I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! Wow what have I just read. This pulled me in so quickly and has been a book which I have devoured in just hours.

From the Ashes is a book which should definitely be on everyone’s TBR. This opens with a bang and instantly hooks your attention. From the very beginning this is one you will be unwilling to put down.

Eve Hunter needs to investigate an arson attack on a children’s home, which has meant the death of a little boy. From this alone, I’ve been desperate for the plot to unravel. I absolutely couldn’t predict where this one was going to go.

Learning about the background of the children in this one has been heart wrenching. The troubles and traumas from their backgrounds is just unimaginable. Then they have the death of a fellow child to try to comprehend. This element really has added another element.

This is a book that has made my heart race, kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me engaged. This is unpredictable, filled with a mix of characters and is completely unlike anything I’ve read previously.

This is well-written and moves at the perfect pace. I loved Eve Hunter and she is a superb character to go through this book with. I definitely want to read more with her in.

This is a must read for fans of the genre.

The action started straight away in this book! The main story revolves around the children's home but there is another thread running alongside it. DC Scott Ferguson takes a personal interest in an incident he witnesses and at first I started to wonder where this was going to fit in, what the purpose of this sub plot is. The reason for his interest is quite emotional.
I love the way all the pieces came together at the end! So many secrets came to the surface, some quite shocking! I had no idea who the arsonist would be, though as I got closer to finding out it became clear to me what the motive was.

Although this is book 3 of a series it worked really well as a standalone. However, I love the chemistry between the team and will definitely be going back to read the first two books.
A wonderfully woven, and often sad, mystery that had me gripped!

"It was the sound. That's what drew him in. The seconds of silence watching as the flame caught; orange-tinged yellow sparkling before growing and picking up speed - the poor bastards inside unaware of the nightmare headed their way."

The flames start to lick at the building as he silently watches in the dark. As the residents of Wellwood Children’s Home begin to emerge, coughing from the smoke, he vanishes quickly to avoid detection. But not everyone made it out alive. Eleven-year-old Lucas Fyfe’s body is found in the basement and the evidence points to someone deliberately putting him there. But who would want to hurt him? And was it the same person who started the fire?

DI Eve Hunter and her team are back in another gripping thriller that had my heart pounding and my head swimming with unanswered questions. I was on the edge of my seat as author Deborah Masson took me on a twist-filled rollercoaster ride that built to a jaw-dropping finale. But this book is so much more than a simple thriller. Not only are there shady characters, unreliable witnesses and dark secrets, but Masson has woven in moments that are moving, heartbreaking and poignant, bringing tears to my eyes as I was reminded of how callous and cruel some humans can be towards others.

"The ghosts were swarming now, trying to tell her their stories. Wanting her to help them be heard."

The story is told by multiple narrators in dual timelines. Each of the narrators reveal pieces of the story that we slowly piece together to create the full picture. But it was the mystery narrator and the chapters that discussed the history of Wellwood that were the most compelling. This place that should be a sanctuary of safety for the children sent to live there is slowly revealed to be something else entirely as the dark, horrific secrets that have been hidden for decades are finally brought to light.

Tense, twisty and addictive, From the Ashes is a dark and riveting thriller that I highly recommend.

Yet another Scottish police drama that had passed me by. Needless to say I have bought the previous ones. DI Eve Hunter is called to investigate a fire at a children’s home. Her colleague Ferguson isn’t keen to join her after witnessing a road traffic accident with a young boy. It turns out all these things are connected it has a nail biting ending. I loved it

As the house burns the hunt for the killer begins!!!
Hooked from the first to last page and what a cracking read. The third book to feature Dr Eve Hunter, she is called out to the ashes and rubble a body has been found. The house a children's home and the body is that of a child and was found in a secret basement. A dark intense and gripping read which kept me reading late into the night. I loved it!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Have enjoyed this Eve Hunter series very much. Great characters and storyline. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Would definitely read her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Another goody from Deborah Masson. Gritty and determined to keep us reading to the very end, this story leads us right into the action. D I Eve Hunter leads her team to investigate a fire in a children's home. When a grisly discovery is made in the basement it is clear that everything is not as clearcut as it initially seems. Well of course not. It wouldn't be the unputdownable story we expect from this experienced crime writer. Loved it.

