I haven't read anything by this author previously but will certainly seek out his books in future.

As a police procedural fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Water.

The action begins when a headless and handless body is washed up in the Thames with Laughton Rees's home address written on his arm. Who wrote it and why? I don't want to add much more as I found enormous pleasure from coming to the book blind with no knowledge of the characters.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else Simon Toyne has written and I will look out for his work in future.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me access in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4-5 stars
Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan #3

Old Father Thames is like most rivers, dangerous, icy cold, murky and fast flowing, its name comes from an old English word ‘Tamesis’ which means Dark One. It’s well named. DCI Tannahill Khan surveys its brown waters close to Tower Bridge where a dead man lies in the black glutenous mud at its edge, the current and the rapidly rising tide threatening to sweep it away, as the SOCO’s work in difficult circumstances. Shockingly, the corpse is missing both head and hands and even more chilling is the address written on the dead man’s arm because it belongs to Laughton. It seems that she is central to something terrifying, vengeful and vindictive which is not of her making.

I really like this series and the central protagonists and this is another gripping instalment. It has a well constructed, intriguing fast paced plot with plenty of layers to the storytelling amounting to an absorbing read from start to finish. The twists are good, some are surprising, some shocking and it intensifies to an adrenaline fuelled, heart in the mouth dramatic ending with the Thames centre stage. The river is almost an atmospheric character all by itself with some really well chosen locations such as Eel Pie Island and is a backdrop to the action packed and increasingly dangerous events.

These novels have a lot of substance to them and this is especially true of the relationships between various characters. Here Laughton’s past, her father and her daughter with all their complexities are woven seamlessly into the plot. I like the on/off dance between Laughton and Tannahill too and as for that ending, a tantalising cliffhanger or what? I do hope number four is underway!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, Hemlock Press for the much appreciated EPUB in return for an honest review.

Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan are back and this time, they are investigating a brutal murder. A headless corpse. Written on the man's arm is the home address of one of their team members, so this is personal.
With a threat to one of their team, more bodies wash up and it is a race to catch the killer.

This was another fabulous instalment by the author! These characters have become two of my favourites, with their interesting backstories and complex relationships surrounding them. This one also involved more of Laughton's daughter, which added to the story and obstacles they had to navigate. The twists were so clever and again, the author kept me completely immersed throughout.

I enjoyed the first Rees and Tannahill book so I was keen to read this one and it didn't disappoint. The story licks along with both main characters having to sort out domestic problems while they're busy trying to solve an ongoing crime spree. Phew.

Simon Toyne doesn't let you down

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley.
Absolutely brilliant I was hooked!!
Great storyline, suspenseful, grisly, twisted, I loved it,
But the ending what happens next?!
I hope I don’t have to wait so long for the next instalment please.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely devoured the latest book in the Dr Laughton Rees & DCI Tannahill Khan series, it's just so good.

A headless & handless body turns up on the banks of the Thames at low tide. Written on the body is something personal to Laughton (& her late cop father). The killer wanted the body found & the connection to her known. Tannahill calls Laughton & she leaves her daughter in the penthouse flat she inherited from her father... alone.

A man from her past she'd rather forget turns up on her doorstep worried he's going to be next. She doesn't want anything to do with Shelby but her daughter has just found out about her father & her interest is piqued. So much so she agrees to meet him without telling her mum..

I found the whole story completely gripping. I loved the twisty storylines some of which were chilling. A fast paced read with main characters I've grown to love. And that cliffhanger at the end.... where to next!?

A headless, handless body is discovered at low tide near Tower Bridge. DCI Tannahill Khan is called to the grisly scene and notices what he thinks is a tattoo on what remains of an arm. When he realises what it is, it gives him cause for concern and he immediately calls Dr Laughton Rees, love interest and consultant criminologist. When Laughton arrives, she is shocked and berates Tannahill for calling her away from the safety of her luxury penthouse, and putting her daughter Grace at risk by being left alone.

And so the investigation starts, who is the dead man, who is the murderer and will Tann and Laughton overcome all obstacles and make a go of it?

This is number three in the series, with references to past books though this in no way prevents the reader from reading this as a standalone.

