Absolutely fantastic!!! 😍 This mystery/thriller/crime fiction is the best I’ve read this year so far! I was hooked right away by the idea of two people being murdered, in the same place, with the same name, on the same date 50 years apart. But then the story just got so much better. It was such a smart, different, tantalizing crime story, that unraveled at lightening speed. I was near the end and still had no idea what to think. I don’t want to mention much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re reading this you should absolutely give this book a try. This is the first novel in the #detectivejantalentire series but I will absolutely read every other one that gets written. 5 ⭐️

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Canelo Publishing, and author Nick Louth, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for May 2, 2024.

I love a good police procedural. Read that again. And the one thing I like better, is a police procedural where the whole team is involved. As you know, there's no 'I' in team. This is your daily reminder that team members should prioritise the collective good and collaborate with one another. So let's start this review off with three cheers for Nick Louth, 📣📣📣 , for prioritising the Team in this thoroughly engaging new police procedural series.

So, let's meet the team then, shall we!

Detective Inspector Jan Talantire heads the team working for Devon and Cornwall police and based in Barnstaple. Her Deputy, Detective Sergeant Maddy Moran is smart and savvy. Maddy is the sole income provider and works to support her husband and three children. When new team member, Primrose Chen asked Maddy if she had a 'boyfriend', her reply was 'I've got a Neville, which is a bit like a husband, but without the income or any smart clothes.' Next is DC Dave Nuttall; Digital Evidence Officer, Primrose Chen and CSI Evidence technician, Pavel Kaminski. Bringing up the rear, working the nightshift is DI Lockhart (otherwise referred to as the Prince of Darkness). DI Lockhart works permanent nightshift so he can spend more time with his kids during the day. Cue the music to Robert Palmer's 'Simply Irresistible' [but change it to "he's so fine…."]. I think I may have just become the unofficial chair of the DI Lockhart fan club.

So now you have our main core of characters, let's turn to the plot. And again, I'm going to give three cheers the author, 📣📣📣 , for originality.

So let me get this right, Maddy said. Not only do we have the same person killed in the same place by the same weapon as happened exactly fifty years ago to the day, but according to the DNA it was done by the same perpetrator.

In case you missed it: Two Ruth Lyles, both dead at the same address fifty years apart.

There's no fantasy, time travel, science fiction elements at play here, even though with nicknames like 'Prince of Darkness', you might be led in that direction. Nope. What you have here is good old-fashioned boots on the ground, 'boys in blue', 'the Old Bill', law enforcement 'constabulary'; investigation - with a side of witty banter, take-away foods, caffeine and, of course (let's not forget why we're here), two dead Ruth Lyles.

The plot may be creepy, but the characters are captivating, and the ending is enjoyably satisfying. Perfectly paced with enough twists to keep the well-seasoned crime reader engaged.

A most welcome addition to this genre. Bring on book #2!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Canelo Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

#TheTwoDeathsofRuthLyle #NetGalley

An excellent and very twisty police procedural set in Cornwall.

Ruth Lyle was murdered in the 1970s, aged 16 and her convicted killer has been released with a new identity.

When police detective Jan Talantire is called out to a murder scene, the victim is identified as… Ruth Lyle! How can this be?

What follows is a fascinating and well written investigation, which takes Jan and her team back to the original murder and has plenty of twists, I was completely gripped!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Nick Louth and Canelo for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A brilliant start to a great new series.
I’ve not read a plot as original and captivating for a long time.
Detective Inspector Jan Talantire and her team work in a Major Investigation Team of Devon and Cornwall Police. What they face in this story is a unique and baffling crime.
Two murders fifty years apart. Victims with the same name, the method of killing identical, in fact, it’s even the same murder weapon. Genius writing.

A new series from Nick Louth. His new main character is Jan Tallantire, a detective working for Devon and Cornwall police and based in Barnstaple. A murder at a cottage in Ilfacombe appears to be a copycat killing of one that took place exactly fifty years ago. There are so many unexplained coincidences that the police are struggling to make sense of the crime.
As with Louth's previous series, the characters are well-defined and interesting. There are hints that there is more to the background of the main character with a promise of further developments to come.
This is an entertaining and gripping story with plenty of twists and surprises. My only gripe is that the guilty person confessed too readily at the end. Otherwise, a great new series.

Detective Inspector Jan Talantire knows that the 60-something woman murdered by being stabbed with a crucifix can’t be Ruth Lyle. After all, 16-year-old Ruth Lyle was murdered with a crucifix 50 years ago. So who is this latest victim?

Author Nick Louth has another couple of detective series going on —, but this is the debut for a new series and the first outing for me of reading any of his books. And what a wild ride it was! Louth provides surprise after twist after unexpected development. If this thriller were an amusement park ride, it would be amongst the best roller coasters. Highly recommended, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, Canelo, and to NetGalley for the eARC in return for my impressions of the book.

DI Jan Talantire is called to a sudden death at a cottage in Ilfracombe. A woman has been impaled with a crucifix. She's soon identified as Ruth Lyle, but this can't be. Fifty years ago, sixteen year old Ruth Lyle was found dead on the altar of a local chapel, impaled by a crucifix. The perpetrator was caught and is serving time for the viscious murder. Weirder yet, the chapel has now been converted to an air-bnb cottage, the very cottage the second Ruth Lyle is lying dead in. The race is on to discover the who, what and why.

