Deadly Vengeance is the third book in the Detective Jane Phillips series. I have read the first book but for some reason not the second, however this did not spoil anything for me as these books can clearly be read as standalone books.
This time Phillips and her team are called in to investigate the kidnapping of Hollie Hawkins, the teenage stepdaughter of Sir Richard Hawkins. Not happy with the way she appears to be handling the case he calls in some favours and she finds herself saddled with Chief Inspector Harry Saxby, a kidnapping and negotiation expert who worked for the Met Police. Phillips automatically has her nose put out of joint and she finds herself constantly undermined by him as he seems to think he knows best yet does nothing to help the investigations.
Hollie despite first appearances was not quite the helpless little rich girl and her attitude caught one or two of the kidnappers by surprise, but I think also earned her a little bit of respect.
Phillips clearly has the respect of her team and they work well together. They are all of the same opinion of Saxby and cant see why he has been brought in other than to smooth over the ego of Hollie’s father who has a real case of “Don’t you know who I am” syndrome and is more concerned about himself than either Hollie or her mother. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that there was a young girl caught up in the middle of it all I would have been quite happy if everything went wrong. I will admit that I hated one or two of the characters and they weren’t actually the kidnappers. With investigations hampered by their commanding officer who at times appears to be more concerned with how the lack of progress in the investigations make her look, than in finding Hollie alive and every lead appearing to be a dead end you are left wondering if they will find Hollie before the ransom is paid.
Although the clock is clearly ticking, I wouldn’t say that this was an in your face, fast paced book as I think if it was the investigations would feel rushed. You can feel the tension building though with the pressure from several parties bearing down on Phillips and her team to the point that it puts their lives at risk with potentially devastating consequences. Deadly Vengeance is a great addition to the series and I look forward to seeing what Phillips and co end up investigating next

I first discovered this series last year, and I became an instant fan of detective Jane Phillips and her team. I had an excellent time with the sequel as well, so I jumped at the chance to read book three to discover what the characters are up to next. This time around the plot is all about a kidnapping case, and while Deadly Vengeance is not my favorite of the series, it still is a more than solid detective thriller fans of the genre will enjoy.

While Deadly Vengeance can technically be read as a stand-alone, you might not fully understand the dynamics between and development of the different characters in the detective team... It's nothing too drastic, but the first two books are excellent reads and absolutely worth taking the time to read before you continue with this third book. I felt like Deadly Vengeance had a slightly different vibe though, although I can't put my finger exactly on the why. It might have to do with the fact that the focus is on a kidnapping case instead of the good old murder investigation... I do always love it when detective thriller spends a lot of time focusing on the police work behind the case, and you definitely get a healthy dose of that in Deadly Vengeance.

The story uses a multiple POV structure, and while Jane Phillips is the star of the show of course, we also see the other members of the team as well as Hollie's POV too. The different POVs complement each other and didn't slow down the pace at all. In fact, Deadly Vengeance turned out to be an engaging and superfast read and I managed to finish it in no time at all. This is also due to the writing itself, which simply reads like a train. I also really liked the Manchester setting, as I spent a few weeks there ten years ago... I loved how the historical architecture of the city plays a role in the plot. It was interesting to see the different elements in the plot develop and evolve; the plot twists and developments in the kidnapping case slowly being revealed along the way. Some parts were a bit predictable, but overall I had a great time reading this story.

As for the characters... I still like Jane, her team and their banter. There isn't too much development to speak of this time around (with one exception I don't want to reveal too much about to avoid spoilers), but there were some hints at the future that left me intrigued. The behavior of Jane Phillips' boss Fox was once again extremely annoying and frustrating though, and the same goes for some of the new characters including Saxby and Sir Richard Hawkins. I know they were supposed to be unlikeable and creating a nemesis might add more spice to the plot, but I felt it went just one step too far to my taste.

That said, if you enjoy a solid and engaging detective thriller and don't mind an unlikeable character or two, Deadly Vengeance is an excellent choice.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
Unfortunately, I could not get into the book. I didn't like any of the characters and found the story quite boring. It gave me a same old, same old feeling, it just couldn't hold my interest.