Two woman, very different to one another, and with very diverse backgrounds both are strong characters and together they made a rather dynamic duo.
Ramona has been forced to give up her career as a journalist and has started herself up as a Private Detective, her first case sees her investigating a sleazy male who is advertising for young female students to work as escorts for his escort agency, Madeline is part of the Series Crime Investigation Team and she is investigating a Russian family who are money laundering and the two cases appear to be connected bring this very unlikely pair together and Madeline gives Ramona a undercover job.
This was an enjoyable, entertaining read, which I highly recommend. I look forward to more from this dynamic duo
Many thanks to Net Galley and John Murray Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This is a Farrow and Chang thriller, two characters with whom I am not familiar. Farrow is detective sergeant Madeleine Farrow a high flying Met officer with a special government agency looking at global corruption and Chang is Ramona Chang a now unemployed investigative journalist looking to make it as a small scale private eye. They are both n London working very different cases but when their paths cross it becomes apparent that they can help each other.
As the two stories unfold the reader is taken on a ride through the highest and lowest echelons of London society.
Altogether a very enjoyable and entertaining read – already looking forward to the next case!

For the first part of this book I thought I was reading two different stories, one chapter each, switching every other chapter – and then it all came together as I found how the two were linked. Nevertheless, I did worry more about Romona, as she tried to research a very strange escort agency, where the interviews left a lot to be desired. It was only a matter of time before this became a very good idea with terrible repercussions. This story is well written and most enjoyable. It felt real, not that I have any experience in any of the subject matter. The two women work together well as a team and now having solved this issue, maybe there’s further books in this series, I would welcome them. Being both sides of the law combines well, with one a private detective and the other a police detective. Whatever could go wrong?

Charlotte Philby has written a tense chilling page turner.I loved the two main characters.Looking forward to more by this author.

The premise of this book was good and I was eager to start reading it. However after reaching 25 per cent the plot was not grabbing me. It seemed very slow moving and it was difficult to get into. There. Seemed to be a lot of characters and a lot of jumping around between the two main ones which made it difficult to read. I was forcing myself to pick it up,so sadly I gave up.
This is obviously my opinion and others might del differently.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Dirty money is a great book. It's very clever and really fast paved. I really enjoyed reading it. The characters were very well written.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Charlotte Philby's latest book. Main characters are Ramona and Madelaine who help each other covering two different plots. Lots of intrigue this is a great read.

Dirty Money by Charlotte Philby is the first book in the Farrow and Change series. DS Madeline Farrow is a Sergeant in the Serious Crime investigating unit who comes from a privileged background and her brother is an MP and Ramona Chang is an ex-Journalist now working as a private detective. Ramona is currently investigating a high value escort agency and whilst doing so the two strong women meet.
I thank John Murray press for a copy of ‘Dirty Money’. But I am sorry unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. After the initial first part of this story. I just found that this story was full of where both protagonists were travelling though London so much the initial main plot got lost. Because of this I struggled to connect to the story and felt like giving up. I did in the end; I did manage to get through this book, and I only thought this story got interesting in the last twenty percent of the book. By then, I’m sorry to say I lost interest. 2.5 stars

A great, easy read....doesn't sound like much of an accolade, but it's a real skill to be able to write engaging prose, and Charlotte has it in bucket loads. From beginning to end this was a book that was hard to put down....some nice twists rounded off a very pleasant experience. This is the first book in a series centred around DS Madeleine Farrow and journalist, turned private detective, Ramona Chang. The signs are promising for future adventures. Many thanks to Netgalley, publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was interested in the synopsis of this book with two very different women working together to solve a crime. I liked their different personalities, but didn't really warm to either of them and did find the book slow going. The explanations on different aspects of the law eg proceeds of crime were interesting, but did feel a bit like a lecture at times. This is the first of Ms Philby's books that I've read but I will be interested to read others with different protagonists
.Thank you to netgalley and John Murray press for an advance copy of this book.

