Well-paced and suspenseful all the way through. I listened on audio, which meant it took a little more mental work to switch between the timelines, (but that might just be me.) Particularly enjoyed the Anglesey setting. Will definitely look out for the next in the series.

I liked the narration although sometimes the Scouse was a bit off to my ear.
I really enjoyed this book and now need to read the next one in the series as it ends on quite a cliffhanger. However, there were a couple of points I found less than believable: firstly, why did she phone her son when she is supposed to be so highly trained. It’s obvious that that was a bad move no matter what. Secondly, there’s a scene where she is thinking about how hot the detective is while they are trying to rescue her son from gun wielding gang members. That’s so unrealistic it made me annoyed. Other than those points though, I really loved this book.

Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with a copy of this audiobook!
The story is very focused on the main character's devellopment which turns out to be fairly predictable but in spite of that I was eager to keep going as it's a very action packed book, there's barely a minute to breathe. Looking back I don't know that everything was 100% believable but it kept me entertained.
I liked the descriptions of Anglesey which I previously knew nothing about, the landscape really came alive through the pages.

I also really enjoy crime books where the main detective is a woman and it was nice to come across lgbt police characters too! thumbs up for some diversity which can be rare to come across in the genre.

Overall this book makes for a really decent crime/thriller read, I would especially recommend it to those who are interested in the police force as this goes into quite a bit of detail about it's functionment in a crisis.
The audiobook narrator was good too by the way.

Not a good choice for me. I can suspend belief so far but this book went above and beyond. I listened to most of it to distract me from a spring clean so my alternative was no temptation or I may never have finished it.

This is my favourite type of audiobook genre & I relish finding an author whose work is new to me. Having never read / listened to anything by Simon McCleave prior to this audiobook I wasn’t sure what to expect; however, what I found was a great book formed around an interesting and gripping storyline that held my interest from start to finish. I usually listen to audiobooks while walking my dogs; however, I found myself continuing to listen throughout the day as I wanted to follow the story onwards.
Narrated really well, with good performance of the different characters, this added to my enjoyment of the book rather than detracted from it as I’ve found some narrators do.
I did initially find the swapping from the previous incident involving the main character & attempts to negotiate with an OCG which ends in her husband’s death, the aftermath of this and then back to the present a little confusing to begin with, especially with the occasional appearance of Sam (her dead husband) in Laura’s imagination. However, this all added valuable depth to the storyline and in turn increased my enjoyment of the audiobook.
Full of twists and turns, this had my shouting out at times in frustration or shock along with the characters.
And as for the cliffhanger at the very end … I hope there’s another book in the pipeline as I need to find out what is going on!
A great listen, perfect length for an audiobook as the story keeps you hooked throughout. I will definitely be looking for more audiobooks by this author.

I listened to the audio version of this book and really appreciated the narrator and being able to enjoy this story being read to me as I did some mundane tasks. I am not a fan of detective/crime fiction overall but this one was fantastic! It usually takes me a week or more to get to the end of an audio book but I listened to this in 2 days as I found it so compelling. It felt so real. I could sympathise with Laura so well and look forward to hearing more of her story. I get the feeling that this could be one in a series and indeed the book finished with a bit of a tease to another episode. A few times through the book, there is a gentle reference to 'Line of Duty' and I can see the similarity. Excellent and well narrated too! Give us more!

The first in a new series a pacy thriller set on the island of Anglesey. Laura Hart is a police negotiator but after her husband is killed in the line of duty she is no longer able to do her job due to panic attacks. Then a school boat trip, with Laura’s son on board, is hijacked by criminals and hence a fabulous tense series of events unfold that will put Laura in the most difficult situation of her life! This is a brilliant audiobook - Alice White has a great crystal clear voice which made this book all the more enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and genuinely couldn’t put this one down. A big shiny five stars from me!! Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for my gifted audiobook.

The Dark Tide tells the story of Laura, an ex-DCI and hostage negotiator with the Greater Manchester police. Laura and her family move back to the, usually quiet and peaceful, Isle of Anglesey. However, Laura soon finds herself in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong, where a boat full of school children is taken hostage, including Laura's son.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I'm sure it won't be the last. The story was well written and I found that I quickly bonded with the characters, wanting things to work out for them. This is the kind of story that makes you constantly feel on edge, wondering what will happen next.

