Really enjoyed this book. Full of suspense with a full cast of well developed characters, the story was engaging and original. Really looking forward to the next book in the series.

I’m always on the lookout for new detective series’ and In Safe Hands which is the first in the DCI Anna Tate series is s great one.

Right from the beginning we are straight into the horror of gunmen in a nursery. The story is fast paced and thrilling, and DCI Tate is a fascinating central character. Her own story is just as interesting as the central storyline and also kept me gripped.

The book ends on a cliffhanger so I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

4☆ Race against the Clock, Suspenseful Police Thriller.

In Safe Hands is a gritty suspenseful crime thriller.
A first in a new police procedural series featuring DCI Anna Tate. One I'm looking forward to reading more.

This book is literally every parents worst nightmare!
I worked in schools and the thought of this happening gives me Chills!
When 9 children are taken from a nursery school by armed kidnappers, no one knows why or if they will ever see their children alive and safe again.

DCI Tate and her team are in charge of finding the missing children before time runs out.

I really liked Tate, her character was likeable, strong, she had a personal connection to the case which will be revealed in the story, so she was determined to find the children safely.
I'm really looking forward to getting to know her more as I believe she is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

In Safe Hands, is hard hitting, gripping, suspenseful, chilling, and in some ways a lil too real as this scenario could happen. It doesn't bare thinking about!
But what Carter has done is create a suspenseful and thrilling crime thriller, a cat and mouse, race against the clock that felt like a whirlwind. You can't help flicking the pages to discover what happens next, preying the children are returned safe!
I loved the added storyline for Tate running alongside. It helped build up a connection and I really felt for her.
The police procedural was cleverly written and believable.

What I will say is it does end on a clifhanger! But don't let that put you off as it's such a corker of a read! With perfectly dark undertones.
I'm really looking forward to reading the next instalment!

So if you really enjoy compulsive, gritty, race against the clock, police crime thrillers, with a cast of multi-layred characters then you will love In Safe Hands

Thank you to Avon Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Well this certianly was a shocking read! Absolutely full of gogreoulsy tense scenes that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, I never knew what to expect next that’s for sure! Not an author I have previously read from, but absolutely one I will be returning to without checking the Blurb. This was incredibly powerful, easily memorable! If you’re looking for a book that will delight you whilst creping you out, entertain while keeping you awake NEEDING to know what will happen, then you need this book.

I enjoyed this. An original and tense story of nursery children kidnapped. Why? Well read it to find out!
You’ll enjoy the rising horror as the story unfolds and the characters are very real.

Nine young children are abducted from their nursery in London and a ransom demand soon appears. The police officer in charge, DCI Anna Tate, has to investigate if the nursery owner, staff or even parents might be involved.

This was an enjoyable fast paced crime thriller. The chapters were short which made it very easy to dip in and out for a quick chapter or 2 while on the bus commute to work. I found the plot engaging, it held my interest, although perhaps a little unbelievable in a couple of places. There is a sub plot about the police officers own daughter who had been abducted several years previously and while the ending of the nursery children storyline was wrapped up, the story surrounding her own daughter was left open- presumably to be picked up in the next book. I would happily read more by this author and will look out for the next book.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This review is also published on Goodreads.

Are your children safe? This phrase kept going through my head the entire time I was reading this book.

One day, three men enter a local daycare and leave with all of the children. The workers are locked up in a closet. As the parents are called one by one, their biggest nightmare has come true.

Reading books where children are put in harms way is always a difficult task. In Safe Hands started out terrifying to me, but ended up being more of a whodunnit. This was a bit of a relief.

The story was original and the writing was at times intense. While I was able to figure out the mystery before it was revealed, the author did a great job of leaving just enough clues to lead you in the wrong direction…very clever.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

A police procedural with no recovering-alcoholic cops, or dead ex-wives needing to be avenged. Who’d have thunk it!?

In South London, nine children attend their nursery school as normal. But the day is plunged into disaster when three armed men enter the school and take the children hostage, locking the teachers in a room, one with severe head wounds.

