I have been a Hillary Greene fan since the moment I had the good fortune to pick up a copy of the second book in the series, what seems like years ago, but it isn't. I have read, reviewed and loved every single book in the series. I thought that the previous book was actually the last one of the series, so to find out that there was another instalment of the series in the offing was a most welcome surprise. Once I found out that 'Hillary's Back' was due for imminent release, I couldn't wait to get hold of a copy. Well ladies and gentlemen, 'Hillary's Back' was released on 14th February 2020 and it is another corker in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of 'Hillary's Back' but more about that in a bit.
What can I say about Hillary Greene? Well for a start off she is a legend. She was a Detective Inspector but she retired after a long career. The retirement didn't last that long because she soon went back to work as a civilian investigator on the cold case review team. Even though technically she isn't a police officer anymore, she is still regarded by her former colleagues as being a DI. Hillary is tough when she has to be, she is methodical, tenacious, tough, determined, stubborn, she takes no crap from anybody and she kicks bottoms as and when necessary. When this story takes place, Hillary is only working with one other former police officer and a new civilian contractor/ consultant called Gareth Proctor. Gareth was in the army but he was wounded and invalided out. Gareth is trying to carve out a new life for himself and Hillary is keeping a watchful eye over him. Hillary is a bit more vulnerable in this book because she is still grieving for her former love and boss, who sadly died of a heart attack in a previous book. You can guarantee that when Hillary receives a case, she is a bit like a dog with a bone in that she will not hesitate to investigate until every investigative avenue has been fully investigated and until her own curiosity has been satisfied.
It didn't take me long at all to get into this book. In fact I was drawn to the book by the synopsis alone and Faith's great storytelling just drew me in. To say that reading 'Hillary's Back' was addictive reading has to be the understatement of the year. I picked the book up during a boring bus journey and I became so absorbed in the story that I almost forgot which stop to get off at. I read the book over the course of a couple of days. If I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book and looking forward to getting back to reading the book. I found any excuse that I could to avoid having to put the book down for any great length of time. As a result of my addiction to this book, I finished it far quicker than I had wanted to or expected to.
'Hillary's Back' is superbly written but then I think that to be true of all of Faith's books. She certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and subtly draw you into the story. Once she has you in her grip, she won't let you go. She describes her characters so well that they seem to spring to life, leap off the page and they seem just as real as you and I. Through Faith's fabulous, vivid and realistic descriptions I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself and that I was part of the investigative team.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Hillary's Back'. I definitely recommend this book, this series and this author to other readers. I look forward to reading much more of Faith's work in the future. Here's hoping that we don't have too long to wait for her next book. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

A Great addition to the series but with a new start as Hillary is trying to come to terms with a tragedy in her past and also build a working relationship with a new member of her small team. I think the book could be read as a stand-alone as there is just enough background information.

Hillary is back, much to the delight of her legions of fans! It is more than a year on from the last story and she is very much battered and bruised but is still managing to keep her head above water. After suffering a personal tragedy Hillary needs her work with the Thames Valley Crime Review Team in Oxford more than ever. Boss Supt Rolland Sale is still in charge but gone now is retired ex-sergeant Jimmy and goth girl Wendy, replaced by Claire Woolley, an ex copper with many years experience in rape and domestic violence cases. Claire can be a both a mother to all and also a very shrewd judge of the witnesses and suspects they come across. And beginning his time working for Hillary at the start of the story is Gareth Proctor, a former soldier invalided out of the army and looking for a new challenge. I found the author dealt with his situation and the issues he was facing quite sensitively, and it was interesting as he made the change from a rigid to a more fluid way of looking at things. The team is given a cold case of murder, that of 21 year old Andrew Feeley. He was a small time drug dealer, pimp, thief and all round thug that met his maker in the local woods by a single stab wound. There were suspects a plenty at the time as he was generally disliked and feared by most people in his local village (and that included most of his family) so no one was overly upset when the crime was never solved. All the old suspects are interviewed once more and the general feeling seems to be that nobody could care less who killed him as long as he was dead, so Hillary really seems to have her work cut out this time. Especially as some people know far more than they are letting on, and seem determined to protect each other from the truth coming out. There's a good plot here with lots of clues and red herrings. The author keeps up the reader's interest right to the end with an unexpected solution to the case. What's more, someone around Hillary seems to have their own agenda on the go, and true to form with this series there is one item left hanging over ready to be explored in the next story. And I am already looking forward to that next book!! 5*

The title of the book says it all...Hilary's back. Her life has taken a new direction event though her passion for investigation is the same. I've been a Hilary fan for many years and the changes are great. She's no longer a policeman but she's still working as hard to solve crime as she ever has. It is wonderful to see her story mature as she does. This is a great book!

