I love books that grab you from the beginning. This was a crazy story of four families that were destroyed due to abuse. It was a page turner as there was a lot of action. One person involved in putting the men behind bars was found murdered. Three others were taken and given tasks with the guise that they would be murdered if they didn't follow through. Detective Maddie slowly unfolds what is going on when someone mysteriously shows up and confesses to the murder. She knows he isn't the killer.

Overall great book, page turner!

I thank the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book before it was published. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future. I had no idea this was a book in the middle of a series, but it didn't feel like I was missing anything by not reading them in order. I love to read any book that has the word dead in it. You know there's going to be a good plot ahead with a sense of mystery wrapped in it. Not often does someone come to the police station to confess to a murder. I would be suspicious also if I were the police, as this is a rare occurrence. I loved the twists and turns of this book and plan on reading many more by this author in the future.

Not my first time reading that author, I'm never disappointed.

Well written thriller, police thriller, well developed, interesting plot, many twists, it keeps you interested until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

It was my first book by Charlie Gallagher but definitely not my last. I cannot understand why it is not translated into German yet.I've been looking for a captivating thriller for a long time and when I read the blurb from this book I was curious. In addition, this book is still in English. Unfortunately it has not been translated yet, I hope that will change soon.

Since it starts with a case, you're right in the middle of it. The police arrest a violent man who has abused his wife and son. 18 months later, Maddie investigates a case when a man turns up and admits the murder. The case is closed for everyone, but not for Maddie. She feels that something is wrong with it and embarks on a dangerous investigation. She wants to protect another family from abuse. The reader also gets to know Linda Morris, who is a victim of kidnapping.

It is exciting from the first page and I trembled together with Maddie. It was exciting until the last page. If you think the author can no longer surprise you, he can do it with a new twist. It is a pure and first class page gymnast.

However, it is not for the faint of heart because it is cruel and sick. The book and the subject shook me all the more because the author himself was a policeman. This makes the story incredibly real and believable.

(German)Ich habe schon lange nach einem fesselnden Thriller gesucht und als ich den Klappentext von diesem Buch gelesen habe, war ich neugierig. Darüberhinaus ist dieses Buch noch auf Englisch. Es ist leider noch nicht übersetzt worden, ich hoffe das ändert sich bald.

Da es gleich mit einem Fall anfängt, ist man mitten drin. Die Polizisten nehmen einen gewalttätigen Mann fest, der seine Frau und seinen Sohn missbraucht hat. 18 Monate später ermittelt Maddie an einem Fall, als sich ein Mann stellt und den Mord zugibt. Für alle ist der Fall abgeschlossen doch für Maddie nicht. Sie spürt das daran etwas faul ist und begibt sich auf eine gefährlich Ermittlung. Sie will weitere Familie vor Missbrauch beschützen. Der Leser lernt auch Linda Morris kennen, sie ist ein Opfer von kidnapping.

Es ist von der ersten Seite an spannend und ich habe mit Maddie gemeinsam gezittert. Es blieb spannend bis zur letzten Seite. Wenn man glaubt, der Autor kann einen nicht mehr überraschen, schafft er es doch ,durch eine neue Wendung. Es ist ein purer und erstklassiger Page Turner.

Allerdings ist es nichts für schwache Nerven, denn es ist grausam und krank. Mich hat das Buch und das Thema um so mehr erschüttert, denn der Autor selbst war Polizist. Dadurch wirkt die Geschichte wahnsinnig real und glaubhaft.

Police thriller with lots of twists. A very clever plot with a bit of everything thrown in. A good read which kept me guessing.

Men who have physically and mentally abused their partners or children , and lost their families because of it, have banded together in this intricately woven plot to take revenge on the people they hold responsible.

They are working as a single entity against the police and against their families who dared to leave them and hide their identities and location.... and there's someone on the inside who is helping them.

