Murderous Secrets is the 6th book in this series but the first I have read. I found the mystery very interesting and I didn't guess right away the killer. I loved the setting at a rural farm turned glam yurts. We start off with a Valentine Dance in the barn with the theme being 1940's. PJ and Ava are off duty and attending this party. As they find out they are never really off duty. Everything that happens in this mystery is so well set out in front of you but not so you guess right away. This being the first book I have read in this series I did once or twice wonder about a past reference but it was not a problem. I will be reading more in this series as I enjoyed the characters. I loved the cover to the book. It caught my eye right away. Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for and ARC and the opportunity to leave an honest review.

I have been a fan of Janice's work for quite a while now. In fact I have been a fan since I had the good fortune to pick up one of the earlier books in the series featuring Detectives Neal and Merry. Since then I have read the rest of the series in order and from the beginning, whilst (im)patiently waiting for Janice to release the next book in the series. The wait is temporarily over because the latest book in the series is called 'Murderous Secrets' and it was released on 14th November 2019. It really is a cracking addition to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Murderous Secrets' but more about that in a bit.
What can I say about Detectives Merry and Neal? They are determined detectives with many years experience between them. They have a close working relationship and I get the impression that before long they will be close in other ways too if you get my drift. Neal isn't sure about having a relationship with Merry because of the implications that could have for their professional lives. They are loyal to each other and each has the other's back. They both work well as part of a team but they also work equally well on their own. I get the impression that Merry can occasionally be a bit rash and rush into situations without thinking about the potential risks. Both of the detectives are determined, tenacious, serious, driven but they are also kind, gentle, sensitive and compassionate. Will Merry and Neal and the other members of the team solve this latest case? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out because I am not going to tell you.
Oh my goodness me, 'Murderous Secrets' is one hell of a fantastic addition to the Merry & Neal series. I was completely under the book's spell from the moment I opened the front cover until the moment I read the last word on the last page. Reading this book became a serious addiction. If I had to put the book to one side for any reason, then I would use every excuse I could find to enable me to get back to the book. The book wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I didn't want to miss a single second of the story or miss some vital clue in the case. I had my suspicions as to what was going to happen and how the story was going to conclude so I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right path or if I had the wrong end of the stick. I managed to binge read the book over the course of a couple of days which is pretty good going for me. I was disappointed to finish the book because I was enjoying the author's writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
'Murderous Secrets' is superbly written but then I wouldn't expect anything else from Janice Frost. She has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Janice starts this book in such a memorable way- I honestly cannot think of any other book that starts with a 1940s nostalgia night and ends up with two dead bodies, one of which is in the back of a 1940s ambulance. Janice compels you to keep reading and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Janice uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself and another member of Detectives Neal and Merry's team.
Reading 'Murderous Secrets' was much like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. Just when you think that you can reclaim your stomach, take a breather and let your nerves settle down then off the action would go again.
In short, 'Murderous Secrets' is another fantastic book from Janice Frost. The series featuring Detectives Merry and Neal just goes from strength to strength and gets better and better. I would definitely recommend Janice and her books to other readers. I look forward to reading more of Janice's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Another complex case for A a and the team, a story of secrets, lies and manipulation with plenty of unexpected twists.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

