This is the next instalment of the career of Lancashire DS Jessica Raker, to whom we were introduced in "Death at Dead Man's Stake". Jess resumes her head-to-head battle with gang boss Maggie Horsefield, a ruthless and vindictive woman who is at the apex of the criminal fraternity, but someone who swims in the toxic waste in terms of human decency. It complicates matters that Jess's daughter Lily and Maggie's offspring Caitlin are BFFs at school.

It's fair to say that Jessica Raker has something of a turbulent past. Born and bred in the district she now polices, she gravitated to London, where her career in the Metropolitan Police concluded dramatically with her shooting dead a feckless younger member of a serious crime gang. When a retaliatory contract was taken out on her life, she was relocated to Clitheroe. She has two children, but her relationship with husband Josh is, to say the least, threadbare, although they are still together.

This story starts with Lance Drake, a petty crook somewhere near the bottom of Maggie Horsefield's barrel of criminal employees, facing his worst nightmare. He is being released on license from HMP Preston, where he has been quite happily spending the last few months, safe from the inevitable retribution which has awaited him since he shot his mouth off to the police, thus losing his boss tens of thousands of pounds in a drug shipment.

Inevitably, given that Horsefield has her employees embedded at every level of the criminal justice system, Drake is soon grabbed, and when the hood is taken from his head, he finds himself cable-tied to a chair sitting, ominously, on a large plastic sheet spread on the floor of a disused mill, with Horsefield sitting nearby, fondling a zombie knife. Jess Raker's team have had their eyes on this mill for some time, rightly suspecting that is part of Horsefield's drug distribution business and, happily for Lance Drake, they choose that moment for a raid.

Most of Horsefield's goons get away, the mill plus an industrial quantity of 'merchandise' go up in flames, and the stage is set for a dramatic encounter as Horsefield and her lover, London gangster Tommy Moss, plan a multi-million pound raid on Wolf Fell Hall, an ancestral home which contains scores of priceless old master paintings. Along the way, we learn more about the team of officers around Jessica Raker. There is the intelligent and resourceful PCSO Samira Patel, who yearns to become a 'proper' copper. CID officer Dougie Doolan is one of Jessica's mainstays, but she suspects he is hiding a grim secret. Her boss, Inspector Price, we strongly suspect may be a wrong 'un, but is he actually feeding information to the dreadful Maggie Horsefield?

One thing you will not find in a Nick Oldham novel, thankfully, is the remotest trace of sympathetic hand-wringing for his villains. Yes they may come from awful families with dreadful parents but, like all of us, they have a choice. If they take the wrong road, then they have no-one to blame but themselves. For Oldham, once a working copper in hives of scum and villainy like Blackpool, they have made their choice and deserve everything they get. He has a direct, no-frills narrative style. The sheer readability of his novels is based on superb storytelling, and an unparalleled knowledge of English policing, woven together with a sense of place, location and topography designed to draw the reader into the narrative. Death on Wolf Fell will be published by Severn House on 6th May.

One of my favourite authors. One of the many things I like about the books is the use of real places. Blackburn, Clitheroe, Whalley, Bolton by Bowland, West Bradford, Waddington etc. If you know the area it adds to the enjoyment.
Jess Raker is a police sergeant who had to relocate her family back to her home town, after killing in the line of duty, one of the Moss family, a vicious London gang. Jess's marriage is under strain, with her husband Josh often away overnight in Manchester. When they were in London he was caught having an affair. Jess's mother has moved up to the Clitheroe area and helps Jess with her two children.
Jess has a personal vendetta with Maggie Horsefield a local villain. Made more difficult as Jess's daughter is good friends with Maggie's daughter! Jess's line manager inspector Price, who is based in Blackburn is in Maggie's pay.
Luckilly Jess has a good team around her in Clitheroe, Vinnie, Samira and Dougie from C.I.D. When Jess and the team interrupt a local villain Lance Drake's execution at Maggie's hands, this is the start of incidents leading up to murder at a local ancestral home - Wolf Fell Hall.
Maggie is in a relationship with Tommy Moss ( the elder brother of the one Jess killed ), but Tommy is married to Leonora the violent and unpredictable wife based in London.
Jess's private life is further complicated because of the mutual attraction with a local Fire fighter - Joe. Once more Jess faces death as she tries to police her local area.
Jess is very different from Henry Christie, the author's well known long running series, but this second book featuring Jess is well written and the excitement keeps you reading. Very much recommended.

