I love Helen's books and have enjoyed the way they are written, while the relationship between the characters was very well told I just didn't find the story gripped me as it usually does. I think its because I find historical murders difficult to get into - Never mind will definitely read another one by this author

Forgotten Victim by Helen Durrant is the fourth book in the Detective Rachel King series that is set in and around Manchester. DCI Rachel King and DS Elwyn Price are investigating a body sealed up in a tunnel under the floor of Shawcross Mill Ancoats, in Manchester. Two boys stumbled across it while trying to get away from someone. The injuries on ths body point to murder, so Rachel and Elwyn get the case. The victim also had a St Christopher on a chain in his hands.
The Mill was originally a cotton mill and had been used as units for different firms to try to build from. Now it is derelict and empty. The owner of the mill, is Rachels first stop. A credit card is discovered in the victims pocket also, the card belongs to Rita Pearce who runs a pub, the spinners arms. She states she lost the card three years previously and has nothing else to say. Someone knows this victim and how they died, will Rachel get to the bottom of this?
At the same time Rachel is carrying her own secret, she is pregnant and only Elwyn knows and she has to make her decisions sooner or later.
Another brilliant Helen Durrant book that grips you as always from the first page. I truly love this series, not just because it is Helen but I love the fact they are set in my home area. The fact I can visualise Ancoats so easily gives an extra interest. I really feel like I am part of the investigation. Rachel is a great character and I like how she isn't perfect, she is real and her situation could happen to anyone. These are only part of the reasons why Helen Durrant is a go-to author for me. I would be here all day if I wrote it all down! A highly recommended series that really keeps you interested and intrigued too.
Thank you to Joffe Books and Jill for the copy of the book for my review today.

Fantastic read, really kept my interest throughout. Good depth of characters and very engaging. There were some excellent twists and turns to the storyline and I didn’t guess the ending which is always a bonus. There was also a good balance between the main story and the background narrative regarding the detective and her personal life. All in all a very enjoyable book and i will definitely be seeking out more titles by the same author.

This is the latest addition to the DCI Rachel King series from Helen Durrant, King is divorced from her ex-husband, Alan, and has two teenage daughters, making life a difficult balancing act. It is hard to handle the pressures of home and family life with the demands of her career as a police officer, and there are additional strains of her relationship with the new boss, Mark Kenton. Thankfully a supportive police helps, as King finds herself landed with a complicated police inquiry. A decomposed body has been discovered in an old, abandoned and disused Sawcross cotton mill in Manchester, and it is clear that this is a case of murder, what with gunshots in the knees. Finding the identity of the victim is far from easy, could it possibly be a case of a drug related gangland killing or does the truth lie closer to home? In this mostly engaging and entertaining crime read, King finds herself with a host of suspects with motives for murder, whilst finding herself in the tricky position of being pregnant, the father being Jed McTeer, a former gangster turned businessman. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.

What a fab novel to end the year with! (I finished NYE).
I adore the character of Rachel King. I love strong but vulnerable female leads who are down to earth and lead fairly normal lives that us mere mortals can identify with. Rachel is a working mother of two (soon to be three) and is juggling a demanding career with home life. I love how she isn’t portrayed as superwoman. She relies on help from her ex-husband with whom she co-parents civilly and often finds herself struggling to give the right amount of time to both roles. She is neither a domestic goddess, super mum or the most perfect police officer and I think Durrant captured the reality of this struggle with subtle detail.
At work she has a tough case on her hands; a dead body that’s been there a while, limited clues to work with and a whole host of dodgy characters and goings on. To top it off, her on/off lover is putting the pressure on and a new boss with different values arrives and who is the mysterious stranger who claims to have some answers to Rachel’s past? Luckily, she has her devoted and sharp team to support her and pick apart the case until they get answers.
The main plot focuses on the discovery of a body in a concealed tunnel. Initially there are limited clues but the more the team scratch the surface, the more they begin to uncover. There are plenty of suspicious characters to chose from but the clues and motives are revealed in sprinkles throughout the novel making this a great ‘Who Dun It?’ kind of plot. Just when you think you’ve sussed it, something comes to light that makes you change your mind. Plenty of twists and turns to challenge thoughts.
There was always something developing so the plot never stood still and the balance between the investigation and Rachel’s personal life was perfect. It doesn’t detract from the police procedural trope but does add depth to the character’s and their lives.
A great crime read with twists and turns to keep your mind challenged.

This was my first read of 2021, I deliberately picked it as my first read for the new year as I know Helen H Durrant never let's me down, and did not disappoint. I'm eagerly waiting to see what comes next for at least 3 characters in this series, not just the main one... I'll be looking out for the next book and I hope it is soon

The old cotton mill has been closed for many years. When two young boys decided to take a look around, one of them fell though the floor. Luckily the boy wasn't hurt but they found something that would give them nightmares for a long time to come.

DC Rachel King, along with DS Elwyn Price, are called to investigate the finding of a decomposed remains found in the cotton mill.

