This was an enjoyable if not terribly exciting book. There were plenty of suspects but the identity of the killer was unexpected to say the least. I liked the team of cops and will look out for this author in the future.

Posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Thanks to a reviewer I discovered that this book was the second in a series, so I downloaded ‘Heartlands’ from Amazon and read both in order. I put a review of it on Amazon. It was a superb read. The format in ‘Safe Home’ is different. It follows chronological rules in the third person. There were a few hints in the first book about Jessie’s fear of her ex-husband, Dan, so I was delighted that this was fleshed out in the second book. As in the first book, there are a diverse set of characters. It made me wonder if there was a problem in the water in that vicinity. Finlay, a baby is snatched from his cot. That’s all I can give away. My most significant difficulty with the book was that there were so many characters. I had to figure out who they were and their relationship to each other. I got there in the end, but it slowed down my reading progress. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

I saw this and wanted to read it as it's based in Scotland, around Glasgow. Then I discovered it was the 2nd in a series so had to go read the first, Heartlands, first. It was ok but felt a bit amateurish in places. However, I liked the 2 police detectives and I also like to read the 2nd in a series if I feel it deserves another chance.

So I just finished reading Safe Home and much preferred it to the first. The author has learnt a few lessons I think. There is still an abundance of characters but not so many that it's hard to keep track of them (like in Heartlands). I also liked the progression of the two main leads AND the introduction of a third police character whom I'd like to see continue in the series too.

In Heartlands, I felt the author's timing or chronology wasn't great, e.g., Jessie sends her assistant constable to the kitchen to make tea whilst she sits down with the woman she wants to question and before she's even asked anything, hey presto the constable appears with a full tray with cups of tea and biscuits! So that felt like a thought process rather than a well written scene. Thankfully, that wasn't present in this book. The only mistake I picked up on is when Darren escaped from Dylan (the assistant constable), jumped in his car and got away but it reads that Dylan's wheels spun on the gravel! It should have said Darren, who was escaping from Dylan.

I also like Jessie's back story, although for a D.I, she seems a little too accepting of noises and things she thinks she's seen out of the corner of her eye. She's aware her violent ex husband is stalking her but still dismisses things that go bump in the night! I want to see her being more in control of this situation and protecting herself better. I DO like that there may be a new love interest in Benito and that her stalking ex husband has just seen them together in a cafe, laughing. So I'm not sure Ben is going to last very long!

I also want to find out more about her marriage and the violence that went on ... and how exactly she lost her baby. This is referred to much more in Safe Home than in Heartlands.

Interesting that the story in both books is about the loss of a child and the parents being best friend couples having an affair with the best friend's wife or husband. So both books seem quite similar apart from the age of the child who's lost.

Safe Home however did include a second death which needed investigating alongside the child death as there was some interlacing of relationships and characters. It added another dimension and the whilst the perpetrator of the baby death was fairly obvious, the perp of the second murder wasn't and even in the reveal, I thought, nope, another red herring ... but the surprise was that it wasn't a red herring at all!

I look forward to a third book in the series but I really do hope it's not a repetition of the same crime and the same marriages/friendhips/cheating relationships. Other than that, definitely want to read more of the main characters and see how they progress.

Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read! 5*****

I believe this is the second in this series of books and I’m keen to now read the first.

DCI Jessie Blake and her team are called to investigate the disappearance of a young baby, Finlay, from his cot whilst his mother, Claire, took a nap. Claire is suffering from severe postnatal depression and home life for her and her husband, Darren, is draining, chaotic and unhappy with everything falling on Darren’s shoulders. Has Claire hurt her baby or are others involved in an abduction of the child. Time is of the essence to find out the truth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange an honest review.

4.5 stars for me !

This book will grab your from page one to the last page. It will have you thinking and guessing: who is innocent , who is covering up , who is guilty.

All the characters have a story of their own.

This is the second book in the series of Detective Jessica Blake who has a past of her own.

The ending left me wanting more in this series. I have gone to purchase the first book, Heartlands as I want to know more about Jessie and what her story is .

Give this series and this book for sure a read !!

I know its a good read when hours later I am still thinking about the book.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for allowing me to help solve the case; not well mind you !!

I enjoyed Safe Home by Kerry Watts and thought the author did a good job in braiding together multiple people who could possibly be guilty. I wasn’t totally sure which direction the book would go in which is what you want when reading a thriller.

