This is part of a series but like me you can read this as a standalone as it works, there werent too many questions. I like a good procedural and this one did not disappoint and I do like this author. So now I am to investigate more in this series.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Geraldine is suffering from the fact that she will never see her sister again. Also unsure of her feelings for her partner at work and at home she and Ian split. Still unhappy she throws herself into the solving of two murders that don't seem to have a motive with her team of police officers in York. She then hears that Ian is down in London, he is infarct working undercover to expose a drugs ring. His ultimate goal is to find out who was responsible for Geraldine's sister needing a new false identity. Achieving his goal after nearly loosing his life he returns to York and Geraldine, can they resume their relationship?

Book 16 in the DI Geraldine Steele series. An ok read though I did find the storylines really unbelievable which ruined it for me. Not one of the better books in the series

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. I wish I had enjoyed it like the biggest proportion of reviewers but after many false starts (I seem to have this problem with Leigh Russell's novels) I had to give up. Yes, I may return to it in future but who knows.

A gripping storyline that will leave you breathless this police Procedural thriller will definitely give you chills and thrills

Huge fan of Leigh Russell, and this book did not disappoint! Gripped from start to end. Highly recommended!

Firstly, I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

It is the first book in this series that I have read, and it worked ok as a stand alone story. DI Geraldine Steel is investigating the death of a sex worker in York, whilst her erstwhile partner, DI Ian Paterson, is, unknown to her, sent to London to work undercover in a gangland drugs case.

These were two very different cases, the only thread between them was the relationship between the two main characters. I enjoyed the York case, which was a good story, and quite believable, but I thought the London case was not. In real life, I doubt Ian would have survived as long.

As always with a Leigh Russell book this is so well written. The sixteenth Geraldine Steel thriller and she shows no signs of letting up.
A brilliant series with fabulous characters. I love Geraldine and was fully immersed in this book. The quality of Leigh Russell's writing is just as good, of not better than the beginning of this series.
I always get so wrapped up in Geraldine and what's happening that I lose track of time. Such an immersive, gripping book! Thanks to NetGalley and Leigh Russell.

This is the sixteenth book in the series featuring DI Geraldine Steele and it certainly didn’t disappoint. At the start of this book we find DI Ian Peterson, who is Geraldine’s secret lover, now working undercover with the Drugs Squad in London. Ian and Geraldine have had a fall out as she discovers that he has put her sister into hiding to protect her for from a drug dealer but never considered consulting her first. Ian is hoping that working undercover in a London he can find the drug dealer and put him away so Geraldine can be reunited with her sister, but Geraldine is unaware of this. Geraldine and her team in York are called out when the body of a young woman is found in nearby woods. This body belongs to a sex worker who was picked up by a punter, Thomas. He takes her home and when they quarrel over money, he pushes her which results in her dying. He panics and puts her body in his car and dumps her in the woods. He didn’t realise that someone has seen him and starts threatening him. While Geraldine is investigating the murder a second body is found. The team are struggling to solve the case as they have the same DNA on both bodies but have no one to compare it with. The book is told in three narratives, Ian in London, Geraldine in York and Thomas, the killer. It is full of tension, action and suspense with plenty of twists and turns. A highly recommended read. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Competent almost (satisfyingly) old fashioned .. up front crime .. murder if a sex worker .. watched over by drtective sergeant Geraldine while her temporarily estranged partner Ian is off involved in a dangerous undercover drug case .. so tensions between them and twists and curves of investigations tick around them .. adept and always ploughing forward .. impressive!

Deep cover by Leigh Russell.
A DI Geraldine Steel Thriller Book 16.
When a sex worker dies in suspicious circumstances in York, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel struggles to remain focused on the murder investigation: she is distracted by her worries about her colleague and life partner, Ian Peterson, who has disappeared. As Geraldine becomes close to her new DS, Matthew, she is unaware that Ian is working undercover in London, trying to identify a criminal gang who have been targeting her.

As a second victim is discovered in York, and Ian's life is threatened by a psychopath the tension mounts. If he fails in his mission, both he and Geraldine may die...

Really enjoyable read. Great story. Ian and Geraldine are great. 5.

Great book of it's genre, fast paced with believable characters, would absolutely read more in the series.

Another great story from Leigh - Geraldine is a well-known character and yet her story continues to be unique - When Ian goes undercover to find out who is the drug dealer that means she cannot see her sister, she needs to manage a murder investigation. Being conflicted can be hard but Geraldine is a professional.

