Cover Image: In Safe Hands

In Safe Hands

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Member Reviews

Those who are familiar with my reviews know I’m not keen on ‘series books’ or books that feature individual detectives and/or police as the ‘stars’. This was better than expected but did not really draw me in and I don’t think I’ll be reading anymore DCI Anna Tate stories, not even to find out what happened to her daughter! I know however that there is a massive market for these kind of books so I’m sure it will do really well. My thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for my ARC in return for an honest review.

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Fab read. Could not put down. Highly recommended to all. Believable characters. Great author. Will be watching out for more titles.

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I thought this was a first novel, so it was surprising to discover it's written by an established author.

Nine children are snatched from a nursery and a ransom demanded. That's the plot in a nutshell, so I expected this to be really exciting. Instead, I guessed the mastermind early on, it was so obvious.

There's a lot of unnecessary telling a good editor should have sorted; likewise, the dialogue is stilted and unrealistic at times. The whole book should have been so much better.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

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*thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Woah. What an amazing story this was! I'm definitely a fan of DCI Anna Tate and can't wait to read more about her. This story was so fast paced and grabbed my attention and ran with it. I was never able to work out who was involved or how I thought this story would pan out. 9 little children are kidnapped one morning from a nursery. There are so many points in the story made and leave you wondering how this is all going to turn out. I was not disappointed in anyway and think the author did a brilliant job. It was so well written that I didn't want it to end. I also can not think of anything that I didn't like about this. Sure there was a character or two I didn't like once I found out more about them but the writing style and actual storyline were great.

There is also a second story underneath the main, which is the fact that 10 years ago, DCI Anna Tate's daughter was kidnapped and never found. So while she's on the team heading up the investigation of trying to find these 9 missing kids, her past gets brought into the light. But that's all I can say.

I'm a big fan of missing/kidnapped children stories and this is one was such a compelling read. Highly recommended.

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This is a brilliant modern thriller. It's the first in a series about DCI Anna Tate. Fantastic storyline, nine young children are snatched from their nursery school. Fantastic, couldn't put it down.

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I have had this book a while on my kindle and been meaning to get round to reading it. When I realised the next book, AT YOUR DOOR was soon to be released I decided to get stuck in and make a start of this one.
It was a good, interesting yet easy read. A difficult subject matter with it being about kidnapping. As a parent something like this would be one of your worst nightmares. This books makes you think about how you would cope should it have been you. It's a scary thought.
DC Anna Tate is investigating a when 9 children have been kidnapped from a nursery. With something like this, everyone becomes a suspect. Parents are on the edge, tempers are flaring.
This story moves along brilliant and really did grab my attention from the opening pages.
There was at times some parts that I found myself getting emotional, this story is one that you feel you are involved with.
I like the character of Anna Tate and I look forward to reading more in this series.

The first book in a gripping new crime series, perfect for fans of Angela Marsons’ Detective Kim Stone Series and LJ Ross’ DCI Ryan Mystery series.

I have previously read some of this authors other works and really enjoyed them. when I started this book that I didn't realise this author writes under another name also, I'm glad I hadn't realised as I feel I would have probably been comparing them.

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Well this was a ride! I was totally hooked from the start of it and was rooting for Anna and all the children. The book was told by the detective and one of the kidnapped kids mum and it had me on the edge of my seat.

DC Anna Tate is basically investigating a school bus that’s taken hostage with 9 kids on from a nursery, the parents had their own secrets to hide and I was constantly guessing what was going to happen next and who had organised the kidnapping, and I didn’t figure it out until the author told us 😂

Fast paced and gripping it was a really good book and one that will have you by the balls tnroughout, can’t wait for the next instalment

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In Safe Hands is a fast moving and emotional crime thriller. Children from a London nursery are kidnapped and the race is on to rescue them. This was an interesting read with a compelling protagonist in the lead detective whose daughter also went missing several years before. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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A parents nightmare is one that involves their child being kidnapped. Made worse again if that child is reliant on medication. When 9 children are taken from a nursery it is a race against time for DCI Anna Tate to find them as a media frenzy is in a full whirlwind of speculation and finger-pointing.

This is such a hard review for me to write because as much as I enjoyed the story I found it hard to connect to. Saying that I also found it had a hold on me that kept me reading to discover the truth.

The premise for the story is one that caught my eye and also that it is the start of a new series. The plot itself was good and so were the characters. Given that there are 9 sets of parents, teachers and police it would have been easy for the author to get bogged down with so many characters. Instead, the author chose to focus on the parents of the child requiring medication. The other parents do get the odd look in, but in keeping them in the background it kept the flow of the story moving t a good pace.

DCI Anna Tate has a backstory that compliments the kidnapped children. Now, this character I really didn't take to, I am really not sure why! Was it her backstory that felt a little too convenient? I am not sure! There was just something I couldn't pinpoint.

