Andrea Bramhall is a masterful storyteller. She weaves in so much depth to her story lines and all the subplots. Every character is richly written. The mystery is a challenging one. The romance is a sexy slow burn. There's a healthy dose of comedy bits here and there too. Also of note, is a really well written child character. Normally kids in books don't do a whole lot to add to the story, but this one definitely does. She has charm, sass, a bit of snark, and a great sense of humor. Love all the interaction with her mom and the detective. Very much looking forward to the next in this series.

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an unbiased review.

I loved Collide-o-Scope-- it was atmospheric and the case was a genuine mystery/nail-biter. While I appreciate the opportunity to continue exploring the characters of Kate Brannon and Gina Temple, the story here was a bit of a "meh" compared to Collide. I get that they can't all be murder mystery/drug running capers (I mean it's not like this is Murder, She Wrote) but the case of a skeleton found in a bunker and accounting shenanigans at a nursing home was not the exciting follow up I was expecting. On its own, it's just ok but not particularly memorable. I wish there was more development and story dedicated to the relationship between Gina and Kate or even Gina's recovery from the events of the previous book, but instead more time was spent with Kate's squad. I get that the author is setting up the impetus for the next book in doing this, but really there wasn't much done to humanize any of the squadmates or single them out in such a way as to really differentiate one from the others. Overall, this book just feels like the palate cleanser between an amazing first course and an impending upcoming main course. On its own, it's underwhelming and ultimately, a forgettable entry. Wish more would have been done with this one prior to releasing.

I didn't read the first book in the series, Collide-O-Scope, but I didn't feel I missed something essential, you can read Under Parr as a stand alone.

A lesbian mystery isn't a frequent guest on my TBR, and those few books I read, I mostly picked up by chance. I don't think I will become a regular reader of the genre, but from time to time to come across a book that is not your usual read and enjoyed it is a welcome change.

A great North Norfolk's atmosphere and scenery of a murder mystery. I read it during our summer vacation, melting under the Greece sun, but with a strong feeling of the salt wind and the rain of the Norfolk Coast. I enjoyed the romance between Kate and Gina, their careful and slow approach, and was actually glad that it was kept on a slow burn.

All in all- a promising good written series that I'll keep on my radar.

Collide-O-Scope, the first book in the Norfolk Coast Investigation series introduced us to Detective Sergeant Kate Brannon and her team of investigators. We also met her future love interest Gina Temple and her precocious daughter Sam. I recommend reading Collide-O-Scope before reading Under Parr as many events in the first novel impact events in the second.

Under Parr begins six weeks after the first novel with the discovery of a skeleton in an abandoned, sand- filled bunker. Thanks to a well written prologue the reader is privy to information the investigating detectives lack. Armed with this knowledge, the reader gets to sit back and watch the detectives work through leads and hunches trying to discover the identity of the victim and whether his death could be ruled accidental or a homicide. There are still unknowns but it does simplify (for the reader) the mystery. Brannon has her hands full directing her staff and working with a difficult new detective, DC Gareth Collier. She’s also dealing with issues in her personal life as her budding relationship with Gina is floundering.

This was an okay read but did not live up to the more complex police procedural we saw in Collide-O-Scope. While it was nice to see Brannon’s team back in action, the author tries too hard to make Kate’s team seem witty and fun in the opening chapters. It all felt a bit forced. Once the investigation begins and the detectives get busy solving the mystery the story improves.

It was interesting seeing how events in the first book impacted Sammy and Gina. It is rare in police procedurals to focus on the victims/witnesses from a previous case. This thread was filled with more drama and emotional range than the investigation. I thought the author did a good job of showing the challenges faced by both characters and how these issues impacted their lives and the relationship between Gina and Kate.

The author drops dirigible-sized hints at more mysteries to come so I look forward to the next Norfolk Coast Investigation with a now seasoned team of investigators and a more confident DS Brannon.

3.5 stars

ARC received with thanks from publisher for an honest review.

4 stars

DS Kate Brannon and her sidekick Jimmy are called out to the scene of a man’s body found in a bunker on the beach at Brancaster on the North Norfolk coast. It has been reduced to a mere skeleton though and there are odd things about it. There are several items about the body that are labeled with different people’s names, including women’s things. Since it is a skeleton, DNA is no good. How are they going to go about discovering who the man was? Was it an accident? Murder? Or something else?

Another thread in the book is that Gina Temple who is Kate’s girlfriend and her daughter are having problems with falls out from the events in the previous novel. Gina has a bad temper and attitude and her daughter Sammy talks like a much younger child would and throws infantile tantrums. Kate and Gina are having problems of their own and seem to be at a stalemate in their relationship. We do get to know Kate and Gina better though and to understand their relationship better.

This book deals with many issues: school bullying, self-harming, mistreatment in care homes and euthanasia of the elderly. Interspersed with bits of humor, the book is a winner! It is a cliffhanger though. (sigh)

The writing was well done and the plotting was as well. This was my first Andrea Bramhill book, but I will most certainly look into her other novels. The characters were well drawn and likeable. I enjoyed this book very much.

I want to thank Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Ylva Publishing/ Book Enthusiast Promotions for a review copy of Under Parr, the second novel to feature DS Kate Brannon of the Norfolk police.

The novel opens in 2013 when dementia sufferer, Alan, walks in on a man suffocating another care home occupant. After a struggle Alan stumbles off to get help. Cut to 2016 and DS Kate Brannon is called in to the discovery of a skeleton found in a sealed off bunker. Everything about the case is undetermined from the cause of death to the victim's identity so Kate has her work cut out.

I enjoyed Under Parr. It has a good mix of a twisty plot and strong characterisation. Obviously the reader has more idea of motive than the police but the discoveries they make and secrets they uncover are mostly surprising and make for an absorbing read.

I liked the fact that many of the characters who come under suspicion or just into contact with the police are genuinely nice people with a desire to help and nothing to hide. It makes for a refreshing change. Apart from the investigation there is a fair amount of interaction between Kate and her colleagues and her girlfriend, Gina. I think the banter between the characters is natural and often amusing. I feel the novel is top heavy on Gina and Kate's relationship as Ms Bramhall rehashes all the key elements of her previous novel (no point in reading it now) and concentrates on Gina's efforts to survive its aftermath. While it is sweet it has no bearing on the investigation.

Under Parr is a good read.

I loved Collide-O-Scope and I reread just before starting this book.
And I really enjoyed Under Parr, maybe even more. I liked the mystery and the dilemma og good death/bad death and I really liked the developing relationship. And I like most that there are several unfinished threads that hopefully mean more books in this series.

<i>I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This is a book with two main points of view (other than the prologue, there really are only two). Detective Sergeant Kate Brannon and Gina Temple.

<b>Plotlines</b>
<b>Major Plots</b>:
<blockquote>1) Police investigating a mystery
<blockquote>a) Skeleton found in a WWII bunker that got sealed by a storm that hit December 5 2013. While investigating the skeleton several other crimes were discovered and investigated
b) The police force, or at least the task force dealing with ‘the case of the skeleton’, has a certain ‘issue’ with one of their members. Personality clash? Bad cop? Something’s going on.</blockquote>
2) A mother and daughter attempting to deal with traumatic issues
<blockquote>a) Due to the nature of the events of the prior book, the townspeople and their children torment Sammy, Gina’s daughter; plus Sammy is still suffering mentally/emotionally
b) Due to the nature of the events of the prior book, the townspeople glare at and act mean towards Gina; plus Gina is still suffering mentally/emotionally </blockquote>

<b>Subplots</b>
<blockquote>1) Romance
<blockquote>a) Trouble in paradise? See: Gina and daughter suffering from the traumatic events of last book
b) Someone stalking/romancing/something Gina</blockquote>
2) Gina’s estranged mother pops up during the police investigation
<blockquote>a) Complications related to the mother being back in the picture.
b) ?</blockquote></blockquote>

First off, though, I need to note that unlike some mystery series that involve the police, you really do need to have read the first book in the series before reading this book here. Since one of the story lines is more or less directly tied to the prior book – a reaction to the events that occurred in that prior book.

