I really found this book so difficult to relate to. Plot lines in essence were good, but the jumble up of people, places and the slang really made it unenjoyable. I stayed with it till the end and then wished I had given up on it before halfway.

Sorry but not for me.

This is a novel with many different plot lines. For a lot of the book it feels confused, with DI Diana Walker vainly trying to solve a murder. The case of a former Head Teacher found in a filing cabinet amidst the ruins of his old school is a gruesome one. And there appear to be many different possible motives for his death.

The plot runs slowly through a tale that also involves family relations, atrocities in Kenya and drug running in Sheffield. All of the confusions is tied up very neatly by the close, though.

The slow pace and multiple narratives make this a difficult read. Some of the dialogue seems to be written to imitate dialect, but this is inconsistent and doesn't aid the reader. And the character development is minimal, particularly among the other detectives Diana has to deal with, who appear as stereotypical old school coppers.

I would enjoy it far more with less adjectives, adverbs, pronouns! The over use made it a very difficult read. The underlying story is good and the protagonist I would like to see again- just a bit less painful to read please

This is a difficult book to read as far as subject matter with domestic abuse, drugs, FGM, institutional racism all being dealt with - oh yes, gruesome murder as well - but the author deals with it confidently and brings strands together for a good ending. It’s dark and complex but definitely worth reading.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
First off there’s a lot going on this book- maybe too much. I really enjoyed the police procedural side and Diana was a good protagonist, however the background story at times seemed overwhelming. For me, this would have been a more enjoyable read with just the murder case. It’s a good debut and well written in parts with a sensitive subject matter handled really well and some good research done by the author.

A great debut novel from Nina Bhadreshwar. A brilliant detective story featuring DI Diana Walker and set in Sheffield circa 2010. Difficult topics are covered throughout the story including undocumented domestic abuse and FGM but the writing is sensitive and it’s clear the author has approached these subjects with compassion. I wondered throughout how the various storylines and threads would come together but they did. Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in return for an unbiased review.

3.5 ⭐

There was a lot going on in this book... a lot.
I thought the strands would never tie together.
Unbelievably they did.
I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed the book, but it deals with a lot of sensitive subjects, and I think deals with them well. Having Diane fighting the good fight.
The story took a turn or two I didn't expect, and that kept me nicely on my toes.