I have read and enjoyed many of this author's previous books and I can't believe she wrote this one.  The first and last 10% of the story was very interesting and exciting.  But I felt the 80% in between very slow, confusing and basically uninteresting.  There is very little story and it drags and drags. The lead character's lack of memory, dreams etc I thought was annoying and sometimes confusing.  And the format is VERY English.  I felt like I was guessing at all the abbreviations of law enforcement...MMP, SOCO, SMIU, TPU???  Then there were the "braying gobshite", "high-spec clobber" and "crab goch". I didnt warm to any of the characters until the very end of the story.  The relationship warmed it up a bit.  And, I realize the English don't carry guns but I would assume they do get training to handle and shoot a gun if they are ever issued one.  Yet the lead was hopeless in a perfectly defendable situation. That frustrated me. This book was nothing like her other books.  And I would not recommend it.

It is amazing how this author manages to describe the environments in which her books are developed in such a way that you almost find yourself there. Because the weather play as important a role as any of the characters in their stories. And also she discovers to us the plot gradually and without tricks or deceptions, which is welcomed when you face a mystery or thriller.

So this story begins with a car accident in which a woman dies and another is badly wounded and with amnesia. And from here, little by little, we discover parts of the past, at the same time that the protagonist is remembering them, until completing a history of police corruption and delinquency, well paced and that keeps you guessing and waiting for more.

There is a bit of romance in the middle, which does not bother at all and which complements well the moments of tension and action of the story. But it is mainly the police plot that keeps you in suspense. 

It has been a very entertaining and recommendable book.

<i>An ARC was sent to me from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley for an honest review </i>

Cari Hunter gas a new book out, Alias. You don’t need to read further to know that this is a damn good book. It was written by Hunter, a damn good book is guaranteed each time she puts one out? I will expand because this is my review, DUH :), but one thing you can count on is that when you pick up a book by Hunter it is going to be awesome. She is an amazing author that weaves intricate tales and keeps you right on the edge of your seat. 

Alias introduces us to a woman, Rebecca Elliott, who has been severely injured in an automobile accident. She has large gaps in her memory and has no clue who she is and how the accident happened. The passenger how was riding with her is deceased and the Welsh police are asking questions about what happened on that fateful night. The clues just aren’t adding up, something is definitely off. I won’t go into more details, I’ll just leave you with this Rebecca is not who she seems and there is a big ol’ can of worms about to get opened. 

Detective Bronwen Pryce was the first one the scene. She has a gut instinct that this automobile accident is way more than what it seems. Nothing fits and something continues to niggle at her mind. Pryce refuses to let things go and write this off as an accident. She needs to know more about Rebecca Elliott and why she was headed out of town in such a hurry. 

In Alias, I loved the mystery, crime, suspense of the book. I thought it was done fabulously. Perfect if you will. What nags me about this book is I thought the romance was misplaced, ill-timed and surprisingly unnecessary. If it wasn’t a romance it would have been better, it just didn’t help the book at all. It felt like an afterthought that was pasted into the book and didn’t really jive with the characters or the flow of the story. It would have been so much better if the characters had a moment in the end when everything was squared away and all the I's were dotted and the T's were crossed. 

Overall a fabulous mystery that I highly recommend. 4 stars

I’ve never read a book by Cari Hunter that I haven't loved and Alias lived up to my high expectations. It became available to me soon after I finished the third of her Dark Peaks trilogy so I was able to fangirl-mode right into it. 

It is an absolute joy to read Cari Hunter’s books. I’m so thankful I have stumbled across her at the point where there have been a few books to binge on. It is no secret that I think she is one of the finest authors currently, and she has re-awakened my interest in crime thrillers after many years of reading solely romances. It’s a bonus that she is writing novels about regional parts of the UK.

Alias is written in the first person through-out, which is different to her other books and I found this quite refreshing. 

The plot starts off with a car crash on a Welsh country road. The woman driver finds herself alive, confused as to who the dead woman beside her is, and then frustrated she doesn’t remember anything about herself, including her name, or why she was driving through Wales. 

The opening scene brought tears to my eyes when I realised a great writer was going to be looking after the next few hours of my reading pleasure. 

The local Police spend their time trying to work out if she should be prosecuted and she decides to keep tight-lipped about the small pieces of information that start to come back to her through her fugue while she is hospitalised, and then for the short while after she is released.

The rest of the book is about her finding out whether she is a goody or a baddy; whether she should trust Detective Bronwen Pryce, or, in fact, any of the other characters who tell her
they are friends and colleagues. Cari makes us wonder about everyone until the very end of the novel. 

The details! The details! Cari just loads her pages with perfect details about what is happening to the characters. There is never anything to stutter over. I never have to read a sentence twice because I didn’t understand it, or lose track of the easy-going flow. 

I had to note the parts which made me beam during this book so I could re-read them at leisure. That’s it! Cari Hunter makes me beam while reading her books. 

Her character’s legs are ‘wobblier than watered-down jelly’, they find ‘novelty of two cooperating lungs’, their ‘fingers poke out’ (from her splint) ‘as fat as unpopped sausages.’

Cari doesn’t simply give her characters goose pimples - they ‘tickle as they rise along her arm.’ They use ‘the painted numbers on the wheelie bins to gauge’ their progress down the street. When they eat they try ‘at first to isolate flavours and then giving up and simply enjoy the mix.’ Their stomach doesn’t just rumble; eating silences their ‘gastric percussion and leaves them with a stitch to walk off.’ The weather isn't cold, it is ‘brittle cold.’  

The amnesia aspect had me in tears at points. There are people who possibly may no longer be alive and when she meets her friend for the ‘first time’ I became quite emotional.

