This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Another book by one of my top five authors. Hooked from the first page, I read this book in a day. I love the fast pace and I really felt the characters emotions in this book. Really looking forward to the next in the series.

Now, Helen H Durrant is the Queen of crime fiction. This book Dark Angel was Just Brilliant. I don't think I have ever not loved reading her books. They are all excellent, gripping and once you've read one you will wont to read more of her books.
Two young men break into an expensive house in Cheshire. They take money and jewellery — and a large amount of heroin. However, within twenty-four hours they are found brutally murdered.
DI Greco and his team start the investigation but he’s distracted - his colleague DC Grace is pregnant with his child and he’s not sure how he feels about it.
Once I started to read this book I couldn't put this one down, A really enjoyable excellent read. It has lots in the book drug trafficking, murder and immigrant labour etc. A must read, This is a book you could read alone.

Big thank you to Netgalley, Joffe-books, and Helen H Durrant to letting me read this brilliant book for an honest review.

This is the second book of Helen's I have read, but the first one in this series of books.

Even though this is the 4th book in the series it can be read as a standalone book, although personally I felt I was missing something as there isn't any back story and wasn't sure about how DCI Grecco and DS Harper's relationship had started and even if they were in an actual relationship or just had a fling.

The book starts off with properly with a couple of thieves breaking in  to a house and stealing drugs, whilst taking photos of them doing so and sending them to the Police.

Shortly after this they are both found dead and mutilated, which is the main plot of the book and works really well as a strong story on it's own.  The story then follows the team as they try and unravel what has happened to these young lads, and to find the murderer.  There are enough red herrings within this story to keep you guessing all the way through, and I really loved the ending of the book.

There are a couple of sub-plots, one of which revolves around Stephen and Grace's relationship and how they are coping with Grace being pregnant.  This story line was well written and made me feel sorry for both of them as it has strongly affected their relationship, and whether they both want a baby or not.

Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable and easy book to read.

I couldn't put this one down, I'm sorry it took me so long to start it! I've long been a fan of Helen H. Durrant's Calladine and Bayless books, but this is my first DI Greco. I can safely say this can be read as a standalone or an entry into the series, I wasn't lost at all, any prior references are explained enough that they're not a distraction.

First off, I have to say that Durrant is skilled in drawing in a reader completely into the world she creates, making the book so much more than a gripping mystery (as if that wasn't enough!), but also the frequently messy lives of the very compelling and realistic (if not flawed) characters. You end up with not only a thrilling case that keeps you turning pages, but also the can't-turn-away-train-wreck that is Greco's personal life. I like Greco, he's unemotional and methodical, traits that frequently cause problems with interpersonal relationships. Reading this, I was reminded Olympia Dukakis's line from Moonstruck ("Can I give you some advice? Don't s**t where you eat.") and boy, is that relevant to this book. Still, I felt for Greco, it was clear he was being pushed into something he didn't want and that never ends well.

But it's the case that takes front and center in the book, it got off to a running start with a body found at a music festival by a young woman before turning to the murders of two young men who got more than they bargained for when they burgled a house. The quick pace and many twists and turns kept me greedily turning page after page and that surprise ending left me gasping. An excellent read from start to finish, something I always expect from this author and definitely recommended for fans of gritty crime fiction.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.

This was the 1st book by Helen Durrant that I've read and I need to get my hands on her other books!
I really enjoyed this one. It moved along with some twists. The characters were very well developed and there was enough of their personal lives thrown in to slow the pace of the action to give my brain a chance to catch up.
While this was the 4th book in a series, enough info was given that it read as a stand alone without the feeling the writer was just filling pages with repeats and reiterations.

Another great read from Helen Durrant featuring DI Greco and team. Where his personal and professional life are entwined . This book is a enjoyable read in the series and I look forward to the next one.

A great follow on in the series! I enjoyed following the work lives and home lives of the team at the police force along side an exciting crime story. I would recommend reading these in sequence.

This is the fourth book in the series featuring DCI Greco and DS Grace Harper. This can be read as a standalone but you will then be missing out on how their relationship has developed over the last three books. The book begins with thieves breaking into a house and stealing drugs. They are then both found dead and mutilated, which forms the main plot of the book. Greco, Harper and their team have to solve this case. There is an interesting sub plot revolving around Greco’s and Harper’s relationship and her pregnancy. This is a book with a very strong plot, with plenty twists and turns to keep you guessing. A brilliant read. Can’t wait for the next book in the series,
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Gritty,tough police thriller. An interesting cast of characters make up this thriller, a topical story with twists tho I figured it out before the detectives.

Excellent as always! Helen Durrant never disappoints. I love the books and the character development that continues through them.

Dark Angel is the 4th book in the DCI Stephen Greco series. I was very eager to read this book after the cliffhanger in Greco's personal life in the previous book, Dark Trade. DCI Greco is becoming more likeable with each book. A great plot in this book which involves the brutal murder of 2 youths after a burglary. Whilst the investigation is underway another murder occurs. Several suspects in this investigation which kept me guessing throughout. Thoroughly enjoyed this well woven plot so much that I read the book in one sitting.

This was an okay read, but not terribly engaging or exciting. The storyline was very sparse, filled in with backstory on the characters - who weren't very personable. - and gave the impression I would liken to a half-hour TV cop show episode being stretched and padded out to make a full film.

There was a noticeable lack of research, also. For instance; when a character asks how the killer would obtain Ketamine, the reply was a breezy, "It's easily available on the streets." But how the killer obtained the syringes needed to administer the Ketamine seemed to stump the detectives, leading them to presume the killer, or an aquaintance, must have a medical condition that requires the use of syringes. It made me want to scream, "Look on Amazon!" If more attention had been paid to the basic details, such as this example, I might have found this book more entertaining.