Detective Maddie Ives and her team are working feverishly as this devilish plot comes to light. Bodies are piling up and no one seems to know anything. Until a man walks into the police department and confesses that killed a woman. He tells them how he did it and where he left the body. After verifying his story, she doesn't believe his story .... and her supervisor is ready to close the case.

Knowing that Charlie Gallagher was a serving police officer for many years as a front-line response line officer, then as a member of a specialist tactical team and as a serious offense detective investigator, I expected a lot of credibility ... I was not disappointed.

It's an action-packed page-turner amid a plot filled with twists and turns. The characters are deftly drawn. Although 6th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. I do recommend starting from the beginning in order to see how these characters have grown over time and what they've had to deal with in order to be the investigator they are.

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.

This one was not for me. I found myself not connecting with the plot or being able to get interested in it. I was super hopeful based on all the good reviews I’ve seen.

I would like to thank NetGalley & Joffe books for the ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Deadly Houses, the sixth novel to feature DS Maddie Ives of them Canterbury Police.

Maddie is feeling a bit lost without her friend and mentor, DI Harry Blaker, who has transferred out of the Major Crimes Unit, when Adrian Hughes walks into the Canterbury station and confesses to murder. They find the body and confirm the details of what he has said but Maddie can’t shake the feeling that there is more to his story than he is disclosing, despite what her new boss says. She teams up again with Harry Blaker to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Deadly Houses which, as ever, is an exciting read with multiple twists and plenty of action. The narrative is essentially split between Maddie and Linda Morris, a kidnap victim. Personally I feel that the synopsis issues too many spoilers by mentioning the revenge motive as the set up of Adrian’s confession and Linda’s ordeal are enough to get any reader hooked and asking the who, what and why questions. Having said that, all it does is destroy a little of the early mystique and give the reader more information than Maddie has. It is still a densely plotted novel with Mr Gallagher’s trademark fast pace and action pieces. The tension is palpable throughout as Maddie rushes to save lives and solve the case.

It should be noted that as the unnamed perpetrators are domestic abusers they are cruel men. I think the novel is excellent in its portrayal of their mindset and the effort and calculation they are prepared to expend for their revenge. It’s sickening but not unexpected.

I am a big fan of Mr Gallagher’s writing as I think he inserts enough realism into his novels to make them interesting and believable and still offer an enthralling read. The Deadly Houses is no different so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

What a plot! Kept me guessing through the whole book. Action all the way through - go Maddie Ives.
Sensitive subject through the book, which I feel portrayed both sides of the story a little, but should raise discussions around DVA and the effect that it has on all concerned.
Had to concentrate a little at the beginning to work out what was happening, but once I had the characters it all flowed in a complicated web.

The Deadly Houses is the sixth instalment in the Detective Maddie Ives series set in Canterbury and written by a serving Detective investigating serious crimes. The fact that he is a member of law enforcement makes this book, and series, all the more compelling and credible and you get a real taste of the circumstances behind the crimes. It isn't necessary to have read any of the preceding instalments to enjoy this one. Adrian Hughes saunters into Canterbury police station and confessed to murdering a social worker; he even provides photographic evidence. DC Rhiannon Davis of Major Crimes is stunned into silence before taking him in for an interview. Later her superior DS Ives conducts her own interview and both come to the conclusion that it is doubtful that he committed the crime. His behaviour and mannerisms suggest he could be covering for someone so the team begin to investigate who the woman is and why she was slaughtered. The map he provided to aid the police in finding the body was accurate and they find the body wrapped in a tarp inside a dilapidated building.