There are some writers when you pick up one of their books you know you are in for a treat. Deborah Masson is one of them. I was hooked before I'd finished the first few pages.

DI Eve Hunter and her team are called to a house fire in a children's home. When a body is discovered in a basement room it's obvious this is not just a straight forward accident.

For one of the team this investigation is about to get very personal.

A fantastic page turner that kept me reading late into the night. I cannot recommend this series highly enough.

This is another thrilling book from the DI Eve Hunter series set in Aberdeen .Eve and her Team investigate a fire in a childrens home and then a body is found in the basement .This is a gritty book with some excellent characters ,terrible secrets come to light .It is a gripping story ,fast paced an excellent addition to the series .I look forward to reading the next book in the series .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

This is a dark and gritty crime procedural where DI Eve and her team try to solve an arson with a murder. This is book three in the series and of course, true to form, I haven’t read books one and two but had no issues enjoying the story. Crime procedurals aren’t always known for their twists, but I’ll say this one had a doozy in it. I kinda had an idea where this one was headed but did not see that twist coming. I enjoyed getting to know the team, but it was a little ways in before the book had anything personal with the police team. That may be because of it being book three or it may just be the author’s style.

There a few storylines going at once that the author does a good job of keeping them going and interesting. I’m off to look up the first books in the series and spend a little more time with DI Eve and her team.

Based in Aberdeen, this is book 3 in the DI Eve Hunter series. It's a powerful, emotional read, with the plotting centred around the care system and the children within it. Eve and her team are investigating a fire at a residential children's home and the discovery of the body of a young boy in the cellar. The characterisation is very good and the pace is steady throughout, right up to the gripping finale, as the team hunt for the killer. The author fully describes the vulnerability of children within the care sector and her research is excellent. A good, solid police procedural and a very good series which I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

enjoy Deborah Masson’s D.I. Eve Hunter series. With each book you learn a little more about Eve’s team and the focus this time is on D.C. Scott Ferguson. This time the Aberdeen based D.I. Hunter is faced with a truly awful crime.

A child is dead and the cause of that death is wilful arson. Someone has set fire to a Wellwood, a privately run Children’s Home and now 11 year old Lucas Fyfe is dead – found in a disused basement where he had no reason to be.

Wellwood’s owner, Stephen Alderton is distraught but as Eve and her team dig into the home and those who live and work in it, it seems that Alderton is just one of many hiding things from the Police.

The children, too have secrets; secrets that they have sworn to each other they won’t reveal, but as Eve Hunter and her team dig deeper into this case, they face a shocking discovery that is even more horrifying than finding Lucas Fyfe’s body.

DC Scott Ferguson is on his way into work when he witnesses a bad road accident in which a teenage boy is knocked down, suffering severe injury. The boy can barely speak when Ferguson reaches him, but he implores Scott to stay with him and Scott feels compelled to do so. This boy has triggered something in Ferguson and he is driven to find out more about the lad, leaving his team mates in the lurch as he prioritises this case above the work that Eve Hunter has assigned to the team.

Though she does her best, DS Jo Mearns can’t cover for Ferguson indefinitely and soon he is putting his job on the line as he openly defies her authority and makes some bad judgement calls in so doing.

Eve and her team are under huge media scrutiny and it appears that there’s one journalist who is better at getting to the facts before the Police which isn’t helping Turner’s boss to invest confidence in her or her team.

The more they investigate his case, the more it seems that the answers lie in the past and the secrets that lie buried will soon rise from the ashes. It’s a heart-rending story that echoes only too well some of the terrible stories that we have heard about residential children’s homes and what can happen in them behind closed doors where the most vulnerable have no-one to look out for their interests.

Masson sets this gritty book a lively pace which is kept up throughout. Her characters feel authentic and there’s a credible team dynamic that works really well. The inter-connecting plot, told through three characters moves from past to present. It is neatly put together and the storyline well-researched.

From the Ashes is a sometimes traumatic read but it also offers a serious look at the long term impact of neglect and abuse on children’s lives and the way that can follow them through to adulthood. By utilising the character of D.S. Scott Ferguson to offer a different angle, Masson shows us that not all crime is inevitable.

