This is the fifth in the D.I Helen Birch series
A good read
Not read any others in this series but I will now
As I think reading the other books will help with the back ground for this book
Thanks NetGalley

Given what a polymath she is, I'm grateful that Claire Askew has created this DI Birch series. They are such good crime novels, moving away from tired tropes of pretty female victims without agency. The character of Helen Birch is a superb protagonist and this instalment in the series saw her struggling with her recovery and with admitting that she needed help. How refreshing to see discussion of disability in crime fiction: I hadn't realised how irritated I was with (usually male) detectives springing back from gunshots, assaults, and more.
Another reason to pick up a Claire Askew novel!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

woohoo, walking into a late installment of another procedural series. not bad. wish i had known it was a series though

A fantastic gripping read that was utterly compelling. I couldn't put it down and I was on the edge of my seat

Set in Edinburgh, this is the fifth book in the DI Helen Birch series.
Birch is still recovering from her injuries from her last case and is determined to get back to work when she is told of a stalker in the city who is targeting the local bad boys.
The newly promoted DS Kato is put in charge of the vigilante case and as the attacks increase in number and violence Helen gets involved.
Loved this book, the pace, descriptions and the interactions between the main characters including Helen’s, boyfriend Annan and her father.
4 ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an Arc of this book in return for a fair review.
Looking forward to No 6

Sometimes I wonder why there's no review for some books and I'm more curious about the reasons because this is an excellent and solid police procedurale.
It kept me reading, hooked and guessing.
It was the first I read in this series and won't surely be the last
I think it's better read the books in order as I'm sure I missed some backstories
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book follows DI Birch as she recovers from a gunshot wound she received during a case. The fifth in the series with DI Birch, this book had many twists and turns that kept me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again the combination of Birch and Kato makes for a great book. The plot was original a Dane author really does excellent characters so another success in my opinion.

DI Helen Birch is signed off work after the dramatic denouement of her previous investigation but is restless and desperate to get back to work.

When a man is set on fire at a local scrapyard and subsequently dies from his injuries, Helen becomes convinced that a vigilante is at work and that the same person is responsible for other revenge type incidents, including a hit and run.

Convincing her superior officer DCI McLeod to take her theory seriously, a covert operation is set up to draw the vigilante out. Helen goes ahead, knowing that failure could well see the end of her police career.

I found this a fast-paced and tightly drawn storyline, with realistic dialogue.

Helen's mental health is fragile as she constantly revisits previous events. We also see her visibly struggling with her physical condition and reluctant to accept help. This leads to a rift with her partner, Anjan.

The perpetrator is a damaged individual who takes increasing risks whilst managing to remain anonymous and untraceable. It isn't easy to portray someone whose obsession with justice gradually spirals out of control but Claire Askew manages this adeptly.

Jamieson, Helen's dad, is quite a character and provides some moments of genuine humour as well as supporting his daughter when her professional judgement is doubted.

I received a free digital ARC of this book via Hodder & Stoughton and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book was simply extraordinarily good. The best that I've read all year! I have never read anything by this author before but I will certainly look out for her in the future and try to get her previous books. The theme of the story is a Edinburgh D.I. slowly recovering from a gun- shot wound. She is very bored with her convalescence and longs to get back to work and uses her time at home when she isn't being interviewed by a police psychologist or undergoing physiotherapy in investigating a heinous crime. This is difficult as she invalided and needs a crutch to get about and is supposed not to use police resources!

I just could not put this action packed and very well researched book down and read it very quickly in a few days and I strongly recommend it!

A Challenge..
The fifth entry in the DI Helen Birch series and, as an unknown vigilante strikes terror into the streets of Edinburgh, the detective becomes increasingly frustrated at being unable to participate in the case. Things are about to change and, when they do, will Birch be up to the challenge or will her own life be in danger as a result? With a deftly drawn cast, a solid sense of place and a tension mounting narrative this is another worthy addition to this well crafted series.

The Dead Don't Speak is the newest book in the DI Helen Birch series. There were plenty of twists and turns in this one with interesting, well developed characters. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

The Dead Don't Speak is the fifth book in the DI Birch series. It is incredibly gripping and kept me hooked til the end. I can't wait for the next installment.

The Dead Don’t Speak is number 5 in the DI Helen Birch series, set in Edinburgh. I’m new to these books so have jumped right in partway through, however I feel this can be read as a standalone as enough background detail is given for a new reader. My thanks to Alainna of Hodder & Stoughton for the Netgalley copy to review and for the tour invite.

