I secretly love crime fiction. I don’t often pick them up but when I do I devour them.

The Dark Tide is one of my faves. I adored the setting of the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales and them impact this had on solving the crime. I enjoy how the plot unravelled and was not quite how anyone - police and criminals - expected. And I liked the main characters Laura and Gareth. Police officers are often quite unlikable or cocky but the depth of Laura’s backstory was considered and sympathetic. The characters on the boat - Jake, his teacher and one of the hijackers was an added heart warming dynamic.

Reading other reviews this books appears to be abit marmite, lots of love and many having issues with the facts and the realism. Not knowing the area the facts didn’t bother me, but I can see why others might have been and although I’m not one for ghost stories this addition was tolerable for me.

And enjoyable and page turning crime book and I would happily pick up another by Simon McCleave in the future.

This was good. It’s the first book in a series (The Anglesey Series) so you get a lot of background for characters that may be important in the following books. It also ends on quite the cliffhanger.
DCI Laura Hart was the top Hostage and Crisis Negotiator for the Greater Manchester Police. When her husband was kidnapped she did all she could to reason with those who had him but to no avail. He was brutally murdered. That was three years ago.
Now Laura is living on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. She is trying her best to heal but then she receives a call. Armed drug dealers have hijacked a tourist boat and it’s the boat her son is on for his school trip. They need a trained negotiator as there is none available so she gets a call and is asked to help.
She would like to wash her hands of the situation but with her son's life on the line she must face the past and deal with the memories of the time she failed. She is definitely living her worst nightmare. Can she face her past in order to save her son?
This was pretty good. The characters are interesting and the story was well written. You do have to get used to Laura talking to her deceased husband which is just a little weird sometimes but understandable.
I was lucky enough to receive an audio copy of this book from Netgalley and if you are a fan of audio this one is good. The narrator's voice is perfect for this story and brings the main character to life in a great way.

This book was amazing! The setting, the characters and the gripping plot- it’s an excellent read. I loved the layers to this book. There’s the family who’ve lost their dad, the boys who were abused, the drugs, gangs and OCGs, and the police. All of these weave together to make an action packed book. The ending is left open so I’m hoping book 2 will be out soon.
I just want to know how things worked out for all of the characters. Can’t wait to read more.

The Dark tide is a wonderfully immersive story about DCI Laura Hart, who lives on the Isle of Anglesey, having previously lived in Manchester working as a hostage negotiator. She has chosen to leave Manchester, for a quieter life, following the death of her husband. Her new life doesn't stay quiet for long and her expertise is soon required again. A compelling and fast-paced thriller with excellent narration. Thank you to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read and enjoyed some of Simon McCleave's Ruth Hunter books so was excited to try this first in a new series, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the setting of beautiful Beaumaris in Anglesey, a place I have visited many times in the past and I have been on a boat trip to Puffin Island!. Laura Hart is a great character and I enjoyed getting to know her, and her backstory, and having a hostage negotiator as the main character was interesting. The book is fast paced and very tense as events started to unravel. I can't wait for the next in the series.

I really enjoyed the narration by Alice White.

The Dark Tide by Simon McCleave sounded good on the paper but I found myself both bored and annoyed while I listened to the audio version. I liked some bits of the book, the widow who sees her dead husband. who have talks with him now and then. And who is trying to figure out why he was at the place that got him killed. However, the constant internal monologue about how sexy someone is, especially a moment in the middle of a crisis like one's son is kidnapped did I find disturbing. The ending was pretty good and I might even pick up the next book to see what happens next. However, I can't give the book more than 2 stars because for the most part I just listened half-heartedly.

Alice White did a great job narrating the book which helped me get through the slow parts.

The Dark Tide by Simon McCleave Narrated by: Alice White is the first book in the new; Anglese series was an excellent start to a very interesting and addictive new series. Especially as its the first book I have read/listened to by this new author to me and it will not be the last. This book was excellent and I was hooked from the beginning till the end and I really enjoyed it. Hang on I loved it! All the characters in the book were brilliant and played their part within the story.

:"Three years ago, DCI Laura Hart was the top Hostage and Crisis Negotiator for the Greater Manchester Police. Then her husband was kidnapped. Despite her best efforts to reason with the criminals, he was brutally murdered.

Now living on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, Laura is slowly healing. Then she gets a call: armed drug dealers have seized a tourist boat – and her ten-year-old son Jake is on board"

The narrator Alice White was excellent and she did a good job of drawing you in

I highly recommend this new series.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins UK Audio, for this advance copy for an honest review.

Ex cop living the quiet life with her son is caught up in a crime in her neighbour hood. She should stay away and not get involved but her training and institution get the better of her and she becomes a major part of the investigation. A drug deal goes wrong and a boat is intercepted along with some children as hostage, racing against time to try to solve the crime and negotiate for the safe release of hostages this is a fast moving plot set in Anglesea. Emotionally charged and flashbacks to previous hostage situations it was a therapy of sorts for the ex cop, maybe now healed can go back to the job she was so good at. The first time i have read anything from this author and opening the scene for further instalments, it was a quick read for me. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

This was a brilliant book. I loved it from the start. I loved it even more when I realised it was set in Wales. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator with her Welsh accent it really added to the book. She really created a brilliant sense of atmosphere and tension. The story-line was thrilling and I was totally engrossed in this novel and had to binge read it. I don't actually read a lot of police crime thrillers but I will definitely be reading more from this author. The author likes to add those extra little details which at times felt a little like product placement but it didn't take much away from this brilliant story. It actually made me laugh at times and reminiscent a little. This also made it a lot easier to picture in my mind. It was definitely a thrilling ride and I just loved the characters. I have to mention how much I loved the ending. It really did make me feel like the book was complete and there was nothing left to wonder over.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for creating this thrilling, action packed crime novel set in such a wonderful place. 
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-dark-tide-by-simon-mccleave-harpercollins-avon-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365 or lady Reading365 or ladyc reading

***Audio ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

Our main character Laura previous worked with her husband in the Manchester police force, however, after a hostage situation gone wrong she leaves the force. She moves to Beaumaris (if you haven't been, go!) with her son for a new start. However, when a tourist boat is hijacked with Laura's son on board and no other negotiator is available, she has to put her past aside and assist the police.

