Beneath the Ashes

An intense thriller which starts with a bang. A book with many twists and turns and an unexpected ending. In my mind you can never beat a book with a detour at the end.

Believable characters and as I live in Northamptonshire, I enjoyed the local sareas mentioned.

Another outstanding page turner from Jane Isaac that draws you in right from the start. I read this during a 24 hour period, I simply couldn't put it down. Jane's writing just gets better and better.

Many thanks to Netgalley, TBC on Facebook & the author for the advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest opinion.

Starting a new novel by Jane Isaac is like getting home and putting on a favourite pair of pyjamas and comfy slippers - you know that you're going to be treated to great storytelling, likeable lead characters and a brisk walk through a very British police procedural. Brilliant stuff!

As with the first DI Will Jackman (Before It's Too Late), I read this in almost one sitting, enjoying all the twists and turns and a very satisfying conclusion. I didn't even look away at points I should have (being a pyrophobe), I was so caught up in the story.

Now all I need do is wait for DI Will Jackman #3, fingers crossed.

[I was delighted to get an advance copy of Beneath the Ashes courtesy of the author, the lovely folk at publishers Legend Press and Netgalley in return for an honest review.]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and applaud Jane. Issac on the detail and research that must have been done to achieve such a credible story. What she brought out so well is how the police have so few clues on what has occurred in the initial stages and how they go about their investigation. It struck me as being a bit scary too how you can so readily become a suspect by knowing the victim, poor bank balance, possible motive or discovering a body. This is not a criticism as every tiny thread has to be investigated. I did feel so sorry for Nancy having to endure so much. I really liked Will Jackman and if I'm not mistaken he has a bit of personal unfinished business so hopefully there will be a third in the series. It was a complex plot and I was really impressed how it was all unraveled and sorted out. I add here that I also enjoyed the Helen Lavery series.

This is a great addition to the series! This book is very nicely paced, well thought out and plotted.

In this book, we open with a burned body found in a burned out barn. The man's girlfriend is suffering a head wound in the house. Unable to recall much except the man's name, she is admitted to the hospital. Meanwhile the sister comes from afar to identify the body. But she insists the man is not her brother. Who is he!

We go on a search finding among things a pot farm in a hidden vault beneath the barn, missing guns, a local crime boss, among others. As the bodies continue to fall, we discover the man is really an acquitted rapist. And someone menacing is following the girlfriend.

The killer turns out to be a real surprise - at least to me!

You'll love this book by Ms. Isaacs! I will continue to read her stories.

My many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

BENEATH THE ASHES is the third Legend Press novel from Jane Isaac, and the second in the DI Will Jackman series. In 2015 Jane embarked on a new series, featuring DI Will Jackman and set in Stratford upon Avon, with “Before It's Too Late”, a British police procedural/ crime thriller, that I enjoyed very much.

The second in the series, Beneath The Ashes, will be published by Legend Press on 1st November 2016 with the 3rd, The Lies Within, to follow on 2nd May 2017.

“When a body is discovered in a burnt-out barn in the Warwickshire countryside, DI Will Jackman is called to investigate.”

Police treated the death as suspicious and launched a murder enquiry.

Nancy Faraday wakes up on the kitchen floor in pain from her right knee, blood on the floor and dried blood from her head. She was in her boyfriend’s kitchen, Evan Baker. The window pane in the back door of the farmhouse had been broken. Glass was all over the floor. But where was Evan? Dogs barking in the outside kennels. His truck in the driveway. She called him. No answer. She saw she had a head injury and needed treatment. How did she end up on the floor? Where is Evan?

“The house has been broken into and her boyfriend is missing. As the case unravels, DI Jackman realises that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has a secret.”

“Can he discover the truth behind the body in the fire, and track down the killer before Nancy becomes the next victim?”

This is a well-paced story which keeps you hooked from the beginning and like able characters. Beneath the Ashes is a good mystery, solid with well-developed characters and a complex plot. Now I wait patiently for book 3 in the series,” The Lies Within”, to be published on 2nd May 2017!