Sergeant Jessica Raker is very happy being back in the place she grew up, doing a job she loves.
The biggest fly in the ointment is Mags Horsefield. Mags went to school with Jess but is now the notorious boss of an organised crime gang and Jess is determined to bring her down.
When Jess is called to a minor incident at Wolf Fell Hall she is horrified to find Mags there, in the company of London gangster Tommy Moss, and whatever Mags and Tommy are up to, it's bound to mean trouble for Jess.
Jess and her team will need to work harder than ever if they are to stop the two crime bosses in their tracks, but first they will need to find out what they are planning.
This dark, gripping twisty thriller is a great read that holds your attention from the first right to the final word.

Death in Wolf Fell by Nick Oldham

Sergeant Jessica Raker has relocated her family from London to rural Lancashire. She is working on a crime ring responsible for drugs and thefts in the area , and finds out her school nemesis is the head of it which pushes her to bring it down .
Love books like this and I didn't read the first one but feel it could be read as a standalone.
A great story and character in Jessica Raker and a fast paced plot to keep you reading.

Yes. A highly enjoyable read and there must be a follow up to look out for.
Hadn’t read anything by Nick Oldham previously, so another to add to the ever expanding list

The second in the series, where Jess is the main police sergeant based in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire. Her main adversary, Mags is involved in local crime . They knew each other at school and their daughters are now schoolfriends too. Lots of action and fast paced, it is a good read. My only criticism is that the viewpoints change within chapters, which I found a bit confusing at first, though I quickly got used to it. Jess takes matters into her own hands a few times, but is settling in well with her team . This book is fine as a stand alone, though if you read the first one, you get to know her personal circumstances better. The plots and the police procedures all ring true and I like the interaction between the team.
The plot is well thought out and although there are quite a few characters, they are fairly easy to keep track of. I`m already looking forward to the next one in the series, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

When is the next book coming out? I really want to know what happens next!
I really enjoyed this book: the plot was good, it was well written, the main character was easy to relate to and I read it in 2 sittings.
More please!

Thanks to the Severn House (a great publisher particularly for captivating procedurals) for this eARC

In Death on Wolf Fell by Nick Oldham, Sergeant Jessica Rake returns as she attempts to defeat Mag's, a clever cruel criminal mastermind.

Another suspenseful read from Oldham, best read if you read the 1st in the series as I found the storyline well developed, however the characters weren't quite as well developed. Personally I need to like the characters and relate to them to wholly enjoy the story. Had I not read earlier offering, I am not sure this told me enough about Jessica to be drawn to her and her motivations in this story.

Regardless, other characters were a bit more developed, for example one of the detectives had a particular hatred for house burglars, and knowing why made me really enjoy his character.

Regardless this is a tense and nail biting police procedural / mystery, and a solid 4 stars from this reviewer. I greatly enjoyed it.

Having read the first in the Sergeant Jessica Raker series, I was looking forward to the next instalment and it didn’t disappoint.

Jess used to be an armed response officer in the Met but, after an incident that put her life at risk, she moved back to Lancashire, where she grew up, and took up a sergeant vacancy for a sergeant there. Jess and Samira, a PCSO, become good friends as well as colleagues.

There is an ongoing story from the first book, where an old school classmate of Jess’ – Mags Horsefield – is the leader of an organised crime group (OCG). The police are called to Wolf Fell Hall but, when they turn up, they’re persuaded that there’s nothing wrong and the call was a mistake. Jess isn’t going to be fobbed off as easily as that, and the battle lines are drawn between her and Mags.