Nick Louth is an excellent writer. This is the first book featuring DI Jan Talantire and I hope there will be many more. His other work is equally as good. 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a great read, overall. It was a very new idea and super engaging. The writing was very clear and well thought out. The characters were likeable and kept leaving me wanting more.

First in what is hopefully a new series by this author. Brilliantly scripted and highly original, could the same person be murdered twice…….?
Quite cutting edge in a lot of its subject matter, I really liked the lead detective, her personal life was touched on without the usual plot line
of the detective having some kind of direct connection with the deceased.
I really liked Primrose as a character too, getting to know these new characters drew me in.
A really enjoyable read, I very much hope this turns into a series and I look forward to reading the next publication from Nick Louth.


Thanks to Canelo and Bookoutre for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The Seemingly Impossible..
The first outing in the Detective Jan Talantire series and past and present collide following the discovery of a recent death. The detective needs to unravel the many threads of a seemingly impossible crime at the same time as tracking down a killer. Immersive, compelling and well written, this is riveting start to a new series with a deftly drawn cast of characters, a firm sense of place and a solid mystery at its very heart.

This book was a little different than the others by this author. The death of a woman brings to light a connection to a murder from 50 years ago. The layers of the connection are thick, and as the mystery unravels more and more twists and turns occur. Lots of little surprises, great characters, and even a bit of history.
Recommend for all who love a good thriller, this book will not disappoint.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Written by an experienced author, this is a standard police procedural with all the usual ingredients: a detective inspector with an unsettled personal life, her bantering team, one or two shady colleagues, a smattering of technical CSI-type detail and a well-described setting, in this case North Devon. What sets it apart is the mystery. DI Jan Talantine is called to the murder of a middle-aged woman. Although the murder weapon strikes Jan as unusual, there’s nothing else to suppose this case will be out of the ordinary. That’s until Jan discovers the victim, Ruth Lyle, was murdered with the same type of weapon fifty years earlier. How could someone die twice? Perfect for fans of the genre.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

Really good story that is definitely different from others out there, I really enjoyed the twists in the story and how the story built up so well. I feel this would be a great read for anyone looking to find there next great murder mystery novel.

I have found myself a new favorite author! I thought I had read all the good mystery writers out there and was bummed because I didn't have anymore backlists to work through. Well, I was wrong. I was so pleased to read The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle, the first in a new mystery series by seasoned author Nick Louth.

Jan is a good detective, but even she is stumped when she uncovers the murder of a woman who was found murdered fifty years prior. Jan is tenacious and she won't stop to find the correct perpetrator, even when her superiors are against her findings. This is a well-done police procedural that focuses on character development while slowing dropping clues within the whodunit story.

This is my favorite type of book and I am chuffed to discover this new-to-me author. I've already started on his backlist because I enjoyed this book so much. There is a lot of content in this book that is very current to cultural climate in regards to feminism, race and gender. Be forewarned. If you are a conservative like me, you might get a little miffed. Overall, I heartily enjoyed it and wasn't offended enough to stop reading. ;)

I highly recommend this book! I can see this as a series I will be re-reading. I look forward to more about DI Jan.

This is a great start to a new series, set in Devon, featuring DI Jan Talantire. The book has plenty of twists and turns, with interesting plotting and centres around two murders, fifty years apart. The same method and the same name of the victim stirs up a whole host of questions for the investigating team. I look forward to reading more of Jan and would recommend the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This book was right down my alley! The beginning started off a bit slow for me! But like many others it quickly picked up the pace and before I knew it I was done with this great thriller!
Really enjoyed this book! Thanks NetGalley Publishers and author for this great advanced readers copy

This is the first in a new series and is a must read. It was a top notch whodunit with twists and involved two murders decades apart. Are they connected? You will want to grab this book and jump right in!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Love the Nick Louth novels. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle is the first book I've read by this author. The main character is Detective Jan Talantire. She is called to a cottage, where the female occupant is found dead, impaled with a crucifix. The woman, who had been renting the house for a few months, is well known locally. Documents found at her house indicate her name is Ruth Lyle. The name means nothing to the young PC who found her, but DI Talantire knows that this cannot be true.

Fifty years earlier, sixteen-year-old Ruth Lyle was murdered, stabbed by a crucifix, in exactly the same location. This can't be the same woman, and yet all the records are a match.

The relationship between Jan and her team is great. It's fun to read about them and enjoy their humor and banter. The story held my interest, and there were good red herrings and plot twists that kept me turning the pages.

I would recommend this book and this author.

#TheTwoDeathsofRuthLyle #NetGalley

Thank you Canelo and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in the new Detective Inspector Jan Talantire series, set in Ilfracombe in North Devon, starts with a gruesome crime that technically couldn’t possibly have happened.

Throughout the book Talantire, along with her very loveable team on the force, work against the clock to solve this murder, while many people are trying to hinder the investigation. With twists you wouldn’t expect, this was an interesting mystery.

The main character, Jan, along with her team, Maddy, Chen and Nuttall really made the whole book for me. They were funny, but not over the top, and the story was believable with just the right amount of dark in it.

Will definitely be reading the rest of the series as it comes out.