DCI Anna Tate has to solve the case while the clock ticks and the ransom goes up by £1 million every day.

The distraught parents insist the ransom be paid, and as they start to fight amongst themselves, secrets come to light that mean there might be more to this kidnapping than Anna first thought.

But as the clock runs down, and with one child’s life on the line, can she figure it all out before it’s too late?

Okay, I’m gonna start by saying one something controversial.

I don’t like police procedurals.

I know I’m in the minority. They’re one of the most read genres in the book world. But I just don’t get the appeal. I find them formulaic, predictable, and full of stereotypes. It’s just not believable that there are that many troubled cops trying to get revenge for a partner’s death while dealing with an alcohol problem. No crime would ever get solved if these were real people!

So, I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading In Safe Hands. Carter doesn’t fall into these stereotypical traps in this police procedural.

While it’s true that Anna has a troubled backstory, it’s not cliched and she doesn’t let it get in the way of her doing her job. In fact, she goes out of her way to ignore it, even when her colleague tells her to pursue it.

There’s enough of her backstory to keep you interested, but it doesn’t interfere with the rest of the story. It’s all much more realistic.

Reading the last quarter of this book reminded me why I love reading.

It’s been a long time since I was so excited and on edge reading the ending of a book. It’s definitely one you’re gonna have to stay up all night to finish.

There are loads of twists and red herrings, but none of them feel forced or overdone, and each twist will make you kick yourself that you didn’t figure it out first.

The ending is satisfying (though there is a slight cliffhanger, so be prepared for a little frustration). As far as I know, this is the first in a series, so I’m waiting not-so-patiently for the next one to come out

An excellent read, I loved it, this is a brilliant police thriller which keeps the reader hooked all the way through. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and J.P. Carter for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I'm not normally a fan of police proceedurals as I find the details distract from the plot but in this case it was fine because DC Anna Tate didn't seem to actually be that good at her job and I was thoroughly gripped by the story! I felt the characterisation was well done and the pacing too. I'd probably read the next in the series.

WOW. Gripped by this. The premise is every parent’s worst nightmare and the writing is every bookworm’s dream come true. Can’t wait to read the next one!

Wow. What a story. Twists and turns. Edge of your seat tension as they race to find the missing children....

In Safe Hands is an unusual one- I wasn’t remotely interested in whodunnit or why from beginning to end, nor could I visualise any single character. Combined with DCI Anna Tate’s apparent lack of ability to organise an investigation, relying on lucky breaks entirely, I am left wondering what made me keep looking forward to picking it up, but I did and I enjoyed it.
This is a pacey, well written thriller, apart from some inconsistent dialogue and a couple of irritating sentences where Anna muses on the Tom’s good points.
Will I read the next one, I’m not on the edge of my seat at the cliff-hanger, I’m not sure.
With thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* 'In Safe Hands' is the first novel in a new series based around British detective DCI Anna Tate and I am very keen to get my hands on the next book in the series. Anna is called in to investigate the terrifying kidnapping of a group of toddlers from a London nursery school. If this scenario was not shocking enough, Anna's only child was kidnapped a decade ago by her ex-husband. The police are racing against the clock to recover the nine children and return them home to their families. At the same time, Anna is fighting to discover the truth of what happened to her own child, all those years ago. An intriguing, fast-paced read.

As a crime fiction fan I have always enjoyed reading police procedural novels, especially series from the beginning so that you can get to know characters and see their development as the series evolves, so when I first saw the synopsis for In Safe Hands I knew that this was one book I definitely wanted to read this year. And having finished reading it this weekend I can definitely say I loved this book from start to finish, this is the debut by the author under the name J. P. Carter but he has written under other names which I've not read so he is a new author to me.



