I realised this was book four so quickly read the first three. It works just as well as a stand-alone too. I love the characters and of course set in my home county (which seems to be scarily popular with Crime writers!😯) the format of this story is a twist.. the trope where the reader knows early on the killer is, and learn more as the story develops. I love this, as it turns the genre on the head, and gives a whole new tension to the narrative waiting for the police to work it out. A great series of book’s especially for lovers of Elly Griffith’s Dr Ruth series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of An Artful Murder, the fourth novel to feature DS Sara Hirst of Norwich Police.

A man is found murdered inside a sculpture shaped like a funerary urn on the grounds of a remote country house. A few days later his friend is found murdered and posed on a golden chair once used as a film prop. They were part of a group of four who had been friends since their university days. Newly appointed DCI Hudson suspects a jealous member of the group, Dominic Wilkins, but Sara thinks there are deeper rooted reasons for the murders.

I enjoyed An Artful Murder, which has enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages and a nice, clear style of writing. The downside for me, as I like the hunt and guessing involved, is that the killer’s identity is established almost from the start of the novel. The motive might not be as immediately apparent but it doesn’t take long for it to emerge. The novel thus becomes a duel between the task orientated killer and the prevention of further murders police.

I must admit that I wasn’t expecting too much when the format of the novel became obvious, but to my surprise it is eminently readable and held my attention throughout. Firstly, the killer has thoroughly researched forensic techniques and how to avoid leaving traces, secondly they are inventive and daring in their plotting, thirdly the victims have secrets and frictions that only come out over the course of the novel and fourthly the investigation is interesting and also full of friction. It makes for a certain amount of unpredictability and surprise in events, while the motive is as old as the hills.

The unannounced arrival of DCI Hudson to lead the team ruffles feathers and offers a steep learning curve on all sides. Her acceptance by them is not a done deal, but they will probably get used to her. I was impressed by the author’s touch in this as she seems to get the balance right in the team’s reaction and the hints of Hudson’s apprehension. It seems very realistic. In further personal news Sara gets a shock and doesn’t fold. She’s an absolute superstar in dealing with it. Go girl.

An Artful Murder is a good read that I can recommend.

Someone is killing members of the self-named Fabulous Four - but why? This 4th installment follows Sara Hirst and her fellow officers in Norwich as they endeavor to find the murderer. Not only do they have the murder to solve, they also have a new Female DCI who has her own way of procedures. As they race to prevent another murder, Sara and her team have to contend with a new way of getting the task done.

relationship-issues, relationships, artist, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, university, thriller, resentment, amputee, small-town, rural, secrets, procedural, revenge, England*****

Book 4 in series Detective Sara Hirst.
The first murder was unusual in how the body was displayed for discovery.
The story is told from police perspective and also by the murderer in an unusual way that works only because of this writer's particular skills. It really is riveting, but I don't want to do spoilers.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

It's the first book i read by this author and won't surely be the last as I enjoyed it.
It's a good solid police procedural, featuring intersting characters. The solid plot kept me guessing and I appreciated the idea of the llamas.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mi

I'd not read this series before but this procedural featuring a killer who leaves toy llamas with his victims was a fine standalone. DS Sara Hirst is dealing not only with a creepy murderer but also with a new boss but she does so ably. You'll know who the killer is almost immediately but it's a pleasure to walk through the investigation with Sara and her team. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of British crime novels might. like me, smile at the list of terms provided.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.

A revenge killer hiding in plain sight, whose signature is to leave a toy llama at every kill.

A police force working against the clock to find the killer before another body drops.

Four friends are at the center of it all.

Who will live to tell the truth?

This was a solid 3.5-star read for me. It's the first book by this author that I've read, though it’s the fourth book in the DS Sara Hirst Series. This was a decent read for me. The story unfolded well for the most part, and while I did enjoy reading it, there was no shocking who-done-it and why like what I had been expecting. While marketed as a mystery, there's no real mystery to it. Daykin introduces the killer very early, along with their motive, so readers know the who and why by the end of the book's first third. Despite this, I found that knowing the who and why didn't fully detract from the storyline. One thing I liked was reading about how the investigation evolved and seeing the interactions between the team members. Though I think it was a bit strange that things were revealed so early in the story, the way that Daykin weaves it made it turn out well. She's a hell of a storyteller.

