This was a police procedural with a heart, pure and simple. That was the only thought that came to me after reading this book.

The premise was simple, a 6 month old child disappeared from his cot while mom was sleeping. Police were called in, investigation started, and numerous characters and their interlinks were exposed.

My first book by author Kerry Watts, though second in the series, Detective Jessie Blake was capable of standing on her own without knowing the details of book 1. The author's writing made it easy to understand the characters. Frankly speaking, I didn't even remember this was book 2. I didn't need to. The book was complete.

Where this book differed from other police procedurals was that this dealt more with the psyche of the characters and thorough investigation by the cops. Every single open subplot was tied up with a pretty bow. Every action taken by the cops was shown to me.

The story went through its own turmoils where highs and dips in the plot were written well with shocking gasps. Jessie's personal life too made its appearance with hints of loss of life and love. Camaderie and professionalism were well embedded in the team. But it was Jessie who stole the show, strong and vulnerable.

Then came my niggles, the book was interesting, no doubt, but slow. At least I felt so, as my real life kept intruding. Some characters were actually not needed, so I felt.

But those were minor points. It was Jessie who pulled me into the book as she did signify a safe home to rest my wandering mind. A fun read, overall.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I was thrilled to receive this as it looked like a fantastic read! I definitely wasn't wrong. On Thrillers I personally always go into them not knowing anything about it, and I think you should too! The writing, plot formation, characters, intensity, everything I loved! Will read more from this author in the future!

Safe Home is a a story about a missing baby.
When Darren gets home he finds his wife Claire, who is suffering from a post natal depression, asleep on the couch and his 6 month old son missing from his cot. At first he thinks that the child is probably staying with his neighbour Dianne who, having lost her own baby to cot death, is in a habit of looking after the baby when Claire is unable to do so.

This is the start of an exciting thriller in search for the baby in a village where nobody really is what they seem to be and everybody seems to have a secret.

I really liked the way the author puts you on the wrong footing time and again, although in the end the culprit turned turned out to be the person I suspected almost right from the beginning.
The book grabbed me right from the beginning and it was very hard to put away.

i would have given the book 5 stars if it hadn't been for the ending of the second plot-line which I found a bit weak and far-fetched. Another small thing, there are 3 woman in this book who have lost their child at a very young age. I found that a bit too much of a coincidence.

but definitely 4 stars.

I want to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Safe Home’, the second in the Detective Jessie Blake series written by Kerry Watts, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Darren returns home from work he finds his wife Claire who’s suffering from post-natal depression sitting silently on the settee in unwashed clothing amongst piles of dirty laundry. Darren goes to their six-month-old son Finlay’s room and is shocked to find the cot empty. Detective Inspector Jessie Blake and Constable Dylan Logan are called in to investigate and it isn’t long before the body of Finlay is found in a rucksack in Moncrieffe Woods. Jessie needs to discover how Finlay died and who’s responsible?

I was disappointed after reading Kerry Watts’ first Jessie Blake thriller and hoped her second would show an improvement. I’m delighted to say I haven’t been disappointed as ‘Safe Home’ has a stronger and exciting plot, interesting characters and twists and turns. We learn more about Jessie’s private life than before, her ex-husband Dan and her burgeoning friendship with Benito Capello. The only part of the story that to my way of thinking doesn’t ring true is, if Finlay has been abducted as Jessie believes, why doesn’t she instruct Forensics to go through his home to find evidence of fingerprints, etc? Apart from that, this is an enjoyable book which I’m happy to recommend.

Safe Home by Kerry Watts is the second installment of the DI Jessie Blake series and I must admit that I am well and truly hooked. The first book of the series, Heartlands, showed tremendous promise, and this follow-up does not in any way disappoint.

DI Jessie Blake is called to the scene when six-month old Finlay Lucas is reported missing after his father finds his crib empty. Family, friends, and neighbours are quick to offer assistance, but nearly everyone involved seems to be keeping secrets from Jessie and her team. When a revered member of the community is found murdered, a possible link between the two incidents becomes a working theory for DI Blake, and further muddles the list of suspects.

