An excellent read!
This is a fast paced read with plenty of twists and turns which kept me gripped.
Imogen Ashworth dies in front of her husband supposedly of a heart attack .
Why has a healthy young woman with no health issues suddenly die ?
Emma Gardner isn’t convinced it was a natural death , the husband doesn’t seem quite right .
This investigation leads to an intriguing story which is dark at times .
This is the sixth book in the series , you could read and enjoy this without reading the previous titles because there is plenty of back story .
The writing makes for an easy read and I read it in one sitting.
A fantastic thriller !
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

A great thriller with several unexpected twists which does not always make for easy reading. When a young married woman dies suddenly, Emma Gardner reckons there is something off about her heart attack. This proves to be true and the crime involves a lot of investigation to put all the pieces togethe. Meanwhile, Emma's criminal brother has left prison and her friend and possible love interest is critically ill in hospital. Emma's lovelife is complicated . Parts of the book piece together Paul's life and thoughts during his stay on intensive care.
The book is fastpaced and gritty and kept my interest throughout because of the main themes and and the sub-plots . I loved the setting in and around Knaresborough and Leeds, an area I know fairly well. Some twists were maybe unnecessary and the motivation (seen through the eyes of the perpetrator) questionable. But a good read, it'll be interesting to see where the series goes from here.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

I’m not sure how to start my review other than to say this book was twisty, at times dark and had a fair few surprises too. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Yorkshire Murder series and The Black Rock Killings is yet another brilliant addition. In fact it is book six in the series. I would suggest reading in order. It is such a great series, so definitely worth it!

For me everything worked so well in this book from the characters to the intriguing plot. Emma and Paul were once again brought to life in a realistic way. They have their flaws but they are also engaging and easy to like. The way the story was set out worked well for me too. There were a few threads to follow but I enjoyed all the connections and the way everything came together. The story itself moved at a good pace and I was invested from the very beginning. There were also some darker themes and I thought this brought a certain amount of depth to the book.

The Black Rock Killings was a tense read at times. Especially as I felt like I really knew these characters. The balance of personal lives and the police procedural kept things interesting and moved everything along nicely. I wanted good things for the characters and I also hoped they would crack the case. The twists and turns were well placed, they managed to keep me on the edge of my seat. The Black Rock Killings was a tense and emotional rollercoaster, that’s for sure!

The story:
When Imogen Ashworth dies, everyone assumes it is a tragic, but natural death. But DCI Emma Gardner isn’t so sure… Something about Imogen’s husband Alistair doesn’t quite ring true. In fact, he reminds Emma of her sociopathic brother Jack… With the truth even more complicated than she realises, the team are put to the test unraveling crimes that stretch across many years and four countries.

But despite the urgency of the case, Emma’s mind is elsewhere. Former colleague DI Paul Riddick is fighting for survival in hospital, and Emma is struggling to come to terms with her true feelings for him. Not only that, her brother Jack is back in her life, along with the mysterious Neville Fairweather—two men that seem to leave a trail of destruction behind them…

My thoughts:
“The Black Rock Killings” is the sixth book in Wes Markin’s Yorkshire Murders series, and as I mentioned in my review of the previous book (“The Winter Killings”), we were left on a very dramatic cliffhanger; so I was keen to get my hands on the next instalment!

As the story starts, main characters DCI Emma Gardner and DI Riddick are in a bad place. Riddick, having narrowly survived the events of the last book, is fighting for his life in hospital having received a heart transplant. When infection sets in, Emma is forced to face the fact that she may lose the man she has yet to acknowledge her complicated feelings for.

But much as Emma wants to spend all her time at Paul’s bedside, the spiralling events in her own life make that impossible. Her dangerous brother Jack is back in her life (and in her house), and we learn more about the mysterious connection between him and ‘businessman’ Neville Fairweather—a story that has spanned the previous books, and I was pleased to learn (some of) the truth about.

Because of this, the main case itself, that of the murder of Imogen Ashworth, is mainly left in the hands of Emma’s team, particularly DI Phil Rice (who has really come into his own in Emma’s team), DS Ray Barnett (a whiz with tracking down complex evidence) and DC Lucy O’Brien (with whom Emma also has a complicated relationship).

This is a fast-paced and complex story, bringing together threads from across the previous five instalments. I read with my heart in my mouth, particularly the last half of the book. The author has done a great job making me care about these characters—not just Emma and Paul, but the whole team—and the book builds to a shocking, dramatic and heartbreaking climax. I will be counting down to the next book; if you haven’t read this series, I’d recommend starting with book one and go from there!

The sixth book in the Yorkshire Murders series is compelling and complex. It begins with past revelations that soon impact the present. DCI Emma Gardener discovers an unexpected death has sinister implications. The relentless twists increase the suspense. In addition to the complex case, Emma has had disturbing events in her personal life. Paul Riddick's life hangs in the balance, and Emma still refuses to acknowledge her true feelings. Her complex and dangerous brother returns to her life and threatens everything she loves. This story is multilayered, and everything personal and professional impacts Emma's emotional well-being. It reaches a devastating and impactful conclusion, but questions remain, so hopefully, this is not the last we see of Emma. I like the complex characters you invest in and the intensity and unexpected twists.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is the 5th book in the Yorkshire Murder series and this is my favourite one so far. It was good to be back with DCI Emma Gardner and her team.