When Darren Lucas returns home from work, he finds an unusual silence in his normally loud and chaotic family home. His wife Claire sits in unwashed pyjamas, surrounded by piles of laundry. But the silence isn’t just from her. It’s from their six-month-old son Finlay’s room too. There are no shrieks of laughter, no calls for ‘Daddy’ as the front door closes. Instead, as Darren peers into his son’s bedroom, he sees nothing except Finlay’s beloved teddy bear lying on the bed. There’s no sign of Finlay at all.

Detective Jessie Blake is called to the family’s home and she soon senses something isn’t right with the couple. Darren is avoiding making eye contact and Claire seems disconnected – completely unable to account for the last few hours of her afternoon.

Friends rally round the young family, as a search of the small Scottish village begins and it’s not long before Jessie and her team make a devastating find. Buried deep in the undergrowth of a local woodland lies Finlay’s tiny body.

As Jessie begins to piece together the last few hours of Finlay’s life, she uncovers some big secrets in the small community. But who took the little boy? And is anyone telling the truth about what happened that day?

A quick and easy read with a satisfying ending.

Due out September 26.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc. This is the second book in the Jessie Blake series. Twists and surprises throughout. A baby that disappears is found dead. A very emotional, amazingly written book. Must read the first book in order to fully understand this one. Looking forward to book three!

A harrowing story surrounding a missing child later found dead leaving Jessie Blake having to dig into the parents backgrounds and the last few moments of the poor childs life.

You do need to read the first in the series to understand the characters background and this is just as good as the first

A dark and twisted plot surrounding the death of a baby. It seems everyone connected to the case has secrets but it's difficult to feel sympathy for any of the victims

When I started reading this book I felt like I was missing something and after some investigation I discovered this is the 2nd book in the Jessie Blake series. With that being said the book was good. So many surprises, just when you think you might have it figured out you’re totally wrong. After reading a chunk of the book I was questioning why certain characters were involved and I shouldn’t have because the author tied them all in beautifully and everyone had their own important role.
The storyline of a missing baby who is then found dead is horrible subject matter it rips your heart out but the how and why are totally shocking.
I enjoyed the characters but as mentioned above I felt like I was missing certain information pertaining to Jessie and after finding out this was the 2nd book it made sense. I will definitely be going back to read the first book. While this book evokes heartbreaking emotions it is well written and enjoyable despite the subject matter.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Great thriller! I cannot wait to read for by Kerry Watts. Thrillers are my favorite and this one did not disappoint. It will be going on my shelf as part of my collection for sure. And I love the cover! I mean it is beautifully creepy!

I am so enjoying this series a young baby goes missing .jessie is in charge of this case with her right hand man Dylan. but the story that goes with it is brilliant everyone has secrets and jessies ex Dan is worse than ever is so recommend this series they pull you in from start . so cant wait for 3rd book

Gripping storyline. I have never read this author before but would definitely read her next book. Good premise well executed. Plenty of twists and turns along the way. Fast paced thriller. What’s not to like. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Baby Finlay is missing and Detective Jessie Blake is determined to find out what happened to him.

There are a lot of characters in this book, which makes it difficult to keep track of who is actually important to the story. I found it overly complicated in places, especially trying to keep the back stories of every character in place! I love thrillers and mysteries, but I felt this one was woolly and confusing rather than exciting and suspenseful.

That said, I did enjoy the premise of the story and I felt the conclusion was satisfactory. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed this and I couldn’t put it down until I’d found out exactly what had happened to Finlay. Very well written and full of the expected twists. I did guess the culprit (s) early on but I like it when that happens. I think Jessie would make a good character for a series so I’m hoping to see more from her in the future!

Another new author for me and I was very impressed with this book. It’s a very fast paced read that gripped me from the first page. A creepy thriller that kept me wanting to read late into the night. I like the shorter chapters and the main character. Plenty of secrets that I just wanted to uncover. A great thriller I really enjoyed. I will look to read more by this author.

A fast paced dark thriller .A book of short chapters ate several read that had me racing through the pages characters that jump off the pages Detective Jesse Blake agreat location a whirlwind read, #netgalley #bookouture.

I am not fully functioning at work today, as I stayed up very late last night to finish this book. The book starts off with the disappearance of a young baby boy. Who is guilty, his mother that is suffering from post natal depression, or the next door neighbor, who is still recovering from the death of her own baby. The investigation of the baby's disappearance was gripping, and at the end, the explanation of it all (no spoilers, I promise) was mind-blowing. This is one of my new favorite writers, I can't wait to see more from her pen!
Highly recommended.

Safe Home by author Kerry Watts is a super fast paced crime thriller that does not disappoint! Full of dark secrets and twists with a spot on main character. I loved the short chapters in this novel, it definitely worked for it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.