This is a novel that held my interest from the very beginning and it did not falter for even a moment. Much more of Jessie's history is revealed throughout the course of the narrative and, as a result, I feel quite invested in this intriguing and highly likeable protagonist moving forward. I am very much anticipating the third installment of this series. Long may it continue.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

OMG, this book was sooooo good and did not disappoint!!!!! This is the second book in the fantastic Detective Jessie Blake series and you can read this as a stand alone if you want. This book was just as great as the first if not better. I’m hoping there will be many more in this series.

This book was about a couple who lost their baby. The mom puts the baby down for a nap and when her husband comes home and checks on him he couldn’t find him. Where did he go? Is he alive? Did someone take him? Are they ever going to see him again? This is where Detective Jessie Blake comes in and tries to answers all these questions for the parents.

I have to say that I loved the first book in this series and had my hopes high for this one. Let me tell you Kerry Watts exceeded my expectations. This book had it all. Scandals, drama and lies, oh my. It took me on an emotional roller coaster ride that I never wanted to get off from. With every chapter the mystery deepened and you didn’t know who to trust and what was going to happen next. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened and devoured each page like it was the last. I couldn’t sleep until I found out what was going on. The ending blew my mind. I did not expect that at all. It was definitely twisted.

Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Now here is a book to get your teeth into!
First of all its worth saying you 100% can read this as a stand alone and the bits alluding to the previous book actually enhance this story and don’t distract from it

Darren and Claire have a 6 month old son Finlay, when Darren returns home from work and goes to check
on him ( Claire is having a snooze ) he’s gone, vanished and no trace can be found.........
Enter the wonderful Detective Jessie Blake to try and solve things with her colleague Dylan
And what a puzzle it is to solve
The many characters in the book, all fabulously portrayed, could all be guilty, and as the story progresses I was making judgements, deciding who it was and wasn’t and basically getting it wrong but loving every turn and twist doing so!
I am not a massive lover of Police Procedurals but in this book its vibrant and engaging and interesting and brings you the reader into every aspect of it
There’s lies and affairs, obsession and tested family loyalties along with a separate horrific murder that happens and could be related, or might not be!, that all makes a really stomping and exciting ‘Whodunit’
Really really top class storytelling that has left me wanting the next book in the series
A great mystery, told expertly that is one of those books that I sometimes say makes you ‘happy reading is your thing’
10/10
5 Stars

Although this is the second book in the DCI Jessie Blake series, not having read the first book didn’t hinder my enjoyment. Starting out with the sudden disappearance of little 6 month old Finlay from his cot, Blake and her wingman are assigned to investigate. And boy are there lots of secrets hidden by each character. Whilst the story was engaging and kept me interested in finding out what happened to little Finlay and who is responsible, it felt a little lacking. Further events occur which make this a very confusing case for the duo. There were some unanswered questions left at the end of the book (which would be presumably answered in the next book). I would read more of this series.

I was hooked on this book from the beginning. The plot moved quickly, while posing a different interesting NEW problem and suspect at each turn of the page. Perfect fast paced, unpredictable “who dun it” crime thriller that weaves multiple crimes and plot lines together, overlapping and complementing one another fluidly.

Bottom line: you will wonder WHO, WHY, WHERE, HOW until the last page. So get out your popcorn and whiskey —that is unless you’re ON the wagon, then maybe some koolaid heavily doused with ice cubes and some slipper socks with a good ole fashioned Snuggie and enjoy a fun, attention keeping book!

IG Handle Janicedoesbooks

Goodness me, I knew when I read 'Heartlands', Kerry Watts first novel that the second book would be even better than the first but wow! I liked Jess and Dylan from the start and in Safe Home, they definitely came into their own.

Finlay Lucas is six months old and, when his dad, Darren, goes to get him after a nap, not where he should be. Worryingly, it is January, the Scottish weather is bitterly cold and its snowing hard! Detective Jessie Blake and her partner, Dylan Logan, are called in to take charge of what they know will be a traumatic investigation but have no idea how complicated and all consuming it will become.

This is a book written in very sensitive manner; it covers various aspects of mental illness compassionately as well as the many other issues arising from the disappearance of such such a tiny baby. As in the previous book there are a large number of characters to get to grips with but they all have a place and a role to play in this excellent story.

