Description
A baby is snatched from her pram in the garden. She’s never found. Thirty years later her sister, now a mother herself, is brutally killed.

When Anna Crowe is killed in her sleep alongside her children, the quiet local community of Corbally is shocked. It’s also a chilling reminder of when her sister, Janey, disappeared as a baby, twenty nine years ago, never to be seen again.

Detective Iris Locke is assigned to the case and, after a year undercover which ended in failure when her cover got blown, she’s desperate to make her mark – and to live up to the reputation of her ex-cop father, the former head of the Limerick Murder Squad.

Jack Locke ran the investigation into the disappearance of baby Janey. But by reopening the old case, Iris is also reopening old wounds for the team. Can she untangle the dark secrets that lead to one sister vanishing and the other’s death – even if it means digging into the past of someone very close to her?



My thoughts

Rating:4.5

This one makes you question everything you think you knew about what happened to baby Janey, and about who could have killed her sister ,its a great start to a new series and I can't wait to read more of it with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it .

When Anna Crowe and her two children are shot dead and their home set on fire Iris Locke is pulled into the team investigating the triple murder. It’s not ideal for Iris, although she desperately wants to work on a murder squad, the one in Corbally that her father used to head up wasn’t her first choice. Detectives Coleman Grady and Ben Slattery have worked together for years. The hard drinking, cynical Slattery is not exactly welcoming and Grady barely seems to notice her. Iris knows she will have her work cut out to convince them she is up to the job.
As the team work the case they keep coming back to the mystery of Anna Crowes’ baby sister who was snatched from her pram and never seen again almost 30 years ago. The infamous “Baby Fairly” case was never solved and all the files relating to it seem to have disappeared. Iris thinks there could be some connection between the two cases, but could digging up the past ruin her future.

This story centres around the murder of Anna and her two young children. Anna’s family has been affected by tragedy before when her baby sister Janey was taken from her pram 29 years ago.

Detective Iris Locke has always wanted a position on a murder squad and she has been seconded onto the case . It means a return to her home town of limerick and treading on her father Jacks old patch. Jack a top detective is now retired but was in charge of Janeys unresolved case.

Iris struggles to be back in her home town. Everyone remembers her father and she is constantly compared to him. Jack disapproval of Iris's involvement is evident. As the investigation proceeds the connection between the two tragedies emerge and with records missing from the first case Iris feels compelled to ask her fathers help.

I struggled initially to get into the book. Police procedure books are new to me and I found the pace a little slow but halfway in the wonderful characters and great storyline had me hooked. Iris and her fathers relationship were beautifully portrayed and Slattery's character I really liked.

The setting in Ireland was fantastic, how a small community seem to remember historical events were spot on. The police family who rally around their own was also fantastically observed .

A great first book in this series and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this great book.

In Silent Night (Detective Iris Locke #1), written by Geraldine Hogan, Detective Iris Locke accepts a position on the Murder Squad in Limerick, despite the fact that her father would disapprove. Her father worked there his entire life and doesn’t want his daughter to be placed in danger. However, when a mother, Anna, and her two children are murdered, Iris can’t stay away. Iris is convinced an old case that involves Anna is key to solving the murder. When Anna was a little girl, her sister, Janey, was taken from her pram. The body was never found. Now, Iris must find a way to connect the two cases despite the pushback from her new team.

I had a hard time really getting into this book. I thought that this book sort of dragged in certain spots, especially in the beginning. A little over halfway through, it started to pick up and things started to happen more. That’s when it became an easier read for me. I also thought that some of the plot twists towards the end were a bit predictable. For the most part, I had been able to guess what had happened in the story.

I liked the characters that Geraldine Hogan included in her book. They were all in contrast to one another, so it was nice to get the vastly different perspectives on each situation. She was able to build each character up in a really interesting way. I was also pleased that the entire story didn’t focus solely on Detective Locke. Rather, Geraldine Hogan made sure we got to know several characters and their journeys throughout the story really well.

While this wasn’t my favorite book, I think that if you’re a fan of police procedural books you might like this one!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*

A fantastic, well written mystery.
Definitely not the usual run of the mill thriller, this was like a well woven tapestry, lots of different threads running throughout to make a very enjoyable whole. It was impossible to guess which thread would unravel the entire clever plot.
The characters were well thought out and fit perfectly into the plot. They had a good amount of background, which fleshed them out and made them entirely believable. The interactions between the characters were realistic and varied.
A good, solid, book. Thoroughly enjoyable

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

First in a new series, Detective Iris Locke reopens an old case but is also reopening old wounds for the team who worked on the original case.

The story dragged and bumped along in spots but overall an okay read.

2.75 stars

Great start to what is hopefully going to be a great series. I liked the characters and I am looking forward to seeing how they develop.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

When a child disappears, never to be seen again, it's not only the immediate family that suffers. Baby Janey was taken from her pram setting off a chain of events her small Irish village is still struggling to escape decades later. Her sister, Anna, and her two young children have only recently returned to the family home when they are murdered in their beds and everything becomes very current literally overnight.