Thanks to Jane Isaac, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The second in a series, this is a strongly characterized police procedural is set in the West Midlands town of Stratford, Warwickshire, England.

The protagonist, Detective Inspector Jackman, is a likeable and complex character – a man torturing himself with guilt over the accident that changed his life forever. His wife was injured in an automobile accident while driving him home when he had had too much to drink. Now she is living in an extended care facility suffering from ‘locked-in’ syndrome. Jackman and his beloved daughter try to remain positive but this proves difficult with less and less real hope for her recovery. In this second in the series, Celia, Jackman's daughter, is twenty years old and living away at university. She brings her boyfriend home for the first time and Jackman has a difficult time getting used to the idea that his little girl is all grown up.

Also, this time around, Jackman is thinking of putting in for a promotion. He hasn't told his team, and he gradually has second thoughts due to the fact that he wants to be 'hands on' and not a paper pushing management drone.

"Beneath the ashes" begins with an intriguing scene. A woman in a cemetery with a knife... Clearly she is anguished.

We meet Nancy Faraday as she awakes on the floor of a farm kitchen. Nancy, who works in a floral shop has for the last three months been going out with a man called Evan Baker. Their relationship has developed quickly and Nancy thinks he may be 'the one'. Evan works at a local farm looking after the premises and animals whilst the owners are away having an extended trip to Australia. Upon awakening on the kitchen floor of the farmhouse where Evan is living, she realizes she has a nasty bump on her head and cannot remember anything about the night before. It would seem that while Nancy was unconscious, there was a fire in the barn and Evan's body was found beneath the ashes.

Jackman and his team are tasked with the investigation which becomes murkier and murkier as time goes on. It would seem that the man who Nancy knew and loved as Evan Baker was living under an assumed name. Then the old barn reveals other secrets which could have a bearing on the case. Also, it is revealed that Evan had rented storage space in the barn to a man who has three collector quality automobiles - all of which were heavily damaged in the fire.

Meanwhile, Nancy is grieving. With still no memory of the events leading up to his death, she cannot believe that Evan is gone forever. Then - she begins receiving threats. She is accosted outside her flat. She receives a cryptic note through the letterbox.

She is again threatened in the supermarket, where she gets a glimpse of the man's hand which has a tattoo with the letters CC.. With her friend's support she goes to the police. She thinks the threats are related to her alcoholic mother, but the police have other ideas.

With threats, secrecy, revenge, adultery, rape victims, and turf wars in the drug trade, this mystery novel is not short on intrigue.

I enjoyed the read, but to be honest I liked the scenes with Jackman much more than the pages centered around the criminal case. I really enjoyed the first novel in this series and plan to follow along with Jackman in future books. The third novel in the series is available now and its title is "The lies within".

This was the first of Jane's books I had read and I was struck by the realism of the police investigation which takes place. Beneath The Ashes is a pure police procedural, you feel that you are part of the team and there is an actual process and method being followed by the police. It is hugely satisfying watching Will Jackman chasing down clues, interviewing suspects and eliminating various possibilities. He has his work cut out as there are several characters in this story who seem to have secrets to keep!

A body is found in a burned out barn. Although the victim appears to be easy to identify, once the police start their investigations it soon becomes clear that the person they believe has died may actually have been living a lie. If the dead man in the barn is not who he said he was how will that impact upon his girlfriend - not only has she lost her closest friend she also learns that everything she knew about him was a lie.

What makes Beneath The Ashes work so well is the skill of Jane Isaac at capturing characters and making them believable. The anguish and worry of Nancy as her world crumbles around her, Jackman trying to conduct a complex investigation, juggle career choices and be a family man too. The interaction between the suspects and the police, between Jackman and his daughter and between the whole investigative team makes for engaging reading and was richly rewarding as it drew me into the lives of the characters.

I love when I learn that a character I enjoyed reading about will return/feature in other books.  Now that I have caught up with Beneath The Ashes I am planning to meet up with Will Jackman again soon and I am rather looking forward to that.