Madeline Farrow is a woman born into money and works for the Serious Crime Investigators ,Ramona Chang has a troubled past carries a skate board around with her for protection. and is a recovering alcoholic who is trying her hand at being a Private Detective .The women meet up and together form a strong team for bringing down criminals. I loved this book and look forward to reading the next book in this fabulous series .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

*Dirty Money* by Charlotte Philby is a fast-paced political thriller that brings you into the world of corruption, scandal, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. Once it gets going, it's a gripping ride full of twists and moral dilemmas. But, I’ll be honest, the beginning did feel a little slow for me, and the ending left me wanting just a bit more.

The start of the book took a while to get going. The setup felt kind of slow, and it took me a bit to really get hooked. There’s a lot of background info and buildup, which I understand is important for the story, but it did make the first couple of chapters feel like a bit of a slog. Once the plot started to pick up, though, it moved fast, and I didn’t want to put it down.

The middle part of the book is solid, with lots of twists and turns that keep the suspense high. The political intrigue is definitely on point, and the book does a great job showing how money and power can twist people’s decisions. But the ending felt a little abrupt. After all the buildup, I kind of wanted a bit more resolution or a deeper dive into some of the themes the book touches on. It wraps up quickly, and while it’s not exactly a bad ending, I left the book feeling like there was more that could’ve been explored.

Overall *Dirty Money* is a solid, intelligent thriller. The pacing might drag a little in the beginning, and the ending could’ve used a bit more, but it’s a smart, fast read that keeps you on the edge of your seat once the story takes off. If you like political thrillers that mix suspense with personal stakes, this is definitely worth checking out.

The description drew me in but the early sections of the book just dragged on for me. The two female leads are very different people, not especially likeable but probably somewhat realistic in present-day London, a completely alien world to me. Ramona, ex journalist now a private detective investigating a high class escort agency whilst Madeleine is a DS investigating money laundering. Eventually the investigations overlap and the two work together. They both want justice. The ending feels rushed especially given the rather drawn out start. 3.5* not quite to round up however. Promising. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A journalist in hiding over the repercussions from her last story finds that the current follow up she is engaged in - related to a high value escort agency - is unexpectedly woven into a very different scenario where a senior police officer's suspicions of internal interference in a high level corruption investigation are deepening.

While the two women are themselves very different personalities in very different life situations, they may now have some common goals. But will they survive long enough, metaphorically and literally, to untangle what appears to be a deep rooted web of deception in high places?

This is a suspenseful and interesting story with a number of original elements. Well worth checking out! It gets 3.5 stars.

After what felt like a slow, long drawn out start and characters I didn’t connect with at all in the beginning, the story picked up and started to draw me in.

I particularly like that the two main leads were female and the storyline was relevant with topics needing a light shining on them being tackled straight on.

The end felt a little bit abrupt with a few loose ends not having been addressed to give a sense of completion.

But overall, once my attention was hooked this was an enjoyable and intriguing read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release.

This is an intriguing book requiring the reader to concentrate on the many parts of the story and a wide range of persons. It starts with two women on quite separate jobs. Madeleine works for a government agency concentrating on pursuing mainly foreign families with illegally obtained finance. Ramone has just given up a job on a newspaper to try setting up as a private detective. Her first commission goes more deeply than she expected. Then she and .Madeleine get together to find out who murdered an MP who was revealing the detail of the rich foreigners hiding their true assets. There are many twists to the tale but in the long run the main parts of the story are resolved. It is a good read with an original storyline. I recommend it.

Sadly I wasn’t enough engaged to feel I enjoyed this book. The story will appeal to many. I love the title and the cover. Just not for me.

I would like to express my gratitude to Charlotte Philby, John Murray Press, Baskerville, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the Advanced Reader Copy of this text. This is what I thought of the novel…

Before delving into this book, I was attracted to the bright cover and the initial description, ‘Two detectives. One explosive case.’ I was further attracted by some of the other reviews I had read about the novel that pointed at two female leads, and slow introductions to their backgrounds. However, in reality, I struggled to get into this book from the outset. I struggled with the pace, which I think I had presumed would be a lot quicker than it was. The introduction of the characters, particularly, alcoholic Ramona, was interesting but at the same time, the author is drip-feeding the reader, and it is not at a speed to quench an insatiable thirst.

If a story is explosive, I expect to be hit with some sort of crime or scandal in the beginning and then watch as people get involved to solve it. Instead, this novel is led by first understanding the characters and so my initial interest has not been tailored for. I’m less interested in the detectives’ families (or lack of) in the beginning, and the tour around London, and more interested in what the ‘dirty money ‘ actually is so that I have a better understanding of why the detectives’ lifestyles, characters, relatives, job experience, etc is important. I also found the flipping between perspectives to be confusing because the main characters were, in my opinion, not being anchored to anything meaningful, i.e., what is the point of them and why should I care about them.

Unfortunately, I decided to stop reading after giving it a good go but not really understanding where I was in the plot. My brain struggled to give the novel its full attention and so even though the pace was slow, I found I was unable to recollect where I was at when I switched from Ramona to Madeline, and back again. There was also something about the actual writing style that had me tripping over myself and needing to reread sentences to get the full gist of it. Agagin, this may be down to my own expectations of what I wanted to/or thought I should be reading.

