I would like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘His Third Victim’ by Helen H Durrant in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The ‘Apology Killer’ likes a particular type of woman and has killed several as they don’t live up to his expectations. He now has his eye on Bella Richards but firstly he has to take her young son and kill everyone else associated with her.
DI Matt Brindle has been on sick leave from East Pennine CID but has been persuaded into returning by DS Talbot Dyson. His first investigation is to discover the identity of the killer they call ‘Mr Apology’ who leaves round print marks in differently coloured ink on the bodies of his victims.
I’ve read all of Helen H Durrant’s novels and enjoyed every one, but when I started ‘The Third Victim’ I wasn’t sure I was going to like it as much. I was wrong! I liked the characters, found the plot intriguing, and as the story unfolded I was unable to put it down. The only disappointment that after the tension had built up nicely with lots of red herrings scattered along the way I’d expected a more dramatic conclusion which unfortunately was lacking. Nevertheless, I found the book easy to read and the storyline kept me guessing till the end.

Matt Brindle has returned to work after suffering serious physical and mental injuries in the line of duty as a D.I. He had resigned his job, feeling he wasn't capable of doing his job anymore. When a man he knew and liked is shot to death, he returns to work after being approached by his former boss.
Belle Richards, the woman who was with the victim as he was he was killed, is beside herself. They were deeply in love and looking forward to a future together. When her 3-year old little boy is kidnapped she is near a mental collapse, but, oddly enough, not very helpful to the police. When there are no records of her past are found, and she has obviously been lying, the Matt is stumped. Who is this woman and what is she hiding?
Previous victims all had marks on them, in different colours, spelling the word 'sorry' in Chinese, linking the killings, but what is the motive? When Belle disappeared, even after her boy was rescued, Matt fears the worst. A desperate search for Belle and the killer ensues.
I've read and enjoyed all of Helen H. Durant's books, but this one left me a bit disappointed. It seemed muddled and the ending felt very abrupt. Hopefully the next one in this new series will be back on her excellent track.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffe books for the eARC.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.
While this book held my attention quite well, there were parts where I was a bit bored. I read this book over 3 days but I still found that id forget who some of the characters were. They werent strong enough for me to remember them. I was wanting to find out what had happened, but the ending was also a bit of a let down. Overall, it was an enjoyable story for the most part and I am glad I read it. Maybe one day I will give this a second attempt and see if I have a different outcome.

I have enjoyed Helen Durrant’s ‘Dead’ series of books and was looking forward t her new standalone book. I was not disappointed. This book features D I Matt Bridle who was badly injured in a bombing that killed his partner. He is brought back to help solve the complex case. Alan Fisher, an acquaintance of Matt, is murdered. He has been shot dead and the Chinese symbol for sorry stamped on his arm. Matt attends his funeral and meets a close friends of Alan’s, Bella. Not long after her five year old son is abducted. Matt has to find the connection between tthe two crimes. He discovers that there have been previous killings where the victims have the Chinese stamp. This book draws you in from the start and keeps you guessing until the end. I am looking forward to reading more about Matt Bridle and his team. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was completely addicted within the first few pages and could not stop reading. I was actually sorry it ended. Very well written, descriptive and captivating. So many twists. LOVE THIS BOOK!

Anyone who follows my blog or reviews will know that I am a huge fan of Helen H. Durrant's books - so when I saw that she had released a brand new stand alone book (this one - His Third Victim) I jumped at the chance to get a copy of the book and did it without reading any of the blurb, I was that keen to get started!

Well I can honestly say that I loved the book - I loved the writing style which was excellent as normal, the pace was absolutely spot on and the plot was well thought out - I really, really enjoyed it.  I liked the main characters a lot - Bella was really complex with a lot of hidden baggage and DI Brindle also had his own issues that he brought to the tale having returned to work following a horrific injury and the loss of a colleague, very sad but it is a great back story to give added depth to the character.  

There was plenty of suspense and lot of twists and turns and you really don't find out who the killer is until the very end, and for me it was really unexpected!!   No hesitation in giving the book 5 stars and I'm already eagerly waiting for Helen's next release!!

5 stars

DI George Bennett responds to a body in a tent in a remote locale. Detective Superintendent Talbot Dyson shows up to claim the scene. He says the body is his because it rest on the line between counties – and they already have five more bodies killed in the same manner and with the same markings on them in their morgue. The latest victim is named Alan Fisher. He was a popular lecturer at a local university.

The pathologist confirms that Alan Fisher is the sixth victim. He was shot with a .22 and has the Chinese character for “sorry” stamped on his arm. The police have a serial killer on their hands. Further, they don’t have any connections between the victims.

