I do love me a little but of DCI Tom Douglas. Who in their right mind doesn't. I will admit to having had a bit of a gap in my reading and to reading the books completely out of order, having missed the last couple as I struggle to make headway with my personal TBR, but then that is nothing unusual for me. But when the opportunity came up to get an advance copy of the The Sixth Window, the latest instalment in Rachel Abbott's DCI Douglas series, well... I just couldn't say no.

This is a really interesting story, high on tension, with a very difficult subject as a backdrop to the main action. We follow the life of Natalie Grey, a widow and mother whose husband Bernie, a police officer, had been killed in a hit and run accident over a year ago. She is now living with his best friend Ed, but discovers something on his laptop that she cannot ignore, something which could put her and her daughter Scarlett in real danger. Natalie thinks she has found them a safe haven in an apartment in the city but when the estate manager is attacked, and Scarlett starts to hear strange noises from within their flat, just how safe are they really?

As Scarlett begins to investigate the apartment block, Tom Douglas is looking into the suicide of a young girl. From a family which follows a strict religious code, her death makes little sense. Her mother will not accept that it is suicide, insisting that her daughter was murdered. The girl's younger brother seems to be keeping a secret and her father is not as blinkered as his wife, but there is something truly troubling in the girls past and Tom needs to find out the truth before anyone else gets hurt.

The two stories intersect in the most troubling of ways, with Tom's team being tasked with investigating the hit and run which killed Natalie's husband after the suspected killers alibi checks out. There was a time when I wondered how the stories could possibly pull together, how a girl looking into a reputedly haunted apartment could possibly have anything to do with the suicide of the other young girl, someone the family had no contact with and what that had to do with the hit and run. But this is the beauty of Rachel Abbott's writing. She has an ability to pull together many seemingly unconnected threads and weave them into a rich tapestry which truly engages the reader. The Sixth Window was no exception.

I really liked the characters in this book. It goes without saying the Tom Douglas and Becky Robinson, both long standing characters from the series are as well written and engaging as ever. We see a little of the playfulness of their relationship as Becky starts to interfere in Tom's personal life, but this is part of the wonder of the pairing and it works perfectly. The supporting characters are well rounded and elicit a range of emotions from incredulity to suspicion to outright shock as I struggled to understand their motivations or their actions. Scarlett is a really strong character seemingly having gained some of her tenacity and resolve from her father. She is curious and brave beyond her years but that bravery leads her into danger creating one of the most heart stopping scenes of the whole story.

As I said at the start, the backdrop to this story is a very difficult one. One of child sexual exploitation and abuse. But just who is responsible is not entirely clear and there is misdirection galore throughout the book as Abbott carefully moves the focus from one character to another. The finger of suspicion even falls to the police at one point, with corruption being cited at the very top of the tree. I can't say I was entirely surprised by the conclusion, I had my suspicions early on which proved correct, but the story was so enthralling and the question marks over certain characters actions so bold that I was willing to be proven wrong. In spite of everything, of suspecting what would come to pass, I still didn't see that ending coming. Not at all.

I love these books and you can hardly ask for a stronger and more competent development of both character and plotting than you get from Rachel Abbott. I am even more determined now to play catch up (thank the world for Audible), and can't wait for the next book in the series. I have loved Tom Douglas since I first read The Back Road, even though at that stage the police investigations were very much secondary to the main story. This book was different, with the Police playing a much greater part in the action and I think I loved it even more because of that. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this will be another stonking great hit for Rachel Abbott.

I've been a fan of Rachel Abbot for a long while so I was delighted to find she had another book coming out. This is part of a series of books featuring DCI Tom Douglas but it reads well as a stand alone as the recurring characters and their back story do not impact on the story enough to distract but for those who have followed them it continues to 'flesh out' their characters.

Natalie and her daughter Scarlett have had a bad time. When Bernie- their husband & father died as a result of a hit and run their world fell apart. It seemed that things were getting better when they moved in with Ed Bernie's best friend but a chance discovery on his laptop makes Natalie fear for her daughter and she takes them both to a flat in central Manchester. Scarlett is really unhappy to leave Ed, who she saw as a father figure. Not only is she miles from her friends but there are strange noises in the flat.

This book really kept me guessing. I didn't know what to believe. As soon as it seemed I knew who was trustworthy something happened to make me doubt it.