Brilliantly gripping and highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Sergeant Jessica Raker has relocated her family from London to rural Lancashire. There is an organized crime ring responsible for drugs and thefts in the area. She is determined to take them down, especially the female head, an enemy of hers from school days. Wolf Fell Hall, a stately home, seems to be the center of their activity and after an incident there, the thrilling chase is on, leaving victims in the wake.

A fan of British police procedurals, I wanted to try a new to me author. This is the second in a series by Nick Oldham. While I did not read the first one, this worked well as a stand alone.

This is a fast paced thriller with a good story line, action, and well developed characters. All this makes for an entertaining read. I liked Jessica, an all too human but dedicated individual struggling with some personal issues while trying to make a way for herself in her new position. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

Death On Wolf Fell is the second in the Jess Raker series. The former Met firearms sergeant is back in her native Lancashire as a rural patrol officer, coordinating policing across a wide area. The novel sees her on the trail of local drug dealer - and former schoolmate - Mags Horsefield, who is now having an affair with a London crime boss.

The novel is relatively short and fast paced, as Jess and her team investigate. Some of the characters are a little one dimensional, but leads Jess and her PSCO sidekick Samira Patel are well developed and believable. There is a lot of violence and occasional moments of dark humor in the novel - and a thrilling conclusion.

I received a free arc copy of Death on Wolf Fell but this review is my own opinion. Thank you to net galley & Severn for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

**Crime Thriller**

This is the 2nd book in the Jessica Raker series but you don’t have to read the 1st to get into this one. Jessica Raker has returned to her hometown area after the events of book 1. She has a husband who works out of town a lot so her mother helps her with the children. Her daughter’s best friend just happens to be the daughter of her rival, the criminal drug lord of the town. Chasing Mags is a professional choice of doing the right thing and possibly a leftover choice from her childhood. This adventure was riveting and a source of great writing by a former detective.
Nick Oldham brings a bit of his past, as a former detective and that makes you feel immersed into the criminal world of trying to do the right thing, when it’s so much easier to be bad.

Jessica feels real as she grapples with her past and present to right wrongs and live her best life. There’s also the very sexy firefighter that she finds attractive. She struggles with the very adult issues of loyalty vs happiness and choosing between being true to herself. She definitely has a tough discussion and decision to make in her future.

The whole book had a lot of adventure, human feelings/struggles, and doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.

I totally recommend this book to readers who love a good thriller. Things aren’t always as they seem and that’s what makes this book a fun read in middle of serious subjects. Immerse yourself and see where this takes you, as well!

My 1st book to read of author Nick Oldham. It definitely won’t be my last!

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This is the 2nd in the DS Jessica Rakers series and as good as the 1st one. I finished it in one day and can't wait for no. 3!
It's a tense and heart stopping read. Mags, Jess' former school mate, is determined to end Jess for good and together with Tommy, her lover and a seasoned member of a dangerous criminal group, makes life for Jess almost impossible.
I really like Jess, as well as Samira, they work so well together and have each other's backs. And I really liked the ending, making me impatient for no. 3!
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A tense and utterly addictive police procedural set on the Lancashire moors featuring Sergeant Jessica Raker.

Former Metropolitan Police firearms officer Sergeant Jessica Raker is on a mission to bring down a brutal organized crime group operating in the idyllic Ribble Valley.

The OCG's leader, Mags Horsefield, is determined to make one of the members pay for getting caught by the police, using her contacts to make sure he’s released from prison early . . . into her waiting clutches.

Jess knows Mags from their school days, but their lives now couldn’t be more different. A fire at a local mill puts Jess on the tail of Mags’ OCG; is this her opportunity to catch the Ribble Valley’s most wanted criminal? The battle lines have been drawn, but when Jess is called to an incident at Wolf Fell Hall, a series of terrifying events follow . . .