Although not all of the Murder Squad in Limerick have first hand knowledge of the previous case  even those too young to remember know of the effect it had on the officers involved. Newly arrived Detective Iris Locke knows more than most about why it is one of 'those' cases; her father was head of the team who was unable to discover what happened all those years ago. Now tasked with solving the murders she is adamant failure isn't an option this time.

I'm not sure why but I struggled with this book at the beginning gradually however, the different members of the murder squad drew me in. There were a few cliches, obvious plotlines, and some of the discoveries were a little too well signposted but as the first book by this author it was a good read and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book in what will become a very enjoyable series I think.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read and the prospect of a new series to become involved in.

This book had me from the get go and didn’t let go. So many twists and turns I just had to finish it. I love starting a new series and I was really excited when I saw that here was a fresh author with a fresh series. I wasn’t disappointed. The character development was exactly what I like, descriptive, sometimes frustrating as you’re getting to know all their quirks and what not. DS Iris Locke is fantastic she’s passionate, efficient and kind of a loner, which I’m without fail drawn to. After a bombshell ending to the first book I am really excited to read the next in the series to see where Iris and the team are up against next!
Thank you to the publisher through Netgalley for an ARC for an honest review.

Not really into police procedure books but it wasn't a bad book. I liked the commradery between Iris and Slattery. If you are then this is for you. Thanks to Netgalley for the copy to review.

A great start to a new police procedural/crime thriller series, I couldn't read it fast enough. All the characters were believable even down to the inevitable drunk with attitude and personal problems. The ending is mind-blowing and totally unexpected. I loved it and look forward to the next in the series.

I really enjoyed this police procedural. It has a really interesting mix of characters and the story has plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing. A promising start to a potentially really good series.

Silent Night by Geraldine Hogan is the first of the Corbally Crime series centred on Detective Iris Locke. It is always wonderful to be introduced to a series at its very beginning, and this one is no exception. Very early in the novel, we realize that Iris and her partner, Ben Slattery, are worthy protagonists, and more than capable of keeping us riveted as the story progresses.

Detective Iris Locke is called to investigate the brutal murder of a young woman, Anna Crowe. Anna is the sister of an infant girl who had disappeared from the town thirty years previously. By further coincidence, Iris's father had been the lead investigator on the case of the missing child. Iris, meanwhile, is desperate to establish herself on the murder squad, and to live up to her father's stellar reputation. But in so doing, the detective must go back thirty years to peel away the layers of the two cases, and she may not be prepared for what is waiting to be uncovered.

This is a solid police procedural and lays the foundation for becoming a very promising series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I volunteered to read this book through Netgalley.com

I absolutely loved this book!

The characters quickly drew me in. Slattery and all his baggage, and Iris with her determination and dedication to be part of the Murder Team, sees through all his grittiness and they form a formidable team.

I look forward to seeing the softer side of Slattery and see where Iris and Grady go.

This is a must read for any suspense fan!

Silent Night is a good mystery, but my only complaint is that it can be very long winded in places. Still a good storyline and interesting characters.

This is a new author for me so was looking forward to reading this. It’s a good start to a new police procedural series and I really enjoyed the storyline. I felt it was a little long-winded in places but that didn’t take away the enjoyment of the book. It was good getting to know the characters of Iris and Slattery and hopefully will find out more about them in future books in this series. I would recommend this and look forward to reading more of the series.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the chance to read the first in the Iris Locke series. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and slowly getting to know the characters and their back stories. It kept me gripped from beginning to end and I am really looking forward to the next in the series. I thought it was really well written and slowly built up to the ending. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book.

I so enjoyed this book but worked it out straight away Iris returns back to her home town and is put on murder team a woman and her children have been murdered I so love ben slattery in this book he a loveable character not going to say no more but a brilliant story so cant wait for book 2 I recomend

Silent Night: (Detective Iris Locke Book 1)
Geraldine Hogan
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What a plot twist! Hogan’s characters are larger than life and her descriptions of Limerick make you feel you’re there, rain and all.
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Not a straight forward police procedural but a fantastic introduction to this new Detective series.
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I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

A good start for a police procedural.

This is story about Anna Crowe and her two children who were killed in their home. Detective Iris is assigned to the case we learn she has a complicate past and that she struggles to live up to her father who was amazing cop. As she and her partner Slattery who I didn't particularly like but we got to know him better with his family I get why he is the way he is investigate we learn Anna family's was victim of crime 29 years ago when Anna baby sister Janey disappear and Iris father Jack was the leading investigator Iris goes over the cases she never imagine the things she uncovers.

This was a bit slow but it's just the first book hopefully the next one will speed up a little.