I was one of the many viewers of the Scott and Bailey series and remember spending anxious days waiting for the next episode to be shown. This novel features the characters from that series and once I’d worked out which actor played which role it added to my enjoyment. I still have to work out if the author was involved in the series and if there are more books but this book was a very good companion to a great TV detective drama.
Three female detectives are the prominent roles and all are unhappy with their personal lives. Their issues are mainly caused by their inability to switch off from their careers, an issue made worse by their husbands being the same. But for Janet, her personal life starts to impact on her ability to do her job, when she suddenly has to deal with a situation which involves her daughter that could have an impact on a current case. This part of the novel was a highlight for me, reading how difficult it was to balance both.
The witness statements throughout this novel are probably the most concerning I’ve read. Even more so because they were believable, too many people will have exactly the same opinions. The lack of sympathy and the judgemental attitudes made my blood boil. I like to think that many readers felt the same and really hope that there weren’t many who agreed.
It is way too long since I read a novel by Cath Staincliffe and this was a brilliant reintroduction. A fantastic storyline, with characters who felt real.

One of my favourite tv series , I was so glad to read this book. It has strong female lead characters, police procedure mixed with their personal lives. Great paced read

Back in 2013, I reviewed Bleed Like Me the second novel to feature Scott and Bailey (yes the ITV Series) and was interested in reading a third. Cath Staincliffe, a lovely lady who I have met and has had written some cracking books delivered a third in 2014.

Shamefully it has taken my another five years to read it. I feel like I should go and stand in a corner somewhere and think about the error of my ways. 

So I am back with Gill Murray, life with her son is balanced but her ex husband is just one step away from falling apart in front of everyone and losing everything.

Janet Scott, recovering from the fall out of events in the previous book. Trying to hold together a family.

Rachel Bailey married to Sean, although both I and her are not sure why. She seems suffocated by it and spends a lot of time running.

Rachel was running the night when a blaze erupted at a abandoned chapel, she witnessed the scene but what and who else did she?

The next day, it turns out the blaze was arson and there was a fatality. 

Cath Staincliffe takes us straight into the police work, the station, the briefings, the allocation of roles and the cameraride and banter between colleagues. How do you keep all that going when it seems you private life is becoming so difficult. 

Then there is another fire and this time there are two bodies. 

Are they connected?

Is this the start of something frightening in the area? 

With gunshots, confessions, drugs and domestics this book has it all. Well plotted and I hate to say a great example of a 'police procedural' novel that I sometimes hear bandied about. Except somehow we manage to get under the skin of the three main detectives and that gives that fragility to humans dealing with some horrific events. 

A great read and well worth the wait.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A blaze at an abandoned chapel in impoverished Manorclough turns out to be more than just arson when the body of a man who has been shot twice is discovered in the ashes. For the Manchester Metropolitan police team it’s the start of a gruelling and complex case that exposes the fractures and fault lines of a community living on the edge.
DC Rachel Bailey, recently married, is trying to come to terms with her new status and deal with the fallout from her chaotic family. She throws herself into work but her compulsion to find answers and see justice done leads her into the deepest jeopardy.
DC Janet Scott's world is shaken to its foundations when death comes far too close for comfort and she finds one of her daughters on the wrong side of a police investigation.
DCI Gill Murray’s ex Dave, a Chief Superintendent, crashes back into her life, out of control and bringing chaos in his wake. Gill attempts to get Dave to face the truth of his situation, and to stay the hell away from her, but things are about to get a whole lot worse.
And then a second building goes up in flames...

This is the third book in the Scott & Bailey series of crime novels by Cath Staincliffe. I haven't read any of the previous books but haven't based this review on that. It is also apparently based on a current TV show in England.

First things first - this has to be the first time that I have read a police procedural novel where there is not only two women working as partner's - but their division head is also a woman. That was very cool and won me over from the very start. These women are at different stages in their personal and professional lives - but they are all tough, smart and uncompromising in their job. As it should be...

The story itself was quite interesting. Mostly for the fact that it is something we could very well see on the 6 o'clock news. What starts as possibly being a simple case of arson gets trickier when a murdered man is found inside. The procedural side of this story is fantastic - we see everything that goes on, from the investigative work to the boring paperwork. We get to go to work with these women everyday and experience their jobs. That is fantastic as a lot of crime novels kind of skip over the investigation phase...

Finally, the reason this book didn't get the full 5 stars was simple - it read like a TV show. Just like Kathy Reichs before her (those Bones books almost have the ad breaks built-in), this book is certainly written to a formula and, if I were to read a few of these books back to back, that would probably irritate me a lot.

Overall, though, a fabulous police procedural novel that also shows the human side to those police officers and the work that is involved "behind the scenes." An enjoyable story and one that I would have no problems recommending.


Paul
ARH

Good fast paced plot but it's the characterization I liked most about this; Staincliffe excels in real human characters who find themselves in a variety of difficult personal situations in addition to their work stresses.