This is a fast paced thriller that starts with a murder- and PC Lucy Davis thinks the husband, despite being found with the gun, is innocent. She has no idea how complicated this one will get or the international aspects. Dab Forrester, who has memory issues, travels to Russia to meet a former asset. Things get quite complicated for what is a fairly short novel but it's a good read.

I did not realize this was a second book in a series. I tried to locate the first book and was unable to do so. I am therefore not going to read or review this book. Thank you for the opportunity.

I have not read the first book in the series but I think this book reads nicely as a stand-alone read.  The book starts with a horrible crime committed, and that sets the fast tone of the book without a doubt. It was an excellent read and left me wanting for book 3!

As a rule I try to read no more than 10% of a book each day, the main reason for this is real life and the need to live it and do all the things I have responsibilities for, Feeding and Clothing Children being just two of them.

Sometimes however a book comes along and changes all of that. Embracing all the Book reviewing cliches this book was a rip roaring, unputdownable roller coaster of a book. It has everything a thriller should have, although I did have some trouble remembering who was who at times but I put that down to my age.

The action takes place between Russia, Wales and London and are narrated by various characters, the plot has many layers that are slowly peeled back until we reach the reveal. The Characters are superbly written, Dan Forrester and Lucy Davies are great characters and I loved them both, they both have great back stories and personal lives.

Really enjoyed and highly recommended.

I read CJ Carver's Spare Me The Truth last year and enjoyed meeting former spook Dan Forrester and 'maverick' cop Lucy Davies. I hadn't realised it was to be a series but should mention that it isn't necessary to have read the first book before tackling this one. In fact, there was minimal reference to events of the first and Carver is able to quickly provide necessary context without including a lot of backstory.

Again we're mostly with Lucy and Dan as they're involved in separate cases which (again) become intertwined. I note in my review of the first book I commented that the two cases seemed very disparate / separate before converging. The overlap happens quite early this time around and their partnership is again one of the highlights - though they actually spend little time together.

Carver offers a few twists and turns in this book which keeps us guessing. I actually picked the final twist but not the earlier 'why'. And it initially occurred to me that it was a little left field or tad contrived, I mean... how many bad things can happen to one family?! But (though this won't make sense unless you've read the book), in retrospect, Dan's investigation is a result of his wife's involvement, rather than his wife coincidentally being integral to the case he happens to be working on.

This book is certainly full of action and Carver introduces a lot of complexity into the plot which keeps the pace moving. I again enjoyed both lead characters, Lucy and Dan, though Dan probably didn't experience as much growth as Lucy this time around and I was in fact hoping her private life might take a turn for the positive, which wasn't the case. Yet...

It's certainly reason to tune in for the next outing and I look forward to seeing where Carver takes the characters.

Firstly, I have to admit that I haven't read the first in this series but I don't think that omission spoiled my enjoyment of this the second in the series.
We start with a heinous crime. The massacre of a family in a farmhouse. Wife and children are dead, the husband missing. PC Lucy Davies is one of the first responders and, with her partner, find the father but he escapes. Lucy then breaks protocol and tracks him on her own. She catches up to him but, on talking him down, starts to believe that all may not be as it first appears. She's on her own with this thinking though but, as she has some time off and with a move to being a Detective is imminent, she decides to investigate further - with some reluctant acceptance from her superiors.
Meanwhile, Dan is visited by an old friend and colleague. It seems that someone in his previous (forgotten) life wants to make contact, they have some information that they will only impart to him, the person who recruited them. Reluctantly, Dan agrees to go to Russia to meet with this person but is separated from them, quite violently, before he could glean what they want to tell him.
And thus begins a very tightly plotted, twisty, turny tale that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. With tension so high that I often forgot to breathe, it's an action packed thrilling ride that led me hither and thither as I was dragged along with Lucy and Dan as their stories began to merge. There were things that I, along with certain characters, really didn't see coming. Secrets and lies were duly uncovered, people's true motives eventually unearthed until we arrived at the final showdown which, I am dead chuffed with myself to say, I did have some idea about.
It is a very busy book but, despite this, was easy for me to follow once I had the characters sorted in my head. There were admittedly a few things that I felt were a little contrived but I also have to concede that the author probably had to make these things happen in order to progress the storyline which is, on the whole, acceptable.
I think I warmed to Lucy as a character more than I did Dan. At least that's definitely true initially. I loved everything about her. Her gutsy attitude, her nose for sniffing things out and her brain for making sense of what she was finding. I even forgave her from having a bit of a dubious romantic life! Dan was a different fish but then it's hard to connect to someone who is, by definition, so disjointed himself. But I think by the end of the book I had got there, just in a round about way.
The other characters were both hard and easy to get to grips with. Yes, both at the same time. Honestly, it makes sense in my head to say that. Most of the characters are hiding something, running from something, or just bare faced lying about something so it is hard to take anything on face value initially. That said, it all came together nicely at the end and that's just fine.
The story itself was refreshing new to me. Admittedly, I don't read too many of this type of book, agents and spies and the like, so I have no idea how formulaic it is in nature nor how original it is in its story but, to me, it was all shiny and new and I really enjoyed the ride it took me on.
It was also very fast paced. High octane if you like. There was not a dull moment to be had through pretty much the whole book. We did have a few slower moments but these were only brief and were very welcome as they allowed me some respite to relax and regroup before it all started up again. I was actually shocked at the page count when I had finished the book, it really didn't feel that long when I was reading it.
All in all, an excellent thriller that held my attention throughout and gave me a very satisfying feeling at the end. I must try and sneak book one into my every increasing TBR. Hopefully before the author serves up book three.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Not as good as book 1 for me personally. A bit contrived and not enough of Dan Forrester in it for me. But still a cracking good case!