Helen Birch is rather a mess, both physically and mentally. Having previously been seriously injured she is on leave but the immobility, pain and boredom of not being allowed to do anything is driving her mad. Not being one to easily accept help, she is pushing some of those closest to her away and feeling even more isolated.

Her colleague Amy Kato has been promoted and is in charge of what initially seems a standard hit and run to solve. However all is not what it seems and when actions escalate, the team are on the backfoot.

The ‘team’ should not include Helen as she has orders not to involve herself in work and to rest and recover. However, she ignores this and her own investigations leads to danger and the possible end to her career.

This is my first outing with Helen Birch so I’m only able to comment on this book and not in comparison with the series. Parts of the book have a slower pace and at times it was an introspective character driven story but I suspect this is probably due to Helen’s own circumstances and her immobility. Having said that, there was plenty of tension and intrigue with the perpetrator’s own voice, ‘the Vampire’, included in the narrative. This wasn’t a clear cut case of the bad guy being hunted and deserving to be caught – there was somewhat of a moral dilemma involved too.

Despite her grumbling and prickly nature, I liked Helen. It’s clear she is a strong willed character but brave too and I loved the developing relationship she had with her previously distant father. Her frustration at her physical limitations came over so clearly, as did the mental torment she put herself through when thinking about the previous case that ended so badly.

Suspenseful, gritty and absorbing with dramatic twists and surprises, The Dead Don’t Speak was a very enjoyable read and a series that I shall be following in future.

I really enjoyed Claire Askew’s latest outing for D.I. Helen Birch. This is a series I have really grown to love, not least because Claire Askew’s writing is lucid and she really does develop her characters well.

In this, the fifth in the series, DI Helen Birch is recovering from major surgery, and is confined to her partner, Anjan’s luxury Quartermile flat, letting her boredom drive her mad. It’s been made very clear to her that she is not to take on any work until she is better, but Helen lives for her work and she’s chafing at the bit to know what’s going on at the station.

Helen is also required to attend therapy to help her mental recovery as well as her physical. Though she is a very self-contained person who does not easily give up her inner thoughts, her therapist, Dr Jane Ryan is gently teasing those thoughts from her.

In Helen’s absence, DS Amy Kato has been promoted to Sergeant and is running her first case. It’s no big deal; a tall, thin man appears to be targeting petty crooks and other anti-social behaviours. It started with a car chase and is escalating. Amy tells Helen about her case and Helen begins to see a possible pattern. Excited at having something to get her teeth into Helen ignores D.C.I McLeod’s instructions to stay away from work and begins to behave like the proverbial bull in a china shop as she asserts her ideas about the case in a forceful fashion to anyone who will listen.

Convinced that only she has the answer, as this man’s behaviour becomes ever more lethal, Helen’s behaviour becomes ever more erratic, putting herself in danger and alienating most of those who are closest to her, Only her long estranged dad seems prepared to stand by her.

Claire Askew has produced a really interesting portrait of a good policewoman, traumatised and injured after a dramatic event and shows us the personal and professional fall-out from the impact of such an event on both the physical and the mental health of an individual.

I was captured by this superb read and found this to be the best book yet in this excellent series.

The dead don’t speak is the latest instalment in the DI Helen Birch series. I’ve not read the previous books but was still able to read this latest offering without too much trouble not knowing the backstory of the characters.

Helen is on long term sick leave after being shot during a previous case and suffering serious injury. She has been ordered by her superiors to stay away from police work and attend therapy sessions to deal with the mental after effects of the shooting.

A series of crimes seemingly committed by an anonymous person with a vigilante type mentality has the police baffled and peaks Helen’s interest enough to disobey her superior’s orders and start investigate the case.

EXCERPT: I made it to Berwick, the sea to my left almost hidden by the haar. Gulls hung over the tarmac, wailing. I turned on the radio, but not for long - its idle prattle annoyed me. I hated that the world wasn't changed, the sky hadn't fallen. Didn't everyone realise I'd killed a man? Didn't everyone know?

ABOUT 'THE DEAD DON'T SPEAK': DI Helen Birch is recovering from major surgery, housebound and exceptionally bored. Her boss, DCI McLeod, has made it crystal clear: she is not to take on any work until her recuperation is over.

In her absence, Amy Kato is promoted to sergeant and is given a maddening case to work on: Edinburgh is being plagued by an anonymous vigilante. He started small, meting out punishment to obnoxious boy racers and other antisocial folk, but his behaviour is escalating. Amy can tell from the anonymous online paper trail he leaves. His writings are increasingly confident, and increasingly threatening. And yet he also seems to be invisible: her team can find no clue as to his identity, and no trace of his whereabouts.