A slightly abrupt conclusion to a well written continuation of this now well established series. As complex and engaging as always.

Dark angel by Helen h durant.
Two young men break into an expensive house in Cheshire. They take money and jewellery — and a large amount of heroin. Within twenty-four hours they are found brutally murdered.
The killings have the hallmarks of a local drug baron. The two victims were also “angels” helping in a community project which to have been lowering the rate in the area.
Meanwhile, Detective Stephen Greco’s colleague and on-off girlfriend Grace is pregnant. He isn’t sure how he feels, and they haven’t told the boss.
Omg a fantastic read. What a twist. Would never have guessed that. Jaw dropping read. 5*. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Dark Angel, the fourth novel to feature DCI Stephen Greco of Greater Manchester police.

The team are baffled to receive a picture of a fridge with heroin in it and an address but when they go looking for the sender, Vinnie Holt, neither he nor his best friend, Craig Riley are anywhere to be found. When they turn up they have been brutally murdered but there is no sign of the heroin or anything else they stole. As the team dig deeper they find the case has many tentacles and possibilities, not helped by Greco's distraction over what do about the baby he and Grace are expecting.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Angel which has an absorbing plot, both professional and domestic. The maze of relationships in the novel is complicated but not difficult to follow and it is a great way to disguise the twists, most of which I didn't see coming. This is a cleverly plotted novel so it held my interest throughout. I particularly liked Ava Whitton's machinations and found myself rooting for her.

The novel works well as a standalone with its self contained plot but to get the best of the characterisation I would recommend reading the series in order. As it stands much of the novel is taken up with DS Grace Harper's pregnancy, the result of a "drunken fumble" with DCI Greco. They are not a couple but he's promised to support her. In actual fact he's more than ambivalent about it, seeing it as an obstacle to his career. It doesn't make for pleasant reading but is very realistic and it makes him hard to like.

Dark Angel is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

EXCERPT: Suddenly she fell quiet. Something was floating in the water only inches away from her. She must have dislodged whatever it was from the bottom. Megan strained to see in the dark. It was weird. At first it looked like a bin bag full of festival rubbish. Moving closer, she thought it might be a piece of old wood. In the weak moonlight, its surface looked like bark.

'What on earth is it?' she looked up at Leon,who had taken several steps backwards.

'Don't go near, babe. Look. There.' He pointed.

Megan peered closer and recoiled, horrified. The dim light reflected off whitish bones. The remains of an arm and a hand were visible. Tendrils of dark hair floated like weed from what had once been a human head.

THE BLURB: Love gripping crime fiction? Discover Detective Stephen Greco, a meticulous policeman with a messy personal life.

Two young men break into an expensive house in Cheshire. They take money and jewellery — and a large amount of heroin. Within twenty-four hours they are found brutally murdered.

The killings have the hallmarks of a local drug baron. The two victims were also “angels” helping in a community project which seems to have been lowering the crime rate in the area.

Meanwhile, Detective Stephen Greco’s colleague and on-off girlfriend Grace is pregnant. He isn’t sure how he feels, and they haven’t told the boss.

This gripping and fast-paced crime mystery ends with a series of shocking twists.

If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will enjoy this exciting new crime fiction writer.

THE DETECTIVES
DCI Stephen Greco is a meticulous policeman with a touch of O.C.D. Easy to admire, but difficult to like. He has created a new team after a personal tragedy threatened to end his career, and is struggling to care for his daughter.
DS Grace Harper is an ambitious young policewoman with excellent people skills. Like Greco, she is a single parent and tries to balance work and childcare.

THE SETTING
The Northern city of Manchester is a place of great diversity, from high-end restaurants and clubs for the moneyed classes to grim housing estates riven by crime and drugs.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the fourth book by Helen Durrant that I have read, the second in the DI Greco series. My very favorite was Dark Murder, the first of this series.

I like Greco, mostly. He is OCD, has trouble relating to other people, but has this clinical ability to analyze situations and see things others miss. He doesn't really understand emotions. He knows how he should feel/react, but it just doesn't happen, which tends to cause havoc in his personal life. His team members see him as 'a bit of a cold fish'.

Durrant strikes a good balance between the police procedural and the private lives of the main characters. She writes consistently good books that won't disappoint. This, in particular, has a very clever twist that, despite the clues, I didn't see coming. And I have the feeling that we haven't seen the last of femme fatale Ava.

This is a series that it is preferable to read in order so that you get the full benefit of the character development and backgrounds.

Thank you to Joffe Books via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Dark Angel by Helen Durrant for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

Another cracking read this series gets better with each book. It was full of darkness, sadness, twists and turns i didnt see coming and it showed the raw emotions of the charactwrs. It was beautifully written and i couldnt put it down. One of my favourites from this series. A well deserved 5 stars.

Another fantastic book in the Greco series. Absolutely love This author and always look forward to reading more.

At a music festival, a decomposing body is found. 5 months later, two men commit a burglary, stealing expensive jewellery and a large amount of heroin. Within twenty-four hours they are found brutally murdered.

DCI Greco and his team return in this next instalment of the series to uncover a web of illicit dealings and deception –all of which are very current in today’s society.

This is the first book in the series that I had read and, overall, I did enjoy it – it had everything a gritty crime story should have. Admittedly, I think to get a deeper understanding of the characters, I should have read the previous books, however don’t let this put you off as Dark Angel can quite easily stand alone.

There was one thing that stopped me giving Dark Angel five stars – its predictability. Without giving too much away, I found myself knowing who the culprit was as soon as their family dynamics were divulged. That’s all I will say on that point. However, I am looking forward to catching up on the previous books in the series and will certainly read the ones to come.

Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for this advanced copy.