I am only guessing, but from the ratings and reviews, I gather the story does pick up pace and it becomes a book that readers will either love or hate. As such, I rate the book an average 3 out of 5 stars so as not to taint the views already out there.

A gripping thriller, with twists and turns you don’t see coming.

Ramona is a PI, who had to change her name following a scandal she uncovered.

Madeline is a 50 year old Secret Detective who has been put on a case.

When her case leads her bumping into Ramona again they both help each other out with their current cases but the twists and turns in the book uncover some dark corners which you never would guess as the reader

A well written book, with good character backgrounds.

The book started really slowly, although I enjoyed it I felt it could of been a bit faster paced. Really enjoyed how the female characters had strong personalities and interesting backgrounds though. Would maybe give it another read at a later date.

Having met the writer in Harrogate and read “A Double life” I was really looking forward to reading this and was not disappointed. The first in a new series this is a story of two women. Firstly Ramona Chang. Once a reporter and now a fledgling Private Detective. Secondly Detective Sergeant Madeleine Farrow. Aged 50 and working with the Serious Crimes Investigation Team. Both are strong women but flawed, and from backgrounds as diverse as you can possibly imagine, but they have one thing in common, a sense of right.

Briefly, Ramona has taken on a job investigating a man who advertises for female students for his high class escort agency but in reality he just wants a sexual encounter with them. Madeleine and her team are looking at a family from Kazakhstan who are thought to be involved in high worth money laundering. Then, unexpectedly, the two cases seem to be connected and Ramona and Madeline need to work together.

Apart these are two powerful women but together they are almost invincible and I really enjoyed the humour and irreverence from them which countered the darker parts of the story. I loved their relationship and I’m definitely looking forward to the next in the series. Having worked in the financial sector for many years I thought the plotting was good and kept me guessing. A fast paced and tense thriller.

Thanks to Charlotte and NetGalley for allowing me to read Dirty Money before the publication date.
This is the first of Charlotte’s books which I have read and I can only say WOW.

The mysterious world in which Madeleine works had me hooked from the start.
The author has handled the horrors of the cases which Madeleine investigates with sensitivity, providing just enough detail to set the scene but without going into gory details.
This book is a topical page turner and I hope that there is another in the pipeline.

A great premise with two strong female leads, although the teasing out of their background stories would have been better dealt in bigger chunks for me at least!

Set in contemporary London, this is relevant, gripping, sharp and full of adrenaline. The two female leads seem initially completely separate and very different- one young, rule-breaking, living on the edge and the other menopausal, part of the establishment and rich - but they converge and combined make a force to be reckoned with. Lots of characters and a bit over written in parts but a thoroughly good read.

This author is new to me. The blurb sounded great and that cover is gorgeous. Unfortunately, the writing and the pace were not for me. I struggled to pick it up and keep reading so I DNF.

Dirty Money by Charlotte Philby
This is the first in a series of books which are going to feature the two main characters Madeleine Farrow and Ramona Chang. Madeleine is a woman, born into money, who happens to work for the serious crimes investigation department and Ramona Chang is a would be private detective who realized too late that her pseudonym was an homage to Raymond Chandler. Ramona has a troubled past and Madeleine has a difficult relationship with her older brother who is rapidly rising through the ranks of the Government to a position in the Cabinet .
For the beginning of the book each character is pursuing their own investigations and it is difficult to see how their paths will ever cross but when they do they make a good duo and I look forward to their future outings. The novel involves financial intrigue and murder but the financial side does not become too complex for a reader without a financial background to understand.
The characters are well drawn and there was only one part where I baulked at what one of them had done in the name of nailing a protagonist. Came to a good conclusion tying those lose ends together and making you want to find out what the pair would do next. Interesting to have a female duo from such disparate backgrounds. Many thanks to the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the novel in return for an honest review.

Sharp, fresh, relevant and pacy. A gripping race through the glamour and grit of London with the smart female detective duo we’ve all been waiting for. A smashing start to a brilliant new series. More, please, and soon.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get on board with this book. I read about the first five chapters and felt like it was still very much set up and that I hadn't been hooked enough to keep reading. It's a shame because I absolutely loved Charlotte Philby's, The End of Summer, but this had a completely different feel and just wasn't for me.

Dirty Money by Charlotte Philby is a gripping and fast-paced thriller that delves into the dark, complex world of financial crime and corruption. Philby crafts a story filled with tension, betrayal, and moral ambiguity, following characters caught up in dangerous schemes that blur the lines between right and wrong. The novel explores themes of power, greed, and trust, keeping readers on edge as the plot unfolds with unexpected twists and turns. With its intricate plotting and well-drawn characters, Dirty Money offers a suspenseful and thought-provoking read that will appeal to fans of crime fiction and thrillers. It’s a compelling look at how far people will go for wealth and the secrets that come with it.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 13th Feb 2025. This was the first book I’ve read from this author and I can’t wait to read more!

This book was gripping, fast- paced and intense! I liked the characters they were well written. Ramona Chang and Detective Sergeant Madeleine Farrow were a great duo!

Looking forward to the next instalment of this duo!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars