Oh my goodness, if this is a debut novel for Amy Jordan long may she continue writing.
I love a book that I can get really invested in and this one had me hooked from the first page.
Rookie cops Julia Harte and Adrian Clancy are sent to investigate the sound of a child crying in the house next door to complainant.........life was never to be the same again.
This is the story of Julia Harte and it is based over two timelines, three decades apart but it flows very well.
In 1994 Julia's life was to change forever as she begged and badgered her superiors to let her join the team investigating a serial killer, a killer that was in her nightmares, she had a vested interest.
In 2024 Julia had retires to the peace of quiet, costal Cuan Beag, just her and her faithful, adored dog, Mutt, quiet until a call from her past had her heading back to the city. A copycat killer was on the loose, the head of the team wasn't happy to have Julia and her also retired ex boss Desmond Rioden looking over his shoulder but his boss had insisted.
Julia wasn't going to be intimidated, the killer in 1924 had almost cost Julia her life and had cost her her marriage, all she wanted to do was find the killer and return to Cuan Beag and peace.
As this story unfolds, the two cases are compared, there had to be a connection, what was the common denominator ? was the killer working alone ?
Julia is once more putting her life on the line but is she a target ?
I loved this story, it was action packed, suspense filled, had red herrings galore and I look forward to Amy Jordan's next book.
Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is voluntary.

The story is told over two timelines - 1994 and 2024. In 1994, Gardai Adrian Clancy and Julia Harte are called to attend an incident of a noise complaint at a house. What occurs next will send shockwaves through the lives of of Julia and her colleagues. 2024, Julia has retired to a small village in Cork, where she lives with her dog, Mutt and tries to find peace. However, in 2024, retired Detective Inspector Julia Harte is called by her old Chief Superintendent Des Riordan to help consult with a case that is very similar to one Julia, as a young Garda had been a part of in 1994. It was a gripping read and a page turner of a book, to the point, I couldn't put it down as I was invested in the characters and the plot. I hope there is a follow up as Julia must have more old cases to review in the present day!!!

Julia Harte is a retired guarda, now living in a fairly remote part of Ireland. When she gets a call from her former boss asking for her help, she has to return to Cork City and help track down a killer who is copycatting a killer who turned her life upside down.
The story flits between events of 1994 and 2024. The author teases the reader by holding back details of what had happened at first, trickling them out slowly. before the reader draws too many conclusions about what might have happened.
A nicely paced read

First book I have read from this author.. It had plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Great characters. Enjoyed the style of writing.. All round great book. Look forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Great debut novel from Amy! I was second guessing throughout right to the very end! I loved the 2 time periods of the story. Great easy read. Fast paced and I look forward to what Amy brings us next!

I loved everything about this! It’s a dark psychological suspense/police procedural crime thriller just dripping with atmosphere and tension. Truly brilliant.

The Dark Hours is so addictive and so tightly plotted from start to finish. The dual timelines worked so seamlessly in piecing together Julia Harte’s life, her work, and how it all spirals out of control. All the characters we meet are so perfectly developed, with Julia definitely being one you’ll never forget. There were so many tense scenes where my heart was in my mouth, the description so vivid, every thought and feeling shared. It’s really cleverly written and I will not hesitate to pick up anything Amy writes after this! Tense, dark and unnerving.

O'r dudalen gyntaf roeddwn i ar goll ym myd Julia Harte, ditectif sydd wedi ymddeol ar ôl blynyddoedd o wasanaeth yn datrys dirgelion ac yn dal dihirod, ond mae cysgod un dihiryn wedi gadael ei ôl ar Julia. Wrth i'r stori ddatblygu gyda dwy linell amser yn neidio rhwng 1994 a 2024, cawn ddod i adnabod Julia cyn iddi ddringo'r rhengoedd i fod yn dditectif wrth iddi geisio datrys diflaniad dwy ferch ifanc a'r holl erchylltra a ddaw wrth i'r achos ddatblygu, yna cawn ddod i adnabod y Julia sydd wedi ymddeol ac wedi dianc i dawelwch ardal bellennig ond mae'r hen gysgodion yn ei dwyn yn ôl i fyd y dihirod wrth i ddigwyddiadau ailadrodd flynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach. Mae dawn yr adrodd yn achosi rhwystredigaeth wrth i ddiwedd pennod afaelgar arwain at gyfnod gwahanol a minnau eisiau gwybod beth oedd am ddigwydd nesaf, ond erbyn i mi ddarllen tudalen arall o'r bennod nesaf dw i wedi anghofio am yr hen linell amser ac wedi ymdrochi yn y cyfnod newydd, ac mae'r patrwm yn ailadrodd i mi wrth fynd drwy'r nofel gan olygu fy mod yn hedfan drwy'r tudalennau. Chwip o nofel gyntaf, stori sy'n llawn tensiwn, yn eich gorfodi i ddarllen yn gynt wrth i chi ysu i gael gwybod beth fydd y canlyniad i Julia a'i chriw. Mae Amy Jordan yn un i gadw golwg arni yn bendant!

From the first page I was lost in the world of Julia Harte, a retired detective after an impressive career solving mysteries and catching villains, but the shadow of one villain has left it's mark on Julia. As the story develops with two timelines that jump between 1994 and 2024, we get to know Julia before she climbed the ranks to become a detective as she tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of two young girls and all the horrors that follow as the case develops, then we get to know the retired Julia, the one who's escaped to the tranquility of a quiet area but the old shadows draw her back to their villainous world as events reoccur years later. The storytelling talent here causes me some frustration as the end of a gripping chapter leads to a different time period and I'm desperate to know what happened next, but as I start the next chapter I get lost in the new time period and forget about the previous one, and this pattern repeats over and over as I continued reading, meaning I flew through the pages. What a debut, a story full of tension forcing you to read faster as you eagerly try to find out what will become of Julia and her crew. Amy Jordan is certainly one to watch!