I have enjoyed this series, but think this book is the weakest so far. The plots have always been far fetched but exciting, but this one was far fetched AND predictable, with the twists fairly obvious.

A nice ending though. Who will back down?

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK.

I loved this 3rd instalment of the Laughton Rees and Tannahill working together to solve a mystery that ties in perfectly with the storyline of Dark Objects.

I hope Simon Toyne carries on writing about these complex and engaging protagonists.

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

3.5* rounded down.

A body (minus its head and hands) is discovered in the Thames with Laughton's address written on its wrist. It is quickly determined that the victim is a criminal associate of Shelby, Laughton's former 'boyfriend' and the father of her daughter Gracie. (I write 'boyfriend' in inverted commas, because Shelby was an adult who groomed 15 year old Laughton and kept her hooked on drugs.) Shelby turns up on Laughton's doorstep fearing that he will be the next to be murdered.

This was a fast paced read and the ending in particular was very well done, but I spent most of the novel scratching my head over the things Laughton and Grace did. Laughton spent the novel keeping things from/not answering the phone to her romantic interest and (more importantly) police contact Tannahill, which resulted in him having to rescue her. Grace's decisions in relation to her father throughout the book made no sense to me, even based on the sanitized version of events Laughton had told her moments before Shelby turned up.

I applaud Tannahill's decision on the final page, although I'm not sure where that leaves this series.

A page-turner, gripping with a bit of the unexpected. Keeps you guessing until the very last page!

A great police procedural with plenty of twists and turns the bombshells that were being dropped left, right and centre.

It was masterfully plotted and told with verve and humour, this clever and compelling story was made for TV.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

DCI Tannahill Khan and Dr. Laughton Rees return in Dead Water, the third in this excellent series by Simon Toyne. Khan is called to the scene of a horrific murder and discovers a disturbing link to Dr. Laughton Rees. Rees is caught up in a 16 year old mystery involving her father. Her daughter Gracie is working on a family tree, a project for school. Toyne skillfully weaves these three, seeming unrelated, storylines into a compelling thriller with a problematic conclusion.

Simon Toyne is now one of my favorite authors. The Rees/Khan mysteries can be counted on to have complex plots, atmospheric locations and well described characters whose private lives are as much part of this series as are their public careers. Much of Dead Water is set near the Thames River and there is much to learn here. Tidal flow is explained by the charmingly odd Budleigh Salterton and illustrated by clothed dead pigs. Eel Pie Island, dating back to 1743, (thank you, Wikipedia) is a perfect location for his experiments. I learned a lotmfrom Dead Water. Simon Toyne is a master of the police procedural. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Simon Toyne for this ARC.

A brutal murder. When a headless corpse washes up on the bank of the Thames, DCI Tannahill Khan knows this wasn’t accidental the killer wanted the body found. This is just the beginning. A deadly warning. The post mortem reveals a shocking discovery. Written on the dead man’s arm is Forensic Criminologist Dr Laughton Rees’ home address. A fatal game! Great book and series! Definitely can be read as stand alone! This book had fantastic suspense, gruesome murders, mystery, chilling moments, a fabulous who done it and some wild twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Another excellent thriller featuring criminologist Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan. A dismembered body is found in the Thames and the case quickly becomes personal for Laughton. She is forced to face secrets from her past and look into an old case of her dead father's. Meanwhile Khan tracks the killer while worrying about Laughton.

Finding more about the past of one of the main characters is illuminating and the plot is well constructed. The final resolution leaves Laughton with a dilemma, but we will need to wait for the next installment to find out what happens next. Overall, this is a very good read, with plenty of excitement as well as a great deal of character development.

I have to admit I have a 'small' crush ... Ok a massive crush on this author 🤭 and I also enjoy his books.

Dead Water as usual is well written and although I guessed what was going to happen It is a well told story.

I always feel there is a touch if real life in these novels and I loved how the drama unfolded. I was hooked and for me this was a one sit read.

I have recommended it to my book club..

I enjoyed this, as I did the previous books in the series.
I like our main characters, who are well rounded and likeable, and one has tons of baggage.
But, I found this too predictable.
I felt a few lines into a scenario and I knew where it was going.
Saying that, always good to be proven right.
I'm still looking forward to the next installment, to see how the events of this book shape the future.