This is a genuinely terrifying read so if you are easily creeped out this may not be for you but for the rest of the crime connoisseurs, this is a must-read. Charlie Gallagher is undoubtedly one of the best writers of police procedurals out there and his books continue to get better and better; this instalment is by far his most compulsive and gripping yet. Inspiration for these books likely comes from his police experiences and this added authenticity makes the story as realistic and believable as it can get. It is a complex read that jumps between two timelines at the start and there is so much going on that I was captivated and riveted throughout. Police procedurals don't get any more addictive and well-executed than this. The plot is full of exciting twists, turns and reveals and the tension and uneasy atmosphere can be felt at all times. From the moment I picked this up I raced through it and simply couldn't put it down as I was desperate to know what happened in the end. With many lives at stake, the team must race against the clock to save those in danger and this leads to a nail-biting conclusion. Many thanks to Joffe for an ARC.

My first ARC review!!! The hugest of thank you's to Netgalley, Joffe Books (publisher) and Charlie Gallagher (author) for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I'm a thriller buff. I can't resist a well-written thriller that draws me in and keeps me theorizing and guessing till the very end. This was a great read, and I'll definitely be picking up more books in the Detective Maddie Ives series (this is book 6, and the first I'm reading).

I love how this book blends a number of my favorite thriller elements in one book - a police investigation, a murder mystery, and the thrill of guessing and trying to solve the mystery (and being wrong a number of times LOL).

The team - Maddie Ives, Harry Blaker, Rhiannon Davis and PC Vince Arnold - in this book gets to work on what might just be their toughest and worst case ever. We see a lot of creepy and scary stuff in this book (be sure to sleep with your lights on).

It had a bit of a slow start, but once it picks up pace, you wouldn't want to drop it till you read the very last word. A man makes his way to the police station and admits to murder. He leads the police to the body, and when they get there, they determine that there is so much more than he is letting on. They discover that he was at the scene, but nothing there shows that he definitely committed the murder.

If you're looking for a great murder mystery thriller, I 100% recommend this book! With a great storyline and a largely unexpected ending, you'll love it!!!

Wow.
As soon as I started I knew this would be a real page turner. The kind of book that has you thinking about it all day.
This is part of the Detective Maddie Ives series, but the first I have read. It works very well as a stand-alone novel.

I loved the way the story was told from the different characters’ POV, this kept it fast paced while still being easy to follow.

Towards the middle I did feel the pace slowed a little, when, as readers we knew what Maddie and Harry needed to know and they seemed to be one step behind.

However, I found myself willing them on and screaming at them to “come on” as the took chase of the evil antagonist and I was pleased with the ending.

I believed in the characters, and am now eager to read the rest of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and to Charlie for providing me a complimentary copy of this book to review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own!
Thank You NetGalley, Publisher & Charlie for this ARC!

The Deadly Houses is a Detective Maddie Ives Book 6 series.
Even though I have not read the other 5 books before this one. I really enjoyed it. It was completely a creepy read.... which are my absolute favorite!
I felt like I could not stop reading this one. It had me wanting to devour this book in one sitting so I could finish this one up and know what was happening at the end.

You will have no clue what is about to go down!
Now I am about to get on my Kindle to get his other books to read
Because I think I found my new favorite author!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of The Deadly Houses by Joffe Books in exchange for my honest review

I do not get scared easily when reading books, but this one made me feel really uneasy. I hate the thought of being watched and stalked, so this book did make me uncomfortable at times. It was very well written as you could feel the terror from the characters.
This is a very fast paced book and you will want to finish it quickly as you want to know what will happen next.

Detective Maddie Ives #6

Adrian Hughes walks into Canterbury police station saying that he's murdered a stranger. He shows them a picture of the body and a detailed route map of where the body can be found. But Maddie knows he's lying. Three more victims are under pressure. If they fail, their families will die.

You have to do what these people tell you otherwise your own family will be at risk. Maddie turns to DI Harry Blaker for help solving this case. Harry is still grieving for his daughter and hasn't returned to Major Crime investigations. You can tell Charlie has been in the police force, there's always so much more attention to detail. The plotline is gripping ,tense, well written and a steady paced read. This is a really good series.