Bella Richards was romantically involved with the married Alan Fisher. Now her five year old son Olly has gone missing. On top of Alan’s murder, this is almost more than she can bear.

Retired DI Matt Brindle is recovering from the explosion that left him slightly disabled and his DS dead. He experiences nightmares and a sense of guilt at the death of his sergeant. He swore he’d never go back to the force again, but he calls his old boss Superintendent Dyson and asks about the case. When his Superintendent Dyson visits him and tells him about the case, he pulls out Matt’s resignation letter and tells him he never turned it in. Matt goes back to the force on a two week trial basis and gets assigned to lead the missing Olly Richards case. Immediately he finds more clues and learns that Bella, Olly’s mom, has not been truthful with the story she told. She appears not to have existed before two years earlier, and the father of her child cannot be found either. What is she hiding? Is she is witness protection?

Then a woman named Agnes is killed. She has the same mark and was also shot with a .22. Bella claims not to know her. After Matt and his DC named Lily Haines leave the house the reader learns that she did know the murdered woman.

As the investigation continues, DI Matt learns that Bella is indeed in the witness protection program. She testified against her then husband, Ronnie Chalker. He is now in prison. Olly is still missing and then Bella goes missing as well.

The name of the murderer is a revelation, but getting there is more than half the fun. This novel is brilliantly written and plotted like the other Helen Durrant novels I’ve read. The suspense starts out immediately in our story and continues at a high level until the denouement of the story. The main characters are very likeable and engaging. I appreciate the way in which the team got on with one another. Sufficient background material was given on Matt to flesh him out a bit but not so much that it intruded on the story line. Ms. Durrant is truly a creative gem in my book. I anxiously look forward to more of her books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most engaging book to read and enjoy.

Love Helen Durrant, have read all her books so was excited to see a new book and a new detective. Absolutely amazing, she knows how to write a great book, gripped from the start, really looking forward to to more in this series.

Actually 4.5 stars
I do love this author's style of writing. No nonsense and straight to the point with very little waffle. I have read and enjoyed all her Calladine & Bayliss, and Greco books so I was intrigued to see she had started another series, please welcome DI Matthew Brindle to the fold!
As we start the book Brindle is not on active duty having been injured in a bombing that killed his colleague. Having lost his way in the police since the devastating event, and indeed resigned, he has thrown himself into other, more personal, projects regarding his, shall we call it, house! But the force never really leaves a good cop as we find out as he is drawn into a new case when Olly, the son of Bella, a woman he meets at a funeral, goes missing. He has a feeling that this disappearance could be linked to the death of the man whose funeral he was attending whose death in turn has links to several others. Taking these thoughts to his old boss, he is welcomed back and given the case, his resignation having not quite been processed; not really a spoiler as the series is named for his rank. But the investigation is tough as it soon appears that Bella has some pretty big secrets that she is reluctant to share, even though her son is missing. Can Brindle cut through all the secrets and lies to get to the truth and bring Olly back home and also find the link between the other murders and catch the culprit?
What I like best about this author's books, apart from the straight forward writing is that they are your bulk standard proper police procedural. Yes, she does stretch things on occasion and there may be the odd thing that doesn't quite ring true but all is swiftly forgiven given the big picture of the whole book. Her characters are great, occasionally a tad on the stereotypical side but, why not? They all come across as real and the interaction and banter between them is always well written. The story flows well and has the requisite twists, turns and red herrings that go hand in hand with the genre. It builds up well throughout and gets on with itself at just the right pace to match the narrative.
If you are a fan of this genre you could do worse than try this author. Any of her series, they're all good, solid reads. Just remember to read in order as the characters do develop and evolve along the way.
Unlike a lot of series openers which take up quite a bit of the book with the main character's background, here it seems that there is a lot more to Brindle than we are initially privy to. I am very much looking forward to reconnecting with him in future books and getting to know him better.
My thanks go to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The first in a new series, I hope, featuring DI Matt Brindle. If you like your police procedurals, you will like this book. Helen Durrant writes well and she has come up with a very interesting plot with some really good characters. My only negative was the ending but I would recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

Once again Helen has come up with a fantastic storyline! Once I started this book I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of His Third Victim, a stand alone police procedural set in Huddersfield.

Matt Brindle was injured in a bomb attack when investigating drug dealing. With his injuries and the death of his partner weighing on him he resigned from the police to concentrate on other things but the lure of the police is too much when 5 year old Olly Richards disappears because Matt realises that he met Bella, Olly's mum, at her partner's funeral a few days before. Alan, her partner, was found shot to death. It may only be coincidence but Matt doesn't think so and is determined to do something despite Bella's unwillingness to help and the secrets she is obviously keeping.