If you are looking for a good old-fashioned (well, with minimum hi-tech) solid policework thriller, this is for you. Hauled out of retirement, Julia Harte, again embroiled in copycat killings, also faces the same dismissive attitudes towards women in the force as she encountered 30 years earlier. A strong character and determined to find the killer, Julia continues to read situations, assemble the puzzles, remember connections – and put her life in serious danger for the second time.
With strong characters throughout, the case and the background story romp along to deliver an engaging read. I did wobble about one author-convenient tying up, but on the whole, I enjoyed ‘Dark Hours’ and the genuine fear that filters throughout.

The Dark Hours is fast paced, utterly gripping and creepy as hell. I absolutely loved it and look forward to whatever Amy Jordan does next.

What a marvellous book this is, I still have blisters on my brain from the speed at which the intrigue built!! Seriously, this is the best mystery/police procedural book that I have read in at least the last 12 months and I do read a lot.

Cannot really give an example as they are all integral to the plot and I would hate to drop a clue that spoils the book for anyone. Give yourself a real treat and read all about Julia Harte, I cannot imagine that you will want to put the book down until you finish it.

1994 Gardaí Julia Harte and Adrian Clancy a sent to investigate a complaint on a housing estate. What happens next will haunt Julia for the rest of her life.
2.24 and she is living in a small village with her dog and enjoying the quiet life.
Then she receives a call saying its all happening again. A copycat of 1994 and her help is needed.
Can she face her fears and what will the outcome be?

A great debut. Julia Harte is a retired police officer, who rose through the ranks . Her Garda partner was murdered in 1994 while searching for 2 missing girls. . Fast forward to 2024 , Julia is now retired and is asked to help with a new murder investigation which has similarities to the 1994 Killings. The tension and intrigue in this crime thriller continues throughout .

Great debut novel by Amy Jordan. Set in two time periods, 1994 and 2024 with the central character, Julia Harte as a member of the Gardai in Ireland in 1994 and a retired officer in 2024 recalled to action. An interesting plot and fascinating tale. Multiple time periods don't always work for me but they do in this case. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I found myself totally engrossed in this book, the way it runs the two strands of the story side by side works so well, cutting in just when you need the background
Ex DI Julia Harte is asked, along with her old boss, to help out with an investigation that is very similar to the one that happened thirty years previously, it has to be a copycat though as James Cox has recently died.
Returning to Cork to the same Garda station brings back lots of memories for Julia, but she is determined as she was all those years ago to bring the killer to justice.
There are plenty of twists, and a totally unexpected ending. Well worth reading.

My thanks to H.Q and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Dark Hours’ written by Amy Jordan in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thirty years ago James Cox was locked up for killing Garda Adrian Clancy and the two teenage girls that he and Garda Julia Harte had been searching for. Now retired, Julia is relieved to learn that he’s died in a psychiatric hospital, but when her old Chief Superintendent Des Riordon phones to tell her that the bodies of two teenagers have been found dead Julia knows she must return to Cork as the murders are too similar to those carried out by Cox to be dismissed.

‘The Dark Hours’ is a gripping police thriller from a new writer of Irish crime fiction and I must congratulation her for writing such an exciting novel. It has two time-frames running parallel to each other, the first beginning in 2024 with retired Garda Julia Harte living in the secluded village of Cuan Beag where no one knows her past, then going back to 1994 as it tells of how James Cox was finally caught. This thriller has a fast-paced and complex plot with lots of tension, drama and twists that leaves Julia and Riordon with more questions than leads. It’s good to read of characters who are over retirement age and the plot was so intricately woven that I was hooked from page one and couldn’t stop reading until I’d reached the conclusion.

A gripping read, set in two time periods 1994 and 2024. I felt like I was investigating the crimes with the characters and was kept guessing until the end.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Many thanks to net Galley and HQ publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review
An outstanding debut novel.
A gripping twisty police thriller, fast paced and hard to put down.
Two timelines, a case from 1994, and a current case, two killers, a serial killer and a copycat killer, a great plot which keeps the reader engrossed.
I loved Julia, a retired detective inspector, what a complex character, I also loved her dog, Mutt.
The ending felt like there could be a series, featuring Julia, let’s hope so.
This is a 5 star read which I highly recommend, will be keen to read more by Amy Jordan.

Really enjoyed this! You need to be able to get around the split timeliness, which could be a little confusing, but this is a minor point....great characters, fast paced...why wouldn't you read this? Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The Dark Hours is a police procedural set over two distinct timeframes and is an enjoyable read with the twin narratives working well and not being confusing.

This is the first book that I have read by Amy Jordan and I will keep an eye out for future releases. .

Retired detective Julia Harte is dragged back into a murder investigation when it has disturbing similarities to a case she worked in and was personally involved with in 1994.
The story is told through a dual timeline both using Julia’s POV so as a reader you really feel like you get to know her. Both timelines (1994 and 2024) have their own intricate plots which then weave together to tell the overall story.

This is an amazing debut and compels you to keep reading to find out what happens both in the past and the present timelines. Really liked the character of Julia Harte and would enjoy reading more novels with her as the main character.

I would highly recommend this book and will be looking out for more from Amy Jorden,