If I Fall is the second book in this gripping series. Featuring a cast of well developed characters and an engaging storyline filled with twists and turns, it ticks all the right boxes for a thriller, most certainly one I shall be recommending to my followers too!

Sadly I did not realise this was the second book in a series and it was my first book of this authors. It was a well written thriller including policing detail too.

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

If I fall by Merilyn Davies.
We were told to meet at a rooftop bar.
Four friends, bound by one terrible secret.No one knew why we were there.
Then we saw a woman, watched as she fell from the edge and plunged to her death.The police think it’s suicide, but I know better.Someone is sending a message.Now they’re coming for us.
A brilliant read. Read in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. 5*.

If I Fall is the second isntallment of Carla Brown & Nell Jackson but it can be read as a standalone novel.

The mystery was good, the police procedural stories were even better, and the ending was satisfaying.

Overll a really good read, totally recommend this gem.

goodreads.com/booksireadandliked
Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher and author for my advanced review copy of the book. This is my honest review

This book received minimal love by readers; it went away almost unnoticed. But it was sooo good. A combination of police procedural and thriller.

3 people meet on the rooftop of a restaurant and see their old friend Alice fall off from the roof. Unfortunately for them, they were sitting next to a cop who managed to hear the whispers of secrets and a pact between them.

Having read book 1, though I remembered nothing of it, this was another excellent well conceptualized book where Detective Nell and Crime Analyst Carla worked in tandem to get to the truth.

There were truths hidden which went a generation back. I liked how determined Nell was to investigate a supposed suicide. Only when a second body followed did the others understand what Nell had been screaming all through.

Alternate chapters of investigation along with a character’s POV made this book a psychological thriller too. Not many authors could achieve that, managing both seamlessly. It was so well done.

Pace was slow in the mid section and the storyline inclined slightly toward the religious aspect (oh DJ, it would raise your hackles), the story had twists and intrigue. It kept me hooked all through the afternoon.

Just from the back cover I could tell this book would be great. This is the second instalment in the series about Carla Brown and Detective Nell Jackson. I have not read the first book, but I will be reading it soon.

We follow the lives of four friends who have a reunion on a rooftop bar, they have been invited individually and they are not 100% sure of who has sent these invites to them so the curiosity starts straight away with the question of who?. They meet at the bar and fall witness to a woman that seemingly seems to have committed suicide by falling off the roof but we soon realise that not all is what it seems. Many questions are raised and Carla Brown who is a crime analyst suspects there is more at play than originally thought.

I read this book so quick as it really captured my imagination and I felt like I needed to find out what was happening.

If you love a good murder/thriller/mystery (like I do) then do pick a copy of this book up, it is not to be missed. You do not have to have read the first book in the series either as it makes for a good standalone novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, Merilyn Davies and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.


From the blurb -

"We were told to meet at a rooftop bar.

Four friends, bound by one terrible secret.

No one knew why we were there.

Then we saw a woman, watched as she fell from the edge and plunged to her death.

The police think it's suicide, but I know better.

Someone is sending a message.

Now they're coming for us"

Totally loved this book! I fell in love with the story and the characters. Fantastic story that was well written. Kept me up reading throughout the night. I highly recommend this book! Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

I devoured this in a day!

Found this one a slow burn, but was okay once I got into it. Didn' t connect with the characters, but a well written story and I would try this author again. Thank you for the chance to read and review.

If I Fall is written by Merilyn Davies and is a well written crime book. It had me absolutely invested from the first chapter.

Carla Brown is on a date night with her partner and it isn't going very well. She notices a female sitting by herself and looking around suspiciously. Carla thinks something isn't right, two minutes later the female has jumped off the rooftop to her death. The police are called and think it is just an open and shut suicide case. Carla has other ideas being a crime analyst and is given 24 hours to find evidence that it in fact her death wasn't a suicide or the case will be handed to CID. We are left thinking, did Alice commit suicide or did someone make her jump?

We find out that same night a reunion has been organised at the same bar for four people. Alice, Simon, Hannah and Ash. It is strange having a reunion just for four people with a big room booked. We find out what happened in the past to understand what is going on right now. Another person from the reunion turns up dead in unusual circumstances and re-opens the case regarding Alice's death. I don't want to give too much away to ruin the twists and turns of this book. I recommend going in with your eyes closed.

I loved reading this book and did not want to put my Kindle down. I was 100% invested in knowing what was going to happen next. I did not realise this is the second book in the series, in saying that you wouldn't need to read book one first and can easily read as a standalone novel. The characters of Detective Sergeant Nel and Carla Brown are written in a way you get to learn about them as you read (without having to read book one).

Thank you Netgalley and Random house UK for the advanced copy for an honest review.

This book has an intriguing start, and the story unfolds nicely. It is well-written, and it was an easy read. However, I did not particularly like the characters in the book. I felt like I lost my concentration at some point due to the lack of attachment to the characters. I only really enjoyed reading about Alice, and her I felt sorry for. No one should have to go through what she had to go through. The setting is nice, I enjoyed the banter regarding the universities in Oxford.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Merilyn Davies for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

A thoroughly riveting read.
Gritty and intense.
A page-turning thriller, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

I would highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This sure is a dark and gripping read. This is the second installment in a series but works perfectly well as a standalone. Going in, I had no idea that it was a police procedural, and I was just a little let down by it. I really like the “reunion gone badly” setting and was hoping for the same, which it was, but not really. The plot is surely interesting but like most other police procedurals, I found it a bit formulaic and clichéd, I’d expect better from the police, lol, but I suppose it adds a realistic touch to it. All the characters were super interesting and dark, I liked the gritty vibes of it. Oh and the cover is great, and that’s what caught my attention the first.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publishers for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

A fun and thrilling read!