I was slightly sceptical about this, the 18th outing for Hillary Greene, after the end of the series was signalled so clearly in the 17th novel. But in fact I enjoyed it.

Hillary is now working as a civilian for the police, following up cold cases and living alone on her boat after the sudden death of her partner. We hear less about her hair and silk shirts (thankfully) and much of the focus is on her new team member - Gareth Proctor, an ex soldier with disabilities caused by and IED in Afghanistan as he takes up his new post and examines Hillary's way of working closely, admiring the way she analyses the evidence and skillfully interviews witnesses. We watch her from his point of view which is refreshing and stops this book feeling stale in any way. It is also interesting that the victim in the cold case is a thoroughly unpleasant young man, which brings about some exploration of who does or doesn't deserve justice.

This is another book in a series about Hillary Greene who is now a paid consultant detective , not a direct member of her former police force. She is training a rookie and solving cold cases. Even though It is a follow up of a series, it works easily as a stand alone book. The characters are well developed and likeable and the story with keep you reading. It is a mystery/police procedural but you won't get bogged down in details. It holds your interest. The cover and other reviews give adequate plot description. Not gory and not full of profanity and no sex --straight up good mystery. I enjoyed the read.
I received this book as a complimentary copy to provide an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

DI Greene #18

Hillary is still grieving after the loss of her partner. She's back solving cold cases. She has new team members. The case this is Andrew Feeley. He had been stabbed near his home in the woods. He wasnt a nice man. He was violent towards women, a car thief and a drug dealer.

I'm so happy that Hillary is back. I'm hoping as she has a new team, this is just the start and not the end. This is another gripping read by the author. There is a long list of suspects, a mixed bunch of characters and lots of red herrings. This is an engaging whodunnit.

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

Only having read a few books in this series I can’t really compare Hillary’s Back! to the others. I can say this is a good police procedural with an intelligent, insightful female lead. The thumb line plot sketch is a cold case concerning the murder of a small time drug dealer/thief/pimp, with a long line of people who are happy that he is dead. But even the despicable are entitled to justice.

The search for the murderer means verifying original statements and dredging up old memories that most would rather forget. Loss is a theme woven through the story that unites the differing characters. Loss of a son, a lover, a marriage, physical ability, careers and how we deal with and move beyond that loss, if we can. But it is also about starting over for Hilary, who is no longer an active officer and is working as a consultant on cold cases. As well, the new member of the team, Gareth Proctor, has his own tragedies to leave behind as he too starts over in a new career.

Faith Martin does a great job of drawing us in by developing interesting characters and artfully revealing an ultimately sad story about a young man’s life gone terribly wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Eighteen months after Hillary suffered a personal tragedy, she's back & is throwing herself into her work. Former soldier Gareth Proctor joins her and Clare & finds himself quickly growing to enjoy his new environment.
The first cold case he works on is the murder of Andrew Feeley. In 2012, Andrew a twenty-one-year-old was found dead in the woods near his home, killed by a single stab wound to the chest from his own knife. Andrew was a drug dealer, pimp and bully so not the most popular young man. There are plenty od suspects & it was always thought to have been drug related but Hillary’s not buying it — she knows it’s personal. And a search of the Feeleys’ garden turns up some chilling evidence.
This is the eighteenth book in the series & I was thrilled as I thought number seventeen was the finale. I do find these books addictive, whilst this wasn't my favourite it was still a very good read. There were plenty of suspects, plenty of red herrings & the dynamics of a new team. Whilst it could be read on its own I’d recommend reading from the start. I hope there are more books to come.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another great installment of a good British police procedural in series format. If you love to read these types of books, give this one a read. Not quite as detailed as some but also less gruesome but still interesting. I'd love to see this series made into a show for PBS.

The lead character lives on a longboat, is a former detective inspector and is still very, very good at her job. This book especially reminds me of the British tv show "New Tricks". The main character is a spunky female investigator running a cold case unit near Oxford, England along with several smart and dependable sidekicks (including a cast change since the last book), interesting unsolved cases, and all soldiering on despite all being underpaid and understaffed.

Hilary's Back! and I'm glad. The character of Hilary is a comfortable reminder that a professional can go through a lot personally yet still retain their professional demeanor. Although I would have liked to read more about her personal life after the trauma of the last 18 months, the introduction of the new team member Gareth made up for it.

Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Hillary’s Back, the eighteenth novel to feature former DI turned cold case Civilian Consultant Hillary Greene of the Thames Valley Police.

Hillary is back after her second retirement investigating cold cases with Gareth Proctor, a former soldier injured in action and former DS Claire. Gareth gets thrown in the deep end as they are assigned a new case,,. To investigate the murder of Andrew Feeley who was stabbed to death in 2012.

Hillary’s Back, was good, but not as good as I had expected. This might be because I’ve moved on and it’s more of the same, or it might be because it seemed to have lost the lighthearted banters. This book is mainly told from Hillary and Gareth’s points of view Hillary seems a shadow of her former self as she is grieving. She’s still has her usual sharpness, but lacks her sunny disposition.
Hillary’s Back is an pleasant read and an nice easy way to occupy yourself on a stormy afternoon.

Hillary's Back! and back with a bang in the eighteenth instalment in the series featuring former DI turned Civilian Consultant Hillary Greene. A year and a half after Hillary’s other half sadly passed she is back to working cold cases for Thames Valley Police as she feels it'll help distract her from her thoughts. Her new team is comprised of ex-DS Claire Woolley and Gareth Proctor, a former soldier who was severely injured and somewhat maimed by an IED during his service. The case they are investigating is that of twenty-one-year-old Andrew Feeley who was brutally stabbed to death during the sweltering summer of 2012. From the outset, the team know this is going to be an uphill battle as the deceased had many, many enemies from his escapades as a drug dealer as well as being a pimp. As he’s universally hated, it’s very much a case of who wouldn’t want to see this guy dead rather than who would.

I never expected another Hillary novel so I was pleasantly surprised and it was just as well crafted as the rest of this excellent series. I’d say that the best way to describe the genre would be a cross between a cosy mystery and police procedural. Each instalment can be read on its own without any issue but be warned it’s an addictive set of books that are difficult to tear yourself away from. There is drama, an endless suspect list, a great team dynamic despite them being newly formed, and plenty of misdirection/red herrings to throw you off the scent. It’s thoroughly gripping with a believable and well-developed cast of characters and a realistic plotline. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but it was steeped in melancholy and was really quite poignant. I hope we see more of Hillary but I am well aware that a series, unfortunately, cannot go on forever. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.

Hillary Green is back which is brilliant however I couldn't help feeling sad that she was back under such tragic circumstances, at the end of the last book you were left with a sense of satisfaction that Hillary finally got a happy ending and personality I didn't feel the need for her to suffer further loss and sorry in order to bring new stories to the series.
The book itself is very good, yet another gripping murder mystery that I finished over the course of two days.
The characters are fully developed and believable and you are led down many paths before the culprit is revealed.
Thank you to netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The usual high standard of writing from Faith Martin. Hillary's partner has died and she returns to work to sort out more cold cases. - murders especially. As usual returning to the case gives people a chancee to reminisce and new bits of information pop-up

Loved it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy. This review is voluntary, honest and my own review.

As usual with this author, this police procedural is very well written and with great characters. The plot and story are interesting, but not as good as in the previous book. This one will make you a little sad, but that may very well be the point.

A year and a half after a personal tragedy, former DI Hillary Greene is back working cold cases. She has lost her old team, but Claire remains, and her newbie is Gareth Proctor. He is a former soldier, discharged due to the severe injuries he received overseas. He has a few scars, one of his hands looks mangled, and he walks with a cane. But his mind is in perfect shape and Hillary looks forward to training him.

Andrew Feeley was stabbed to death in 2012 and left in the woods. Unfortunately, there are lots of suspects with motives, as Andrew was not liked much at all. Known to be a small time drug dealer, there are a lot of parents who hated him for getting their kids hooked on drugs. He was also a bully, which he picked up from the stepdad he hated. Even his own mother is suspect.

After going back over the case and talking to family and friends, she and her team feel that this killing was personal vs a drug deal gone wrong.

And then, there's what Hillary finds in the garden around his former home.

I am so delighted that Hillary has returned, although I was sad of her personal tragedy. I have read this series from the first and each one just seems to get better and better. I have really enjoyed how much Hillary has changed since her first outing. I do hope the series continues as Hillary is a terrific character. The series is well written with plots that lead to unpredictable endings.

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

Former DI Hillary Green is back in charge of the Criminal Review Team with a new team. After personal tragedy Hillary is trying to put her life back on track with the only thing she really knows her job. She is given a cold case of a young man Andrew Feeley who was stabbed to death..
I really enjoyed this book and it was nice to hear what had happened to Hillary Green after she left her job previously. Great job done by Faith Martin

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Jimmy, beset by an ongoing back problem, has retired. Now joining the team is Gareth Proctor, a former soldier who was badly injured by an IED. The team has been reduced to three by constant budget cutting that the police administration seem to keep demanding. Claire Wolley is the third person on the team. She has been “retired” from the police force at the rank of sergeant. She mostly worked in rape, sex crimes and domestic abuse.

Hillary is returning to work once more following the death of her former boss and lover. She has been away from the force for eighteen months. Yes, she still has “Puff the Tragic Wagon.” (I love the name of her little car.)

The new case is one of young Andrew Feeley who was stabbed to death by s single blow to his chest. He was a local ne'er-do well who dealt drugs and was a general terror in the neighborhood. There were many, many who might have wished him dead back in 2012.

Hillary and Gareth set about interviewing Andrew's mother who is underwhelmed about them re-investigating Andrew's murder. They also attempt to interview another neighbor who is much more crafty than her appearance would grant. Claire and Hillary go out in the afternoon to do more interviews. Hillary continues to trade off partners to get the “new man” some experience.

After numerous interviews with witnesses and suspects, Hillary has one of her “Ah ha!” moments. She plays a hunch.

This book was a welcome addition to the Hillary Greene series for I had believed that the books had ended. I truly enjoyed her return. I like this series the best of all the ones that Faith Martin writes. It is written in her usual competent style with one event following another. I liked the addition of Gareth to the team and Claire is a feisty and reliable team member. I appreciate that some things like living on her narrowboat and driving the same old car haven't changed. Yet, Hillary has changed subtly due to the many tragedies she has suffered. More please, Ms. Martin.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Well it was a surprise to find that we haven't seen the last of Hillary Greene as this bestselling series has a new addition: Hillary's Back along with Puff the tragic wagon and her beloved narrow boat: The Mollern. However, it is not actually business as usual as she has a broken heart and a new team so grab a hot drink and settle down for another intriguing investigation.

Hillary is still working cold cases solving the crimes that were unsolvable at the time Claire has slotted in well. As a retired police officer Claire is well aware of Hillary's reputation and skills in solving crimes and as a mature woman with a police background she is a good fit for the team. Gareth, however, has been invalided out of the army so not only is this his first civilian job he is also coming to terms with a life that is very far removed from his previous one. He soon buckles down and starts the long journey of adapting to a new environment and it is interesting to follow his progress over the course of the book.

The case is a strange one a drug dealer is stabbed and his attacker was never caught. As Hillary sets the wheels in motion to try to uncover anything that was missed she finds she is up against a village that have closed ranks. To make matters worse it seems nobody really cares who killed him they are just glad he is dead. Hillary is not one to give up and even when each interview uncovers less to like about the 'victim' she still has a job to do and do it she will.

A great read that will appeal to anyone who likes to get deep into the investigating and detective side of police work. I am really hoping there will be more in this series.