Reading this was rather like being dropped into the actual events. It’s fast in pace, particularly during the opening chapters, tense and a genuine page turner.

The story starts by introducing a nursery serptting, the children and adults who’ve arrived one morning and all’s well. Suddenly three men abduct the children and lock the adults in a cupboard, after attacking and injuring one of the women. They have a hidden cell phone and call the police. The stage is set for the investigating officer to lead and the story centres on how events unfold as DCI Tate organises the scene, people and enquiries.

The chapters are short and sharp, moving the plot forward in pacy bites. It’s well constructed and it kept my attention throughout. A well written thriller which was almost too plausible, with a lot of attention to detail. Really enjoyed it and my thanks to the publisher for an advance copy via Netgalley.

I liked this book, I thought that the story was interesting and a great angle.
I liked the main characters and caught myself gasping aloud a few times.
I guessed who the criminal was relatively early in the book.
I liked the masses of detail throughout the book, as it was pitched well, and I could visualise the setting.,
I was a bit disappointed with the ending of the book and felt that it was rushed. It could have been so much more.
Thanks to Netgalley, J P Carter and Avon books.

In Safe Hands by J.P. Carter is a very good read!!

Nine toddlers are dropped off at a nursery in South London just like any other day; however, this day is different - this day, the unthinkable happens when the children are kidnapped from the school after intruders posing as policemen lock the staff up.

The story takes place over four days and is told in the voices of two women involved in the case: Anna Tate, DCI in charge of the case, and Ruth Brady, mother of Liam, one of the kidnapped children. (Liam has cystic fibrosis and is at special risk if he doesn't receive his medication regularly.)

Anna can personally relate to how the parents of the kidnapped children are feeling. Her ex-husband, Matt, took their two-year old daughter Chloe and disappeared ten years ago; she's never gotten over it and has never stopped searching for them. With seventeen years of service with the MET under her belt, she is an extremely capable (and likeable) investigator. She will need all the experience she has to solve this case - the kidnappers are demanding $6 million pounds for the safe return of the children. If their deadline isn't met, the ransom increases by $1 million pounds each day, and one of the children will be killed each day the deadline is overdue. Talk about PRESSURE with a capital 'P'!!

At the beginning, it is hard to imagine that anyone could do this, but as Anna discovers, there are several people with ample motives. It is fascinating watching her uncover information and put the pieces together.

J.P. Carter does a fine job of hooking the reader with a story-line that anyone with a beating heart can relate to - children in danger. He then keeps us glued to the pages by ending each chapter with a small cliffhanger. The characters are very well drawn and fully fleshed out - each one is believable, and he does a great job of describing the emotional toll this situation is taking on all involved.

Sign me up! I'm already waiting for the next book in this promising series!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this is a great start to a new series.
Nine children are abducted from nursery and DCI Anna Tate is tasked with trying to find them.
The parents are expectedly distraught and the owner of the nursery is in shock. With one of her staff critically ill in hospital and allegations being thrown from all angles, Sarah starts to feel the pressure.
Anna faces her own troubles as her own daughter was taken from her many years ago and she’s never given up hope. New information is received so Anna asks a private detective for help.
This is a gripping read and as more and more information comes to light you think you’ve worked out who the kidnappers are, but then it’s turned on it’s head.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the second book later in the year.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Empathy with a main character is essential and from page one the woman detective had an air of credibility and frailty that allowed the plot to develop naturally. The timeline was deliciously linear and easy to follow.So while not all books are great literature this one entertained and kept the reader engaged throughout Some of the characters were straight out of central casting but that just made a zippy read even easier to follow. There were irritating stylistic issues like the repetition of "pool car" every time the DCI got into a motor but I got over that.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

In Safe Hands is a brilliant police procedural thriller ,introducing DCI Anna Tate who I enjoyed getting to know and look forward to reading more about her ,especially as the story ended in a cliff hanger ! I really like a book that is fast paced and not too long and this story is that and more .A few red herrings thrown in ,a good story and more to come what's not to like ?Many thanks to the Publisher ,The Author and NetGalley for my preview copy in return for an honest review .

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and J P Carter for my ARC of ‘In Safe Hands’ in return for my honest review.

