This is book four of the series so, you could do yourself a favour and read the first three before starting this one. The main story contained within is stand alone though so you could jump straight in, but the previous ones have, in my opinion, all been cracking reads and, if you don't, you do miss out on some character development and backstory.
So, this book veers a little away from the NCA as it has SI Jo Stuart seconded back to the GMP to lead an investigation. As you can imagine, this move does put a few people's noses out of joint so she is immediately a bit wary and has to try and juggle her task with keeping her colleagues on her side.
The investigation she has been tasked with is the killing of gangster Ronnie O'Neill and deal with the fallout from that which will inevitably follow. Fears are founded when the 12yo daughter of O'Neill's main rival is snatched and it becomes a race against time to solve the murder and get the child back before things escalate further. And then another baddie is killed in a similar way...
As with previous books in this series, this hit the ground running and didn't let up until the very end. As well as dealing with investigating the crime, Jo is still trying to unravel a previous relationship, continue a new one and move house. She does have a lot on her plate. But she is gutsy and tenacious and a good judge of character and how to treat people so she has the skills to make all her juggling balls stay in the air, mostly.
I loved the MO in this book, both for its execution (see what I did there) and the way the team had to work to investigate it. It really was a bit of a nifty way to off someone and made for an interesting foray into the work of the clandestine services in their efforts to keep the country as safe as they can.
Jo as always was a bit of a superwoman but, although some did have small parts to play, I did miss the rest of the team a bit. That said, the majority of the previous books have centred on Jo so it wasn't too much removed from them. She has a good way of investigating and usually manages not to rub people up the wrong way although she is also no fan of slackers. She has a way of coaxing people which is very effective. But, she also knows her limits and when to ask for help and advice and who to ask it of. Overall, she is tough but fair and that makes for a good character in my book.
As with the majority of books of this genre, we initially have a wide suspect pool which gets added to and subtracted from as the investigation proceeds and more of the motive comes out. Yes, once the why was discovered, the who was a little easy but, in context, the narrative flowed along very well and smoothly and kept me on my toes for the majority.
All in all, a good addition to a now well established series. One which, along with the author's Tom Caton series, I have no hesitation in recommending to fans of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A good alround crime thriller, featuring Senior Investigator Joanne Stuart. Appears to cover all divisions in the modern police force taking part in all the investigations. A thoroughly good read, well recommended.

This book ticked all the boxes for me! An author I have not read before. The characters were well developed so I really had a sense of who they were and what made them tick. The plot was straightforward in the sense that the reader had a sense of what was happening but there were enough twists and turns to make it surprising in places.. For me the geographic setting of the novel was ideal as I was able to relate to many of the places the author wrote about. He also portrayed a clear view of how a big city ticks. A welcome change from 'chocolate box' villages where many crime novels are set.

The way the plot reflects what has been happening on our streets and in the wider world added authenticity to the story. A strong sense of reality was there all the time.. In fact some of that reality has now happened and we know first hand how deadly the effect has been..

Overall I thought this was a great read and I will be looking for more from this author!

Bill Rodgers, has written one of the best books I have read this year. It’s a thriller/ murder that really captures your imagination so much so, I actually felt I was involved. It just drags you in also felt the heart pumping faster at some parts. How I ever managed to put this book down, I don’t know. I was so so absorbed I lost track of time. I know on one occasion I was so tired that I actually fell asleep reading it, read this novel you definitely will not be disappointed

4 stars

Senior Investigator Jo Stuart is asked to visit the Manchester Royal Infirmary to look into the death of one Ronnie O’Neill who was a gang leader who was recently paroled from Belmarsh. He specialized in running drugs, extortion, robbery and kidnapping. These were just a few of his sins. The doctor and nurses at the hospital say that O’Neill was poisoned by means of a pellet-like wound on his neck while he was golfing a few days earlier. DS Nick Carter is to be Jo’s partner for this investigation.

When a young girl (the daughter of another gang leader), is kidnapped, it is strongly suspected that the O’Neill’s did it out of revenge. But, did they? Who took the girl?