Medical examination shows the body had gunshot wounds to the knees and a indent on the side of his head. This was no accident ... they are looking for a murderer ... and an identity for the victim.

The police investigation brings up several suspects, once they've identified the body. They all seem connected, but no one is talking. They seem more afraid of keeping their secrets than telling the cops what they know. Just who are they all afraid of? Why?

Meanwhile, Rachel has a huge secret of her own... something that could affect her job and colleagues.

As more bodies fall, King and Price must reveal secrets of the past in order to catch the killer.

As with all the books I've read from this author, the intricate plot is well written with multiple varied suspects to watch, and several twists and turns that rival a roller coaster ride. The characters are solidly drawn. The relationships are credible .. I enjoy how the professional, as well as the personal, lives are blended. Although 4th in the series, this can easily be read as a stand alone. However, I do recommend starting at the beginning ... lots of nuggets explored that make this such an exciting series.

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

This is the fourth book in the Rachel King Series. I hadn't read any of the other books in this series before I started reading this one but I was able to follow the storyline and some of the background of the main characters given what happens in this book. In the vein of "The past and present are linked together" is how this story plays out. There is a present crime that is investigated that ends up connecting to past unsolved crimes and they all have pieces to them that help to solve who the culprit is in both past and present crimes. I will definitely be going back and reading the preceding volumes in this series just so I can make sure I didn't miss anything. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley.

Helen Durrant at her best. A gripping storyline opening with the find of a body from three years earlier. This leads Rachel Knight and her team into further murders which is linked to the first body and finally solved. Hopefully this will not be the last in this series as it ends with Rachel starting her maternity leave, will she be back?

FORGOTTEN VICTIM is the fourth book in a brilliant crime series by best-selling author, Helen H. Durrant. These novels feature detective DCI Rachel King, a thirty-nine-year-old divorced mother of two teenage daughters who lives next door to ex-husband Alan. Having enjoyed reading most of her novels, I look forward to starting the fourth book in this new series. The novel is set in the Cheshire, ten miles outside Manchester.

The novels in the DCI Rachel King Series Include:
1) Next Victim
2) Two Victims
3) Wrong Victim
4) Forgotten Victim

Two local young lads were walking around in a dark abandoned disused Manchester cotton old mill, the Sawcross Mill, a great playground to explore, when they discovered the remnants of a human body.

Detective Chief Inspector Rachel King is called in to investigate the grisly discovery.

With gunshot wounds to the knees, this was no accident. The body of an unknown male, injured and left to die in a tunnel under the remains of the mill for approximately three years. This was murder.

With the help of DS Elwyn Price, Rachel must follow the evidence and see where it leads her. But people in the area are not talking or disclosing any information, making her job more tedious. Who
can she trust?

Meanwhile, Rachel has a secret of her own. How long can she keep her pregnancy from her colleagues before she has to face up to the reality of her relationship with the shadowy character Jed McAteer?

With the clock ticking and a boss breathing heavily down her neck to solve the case quickly, Rachel must uncover the dark secrets of the past and catch the killer - before it’s too late?

This was a fast-paced gripping crime plot, with an extensive cast of characters, that will keep you on your toes to follow the clues as they are released. Really enjoyed this series and not sure if it will continue, but I hope so.

Many thanks to the author, Joffe Books and Netgalley for my digital copy.

First time reading Helen H Durrant and it won’t be the last. Will certainly readvthe follow ups in this series.. if you haven’t already any of Helen’s books, start with this one. You won’t be disappointed. Recommend.

The fourth in the series featuring Rachel King, a DCI with the East Manchester police department, is a fast paced mystery with enough suspects to keep you guessing. A decomposed body is found in an abandoned mill, and he didn’t die of natural causes. As Rachel and her team set out to identify him, she is also dealing with a new boss, personal issues, and more criminal activity. I like the way the we see both the professional and private sides of Rachel’s life, and the fact that despite what she is dealing with outside of the job, she remains professional. It’s a refreshing change from some series where a detectives messy private life is constantly interfering with their job.
A good solid story without outlandish plot lines, I enjoyed the book and look forward to more in the series.
Thank you to Joffe Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read in exchange for my unbiased opinion..

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Forgotten Victim, the fourth novel to feature DCI Rachel King of the East Manchester Police.

Two young boys find decomposed remains in a secret tunnel in a disused mill. Various items found with the body suggest it has been there for less than three years but identifying him and a motive for his murder are more difficult tasks for Rachel and the team, especially as she’s keeping secrets of her own, namely a pregnancy that is tiring her out.

I thoroughly enjoyed Forgotten Victim which is an eventful read that held my attention from start to finish. It starts with one event, the discovery of the body, and widens out to current day attacks and another historical killing, but there is no confusion in this as the narrative is firmly in the present day and is told entirely from the investigative point of view. I like the continuity of this approach, concentrating on the investigation, and it gives logic to the strands that get pulled in and connected. I will admit that I had a prime suspect right from the start but that I got the motive totally wrong. I like the guessing involved and knowing what the team knows and nothing more makes it more fun. I also like that much of the perpetrator and motive are well disguised until a final flurry of information slots it all into place. I like the solution which put a twist on a standard motive.