Another Geraldine Steele instalment.
In York the body of a sex worker is found in the woods and then later a body is found which has the same DNA on it. The team without Ian work the case to try and find the connection.
Meanwhile, Ian has suddenly left to go on an assignment and no one knows where but the story also features what is happening with Ian and why he is where he is.
Great series and this one did not disappoint.

I absolutely love this series but for me it has had it's ups and downs. When Geraldine got demoted I found that she seemed to shrink into herself and I felt like she was struggling. Once again with her working relationship with her colleague Ian went personal it was also a difficult time for her. It felt like she was so up and down and I never knew which version I was going to get. Following the end of the last book I wasn't sure what would happen to Geraldine and Ian, however the opener of this book makes it perfectly clear. Geraldine is working a murder case however her focus is seriously tested as it seems Ian has upped and disappeared. A new colleague DS Matthew makes an entrance and I worried instantly that this may be where it all went wrong.

On the other side of the fence, Ian is now part of the Drugs squad in London and has chosen to work undercover. Unbeknown to Geraldine he is fighting this case in the hope he can resolve the issues between Geraldine and her sister Helen. I really thought you got to see Ian in a new light with this role and I absolutely loved this book. There is plenty of action and although you probably could read this as a standalone, knowing the back story means you as the reader are way more invested in the outcome. I read this in two days and was sad when it finished, however it made me look forward to the next book even more.

Synopsis

DI Geraldine Steel is separated from her life-partner and colleague Ian. On a personal level she feels let down by him because his actions mean she can no longer see her sister who is now living under a new identity, so she buries herself in work. She is also upset because he has left without a word of goodbye or forwarding details. Nobody is sure where he is, but rumour has it he is in London working undercover.

Ian has gone under cover, deep cover, to infiltrate one of the capital’s major criminal gangs. He is after more than just ‘collars’ though. He hopes to use the infiltration to his advantage to get word to the drug dealer who blighted Geraldine’s sister’s life and warn him off. That way he believes that the sisters can contact each other again and his relationship with Geraldine reconciled and their love healed.

Meanwhile Geraldine is investigating the mysterious death of a sex worker who is found in woods near York. Initial suspicions are that she has murdered but the forensics prove this was not in situ, so she had clearly been moved. But why? A second victim is then discovered on waste ground, but she is not a sex worker. Geraldine wonders if they can be connected and the investigation is widened.

My thoughts

I have read the first few in the Geraldine Steel series but must confess that I haven’t picked one up for some time. Looking at the author’s catalogue it is clear she is very prolific and I know she has a large following, so now seemed a good time to revisit the series to see how it has developed.

The plot is two distinct strands and investigations which don’t bisect. The multi-strand approach is increasingly common and the skill of the author is put to test pulling all the loose ends together into a cogent story. ‘Deep Cover’, is effectively two novellas running alongside each other like an episode of ‘The Bill’ but in which both are concluded by the epilogue.

Geraldine’s investigation into the death of a sex worker is a nicely put together story of unintended consequences. I think we enjoy the schadenfreude aspect of someone making a bad choice and then by trying to make things better succeeding in digging themselves in deeper and things getting progressively worse for themselves. Thomas is not a particularly likeable character so is fair game, perhaps if he had been a little more likeable then it may have been a little more challenging for the reader. It's also a bold writer who lets the reader know who is responsible for the crime and as able to continue to engage their interest.
Ian’s investigation was more unconventional. The motivation for him to go undercover to contact the drug dealer to warn him off didn’t ring true to me. The undercover aspects were fine, but it just felt as if it was a little bit rushed; Ian played his cards to the crime boss almost straightway which didn’t feel right. Credit for trying this sub-genre though.

Both threads were good, but I was left feeling that they were both a little bit short changed and perhaps would have been better served as full stand-alone novels. More could have been made of the pressure Thomas was under and ultimately his breakdown into temporary madness under all the pressure. Similarly, more could have been made of the danger that Ian was in and the steps he needed to take to stay safe. This would have made both themes darker, and it was noticeable that there was little by way of real violence. I assume that this is a case of the author understanding their audience and me reading too many noirs and gritty Northern stories.

The main characters, Geraldine and Ian, are already well developed and likeable enough. The writing is unfussy and the plot certainly doesn’t dawdle.

3.5 Star rounded to 3 - just needed expanding a little more

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair review.