This book starts six weeks after <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28494448-collide-o-scope>Collide-O-Scope</a> - well, no, literally the book starts before that first book, but that’s just the prologue. The prologue is set in December 5, 2013, when an old man stumbles around a nursing home, spots someone doing something wrong, stumbles out into a storm, and ends up in a WWII bunker. When the book moves to the main part, out of the prologue, it’s about four years later (or three?) and a skeleton has been found inside a WWII bunker on the North Norfolk Coast of England. The people from the first book fall into similar rolls as before, for the most part (and even when they don’t physically appear, they pop up in conversation, like Inspector Savage).

Detective Sergeant Kate Brannon, one of the two main points of view, works the skeleton case while her boss, like in the last book, goes off to deal with a different case (the boss, by the way, being Detective Inspector Timmons). Working with Brannon is Detective Sergeant Stella Goodwin, who both head of the investigation. Meanwhile Detective Constable Jimmy Powers is Brannon’s assistant until he is replaced by Detective Constable Gareth Collier (because of a personality clash between Collier and his partner). Len Wild and Dr. Ruth Anderson also return.

While Brannon is following the mystery angle of the book, Georgina ‘Gina’ Temple follows the PTSD angle. As in, her daughter had found a dead body in the prior book – her best friend, <spoiler> and for three days she, the daughter – Sammy – had thought she had killed her friend</spoiler>, and Sammy also happens to go to a school where all but maybe one of the other children there were deeply impacted by the prior book (<spoiler>one or more parents ending up being out of work, and/or facing long jail time for the <spoiler>drug smuggling ring</spoiler> [events] found in the prior book</spoiler>) and the children blame Sammy. Bully her mercilessly. Meanwhile, Gina herself has her own emotional and physical scars to try to overcome – recall it’s only been six weeks. And so that’s the second track/plot line/angle – a mother and daughter attempting to fight the demons created by the prior book.

That second plot line is interesting, in its way, though ultimately I find/found it to be a distraction I did not wish to read. It got in the way of the mystery, unfortunately. There was even one section that I ended up skipping (until I remembered I was reading an ARC so went back and read it; normally I’d have skipped certain paragraphs/sections/etc.).

The book was interesting – following the police as they investigate one thing, a skeleton found in a WWII bunker, which leads to even more things to investigate. The mystery itself was a good twist on the standard murder mystery; the interactions between the police and others (and amongst themselves) was good. If the book had just been the Mystery, I would likely rate this book highly. But it isn’t. Frankly, while well written and seeming as if it’d make a good book on its own, the PTSD plot was, as noted, distracting to me and might have been less ‘boring’ if it had been its own book. Potentially. I mean, I’ve read PTSD books before – where that’s the main and mostly only focus.

<b>Publication Date</b>: May 17 2017 (though you can purchase the book now from the Ylva Publishing website).

Rating: Mystery: 4.3; Other Stuff: 3.3 = 7.6/2=3.8 overall rating of 3.8.

May 12 2017

I really liked this book, actually a lot more than the previous one. The prolog was very catchy and intriguing and it was interesting to find out what happened and how all the different pieces fit together. Like in her first book, the mystery part was not predictable and the case was not a usual murder mystery kind of thing but with more substance and meaning. I think Andrea Bramhall ventured into a very difficult topic with this book. PTSD on one side and the problematic situation in nursing homes on the other side. She described the PTSD part very well and what emotions and worries come with it and that the smallest trigger can be enough to cause an episode of PTSD with flashbacks. Gina suffers because of her scars and it is portrait in a realistic way. The situation in the nursing home is also very realistic and true for some nursing homes. It is definitely eyeopening and takes on two difficult subjects that many other books are not talking about.
All the characters are very likable and the flow of the dialogue feels natural. The romantic part in the book is kind of slow but that is where the PTSD part comes in so it is used as a medium to describe Gina's fight with her demons since the attack. Since they have only been together for 6 weeks in this book and the circumstances, the speed of their relationship seems realistic to me.
She explained a lot of things from the first books to better understand the connections that are to the first book but I think it is still easier to understand some of the context better with the first book but the mystery part is a stand alone one. I think the book could be read alone but I would recommend to read the first one first.