This is my first book by Helen Durrant and won’t be my last. Full of suspense and mystery, I was engaged right from the start in this story. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more.

DI Matt Brindle is called into solve the murder of an estate agent who was supposed to be showing someone around a house for sale instead the possible buyer finds the estate agent dead. A new DS Kate Baxter is joining DI Brindle's team and is expected to hit the ground running. As usual for Helen H Durrant's books there are many twists and turns which all come together in the end. This book draws you in from the beginning and keeps you reading and wanting more.

I had an extremely difficult time getting through this book. The plot itself was fairly well-done. However, the sheer number of characters was extremely frustrating. I counted 23 character introductions in the first four chapters alone, which is just way too many. Granted, a few were introduced to help the plot along and then never referred to again, but that’s okay. It was the multitude of other characters who drove the plot that really got to me. When I have to keep checking the character list to remind myself of the connections between characters, it takes me out of the action of the plot, which I really do not like. This book reminded me of British mystery/drama television shows. I do enjoy watching those, even though they also tend to introduce a bunch of characters and then let the watcher sort it all out over the course of the show. This works when I can put faces and actions with characters; it does not work when it’s names on a page. Unfortunately, this caused me to go in and out of the plot so much, that I didn’t feel like I got the true continuity of the story. This is a shame, because I was looking forward to reading this book. Ultimately, it just became a frustration, so that by the time of the big reveal, I was just glad I didn’t have to try to remember who everyone was anymore. I understand that this author has a popular series with some of the same characters. Perhaps reading those first might have helped me with this one, so I would make that recommendation to anyone wanting to read this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Joffee Books, and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Matt Brindle but cannot be enjoyed as a standalone book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book so I was looking forward to learning more about Matt and his team. He is joined by a new member of the team, DS Kate Baxter who we find has quite a few problems in her own life. They are called to investigate the death of an estate agent in the house he was showing to a prospective buyer. On searching the house Matt and Kate make a gruesome discovery of some body parts of a young woman. They then have to find if these two deaths are linked and also if the added disappearance of a young girl is also connected. Matt is convinced that these crimes are connected to the death of his previous DS and also his recent attack, but can he find this link? The Other Victim has a strong storyline with plenty of suspects and is a very enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Excellent book! Have read all the other books by Helen and she never lets you down! This is a murder mystery and keeps you enthralled right to the end! Thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down!

(rounded up from 4.5)

DI Matt Brindle has a lot on his plate, dealing with a new Detective Sergeant from Manchester and trying to keep his mother happy as he opens up their estate to the public. Then the body of estate agent Ronald Potter
is found in a house that he was about to show to a buyer.

The mystery deepens as a skeleton is found in the basement at the same time a young mum disappears. It’s up to Matt and his team to dig to the bottom of the mystery.

So this is the second book in the Matt Brindle series, I have not had a chance to read the first novel, His Third Victim, but I can safely say this can be read as a stand-alone without missing too much.

I have no idea where to start with this novel, there’s just so much packed into it! There’s murder, kidnapping, dodgy business men, gangsters...see what I mean? That isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.

I’ve previously read Helen’s excellent Bayliss and Calladine series but dare I say it I think I enjoyed this even more! It’s hard to explain why exactly but I felt there was just this more Northern feel to it which tends to get lost in books sometimes even when they’re set in the North of England.

The characters are fantastic too. Brindle with his snobbish mother, huge country estate and is still haunted by the death of his old partner. The new girl Kate who is trying to deal with her wayward baby brother and sick mother. Then there’s DC Lily Haines who is young and a little inexperienced but she is good detective and seems kind hearted.

I have to be honest the ending felt a little...confusing and as I’m writing this review I’m still processing exactly what happened but I could not have predicted what happened at all.

Overall The Other Victim is packed with plenty of murder and mayhem with a good line up of suspects that will keep you guessing until the end.

Really enjoyable, fast paced and gritty. The characters were strong and although I felt it got a bit muddled at times, it was only because there was so much going on and this didn't detract from my enjoyment.
When an Estate Agent is found dead DI Matt Brindle has the job of trying to find out who would want a seemingly boring man dead. He is joined by a new DS Kate Baxter and the investigation leads him to find bones in the cellar of the house the Estate Agent was killed in. It quickly turns into a much more complex case than he could have imagined.
With problems at home (a stately manor that he has just opened to the public), this being his first case back after being injured on the job, and a quite prickly new DS to contend with Matt has to try to keep focused and find not only the killer but also a missing local girl. The twists and turns kept me on my toes and I read it over two days because once I got past half way I had to know how it ended!
This is the first Helen H Durrant book I have read but I will certainly be reading more..