This book is the sixth and latest in the hugely successful series featuring Detective Inspector Jim Neal and Detective Sergeant Ava Merry and the rest of the team based in Stromfordshire. While Jim is at the wedding of his best friend Jock up in Scotland, Ava and Detective Constable PJ (Polly-Jane) Jenkins go to a 1940's theme charity dance being held at Northfields Farm on Valentine's night. The farm is home to retired engineer Aubrey and wife Bea Stratford who run a glamping business at the farm, together with their grown up children Blue and Monty who also run a micro brewery. Help at the farm comes from a mysterious individual called Soren Hunter, someone who wishes to keep his past hidden. During the dance three young boys are mooching about in one of the garages and discover the body of glamper Nick Winter brutally stabbed to death and left in an old wartime ambulance. Ava is first on the scene and despite being off duty takes charge until help arrives. Ava and Sroren Hunter later discover Nick's girlfriend Samantha Benrose in their yurt having met the same grisly end. A suspect flees the tent as they arrive but no one is quick enough to catch him. Could he be the killer and what motive could there be for the slaying of the young couple miles from their home where supposedly no one knew them? Jim Neal arrives back from Edinburgh and takes up the double murder case, but despite unhappy home lives neither one of the young couple seems to have been a target for murder. Just as the team think they may have found their man, another terrible murder occurs and the case seems to turn on its head. Will Ava and Jim ever discover the truth? There were lots of secrets rooted firmly in the past coming back to haunt several of the individuals involved in the Northfields farm business of glamping lets and micro brewery, and as each one came to light the list of suspects grew longer, and the focus moved from one to another as the story progressed. I was mostly able to guess who was responsible for the killings and why, but it was still great fun to be proved right! The story is so well told that it moved along at an almost effortless pace and I could have easily read the whole thing in one sitting (sadly work and sleep get in the way!!). Although the book is part of a series, it still works absolutely fine as a standalone but I think it's nice to know the history between the main detectives and their home lives, particularly as they are such a great bunch of characters. I very much enjoyed it and am already looking forward to more in this series. 5*

Deaths At A Dance...
Book six in the Detective Ava Merry series of mysteries. When Ava attends a vintage themed barn dance she encounters a series of gruesome murders and an intriguing mystery. Engaging storyline, credible characters and plenty of secrets. Entertaining murder mystery, a quick read which holds the readers attention throughout.

Attending a 40s themed barn dance Ds Ava Merry finds a body in an old ambulance in a barn, stabbed multiple times with no apparent motive and no suspects, will this be the only death or are there more to follow

Ava and PJ go to a Barn Dance at a remote retreat. Everyone is having a great time. Ava goes outside for some fresh air and spots some lads messing about she moves closer to investigate expecting nothing more that to have to reprimand the boys for drinking or smoking. What they discover in the barn will haunt all of them for some time to come. And that is not the worst crime scene.

As the investigation begins the team are wading through treacle tying to uncover the secrets that everyone seems to be hiding but do these secrets have anything to do with the murders? That is the question everyone would like answers to.

It is an intriguing story with a lot of twists and turns and events from the past impacting on the future the team has its work cut out unravelling the lies and secrets.

This is book 6 in the 'Secrets' series but it does work very well as stand alone. The author makes a first class job of filling in the blanks without it being repetitive for the readers who have read the back list.

Jim Neal is a single parent but has had help from his sister in caring for his young son but Maggie has got married and is now on honeymoon in Australia. Handling a complex double murder while juggling parental commitments and handling the day to day chores that Maggie used to do is putting him under a lot of pressure with nobody to lean on. He is a private person but an excellent detective and a caring boss to his dedicated team.

Ava Merry is looking after her younger brother so can relate to the problems Neal is facing. She is falling for her boss which is making things complicated and struggling with her emotions while trying to work her way through the case is putting her under a lot of pressure.

As the story progresses we find several likely suspects each with their own axe to grind and I can honestly say I didn't have a clue who the murderer was until the very end.

I love Janice Frost's book but she has really hit the ball out of the park with this one. Adrenaline pumping suspense, intrigue and red herrings are all interwoven with the nitty gritty of detective work. This is one of the best books I have read for a long time and well worth the 5 stars.

It's Valentine's Day evening and DS Ava Merry attends a 40's themed barn dance. Taking a break for a bit of fresh air, she sees someone running out of the barn. Upon investigating, she finds a body in the old wartime ambulance parked there. The man's girlfriend is later found also dead in the tent in which they were staying.

Both victims were stabbed multiple times. They aren't the only bodies that will fall.

Merry and Neal have plenty of suspects ... but no outstanding motives. Who would want these people dead and why?

