Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I normally enjoy the DI Geraldine Steele series but I found this one a little too predictable. Half of the book was made up of Geraldine’s personal story which made the main storyline suffer to the point it was predictable and rushed

I am shocked to realise I have been reading this series since its inception in 2009. It has now been going 12 years and in my opinion still has legs to run with. Not every book has been perfect but I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and still love the characters (even though I Geraldine has become somewhat lacking in confidence since her demotion). Gerladine is working the case following a number of murders of women all seemingly unrelated. The case itself I thought was a little slow in pace and although reasonably engaging I just felt lit lacked it’s normal sparkle.

I feel like some of it is Geraldine herself. Her relationship with Ian is up and down all the time, add to that the pressures of her sister Helena her mood is seemingly always down. I think this maybe felt a little too much like Geraldine was slightly chaotic and that’s not really what I associate with her as a character. The one thing I really liked was the ending and I feel like there will be more linked to Helena in the next book. Still a great series but this particular book wasn’t as good as some of the others in this series.

This is a long running series of books featuring Detective Geraldine Steel and seems to have mixed reviews. I must admit that I haven’t read all the books in the series but I enjoyed Evil Impulse. In this book we find Geraldine living with her colleague and long time love Detective Inspector Ian Peterson but she is keeping their relationship a secret from their colleagues. Her happiness is soon shattered as there is a killer loose on the streets of York murdering unrelated young women, Geraldine finds herself then abducted by the drugs syndicate that has threatened Helena, Geraldine’s twin sister and ex drug addict. They threaten to harm Helena if Geraldine doesn’t do what they want. She tries to hide it from Ian but then finally admits to him what is happening. She wants to go see Helena and warn her but Ian takes matters into his own hands when Geraldine is thrown into a prison cell after having drugs planted in her home, he goes to see Helena and persuades her to change her identity and move away. When Geraldine discovers what he has done behind her back she ends up breaking off their relationship. Evil Impulse has an interesting plot. I love the location of York, which is local to me, and all the twists and turns of the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Leigh Russell is the foremost writer of crime fiction. She is a world authority on detection, and has exemplary insights into police investigation procedures.Vaciferously, she diisects the evidence. She is a ferocious proponent of writing exemplary researched projects, before embarking on her final draft. As an examiner, judge, lecturer and helper to young writers, she has all the credentials to write exceptional crime stories that leave the reader spell-bound. A page turner. I wish to thank Netgalley, the publishers and the author for a free book, that is unbiased and honest. The plot is superb. No need to expand on this novel , as the publicists have done a superb job in getting yet another best seller promotedBuy it before it's sold out. Just been informed that her book has, indeed, sold out. get your name down now for the reprint.

I have read all the Geraldine Steel novels. She is a funny character but I can't seem to let her go. I enjoy the detective stories but the personal bits are just as interesting when you've invested in a character over a number of years. Leigh Russell does use some strange language though. I'm not sure how many couples say "very well" when they are meaning to say "yes" to each other!

As always this was an enjoyable read, a good mix of crime and personal lives of the officers although I'd like to find out a little more about Ariadne. The team in this instalment have a particularly brutal killer on the streets of York, one whose crimes shock even the most battle scarred cops. I did work out early in the book who the killer was but I still read it in one sitting.

This is now the fifteenth adventure for DS Geraldine Steel, and the series remains as interesting and fresh as ever. In the past Geraldine's life has been a bit up and down, finding out she was adopted and helping her newly discovered birth sister escape the clutches of a drug dealer which led to her getting demoted from the rank of Detective Inspector to Sergeant as a result. She moved to York and found herself working for her former sergeant, Ian Petersen, now a DI and a man she has secretly been in love with for a long time. Ian has now moved into her flat but Geraldine is still reluctant to make the relationship public, particularly at work where she has a good DCI in Eileen Duncan and has made friends. The story begins with a gory description of a woman’s murder. It’s very messy and the killer vows to use suffocation next time. And there will be a next time. In a York canal an early morning walker spots a woman’s body. Police initially think she may have fallen in drunk but find no bag or belongings with which to make an identification. Alarmingly the post mortem reveals she died many hours before she entered the water and was suffocated. Meanwhile a woman is watching her husband meeting with other women and knows she must put a stop to his evil compulsions. Finally the detectives identify the woman in the canal and immediately suspect her husband as a teenager goes missing and they fear for her safety. In the middle of all this Geraldine finds herself abducted, hooded and thrown in a van. The men who work for a drugs gang try to blackmail her into working for them, threatening her sister’s life if she does not comply. Stupidly she at first tries to hide the truth from Ian, and even when she does finally admit what happened, she begs him to keep quiet to give her enough time to warn her sister. Ian agrees to give her one week. She’s not thinking rationally and certainly not like a police office. Does she not realize after last time complying in anyway with these criminals will mean she gets sacked and a lengthy prison sentence? Oh Geraldine, how will you get yourself out of this one? Thank goodness she now has Ian on her side. There is plenty of action and a great twisty plot as more suspects emerge and Geraldine tries to help hunt a clever and resourceful killer while dealing with her own personal nightmare. There’s even a happy ending this time for some in this series which never shows any sign of flagging or getting stale. I look forward to many more stories to come! 5*

A woman’s body is found in a river, another is found in an alley near a nightclub. DS Geraldine Steel and the rest of the team can’t find a link between the two victims other than they were both married and worked in cafes. Zoe Watts is thirteen years old and sick of her parents arguing so she runs away. The police have to investigate in case she is also a victim of the same killer. Geraldine and her partner Ian are now living together but the relationship is still rocky and when she is arrested by internal affairs and Ian finds a solution for her predicament without consulting her it seems the writing is on the wall for them.

Another great installment in this series by Leigh Russell. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Oldcastle Books and Leigh Russell for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Not read LeighRussell for a while so a lot of catching up to do on Geraldine and Ian, I do know that she was demoted back down to serjeant and Ian her trusty serjeant made up to DI, but now Ian's marriage finished and has moved in with Geraldine, did not see that coming. This story is the start of a serial killer and although I worked out who it could be and was proved right (no spoilers) it was a compelling tale and also at the same time Geraldine's has had a run-in with the drug syndicate as her twin who she has not long found was an addict and with Gerldines help may have come clean, time will tell. Always felt Geraldine's head was screwed on right but in this novel, she sure was not thinking straight Interesting plot kept me engaged and a lot to take in but very enjoyable catching up with the players. Would like to thank Netgalley and Oldcastle's books for an ARC copy to review and this is my honest take on the book.

Another great read from Leigh. I love following Geraldines career and glad she has Ian to share her life. New characters to get to know. Plenty of twists and turns along the way.

I’d like to thank Oldcastle Books, No Exit Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Evil Impulse’ by Leigh Russell in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The body of Angie Robinson is found floating in a river after being suffocated, then another body belonging to Leslie Gordon has been left lying in rubbish next to a nightclub. As DS Geraldine Steel and DI Ian Peterson are investigating what looks to be the work of a psychopath, Geraldine is abducted by two men who threaten to harm her twin sister if she doesn’t do what she’s told.

I’ve read all the books in the DS Geraldine Steel series and although ‘Evil Impulse’ was an easy and enjoyable read, I don’t think it was quite as good as those previously. I enjoyed catching up with Geraldine and Ian who were working to solve the latest murders but Geraldine’s private life was in turmoil and she was so thoughtless of Ian’s feelings that I wanted him to give her a piece of his mind. Nevertheless, the storyline was interesting, with drama, suspense, credible suspects and twists and turns, and although I was going to give 3.5 stars I increased it to 4 for giving us such an exciting ending.

Leigh Russell never disappoints with this series featuring Detective Geraldine Steel. The plot is very interesting and there are new characters to get acquainted with. There are plenty surprises and tension, centred around Geraldine's kidnapping, as well as a good steady pace. A good stand alone too with enough background information for new readers. It's another winner for the author and one of my favourites. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

So pleased to find that Geraldine and Ian have finally got together after Geraldine's move to York. They work well together but will it be all plain sailing.?. They want to keep their relationship from the rest of the team although rumours do seem to be circulating. The journey to find who murdered two women is long and arduous, with very few clues. to go on. Geraldine is also having personal problems from her past that get out of hand. I love the writing style of Leigh Russell, I always know that I'm in for a brilliant read.

Has geraldine finally found happiness? She sails rather close to the wind at work. Will she do anything to protect her twin? Its complicated. Fast paced.

Another instalment of Geraldine Steel.

More around Geraldine and her life as a detective and her personal life, both on and off the job.

Geraldine finds herself abducted and her sister is back in her life, which causes Geraldine to review her loyalties as it does test the loyalties of Ian and how he protects Geraldine.
Great Read and can’t wait for the next instalment.

Complex police procedural featuring Geraldine Steel. A few murders to solve,a kidnapping and a muddled personal life make for a good read.

3.75* an enjoyable read.
#15 in the Geraldine Steel mysteries.
A new author to me.
I feel that it reads well as a stand-alone. There’s enough detail given to fill in the relevant background story. The glossary is a useful addition.
It’s on the cosier end of the scale.
Good pace which kept my attention.
The story is told from various points of view, Bella, Zoe, Geraldine, and the killer.
Both Bella and Zoe are extremely irritating characters, and got me riled. Even Geraldine is being unreasonable towards Ian.
Ariadne is a bit of a pathetic desperado. The killer is full of their own self importance thinking that they are cleverer than the police, so joined the irritating character list. I would prefer to have a character that I really engaged with.
It had me checking out the dictionary function on the kindle at regular intervals, but not enough to stop my reading flow
It felt like too many implausible actions going on by police officers, then adding in the secret romance too.
There’s always lots going to keep the interest going.

Another superb book written by Leigh Russell. It had me gripped from the start, a real page-turner, well written as usual. Geraldine is an excellent character and her relationship with Ian is very believable too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for a review, I will put this review on Amazon too.

Evil Impulse is the latest instalment in the Geraldine Steel series from Leigh Russell and it was an ok read.

The various strands of the book didn’t really hang together whilst there was no sense of time to the investigation and the reactions of the main characters did not feel realistic. I also felt I was being told what was happening rather than uncovering

Saying that the main storyline was a good one and if that had remained the sole focus of the book I would have enjoyed the book more