Verdict: Though I had a good inkling of what and who, this did not affect my enjoyment of a book that has a number of surprises, a deal of tension and excellent characterisation.

I have read the first two books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them so was itching to get my sticky little fingers on this the latest instalment and I wasn't disappointed. Please be reassured that you don't have to have read the others in the series , as this can be read as a standalone quite well although I would recommend you do so.

Once again, we are treated to an excellent and gripping story which although deals with a difficult subject, does so without being over-the-top. An arson attack on a children's home results in the death of a young boy and DI Hunter and her team are quickly mired in the investigation. What was he doing there and are there further dark secrets to be unearthed?

Meanwhile, whilst on his way to work, DI Hunter's colleague, DC Scott Ferguson, witnesses a car accident where a young man is seriously injured. Scott promises the young man he will be there for him but this takes him away from the arson investigation and creates tension within the team. What is it about the young man that has affected him so much?

I raced through this book; I was totally hooked from the start. I really enjoyed the gradual unveiling of secrets which had me wondering what was going to happen next and definitely kept me guessing as to who the arsonist was. The chemistry and loyalty DI Hunter and her team have with each other felt believable and natural; the characters are strong and credible and the pace was just right for me.

All in all, a really good book and a great addition to the series and I have to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for enabling me to read From The Ashes and sharing my thoughts.

This was a gritty police procedural. I haven’t read the two prior books, but it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone. DI Eve Hunter and her team are investigating a suspicious fire at a children’s home and discover a body locked in the basement. One of the team members, DC Scott Ferguson, is jogging when he sees the smoke from the fire and then a hit and run accident where a boy pedestrian is injured. The hit and run accident distracts him from the ongoing investigation of the fire but the two incidents are eventually linked. This a perfectly-paced crime thriller, not too slow-moving but not implausibly quick to solve the mystery of what is going on at the children’s home.

DI Eve Hunter is called into investigate a fire at a children’s home, when a child is found dead, trapped in the basement. During the investigation, the firefighters also come across an old drum with hazard warning stickers on it. Upon scanning the drum, they find the remains of a young women and foetus. The hunt is now on to find out what happened to both victims, could the two cases be related?

It is great to have DI Hunter back in this latest instalment. A likeable character, with her own issues, she leads to team well during the investigations. There is a nail biting ending which is extremely well written that keeps you on edge and wanting to know what happens next.

I enjoyed this book. It was really well written and developed some of the previous characters in the series back stories. It kept me guessing until the end.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘From The Ashes’, the third in the DI Eve Hunter series written by Deborah Masson, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Although DI Eve Hunter wouldn’t normally be called out for a fire, her presence is required when someone sets fire to Wellwood Children’s Home and the body of a young boy is found in the secret cellar.

‘From The Ashes’ is a police thriller set in Scotland where secrets are being kept someone who thinks they’re worth killing for. This is a satisfactory read with its fair share of surprises, drama and twists and turns, but I’ve not found the story as strong as the previous novels in the series especially ‘Hold Your Tongue’ that had me completely gripped from page one. I’m hoping there’ll be a fourth in the series which I’ll be looking forward to but I didn’t think this was one of Ms Masson’s best.

This is my first Deborah Masson book, and although it is part of a series, it works well as a stand alone and you don't have to have read the previous books to pick this up.

The best part about this book is that the reasonable pace was set in the beginning and continued through to the end. At no point did I think that the book was slowing, or that it was taking too much time to get to where it needed to be.

I thought this book was fantastic, kept you guessing with its twists and turns, whilst being easy to read. However, I did think there were times where it was slightly disjointed.

Another fantastic gripping read from a brilliant author.
Twists and turns all the way, such a gripping read. I could not put it down until the very last page.

10/10

I will be reviewing also on Amazon once the book is officially released, but I am expecting to hear a lot more about this book soon once it hits the shelves.

DI Eve Hunter and her team are back to investigate the death of a young boy following a fire in a children's home in Aberdeen. Two heavily intertwined stories - one of a personal nature and one for the deaths. For once the personal one works well and does not distract from the detecting. Everyone has something to hide from minor issues to historic child abuse. The characters are well-written and the descriptions evocative. A good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Random House UK Transworld, for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.