<i><b><u>Detective Who?</u></b></i>

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Although labeled as a “Detective Inspector Mike Croft” novel, this character appears only intermittently in the story, which is not very smoothly flowing. The story begins with a murder of a man in his own office by the bizarre method of driving a large nail into the back of his neck. The body has been carefully posed and tied to an office chair seated at a desk. The detectives have a vague memory of seeing a similarly posed body at a murder scene some years earlier, and it help with the eventual solution of the case.

The story jumps around a lot and is difficult to follow. It also seems to be somewhat less than believable. I did not enjoy reading the book and would not recommend it to others. I award only two of the available five stars and no recommendation to potential readers. Feel free to skip this one. 2 Stars

A brilliant police procedural story. Well paced throughout with authentic characters. Not sure if this is a book in a series as lots of references to a previous crime. If so, I would like to read that one but didn't deter from the enjoyment of this book.

The Nail is a straightforward police procedural that reads quickly and has a compelling plot and believable characters.
An independent review for NetGalley / Joffe Books.

I am unable to access this title so providing accurate feedback is impossible. It would be great to read this and provide a more fitting review

Entrepreneur Morgan Springfield is dead, killed by a nail gun and posed at his desk. Johanna Pearson, recently released from prison, is sure that her estranged son is planning a crime although she doesn’t know what it is or when it will happen. DI Mike Croft, investigating the murder and puzzling through Johanna’s worries, remembers a case that was eerily similar to the Springfield murder. It happened twenty years ago. Jane Adams slowly weaves these plots together until a breathtaking conclusion reveals how they are linked.

The Nail is full of realistically described characters, especially Johanna. When she discovered that her husband was a pedophile, she killed him and served ten years in prison. Now free, she is desperate to be part of her children’s lives and to help her oldest son. This is detective fiction at its best, mixing a character driven thriller with a carefully plotted police procedural. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Jane Adams for this ARC.

This is the first from this author definitely won't be the last. I love this cover as well.

This had me hooked at the beginning was definitely was interesting and crime thrillers i love. The character build was great and very well written.

I love the police and crime investigations and this didn't disappoint. will recommend this book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I've been searching for a thriller that can grip me from the very first page for some time now, and The Nail has delivered exactly what I was looking for. The captivating plot of this novel skillfully ties the current narrative with events from the previous investigation, weaving an intricate web of relationships among characters who resurface with great force on this new stage, bringing with them their past and the events connected to it.

This enigmatic novel demands deep attention from the reader, as the clues scattered throughout the story move across multiple timelines and involve a diverse range of characters, thus creating a complex network that requires patience and dedication to unravel. Given the increasingly tight evolution of the ties to previous novels, it's advisable to revisit the volumes preceding this release to gain a comprehensive understanding of the characters found here.

The narrative landscape is then populated by ordinary protagonists caught up in dramatic events either through work (as in the case of detectives trying to link the current death of a businessman to a twenty-year-old case) or unfortunate encounters, where gruesome discoveries, painful deaths, and traumatic clues unfold (as in the case of the victim's partner who must come to terms with finding the body on what was supposed to be an ordinary workday). What particularly struck me was the skill with which the details are woven into the complex plot, making resurfacing an irresistible challenge for the reader.

DI Mike Nash and his team have a murder that is eventually linked to one from 20 years ago. The police officers are a good team and work together well, there are sufficient personal details to make them feel more human without detracting from the police procedural side of thigs. It is so good to see no back-biting greasy pole climbing so common in books of this genre at the moment. The story didn't grab me as much as some others from this author, perhaps because there seemed to be two stories - one solving the initial murder and that of a recently released from prison woman trying to find forgiveness or something from her family. Nonetheless it was well-written. 3.5* rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I previously read and enjoyed The Lost Daughter by Jane Adams so I was looking forward to this one and overall I liked following Detective Mike's journey to find the truth.

Detective Mike Croft #5

At first glance, you'd think charismatic entrepreneur Morgan Springfield was still breathing. Seated at his desk. Executive pen poised in his hand. That's the illusion Morgan's killer wanted to create. Right after they hammered a nail into the back of his spine. Detective Mike Croft isn't fooled. He's seen this killer's handiwork once before. It's been twenty years, but you don't forget a scene like that. Meticulously staged. And for what? Morgan's devastated partner can't think of a single reason. Much less a suspect. But Mike knows a like when he hears one. An unlikely new witness reaches out from Mike's murky past, promising information that will blow the case wide open. Too bad this woman has a history of telling lies. And taking lives. Mike might have to take his chances with a convicted killer.