At first, McLeod doesn't see the case as a huge deal. Concerned, Amy comes to Birch in secret to ask for help, and Birch finds it impossible to resist taking action: placing her directly in the path of immense danger ...

MY THOUGHTS: DI Helen Birch is an extremely independent woman who finds it hard to accept help and almost impossible to ask for it. But in this episode of the series, she runs the risk of alienating everyone, not just her bosses who find her 'gung-ho' attitude infuriating and at times dangerous. I can empathise with her frustration at not being allowed to work, but let's face it Helen, working on crutches and high doses of painkillers isn't to be recommended.

I have to admit to beginning to feel more than a little frustration with Helen in The Dead Don't Speak. While I can understand her boredom and irritation at being kept out of the loop, she became an absolute menace, a danger, not only to herself, but to everyone else on the team. Sorry Claire, but at times you went a little overboard with Helen's actions and reactions.

BUT, I still really enjoyed this read. I liked the vigilante slant, and the way Amy comes into her own. I am also really starting to warm to Jamieson's character - he's a breath of fresh air, and I am enjoying his devotion to Helen in her hour of need after all those years of not having been involved in her life.

There is plenty of action and suspense in Helen's life - far too much for anyone to be happy with her.

The Dead Don't Speak left me wondering if, after all these horrific injuries, Helen is going to be able to return to work in her old and full capacity. Perhaps there are changes coming for Helen. I, for one, can't wait to find out!

I don't recommend that The Dead Don't Speak be read as a stand-alone. There is far too much knowledge from previous books required to make this a fulfilling read. But it is a great series, so if you want to pick it up, please start at the beginning.

⭐⭐⭐.5


#TheDeadDontSpeak #NetGalley

I: @one.night.stanzas @hodderbooks

T: @OneNightStanzas @HodderBooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #mentalhealth #policeprocedural #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Claire Askew is a poet, novelist and the current Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh. Claire Askew was born in 1986 and grew up in the Scottish Borders. She has lived in Edinburgh since 2004. She runs the One Night Stanza blog, and collects old typewriters (she currently has around 30).

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Dead Don't Speak by Claire Askew for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions

Not a favourite for me. It's an adequate police procedural thriller however a lot of the plot is extremely far fetched and doesn't seem to be procedurally accurate. I kept reading to the end purely because in wanted to see how it would be tied up but can't say that I enjoyed it.

I’ve read 84 books so far this year, 20 of them deserving of all the stars, but this is the first one I’ve finished in a single sitting. Talk about a page-turner! It has everything: a brilliant plot, electrifying pace, and a hugely likeable protagonist. It’s the fifth book in the series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Meet DI Helen Birch, a career police officer, who’s recuperating from a gunshot to her hip, following a disastrous standoff in her last case. She’s in constant pain, fed up with her partner’s fussing, and desperate to get back to work. To her frustration, though, an early return to duty isn’t an option; her DCI has made that perfectly clear. But Birch is not one for following orders. So, when she gets wind of a new case, a vigilante stalking the streets of Edinburgh, she can’t resist getting involved.

What follows is a nail-biting police procedural, with Birch playing fast and loose with her credentials to help track down ‘The Vampire’. The pace is relentless; the momentum building inexorably as the retribution meted out by the Vampire becomes ever more extreme. The final showdown, which sees Birch place her life on the line yet again, is as explosive as it gets.

Fair to say, I loved everything about this book, including the familiar Edinburgh setting and the clever weaving in of chapters from the anonymous Vampire’s POV, which give chilling insight into his warped state of mind. But the standout for me was the characterization, especially that of Helen Birch, who is so much more than your stereotypical female maverick. Yes, she’s a hardened cop; tough and unpredictable. But she’s also vulnerable; plagued by guilt and insecurities. And she has a fascinating back story.

For me, this was the perfect balanced of plot and character, both driving the narrative in equal share. It’s a feat not many authors can pull off, but Askew does so with aplomb. I’ve already added the first four books in this series to my library and shall eagerly look forward to DI Birch’s next adventure.

So this is a first read for me in this series.

Book five picks up the recovery of DI Helen Birch on sick leave from work after sustaining a life changing injury in the line of duty. Helen appears to be a feisty character who despite orders to the contrary can't help but start up her own line on investigation on the spate of vigilante killings plaguing her patch.

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Helen and her estranged dad, Jamison is a very likeable character with a great sense of humour.

Despite not having read a book in this series before the author gives you enough of an insight into the related background to be able to make and sense of the present day story.

An authentic read which I found enjoyable and easy to read.