A reasonably good crime story which was entertaining but not particularly original. The main character Eve had issues as they often seem to in lots of books in this genre.

Set in Aberdeen, Hold Your Tongue is the first book in a solid crime-mystery series featuring DI Eve Hunter, Chief Investigating Officer of the Aberdeen Police's Major Incident Team. Eve has recently returned to her job after six months on sickness absence, following a brutal attack on her and her colleague, DS Nicola Sanders, leaving Eve with a limp and Nicola paralysed. On her first day back, Eve is called upon to hunt down a serial killer in a gruesome and grisly case.

The body of eighteen-year-old Melanie Ross has been discovered with her tongue removed, and tied up with blind cords, along with evidence of puncture wounds that indicate she was drugged before being killed. When more bodies are discovered - all with their tongues removed, Eve and the team chase down all the leads they have...

Hold Your Tongue is told from various points of view, mostly from Eve with contributions from her team. This gets a thumbs up from me as it allows for a wider perspective on events without being distracting in any way. The police perspective is interspersed with chapters from the unnamed killer, alternating between their history and present day behaviour.

DI Eve Hunter makes a very rewarding protagonist. Her background story and personal struggles are as fascinating as the main plot, making the story all the more interesting. I really enjoyed the gradual revelations from Eve’s past, and finding out what happened that caused the loss of respect from her team. Deborah Masson's inspired writing was a treat and I especially liked that the team were often working in disharmony with each other, as this added a touch of reality for me.

With plotting that is intriguing and memorable, there is an abundance of twists that I did not see coming and the end where the killer is caught is a winner. Overall, Hold Your Tongue is a tremendous début that definitely leaves me wanting more from both the author and this remarkable team of characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Random House Transworld via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I read this book in one evening. It was written very well with likeable characters which I quickly grew invested in! Eve the main character had many depths and I enjoyed following her story.

The ending was very tidy and no lose ends were left, which I really liked! Be interested to read a sequel...

The reason this rating is a 4 and not a 5 is that I guessed the twist!!

Regardless, it was a great book that I would recommend!

A dark police procedural set in Scotland with a damaged and guilt stricken protagonist, and the body of a young murder victim with a tongue removed and a mysterious note attached, add up to a thrilling tale of cat and mouse in the hunt for a killer.

Eve,, while well developed, feels a lot like every other detective protagonist we see in these kind of novels. She’s got a troubled past, battling memories and experiences that shape her emotions for the current case she finds herself embroiled in. It doesn’t feel particularly unique unfortunately, and at times I found her personality grating and distracting to the story. She’s just not the easiest character to warm too, and very stereotypical to the genre. I wanted more from her, and to not fall into the obvious tropes. That said, I found her interactions and relationships with her work colleagues both well thought out and realistic. All their personalities both clash and meld well together, and the tension from Eve’s previous history and resultant guilt is very apparent among the group.

The story itself is fine. It’s fast paced and easy to read, but it also feels very formulaic and predictable. There were twists along the way to the killers reveal, but they didn’t feel surprising to me, and as a result lost their impact. I found by the end I just wasn’t invested enough in the story and characters to care enough about who the killer was, and why.

An interesting premise that has some promise to develop further in the future, but a little too predictable to me.

On her first case back from a horrific attack which saw her partner, DS Sanders, severely injured, DI Eve Hunter takes on a serial killer who cuts out the tongues of their victims. Viewed with suspicion by most of her team and hampered by guilt, can Eve pull it together in time?

This was a gritty crime novel, with lots of twists and turns. I did work out the guilty party in advance but it was still an interesting read. On the minus side, I did find that DI Hunter veered perilously close to being a cliche at times with her actions (i.e. not answering the phone to the pesky reporter who had some vital information for her, etc). Overall it is a good start to a new series.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK /Transworld Publishers / Corgi, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Introducing Detective Eve Hunter - it’s been a while since I read a crime book and I’m glad I picked up this one. A new release for paperback that if I you like crime fiction I think you should buy!

Uncovering the murders of others, this story links to the life and past of Eve and how it can’t really be forgotten! I really enjoyed it from the start. It definitely showed signs of a up debut novel but that didn’t deter from the writing itself.

The whole time I was reading this I was trying to piece together the clues, coming up with my own theories about who could have done what and the only thing that knocked my rating down was that I guessed it right - although there was a bit that I didn’t guess or expect!

A really good read, a great start to what will hopefully go on to be a series. I recommend for anyone interesting in police/crime books!

With thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

DI Eve Hunter is returning to work after 6 months out following an horrific attack that has left her with a permanent limp and her friend and colleague DS Nicola Sanders disabled and confined to a wheelchair.

With the guilt and anger from the previous case still unresolved, she is emotionally fragile.
Her old colleagues are wary of her and a new DC, recruited in her absence, is openly hostile.

She is immediately thrust into a new case. Perfect!

Young aspiring model Melanie Ross is found murdered and mutilated in a hotel room. Her tongue has been cut out and a newspaper cutting is pinned to her body.
Is someone sending a message?
The team have a few good leads but they quickly prove fruitless.

As the killings continue, Eve struggles to deal with the investigation and her emotions. Her team are mostly still wary and unsure of her, personally and professionally.
She struggles to overcome her doubts and assert herself to her team as she knows she must to catch this ruthless killer.

Masson has come up with a multi layered and relate-able heroine in this, the first in a new series.
I look forward to seeing how she progresses in subsequent books.

Eve is finally back at work after a horrific incident injured her and a colleague. Shes soon thrown into a case whether shes truly ready or not and it might be connected to her own incident. A killer is attacking women and removing their tongues. Can she and her team figure out the mystery before his work is done.

Wow what a ride. It's a slow beginning but really dramatic once it gets going. This is quite a dark story and it really gets to the reader as it develops. The killers identity is very clever and took me by surprise. I liked the lullaby twist and trying to figure who his victim might be. I did suss out his last victim but it was done really well. I liked the dynamics between the team. Plus the backstory with Eve develops slowly through the story adding more depth to her character. A great read.

This is a debut novel by Deborah Masson. With an injured female DI Eve Hunter who has returned to work after a lengthy absence caused by here and her partner being beaten almost to death by thugs.

The characters are believable, the writing is good, the whole book is interesting and kept my attention throughout. I look forward to more DI Eve Hunter books.

Loved it.

I read a free advance review copy courtesy of Net Galley and the publishers. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

With thanks toNetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy.

This is a first novel and a very worthy addition to the crime genre. DI Eve Hunter returns to work after a lengthy leave of absence following a serious injury, racked with guilt over a fellow officer’s involvement, and facing doubts about her judgement. She returns to reservations on the part of her colleagues, and straight into the start of a run serial murders with a unique and rather horrifying MO.

The story is as much about Eve’s coming to terms with her residual guilt over the past and her winning back the trust of her colleagues, as it is about solving the murders and catching a serial killer. Like all good serial killers, he seems to be a step ahead all the way, and Eve, like us, is misled by the obvious candidate until the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together.

The book is cleverly and tightly plotted and makes for compulsive reading. I thought Eve’s guilt was perhaps just a bit overstated, but she is undeniably a likeable, all-too-human character with much scope for development in (hopefully) future novels. A very good first novel and I’ll be looking forward to more.

Hold your tongue is the debut novel from Deborah Masson and she is of to a galloping pace and I look forward to reading more from her, introducing DI Eve Hunter, a detective who has just returned from sick leave and has to fit back into her team, not an easy job as some of them believe she caused her old partner to be left paralysed by her reckless actions, no sooner is she back, when a body is found, mutilated and missing her tongue, clues point to someone but are they correct? This turned out to be a great read where the pace never let up and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

DI Eve Hunter is already fighting her guilt and past demons. Unbeknown to her, things will soon turn for the worse. First day back at work Eve is drawn into a case involving the brutal murder of an eighteen-year-old girl. Few of her colleagues are not so happy with her return to the job. With things running against her and a serial killer on the loose, will it push DI Eve Hunter to the edge or will she come out of this mess with hope?

Chapter 1 of the book starts with Eve sitting with her police therapist, trying to navigate her way of it. There starts the backstory for Eve and a few other characters. The entire setting is intriguing. Only as the story moves forward, the reader is plunged into a deeper mystery. Each of the murders is very well described by giving the reader time and pace to understand the intricacies of the crime scene.

The killer narrates some parts, unknown to the reader, until the end. The ending comes as a perfect surprise, not the scene itself but the culprit. The book runs through a maze of unforeseen twists and turns. It will keep you on your heels throughout the book.

Other than DI Hunter, the writer introduces the reader to other characters who are part of her team. Each of the characters takes a justified amount of time. They have been given adequate space to grow throughout the book. Like, DC Mearns holds prejudices against Hunter even though she’s working for her the first time. Eve is not depicted as a hero. She’s flawed, but she has the zeal to pull through the worst and overcome her guilt.

