I do love a cracking good police procedural and this book is certainly in that category. DI Eve Hunter and her team are tasked with investigating a fire in a children's’ home in Aberdeen, where the body of a young boy has been found. Of course it’s more complicated than a simple accident and the plot becomes more and more engrossing as the book proceeds. One of Eve’s team is more involved with the home than anyone could have guessed, and the story of the investigation goes hand in hand with that person’s own story - both are equally complex but the two strands never get in each other’s way and the writing has admirable clarity throughout. There are plenty of books in this ‘Scottish noir’ genre around at the moment - not all of them are as good as this one.

Another excellent instalment in the DI Eve Hunter series!

Deborah Masson’s writing style makes it so easy to get completely lost in her books. I read this one in three sittings, virtually unheard of for me!

It was a while since I’d last had a helping of DI Eve Hunter and team but two pages in and I was right back in there - in her workshop to be exact - relishing the adventure to come which the reader is plunged into straight away. No lengthy descriptions or scene setting, just right back into the action and that is what I love about Deborah’s writing.

Based around a children’s home this book has all the ingredients of a “predictable” plot - tragic backgrounds, abusive carers, runaways - but none of those elements becomes a dominant feature. I found myself initially distrusting characters then starting to warm to them before changing my mind again several times. There are no over-elaborate backstories written for the characters, instead they are cleverly woven into the plot which has many twists and turns before unravelling right at the end of the book.

Did I guess the culprit? No, I did not but now I’m not sure how I didn’t! Always the sign of an excellent writer as on reflection the clues were all there.

In short if you like action-packed crime novels with complex but likeable characters, Deborah Masson is for you. I certainly can’t wait for the next instalment!

Book 3 of this series with DI Eve Hunter I’ve loved everyone of them and can’t wait for next one. It starts with an horrific fire at a children's home where they find a dead body in the basement what was he doing down there and why couldn’t he get out.

D.C Ferguson sees the fire while out running then he witnesses a boy knocked down with really bad injuries he is so concerned about this boy that he’s not investigating the fire at the Children’s Home it appears he has lots of secrets .
Brilliant read thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC

This is the third book in the DI Eve Hunter series and they just keep getting better. In 'From the Ashes', Eve and her team investigate the death of a boy in a fire in a children's home. I don't want to give any spoilers but the plot is very clever with Deborah Masson weaving in a past story. She's done this with her other two books and it works really well.

This time round, we also get to find out more about DC Ferguson and discover there's far more to him than just his chiselled looks and great hair. In fact, I think these scenes were my favourite.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens to DI Eve Hunter and her team in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random Books for the ARC of this book.
Another great read about Eve Hunter and her detectives. Loved the storyline and it moved quickly alternating between Wellwood and it’s staff and youngsters in their care and the mysterious boy that Ferguson had seen get run over. The way these two stories came together was nothing short of amazing.
Look forward to seeing what is next for Eve.

Its always a nice change to come across books set in Scotland! I didn't realise this wad part of a series but loved it never the less. The characters are well written and intriguing and no doubt, those who have read the series will know them eveb better and see them as old friends by now. There were a few bits that I found quite sad and really touched the heartstrings which I'm always impressed when thrillers manage to impact you in such a way. I didn't see the ending coming until the very last second. Definitely recommend and am currently en route to download the rest of the series

In my opinion, this started at a pace it kept up with throughout the book. At times a little sad, but the action moved it on. This is the third book in the series, yet the first one I've read and it wasn't hard to read as a standalone book. The characters are interesting enough that I will more than likely read the older ones.

DI Eve Hunter Is back, this time trying to find an arsonist who kills a young boy in a children’s home, I like the main character Eve and Deborah Massons novels but this one felt a little disjointed, maybe because her team weren’t working well together, I’m not sure, but still it’s a good story and kept me guessing to the end

I never repeat the blurb. Super third episode for DI Hunter and team. Old secrets come to light as the team look into a fire at a children's home. Sad tales come to light.

This was my first Deborah Masson book and although it is the #3 book in the series, worked equally well as a stand-alone. I enjoyed meeting DI Eve Hunter and her team of 4, with a few backstories which piqued my interest.
The story starts off straight in with fast action and carries on this pace throughout. I loved the
parallel plot line and following all the threads and clues.
Having Aberdeen as a setting was fitting and gave the feeling of bleakness. The challenging subject matters were dealt with sensitively and with great empathy, and I felt raised the issues of what many people carry with them - mental health in adults.
This gritty thriller/police procedural/mystery kept me engaged throughout. It was
taut, tense, harrowing and absorbing, with a pace that never slows. A great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
As someone that has read the two previous books, Hold Your Tongue & Out For Blood, I was really looking forward to number three from Ms Mason. The fact I'm a native Aberdonian and know all the locations in Aberdeen referred to in her books only adds to the enjoyment.
It is regrettable that I find myself saying that this one was a disappointment and doesn't follow in the footsteps of the previous two. Whilst not completely unenjoyable, I felt that the story in this instance was weaker than the other two and contained far too many coincidences for my liking, with parts of it becoming just a little far fetched.
The one thing in it's favour is that, although book three, it could be read as a standalone publication.