Preview copy provided via NetGalley. I love a thriller so I was excited to get into this book. Only words wow.... What the heck is happening. Its the most bizzare scernio of murder you could imagine right from the off. No one who loves thrillers will be able to put this book down. It has you hooked from the beginning

Charlie has a beautifully intriguing way of writing, of predicting the reader thoughts and only giving enough information to keep you guessing. It's the best kind of writing for this genre and I was throughly impressed from chapter one.

The story starts with a confession, the each chapter changes its stance and point of view. The best template for thriller, as you move through the chapters the end of each chapter can be a cliffhanger that won't be revealed in the next.

Brilliant book, gripping story that in its bizzare unfolding makes the story a thrilling read.
#NetGalley #thedeadlyhouses #books #bookreview

That was heart stoppingly tense! DS Maddie Ives has a new boss to break in after DI Harry Blakey endured a personal tragedy (in the previous book I assume) that saw him finally return to work training new recruits rather than being at the pointy end in Major Crime.. the new DI is inexperienced in detecting and is also a total nob. So when Maddie is told to close a case as solved that she feels is far from solved who does she turn to for advice? None other than Harry. He initially sends her packing but has a sudden change of heart when he realises he is bored senseless with the training work and is soon back in the saddle as Maddie’s boss.

The case is a tricky one! A man named Adrian Hughes walks into the station one night, announces that he killed ‘her’ and demands to be arrested. He won’t say much, just enough for the police to find the body and the evidence implicating him. He makes very sure of that. Maddie is convinced there were others involved. There is no doubt Adrian was at the scene but there is no evidence that he actually killed woman. The body had been there a week before Adrian went to the place to leave his ‘evidence’ behind.

At this point, we the readers, know what is going on - not everything of course, but we know a lot more than the police do. And that spoiled it a little bit for me. The book also dragged at the start. But it soon picked up the pace and as the police catch up with us in the knowledge stakes the story becomes much more interesting. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil it for you but, as the story progressed the pace and tension became relentless and it was a race to a nail biting finish with many lives in the balance. I’ve read some of the earlier books in the series and they were all very good. I recommend this one to all thriller fans. It can easily be read as a stand-alone. Many thanks to Netgalley, Joffe Books and Charlie Gallagher for providing the book for me to review.

Wow this book brings out all the feels. Imagine having to be watched and made to do things you don't want to do or you lose your family. This is gut wrenching and terrifying. If you only read one book this year - make sure it’s this one! Five stars!

I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Deadly Houses’, the sixth in the Detective Maddie Ives series written by Charlie Gallagher, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DC Rhiannon Davis is working nights when Adrian Hughes turns up at the police station and admits to having killed a woman. When questioned, DS Maddie Ives feels that something’s not quite right and soon finds the body of a woman wrapped in plastic in a derelict building. DI Harry Blaker is brought back to work with Maddie and together they come across the worst crime that either of them has ever experienced during their time in the Major Crimes Unit.

I’ve read all of the books in this series and can say without a doubt that ‘The Deadly Houses’ is the best one yet. The team of Maddie Ives, Harry Blaker, Rhiannon Davis and PC Vince Arnold work really well together and it’s a pleasure to meet up with them again. The plot is superb with a strong storyline and excellent descriptions, it’s nerve-wracking with nail-biting twists. I was gripped from page one and couldn’t stop reading, and the shocking conclusion was not only horrifying but also brought tears to my eyes. I can truthfully say that this is one of the best novels I’ve had the pleasure to read and can wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who wants to read an outstandingly tense and heart-stopping thriller.

Adrian Hughes Walks into the police station and declares he has Murdered a woman. Despite discovering the body and Enough crime scene evidence to put Hughes away, DS Maddie Ives has the feeling not is all it seems and won’t let the case rest. DI Blaker returns to take lead in the investigation. Several people linked backed to Hughes go missing and seems more is at risk they they could ever imagine.
Great read and clever storyline.