovering from injuries sustained during her last case, A case that left her colleague paralysed. She is not exactly welcomed back with open arms! Some people blame her for what happened & the one replacing her injured colleague seems to have already judged her & found her wanting. However before she can even settle behind her desk a call comes in. A young woman has been discovered in a hotel. She is dead, her tongue has been cut out & a newspaper has been left with her body.

As the body count rises, Eve has to prove to herself as well as her team that she is up for the job before too many people have died.

The fact this was set in Aberdeen was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book as I always like books where I have some familiarity with the area. However it didn't great impact on the story- although I'm glad it made me choose it in the first place. It was a great read & I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Well, Hold Your Tongue had me captivated all the way through! Without giving anything away, I thought the murderer was someone else, not any of the suspects in the story and was desperate to find out if I was right. I certainly wouldn't make it in the police force!

This starts of as your typical police procedural, in line with Angela Masons and M.J. Arlidge; a strong, lonely female lead detective. I must admit, I struggled at first because it was so like so many I've read previously and I was finding it a bit samey; however the ending soon knocked that right out of the water. I'm so glad I persisted as at 80% I was starting to flag. I didn't see the ending coming at all, which after reading so many crime novels is a massive plus for me. The crimes are gruesome, the characters are interesting and the conclusion is brilliant; A strong first novel, Deborah Masson is one to watch.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House UK.

DI Eve Hunter #1

This book is set in Aberdeen, Scotland. The body of a young woman has been discovered in a hotel room. There is a newspaper clipping pinned to her clothing. But the body count is rising and DI Eve Hunter and her team are called into investigate these gruesome crimes. Eve has just returned back to work after eing on sick leave for six months.

I really don't know why I told you that this book was set in Aberdeen as there no Scottish dialogue at all. It could really have been set anywhere. The story starts off slow but it not long before the pace picks up. The investigation is complex. Eves background is revealed to us slowly. I did not .like Eve to start with but I warmed to her. The characters are well rounded and likeable, there insecurities just made them more realistic. There is hidden clues and red herrings all over the place. The backstory between Eve and Sanders, her partner who got life changing injuries in there last case made good reading. The descriptions of the scenery in Aberdeen sound beautiful. A wonderful debut novel and the first book in a new series. I can't wait to see what happens next to Eve and her colleagues.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author Deborah Masson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A most enjoyable crime story. I kept changing my view on who the killer might be. Although I had my suspicions on who it was I had to wait until near the end of the book to have it confirmed. Well writen. A good basis for follow-on books with Eve as the main character. Would I buy the book, the answer is yes I would.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers/Corgi for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Hold Your Tongue’ by Deborah Masson in exchange for an honest review. It was published in ebook in November with its paperback and audiobook editions out on Boxing Day. I have purchased the ebook.

This is the first in a new series of dark and gritty police procedurals set in Aberdeen featuring DI Eve Hunter. As the novel opens DI Hunter has just returned to duty following an incident on the job that left her injured. Her partner was left in worse condition.

Hunter has a lot to prove to regain the trust of her unit. The first case on her return sees the discovery of a young woman’s body with horrifying injuries and a newspaper clipping pinned to her clothing. It quickly becomes clear that this is the work of a serial killer.

Although the main narrative focuses on Hunter and members of her team, we get occasional chapters from the killer’s perspective that tease as to their identity.

I will leave it to your imagination as to the meaning of the title though will say it’s a pretty gruesome aspect of the serial killer signature.

This was quite a slow burn though I appreciate that in a police procedural as it gives a sense of the processes involved in the investigation and the dynamics between the characters.

Certainly recommended for those who enjoy Tartan Noir. It’s an impressive debut and I look forward to Deborah Masson’s next book.

This is what I call a slow burner and a very creditable debut from this new British author. It did take me a while to get into it and to get used to the writing style but once I did, I was hooked.

DI Eve Hunter is returning to work under a cloud after being injured in the line of duty which saw her colleague paralysed. She walks into the gruesome murder of a young woman and so begins the hunt for a brutal killer by her and her team and so begins this dark, gruesome and gritty police procedural set in the Scottish city of Aberdeen.

Mainly written from Eve's perspective interspersed with sections from members of her team and those of the killer, this gave insight from all the important characters in this book. The characters are well developed and believable with the relationships between Eve and the wider team excellently portrayed however, and this is my main criticism of this book, it took an awfully long time to get to the bottom of what happened with Eve and her colleague; you get snippets of the story here and there but, for me, this ended up annoying me slightly as I just wanted to know! In my humble opinion, this should have been explained close to the beginning of the book (maybe in a prologue?) so that the actions and reactions of Eve and her fellow officers would have been better understood.

I must applaud the author for keeping the identity of the killer well hidden amongst several red herrings; I changed my mind about who the person was a couple of times and was still caught out when the reveal happened ... excellent twist.

Overall, although I did find the first half of the book a little slow, the second made up for it and I am very much looking forward to what I hope are more outings for DI Hunter and her team.

My thanks go to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.