A thoroughly enjoyable thriller in the style of a police procedural whodunit.
Easy to read from the get go and an excellent, engaging pace, this was a very satisfying use of my time.

A strong story with some grizzly bit.
At first I was getting a bit disenchanted with this book, not quite sure where it was going, and put off b some exceedingly long paragraphs ( a pet had of mine). Then it all started to come together for me, and I couldn't wait to turn the pages.
The main characters almost all have a dark side and the conflicts they have to deal with are explored by the the author in detail. It's a tale of revenge and retribution, with people being called to account for real and perceived sins of the past. .
The book reaches a thunderous climax.
Sensitive readers should be aware that there is some gratuitous violence and explicit sexual scenes.
Overall, a very good book..

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the electronic copy, but it was hard work getting to the end of this book! I love a good murder and can cope with gore and violence but the plot here was far too complex for me and completely over the top. Half the time I couldn’t understand what was going on. If I’d read any of the previous books in this series it may have been different as I might have had a clue about some of the characters. Well-written, yes – enjoyable, no.

I loved this book! It has all the twists and turns in it, it’s a good thriller and murder mystery! I’ve never read any books written by the author but after reading this book I’m interested in reading others written by him

I hadn’t read any of this author’s work before and was intrigued by the set-up initially. There are unconventional cops, some of whom would fit into a post-punk band and a Hannibal Lecter-like serial killer in prison.
It started off with a mysterious brutal murder then things get really messy It took me a while to get to grips with what was going on as there’s a lot of referencing to past events.
There’s a tangled web of relationships and several coincidences, some very nasty characters and quite a bit of violence and torture.
The quality of the writing is good with different points of view showing us what’s inside the heads of the main characters, especially Trish and Aector, who are very offbeat cops, to say the least.
Plot-wise it’s not over-complicated and
I did think that there could have been a bit more of a plot and the ending seemed rather contrived.
However, I can see that the author is trying to do something different from the conventional police procedural which is a good thing.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a police procedural set in Hull featuring Aector and his boss Trish Phoenix. While Aector is on holiday with his family, Trish is with her boyfriend, who gets attacked outside her house. The attacker leaves items on the body which suggest links to a serial killer convicted by Aector and Trish. There are other murders of people linked to Trish, and the perpetrators of the crimes are linked to their past cases and families. In addition, Trish's boss is running a campaign to discredit her and get her sacked. A lively thriller with lots of action, and violence.

Detective Aector McAvoy is off the grid on a rural campsite with his wife Roisin and their two children - it’s a well earned break away from the trauma of his everyday work on the brutal streets of Hull in the North of England.

That is until he receives a frantic call from a colleague, who believed that Aector had been savagely attacked and left for dead. It turns out that the victim is Aector’s double, and at the time of the attack the doppelgänger was staying at the home of Aector’s boss and friend DS Trish Pharaoh.

It turns out Trish has been keeping secrets from Aector and everyone else, and it’s going to bring a whole lot of trouble, not to mention threat to life for both herself and Aector!

This is a difficult one for me to review, I’ll try and explain why - the storyline was complex, but also extremely clever at times, but then other parts felt as if the author was trying too hard for sensationalism with grossly exaggerated characters and extreme gore. That said, this is a very successful series and I trust that the next instalment will be back to its original form.

This is the first book in the Ds Aector McAvoy series I have read and I found it a very gruesome story,very gory and quite a slow read .I like my mystery thrillers fast paced and suspenseful .Maybe another story in this series would be different but sadly I didn´t really enjoy it very much .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC,

I didn't enjoy this book. Although the story is a good one, with strong characters, it was just a bit too violent and unpleasant for my liking.

An incredibly well written, gruesome police procedural mystery thriller. This is the first I've read in this series, and I really enjoyed all the twists, lies and secrets. I don't think this is for everyone because of how gory and descriptive it was yet I didn't really mind it and I thought it added to the suspense and desperation of the police making a really good story.

Why give five stars to such an absolutely gruesome story, in which not even Trish Pharaoh and Aector MacAvoy seem to be the characters fans of this series could relate to?
Maybe it's me, but underneath all murders, secrets, pain and fear its clear that this story shows us more of the backgrounds of our two main characters.
Who could have thought that Trish kept such secrets all the time she worked so closely with Aector, especially when her biggest secret is something that she's not even aware of?
Needless to say that the police force, faced with finding out who is behind the vicious attacks on Trish and Aector, are not really very useful this time. Luckily, they are useful when it comes to actually help out when armed forces are needed.
I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series, maybe more than ever, because Flesh and Blood marks a turning point in the ongoing story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for this review copy.

I do love this series of books, so was looking forward to read this next instalment. Aector is on a family holiday and learns that he has been brutally attacked in Hull!!!! Very puzzling but when he finds out who has been attacked. We get to find out more about Trish Pharaoh who it seems has been keeping secrets which will impact on them both. Quite gory in parts, which doesn't really bother me but maybe a bit OTT. I really enjoy reading about these characters, but felt I was a little less engaged with them than I usually am. Hopefully the next instalment will be back on form......keep them coming.

This book written by a talented author is intriguing. The mystery is not easily solved. The characters are realistic and have so many secrets. Red herrings kept me guessing. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and author. This is a cannot put down story that is captivating at times and scary at others. Enjoy

Sadly this just was not for me. I love thrillers and police procedurals but I prefer ones that focus on good writing and strong plots rather than ridiculous gore for cheap shock value. I didn't bother finishing

A Bizarre Twist..
The eleventh in the DS McAvoy series and the detective is about to find that his much needed holiday is about to go horribly and hideously awry in a bizarre twist of circumstances. Secrets and lies are about to be outed. Well written procedural with a deftly drawn cast but the extreme violence, brutality and downright gore in this one does take away from the plotting and the storyline on this occasion. Dark and dismal.

256 pages

2 stars

This is one messed up book.

Newly promoted DI Aector McAvoy is vacationing with his family and other loved ones. He gets a near-hysterical phone call from one of his colleagues. He was attacked and left for dead outside of his boss’ apartment.

Of course, Aector must return to the force.

Okay, good start. This is where the book goes off the rails. There is much violence and gore in this book. While I can handle some A few disturbing scenes don’t bother me, but the antagonist is over the top.

I got the sense of the desperation of the police officers alright. The story became so confused that I could see the officers running all over like a Keystone Cops show.

I was so disappointed in this book. I’ve read David Mark before and enjoyed the novels. However, this one was a complete let down. I cannot recall ever being disappointed in a Severn House book before.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions cited in this review are solely my own.

Well well well, that was kind of a really messed up book?! Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a really good book but geez some parts were very grotesque! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, plenty of murder, A few serial killers, blood, gore, and some great police work! The storyline was crazy but very interesting! I will definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading but definitely beware its a little rough on the stomach! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
DS Aector McAvoy, while on a lovely vacation with his beloved family, finds out he has been mortally wounded in Dundee. Apparently a doppelganger, who was in his boss Trish Pharao's apartment, was attacked. Determined to help her, he regretfully leaves to see if he can figure out what's going on.
Secrets from Trish' past rear their ugly heads as a seriously evil phantom is determined to put that past to rights.
Beautifully written, this edge-of-seat read is another great book by Mr. Mark..definitely recommended!