When a call comes in saying that they've a live crime in progress, a hostage situation in a local nursery school, DCI Anna Tate and her team spring into action. But what awaits them is every parents nightmare, and one that Anna knows all too well herself, the staff have been locked up in a storeroom and the children are missing. Even though this case brings back painful memories for Anna of her own case, one that is still ongoing so she'd be forgiven for not wanting to be involved in this case, she's the ultimate professional and if anything it's her own experience that makes her the best person to be involved as she knows exactly how the parents will be feeling.



You knew quite early on what Anna's own personal situation was so could only imagine that this case would not have been particularly easy for her but she's determined to do her utmost to find the children and fast so that they can be reunited with their parents. I think because of her own experience Anna was a character you instantly warmed to, she was someone who could empathise with the parents, and the staff of the nursery, but also by spending time with them she could use her experience to look out for anything that might not be quite right in their behaviours. After all usually in crimes such as abductions there has to be a personal motive so the nursery school staff and parents were all under suspicion under they had been totally cleared.



If I had had the time I'm sure I would have flown through this book from start to finish as I was so invested in the story as much as Anna and her team were in investigating the crime. I wanted to know the reasons behind the abductions, who would want to take innocent young children away from what was supposed to be a place of safety and make their parents suffer in anguish waiting for news, but most importantly of all who was involved. And even though I had a small inkling in the back of my head at who was involved, I was still surprised at how the events all played out.



In Safe Hands was a great introduction to what promises to be an exciting new police procedural series, and like Anna I too want to know the answer to that final question so hopefully all will be revealed later in the year when At Your Door is published.

I enjoyed this title, but more than the main story I’m interested in catching up with the back story of the detectives missing child than was running through the book. Thank you for letting me read this book

Another interesting female detective with a past that threatens her professionalism. Anna is a likeable protagonist and her dilemmas are both realistic and relatable. She is the Senior Investigating Officer on a mass abduction case. She knows from personal experience what the parents are going through but can she be focused and objective enough to bring a successful outcome to a such a devastating event?

Having your children abducted at gunpoint is every parents' nightmare and this is uncomfortable reading at times. The stories of the children and their parents help to set the crime in context and present many possible motives and suspects. The characters' flaws make them believable and many of the parents are not easy to empathise.

Generally, this is a fast-paced story, which produces an authentic kidnap scenario. The suspense is created well and sustained throughout and the ending is satisfactory, although there are questions left for Anna that will no doubt be revisited in subsequent stories.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Anna Tate is the SIO of a case where 9 children have been kidnapped from nursery, and being held for a ransom of 6 million pounds, if not paid the ransom will go up 1 million pounds a day with a child being killed every day. Along the way we learn Anna’s daughter was taken by her ex husband ten years ago.

A good book although I guessed the twist quite early on in the book. I thouroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next in the series.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author, J. P. Carter, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of In Safe Hands in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book offered a good read. It was well thought out and written with engaging characters. I was on the edge of my chair trying to work out how it would end. Will definitely be reading more from this author.
3.5 stars.

I started In Safe Hands by J.P. Carter a little unsure about what I was going to get. I hadn’t read anything by the author before and I had long forgotten the blurb that I had read a few months previous.

So I was totally unprepared for the ride that was to come. I was immediately sucked into the story, I suspect that few could resist finding themselves drawn into a story that involves nine young children being kidnapped from their nursery.

DCI Anna Tate is put in charge of the investigation and we quickly learn something about Anna’s past that makes her the best person for the job, but could also mean that the impact of it on her could tip her over the edge.

I loved pretty much everything about this book, I just wanted to keep reading it, desperate to find out whether the children would return home safely and who exactly was behind this awful crime.

I changed my mind quite regularly when trying to work out who was behind it, and I love a book that keeps me on my toes. It was very cleverly done and kept the pace fast, I quickly found myself racing towards the end, desperate to find out what was going to happen but also not wanting the book to end.

There are many, many books out there with a female detective these days, but this book proves that there is still room for more. I really liked Anna Tate and I’m delighted that this is book one in the series and so there will be more. I can’t wait to see what book two will bring!