This is a fast paced mystery with lots of suspects to watch for. Most have secrets they want to keep out of the bright light of day. Engaging from start to finish.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Another excellent thriller from Janice Frost! DS Ava Merry goes to a barn dance at Northfields Farm and discovers two bodies. She and DI Jim Neal investigate these two murders and then another murder. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it and her other novels to anyone who loves a good crime thriller.

DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Frost #6

DA Ava Merry and DC PJ Jenkins are going to a 1940's themed barn dance that's being held at Northfields Farm. It Valentines night. Just as they start to enjoy themselves, a double murder has taken place. The young couple had been glamping near the property.

Ava and her partner DI Jim Neal are investigating the young couples deaths when another body turns up. They were all brutally murdered. When the police dig into the background of the family who run the holiday retreat, the case becomes just a little more complex. There is a few twists in this fast paced read. This is a really good police series. The book can e read as a standalone but it's always best to read a series from the beginning.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author Janice Frost for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Murderous Secrets’ by Janice Frost in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
DS Ava Merry and her colleague and friend PC Polly ‘PJ’ Jenkins are looking forward to the wartime 40’s dance being held at a farm owned by Aubrey and Bea Stratford but as they start enjoying themselves Nick Winter’s body is found brutally murdered in an old ambulance being renovated by Aubrey Stratford, and then the body of his girlfriend Samantha Benrose is discovered in a Yurt where they’re staying on the farm. Ava reports in to HQ and starts investigating with her boss DI Jim Neal. When a couple of days later another murder takes place they have to gather all the clues together and work out who the killer could be.
‘Murderous Secrets’, the sixth in the Detective Ava Merry series, is about the Stratford family and their mysterious helper Soren Hunter who all have secrets they’re keeping. It has a fast-paced and interesting plot with lots of drama and excitement and has been written in a style that flows well making it easy to read. I like how the characters interact and keep hoping Ava and Tom will get together but maybe it’ll happen in book seven. This is an enjoyable thriller with twists and turns and although towards the end I guessed the identity of the person responsible there were still surprises thrown in to throw me off the scent.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murderous Secrets, the sixth novel to feature DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry, set in the fictional Midlands town of Stromford.

Ava and her friend PJ’s evening at a 40s themed dance at Northfields Farm ends early when a body is discovered in an old ambulance stored on the property. When they investigate the yurt where the victim was staying they find another body and miss catching the killer who knocks Ava over while fleeing. A few days later another body deepens the mystery but it all seems to revolve around secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murderous Secrets which is a lively tale of murder and countless secrets. It revolves around who would want to kill Nick and Samantha, a young couple on holiday. Further investigation suggests that they have secrets, as do the inhabitants of Northfields Farm, both the family and their assistant, the enigmatic Soren Hunter. The novel is told from various points of view, mostly Ava Merry’s but fortunately not my pet hate, the perpetrator’s. This gives the reader a broader perspective of the characters, their motivations and why they are keeping secrets but crucially still allows the reader to investigate alongside the detectives. Not that it did me much good as I had a slight inkling but no definition and absolutely no idea about motive. This latter is extremely well done throughout the novel with secrets gradually unfolding but with no hint to relevance. It had me gripped from start to finish. If I have one criticism it’s that the novel is a little light on procedure. I found it frustrating that there were several steps they didn’t take but, on the other hand, it would have revealed too much too soon.

Murderous Secrets is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
DS Ava Merry is at a 1940's themed barn dance when the bodies of a young couple are found, brutally slaughtered. The couple had rented a 'glamping' tent on the property for a romantic Valentine's getaway. Ava and DI Neal are busy investigating when there's another savage murder.
I always enjoy the books in this series and this was no exception. I do wish that DI Neal would either totally forget about his feelings for Ava or do something about them, though. Enough already!
But the story is, as usual, a good one that I recommend heartily.

Janice Frost is an amazing writer. I found this story totally absorbing. A 1940s themed dance, attended by DS Avq Merry and her colleague and friend PJ, becomes the backdrop to some gruesome murders. The usual twisting and turning of both innocent and guilty keep you on edge throughout.

Loved it.

I read an advance review copy. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.