I .

4.5 Stars


DI Matt Brindle is back after a medical leave of absence. His leg was injured in a work-related explosion and he's battled with himself deciding if he wanted to return to work or not. The decision was taken out of his hands when his boss called him in to investigate a murder.

Ronald Potts is found dead on the kitchen floor of a house that he was about to show a client. Brindle and his team cannot find any reason for his death, By all accounts, he was a nice man, quiet, kept to himself and did his job.

However, the dead man may have had secrets. The police find another body in the cellar ..one that's been there quite a while. Identity may be next to impossible as it's not an entire body and what they find has been burned.

So far, what Matt has is a dead real estate agent, a pile of female bones, a dead club owner. underage dancers at said club, and some of them are missing.

Matt has a new team member who has her own agenda, especially when it comes to her brother.

There are twists and turns galore with a riveting ending. Reading this author's other books/series, I expected a suspenseful mystery filled with nefarious suspects and otherwise, solid characters ... and I was not disappointed. I really enjoy the blend of Matt's professional life intertwined with the personal.

This is the second of this series, and although is easily read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend starting with the first book.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley / Books n All Promotions / JIll Burkinshaw for the advanced digital copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This is the second book in the Matt Brindle series and, although the main story is self-contained, like most main characters, he is a little complex and so, to get to know him better you really would be better of reading book one first.
In this book we follow him as he tries to investigate the death of an Estate agent, found in a pool of blood in a house he was just about to show. Sadly, this investigation stalls before it even gets started and the police are flummoxed as to motive let alone figuring out who the perpetrator is. But then a more intensive search of the property kicks up a second gruesome discovery and it becomes a race against time to get to the bottom of things.
I have read and enjoyed all of this author's books thus far. Yes they are your bulk standard Police Procedural, but they are very good examples of the genre and keep my attention nicely throughout and leave me satisfied at the end. Basically, they give me what I need from a book to be a good, solid read.
In this book Matt has some new members of his team to get to know and indeed, get to grips with. This gives the book some good banter and interaction between them all which I do love in a book. At the same time, on a personal front, he is still trying to make ends meet, using the Estate to bring in some money but, at the same time, trying to keep his mother as happy as possible! As his investigation progresses, we see another side of him as it gets a wee bit personal. I love the development of his character, yes he's a tad stereotyped; wounded, suffered loss, out for revenge but aren't most leads in this genre a bit that way so there's nothing wrong with that at all.
The main crime part of the story flows well. It twists and turns as it goes along as you would expect, with a few red herrings along the way.
All in all, a good addition to an already impressive back catalogue. Fans of Police Procedurals should enjoy. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is the second in the series featuring detective Matt Brindle who isn't your average policeman as his mother is a lady who lives in the family mansion. There's lot's to get your teeth into and it takes some concentration to follow all the characters but it's certainly worth it. A great Read

I really liked this book! It was full of tense moments and the story seemed to flow very naturally! The characters were believable and I enjoyed reading it a lot.

I would like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Other Victim’ by Helen H Durrant in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Estate agent Ronald Potter is found stabbed to death in a house he’s selling. DI Matt Brindle and his new sergeant Kate Baxter are brought in to find his killer but are unable to find a reason why anyone should want him dead. Meanwhile, a young woman Kaz has been chained up in a cellar and tortured until she reveals the whereabouts of a friend.
Matt is convinced that somehow these crimes are connected to his recent attack and the death of his previous sergeant Paula but can he find the link?
In ‘The Other Victim’ we again meet Matt Brindle and his team, but this time joined by Kate Baxter who has her wayward brother Zane to keep an eye on as well as wanting to make a good impression in her new job. This is an enjoyable police thriller with lots of suspects, although maybe too many as times as it became difficult to remember who’s who. There’s a strong storyline that fits together nicely and quite a few twists and turns, building up to a dramatic conclusion. It’s easy to read and kept me guessing till the end.

Another decent instalment in this now well established series, admittedly I prefer the Greco series but that's personal taste.
The plot is fast paced and well written with the return of several members of the same team.
The conclusion is perfectly set up to introduce the next book

4 and 1 / 2 stars

This is the second in the DI Matt Brindle series.

