Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for my copy of The Loose End by A J Cross.
This is the first of a new series featuring Professor Teigan Craft, a neurodiverse forensic psychologist. She is called in to assist with a murder case.
When I first started reading the book I found it hard to get into and put it aside for a few days, but when I picked it up again, it started to flow and I enjoyed the interaction between Teigan and the DCI she had called in to help Steve Thompson. The combination worked well together and I hope he will feature in any further books.
There are red herrings and mis-directions through the story and it makes for compelling reading.

This was a good read. Some of the twists were good. But I feel like this could turn into a great series

This was a good read! I really wanted more shocks and twist but I enjoyed the plot. The characters were well explained and the thrills were high on the list!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance eARC of this book.

This is the first, in what I am assuming, will be a new series for A.J. Cross. I love the other two series and had very high hopes for this. Sadly they weren't met. Teigan Craft, a forensic psychologist is pressured into working with DCI Thompson on the case of a mumified body found in a house undergoing refurbishment. Thompson wants an easy life just handling burgleries, car thefts and other routine inquiries. Solve it and home by 6 seems to be his motto. Teigan isn't sure she's capable, or whether she even wants to work with a team. They certainly don't want to be working together. I found the book dragged. So much time was spent reiterating why each one didn't want to be doing this job. The characters didn't gel and it seemed like the action really happened in the last quarter of the book. I do realize it takes time to develop the stories behind the two main characters, and for this reason I find many first books in a series to be clunky, not to my taste, and I usually don't read them. Since I love this author's other works, I expect the next book in series (if it does become a series) to be much better than this book. 2 out of 5 stars.

To start with the storyline seemed an interesting one.
This did not continue, the rest of the book seemed to concentrate on the two main characters squabbling.
I do not like to leave negative feedback but really this was not for me.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I found The Loose End rather pedestrian, relying on conflict between the two main characters rather than a strong plot. The premise of a DCI who wants an easy life, a bit of a by-the-book copper, paired up with an imaginative forensic psychologist is a good one. But the implementation is lacking, as repeated arguments seem to the the main outcome.

Prof Teigan Craft is potentially a strong character, but her role is devalued by perceptions if her personality and individualistic working style. She obviously has autism, a fact that isn't "revealed" until the end of the novel. Had this been recognised the mystery could have been solved a lot sooner.

So an interesting start to a new series, but the next episode needs a stronger plot to stretch the development of the characters.

No one has seen reclusive Emma Matheson for years. But when her mummified remains are found in the cellar of a property in Birmingham during a renovation, the chilling discovery raises more questions than answers! Good book! I definitely liked this book but it didn’t hold my attention for some reason?! It had the usual, suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, and a good who done it! The story was interesting but like I said my mind kept wandering?! It’s a decent read but not one of my top favorites! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I did not enjoy this book at all. I was so excited to read it based on the blurb, but once I started reading, it was difficult to keep going. I absolutely hated the main characters. They were petty and insolent. I didn't even like the writing style. I found it to be choppy and not enjoyable to read at all. I couldn't even finish this one. The longer I read, the more I cringed.

Sorry - this one just didn't do it for me at all.

Thank you #netgalley and #severnhouse for the eARC. Better luck next time - I can only give this a 1 star review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

2.5* rounded up.

Teigan Craft, a professor of forensic psychology, is foisted on DCI Thompson as he investigates the discovery of a mummified body concealed behind plasterboard in a house which is being renovated. Thompson and Craft spend the novel bickering with one another about their differing approaches and flouncing off before returning and getting on with things until the next little squabble. Craft makes some deductions and creates profile elements which seemed huge leaps to me, but of course they turn out to be correct.

There were other things that annoyed me about this novel: an identity witness being shown only one photo and asked if it was her attacker; the ridiculous ploy used at the end to draw the killer out; the confusion about what had been happening in/to the house over the last few years; the way the pathologist was referred to in the space of a few pages as having a 'robust shape', then as having 'bulk', then as having 'a generous rear' - she's a doctor for heaven's sake.

Not for me.