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.

After her second retirement Hillary is back investigating cold cases with “new boy” Gareth Proctor and former DS Claire Woolley. It is a baptism of fire for Gareth as they have been assigned a new case, Andrew Feeley who was stabbed to death in 2012.

I enjoyed Hillary’s Back but not as much as I expected to, maybe because I’ve moved on and it’s more of the same or because it doesn’t seem as lighthearted as the previous offerings. Andrew Feeley was killed in the woods beside his village home by a single stab wound which means there are no forensics, CCTV or any of the usual science to help them and they will have to rely on Hillary’s forte, interviewing. The solution and how she arrives at it are ingenious but the journey to that point seems repetitive and is easy to put down. Yes, we get it, Andrew Feeley was not a pleasant young man and his entrepreneurial skills were all illegal.

The novel is mostly told from Hillary and Gareth’s points of view with the odd paragraph from other characters, mostly designed to arouse suspicion in the reader. I think they work but I had an inkling from the start of who it was but not why. Hillary is a bit of a shadow of her former self as she is grieving. She’s still as sharp as a tack but not as sunny. Gareth Proctor is a disabled ex-serviceman who is struggling with his disabilities and low self esteem. I like the way he is drawn.

Hillary’s Back is an acceptable read and an easy way to pass a few hours.

Turns out that I've only read the first DI Hillary Greene book (Murder on the Oxford Canal originally pub 2004). This is the very newest being published in 2020 and I am amazed at what I've missed!
Now Hillary is a civilian consultant (no longer sworn staff) following an impeccable career with a truly impressive solution record and the mind crushing grief known to those of us who have weathered sudden widowhood. Her immediate coworkers are also civilians: Claire is a twenty year veteran of the force now a civilian due to budget cuts and Gareth who had his further army expectations ended at thirty five by an IED but is more than capable of doing the due diligence and investigative work. Now the team is responsible for investigation of cold cases sent down to them in spite of the budget issues familiar to law enforcement worldwide. This case involves a victim who was not only a drug dealer in a somewhat upscale village, but a rather nasty person as well. Good story that only goes to show that it all takes due diligence and a spark of something extra to solve homicides.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
(Now I just have to read a few more in series)

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Poor Hillary - still on her canal boat, her love life having taken (another) tragic turn. Unless my memory has failed me, she has two new people working for her, so I assume the series will be continuing. This was very readable, as they always are, although the prevailing mood was a bit downbeat and depressing. Reliable.

Why o why... did Faith Martin had to write a new book with Hillary in the leading role and then start it like this? I'm a big fan of this series and this newest book doesn't disappointed as such, but I hoped Faith Martin's fantasy would reach further than this...
I don't want to write a review full of spoilers so I'll just say that I hope this second series with Hillary will be as successfull as the first. I will just have to live with certain disappointments.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

18 months after leaving the force Hillary Greene has returned as a civilian consultant in the crime review team looking into old unsolved cases

A complete turnaround as she no longer as her old team and is working alongside another ex officer and a former soldier

Enjoyed the new relationships she forms with her colleagues and how she gets her teeth into cases just as before and she proves that she still has the magic touch to solve the cases she is dealt with

Hilary's Back! So happy to see the return of Hilary Greene back in her role of police consultant on cold cases. She seems to have some major changes in her personal life, as well as at work. And as ususal, there is a gripping mystery to solve.

Five stars, Hillary is back with a new team of civilian consultants - herself, Claire another ex detective and ex military intelligence officer Gareth. Hillary is coming to terms with the loss of her partner and Gareth to civilian life after having been invalided out with severe physical and mental disabilities from an IED attack in Afghanistan. Whilst he finds Hillary's inclusive and discussive means of management very different from the familiar military hierarchy he learns quickly and, by the end of the book,has become a valuable team member. Their cold case this time is the murder, by stabbing, of an unliked and unlikeable young drug dealer and pimp but murder is murder and Hillary soon starts to round up family members and friends for a series of new interviews. The team of three scour records, old paperwork, red herrings to bring the case to a satisfying, if rather quick, conclusion - but I read the whole thing quite quickly as you do get engrossed with Ms Martin's stories I find. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffee Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

As usual Faith Martin has given us another mystery/who dun it of the highest standard, her heroine Hillary Greene proves that she is a modern day Sherlock Holmes seeing the obvious that we mere mortals miss. A pleasure to read and can’t wait for the next book in the series

Another excellent mystery by Faith Martin and back is Hilary Greene, a retired DI, back as a civilian consultant, chasing a cold murder case of Andrew Feeley who was a drug dealer, pimp and thief , with a former soldier Gareth Proctor joining her team.