I felt that things fell into place a little too quickly and conveniently, for me it gave it a slightly rushed feel. I did get an inkling as to who was behind the kidnapping, although not the reasons behind it. That said I did enjoy the story and would recommend it to other crime readers and I will be keeping my eye out for further books in this series.
3.5 Stars

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This is a chilling, hold-your-breath book and I’m so excited to hear it’s the first in a new series. I must be vigilant and keep a look out for the rest. The cliff-hanging ending has me in tatters already. It’s a multi-layered novel, but the main two themes are the abduction of nine children from a nursery school with a group who play cat and mouse with them and DCI Anna Tate’s background story. The inclusion of Liam and his Cystic Fibrosis was interesting and his parents’ marriage. There are so many warm, compassionate characters and in contrast, lots of low-lives too. The clock is ticking to find the children before the threats of the abductors are carried out. In an incident like this one expects that it will arouse and bond community spirit, but there are underlying seeds of dislike, suspicion and tensions that exacerbate several nasty blame-game episodes. It’s extraordinary how such matters can expose the best and the worst in people and their webs of lies and deceit. Attempting to unravel the relevant information through all the lies and secrets is a tremendous job for the detectives. I did wonder if the detectives did a sluggish job by wasting too much time following up unnecessary leads with losers (our red herrings) when it was clearly a well-thought-out plan by a bigger brain at the source. They seemed to miss a lot of clues. Nice to see Sky News involved. Where was their famous Sky helicopter looking for the minibus? Or police helicopters? Not enough funding? Couldn’t put the book down it was so tense and compelling. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

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Absolutely raced through this book, couldn't put it down! I was gripped from the first page and as the plot moves along at a really good pace, it becomes compulsive. Some really good twists and turns towards the end and the reveal surprised me. Enjoyed DCI Anna Tate's character and am glad to see this will be the start of a series.

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This was a tense, non stop action, police procedural story. It is based around the kidnapping of nine children from their day nursery. Lots of twists and turns and surprise disclosures which keeps the involvement high. A cliff-hanger conclusion

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Scary, disturbing and thrilling. My first read of JP Carter, and I am pretty sure that it wont be my last. I ended up, literally on the edge of the seat reading this.

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This was a debut novel by this talented author, so I did not know what to expect. And wow, was I surprised!
The book starts off nice and sweetly, then evolves into a very scary for most parents, what if your child gets abducted.
This was really a very well written book, and I finished it in one sitting. Highly recommended.

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This book is a gritty suspenseful crime thriller
The first in a series and I can’t wait to read more
The author has created a book full of suspense. My only criticism would be the ending as it ends on a cliffhanger

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In Safe Hands – J.P.Carter

This is the first book written by the above author as J.P.Carter but I have read books from Jamie and James Raven. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed and I just couldn’t put it down, a word of warning make sure when you start this that you have plenty of time to read. This is number one in a new series of police procedural and I’m just hoping that the books to follow are as good as this one.

May I introduce you to DCI Anna Tate we start this book with nine children from Peabody Nursery being kidnapped. The parents are called to the nursery to allow the police to both notify and speak to them altogether. Anna discovers that Liam one of the children has Cystic Fibrosis and needs both medication and physiotherapy at regular intervals throughout the day to keep him alive. Then there is a ransom of six million pounds pay or watch them be killed one by one starting with Grace another of the children.

As the SIO of the case she is putting extra pressure on herself to find these children due to the fact that her own daughter who was abducted by her ex-husband more than ten years ago. She has never recovered from her loss and has never stopped looking for Chloe. Suddenly after all these years she receives a message on social media that a chap needs to speak to her regarding his part in her daughters abduction. She hopes and prays that finally she will get the information that she needs.

The more we read we learn that things are not as they seem. Anna discovers that a few of the parents have been keeping secrets. Sue the owner has her own secrets; she has been sued and been having an affair with one of the parents. There’s so much happening in this book that I am going to stop here so I can keep the secrets under wraps so not to spoil for anyone else.

I’ll definitely be recommending this book to everyone and every other bookworm I know, in fact I’ve already done so with a couple of my family members.


Read for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Publishers

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What a page turner! Must be a kidnappers worst nightmare….9 toddlers to look after. A clever plot and certainly a kidnapping scenario I would never have imagined, however it’s chillingly possible.
As soon as Ruth entertained the possibility her husband may be having an affair, I’d mentally paired off her husband Liam with Sarah (the owner of the nurseries) but can’t think why. Maybe her intelligence and beauty and his job in software but was it just mutual attraction?
A few initiatives were lost by DCI Anna Tate, one was in not securing the telephony data on the incoming calls to Michael and Ingrid Palmer who admitted their son had called them. Even if a ‘burner’ had been used there may have been vital triangulation information from the cellular operators. The novel ended with a cliff-hanger….was she any closer to finding her own daughter Chloe?

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I received this ARC through netgalley and it did not disappoint. it was a very fast paced book which was easy to get into and I raced throug it in one sitting. I guessed one of the culprits about halfway through the book but that didn't stop the enjoyument, I can't wait to see what Anna Tate does next and whether she finds Chloe.

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This is Book 1 of a crime series featuring DCI Anna Tate and I was hooked straight away.

Nine young children go to nursery in South London as usual....all routine, but then all manner of mayhem breaks out...the nursery is besieged by armed men who take nine children hostage.

DCI Anna Tate, a decent and successful cop, none of the usual traits found in most female cop based novels...no bad temper, no drinking or laddishness just good at her job. She knows exactly how these parents are feeling though as her own daughter was kidnapped 10 years ago but never never found...

The story really revolves round the parents and the investigation and also touches on Anna’s and her missing daughters case in a clever mix of emotions and the professional, determined way Anna works in this gripping thriller.

I found Anna a really likeable character and the tension and emotions were given life by JP Carter’s compelling writing....I can absolutely recommend it and I’ll definitely be looking out for more in the series....

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

#NetGalley #InSafeHands

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A totally different book with a different premise to the norm. I must say I loved this book with a female lead character that also has her own backstory.
The characters were believable and had me hooked with an excellent team that I am sure will develop as the books unfold.
The story twists and turns and leaves a cliff hanger at the end. I will certainly be reading the next one in the series.

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