I had no idea that this book was newest addition in the crime novel DS Geraldine Steel series. She is in York investigating the death of a prostitute when another woman is discovered dead.

Meanwhile her colleague and ex partner Ian Peterson is undercover in London trying to infiltrate a drug gang to find Geraldine's twin sister.. Whilst the murder cases are believable and well plotted, the drug one was not.

Thanks to Net Galley and No Exit Press for the chance to read and review.

The body of a sex worker is found in woodland where she may have fallen and died accidentally but all may not be as it seems. When the team get together to start to look at the evidence Ian Peterson is missing and no-one will say where he's gone although Geraldine's boss clearly has an idea. It becomes apparent that the sex worker's death is suspicious and the hunt is on but the criminal has been very careful. When a second - seemingly unrelated - victim is discovered there is difficulty in finding if, and how, these two cases are linked, and, of course, finding the person or persons responsible.

The reader learns that Ian has gone under cover with the drug squad in London as his face is not known in the London area. Under very close support Ian tries to get in the confidences of the leaders of the drug gang but quickly throws his script away to execute his own agenda - he didn't put his life on the line for the drug squad!

For me the Ian Peterson side of the story (and the two stories could almost be two separate books) just didn't work well BUT was cleverly executed by Russell none the less. It felt too rushed, too sweet and not enough time elapsed in the plot.

BUT, on the other side - the Geraldine Steel side of the story is probably (in my opinion) Russell's best story yet and it's not like there's been a bad one.

Really enjoyed this for the Geraldine Steel side at least and would recommend to any crime story fans.

DI Geraldine Steel is investigating the murder of a sex worker in York but she is missing her former colleague and life partner DI Ian Peterson. Teamed up with a new DS Matthew Bailey Geraldine knows she has to give the case her full attention but wondering where Ian has gone is distracting her. They didn’t part on the best of terms and she is wondering if she made a mistake. When another body is found and is linked by forensic evidence to the first, Geraldine is struggling to find what connects the two women before anyone else is killed.
Meanwhile in London Ian has been seconded to work undercover with the drugs squad to try and get close to one of the most dangerous drugs dealers, strip club owner Tod Lancaster.
Getting to work with Tod is easier than expected but Ian will have to work hard to gain his trust to get as close as he needs to be. But Ian has an ulterior motive for wanting to work with the drugs squad. He wants to make contact with the dealer who targeted Geraldines sister, Helena, forcing her to go into hiding meaning Geraldine can’t see her again. Ian thinks that if he can get the dealer to leave Helena alone the sisters can be reunited and he and Geraldine might be able to get back on course. How far will Ian go to get results for the Drugs squad and himself and will it put his life in even more danger.
I really enjoyed this. It was like getting 2 books in 1! I like both Geraldine and Ian as main characters and their stories were both gripping.

'Deep Cover' is the sixteenth book in the Geraldine Steel series by Leigh Russell. A series that I have always loved and was so happy to be a part of this tour while at the same time wondering if this book would live up to the standard of the previous ones. Well, I think Leigh has outdone herself this time!
When a sex worker dies in suspicious circumstances in York, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel struggles to remain focused on the murder investigation: she is distracted by her worries about her colleague and life partner, Ian Peterson, who has disappeared. As Geraldine becomes close to her new DS, Matthew, she is unaware that Ian is working undercover in London, trying to identify a criminal gang who have been targeting her.
As a second victim is discovered in York, and Ian's life is threatened by a psychopath the tension mounts. If he fails in his mission, both he and Geraldine may die...
This time we have a double whammy! We see Geraldine in York investigating the case of a dead woman while Ian is undercover in London with no-one knowing, working with the drugs squad there. We are told the story of both by way of alternating chapters between Geraldine and Ian. Both thinking about each other and their break up while working in different parts of the country.
We see Ian in the gritty, dangerous and corrupted gangster underworld in London working anonymously with a highly dangerous drug gang. Geraldine is handling the death of a prostitute whose body is found in dense woodland. A case that goes cold for Geraldine, until another body is found smothered in the same DNA.
Two cases that Leigh Russell cleverly weaves together as the story unfolds. An enthralling and as always, addictive read that's full of drama, tension that is almost palpable, double crosses, mystery and danger that could cost lives. What I have always liked about this series is the characters and how briliantly they have been created and their development throughout. Returning to this series is like catching up with old friends everytime. This book is another riveting read and another worthy chapter in the Geraldine Steel series.
Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours, No Exit Press and Leigh Russell for my gifted copy of the book.