A gripping five star read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read it- and how long until the next Rachel Abbott book?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
I have loved all of Rachel Abbott's books and the character of DCI Tom Douglas and was delighted to get the opportunity to read this pre-release. It certainly didn't disappoint. Natalie has to move on with her life after her policeman husband is killed in a hit and run accident, and she has found love again with childhood friend Ed. When she finds evidence that Ed may prove a threat to her teenage daughter Scarlett, she moves them into a city centre flat for safety. However, is this really a safe haven?
This is a brilliant read, I loved it! Tense and menacing throughout, you are never quite sure who you can trust and there are plenty of twists as the story unfolds. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller then give Rachel Abbott's books a go, you will love them!

Natalie's husband Bernard (Bernie) is killed in a hit and run a few months later her and their daughter Scarlett move in with Ed but all is not what it seems. Both Bernie and Ed work in the police force and were friends, so why was Bernie killed, was it really a hit and run? Does Ed have a secret? Natalie then finds some indecent images on his laptop could this be something related to his job or is it something more sinister?
Then a young girls body is found. Has Jennifer committed suicide? Could this be linked to Bernie?
A fab story that covers Child Sexual Exploitation and is sensitively covered. I loved this and struggled to put it down.

I could not wait to get my hands on this new Rachel Abbott book. And let me tell you, once again, she did not disappoint. Rachel Abbott writes the kinds of books I have a hard time putting down. And I would read each and every one of her books over again.
This book, in particular, is a masterpiece. So carefully written with all the necessary details about each individual character folding into the story as the reader needs them to be. The main character, Natalie, loses her husband Bernie, and eighteen months later she is in a relationship and living with his best friend, Ed. Upon finding something on Ed’s computer, Natalie becomes scared for her daughter and moves both her and Scarlett to an apartment in Manchester. There are a few missing pieces to the apartment story since the apartment leasing company calls her and she doesn’t remember calling them. Then Scarlett thinks she hears ghosts next door in the unoccupied apartment while she’s home alone. The story unravels from there and those who seem like they can be trusted can’t be and those who seem who they can’t be trusted can’s be as well.
When DCI Tom Douglas and his partner, DI Becky Robinson, are introduced into the storyline, I nearly started cheering. As fans of Abbott know, this pair has been through thick and thin with each other and are just so likable!
I think one of my favorite things about this book was the ending. Without giving it away, there’s something that lays lingering and unanswered…something that is pointed out but gets passed over on the very last page of the book.
Bravo Rachel Abbott! Five stars (I would give it ten if I could)!

I would like to thank Rachel Abbott, Netgalley, and Black Dot Publishing for my free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a pre release copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.

The Sixth Window is the eagerly awaited sixth installment of the popular DCI Tom Douglas series. Having read all the previous novels, I was one of the many who have been waiting for this book to be released.

The story begins with police officer Bernie Gray being killed in a hit and run by a stolen car while out walking his daughter Scarlett's puppy early one morning. We then fast forward 18 months and Bernie's widow, Natalie, and Scarlett have moved on and have started a new life with family friend Ed, who has been in love with Natalie since school. But Natalie finds something on Ed's computer that makes her have second thoughts about their new life. So, Natalie gathers up her things, daughter and all, and moves out of Ed's house into a temporary home in the centre of Manchester, into an apartment that is reputed to be haunted - the previous tenant having reported hearing voices. Meanwhile, we join our intrepid crime fighter DCI Douglas and his partner in crime, Becky Robinson, as they are called to investigate the apparent suicide of 15 year old Jennifer Bale. While it looks like a cut and dried suicide case, Tom and Becky are convinced there is something sinister that lead to the young teen taking her own life. Joining Douglas and Robinson this time out is young detective Keith Sims, who is tasked with looking into the case of Sgt Bernie Gray after the car thief who is accused of his killing is shown to have an alibi and the case is reopened.

Books in this series have never failed to improve on the last one. This is no exception, and it seems there is no end to Ms Abbott's talent. I really did find this book really difficult to put down. The more I read and the more I discovered about the book, the more I wanted to read and find out more. As always, the characters are believable and from start to finish you can empatise and sympathise with them all through whatever trials and tribulations they face throughout the novel. Ok so the year has only just started, but for me it's one of the best books of the year so far. I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this series, I think there's so much more that DCI Douglas has to offer us and I hope there's lots more to come.

Thank you.
Enjoyed it. Good read.
Will get copies for family and friends