The Instincts Of Hillary.....
Hillary’s Back!..... now as a civilian consultant on cold cases. Just when we thought that Hillary Greene was no more we are treated to another instalment in this long running detective series from Faith Martin. When the team open a cold case which appears straightforward Hillary instinctively knows that it should not be taken at face value. As enjoyable as ever, solid characterisation with an engrossing plot - satisfying reading.

I don't think I was the only one sad when it seemed that Faith Martin's series featuring Hillary Greene had come to an end. Image my delight while perusing books on NetGalley to discover that Hillary was back, in the aptly titled Hillary's Back! As someone who has read all of the prior books, I know that Hillary has gone through a lot, both personally and professionally. Many of my favorite characters have said goodbye, but Hillary has gone on and managed to solve each new case. Honestly, at first, I was gutted by some of what has happened in Hillary's life, however, once I started reading her newest cold case, I was once again hooked.
This time, Andrew Feeley's murder is the unsolved case that Hillary and her rather small team are trying to solve. It seemed no one liked the victim, and the list of potential suspects is quite long. Of course, Hillary has always been able to read between the lines and no spoilers, but she hasn't lost her abilities.
Another engaging whodunnit and why! I certainly wouldn't mind if Hillary was back for good!

Hillary is back at work after an 18 month leave. She is now a civilian employee working on cold cases. She is assigned a new member of the team, Gareth Proctor, an ex army man who has been in hospital and rehab for a long time from injuries on his left side from shrapnel. Also working with her is Clair Woolley.

The case they are assigned is the killing of Andrew Feeley, who was knifed in the woods. Almost everyone disliked him - he was a bully who sold drugs and women. There was no forensic information. Hillary and one of her staff redid the old interviews, but no one seemed to be ready to divulge any new facts. However, Hillary gradually began to get inklings of what really happened. She finally asks Rollo Sale, her boss, to get permission to dig in the Feeley's garden, and finds some evidence. Suspects are brought to be interviewed, and after some excitement, the case is solved.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Readers of the long-running Detective Hillary Greene might have felt as I did, that we might have seen the end of Hillary Greene. Well, as the cover and the title clearly state, she's back!

It is now eighteen months later, and Hillary is hard at work after suffering a devastating personal tragedy. Finding a good, but difficult, cold case in her role as civilian consultant in the Crime Review Team just might be enough of a distraction for now.

Her team has shrunk. She has a new boss, and the other members of her old team are no longer there. She is now working with Claire, another former detective, and a new guy, former solder Gareth Proctor. Unlike Hillary and Claire, police work is new to Gareth. He has suffered scarring wounds while in the military, but is hoping this new job will work for him.

Hillary is handed the cold case of the murder of Andrew Feeley. Andrew was a drug dealer, a pimp and a violent man - although only twenty-one years old at the time of his death. His body was found in the woods, dead from a stab wound to the chest. Hillary and her team know that finding his killer will not be easy as he was not well-liked.

Nonetheless, they go forward, and start interviewing people, including his mother, ex-girlfriend and others. Before long, Hillary realizes that just about everyone that they interviewed had a reason to kill Andrew, and thus the suspect list is long. Hillary, however, can read between the lines as no one else can. It is always said of Hillary that she had a solve rate of second to none. So, despite the fact that just about anyone interviewed could be the killer, Hillary's sixth sense is quite sharp.

I loved this book by Faith Martin for more than one reason. For one thing, Hillary's Back! That is plenty enough for me as I was able to read several prior books in this series and I just love the intrepid detective. Also, the book is fast-moving, with good background information - on Hillary and her team - but also on the suspects in Andrews death. I love Faith Martin and enjoy every book that I read from her, and this book definitely ranks high on my list. I truly hope that this is a new wave for Hillary and that she will be back yet again.

Many thanks to Joffe Books, Books 'n' All Promotions and to NetGalley for this ARC for review.

Was very sad when I thought that Hillary Greene series had come to an end! But this story shows why this series either as a detective or in the cold case division mustn’t end. Her character throughout is believable and the past cases are all well written and keep you wanting more. Loved the new guy on her team and look forward to the next story in this series!

Another great read by Faith Martin. I was so excited to see Hillary Greene back in action. I’d come to really like her! As much as I’ve enjoyed Faith’s other series, Hillary is a favorite. This one was a quick read, and despite a few sad revelations, it did not disappoint. So much so, I had no idea what the outcome might be. (I read so much, I’m usually good at figuring out the culprit) I can’t wait to see what her next adventure will be!