We have the investigation into the murder of Morgan Springfield, and at the same time, a woman who was recently released from prison, is trying to make contact with her family, only to discover that her son is involved with a dangerous character who is linked to the murder. The two thread eventually joined together, and they are tied up neatly by the end. You do have to give this book your full attention, as it's quite complex in parts. This twisted read is gripping and action packed.

Published 25th April

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #JaneAdams for my ARC of #TheNail in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting crime thriller with an abundance of diverse and well constructed characters.

This isn’t my usual genre, so I struggled a bit with following along the storyline.

Perfect for those who love police procedurals and crime investigations.

It's hard to believe that I read Jane Adams's debut, The Greenway, almost 30 years ago; the characters introduced then appeared across four books before Adams started diversifying but, luckily for readers, in recent years she has returned to her earlier series and given them new life. The Nail does reintroduce more secondary characters from the second novel in the series but I'd be lying if I said I could remember reading a 1996 book particularly well, so I'm delighted to confirm that this new instalment stands well on its own without the need to have (recently) read the predecessor. Of course, did-hards will want to read the series in order, so that's no bad thing, either!

Adams is very much the master of extremely intricate plots with multiple strands and a great many people populating the stories, and The Nail is no exception. What works well is the inclusion of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events, and down to earth police men and women who don't have to have horrendous personal issues to distract them all the time - this is interesting, too! I probably should have taken the time to re-read earlier instalments before I read this, as there were just a handful of times when I perhaps I felt I'd missed a nod to something that had gone before, but realistically this is a minor quibble and did detract from the enjoyment of the story. I hope there will be more in this series.

The Nail by Jane Adams

Publisher Joffe Books

Time to read less than a day

Stars 3

Review

This is a totally new author for me.

This was easy to get into and lose myself for a couple of hours.

I found it a quick read and it kept my attention from the first to the last page

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to review.

The, first book that i have read by this author but it hasn’t got me rushing to read another. I liked the idea of an unexplained murder having a similarity to a previous murder 20 years ago and DI Mike Croft is an investigating officer who is easy to warm too. But the plot seemed a bit ridiculous some times especially when a vulnerable character who is being chased by a vicious man mountain of a baddie is placed in the care of a retired policeman. The aforementioned man mountain surprisingly having the ability to blend into the background and not be noticed.
I felt the ending did not tidy up loose ends as much as i had hoped and it left me a bit disappointed.

'The Nail' starts with an impact and I was quickly immersed in the plot, sadly this did not keep up the entire way through the plot and there were elements that were a slower pace and not as gripping. The plot is good, if a little gory at times, I particularly enjoyed the complexity of the plot. There is a lot more to this than you might initially think and it was enjoyable to see how Adams drew out the different threads and explained the connection.
The characters were good although I do not feel like I learnt a lot about them individually. However, they told the story well and had interesting aspects to their personalities.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, gritty crime read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy.

These murder mystery series are I enjoy reading these type that don’t have a lot of psychological thriller to them just good ole murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Detective Mike Croft realizes a current murder is tied to another one from 20 years ago after he realizes the killer staged the bodies similarly.
I love Mike Croft and his team and this time they work their magic once again. The killer is a terrifying character and catching him proves particularly difficult. But catch him they do...
The only thing I didn't like was the motive for the killings, it seemed weak. But all in all I enjoyed the book - I like the author's writing style.
Recommended!

Great book!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had it all! It had suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, serial killers, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you Netgalley and Joffe books for sharing this book with me!
Two murders, twenty years apart. One witness with blood on her hands. At first glance, you’d think charismatic entrepreneur Morgan Springfield was still breathing. Seated at his desk. Executive pen poised in his hand. That’s the illusion Morgan’s killer wanted to create. Right after they hammered a nail into the back of his spine. Detective Mike Croft isn’t fooled. He’s seen this killer’s handiwork once before. It’s been twenty years, but you don’t forget a scene like that. Meticulously staged. And for what? Morgan’s devastated partner can’t think of a single reason. Much less a suspect. But Mike knows a lie when he hears one! An unlikely new witness reaches out from Mike’s murky past, promising information that will blow the case wide open. Too bad this woman has a history of telling lies. And taking lives. But with no other leads, no evidence and no motive, Mike might just have to take his chances with a convicted killer!