This is a great book. Bill Rogers is a very good writer and I really enjoy reading his novels. This is a police procedural with a slightly different twist to it. Not your usual straightforward murder, but a surprise and very sneaky method of killing someone. SI Stuart is a good, solid character. She is flexible and able to work with almost anyone. This book is both well written and plotted. It reads in a straightforward manner; one event follows another in a logical progression. Now, I’m waiting for the next Bill Rogers book!

I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book to read, enjoy and review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Blow Out, the fourth novel to feature SI Joanne Stuart of the NCA.

When gangster Ronnie O’Neill is killed Jo is seconded back to Greater Manchester Police to lead the investigation while their officers try to contain the potential for war. This is not helped when a rival’s twelve year old daughter is kidnapped. With no clues and a looming crisis it takes more killings to set Jo on the right path.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Blow Out which is a very good police procedural. I really enjoy a procedural with its mix of excitement and procedure. It is always said that stranger murders are the most difficult to solve and this is a very good example of it. The team start with a body, a most unusual cause of death and an endless list of potential suspects, given the victim’s background. I found the detail of how they approach this mammoth task/nightmare utterly fascinating as it appealed to my inner geek. It is not all procedure with action scenes and Jo’s domestic situation leavening the read. I like the discipline of starting out with everyone as a suspect and anything as a motive and gradually honing in on a prime suspect. It is mostly logical and methodical as Jo has to justify every decision (sounds really tedious to me). If I had to quibble at all about the plot then it could be that the discovery of the prime suspect fell rather serendipitously into their laps once they found a motive but, by that time, they deserved a bit of luck so it in no way detracts from the read.

Jo Stuart is an interesting protagonist, a bit of a superwoman really. She’s juggling the end of her civil partnership and selling her flat with a difficult investigation and the chance of a new relationship. She hardly seems to blink and just gets on with things. What I like about her most, though, is her sense of fairness when dealing with her staff. She’s not particularly kind but she’s nurturing and it shines through in the novel.

The Blow Out is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
Senior Investigator Jo Stuart is tasked with looking into the death of drug lord Ronnie O'Neill. The manner of his killing is a strange one: he was shot with a pellet gun, the pellet was filled with ricin and in a matter of a few days he was dead. Shortly thereafter the 12-year old daughter of another drug kingpin is kidnapped. Ronnie's son is suspected of the crime in retaliation for his father's murder, but vehemently denied it. More murders follow, all with same MO. It's a tough case to crack and there's a lot of pressure on Jo and her team to deliver the perpetrator(s). On top of that, she's split up with her partner, is selling their home and has met a new love interest.
It's a good police procedural, well written with quite an interesting mystery, but somehow I found it a bit of a dry read and didn't really feel connected to the characters. I'm in the minority here judging by the excellent reviews and therefore recommend this book to fans of British police procedural featuring a very present way of killing.

A police procedural that never gets boring (as it often does in real life), and the first victim is a criminal himself.
Very good plot and story, well written and fluid language as well as very interesting characters.
A very good book.

This is the fourth in the series, I have read all of them and I have enjoyed each and everyone of them.
This book is a big 5 stars. A really good police procedural and an excellent crime thriller.
A young girl is missing and a silent killer is stalking the county. This book is full of tension and suspense and a list of subjects continually growing. Not forgetting the ingenious way the killer dispatches his victims.
If you have not found this author yet you can read this book as a stand alone, but I am sure you will want to search out the rest of his books. This author always brings something new to the table. Personally I think that this is his best book yet.
I would like to thank the author Bill Rogers, Amazon Publishing UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

The Blow Out is the latest book in the SI Jo Stuart series which is based in Manchester.

The story starts with the death of a recently released Manchester Drug Dealer who had been shot a few days earlier without realising it.

As the bodies mount up Stuart and her colleagues come under serious pressure to find the perpetrator but what is the link between the victims?

The author has written a number of books based in the Manchester area and his local knowledge is well used to add authenticity

While this book can be read as a standalone I would recommend that you read the other books in he series for enjoyment as they are all very good

Recommended

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK / Thomas & # 38,Mercer for this arc.