Rachel King is in a difficult place personally in this novel. She is three months pregnant and the father is her old love, gangster turned legitimate businessman Jed McAteer. I’m not quite sure that I understand all her qualms about the situation as she seems uncharacteristically dithery about it, but I don’t have to cover the angles she does with children, work and an ex-husband to consider.

Forgotten Victim is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Brilliant addition to the Rachel King books by Helen H Durrant. A plot that kept me guessing and all the usual favourite characters from this series. What more could you ask for?

My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

The body of a man is found in an abandoned cotton mill, and it seems he's been deliberately walled in.  He's been there a few years, and has gunshot wounds to his knees.   It looks like a drug-related killing, but why did he have money stuffed in his mouth...and why did no one report him missing?

It seems like there has been a lot going on in that old mill, and no one is willing talk.  They are all afraid to open their mouths.  But discovering who they are afraid of, is proving to be difficult.  More dead bodies will turn up before this case is solved.

With Mark Kenton back in the picture as their new boss, things are getting tense.

Meanwhile, Rachel has been keeping her pregnancy a secret, but she knows she can't keep it too much longer.




My Opinions:

The books in this series are all fast-paced and an easy entertaining read.

In this one, I easily guessed the perpetrator, but there were a lot of suspects, and each one was interesting.  The plot was good.

My main concern with this one was the relationship between Rachel and Jed, which I have not liked from the start, and Rachel didn't really want anything to do with him either.  The events in this book don't jive with past impressions.

As in previous books, the author provided an appendix of British slang.  I still wish a foot-note method had been used.

I am not sure if this is the last book in the series, but it could be.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
I'd seen books by this author pop up in my "recommended" list on Audible and elsewhere, and I thought they potentially looked interesting, but I was hesitant. So when the opportunity came up to read one, I snapped at the chance. A perfect way to see if this might be a new favourite series, or a new series to listen to/get me through a long shift at work. Plus, I have a fascination with tunnels, so the idea that a secret tunnel factored in to the plot appealed to me.
Turns out, no, I'm just not the right reader for this one. As soon as certain details of the protagonist's personal life were revealed (very early on, like, chapter 5?) I thought, oh, red flag. But since (I assumed) that was a secondary plot line, I kept reading.
This was a quick, straightforward small-town murder mystery. The side plot about the (wildly unlikable) detective's personal life felt like more of the focus than the mystery, which was solved with very little work and a few very lucky breaks. It wrapped up quickly and neatly.
Overall, it just wasn't for me.
I think readers who are already invested in the series would find it satisfying, especially as it advances overarching plots, but it doesn't work the best as a stand-alone.

DCI Rachel King #4

The decomposed remains of a body are found entombed in the depths of a disused Manchester cotton mill. With wounds to the knees, this was no accident. But the question is: was this a gangland killing or murder motivated by a deadly secret closer to home?

This is another well written, thought provoking and gripping read by the author. The characters are well developed. I did guess who the perpetrator and their motive was from near enough when the character was introduced to us. I like Helen's writing style. She has the knack to pull you in from the first chapter. This is a most enjoyable series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JoffeBooks and the author #HelenHDurrant for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first DCI Rachel king book I have read , I found this didn’t detract from the book or the understanding of the dynamics of the characters.

Two boys find skeletal remains in a disused mill in Ancoats , DCI Rachel King heads up the investigation with DS Elwyn Price at her side.
I found the book an easy read with genuine, appealing characters. There were twists and turns to keep you guessing the identity of the murderer.
I did find the ending a bit rushed , but all in all a good solid read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe books for this ARC copy.

I really enjoyed the mystery plot which was very clean, precise, and easy to follow. Maybe this is why I figured out who the killer was pretty early on in the story. However, it did take me a little longer to figure out why the victim was murdered.

As a first time reader of this series, I had some trouble fully understanding the relationships in the book. In addition to the people involved in the mystery, there were a lot of characters to keep track of... Rachel, her lover, ex-husband, colleagues, DS Elwyn, among others. I’m really curious about DS Elwyn because he was annoyingly nursemaiding Rachel throughout the book.

Another puzzling part of the plot was a mystery man who would arbitrarily appear to warn Rachel that her parent’s accident wasn’t as it seemed. I’m guessing this is a hint to something in the next book, but it was a little odd and misplaced in the storyline.

I recommend this book to readers who like a mystery series with a nice clean mystery plot. 3.5/5

England, family-dynamics, friendship, relationship-issues, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement****

Youngsters find a decayed body under a dangerous old severely neglected cotton mill in Manchester. Autopsy proves what the detectives believed, that the unnamed victim had been tortured. At the same time Detective King is facing some difficult personal dramas, they have a new supervisor with an interesting track record who has replaced the old one, and the case itself is a mess. Meticulous due diligence, plot twists, misdirection, and red herrings abound! Great read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!