This is a very character-heavy book, as in there are a lot of them, but it's not difficult to follow. Despite being the fourth in a series, this can definitely be read on its own without having to read the first three books. The significant bits about the characters are mentioned, so readers won't get lost in knowing who everyone is.

One thing I found hilarious is that at the very end of the book, Daykin included a glossary of English terms for US readers. For those who are not familiar with England English terminology, this can be helpful if there are terms that you may not know. For those who are, it may bring a smile to you and maybe a little giggle.

In the end, this was a good read; Daykin weaves the storylines throughout this one very well and doesn't leave any plot holes or loose ends. There are a couple of things that will likely be brought up again in future books, but nothing that ties back to the murder investigation in this one. Based on this book, I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the DS Sara Hirst series.

This review will also be posted on Functionally Fictional, Fathoms Amidst the Lines, and Goodreads.

A procedural series following our character Sara who is faced again in a murder case which head her into a turnaround plus an added new DCI who wants to take control of the case.

Two murders right from the start of the story which has a distinct way of being linked as one because of the certain clue toy llama placed in the murder scene. A typical murder character but with a minor twist which towards the end will you'll have an idea who may have done it and the motive which at the midway of the story already laid out.

An average read for me. Theme of the story is easy to follow and can finish the book in one sitting.


3.4/5 stars

Thank you Joffe books & Netgalley for the ARC.

This is book 4 in the DS Sara Hirst series set in Norfolk where Sara is a member of the Serious Crimes Unit. Told largely from the perspective of Sara and the killer and mainly in the present this is a well written police procedural in which the reader is given the identity of the killer at a very early stage in the book. We then get to watch as the team try to untangle the mystery. Alongside the case Sara’s personal life is a concern as her job, and his amateur dramatics, is making it difficult for her and her boyfriend to see each other.

Briefly, when a body is found inside a massive and very expensive garden urn with a toy llama Sara and her team are handed the case. They think it couldn’t get any stranger but early into their investigation the victims girlfriend is found tied to a gothic style chair, previously used in the movies, with her throat cut and another toy llama. Clearly the murders are related but are there more to come? And what is the motive?

A good easy read, flowed well and at a good pace throughout. I liked the characters, and there were quite a lot of them, and particularly the SCU team who seemed to gel nicely - even the new DCI in time. Whilst my normal preference is a whodunnit this was a very good read and I couldn’t help but have some sympathy for the killer albeit her actions were a bit excessive! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this is the first book I have read in this series but it was fine as a stand-alone. The reader knows who the murderer is quite early on as part of the story is told from their perspective, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment. However, like one of the other reviewers, I found it confusing to start with that several of the police characters were described in detail at once.

This was the first book I read from this series and it stood up very well as a standalone novel. Good story, good writing. The story is written from the perspective of the detective and then the killer, so not a whodunnit but enjoyed all the same. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

DS Sara Hirst has some rather gruesome murders to investigate this time, all of whom have a toy llama left with them. Old college friends are being removed; there's a suspect and the new DCI wants him convicted, There is more emphasis of fellow team members this time but that could be because we have heard a lot about Sara in previous books. She has been accepted in the team and the community and feels more comfortable with herself as a result - apart from the dreaded boyfriend. I do like the contextual descriptions - far too many books read more like a television series where the viewer sees the landscapes and settings. In a book it's the author who needs to paint these for us, otherwise we lose their plot by imagining our own context. Not that convinced about knowing the likely murderer through sections from their point of view but it wasn't a total disaster. Plenty of twists, turns and blood, a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this latest Detective Sergeant Sara Hirst mystery by Judi Daykin. It’s number four in the series and by now Sara has found her niche within the team, and is much more settled in her new environment. She’d moved from London to Norfolk to join the Serious Crime Squad.
This outing finds the team puzzling over the gruesome murder of an up and coming artist, and then the equally gruesome murder of his classmate/girlfriend. As readers we are aware early on who the murderer is, but the why comes later on. I’m not a fan of books where the narrative jumps from police to murderer but Judi Daykin pulls it off. It’s a good book and I hope to read more by this author.