I have read the 3rd book of this series, but not the first 2 and this one is the 4th of this series. I found the 3rd book to be a better story with weak characterization. SI Jo Stuart is growing on me with this read. There was a lot going on in this book and a lot of different agencies were involved with the 2 main plot lines. I found that a little confusing at the start But the action in this book never slowed down. While the police were easily able to determine the original crime to be a revenge killing (of a well-established gangster), the initial volume of potential suspects was mind-boggling. And the chase began. Then there's the second crime, the kidnapping of a young teenage girl -- a reaction to the first killing. The chase starts going in circles. But the killings continue.

A very complex plot. But again, I found the characters to be the weaker element of the story. SI Jo Stuart is depicted as some sort of superwoman with a truly messy personal life. I received interesting flashes of other of her team members, but none were more fully fleshed out in this book.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

A well written crime thriller. It is about Senior Investigator Jo Stuart who needs to solve a crime. I will read more of Bill Rogers.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

A good all round detective book, sorry I have not read the previous ones, I am sure that there is plenty I have missed. I would recommend that you start at book 1 to fully enjoy the series.

I highly recommend this thriller. People are being murdered with a deadly poison and the Manchester police are on high alert due to the method of killing. DI Jo Stuart is an extremely capable detective and has a great team to work with. There are so many suspects to be eliminated that it will definitely
keep you guessing until near the end of the story. A 12 year old girl has also been kidnapped and
this event has ties to the murder investigation. This is book 4 in the series which I was unaware of but
want to read the other ones now. Bill Rogers is a wonderful storyteller and I will be looking forward to
his future books. Thank you.

I have read quite a few books by this author and this one didn't disappoint. It was bang up to date with the M.O. What was thought to be a simple wasp sting turns out to be much more. Joanne Stuart and her team certainly have their work cut out especially with the first victim being a gangland boss, the last thing they want is revenge killings especially since they themselves have no idea who the killer is and also little to go on. There are lots of different aspects to the book and I enjoyed reading it,

I received this book as a review copy from Netgalley, with this being the third book of the National Crime Agency series that I have now read. As with the previous books I was not disappointed. SI Jo Stuart and the team bound along at 100 miles an hour seemingly never taking a break. DC Whittle is a good addition to the team and she has quite humorous conversations with SI Stuart when they are alone. I won’t spoil anyone’s reading by dropping any spoilers just to say the book gives no real clues till about two thirds in. The author has an excellent support team as the issues regarding police procedures are referenced throughout.

Another nail biting instalment in this fast paced, gritty series in what is probably Joanne' s most complex case yet.

Although I have read and totally enjoyed the other novels by Bill Rogers , I could not get into the storyline of this one, I found it very disappointing

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

A gangster newly released from prison is murdered before the daughter of his main rival is kidnapped. Is she kidnapped for revenge? SI Jo Stuart is tasked with solving the crimes before a gang war breaks out.

The books in the series are all good police procedurals with interesting characters and plenty of red herrings.

I never really get into these kind of thrillers, but I was surprised it wasn’t that bad. It’s crisp, clean, and the plotgrabs you. I haven’t read his other books but it wasn’t hard to pick up where others have left off.

A very good police procedural with the main character on secondment. This is book 4 and I have read book 3 but must seek out the other two to get a deeper insight into the back story of the recurring characters. It is well written, with an unusual crime / method and I would recommend to others.

Really enjoyed this. Well written with a gripping plot that kept me turning the pages.

Will have to read books 1-3 now :o)

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

The Blow Out - Bill Rogers

The author Bill Rogers is a new one for me and I will read more of his work.. I feel that I am missing a lot of background information on the main protagonist and other characters.

This is a well written crime novel based around Senior Investigator Jo Stuart of Manchester's NCA (National Crime Agency). The main protagonist appears to have a rather reckless side to her nature but she absolutely has a knack for seeing what others miss. I really don't want to do a synopsis of the book as their are plenty of them out there already.

I'll finish by advising that you begin this series from the beginning don't do as I did and jump in at the end.

Read for an honest review. Thank you Bill Rogers, Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK

Great thriller, could no put it down through all the twists and turns. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre.