My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an invitation to receive a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Watch Over You’ by M. J. Ford in exchange for an honest review.

It is the third in his series of police procedurals set in Oxford and featuring DS Josie (Josephine) Masters. I had previously read and enjoyed ‘Keep Her Close’, which ended with a surprise for Josie.

Over a year has passed and Josie is now a single mum with a six-month old son, Theo. She is returning to work following her maternity leave. First day and she is settling back in. On her way to pick up Theo from daycare a call comes over her comms of a serious incident at an address she recognises as the home of her friend and former colleague, Harry Ferman. Josie had thought Harry lived alone but there is evidence that a young woman was living with him. Who is she? It appears that she has fled the scene and is on the run.

It isn’t long before the bodies are stacking up and a massive police operation is underway. While Josie is well and truly caught up in the case, what about her responsibilities towards Theo? 

I felt my heart sinking a little with news of Josie now being a mum. Clearly she was keen to get back to work and this turned out to be a huge case with a highly personal twist with Harry’s murder but all those nappy changes, broken nights and childcare issues must have effected her ability to focus. They also slowed down the earlier part of the novel. However, this may be a niggle personal to me as I am not interested in reading about babies. 

Still, despite a slow start this proved a solid police procedural with some brilliant twists and great deal of edge-of-the-seat tension especially in the concluding chapters.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Watch over You is M J Ford’s third book in the series featuring detective Josie Masters. I have to confess to not having read the previous two so I came to her character with completely fresh eyes and absolutely LOVED it.
The storyline is gripping from the word go so that I cast everything else aside and remained in my reading bubble until I’d read the last page, easily finishing in one sitting.

Jo Masters becomes the SIO on this latest investigation that begins with the death of her friend Harry, a former police officer. Although distressing for Jo who is still struggling with motherhood, she cannot let her personal connection and emotional frailty detract from pursuing his killer and bringing them to justice. 
After the initial assessment of the crime scene, clues are discovered throwing light onto Harry’s last days, and the solitary life Jo believed him to lead is cast in doubt. A female presence in the house is detected, the nature of which needs to be determined. A lodger seems to be the mostly likely scenario but where is she??? With more dead bodies around Oxford being discovered at an alarming rate could this elusive woman be the important link? The hunt for her whereabouts is on.

Taking Jo from Oxford to further north, I was addicted to the unravelling storyline, wanting justice for those left dead but particularly for Harry. The way the author describes the scene of his murder tugged at my heartstrings, intimating of a kindly yet lonely elderly man probably bordering on alcoholic, an unlikely but valued friend to Jo. 

Back from maternity leave, Jo faces that eternal dilemma between throwing herself back into a job she’s previously loved and devoting her time as a mother to a tiny human being that relies solely on her love and care. Obviously Jo’s kind of policing is not your usual 9 to 5 occupation where you can walk out the door after eight hours and not look back. I did wonder how on earth she thought this kind of job was compatible with being a single mum, and had it not been for the support of brother Paul and his wife Amelia I could envisage poor little Theo being passed from pillar to post. I could understand and admire Jo’s determination to carry on in her role as SIO but equally found it naive. As any mother knows, juggling a demanding job with an even more demanding baby is stressful so I think the author has managed to articulate these dilemmas beautifully. 

Whilst this strand of thought is running throughout, it didn’t detract from the storyline which I found to be set at a reasonable enough pace, with tension mounting in synchronisation with the revelation of information linking all these individuals together. It’s grim and fairly gruesome in places, although not off putting. Suffice to say Jo’s investigation leads her into the path of some very damaged and unsavoury characters shaped by their troubled pasts. Everyone has at least two sides to their character so whilst predominantly dangerous and hateful there was a tiny part of me that felt sadness for lives that have been potentially ruined and compromised from their beginning.

I don’t think it matters if you’ve read any of the previous books in this series or not since every title should be judged on its merits alone. However I do think knowing more of Jo’s background and her relationship to her colleagues would have added further to my enjoyment of Watch Over You. As with any police procedural being part of a cohesive team is essential and I liked Jo’s relationship with Carrick. They seem to have an ongoing mutual respect for one another which I can imagine must be hard to maintain when decisions are being made that you don’t necessarily agree with. 

Mostly narrated in the present but with occasional glimpses of the killer’s past I found this such an enjoyable, easy read. I became so caught up in the details of this investigation, never once being able to join the dots. I thought very early on I knew which direction the storyline was taking but wasn’t quite on track. Thanks to Jo and team I raced towards the ending (which I thought was satisfying) with my heart in my mouth. For me this book combines a gripping storyline with sensitively written backstories providing a lovely human touch to counteract the more grittier overall nature of this particular investigation. In my opinion this is definitely worth a read.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

DS Jo Masters is back with a bang after maternity leave. A roller coaster ride of a book that throws her well and truly back into the deep end. When her friend Harry is found murdered in his own home, it becomes personal and she will stop at nothing to find his killer. Was it a burglary gone wrong? Or was there something more sinister at play? When further murders in the area threaten to distract her from what is important, her personal and professional lives threaten to overwhelm her.  Strong characters and a complex storyline make this another excellent book in this great series. I sincerely hope it’s not the last.

Really great thriller which is packed full of action the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I’m not sure what happened with this one. I found the pace of the narrative rather slow and it wasn’t until the final chapters did I appreciate the intensity. It’s my first read by Ford and I was sadly left feeling underwhelmed and a little bit flat.

The main character, Josie, is returning to work just six months after having her son. I was surprised at her ability to cope throughout the novel, particularly the emotional strain she experiences. This is not just from the crime she is investigating, but also the separation from her little boy. She generally keeps the two worlds exclusive of one another, but the inevitable child-care issues come to light at the murders stack up. On reflection, I found her difficult to believe in as a character: the keeness towards returning to work, as if she had something to prove, made her seem a rather cold, reluctant mother.

Whilst this is the third book of a series, I happily read this as a stand-alone. There were many references to the previous stories but I don’t think this hindered my understanding of the characters. It did make their relationships tricky to fathom and the past they shared. In particular, I would liked to have seen more emphasis on Jo’s circumstances as a mother and her relationship with Lucas; I guess this is covered in the previous stories.

Although the crimes were shocking, the plot itself did not grab me. It did not feel too dissimilar to other books of the same genre that I have read. I did struggle with Ford’s clever time frame as well. Whilst we follow Jo as the crimes are developing, we switch to James’s perspective which starts several weeks in the past before catching up to present day. This was a little confusing to process, especially when trying to put the clues in the right order.

This was an average read for me that didn’t quite ignite my imagination as I had hoped. I may consider reading the previous books in the series to see whether they are comparable in terms of pace and plot development. Personally, I think there are more gripping stories out there that grab you from the beginning.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Watch Over You is the third book in the series by M.J. Ford featuring DS Josie Masters, but it was the first book in the series that I had read, so I would say it can certainly be read as a stand alone novel. There are references to some matters which happen in the previous books which help to fill in Josie’s background and explain why she is in her current situation.
We join Josie on her first day back at work from maternity leave. She wants to return to work, but feels bad about leaving her baby in a nursery. The guilt is heightened when she has to call upon her sister in law to collect her son from nursery when her work day is unexpectedly extended when she is called to a further job when her ex-colleague and friend is found dead. Who could want to kill an old man and former police officer? Can Josie solve the case? Will Josie be able to assuage her guilt about leaving her son in the care of professionals and achieve a better work/ life balance?
A great thriller full of drama, brilliant characters and twists and turns. 
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great crime thriller in the DS Josie Masters series. 
Back from maternity leave, Josie is called out to an incident at where she finds her old friend, Harry, dead on the floor from a head injury. 
It appears that Harry has had a young blonde woman staying at his house but it’s not clear if she’s the killer. 
More bodies are soon found in the area and the same woman appears to be involved. 
As well as this we read about events several moths earlier and the present and the past all come together in the end. 
This is a great crime thriller with a few twists and turns to make things interesting. 
Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

DS Josie Masters is shocked to find her friend and mentor Harry beaten to death on the floor of his home.  She's newly back to work after maternity leave - and she's struggling a bit as a single mom- and this is the last thing she expected.  Wait- she really did expect to hear that there was a young woman involved or that there would be more bodies.  This is told primarily from her point of view but you'll also hear from James, a villain.  If I have one quibble with this well crafted series (this one is fine as a standalone) , it's the high body count for Oxford, which is, let's face it, a place that's seen a lot of murder in a variety of books and tv series.  That said, it's a wonderful place and Jo's a great character.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  For fans of British procedurals.

A gripping thriller full of twists and turns with a cast of great characters and a solid mystery.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

DS Jo Masters #3

Jo has just returned to work after her maternity leave had ended. She's been called in ti investigate the murder of a close friend and former police officer, Harry Fermen. It looks like a burglary that's went wrong. But it looks like Harry had someone staying with him. The body count soon rises so he police have to work fast and find the motive behind the deaths and the person culpable.

This is a well written story with an interesting plotline. it's a chilling and thrilling read. The story starts off slowly. There is some violent and gritty parts. Jo is also struggling with leaving her son at nursery while she goes to work. this is a good police procedural series. The book can be read as a standalone but it's best to read a series in the order the books are written in.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books Uk and the author M. J. Ford for my ARC in exchange for an honest review .

Wow! This summer has already been full of great books, and here is another one for the records. Watch Over You by MJ Ford was a suspenseful, fast paced mystery featuring DS Josie Masters. I have to say that her character has been one of the most engaging that I have read in quite a while. She's a single mom who struggles with wanting what's best for her infant son, needing to be away from him in order to work, and finding out that being a parent is full of mistakes but also full of moments that you wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I have already put the previous two books in the series on my TBR in order to backtrack in her story.

The story is fairly fast paced with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the story threw me for another loop. This is the third in the series and there were references to the previous books. However, I didn't feel that I was left out of the loop except on her relationship with her son's father. There were some explanations, but I think it was a major part of the previous stories and therefore is probably too large a part of Josie's life to be able to sum up in a few sentences. The story is set in and around Oxford, which is one of my favorite settings and a place I hope to visit someday. The descriptions of the area are wonderful and really play a huge part in setting the scene for the crimes.

Overall, this was a great suspenseful police procedural and a series that I will be revisiting again.

Another masterpiece in the bag.
I’ve read every book in the the jo masters series and I can honestly say that it didn’t disappoint and I couldn’t put it down at all.
It was intense and gritty and just amazing I absolutely loved it .
Please tell me there will be another.

This is book 3 in a great series.

Jo Masters is a strong character and now she's juggling work with motherhood there's another dimension to her.

The plot was fast moving and intriguing and I was hooked until the end. There was also some sad twists that I didn't see coming.

The storyline was quite dark at times and gives an insight into human behaviour that isn't all sweetness and light.

A great book that I won't hesitate to recommend.

I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Watch Over You’, the third in the DS Josie Masters series written by M J Ford, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Back from maternity leave, DS Josie Masters is called out to an incident at 21 Canterbury Road where she finds her old friend, former DI Harry Ferman, dead with a head injury.  It appears that Harry has had a young blonde woman staying at his house.  More killings are soon happening in the area and the same woman appears to be involved.  Can Josie cope with the struggle to balance work and caring for baby Theo? 

‘Watch Over You’ is another compelling police thriller featuring DS Josie Masters which has been a pleasure to read.  It has everything I want in a crime thriller, an action-packed plot, drama, suspense, interesting characters, and twists and turns.  The conclusion is so gripping I’ve not been able to stop reading and have finished the book in twenty-four hours.  I love the character of Josie who doesn’t always do what she’s supposed to but manages to catch the criminals anyway.  This is an exciting thriller that I’ve thorough enjoyed and can definitely recommend.

This is the third book in the DI Josie Masters series. it starts off just a bit slow but soon evolved into a really good story. I liked the character development and Josie back at work after maternity leave. There were plenty twists and although it's a slow burner, it's a very good solid read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This book is spectacular. The characters are realistic and complex.The plot is fraught with danger and unsettling questions. The ending will definitely leave an impression on you. It is very unexpected. I defi itely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the first one about Josie Masters and this one did not disappoint.  Josie Masters is still a detective for Oxford Police and the story becomes intertwined with murders and by having a friend murdered which makes her even more determined to mind the killer(s).  The old ex policeman lived on his own, or did he.  It transpires that he has been helping a young girl get clean” but the people who she has been around in the past have other ideas and she is not safe.
There are more killings in the area and the Police find it difficult to piece the dramas together.  A couple were killed in a large property and Josie tracks down the son, Gregory.  It transpires that after a search of the property drugs were found which leads her to believe it is all drug related.  Eventually Gregory advising the police that his sister is missing.  He dislikes her as she changed his childhood when she was adopted.  The story goes along that road and Josie starts to put two and two together and comes to the conclusion that Gregory is not as squeaky clean as he would like everyone to believe.The story twists and turns in a fab way and finishes not as I expected – another great book.  Thank you

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

This is the third book to feature Jo Masters, but the first one I have read. It works as a stand alone story,  but not knowing the background of the main characters probably detracted from my enjoyment of the book, as there are a lot of references to what has gone before.

It is a good enough story, which begins with the death of an elderly friend of Jo Masters, and is her first case on returning to work after having her son, Theo.   His death is the first of a series of killings, and it is quite chilling in places. It did not hold my interest at times – I got a bit lost with the time lines, and what was happening.  It  may have been because it took me a few days to read – it wasn’t a “couldn’t put it down” thriller for me, so I was picking it up, only reading it for an hour or so, then  putting it down again.

I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially if they have read the previous two.

When I picked up this novel, I was unaware that it was actually the third novel in a series. And while there is some mention of people and events that I assume took place in books one and two, it wasn't done in a way that made it confusing or hard to follow. 

Despite that, I still found it to be a bit of a struggle to get invested in this one. To begin with, the way the time jumped from present-day to events happening in the past (even if it was only two weeks ago) at times made it hard to follow along. There also seemed to be an over-abundance of things going on at once that took away from the plot instead of adding to it. One example involves the young female that was living with Harry - we are told time and again that she is a "certain kind of person" or she "acts a certain type of way", and yet we see no concrete evidence of this being true. If anything, I feel the opposite was proven true by a side-thread that (to me) had absolutely no bearing on the story itself but seemed like it was added to increase the shock value. 

I also had a very hard time connecting with Jo and her wishy-washy personality. She goes back to work, then decides everyone was right and she went back too soon. She keeps her son's father away from them due to his drinking, then invites him to come around. She keeps telling herself its wrong to rely on her family for help, but then turns around and does just that. I get it. It's hard being a single working mother, perhaps even more so in Jo's case as she doesn't have a typical 9-5 job. But can we at least pick the way we're going to act and stick to it? 

Overall, I'm sure this story will appeal to others (especially those who have already read the other novels in this series). I may give this author another chance if they come across my radar again. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Firstly, I have to say that I have not read the previous two books involving DI Jo Masters. There are some references to those titles, but not enough to put me off this third book in the series.

If we could find Jo a young, stay at home husband then that would be perfect? Her 6 month old son gives the book a slightly different aspect. The trouble is I found Jo to be selfish in this regard, but very determined at work.

After a laboured start to the book she is off chasing a killer (or killers)involving 2 separate murders. Good descriptions of basic police procedural stuff. I also liked characterisations of the other members of her team. Maybe a little more of their backgrounds next time? 

There are two basic stories which end up linked, but I remain not too keen on this "then" and "now" narrative.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books for the chance to read and review.