I always love a good psychological thriller, and if there are some toxic friendships, even better! I enjoyed reading this and will definitely keep an eye on the author!

This is the second of a police procedural/ crime thriller series featuring crime analyst Carla Brown and DS Nell Jackson. I had not read the first but this did not hinder my enjoyment of this book, instead it made me want to go back and read this to see what aspects of the characters I could get. It is certainly a series I would be interested to read more of Sami enjoyed the characters and the writing style.
The plot is very interesting as we start with the tram being called out to a suicide, this occurs after a select band of ex university graduates are invited to a roof top bar for a reunion. No one seems to know who has made the invitation or why. Some of this group are estranged and most are not friends.
The interesting topic of how some extreme religious groups deal with homosexuality and what extraordinary lengths they will go to to “cure” their own made me actually flinch reading about it. Making it more realistic as it was happening in plain sight in a modern day situation was compelling reading and the mystery surrounding the suicide and subsequent death and kidnap of the invitees was fast paced and well written.
The story line was quite different and this helped to keep my interest. I look forward to more in this series abs will be going back to read #1.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

We were told to meet at the rooftop bar. No one knew why we were there. Then we saw a woman as she fell fron the edge ans plunged to her death. The police think it was suicide, bit i know beter.

We follow four friends who are connected by a secret. This story follows on a few months after When I Lost You, the first book featuring Crine Analyst Carla Brown and DS Nell Jackson. This is an intriguing and gripping read. As more of the story unravels, the more you have to read to find out exactly what has happened. At first, we don't know what links everyone or why. Most of the characters are not very nice and the stoey covers revenge, religious connotations, abuse and violence. This is a well written, fast paced read and i read it in ine sitting. I just couldn't put it down.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #RandomHouseUK #Cornerstone and the author #MerilynDavies for my ARC #IfIFall in exchange for an honest review.

If I Fall is the second instalment in the Carla Brown, a Crime Analyst, and Detective Sergeant Nell Jackson series. Beginning a few months after the incidents in the first book, Carla is attending an uncomfortable date with her boyfriend; their relationship is currently on a knife edge due to the betrayal, deceit and unravelling of deep, dark secrets a short time ago. Whether their relationship survives could really go either way. The date night takes place at a fashionable bar with a rooftop terrace that draws in the punters when Carla gets a feeling something is wrong. A shifty and nervous looking woman stands not too far from them. She stands out like a sore thumb against the rest of the bar's clientele who are dressed to impress, whereas this woman wears ragged, dirty clothes and Carla believes her to be homeless. To her horror a mere minute or two later the woman nears the edge of the roof and appears to purposefully jump to her death. The local police believe it to be an open and shut case of suicide but Carla's gut instinct tells her otherwise. Her idea that there is something underhand going on is confounded when she overhears three other patrons at the bar that evening having a conversation. The meeting of the four of them was apparently a reunion but later they claim to not know who the woman was or anything about her.

What exactly have the group got to hide? What connects the remaining trio to the deceased? Carla believes the lies and duplicity warrants an investigation but trying to encourage suspicion of the death in her colleagues is not as easy as she thought it would be. She is more or less alone in her pursuit of the truth but her theory that foul play was involved is confirmed when one of the remaining members of the reunion trio turns up dead and there is no longer room for doubt that there is an underlying criminal and shady cause for the two deaths. Can Carla and DS Jackson get to the truth of the matter or will the deaths be forever shrouded in secrecy? This is a compulsive and enthralling cross between a police procedural and a psychological thriller with a narrative that features twist after stunning twist and enough drama to keep you racing through the pages. Both the main plot, regarding the reunion, and the personal lives of the cast, especially Carla's, are equally as interesting as one another, which is unusual, and the paciness coupled with the slow unravelling of terrible secrets that bound the four individuals together make this a captivating and absorbing thrill ride. The storyline is an original and pretty unique one which is what initially piqued my interest and our protagonists, Carla and Nell, are likeable, relatable and all too human. Roll on book three.

This is the first book that I have read by Merilyn Davies, and did not realise there were earlier instalments to the characters in the book, but this was a good read.
From the beginning a girl seems to jump from a building committing suicide but it is investigated as a murder.
Enjoyed reading the back story of the book, which had me guessing.
Good read and enjoyed it being set in Oxford, England.

Tortuous, gritty, and addictive!

If I Fall is a malicious, chilling thriller that sees DS Nell Jackson working once again with Crime Analyst Carla Brown when the apparent suicide of a homeless women leads back to a small group of friends who seem to be covering up sinfully wicked actions from the past.

The prose is crisp and tight. The characters are flawed, troubled, and authentic. And the plot is an intense, gripping tale full of twists, turns, intrigue, deception, revenge, religious connotations, suspicious personalities, abuse, bigotry, violence, and murder.

Overall, If I Fall is a raw, cunning, intricate tale by Davies that’s another promising addition to what could turn out to be with its well-drawn, intriguing characters and darkly creative storylines an amazing, must-read series.

I found this an odd book to read I wanted to like it, it sounded interesting, and had some diverse characters, and I liked that. However I just didn't connect with the characters or the book, I wonder if it is just me. I hope other readers enjoy it more.