I really enjoyed this audio book, the narrator was great and the story even better! The tension built steadily through the book, the characters were well written and there was even a sweet romance on the side. It's always great to receive ARC's but particularly with this book it is super exciting as I have never even heard on this author previously or his back catalogue. Good news! It is extensive! I will certainly be checking out his previous works.

Very good police crime thriller. Hadn't read any of his books before and thought I would start with this as it's the start of the series. Keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed the dual time line and it gave a good introduction and background to the story and the series. Can be read as a stand alone too. I enjoyed the audio book, the reader was very good at different accents and was able to keep the tension in the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

As a crime thriller fan I really enjoyed this book
DCI Laura Hart was the top hostage and crisis negotiator for the Greater Manchester Police. then a personal tragedy makes Laura make a decision to leave the force however when a call tells her that her son is caught up in a hostage situation and there is no other negotiator available Laura has no choice but to get involved
I got this audio book free via Netgalley and it didn't disappoint I listened to it in a day and will look out for the next book in this series

This was my first novel by Simon McCleave and he told a compelling crime story with interesting and complex characters. Told from dual timelines it drew me closer and closer to the climax of the story. It was action packed and I didn’t want to stop listening. The narrator was Alice White and she did such a great job that I thought I was listening to a movie. Yes, I thought it was really good. I chose to listen to this and recommend anyone who loves crime audiobooks.
I. Can’t. Wait. For. Book. Two. Great job with this one.
Thanks Avon via Netgalley
I left my review on Amazon, Instagram, BB, B&N, FB and Kobo.

This is a gripping, high tension thriller.

The plot is interesting, fast paced but easy to follow. I have been gifted with the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job. It has just enough amount of twists, suspense and tension to have you sitting at the edge of your seat.

The characters are good enough although I didn’t click specifically with anyone and found the main character a bit flat.

I liked a lot the descriptions of the surroundings in the book and how this is used to get you into the story and build excitement.

I can surely say that the author is talented in writing however the style wasn’t exactly the right fit for me.

Oh I thought that this audiobook was amazing!
The story was primarily based on one day with flashbacks added and I was just in awe of the way it unfolded!
The author created such amazing tension, I literally forgot to eat as I didn’t want it to stop!
Brilliant!

The dark tide by Simon McCleave

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 out of 5)

Wow
Firstly thank you so much @avonbooks the author and netgally for this advance copy.

I’m not normally one for police crime books or thrillers but wow ! This was phenomenal.
I could not put it down!!

The writing is superb, every character came perfectly to life , every scene was described vividly, the entire story came completely to life for me and I can’t wait until the next book in the series is released! I certainly will be pre ordering the next book as soon as I can !!

This book didn’t feel like your usual thriller / police crime book , it had so much depth and heart . It was a story of families, loss, loyalty and love with a little bit of sexual tension thrown in too which is never a bad thing.

It’s very easy to read with short chapters, I also listened to a third of the book as an audiobook and although I’m not always a fan of audio books the narrator for this one was fantastic and made the story full of suspense and tension.
This would make a perfect series for Netflix or tv crime drama as it’s packed with emotion and excitement.

Liked the basic premise of th story but found it to be not very imaginative in the intricacies of the basic plot.
the description of the location in which the story is set was true to life and accurate, the relationships between the central characters could, for me have been more indicate and imaginative.
The "twists" in the story were entirely predictable but well told and narrated passably well..
I felt there was not enough made of a good set up, good location and good story, it did not fire my imagination in he way other authors have done (Ann Cleave with the Shetland series for example) but accept that this is a good start for the author who shows good writing in parts of the book.

Laura has just lost her policeman husband in the line of duty, to try and get over the loss she leaves the police force and moves to Anglesey.

Her life is slowly returning to normal until one day her son gets kidnapped by an armed gang during a school trip.
As Laura is a trained police negotiator she joins detective Gareth to try and rescue her son and capture the gang.

The book is set between the present, when Laura’s son gets kidnapped and the past, after her husband is killed and Laura moves to Anglesey.

I enjoyed the book, I liked that it was fast moving, although there were points were the story was less than believable and it didn’t really grab me 100%, hence the 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for letting me review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first in the Anglesey Series. The blurb really caught my attention. It’s told in the present day alongside the retelling of events 3 years earlier. I usually love a dual storyline but to begin with I found it confusing and it really didn’t grab me. But about a 1/4 of the way in the pace picked up along with the story and I was fully engaged. It was an interesting storyline if a little unbelievable at times with certain aspects of the storyline that just wouldn’t happen in the real world. I really liked the main character Laura along with many others and some that surprised me along the way. The narrator did a great job and added to the experience. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next instalment as I can’t be left hanging like that 😳😜.

3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that’s due for release on the 12th of May.

Narrator 5 stars
Great voice

Story 4 stars
Don't Dont Drugs Kids!

This book had a fantastic opening and moved along really fast like and action movie M really enjoyed it.

First time trying this author but definitely keen to see what other books are available in the audible store.