This one seemed a little confusing. I didn’t read much of the book, to be honest. The beginning did not wrap me into the story immediately, which is okay. But I couldn’t push through on this one. I do wish I had since it has raving reviews now!

I was so excited to receive this ARC because I love serial killer stories with a unique twist dripping with dark humor that are both fast paced and attention grabbing . This book met all of my expectations. Detective Scarlett Delaney is a new to the force detective whose own father is a murderer. She lands the case of a life time : a serial killer who gruesomely murders his victims who then seem to vanish into thin air, the Jackdaw. The other main character, Henry Devlin, is a charming but dangerous criminal with his own reasons for pursuing the Jackdaw. Together, they form a partnership but as they get closer to the killer , the threats surrounding Scarlett increase. The idea that a good girl detective and a bad boy criminal can work together to solve this crime sounds impossible but their common goal keeps them grounded . I loved this from start to finish.

This book was ok I found it quite distracting in parts with too many characters and too much info . I kept having to go back and see what character they were talking about . Good storyline though

Daughter of a notorious murderer herself, Detective Scarlett Delaney hasn’t been on the force for long when she finds herself heading up a mystifying new case. With three seemingly impossible murders to date, leaving each of the victims with calling-card scratches, the killer known only as “Jackdaw” feels untouchable... uncatchable, always claiming a shiny keepsake before disappearing into thin air. That is until Scarlett encounters Henry Devlin, a charismatic but dangerous criminal with his own reasons for pursuing the Jackdaw. Together, they form an uneasy alliance, but as they get closer to their prey, the threat surrounding Scarlett intensifies – from the growing suspicions of her partner on the force, Henry's ruthlessly efficient employers... and, most terrifyingly, from the very monster that she is so desperately chasing. Very fast paced and just enough twists to keep you on edge until the very end. Hope to see more Scarlett soon.

Jackdaw is a well written and fast paced book. Its full of twists and turns and has an excellent plot. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Storm publishing for this eARC.

Detective Scarlett Delaney, daughter of a notorious murderer, finds herself heading up a mystifying new case in "Jackdaw". With three seemingly impossible murders, each victim marked with calling-card scratches, the killer known as "Jackdaw" feels untouchable. Always claiming a shiny keepsake before disappearing into thin air, Jackdaw remains uncatchable.

Enter Henry Devlin, a charismatic yet dangerous criminal with his own reasons for pursuing Jackdaw. Scarlett and Henry form an uneasy alliance, their hunt for the serial killer intensifying. But as they get closer to their prey, the threat surrounding Scarlett grows—from her suspicious partner on the force to Henry's ruthless employers. And most terrifyingly, from the very monster she is desperately chasing.

Daniel Cole's writing is pulse-racing, and "Jackdaw" delivers a page-turner with a bang of an ending. The impossible murders are staged with mind-boggling tricks, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The pace is relentless, and the twists come fast and furious. You won't be able to put this book down until you've reached the final pages.

While Detective Delaney's independence adds to the thrill, her seemingly unchecked actions raise questions. The police force's lack of awareness about her whereabouts and her willingness to cross lines into illegality create a whole book of grey areas. But morality aside, "Jackdaw" is a fun and lively thriller that fans of high-concept crime fiction will devour.

If you loved Steve Cavanagh's "Thirteen," Adrian McKinty's "The Chain," or anything by Jennifer Hillier, you'll race through "Jackdaw." Buckle up for a wild ride—you won't regret it! 📚🔍🔥

I loved this book! The suspense, the tense moments, and never knowing what was going to happen next. It was very hard to put down, and I read it in less than a day. The main thing that impacted my rating was the main character - although I liked her, her actions did make it hard to feel sorry for her and she did annoy me at times. I liked the side characters more than the main character. However, as the storyline was so good, it did make me forget the times that she annoyed me. I also feel like some parts of the storyline happened too quickly, and they needed a bit more of a build up, but I can’t say too much more about this without spoiling the book. I highly recommend this book, and I’m hoping there will be a sequel as I feel like there’s a lot of potential for the storyline to continue and I’d be intrigued to know what happens next.

