The odd combination of a thriller/love story. Somehow it works and I had a hard time putting it down. Lots of twists in the story and will be looking for the next book.

Di Trssa Grantly has a problem- she's fallen for Alec Hanay, who might be a serial killer. Hoy makes good use of the London art scene in this fast paced thriller. A good read.

A homicide detective, Tessa, meets an artist who she begins to fall in love with. Overtime the artist is arrested for a series of homicides and the evidence stems from the paintings that he has drawn. A sudden conflict of interest occurs for Tessa. Does she continue to get evidence to convict the artist or does she try to find ways to acquit him? This novel is a suspense thriller and keeps you guessing trying to figure out what is going to happen. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to others. The author does a great job of keeping his reader engaged and curious.

This one just didn't work for me. I liked the concept but felt the delivery was not there.

* I received this book for free from Netgalley for my honest opinion *

I am not entirely sure about this one. The book felt extremely long and slow. There were parts of it that enticed me and I was curious about. But, at the same time, I was confused on the narrative.

I found the story a little far fetched. Maybe if Alec and Tessa had had a romantic relationship prior to his being accused of murder could I see the connection they had - but not just randomly meeting on the street and developing that kind of relationship that would make Tessa break police rules and start a relationship with someone who was being accused of 5 murders. It didn't make sense to me. And the way the story was written was quite confusing some times. Was it present tense or past tense? It felt like both in certain chapters.

It was definitively something I don't normally read which isn't a bad thing. If you are a fan of London type narratives, this book may be for you.

SPOILER:

I do have to say, what the heck Tessa?! You found out his secret and still stayed. I understand a little why she kept his secret (for her career and their son) but ugh.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/art-matters-when-books-can-save-your-life_us_59a95ba2e4b0d0c16bb52451
✪ Anyone pining for the intelligent pleasures of Prime Suspect (the classic and its undervalued prequel) will find a happy corrective in Tim Hoy’s Still Death, a twisted and twisty debut thriller about a seductive artist, a serial killer on the loose and the British detective whose heart may be her most dangerous weapon.

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley.

This is a difficult book to rate and review. The first 50% was terrific - exciting and suspenseful. Had that quality continued, I would have given it 5 stars. Unfortunately, the last half of the book took a significant downward turn for me. The story is told in alternating chapters between the two main characters and that works well. My review might have been more positive if the ending were stronger.

A great mystery with a hint of romance. Anyone, who likes a good mystery book will enjoy this one.

Detective Inspector Tessa Grantley is investigating the Execution Murderer. The only link between the victims appears to be that they are all beautiful young blondes. Tessa meets Alec Hanay, an artist whose art show opening she attends. Tessa is shocked to see that Alec's paintings depict the victims of the Execution Murderer.

This was a pretty good book and held my interest from beginning to end.

3.5 stars.I have ambivalent feelings about this one. The storyline is unique with an unusual, captivating perspective. The suspense is riveting. The author's use of foreshadowing builds the suspense and conflict well. I really liked the structure of alternating chapters told from the POV of the two main characters. The characters are round and sympathetic. The mystery is solved halfway through, but then further mysteries are revealed, and the suspense ratchets up even more. So, why only 3 stars? The steam seems to peter out in the last quarter of the book; Tessa's thoughts and actions do not seem authentic and true; the sailboat ending was so very anticlimactic, and it left this reader feeling, "Is that it?" Also, I was hoping for some red herrings or twists. We know too soon the "who done it" and an excellent thriller usually has misdirection so one is surprised. Not so in this novel. The climax and denouement are just meh and fell flat for me. Therefore, five stars for the premise and half of the book, but two stars for the ending and resolution.
I look forward to reading more from this author, however. I couldn't put the book down! I'm just sorry it was disappointing for me in the end.

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review STILL DEATH.