This is the first novel I have read by this author although I understand that he has written several under different names. However, this is the first of the DCI Anna Tate series and I will be looking out for the next in the series even if it is just to follow the complication of Anna Tate’s kidnapped daughter.

Nine toddlers are snatched from a London nursery in broad daylight. Carefully planned and executed, the kidnappers take their time getting in touch with the police. When they do it is to demand money and threaten the lives of the infants if their demands are not met.

DCI Anna Tate is in charge of the investigation and the fact that several years before she had her own daughter kidnapped and she still hasn’t been found leads to questions as to her ability to be in charge. Anna believes the kidnappers had assistance from inside and as the story develops suspicion falls on several potential suspects. Time begins to run out.

I couldn't put it down and raced through to the end quickly. Loved the ending so will be seeking out the next in the series.

Recommended.

This is the first book in the new DCI Anna Tate series and after reading his I have to admit that I can’t wait for the next instalment.

One morning a nursery is visited by three policemen but not all is as it seems. The policemen turn out to be kidnappers and after locking the nursery staff in a room they take all 9 children from the nursery. DCI Anna Tate is put in charge of the case and the race against the clock begins. Matters are made even worse as they soon find out that one of the children has a life threatening illness if he doesn’t receive his medication. Will DCI Tate find the children before it’s too late ?

This is a really tense mystery that will have you frantically turning the pages to find out what happens. DCI Tate is a great character that as well as dealing with work has a heartbreaking event in her personal life that she is still battling with. I so want to find out what happens next for DCI Tate !!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The plotline in this book was great. It was very well written , I couldn't put it down. I kept wanting to know more. What a cliffhanger. Cant wait to read more from this author.

Really good start to a series. The plot was really good. Having your child kidnapped from nursery would be horrific. The characters and the suspense were excellently written. I could visualise everything and everyone in my head. Anna's back story is a really interesting thread. I read this book in one sitting. It kept me turning the pages to find out the fate of the kidnapped children. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews on my blog https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.wordpr...

This is the first book in a new mystery/thriller series. I loved this book. The story grabbed my attention from page one and didn't release it until the exciting conclusion. I powered through this book in two days and didn't want to put it down. The writing was effortless and the story unfolded smoothly. The author gives plenty of clues to the mystery throughout the book, but there are enough red herrings and misdirections to keep you wondering until the end.

DCI Anna Tate is a top investigator. When nine children are kidnapped from a day care center and held for ransom, she is placed in charge of the investigation. The parents and community are in shock and understandably frantic for the police to find their missing children. Initially it appears the kidnappers got away without a clue or witnesses, but Tate's tireless pursuit of their identity finally reveals a minute trail to follow. As time races toward the kidnapper's deadline, Tate must quickly shift through the multiple suspects to find the children before they come to harm.

I really enjoyed this book and the ending was satisfying. I look forward to reading more books in this series and recommend you read this book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, easy and well written read
9 infants go to nursery in South London as usual one morning however there is nothing usual
about what happens next as while they are there the nursery is attacked by armed men who take the 9 hostage!!!!
Enter D.C.I Anna Tate, a good cop, no hidden agendas, no nasty side, shes not a secret drinker and.....she never goes running! 😃 however she has a past, a kind of a past thats current...her own daughter was kidnapped 10 years ago and never found...it seems she is the best yet possibly the worst person to be in charge of the case...
The story focuses on the parents and on the investigation and also has the side story of Anna’s unsolved mystery and really works everything together very well, from the parents reactions of finding out whats happened to their ongoing worry and frustration to Anna’s dogged professionalism to sort the case whilst trying to carry on looking into her own daughters disappearance everything is perfectly written and holds together well and keeps you 100% in the story
My only small criticism is the ending and whilst its not THAT far fetched it did raise an eyebrow but stranger things have happened at sea as they say and its not an ending that is 100% unbelievable
I am guessing every parent who has kids at nursery and reads this will be checking security at their chosen nursery as it is a harrowing story and one I imagine would make every parent shudder
I didn’t realise this was a new series when chose this book but will definitely look forward to Book 2 as Anna is great and her back story alone enough to make me want to read more to see what happens
A good thriller, slick and well done

#InSafeHands #NetGalley I read this book in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. OMG!, what a story. This book was superbly written, fast paced with so much going on I eagerly lapped up each page. A harrowing storyline with plenty of twists and turns as Anna and her team looked for leads. I liked DCI Anna Tate and the fact that she had her own personal storyline running alongside the main plot. The discovery and capture of the suspects was as gripping as the rest of the book. A cliffhanger at the end regarding Anna's personal life - really looking forward to the next installment in this series. An excellent five stars!

