Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
This was my 1st DCI Sophie Allen book, but it certainly won't be my last. An excellent mystery with a likeable police team, a fascinating and complex murderer and a great ending, I really enjoyed this 6th in the series. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but I promise, you'll want to read all of them!
Sophie and her team are investigating 2 'suicides' and end up looking at a very intriguing protagonist, Hattie, a beautiful redheaded student. As they delve into her life, they discover her tragic past and her present double life.
To avoid any spoilers, I will just add that I highly recommend this book, it was hard to put down. I actually took my Kindle everywhere to snatch reading moments in my day.

First time I had read one of this author's books and I wasnt disapointed. Good story line with a twist halfway through.
The police know who did the murders but when that person is murdered they need to find out why and quickly. Full of twists and turns.

4 stars

I read the Kindle Edition

A middle-aged woman commits suicide – or did she? The police close the case. Sometime later, her brother finds a diary of sorts with some strange passages about a person named “H.”. He shows it to the police. They go back to the house, but still can’t find anything of note.

Six months later, a young man’s body is found in the surf below a ledge. Did he fall? Was it suicide? Or was he pushed? One of the officers notices a note signed “H.” He tries to recall where he heard that before, but can’t.

DCI Sophie Allen wants her team to investigate both cases. It may just be a coincidence, but Sophie wants her team to look into it as a precaution. Before long, another “suicide” takes place.

Excellent police work and assiduously following the clues, the police continue their investigation. Sophie was on to something.

Boy, did I have the identity of the murderer wrong!

This is a well written and plotted novel. I like Sophie and she works well with her team. The book is full of twists and turns. Surprise after surprise for the reader await. I liked this book better than the first in this series. Well done, Mr. Hambling.

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

I'm new to this series, but you don't need to have read the previous volumes to enjoy this whodunit. Well, it's more than a whodunit, it's several cases involving the same people so that one crime leads to another. When a series of unexplained suicides come to the attention of Sophie Allen's team, they will unravel a plot of blackmail, emotional abuse and, eventually, murder. The rhythm never lets up and one revelation leads to the next at breakneck speed. In the middle of this is "H," a mysterious and devastating young woman. Sophie will first have to identify her and then figure out how her involvement ended in death for so many people. There are secrets upon secrets and the ending is fantastic. Even if I didn't know the characters, they are all very well defined and it wasn't hard to follow the dynamics. I may have been a little out of the top regarding Sophie's family life, but that is just a small part. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Evil Crimes by Michael Hambling is book 6 in the DI Sophie Allen Series.

I love this series and was very excited to read this new book, thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I had a feeling of great anticipation starting this book I really wanted to love it as much as the rest of the series and I wasn’t disappointed; it had me gripped right from the first page. Each book in this series seems to get better and better.

The story-line was interesting, there was plenty of suspense and twists in the plot and I love it when I don’t guess who the bad guy is! This book has plenty going for it, it is dark and moody, and it keeps you on your toes because you really don’t know what’s coming next. I enjoyed this book so much I was kind of disappointed when I reached the end. Now that is the sign of a really good book.

I think that you could read this as a stand-alone novel but I do recommend that you read the series in order so that you can get background information on the team of detectives as there is some diversity in the team. It’s nice to get to know the characters anyway then when you read the next book it’s like meeting up with old friends.

I really enjoyed this book; it gets a very well deserved 5 stars from me. I highly recommend this series of books; it’s a really good entertaining read.

#michaelhambling #dcisophieallen #netgalley My first DCI Sophie Allen, and I'm hooked. Well written, plotted with good characters and a creepy, creepy villain, who isn't one dimensional. I enjoyed how Hambling seems to contrast "normal" vs. "abnormal" - it made for some interesting thinking during the read and after I finished. Look forward to catching up with the other books in the series.

P. S. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read this novel by Michael Hambling in return for my honest review.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and will now seek out all of his previous books in the Sophie Allen series as I was enthralled. The story was unusual and didn't hide away from addressing sexual issues and relationships. However, this was only part of the intrigue.

The plot was full of twists and turns with well-rounded, complex characters. Highly enjoyable and recommended.

Evil crimes by Michael Hambling.
A young man's body is spotted in the stormy sea off Dancing Ledge in Dorset.
Did he lose his footing in the gale force winds and fall in? Or is there a more sinister cause of death?
Detective Sophie Allen's team discover some curious links to a suicide that happened six months earlier. A strikingly attractive female student connects the cases. Alarming facts slowly come to light as the team probes more deeply.
Is the young woman as evil as she seems or is someone else manipulating her?
A fantastic read with great characters. Didn't expect that. 4*. Netgalley and joffe books.

Another enjoyable instalment in the Sophie Allen series.
Fast paced gritty, complex characters and a plot with lots of twists and turns.