Buckle up, thrill-seekers! This heart-stopping, spine-tingling thriller will take you on a wild ride. Detective Scarlett Delaney, haunted by her dark past, is on a high-stakes mission to capture the fiendish Jackdaw killer - a mastermind who leaves a trail of clues and corpses in their wake. With Henry Devlin, a charismatic criminal with a hidden agenda, by her side, Scarlett must navigate a deadly game of cat and mouse that'll keep you on the edge of your seat.

As the stakes reach boiling point and the body count soars, Scarlett and Henry find themselves in a perilous dance with the Jackdaw, where the lines between good and evil blur like fingerprints on a blood-soaked crime scene. With her partner on the force eying her suspiciously, Henry's ruthless employers closing in, and the Jackdaw circling in for the kill, Scarlett must confront her deepest fears to survive.

This pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride is packed with hairpin turns, heart-stopping twists, and spine-chilling suspense. You'll be breathless as Scarlett and Henry race against time to outsmart the killer, their own secrets, and the darkness that drives them.

Unfortunately, I was unable to download this book before it was archived and so am leaving this as a review/explanation as I didn't know what else to do after finding a few books I had managed to miss in a section of my account entitled Not Active: Archived, Not Downloaded; so I thought it best to clear it up. I have already bought a copy and will leave a review on places like Amazon, Goodreads, Waterstones, etc, once I've completed it and formed my thoughts on it. Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for the opportunity.

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September 18, 2023
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Jackdaw by Daniel Cole


An unputdownable crime thriller packed with shocking twists
Book Blurb
From the Sunday Times and international bestselling author of Ragdoll, comes a heart-in-your-mouth unputdownable thriller that will keep you up all night!
Daughter of a notorious murderer herself, Detective Scarlett Delaney hasn’t been on the force for long when she finds herself heading up a mystifying new case. With three seemingly impossible murders to date, leaving each of the victims with calling-card scratches, the killer known only as “Jackdaw” feels untouchable… uncatchable, always claiming a shiny keepsake before disappearing into thin air.
That is until Scarlett encounters Henry Devlin, a charismatic but dangerous criminal with his own reasons for pursuing the Jackdaw. Together, they form an uneasy alliance, but as they get closer to their prey, the threat surrounding Scarlett intensifies – from the growing suspicions of her partner on the force, Henry’s ruthlessly efficient employers… and, most terrifyingly, from the very monster that she is so desperately chasing…
An ambitious detective. A charming assassin… and their hunt for a serial killer. If you loved Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh, The Chain by Adrian McKinty or anything by Jennifer Hillier you will race through Jackdaw.
My Review
An ingenious serial killer pulling off kills worthy of a top magician, this book will have you as baffled as the police on the hunt for the killer!
The Jackdaw has struck again in yet another ‘how’s it possible’ murder, leaving just his trademark severed head, scratches on the face, a shiny item missing and a completely vanished body all accomplished with no witnesses in the middle of a party.
The case to finding The Jackdaw is down to Detective Constable Scarlett Delaney and her mentor and friend, Detective Sergeant Frank Ash.
Also on the hunt for The Jackdaw is devilishly handsome Henry Devlin who has been hired by the victim’s billionaire father in finding his daughters killer.
With his good looks, charm offensive and his certain skills set becomes secretly involved, off the record in Scarlets investigation.
Can a detective hold off arresting ‘a fixer’ as Henry describes himself long enough for the pair to work together in bringing down The Jackdaw?
This is a high action, extremely clever whodunnit that has you hooked from the very start.
The characters are brilliantly written and you soon become invested in all three main characters, Scarlet, Frank and Henry as they not only try to find out who the killer is but how the murders are being pulled off in such dramatic fashion.
Not only is the plot excellent, but the cleverness is on another level and will certainly keep you reading late into the night, or even in my case, right through the night.
It’s not very often you get a book so compelling that it refuses to let you put it down and sleep but this is one such book!
I am also happy I read the authors notes at the end of the book because he has confirmed he is already working on a follow up book because I am not ready to say goodbye to Detective Constable Scarlett Delaney just yet! If I hadn’t read that I would be crying out for more! I already can’t wait to see where the next book takes us and if it is as good as this one I will be well prepared to loose another nights sleep to it, whereas this one took me by surprise as to how good and addictive it was going to be!
If you enjoy a clever, riveting, gruesome serial killer thriller than this is the book for you and not to be missed.