"...Mrs. Deacon took a teetering step backwards on her Jimmy Choos." This being my first Judi Daykin/Sara Hirst, I was very impressed. Lots of detail, well written and very suspenseful. I liked the character of DI Hirst, her counterparts and their interactions. Their boss becomes their colleague about half way through, so that's a bit of a curveball for all involved. It's a race against time as the detectives try to identify the killer before she/he finishes the job. Our villain is a bit sympathetic, too. Loved the way Daykin weaves art into her plot. Well done, highly recommend.

P.S. Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC.

Hard for me to write a review on this book without giving the story away, I'll just say that on first reading the book I did not think I would like it - but I did. Just a great way of presenting a mystery story.
Surprisingly good, extremely entertaining and with a great slant
Am waiting to read the next book by this talented author.

Although generally well-written, this novel lacks focus. There are way too may protagonists, and none is described in any great amount of detail. I suppose the primary protagonist is supposed to be Detective Sergeant Sara Hirst of the Norfolk Constabulary. Unfortunately, the author chose to spend as much or more ink describing the other members of her detective team as she did Sergeant Hirst. We see a lot of description of her boss DI Edwards, her new boss DCI Hudson, DC Noble, DC Bowen, and Aggie, the team’s civilian admin. In addition, we see a lot about the chief suspect, Dominic Wilkins, as well as Rose Crawford, Personal Assistant to Professor Chandler.

This could have been an outstanding story. Unfortunately, there are way too many characters. They add confusion to the plot, and I believe that the story could have been told with nowhere near as many characters, or as much detail about them. I also thought that the conclusion was a bit ragged and anticlimactic.

The editing is generally quite good. I noted no major inconsistencies in the story, and no loose ends seem to have been left dangling. This author clearly knows how to handle the English language. She is a skilled writer. She should, however, reduce the number of described characters and make a single character the primary focus of the story (even though it is a police procedural). This will make the quality of the works greatly improved, in my view. The story is slow-paced, which detracts from its overall attractiveness. It could have been a bit shorter without losing anything at all. All in all, this is still a four-star effort, and that is what I award.

3.5 stars

It was a dark and stormy night... or thereabouts. Set in a small university town somewhere in the UK this book brings with it a lot of gloom. Dark nights, slightly Gothic murders, the chill of revenge makes it a great book to read when you are in the mood for some murder.

The author had come up with a very elaborate murder staging, so if you're in the mood for serial murder with enticing staging you'll love reading those scenes. I'd rate them at about 3/5 on the gore scale so if you aren't into intricate scenes or reading over your lunch break this book will be fine

I do tend to prefer my police procedurals to be whodunnit rather than voiced perpetrator. The character has an identified perspective (character by name) quite early in the book. The result is the book hovers a weird line between police procedural and thriller that it doesn't perfectly capture. The story fell a bit flat at the end when the crime resolved itself pretty straightforwardly.

A great "Who did it?" Mystery. Set in the UK, the murders begin in an expensive art urn and as the book continues, more murders ensue...but who is behind them? As you start to lean towards one suspect, the book does a fast paced twist and has you reading the last few chapters breathless as you learn the true murderer. There are several terms that leave the English reader wondering the context,but never fear there's a term list at the end. Thank you Netgalley and joffe books for the ARC of this book. The author also has three books previous to this one you can also read- but not necessarily needed to follow in any order.

Norfolk constabulary in the village of Brampton.
DS Sara Hirst book four.
Joe Summerhill found with a sharp blade to the throat. this is murder.
What a gripping read with a whole lot of suspects as the killer, the author takes us to and fro throughout the chapters. I love this series as every book is different.
And Sara settled in her quiet terraced cottage in Happisburgh but it's never quiet for long.
A mind blowing fantastic gripping book right till the end.
Loved it.

Daykin created an incredible intriguing page-turner with this book. The case goes much further than a normal mystery. The complexities of the multiple cases explored in this book will make you have internal battles with your own moral compass, reminding us that some cases do not have one clear victim and one clear person to blame. Highly recommend!