As per her other books Cari has humorous moments throughout Alias. 

The character is ‘sure that my choice of forget-me-nots wasn’t intended to be ironic.’ And there is a car-buying scene which make me laugh out loud. 

There is no CSI Effect in this book. Some blood testing will be ‘four to five weeks at best’ rather than the four to five hours it can sometimes be in fiction. 

I’m really sorry to learn there are no plans to take these characters further. Cari writes well-rounded characters with believable back stories and I would have loved to have seen a couple of the ones in this book teased out a little more in at least one sequel. 

Don’t be picking this book up if you are looking for bodice-ripping sex. It just isn't there. Part of me cries out for more than Cari usually offers us, the part of me which craves romances. Holy Crap! She can sure write sex when she wants to but, people, this. is. a. crime. novel. 

She could have put more sex in, but then it wouldn’t be true to itself, she wouldn’t be true to herself, and the novel would suffer for reader-driven gratuitous sex scenes which aren’t necessary to the plot. 

If you would like recommendations for that kind of book let me know and I’ll introduce you to different genres and different authors. 

For now, sit back and enjoy good down-to-earth well-written crime fiction.

Favourite Quote: 

“Should’ve planned ahead and brought a flask,” I say. “Chocolate without a brew is like Mel without Sue.”

She nods. “Everything I know about rough puff pastry, I learned from those two.”

Absolute perfection. A very exciting crime novel that kept me reading on. I hurried so much that I might have missed some elements, but I'll be reading it again, or better yet, listen to the audiobook version. 
Cari Hunter at her best (she keeps getting better if it's even possible). 
The novel is in first person narrative that took some getting used to but it worked well.

Alias was actually the first book I read by this author, and it was very good. I loved how the two main characters developed over time, especially from stoicism and mistrust to braving true emotions. I also enjoyed the characters’ tone and the author’s use of certain phrases associated with her character’s ethnicity. This added to the realism of the story along with the very descriptive settings of England and Wales. 
The plot was very entertaining. As more characters came into play, the mystery deepened and the engagement level heightened. The main characters were very likable, but you also felt their extreme need and drive for answers, closure, and justice. 
This was a great read and I look forward to reading other books by this author.

wow. I couldn't put this down. I loved the way it's written through the eyes of Alis-who has amnesia. 
The first person narrative is quick moving and draws you in right from the beginning...and doesn't let you go. Alis and Pryce are no Sanne and Meg (Dark Peak series)....but I felt the romance there. There was just so much else going on it definitely took a back seat...even to them. But, truly, I didn't mind.
This is a great read.
Cari Hunter fans won't be disappointed. Honestly, my only complaint....is the cover!! UGH

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this author and this is  another action packed story which grips you from page one. A wee bit of romance added in and this amounts to a great book -I highly recommend.

'NetGalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'

**'The most beautiful stories always start with wreckage..Go deeper into your story than you ever thought possible--and then go deeper still..'

Prodigious story!
Though certainly a tearjerker, ALIAS is deeply intense,poignant,unique,has that touch of the classic Cari Hunter writing style,and a perfect balance for any reader. With plotlines that could be taken from today's headlines,combining sensitive handling of impossible decisions with realistic descriptions of the fear & anger one feels when they are about to loose everything (life/freedom)--when put in any dangerous situation. Although this book is not so much a serious thriller,Ms.Hunter does a remarkable job of maintaining the suspense & mystery as the storylines converge and we/readers get to learn what did happened to the bold,feisty and strong-will Alis after the accident. Few authors can reveal such a dramatic switch early on and still maintain the mystery & intrigue. Her pacing is bolstered by her use of four narrators: Alis,Pryce,Jolanta,other supporting characters, each with their own voice and driving passion to move this storyline along. Hunter's ability to write such distinct backstories for these characters plus the incredible plot twists and intense fighting scenes was the highlight of the book for me,as it gave a real insight into most of what really took place while Alis was UC for all those months--allowing us/readers to keep track of this development while reading. Kudos to the author because she has clearly done her research and it shows in every chapter with all the careful word choice: UK Law enforcement etc.. Additionally some of her once complex characters must also face thorny situation to make their own happy ending. ( Cheers to Lex's review also!) Recommended!

4.25 Stars. It’s a Hunter book need I say more? I’ve been impatiently waiting to read this since I heard about it months ago. I’m a Hunter fan and truly believe she is one of the best lesfic crime writers out there. I’m happy to say this was just pure entertainment.

A woman wakes up in a car that has been in a horrible accident. She doesn’t know who she is or the dead passenger next to her. Detective Bronwen Pryce is called to the scene of an accident to find a woman barely conscience. Pryce can’t prove anything but something about this accident and this woman is telling her much more is going on. Can a woman with amnesia and the detective find out all the answers before it is too late?

I’m always a fan of an amnesia storyline in crime/mystery/action books. It makes it so surprises can be at any turn. I also liked that this was first person POV with the amnesia character. We find out everything as she does so the clues from the mystery unfold really well. Also being in her head you really felt everything her character was going through.

I enjoyed the setting of England and Whales. I like that Hunter doesn’t dumb things down for us American readers. There were phrases and items I had to look-up but for me that made the book feel very authentic.

My one tiny complaint was the sort of romance was a little lacking. I would have liked to have felt there were more feelings between the two characters before they jumped into bed. Sleeping together just because is fine, but if I’m going to believe these two might become a couple, I need a tad more. It’s a small complaint in comparison to how enjoyable the rest of the book was.

This was an entertaining read with mystery and excitement. If you are a Hunter fan definitely grab this. If you are a crime-mystery fan don’t pass this one up. This is the kind of book that I’m sorry when it’s over. I wish I was back at the beginning instead of the end.