Oh my, simply loved this book!

What an outstanding novel by Deborah Masson. Well written, great plot, based in Aberdeen, with Eve Hunter and her team, investigating an arson attack on a children´s home, resulting in the death of one child but also uncovering a body of a woman who was murdered years before.......

Loved Eve and Ferguson, intriguing, great characters.

A fantastic crime thriller which will keep you guessing, I certainly didn´t twig until right at the end.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest opinion.

I really enjoyed From The Ashes, especially learning more about Eve's background and that of her team, specifically Ferguson.
I didn't guess who the perpetrator was until Eve made what I thought was a rather dangerous decision. The conclusion followed swiftly, in fact it ended really quickly in what I considered a quite unsatisfactory manner which was a shame really. I think it was too rushed and rather vague but I can't say more without spoilers and it's still worth a read.

This is the latest in Deborah Masson's DI Eve Hunter series, based in Aberdeen, the Granite City, a dark and intense harrowing mystery which begins with a horrifying case of arson when Wellwood, a privately run children's residential home, owned by Stephen Alderton, is set on fire that results in the tragic death of young boy, 11 year old Lucas Fyfe. What is more shocking and sinister is that his body is not discovered in his bedroom, but locked beneath a recently discovered secret underground basement, Lucas had had no chance of escaping the fire. DC Scott Ferguson finds himself haunted by old traumas which rise to the surface when he is caught up in a road accident with a boy suffering from life threatening injuries that he follows to the hospital. Feeling personally involved, he pours his energies into being there for the unidentified boy, trying to work out who he is and his background.

Unfortunately, this means Scott neglects his responsibilities in the high profile children's home investigation, leaving the hard pressed and overworked DS Jo Mearns covering up for him, but what are the secrets in his past that he has buried deep? As Eve and her team look into the lives of the remaining children, and the staff of the home, huge debts come to light, could it be that the arson was a means to collect on the insurance? The media focus is intense, and the team are under nightmare pressures, particularly with a local journalist's determination to get exclusives. Matters are exacerbated considerably when the police learn of the macabre contents of an oil drum retrieved from the basement. This has Eve digging into the horrors that took place at the children's home in its past when it was run by a previous owner, Sally Fields.

Masson highlights the dangers and all too real vulnerabilities of children placed in care in residential children's homes, the abuse that can take place and the consequent emotional damage and trauma that devastates and ruins lives. The author skilfully develops the character of Scott, throwing a light on what has made him the person he is, and creating the circumstances that offer him the opportunity to at least address to some degree what happened to him. This is a heartrending crime read, although it was a more choppy addition from the previous novels, where the disparate threads come together in surprising ways to connect, and it all comes together in a terrifying nail-biting finale. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Set in Aberdeen the story investigates a fire at a children’s home. As the plot unrolls the focus revolves around the suspects and the police investigators. I enjoyed the descriptions included in this novel they painted a detailed picture of the settings and the characters. A wonderful read I did not guess the villain!

Another book in the series featuring DI Eve Hunter. Two stories run through the book making it fast paced and interesting. Lots of secrets.

An entertaining and easy read, but I found this book rather unsatisfying. The story was a good one but it didn't really seem to ring true, and the ending was just a bit too neat. It was OK but nothing special.

Book 3 in the series and not disappointing
Interlocking storyline
Which keeps you hooked
Plenty of twists and turns
Well written
Keeps you guessing till the end

Thank you netgalley, Deborah Masson and Random House UK

I like the character of Eve- she is spectacularly flawed and as such is an excellent detective!
The investigation is a joy to read with a secondary story running in the background of why one officer is so hung up on a car accident resulting in a teen being seriously hurt.
The way the two stories interweave both in themselves and as a larger part of the characters behaviours and motives is well done without any lengthy explanations in either story- leaving you guessing as to what is really happening whilst tantalising you with enough detail to make you read late into the night.

Another Detective Eve story in the series and I couldn't have been happier to read it. Two storyline brought together in a detective drama. Well written and many characters to follow. Another great job Deborah Masson.