A police procedural,with the twist of toddlers being kidnapped from a nursery and held for ransom. It should have been exciting and dramatic , but for me, it fell flat. I found the style of writing stilted, and the dialogue quite clunky. Because of this, I never fully engaged with any of the characters.
A pity, because it has potential

Wow, what a gripping book. There were some incredibly tense scenes that had me staring wide-eyed at the page as I waited to see just how the events on the page were going to unfold.

In Safe Hands opens up with a shocking scene, when armed men enter a children’s nursery and kidnap nine children in broad daylight. From that moment on the hunt is on as the police race against the clock to track down the kidnappers.

DCI Anna Tate is an intriguing character. This case hits far too close to home for her as her own daughter, Chloe was abducted by her ex-partner ten years earlier. Anna has spent years trying to track them down, but her own searches have proven fruitless. Now, just as she is investigating perhaps the most significant case of her career, a new witness comes forward with startling new evidence. But the man who possesses the knowledge is rapidly fading as he is dying from cancer. Can Anna really abandon the nine children who have been kidnapped for this one last hope of finding her own daughter?

JP Carter raises the stakes high, right from the opening pages of this book. It is a novel that will get your adrenaline pumping, and I found this out myself as I was reading as there were so many developments and moments when I found myself holding my breath as I thought, was this going to be the part when they found the kidnappers. The author did a great job of raising the jeopardy, and the writing makes it such a compulsive read, I couldn’t put it down. I had to find out what happened.

This is the first book in a new series, so it is going to be interesting to see where Anna’s search for her own daughter is taken from here. JP Carter has left me with so many questions as to what is going to happen next to her. I really want to know what has happened to her daughter and I feel that she is close to finding out the truth, but I am worried as to what that truth is going to be.

My only criticism is that I did find it easy to work out who the person behind the kidnappings was fairly early on, but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the story as the race really was against the clock to track down the children before one of them was killed. This was the part of the novel that I found most gripping as I could never be sure how the events were going to pan out in the end for the children and their families.

Overall, a very good start to a new series, it’s one that I am keen to follow. JP Carter is an author who knows how to write gripping prose, and I can’t wait to read the next book.

I really enjoyed this. Muliple Toddler kidnapping is not a theme I've come across before so I was interested in how this storyline would end. Believable but I hope this never happens in real life. It doesn't bare thinking about. Well written and I look forward to more books in this series. There is a storyline to follow of DCI Anna Tate's personal life that's already been going on for the previous 10 years and there is a build up of something brewing through the future books. Roll on August 2019!!

In Safe Hands is a gripping, well written and suspenseful read, and although I had correctly guessed the direction the book was heading very early on it still interested me enough to carry on. One of the main issues that make the story as predictable as it is, is the limited cast of suspects, so its easy to guess who the perpetrator is. It's certainly a rarity that an author can keep me reading despite the fact that I had solved the mystery long before it's eventually revealed, so kudos to Mr Carter for that.

I enjoyed that there was the main plot and then the side plot involving Anna with both being equally as compelling as each other. Anna's backstory is intriguing and helps you to understand her motivation as a character and getting behind her is easy. I found the cliffhanger conclusion rather annoying but it ensures you pick up the next instalment to see whether Anna can find her missing daughter. Anna is an intelligent investigator with a likeable personality and is believable and relatable; I admired her a lot. The difficult subject matter of child abduction is dealt with in a careful and compassionate way and is woven into the story creating an interesting plot with a dark, menacing undertone that you feel throughout.

This is a promising start to a new series which I hope continues to building on the recurring characters development and next time make sure the plot is a little less obvious. I'm truly excited to read the sequel as it's clear that Carter knows how to build up the tension; he has all the necessary ingredients to weave a superb police procedural. Recommended.

Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a very intriguing story line and the characters were well written. it's an intense and thrilling read and you may find that you can't put the book down once you start. I look forward to reading book 2 and finding out more about DCI Anna Tate.

A great story line with brilliant main characters.. I read this book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the chance to read an advance copy of this book. I enjoyed the story and plot of this police crime thriller. I also liked the parallel 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!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mr. Carter has created characters that are engaging and I'm looking forward to reading more about. DCI Anna Tate is called in when 9 children are abducted from a nursery school. One of them has a life threatening condition and in need of medication. When the parents are interviewed, none of them admit to knowing anything. The staff at the nursery are under suspicion because one of them opened the door to the abductors. Everyone in the neighborhood is in shock but no one really noticed anything happening. DCI Tate knows only too well how critical time is because her own daughter was abducted 10 years ago. When a ransom demand is made, the debate starts as to who should pay it. The parents don't have enough money collectively but the government doesn't want to set a dangerous precedent by paying out a ransom and then opening the floodgates to copycats.

The book is fast paced and hooks you from the first page. Once the mastermind behind the abduction is revealed and the reasoning, it's shocking. I read it in one sitting because I needed to know how the book would end. Now I can't wait until the second book in the series comes out. I only wish I could give it 10 stars because this book is a winner.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping book

9 children kidnapped from a nursery...every parents worst nightmare

the dci in charge has also had her child kidnapped by her husband 10 years ago and never found

can everyone in the hunt for the children find them in time before they are murdered....

gripping novel one i found i couldnt put down, i worked out one of the kidnappers but not all before the end

but that ending...how i hate endings like that...

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors works....

Overall an enjoyable read with some fun twists but really dragged for me, which is why I’m only giving it 3/5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for review.