A young woman has died and the initial cause of death was thought to be a heart attack and this was echoed by her husband. Emma didn’t get a good feeling when interviewing her husband and something wasn’t ringing true with her. She took the case on as a favour to her boss as Emma was taking some time out as she had many things going on in her life at that point. Emma paired up with DI Phil Rice to investigate and she decided that they should ask for a toxicology report as she was sure there was something suspicious about her husband and the situation around the death.


Emma was in a relationship with one of her team - DC Lucy O’Brien - but she had conflicting feelings as her colleague
DI Paul Riddick was fighting for his life after a heart transplant. Emma had strong feelings for Paul and she wanted to be there for him when he came round but she was also enjoying her time spent with Lucy. Emma’s brother Jack was due to be released from prison and one of the conditions was that he stayed with her. This troubled Emma as she didn’t trust Jack at all and was worried about what he would do next.

Emma tried her best to remain focussed on the case but she also had so many demands on her time and was struggling to keep up.

A fab read and one that I got totally lost in. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DCI Emma Gardner has enough on her plate, with her psychotic brother Jack getting early release from prison on the condition he lives with her, a new relationship with sixteen years her junior colleague DC Lucy O’Brien and close friend DI Paul Riddick (the man Emma really ought to be with) gravely ill after just having undergone a lifesaving heart transplant, not to mention receiving visits from the mysterious Neville Fairweather who has been pulling strings in her life recently and who has a strange control over Jack. But then she gets an instruction from her boss, Chief Constable Rebecca Marsh, concerning retired CC Roy Linders whose daughter Imogen has suddenly died very young from a heart attack. Roy suspects her husband Alistair Ashworth had something to do with it. Of course, the reader has already heard about this death and that of two more women in his life. A troubled man indeed with a scarred ear and vivid memories of his parents. Together with 70s throwback DI Phil Rice, she visits the rather creepy Ashworth and gets an uncomfortable feeling about him. Her hunch is proven correct when a post mortem on Imogen shows poison and a murder investigation is opened by the team, including Rice and the highly dependable DS Ray Barnett. No one could possibly envisage the wide-ranging reach of this case, but with all the other worries and distractions in her life, is Emma up to catching this deadly killer?
Definitely I would recommend reading this series in order as the previous five stories hold much in the way of history surrounding the main characters. This story, tinged with sadness in places, is full of different threads and as always, is brilliantly written to grip the reader throughout. Although fast paced and thrilling, the ending sadly wasn’t what I had hoped for. All good things come to an end and it looks like this may be the last in the series but it would be lovely to see Riddick and Emma together again at some point.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This police procedural is part of the Yorkshire Murders series. Alistair’s wife Imogen passes away quite suddenly, supposedly from natural causes, but DCI Gardner feels that something doesn't add up. Meanwhile, her friend and colleague, Riddick, is fighting for his life in hospital.

From the start, I was very interested in the characters and wanted to know more about them. It wasn't long before I realised that some of these characters felt familiar to me, particularly Gardner and O’Brien. I realised that in fact, I'd read a previous book from this series, and warmed to Gardner and O'Brien on that occasion, so I enjoyed reading about them again.

I liked most of the characters, and how they worked with and related to each other. I felt the author had a clever and subtle way of creating suspense in the writing, which kept me turning the pages. I became invested in both the characters and the story, and I found this a page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Right so, this is book 6 of this most exceptional series and you know what's coming next! This is especially important as there is a whole bunch of interconnected back story between certain characters that will make your time with this book all the more special if you meet them in book one and follow their journeys as the author intended.
So... after shenanigans from the previous book, Paul Riddick is in hospital. He's pretty much on death's door and this situation is playing very heavily on DCI Emma Gardner who is struggling to both keep her mind on her job and also, given her feelings for him, it's playing merry hell with her personal life. If that wasn't enough for the author to put her through, do you remember Jack, her brother? Well... he's about to be released, and his conditions put him living with her, her daughter, and his daughter...
And then there's the case that Emma and her team are called upon to investigate. The death of a woman which, on the face of things, appears natural but there is something that piques Emma's interest. But once she and the team start to open up that can, boy do the worms explode out of it with a vengeance. Going back many years, across multiple countries, it's gonna take some unravelling... Meanwhile, we also go back into Riddick's past and learn more about him through flashback...
I love this series. I also love this author's other series. They are all pretty brutal and none of them hold their punches but they are well written and all contain interesting and intriguing plots which are well executed in a no nonsense, no waffle or padding, way. This mean that they get on with themselves very well indeed. It also means that they are very hard to put down once picked up, to the detriment of my supposed day of housework, but hey, what can you do!? This book being no exception to all that. This one was also a wee bit on the emotional side, as you will no doubt find out for yourself as you dig in.
And the ending, when it came, was just perfect, leaving me both wholly satisfied as well as wondering about what happens next...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another absolutely brilliant book from Wes Markin in this latest instalment of the Yorkshire Murders series. Following on from the events in the last book this explores what happened next to the main characters as well as a new investigation that is just gripping. Twists, turns, connections, gut instincts and so much more this is crime writing at its best. Emma Gardener is now promoted to DCI and leads the investigation into the suspicious death of a young woman and the case becomes more and more complex. There is also a threat much closer to home……
Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