I thoroughly enjoyed His Third Victim which is a straightforward police procedural with all the requisite twists and turns to keep it interesting and the reader guessing, although the reader has slightly more information than the police as there are glimpses of the perpetrator's mindset and motivation but not his identity which is well hidden.

Some of the detail in the novel does stretch belief and I found myself occasionally thinking "oh, really" but Ms Durrant has crafted a good tale with tension and invitation - I found myself turning the pages quickly to find out what was coming next - so what's the odd incredible detail in a satisfying read?

The characterisation is sufficient for a plot driven novel but I don't feel I really got a feel for how Matt Brindle ticks. He is smart and dedicated with an unusual background but what he thinks and feels is a bit of a mystery. The novel is billed as a stand alone but there are enough unresolved loose ends in his life to suggest a sequel where some of these and his thinking could be resolved.

His Third Victim is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I enjoyed this book which is a stand alone but I have a feeling it will be the first in a new series. DI Matt Brindle has been out of action because of physical and psychological injuries he received in a previous case. He did actually hand in his notice to his boss but he didn't pass the resignation on and when a case of murder comes in Talbot Dyson wants Matt on the case. The book is set in and around Huddersfield an area that I know well. I found the book to be well written and I read it in a couple of sittings.

Absolutely sensational! I loved this book it was creepy and twisted and so full of turns there is no way on earth you wiĺl pick the bad guy. I read this in super quick time as I couldnt put it down. Every book Helen writes just gets better and better. Fantastic 5 star read.

Another well written, fast paced novel from Durrant with plenty of twists and surprises. I hope this is the start of a new series.

I find reviewing this book hard. i've loved the author's previous work however, this story just did not measure up to her previous high standard. i didn't particularly warm to the main characters and felt the ending was rushed and didn't really tie up all the loose ends for me.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Another good story from Helen Durrant, this time featuring a new detective, Matt Brindle. When Bella's partner is shot dead, and then her young son disappears, Matt is brought in to investigate. This had me guessing right to the end. I look forward to more stories in this series. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

A man is shot dead and his body is dumped on the moors.His arm is stamped with the Chinese symbol for sorry.

There have been five unsolved murders with the same hallmark.The police can't find any motive or connection between the victims.

Bella Richards was close to the murdered man.She lives with her five year old son Oliver and has begun a new life in the local area.But although she is clearly grief stricken,she is not telling the police everything she knows.

Detective Talbot Dyson wants his most trusted inspector on the case.But DI Matt Brindle is out of action.He was badly injured and his sergeant was killed in a criminal ambush.Matt is drawn into the investigation and must decide whether he is going to go back to his old life.

What is the connection between the victims and who will be next?

The main characters of this twist packed,gripping thriller are Matt,Bella and the twisted killer.We follow Matt`s return back to work after being away for six months following the attack that has left him with a limp,suffering from panic attacks and post traumatic stress disorder.Matt is unsure whether he wants to return to police work,his mother certainly doesn't want him to but he is intregued by the case and can't resist contacting his old friend Talbot Dyson to talk about the murders.So he is drawn into the case and returns back to work where he is introduced to his new partner Lily Haines.I was expecting Matt to be reluctant about being partnered with someone new after what happened to his previous partner but him and Lily clicked from the moment they started working together and it was like they had known each other for years.Bella Richards is a very mysterious young lady who has hidden secrets that she will do anything to avoid being uncovered even after her young son Ollie goes missing.As the story unfolded I suspected that any one of a number of characters was the killer and I was genuinely surprised when the person's identity was revealed.The characters in this riveting story are a mixed bag of well developed,believable personalities,the reason behind the killings was very clever and ingenious.There was enough description of places to set the scene but no part of the story dragged or felt like padding.

This is quite a quick read,I read it in just under seven hours,it's well written,fast paced,gripping and packed with twists.It looks like the mystery of who was behind the attack on Matt and his previous partner is going to be a on going arc that will carry on in the following books.I absolutely loved this book,I really liked Matt and Lily and am looking forward to reading more thrillers featuring them in the future.

This book was a stand alone, when i first started reading I had a feeling it was a series of books.
Never guessed who the killer was, even bit a nail trying to work it out, do not bite my nails. Would certainly recommend this book. And will read more from the author. Loads of red herrings. Sorry when it finished. Why did the killer give in so easily there could have been another twist..
Thank you so much in allowing me to read this great thriller.