Estate Agent Ronald Potter is found dead at a home around which he was to show two women. He was found with a knife sticking out of his abdomen. Potter was said to be abrupt and cantankerous, but certainly was no reason to kill him. DI Matt Brindle and his team are assigned the case. Currently he is at home on his estate renovating and recovering from a previous injury.

DC Lily Haines joins Matt for his interviews. DS Kate Baxter, new to the force and the team, joins Matt and Lily for a search of Ronald’s home. Kate is more than a little abrasive. Matt and Lily are not too sure about her attitude. When Matt and Kate go to the sale house and examine it closely. Going down in the coal chute, they make a gruesome discovery. Was this the reason Potter was killed? To protect the secret? When they speak to the next door neighbor, they learn something interesting.

Meanwhile, Karen Fletcher is missing. Matt is tasked with going to talk to the mother. Karen is sixteen and a six-week old son. The story is interspersed with vignettes about what is happening to a young woman. A burned body is found inside a car in the canal.

The Karen Fletcher case grows with the introduction of gangsters, strip joints, lies and cover ups. Matt wonders if all this has to do with Ronald Potter’s death. The cases get thornier and there seem to be tentacles growing everywhere. The small team is frustrated that they don’t seem to be making any progress and with the lies and evasions they are getting from witnesses.

Matt receives some astounding and devastating news. He begins to make connections. Kate goes missing. An altercation occurs in a hospital room and Matt makes an arrest. The team follows the clues and it leads them to a break. As the crime syndicate begins to crumble, the cases begin to get solved.

Helen Durrant is a wonderful writer. Her books are superb. Her writing is excellent and tight; there is nothing in this book that does not aid the story. The plotting is simple and straightforward; one event follows another in a logical progression. I anxiously await the next Helen Durrant novel.

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

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc.

While this was the 2nd Matt Brindle book and I haven't read the first one, I had no trouble coming late to this series. Although I do want to read the first one! This was a well-paced, fast read with bad guys everywhere!
And just a small police team after them. Actually, there were several police teams after them... But this book focused on just one team and just a small, convoluted part of the crimes committed by the bad guys! The characters of the involved police team, while not perfect were absolutely believable and credible making the action very plausible. While there were some brutal crimes involved, they were well written without any over-the-top technicolor details. (I don't mind gory violence, but I know a lot of folks don't). Another solid book from this author and I hope this series continues.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Helen Durrant is fast becoming one of my favourite murder mystery/police writers. I love the fact that her people are real - no-one is wholly good or bad. They have loves the same as all of us. This one is no different. Matt Brindle isn't an ordinary copper living in a semi, but he has the same worries as everyone else.

Well worth a read.

Detective Matt Brindle returns to solve another murder in Durrant’s latest mystery. I enjoy Durrant’s pacing and her ability to create realistic characters, from stolid and dependable Brindle, his old school and vehemently unapologetic boss to new DS Kate Baxter, who has an attitude to match her frenetic home life

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book
I thought this was a well thought out fast paced mystery with. Believable engaging characters.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Other Victim, the second novel to feature DI Matt Brindle of the East Pennine police.

When estate agent Ronald Potter is stabbed to death in one of the houses he is selling Brindle and the team are tasked with the investigation but with no obvious motive it is difficult until a discovery in the cellar adds a further puzzling dimension to the case and if that wasn't enough, the team are also asked to look into missing teenager Kaz Fletcher. How it all links together is the meat of the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Victim which is an easy read that held my attention from start to finish. There is never a dull moment so I found myself turning the pages compulsively, eager to find out what was coming next. It's not difficult to follow but the relationship between the characters is complex and the reason behind it (apart from being unreasonable) only emerges slowly as the novel progresses and that I found intriguing. The pace is fairly frenetic with plenty of twists and action and yet, it doesn't seem so as Ms Durrant has such a readable style of writing.

The characters are fairly standard for the genre with Brindle being fairly normal, i.e. no noticeable vices and the quirk of owning a stately home in need of money and maintenance. New start DS Kate Baxter is a more interesting character with a prickly character which can make her unlikeable at times and a chaotic home life and I have a real soft spot for the boss, Superintendent Talbot Dyson, an unreconstructed dinosaur with a soft heart and some good lines.

The Other Victim is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.