✨My Thoughts✨

I started this last Sunday night which was HUGE mistake because I couldn’t put it down, it was so addictive .

The prologue starts with Matt Lewis who removes hate speech and other offensive content for a huge social networking site, he stumbles across something so depraved and horrifying that he’s almost sick as he shouts for his boss Justin.

Detective Scarlett Delaney gets a call to come into work on her day off, she’s met at an exclusive penthouse apartment by her mentor Detective Sargent Frank Ash ( he’s a so much more that a colleague more like a replacement Father). The crime is so shocking but just when she’s pulling herself together Frank says “it’s definitely them again”.

When Scarlett teams up with a “Fixer” called Henry ( think Ray Donovan/ Raymond Reddington) to hunt down the Jackdaw things get even more interesting and I have to say hilarious because of the dark humour that I love.

This was such a good story that was complex but it all tied together nicely and the ending sets up book 2 like a dream!.

So fresh and original.

Thank you Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the most amazing read.
This had great characters I loved Scarlett and Devlin, the storyline was brilliant, and the ending …. !
If you read one book this year make it this one.
I am hoping the follow-up comes out soon as I really need to read it.
I’ve now read all of Daniel’s books and need more.
5🌟

“Jackdaw” by Daniel Cole is an interesting read to say the least.

While parts of the story feel implausible, if you can suspend your disbelief, it does feel like it has a cinematic quality.

The story has a very spy/assassin thriller vibe as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for gifting me this ARC. I am looking forward to reading more of Daniel Cole’s work.

Wow what a book!
If you are going to start this book make sure you have plenty of time to read it all in one sitting it is so hard to put down!

Another amazing book from the wonderful Daniel Cole.

A murderers daughter, Detective Scarlett Delaney is new to the force, and is given 3 impossible cases.
Each left with calling card, scratches and steals a shiny keepsake, through which the killer is named The Jackdaw.

She is then joined by a dangerous criminal who has his own reasons for chasing Jackdaw.

I loved this book so much. I find that the authors writing gets better and better.
HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book

Jackdaw was such a great book! I love the twists in this, and the characters are brilliant! I'll definitely be reading more from Daniel Cole in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A series of gruesome murders with the same signature has Detective Constable Scarlett Delaney and her mentor Detective Sergeant Frank Ash searching for The Jackdaw, a brutal killer who likes to decapitate his victims leaving five scratches across their faces. Scarlett, the daughter of a serial killer herself, is determined to prove her worth to her colleagues, even if it means keeping secrets from her mentor or defying orders. In the course of her investigation, she meets an enigmatic character Henry Devlin who claims to be a private investigator hired by the latest victim’s father to find the killer. Scarlett reluctantly teams up with Devlin whom she finds to be quite resourceful and as the narrative progresses it appears that Devlin has his own agenda. As the bodies begin to pile up, Scarlett and Devlin rush to find the killer before he/she strikes again.

Well-paced and gritty with an intriguing plot and a good dose of wit and dark humor to keep you entertained Jackdaw by Daniel Cole is an engaging read! I liked DC Scarlett Delaney and found the character of Devlin to be quite interesting. This is the first in a new series by the author and I would definitely be interested to read the next book. You will need to suspend disbelief but that is to be expected in this genre. The best would be to not overthink it and enjoy the ride. This was my first time reading Daniel Cole and I am eager to explore more of his work.

Many thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another masterclass by Daniel Cole.
If you are already a fan of his work then you will already know you are in for a real treat with this book.
If you are new to his work this book will have you reaching for his back catalogue of work.
An easy contender for the top best sellers list!

I absolutely love Daniel Cole’s thrillers so I was excited when this one came out - and as expected he didn’t fail to deliver. With unpredictable twists and turns and cunning characters that I couldn’t help relating to this was an action packed, tension fuelled story that packed a punch and left you wanting more! The only critique was I found the ending a tad rushed and would have liked it developed more.

A good read. Probably not the most comprehensive of plots but certainly an engaging read with really well thought out characters.