JP Carter is the the pseudonym of a bestselling author who has also written sixteen books under the names Jaime and James Raven. This book was a strange one for me, I enjoyed the plot and the story did keep me gripped all the way through but it read like a debut novel rather than an experienced author. Some of the dialogue sounded false, forced and sometimes a little predictable but I admit I couldn't put the book down.
This book is the first in the series featuring DCI Anna Tate and has all the ingredients to be an interesting character with lots of strong back stories so hopefully the novels will improve, because they do have a lot going for them.
The book opens when nine children are taken from a nursery school in South London leaving their parents with an agonising wait to find out what will happen next. DCI Anna Tate needs to act fast, knowing that the kidnappers are desperate for money or set on revenge and the ransom is going up by £1 million daily. Adding to their concerns is that one boy his fighting for his life and needs medicine quickly.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Avon Books UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Of course we all hope our children are safe when in the hands of their nursery school teachers so the idea of the kidnapping of nine young children is horrific. But who would perpetrate such an act and why? And can the core character responsible for answering these questions, Chief Inspector Anna Tate, save the lives of the children?
Carter provides a classic modern-day mystery in which the detective faces repeated complications and disappointments, especially as a resultant death means this also becomes a murder investigation.
To ensure this isn't too straightforward, the author complicates Tate's involvement and level of commitment with the inclusion of a parallel investigation into a crisis within her own private life. Will this help or hinder her involvement in this case?
Although I had suspected the conclusion there are enough questions raised to keep the reader hooked and I would recommend this for fans of modern detective novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I wanted to read this one - nine kids are kidnapped from a preschool and held for ransom. As the mom of a toddler, why did this sound appealing? Not even considering that was potentially a difficult subject matter, I didn't really care for this book. Something about the writing style rubbed me the wrong way, and I felt distanced from it the entire time I was reading, making it not an emotionally upsetting read after all. The writing, especially the dialogue, felt very forced and didn't flow naturally for me. This is the first in a series about the detective in charge of the case, but I can't see wanting to read more books by this author. Judging by Goodreads reviews, I am in the minority here, but I wasn't really ever surprised or on the edge of my seat with suspense. The main twist wasn't even a shock at all. Two stars.

What an absolutely cracking start to a new series, following DCI Anna Tate. This type of book is right up my street and it did not disappoint.

The horror begins when 9 children’s are stolen from a south London nursery school, the parents fearing the worst have no idea where they are or whether they will ever see them again and it is DCI Anna Tates job to get to the bottom of this crime. With one of the children sick, this really is a race against time. Anna’s back story reveals that she has personal experience in this area, with her own child being stolen as a toddler.

A totally engrossing, well written and clearly well researched book, that was not only easy to read but also exciting.

A very well earned 5 stars, I’ll look forward to the next.

When nine children are taken at gunpoint from their nursery by three men, DCI Anna Tate knows that this is going to be an unusually difficult case for her. Ten years ago, her own daughter was abducted, something she has never got over. This is a very enjoyable crime procedural. It grips you right from the beginning and Tate is a sympathetic main character with an interesting back story which I suspect will keep us intrigued for several books. The plot is well thought out. Yes, it's a little bit repetitive at times and could perhaps have been more tightly edited but it's believable on the whole and ends with a great cliff hanger for the next book in the series. My main criticism is the that writing is a bit clunky at times. Characters are introduced with a brief description which intrudes on the narrative. You know the sort of thing: x comes into the room. He is a ruggedly handsome man of around fifty with a greying goatee. I felt that these descriptions were unnecessary. Nonetheless I really enjoyed it and will read more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this book and the main character, can tell it would be an interesting series to read and I definitely would read more!

From the word go things are happening in this fast moving detective thriller. DCI Anna Tate is called to a local preschool nursery following the abduction of nine children and the brutal attack on a member of staff.
The case brings to the fore the tragedy that has affected Annas personal life, as the story progresses we learn more.
Will the children ever be seen again alive, how was it carried out so easily with all the security schools have in place these days.
As Anna and her team delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding the abduction it seems everyone is not as innocent as they first appeared to be.
I really enjoyed this book, it moves at a steady pace the characters are developing throughout and as it draws to a close I was left wanting to know more about Annas own story.
A successful first case for DCI Anna Tate and a taunting cliffhanger ending to boot.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon books for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

This is a gripping thriller which will have you on the edge of your seat. Thouroughly believable, it’s a real page turner.
DCI Anna Tate is called in to investigate when nine young children are abducted from a London Nursery and a Ransom demand received. There is little to go on, Anna knows the kidnappers will stop at nothing as one of the nursery staff was badly injured during the abduction. There is further concern as one of the children has cystic fibrosis and needs regular medication to keep him alive. The clock is ticking. Anna becomes convinced that someone from inside the nursery must have helped. Can she find them before they are harmed?

Thrilling and fast-paced police procedural that builds to a satisfyingly tense conclusion. The subject matter (child abduction) is handled deftly and the characters are compelling to read. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the story, it lost points with me because of a couple of pet-peeves (such as use of the term "WPC" to describe female officers, and characters looking at themselves in the mirror to complain about how fat/old/unattractive they're getting). But aside from that, this is a fast, exciting thriller, which becomes genuinely unputdownable as it races to the end. Recommended.

In Safe Hands is one of the most exciting thrillers I have read in a long time, it had me gripping my kindle so tight with it’s twists and turns. The urgency of finding nine missing children that have been abducted from a nursery in South London is portrayed extremely well through the text. DCI Anna Tate leads the investigation whilst struggling with her own tragic past, which we learn more about as the story goes on. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.