This was an unusual one and I'm a bit torn how to rate it.
Tessa is a Detective Inspector with the police force in London working on a string of murders where women have been shot at close range. The only thing connecting the victims: they're young and pretty. With little to go on, the police are pretty much in the dark.
Alec is a wealthy American-born artist with a lot of baggage from his past who is now living in London. Tessa and Alec literally bump into each other one evening. Immediately, there's a connection there. They start talking and Alec invites Tessa to the opening of his exhibition. It's this exhibition that convinces Tessa to take Alec into custody there and then during the launch party. He is going to stand trial for the murders of the women. But could he really be a serial killer? Despite the impossible situation, Tessa and Alec form a close relationship, which the reader then gets to follow over several years.
Told in alternating chapters by Tessa and Alec, the style was unusual. The chapters are presented in diary-type entries, occasionally addressing the reader. I found the writing quite clinical. It was almost like reading a report. As a result, I felt a bit detached. Based on its premise of "what happens when a detective falls in love with a homicide suspect?", this could (should?) have elicited a lot of emotions and had the potential for some serious chills, but that didn't happen. However, I still really enjoyed it. In fact, for the first half of this, I was totally hooked and thought this was going to turn into a 5-star read. Getting to know Tessa and the murder case she was working, her initial meeting with Alec and then the trial, it was all fascinating to follow.
Right at the 50% mark, however, it began to run out of steam and in the end, I had a slightly disappointing "that's-it?" reaction. The thing is I can't exactly pinpoint what it was that made the second half less gripping. One thing that would have improved the ending for me would have been a closing chapter from Alec.
So, with a really, really strong first half and a reasonably intriguing, but somewhat blankly padded second half, which I experienced almost as a Lifetime Movie (the entire large house on the cliffs and the sailboat scenario just didn't do it for me), I'm settling on 3.5 stars.
My thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley.

This book shocked me. The entire premise is so deep, I wonder who thinks about surreal situations someone can find themselves facing.
He is such the nice guy, the good guy. He loves her, what could go wrong? So much.

Tessa is in too deep, and attempts a really tough balancing act between what she knows, what she believes, what she feels and what she wants. When all of those things are in a particularly complex, yet rich and good looking package, albeit one with a most essential flaw, what path can she take?

When she tries to take the middle road, it all fails. She is tortured and knows the right thing is the most painful. The ending is poignant.
This is written compassionately, the author is quite articulate as Tessa examines and rep-examines her feelings and decisions. The story moves quickly, a pleasure.

Book keeps you intrigued and makes you think you know what is going to happen next and then a twist happens again and again. Very entertaining.

It was such an interesting premise and I loved the alternating points of view. It was an exciting story and I read quickly to see what came next. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

3 and 1/2 stars rating possibly (there were too many negatives so the rating stays at 3 stars)-- after what seemed like it would be a really intriguing story about a serial killer told from the alternating perspectives of a detective and her boyfriend the book took a sudden downward turn and sunk lower and lower on my rating scale. I don't quite know how to describe what happened. The story itself was original but it just scratched the surface on what could have been a really chilling tale-in the end it did not have the depth I expected it to have. I may be spoiled by the really good novels about psycho killers I have read in the past -so I would still recommend that one gives this book a chance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book and give an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Alibi for an ARC of “Still Death” by Tim Hoy, in exchange for an honest review.

The story unfolds in alternating chapters, from the points of view of Detective Inspector Tessa Grantley, and millionaire artist Alec Hanay, who may or may not be a murderer. Tessa meets Alec by accident, and after a wonderful evening, he invites her to his gallery exhibition showcasing his paintings, which turn out to include portraits of five beautiful young women who have recently been found dead. Alec is arrested, and having fallen in love with him, Tessa jeopardizes her career by secretly helping him during his trial.

This really was a great premise, however I had difficulty connecting with the characters because the chapters read like journal entries, resulting in an emotionally detached delivery. Towards the end of the book, Tessa indicates she’s been working through her feelings by filling up notebooks with her thoughts, and that her chapters have included excerpts from some of these notebooks. This is information that should have been disclosed at the beginning, in order to explain why the plot relies on the author telling the reader that Tessa was falling in love with Alec, rather than creating scenarios that would allow the reader to experience the development of the relationship between Tessa and Alec. Without seeing the relationship develop, thereby establishing a connection to the characters, it was difficult to understand or believe the questionable decisions Tessa continued to make “for love”, which is the driving force of the entire plot.

This book really had a lot of potential, but it failed to engage me, and was kind of disappointing. The entire plot hinged on the chemistry and growing connection between Tessa and Alec, but this development never materialized for me as there were no scenes demonstrating their growing romance and steadfast devotion to one another. Even still, I really liked how the chapters alternated between the points of view of both Tessa, the detective, and Alec, the suspect. Alec’s chapters, which also read as journal entries, provided insight into the suspect’s mind, and I did find myself questioning whether he was in fact the killer; and if not, wondering who else it could be. 2.5 stars

So many times I wanted to shake the main female character and ask her what she was thinking! I liked this but it was somewhat predictable.

A decent first novel with a plot that kept me turning the pages. While a little slow at times, the level of tension throughout sucked me in and had me wondering when the other shoe would drop. The ending was such that a sequel might be planned. If so, I'll read it.

This was a decent first book by the author. An interesting twist to a mystery novel. I would read a subsequent book by this author.

I loved this book. Some people complain that there are too many books out there about serial killers but I disagree. Especially when they are this well written. Bravo Mr. Hoy