For the first time in her life, DCI Emma Gardner finds herself unable to concentrate on the job she loves. Her thoughts are now always with her old colleague Paul Riddick, who lies desperately ill in hospital - a tortured man in life, now facing death.
When a young woman dies from seemingly natural causes, Emma can’t help feeling that something isn’t quite right with the case, but she needs her team to pick up the slack whilst she focuses on Paul.

I understand that this is the fifth book in the series and I haven’t read any previous ones. I enjoyed reading it but some characters and situations seem to be from previous novels so it takes a while to learn their history. Some of that history is never revealed. There are some scenes which have little relevance to this book. I was a bit disappointed with the references to previous stories and it does feel like a part of a larger story.
Having said that, it’s a good read at a fast pace, with a satisfactory ending which hasn’t quite ended.

What an fantastic book i think i liked this one best of the series so far.
It had everything in it was thrilling, a mystery, Family difficulties and was sad in places.
It can be read as a standalone but if i was you i would start at no 1 of the series you will so enjoy them and want more.

First from this author for me and I definitely feel that I should have read the earlier ones first. DCI Emma Gardner, mostly called Gardner, is involved in a case where a young woman seems to have died from natural causes and her husband is more than distraught. Emma has a lot on her mind - from her incarcerated brother who left his daughter for Emma to look after, to her own daughter and, I assume broken marriage but whether death of disappearance who knows, her critically ill police partner, alcoholic and shot?. to her growing feelings for O'Brien, a fellow police woman. There is also the mysterious Neville who may be a crook or maybe some sort of spook and clearly from her past (hence the read the other stories first). Her life is a complex mess in fact, and she can't concentrate upon the case. The actual case was interesting and well-written but rather overshadowed by Emma's complex life, to such an extent that I'm not sure that I now want to go back and read the others. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Another great case for GardnerI love this series and to see what she gets up to next. Plenty of twists and turns and suspense to keep me hooked. Well rounded characters. Great writing style. Eagerly awaiting the next adventure. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

You don’t need to have read the other books in the series to appreciate this excellent police procedural. The back stories are provided to an appropriate level of detail to know what is going on and how everyone relates to one another. This is a pretty twisty plot and moves at a fast pace, making it perfect for readers who like to be swept away by a story. I really liked it.

WoW! What an emotional read. There is so much going on in this book!
DCI Emma Gardner is stuggling with life at the moment due to her old friend Paul Riddick being in a coma with his life hanging in the balance, her love life being a confused mess, and her ex-con brother coming to stay. Everything seems to be coming at her all at once. Her brother's arrival can only spell one thing - trouble.
I won't spoil any of the plot for readers - especially ones like me who have read all the previous DCI Gardner books and so are invested in the charachters already. Let's just say that you are in for a rollercoaster of a ride!
I can't wait for the next one to see where the story takes us. A1

This fast paced and intriguing investigation kept me turning the pages, I read it in one day. Part of a series, I think the reader would benefit from having read the previous books. Unlike the earlier books, this one doesn’t have such a strong sense of place, and I missed that. The different stories are woven together well, but I found the ending stretched my credibility.

With Paul Riddick in intensive care, DCI Emma Gardner is understandably distracted.
When a young woman dies from a heart attack Emma feels something isn’t quite right. After meeting with the woman’s husband Emma is convinced. But what is it that is making Emma uncomfortable about the situation.
As Emma and her team begin to investigate, they begin to unravel a web of lies and deception far worse than they could have believed possible.
But Emma also has problems at home, her brother Jack is being released from prison and is going to live with Emma when he comes out. With Riddick and her brother distracting her Emma’s team are doing most of the work on the case, with devastating consequences for them all.
This fast paced, complex, thriller will have to gripped from the first page and you won’t want to put it down. 5 stars is not enough.

Number 6 in the Yorkshire Murders. This book was an emotional rollercoaster. Superbly written by Wes Markin, we have become like friends with the characters in this series. I was unprepared for the ending of this story. The story is heartwrenching and utterly draining. That said, it is an amazing read. I don't know if there will be another book in this series but I would hope we could meet these characters again in another story. With thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and Netgalley.

I have to read the next book, I can't wait, Wes Markin can not leave it like this, My emotions are all over the place after reading this. The Black Rock Killings has DCI Emma Gardner trying to juggle her job, her love life, her dying friend and ex partner and her psycho brother is comuing to stay , honestly the poor woman really needs a break. Having read the previous books it was good to delve a bit more into the wandering mind of Riddick but please hurry up with book 7 x