The first book I have read by Charlotte Philby, it did take me a few chapters to get into the plot. Told by alternative women, who initially seem to be unrelated, you are plunged into a couple of different plotlines. Gradually the different strands of the plot come together and the relations between the characters start to emerge. a lot happens in this book, though it is not always fast paced and action packed, there is also a lot of undercover investigation which was very interesting.
I loved the descriptions here and the alternating points of view of the two main characters who are very different. The setting is mostly London and the descriptions of people and places give you a good picture of the scenes and events. Once I got into the book and started to understand Ramora and Madeleine, it became a real page turner and I enjoyed this unusual take on an investigation. The book touches on the emotions of both women which are portrayed in a sensitive and realistic manner.
Thanks to Net Galley for a great read, I hope to read more about these two women.

Sadly this one wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get engaged with the characters and nothing happened for ages. I found it to be a very slow burn.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written story, with well-drawn characters. This is a real page-turner, and I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to John Murray Press & NetGalley for ARC.

This well written, well paced thriller started well, introducing the reader to on-her-uppers twenty-something Ramona Chang, who left her vocation as investigative journalist after a particular story led to a price on her head. She's trying to make it as a private investigator, but cases are thin on the ground until a young woman contacts her about a mysterious and truly awful job interview she was subjected to.

At the same time DS Madeleine Farrow, from a privileged background and just turned a glamorous fifty, She is assigned a case involving crypto-bros, shady governments and a need for the utmost discretion.

The compare-and-contrast nature of the alternating narratives works incredibly well once it's bedded in, showing the cheek=by-jowl nature of the very rich and powerful and the ordinary people, the multitudes contained in London. Of course the two work together to slightly different ends, and there are very plausible obstacles in the way. I was gripped right till the end.

I love a crime mystery and this did not disappoint. The book opens with two different storylines and you know they will converge just not sure when. The two main characters interact well and are so different but likeable for different reasons.
The plot unfolds and does make you wonder what is happening in plain sight that most of us have no idea about!

Great read.

Another book I really enjoyed. The main characters, Madeleine Farrow and Ramona Chang could not be different, one with money, one without. Also Ramona Chang has a secret life which she left behind. Madeleine works for the Serious Crime Investigation Unit trying hard to bring down the mobsters and their “dirty money”. The Unit is investigation a family from Kazakhstan who are laundering vast amounts of money through the UK. Madeleine is high up in the hierarchy. Her brother is in Government, has been promoted which is a problem for her as they do not see eye to eye on many things and will be her boss. Romana started out in the book as an investigative journalist but had to change jobs and decided to become a private detective. She is finding this difficult but one case sets her on a path to meeting Madeleine and their lives intertwine. They both end up chasing the same links and because of Ramona’s help on her case Madeleine helps Ramona on her first real case as a private investigator. The age gap between them makes them almost mother and daughter and because they have the same values with right and wrong it works. The story at a good pace for me and I enjoyed the way they eventually closed their cases. Look forward to more from this duo

A fresh new female detectivevseries, set in London. Fast paced, interesting, great conversational style of writing, can't wait for more.

This kind of felt like a pilot episode where we introduced to the characters who are going to go on to do great things but we really need to get to know them first.

We met Ramona, an investigative reporter turned private investigator living under a new name and barely scraping by; and Madeline, also working undercover but at completely the other end of the spectrum- born into a life of wealth and privilege but now tracking down the worst types of humanity.

This book was a bit of a slow burn but the pace certainly picked up by the end and I’m really looking forward to reading more.

Lots to like here, including a huge roll call of characters who still mostly stayed individual and recognisable, and a vivid enough sense of the well-trodden path of spies and crooks and vigilantes moving around the grubby back streets and sparkling moneyed enclaves of London. I did want to find out what happened, and I did read to the end, but it's very very slow up until the final 25%. Lots of setting up of back stories and establishing of motivations, and a fairly convoluted double plotline that didn't really end up feeling that convincing. It might have been better to start a series with the first case the two main leads collaborated on, rather than needing to tell us about it here. Could be promising for the future, will probably make a great TV series one day.

Despite the great sounding synopsis, this book wasn't for me. I just couldn't get into it. It was slow with lots of characters. I haven't read any of Philby's other books but I would certainly try another as the plot was good.