The plot started out well with some interesting premises. But soon it became muddy, loose and full of loose ends and plot-holes. This is the author's first and I really liked the attempt.

What do you do when you arrive home one evening to find your children gone and your wife burned to death in the boiler . That has what happened to Dr Geoffery Quinn. In comes Alison Hope a bright eyed lawyer who is determined to help him out . But as she dives into the world that Geoffery is part of the chances of him being innocent are not looking good . There is more going on then people will let on, as the trial looms closer and closer Alison must figure it all out or die trying .
Ok I tried really hard to love these characters but alas I just couldn't fall in love with them I found that I really just couldn't connect with them . Don't get me wrong they are well written but I really just wanted to strangle Quinn a few times . He really came off as a douche and I was really kinda hoping that he actually did do it . Just for poor Alison's sake . Alison was a go getter but sometimes she just came off way to eager and some times a whiner . Over all these are good characters just wish there was some more depth to them.
I am very torn on this book , I truly wanted to like it but in some parts I just really wanted to skim because I just felt that it really didn't belong . The parts that I did love were well written and you can really see the main characters trying to their best .The court room scenes were well written and it did catch my interest . Over all i really did like the book I just wished that the author went over it one more time and added some depth to the characters and some suspense to the chapters . If you want to give it a try check it out .

This book started off strong, but when the MC, who calls herself a feminist quite often, thinks about her own breasts for the umpteenth time, I grew suspicious and looked up the author. Yup, sure enough--a man using a female pen name.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC.

<p>It's a mystery novel with the word <i>fish</i> in the title that has <b>Spoiler</b> red herrings in it and you have no idea how happy that makes me as someone who likes puns. So I'm going to giggle off here in the corner for a few minutes before moving on with my review.</p>

<p>Okay. Giggling done.</p>

<p>So we have a pretty standard British murder mystery book, a re-release from the 1998. A doctor finds out he's being tried for the murder of his wife, his children are missing, he claims he is innocent, and then the scrappy female police officer has to save the day! The book then veers off into a whole side investigation before a <b>Spoiler</b> twist ending. I'm not generally a fan of twist endings (too much building up an emotional rapport between readers and characters before the story is like <i>Aha! I'm smarter than you!</i>), but this one wasn't so bad. Maybe it was because it wasn't all about being cleverer than the reader, although I doubt one could have figured it out on one's own. I'm rarely surprised by plots anymore, so maybe I'm softening towards twist endings. Who knows? The investigation was compelling too -- not that it had much to do in style, tone, or content, but it reminded me of Donna Tartt's <A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/2996">The Little Friend</a>, wherein you don't really realize how far you've floated away from the story catalyst for quite some time (I guess until the twist). Bobbing along on a floaty in the ocean, only to look up and realize that the shore is no longer in sight (need some water analogies because of the fish title).</p>

<p>So decent potboiler mystery novel to read during a lazy summer.</p>

<p>Back to giggling about fish and red herrings (you don't even want to know how much I laughed about the fish statue from the In Auction in <a href="https://www.librarything.com/work/649297/book/113111337">The Ersatz Elevator</a>).</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/1613873/book/156698058">Dead Fish</a> by Ruth Carrington went on sale March 29, 2018.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

Slow going all the way though the book, with that said I want to say thinks to Netgalley for letting me at least try her work to see if this author's someone I would keep reading and she not for me.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Thistle Publishing and Ruth Carrington for the opportunity to read this novel.
While it was a slow start, the more I read, the more engrossed I became. The storyline was easy to follow and well thought out. Definitely well worth a read if you enjoy murder mysteries with a twist.

Dr Geoffrey Quinn arrives home after a long drive to find his house a crime scene and taken over by the police. They arrest him after discovering the remains of his wife in the basement furnace. Meanwhile his two children are still missing presumed dead.
Alison Hope is his legal rep who has suffered her own devastating loss in the past. She works hard to prove Quinn is not guilty of murder and in the process brings buried memories to the surface.
George is the rough diamond turned PI who shares her bed and risks his life to obtain the evidence she needs for her case. Will she realize her true feelings before time runs out?
The storyline kept me interested all the way through to the last few pages. The ending was a reminder that things are never quite what they seem.
If two characters are attracted to each but do not realize it or accept it I always feel a little frustrated with them. In no way did this detract from my enjoyment.
First published in 1998 this Alison Hope novel is an easy mystery thriller to read. I felt it was worthy of a four star rating.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Dr Quinn faces a murder charge when he returns home to find his wife’s burnt remains and his children missing. Alison Hope and Private Investigator George Kristianssen take on his case, Alison thinks Quinn is innnocent but she has a tough job to prove it. As she starts to investigate the case she finds that his wife had lots of secrets in her life which leads her to uncovering illicit social parties involving sex, drugs and underage sex. Can she solve the case as the end of the trial looms?
I loved the character of Amy Hope and all her past history. I hope we see this as the beginning of a series featuring her. This is gripping debut novel. The plot has many twists and turns and it is a definite read for crime and thriller lovers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Overall this is a good story. It is a bit slow to start with. I am glad I kept reading as it picked up pace and kept me reading to the end. It is only towards the very end that you find out if Geoff killed his wife. Up until then everything is being put together piece by piece. I thought that some of it was a bit unbelievable but overall the plot was complicated but plausible.

DEAD FISH is this author's first ..and only book to date. Alison Hope will be defending Dr. Geoffrey Quinn against a murder charge. His wife's remains are found in the boiler...nothing but bone pieces and ash ... and his two young children missing.

Quinn claims he is innocent, but has a hazy recollection of where he was the weekend his wife was killed. He claims someone was threatening his wife, but he doesn't know who. She would disappear for hours, but wouldn't tell him where she was going or had been.

She and her Private Investigator, George Kristianssen , are looking into the backgrounds of the Quinn family. What they find are secrets upon secrets upon lies. But they must be getting close to something somewhere, because bodies are dropping like flies. Now if only they could make the connection....

Where Alison shines is the courtroom. She's known for being prepared, determined to win her cases. But can she shed light on the truth and save her client?

Amazing twists and turns keep the pages turning. It's like seeing a roadside accident ... it's compelling and you just have to look. The characters are terrific. The author has done a bang up job in character development. I'm surprised that there hasn't been another book following ....

I enjoyed the courtroom drama, but I must admit, I was waiting for a Perry Mason moment .. but the ending was even more surprising.

Many thanks to the author / Thistle Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

Well... although I can agree with some of the reviewers here, I thought is a nice enough one to give it three stars. It kept my attention and I wanted to know what was really going on - although it wasn't hard to find out. For me, it was an enjoyable book and I would like to read more of this author.

I was slightly hesitant to read this book based on the reviews however I'm glad that I did as the ending was not expected at all!

It is a bit of a slow starter but once the first couple of chapters are over it becomes more interesting.

I only read the first few pages and then skipped to the ending because the book was so frustrating. The police inept and so determined to crucify Quinn for the kidnapping of his children and murder of his wife that I couldn't even keep reading. Just skipped to the ending to find out if he was innocent or not.

Dead Fish started off very well. Dr. Geoffrey Quinn is arrested for the murder of his wife. Authorities suspect his children are dead as well, but no bodies have been found.

Allison hope takes Quinn's case, but she isn't sure if she believes him and is certain that he is holding something back.



Unfortunately, as the book became a bit convoluted with red herrings and shocking crimes, the original promise did not hold up for me.

NetGalley/Thistle Publishing

Crime/Legal. March 29, 2018. (First published in 1999) Print length: 376 pages.

scheduled for March 15