Unusual story involving the kidnap of children from a nursery. Highlights how easily we are fooled by what we see as authority figures. Complicated story with lots of twists and surprises.

This was a great 'edge of your seat' book. It's the first DCI Anna Tate foray and I am sure there will be more to follow.
When the parents took their children to nursery that fateful morning they had no idea that they were not coming home, they were kidnapped and Anna Tate has to try and work out why and who took them then the ransom demand arrives! this just puts added pressure on the police as they know that one of the children needs constant treatment for his condition and they have no idea whether the kidnappers are giving him the care he needs especially as there was a level of violence with one of the teachers being hurt by them. Anna copes with this very well even with it being revealed that her daughter had been snatched by her father years ago.
I loved the book and can't wait for the next DCI Anna Tate book.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book

I am blocked for words hence only 3 come to mind

Gripping!! Compelling!! Unputdownable!!

I read this book with my heart in my mouth, the premise was so scary. A normal bright morning, routine day at the nursery in London till 3 men in guns kidnap 9 children... And that means pure darkness for their parents. One of the kids has cystic fibrosis and needs regular medicines to survive.

The police are called with DCI Anna Tate at the helm. And it is a race against time to save the kids. Anna too has a personal crisis happening in the midst which closely resembles the present one.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book by J. P. Carter as much as I did. I raced down the pages along with Anna, urging her to work faster. I liked how Carter's writing brought an intense urgency in me to know the truth. Anna and her team thoroughly investigated every lead they had. Anna's own search for her missing daughter was another mystery which piqued my interest.

Look, the story may give off this aura of previously read books, one might guess who was mastermind. But Carter's writing has this mysterious pied-piper kind of quality to it that I couldn't help but follow him down the alleys of the investigation. Cleverly using the theme of kidnapped children, 9 tiny tots at gunpoint from nursery, I found this quite a change from the usual tropes. Author J. P. Carter was a cool dude who knew which was the darkest and the most twisted lane to entice the readers till the very end.
I simply loved it. Read it between 12 to 3am

I found this an interesting read following the twists and turns of a police investigation into the abduction of 9 small children. I found the reactions of the various characters well observed, but there were times when I felt the writing didn't flow and was quite cliched. I also didn't like the cliffhanger ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an ARC

Who would kidnap 9 children? Well, one glaring detail told me at least part of the answer right from the beginning. I wish it hadn't, because I did enjoy the story. The secondary story, Anne's own missing daughter, was far more intriguing to me. I want to read more of that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the chance to read an advance copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book and plot of this police crime thriller, It's every parent's worst nightmare that happens. I also liked the story strand concerning the personal life of the lead detective and what a great cliff-hanger. Book 2 awaited so we can find out what has happened to her daughter!

Every parents’ worst nightmare...and with the additional strand surrounding our main character, a nightmare that hasn’t yet finished.
I assume this is the start of a series featuring the character of Anna Tate. Haunted by the abduction of her daughter by her ex-husband, things get close to the bone when she’s called to a local nursery as three men posing as police officers have abducted the nine children in attendance and attacked one of the staff members.
The main focus of the story is that of the missing children. We witness the stunned parents’ reactions and their very understandable responses over the days of the investigation. This element of the novel is pretty well-handled. There are some details that are - once you’re in full possession of the facts of the case - a bit obvious. They stand out as you’re reading, but you really only find them niggling once the dots have all been joined so I can’t complain too much.
The part of the story that drew me in more, though, was the character of Anna and the background given to her. How anyone manages to do this job anyway I don’t understand, but her resolve on this case is impressive. The closing moments certainly set up an awful situation, and I am keen to find out more.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.