I listened to the audiobook and very much enjoyed the narrator, who was able to perfectly switch between the different accents, making it clear who was speaking.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Dark Tide was my first Simon McCleave crime novel, and it certainly won’t be my last. Having just come back from holiday to Anglesey, I was drawn to the book and the tag: An Anglesey Crime Thriller!

After her husband was killed in the line of duty, Laura Hart quits Manchester’s police force, and her job as a hostage negotiator, and relocates to Anglesey for a quiet life with her children and to heal. I thought it dealt with Laura mourning her husband really well.

Without wanting to give too much away - you just have to read the book! The tranquility of Anglesey and Laura’s new life is upended when local police need her expertise to help when a tourist boat is over-run by criminals and everyone on the boat taken hostage, including her son.

The book runs on two different time-lines - listen out for the dates at the start of the chapters! The past shaping the present.

It feels like this is the first in a series and I certainly hope that is the case.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins UK Audio, for making this audio-ARC available to me for a fair and honest review.

Laura Hart was a DCI wth Greater Manchester Police when her husband Sam was killed she left the Police and took her children to Anglesey to heal and start a new life. When Laura's son Jake was on a school trip to Puffin Island the ship was taken over by drug runners and the crew, passengers and children were held hostage. Laura was called in by the North Wales Police to help as a negotiator to bring a safe ending to the release of the hostages.
This is the beginning of another great series by Simon McCleave with other stories running through the background. I listened to this book when read by Alice White and got totally engrossed into the story it was a brilliant listen. I really look forward to the next in the series.

I have never read anything by this author or listened to the narrator, wow they are fantastic. The tension in the book was brilliant. Nice short chapters and the three timelines worked brilliantly. (not usually a fan).

The descriptions of North Wales were brilliant and it has inspired me to look at holidays in the area.

Can't wait for the next installment - fantastic.

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

This had the premise of being a really good read, however there were so many unbelievable moments that it really ruined it for me. The fact that the main character was a trained hostage negotiator and was allowed to negotiate her husbands release and then after she’d left the police she was called in again as a negotiator when her son was involved and she was a civilian! And then speeding off in speed boat’s everywhere trying to catch criminals had me rolling my eyes 👀. Oh and don’t get me started on the conversations with her dead husband !!

The narrator was ok and fairly good at doing the different accents but did sound a bit robotic in places

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thankyou #netgalley #simonmccleave #avonbooks #harpercollinaudio for a audiobook copy for honest review.
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Mixed emotions on this book . Long but fast paced and easily understands the plot . I enjoy the plot with strong emotions but feels like a cliffhanger on the end .
Probably will be nice if it was a stand-alone but still the plot was delivered well.
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❤️Shaye.reads

The Dark Tide by Simon McCleave is the first book i've read from this author and as hes left it on a cliff hanger it won't be the last, its a start of a new series of books featuring DCI Laura Hart, she was police hostage negotiator but she quit after her last call three years before led to the murder and death of her police officer husband.
Three years on she is bringing up their two children and working as a motivational speaker for business people when she gets a call that drags her back to her previous life to talk down some drug runners who have taken a boat and passengers hostage, the worst thing is her 10 year old son is on board.
The story itself is good and as I said I look forward to the next installment, the story does jump about a by going from the present to the past but I did find Laura quite annoying in the fact shes supposed to be this brilliant ex DCI & negotiator but she does make some very reckless decisions without thinking which put lives at risk, something i got annoed about as i was listening to it.

As to the narrator Alice White, she did a good job at prononcing all the Welsh names but a bit more inflection in her reading would make the narration easier to listen to.

A fast paced thriller which grabs you and takes you along for the ride. Simon McCLeave certainly knows how to ramp up the tension! A great read which sets the foundations for a promising new series.

I have mixed feelings about this book, so I’ll deal with the positives first. It’s a crime thriller, set on Anglesey in North Wales featuring a former police officer whose husband ( also a police officer) died during a siege in which she was chief hostage negotiator. She’s left the police and moved to Anglesey with her children in an attempt to rebuild her life. She sets up her own business running skills courses. Meanwhile, drug dealers from Liverpool are setting up a county lines operation, running drugs into Wales. They’re planning to use a high speed rigid inflatable to make the journey by water and drop the goodies in Beaumaris. But it all goes horribly wrong and the police, after a tip off are waiting. A hostage is taken from a pleasure boat trip and…guess what, a skilled negotiator is needed urgently. There are further contrivances in a plot which is fast paced but largely predictable. The timeline moves between past (the circumstances around the original heist in which husband was killed) and minute by minute developments in the drug drop.