The book has varied central theme. It ranges from abuse, guilt and prejudices based on hearsay. The author handles these topics through surreal narration. The writer uses smooth writing to project these topics to the reader.

For a debut novel, Deborah Masson is right on the spot with the writing and the narration. I’d highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Penguin Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read.

Unfortunately I thought this was just a really average crime thriller.

I've read quite a few now and this one had no stand out qualities. Everything was just very average.

It was quite dark in places. So if you like gross thrillers you might enjoy this one but saying that it definitely isn't one of the darkest books I've ever read.

The writing was okay, the characters were okay but again nothing special.

I liked how we got to know DI Eve Hunter and her backstory. But it didn't really stand out compared to other DI books I've read nor did I really connect with her as a character.

If this is one of your first crime thrillers you've ever read you might enjoy it more than me. Unfortunately I felt like it fell into a lot of crime thriller tropes and is pretty forgettable.

TW: body mutilation, graphic descriptions of murder

A strong debut, Masson has given us a dark, compelling and intense crime drama. With perspectives of a killer with severe mental health issues and a DI who is struggling after a traumatic event that left her injured and her partner paralysed.

I think for a first book and introduction to Eve Hunter series is was great!
Everyone struggling with their own personal problems, an imperfect DI, a crazed killer.
One thing I struggled with was I couldn’t get quite invested in to Eve’s character but I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.

A stunning debut from Deborah Masson. "Hold Your Tongue" is the first in what I hope will be a long series of novels featuring DI Eve Hunter and her team. It's a nail-biting read till the bitter end. Thrilling plot, solid police procedural and an interesting back story. The Scottish setting is the icing on the cake for me. Loved it.

Hold your tongue? At times I was holding my breath. I hope this is the start of a series - I will be looking out for more on DI Eve Hunter. Set in Aberdeen, where I've spent some time in recent years,I like to envisage some of the areas in the book. The book is very cleverly put together - I felt as if I was led down several blind alleys. Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, something else happened to show that wasn't the case. I truly didn't see it coming. Some horrific crimes, a great backstory and some all too human police officers. One of the best crime reads this year. #holdyourtongue #netgalley

What an epic debut novel Hold Your Tongue is. That opening chapter is enough to make you squirm, and at every attack scene that was described in vivid detail, I squirmed and held my breath some more. What a vicious and cruel act to hack at someone's tongue. Stomach churning. But why did the serial killer do this to their victims? Well obviously I'm not going to tell you that nugget of information. Get the book and find out.

In this book we are introduced to DI Eve Hunter. Now I'll be honest when I started reading this story and as I got more into it, I did wonder if in fact I had missed out on a book somewhere. Hunter has a backstory that is referred to a lot. A previous case that went a little bit wrong. And, I'll be honest I was getting a bit confused and annoyed as to why on earth we were having to read about something that isn't in another book. But, then it dawned on me. This was to build the character of Hunter and her colleagues, it was also crucial to see how they all worked together and it gave us a basis for a clearer image of our lead character, rather than little titbits here and there.

This story is edge of your seat stuff and the evidence and clues are dropped to us at just the right times to keep us hooked. Even when I was rolling my eyes at the mistakes the police were doing, this showed how clever the author was in her writing ability because whilst I was thinking what on earth are they playing at? The author throws a curve ball here and there that slots the puzzle into place.

A cracking debut novel and I hope we get to see a lot more of DI Eve Hunter in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my gifted e-arc copy in exchange of an honest review.

I loved this. A true police procedural to start with, then the gruesome crimes kick in and we have an excellent whodunit. I didn't guess the murderer and was pleasantly surprised by this fact, when I found out who it was. I loved the tendon between the force and the returning main character. I loved the plot and it was written very well. Overall a great read, and I would recommend.

DI Eve Hunter returns to work after six months recovering from injuries sustained during her last case, A case that left her colleague paralysed. She is not exactly welcomed back with open arms! Some people blame her for what happened & the one replacing her injured colleague seems to have already judged her & found her wanting. However before she can even settle behind her desk a call comes in. A young woman has been discovered in a hotel. She is dead, her tongue has been cut out & a newspaper has been left with her body.

As the body count rises, Eve has to prove to herself as well as her team that she is up for the job before too many people have died.

The fact this was set in Aberdeen was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book as I always like books where I have some familiarity with the area. However it didn't great impact on the story- although I'm glad it made me choose it in the first place. It was a great read & I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Well, Hold Your Tongue had me captivated all the way through! Without giving anything away, I thought the murderer was someone else, not any of the suspects in the story and was desperate to find out if I was right. I certainly wouldn't make it in the police force!