There was very little down time for the officers with the action moving along at a good pace from the very first page. There weren't as many cliffhangers as you might expect in a book of over one hundred chapters but that didn't stop me from wanting to just keep reading. This is everything you want in a murder mystery and I am encouraged by the ending as there are still things which need to be dealt with, hopefully in another instalment of this excellent series.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book or wants to discover a very good author; there are no spoilers and this can be read as a stand alone.

Safe Home is billed as an addictive new crime thriller that will have you hooked from the start. A bold claim, however this book certainly lived up to it. I started reading it intending to just read a few chapters and the next thing I was quarter of the way through. Thankfully the next day I had a three hour train journey to devour the rest of the book.

Darren Lucas returns home from work to find his usually chaotic house in silence. His wife Claire is sat in the sofa surrounded by piles of washing, his six month old son Finlay... isn’t there. Detective Jessie Blake is called to the family home to investigate and realises not everything is as it seems.

What follows is the search of the small Scottish village looking for the baby and also seeking answers to what actually happened.

This book will grip you and draw you in with each turn of the page. Wonderfully written with great characters. One of my favourite books of the year and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

This book was a quick and easy read. The characters were well developed and I was invested. I didn't realize this was a part of a series, and I will go back now and read the first book.

I was given this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for this advanced copy of "Safe Home" By Kerry Watts.
I had not read the previous book to this author, I wish I had!

Not because it affects reading this book, it was just this book was so good I want to of read them in sequence, and will be looking forward to the next installment of D.I Jessie Blake.

This storyline was very good, 102 chapters I think!? I was shocked when I got to 100 it's not something you find in most books, but I loved the short chapters made up of all the different characters in this book. It gave me countless opportunity to pick up the book as and when, and easily put it down again and know where I had left off.
The characters themselves were a great mix, a real suspense of "who dunnit'", it was not easy to guess the outcome and with 2 stories running along side each other, when one was tied up you still had the other to look forward to!

Will definitely look out for the next book by Kerry Watts and will go back to read Heartlands. I have faith it's going to be just as good as this!

Totally recommend ☺️

I always did not fit anywhere and we can do strange things .
When Darren Lucas becomes home from work and to a silence of nothing and his wife Clare is in her pyjamas and Finlay has gone , what does he think of his son has gone
I had an ARC from Bookouture

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel. Set in Scotland this is the second in the DI Jessie Blake. The story delves deeper into Jessie’s past and the dreadful things she has experienced. The case of missing baby Finley touches on her own past and impacts on her judgement as she struggles to find the truth.

This novel is all about the red herrings which are cleverly woven into the story. Your opinion on the characters and who is guilty of what changes with every chapter. The reality of what has happened is dreadful when it comes and the clues were well set out in the lead up the reveal.

I enjoyed this novel a lot and look forward to more from this series.

This is the second book in the Detective Jessie Blake Series.

Not everything is as it seems! Whose telling the truth?

Jessie and her team are sent to investigate the disappearance of a baby boy 'Finlay' who is taken from his cot whilst his mother is sleeping.

The story will have you gripped and guessing until the end. Some great believable characters.

Was great to see the acknowledgement of Mental Health (Bi-polar disorder and post-natal depression) within the story.

I enjoyed reading this book although it was quite low key and at times I wondered how it would be able to continue on its permanent even keel. The characters were very rounded and very easy to imagine. I wouldn't put this in the category of psychological thriller, there's not a lot thrilling about it. But nevertheless it kept me interested to the end although being honest I wasn't really bothered about what happened to the guilty parties when all was revealed. Where the book did shine was in the descriptions of the short life of little Finlay and these went a long way to breaking my heart right up until the very end. His death and the events surrounding it were covered expertly and at the very end where his father is going through his clothes and toys I could have cried and cried for the loss of his joyful son.

Great read. Heartbreaking in places. This book is full of suspense and emotion. I am really enjoying reading this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Safe Home by Kerry Watts is an excellent read. It's the second book in the Detective Jessica Blake series. I haven't read the first, though I wish I had, and it's fine as a standalone book. I really liked Jessica, she's a good policewoman but comes with her own problems from the past, which I really would like to know more about! The story starts with a missing baby but soon escalates into something more. Full of interesting characters and twists and turns, Safe Home soon grabbed my interest.

Thank you Kerry Watts and NetGalley for my copy.

On the whole I did enjoy this. I didn’t realise it was second in a series, but it didn’t seem to matter too much.