Although the story is well told it all feels rather flat. The characters lack depth and as a police procedural, it breaks the flow to use abbreviations and explain what they mean. There’s repetition about the scenery and the explanation of Welsh names feels clumsy. I feel I ought to have warmed to Laura, the widowed police officer, but I didn’t. A lot of stereotypical characters and despite the action scenes, I struggled to finish the book. It looks like this is the first in a series.

I find it annoying when an author presents facts which are wrong. That’s lazy and unnecessary. The list of police stations is wrong; there hadn’t been a station in Rhosneigr for years. It’s a B&B. The Benllech station closed a couple of years ago and there are no sand dunes in Beaumaris as described to hide the waiting police. There are other errors. If facts are used, they should be right; or leave them out.

Narration was acceptable but Alice White’s regional accents are poor. The Liverpool accent is OK but delivery is inconsistent. Quite irritating. Don’t think I’ll be following this series and the three stars are on the generous side.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Where has this author been hiding all of my life? I am happy to find a new author through this book, and I am thrilled to discover that he already has lots of books out there for me to get stuck into at a later date.

In this book, which is book 1 of a new series, we find an awesome police procedural, much like Line of Duty. Laura, a police officer in Manchester, loses her policeman husband while they are both called out to a crime. She is devastated, and her and her children move to Anglesey. At a later date, Laura's son gets involved in another crime, while he is on a boat trip, and he unfortunately gets taken hostage by criminals. Laura is called in by the police to help out in this situation, as she is a hostage negotiator.

I really enjoyed the way the characters personalities, back stories and life situations were explored, and how we were taken back to the past, to see what happened in Manchester. I like to read a lot about each character and their life, as it helps me to feel more connected to them, and it gives more meat to the story. I also liked the different settings of the story, especially when we had the descriptions of Wales and all its glory. When Laura had her dead husband talking to her, I enjoyed this too.

I found the book really exciting, fascinating, fast paced and full of suspense and tension, which kept me gripped and eager to keep reading. I look forward to the next book in series when it comes out. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

I like the sunrise/sunset picture of penmon lighthouse on the cover, very fitting.

This is the start of a new series. I had the audiobook version narrated by Alice White. The narrator coped well with the Welsh names, and the Scouse accents.

Laura Hart was a hostage and crisis negotiator for Manchester police, her husband Sam was a PC with the same force. However he was brutally murdered, while Laura was negotiating with the perpetrators. She is investigating the events surrounding his death.

Laura moved to idyllic Anglesey to heal. She is called upon when a tourist boat is seized by armed drug dealers, only this time it’s her son Jake who is in danger. She works closely with DCI Gareth Williams where they form a bond.

The POV jumps around in the early stages, it can take a while to realise which time frame or POV you are in, which is a bit disconcerting. Laura has conversations with her dead husband which doesn’t help orientation.

I didn’t really gel with the characters, Michael (one of the antagonists) was my favourite, as well as the teacher Beth. I felt the characters didn’t have much appeal or depth, although some characters developed at the end of the book.

The writing style is easy going,it’s on the cosier side with no sex, gore or bad language. The plot is uncomplicated, the snappy concise style keeps the pace moving and the interest levels up. I really liked the supernatural element. It is interspersed with interesting facts about the island, although some of them felt a bit random to the storyline. There’s a bit of action, so there’s always plenty going on.
Some phrases felt a little cliched.
I thought the management training sessions were a good tool to give insight of a negotiators role.
Everything is tidied up well at the end. Although the ending dragged on a little. Some of that was the explanations of modern day language and legends which feel unnecessary.

I found it a quick easy entertaining listen. I’m sure fans of his other Welsh series will love it. As it’s the first of a new series it’s a perfect one to try if you haven’t read this author before.
There’s an ongoing thread to hook people into the next book, although the main thread comes to a conclusion.