DS Josie Masters returns to work after having had a child, and her first case involves an apparent burglary turned violent. However, she discovers the body is that of her former friend and mentor, Harry Ferman. It appears that he has had a lodger staying with him, and had tried to contact Jo a few days before.

The pace then builds up as the lodger transpires to be a troubled young woman. Running parallel to the tale, and initially with no clear connection, is another story concerning James, who appears a violent and disturbed young man.

Overall the story did not really draw me in. I found Jo a rather two-dimensional character, torn between her job and her new baby. I felt no sympathy or interest in her dilemmas. The back story of the main characters, as it developed, was ok but again did not elicit much of a response. The style of writing was in parts a little clumsy, some of the phrases badly chosen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast-paced police procedural, apparently the 3rd in a series, though worked as standalone. It centers on Jo, a new mother, who ends her maternity leave early to work on the case of the murder of a friend of hers, which leads to more murders with no sign of stopping if she and her team can't figure out what is going on.

I found the storyline to be somewhat convoluted- there were a lot of characters, and a lot of "bad guys" it felt like work to keep them all straight as well a tie it all together. I am also not super interested in the gang scene, which is a prevalent piece of the book. That being said, the ending was a real surprise, which I enjoyed immensely.

I could really relate to Jo and thought she was a likable and believable character. I also really liked Harry, his story told through Jo's memories, and was sad for the loss. I thought the character development overall was well done, especially for a story where it felt like there were so many. I also enjoyed the descriptive writing around the crime scenes, though not for the feint of heart, as I felt really immersed in the environment.

All in all, pretty good story with a fast pace and a good ending. I would interesting in reading the next one in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After only* 6 months maternity leave, Jo Masters is rearing to go back to work. And she’s not settling for desk work, she wants to be on active duty.
When she responds to an emergency call, she finds her old friend and ex-policeman Harry Ferman unresponsive and covered in blood on the floor. The octogenarian is dying after being assaulted with a fire poker. They find evidence that there was a younger woman staying with Harry but it looks as if it was a hasty arrangement without much comfort or any romance.
Not much later they’re called in for a double homicide and discover that the missing girl is the couple’s daughter. There’s also a suspected link with a gang-related shooting. The investigation into all those different crimes that are somehow related is a difficult puzzle. Most of the police see the daughter as the perpetrator but Jo has reservations and thinks there’s another explanation.

The book starts out rather slow, with a child welfare worker looking in on little Theo who was bruised by a reckless driver that drove in the back of Jo’s parked car. The first day back at work is concentrated on a recent shooting incident connected to a local crime family.
The story is well written and keeps the suspense up. It’s rather violent and gritty compared to most British police procedurals, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The violence and killings are functional and not unnecessary vivid. Society is a lot more violent than 50 years ago and books reflect reality. The plot makes sense as well; it’s a grim picture of child welfare services though.
The chapters about the investigation are regularly interrupted by the thoughts and activity of someone called James. Who he is and what his involvement is becoming clearer as the story progresses.
Jo, the protagonist is easy to relate to. She’s a bit of a perfectionist and struggles to balance her highly demanding job as a police officer with her new status as a single mum. She’s rather insecure about her role as a new mother, constantly asking herself if she’s doing the right thing and giving enough attention and time to her baby.
I hardly noticed that this was the 3rd book in the series. So, if you haven’t read the previous 2 books, this is a good point to step in. It doesn’t mean that I won’t read them anyway

*6 months maternity leave is early to go back to work? I wish I lived there, as we get only 16 weeks in Belgium. And after that, she can get an additional 6 months as well. Be proud of your NHS, my English friends!
I thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for a free ARC; this is my honest review of it.

A great thriller to get into full of twists and turns,the third book in the series and just as good as the others.It also has great charactors you feel riveted to the story.5*

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

A fast paced thriller well written. I liked that even though it is a series it wasn’t over descriptive and the story and characters were able to stand alone in this story ,without all the previous sometimes tedious history telling where the characters fitted. Read and enjoy you won’t be disappointed.

The third book in this series, but, in my opinion, not as gripping as the last one due to the slightly unbelievable storyline and the excessive violence. I believe that a mother of a six month old baby wouldn't deliberately disobey orders and put herself in the firing line. To be honest, the book would have been better if the murders had been solved without all the 'gunfire' at the end, which added nothing to the story. The beauty of a police procedural is in unlocking the mystery, not pursuing the villain to the death.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of Watch over You, the third novel to feature DS Josie Masters of the Thames Valley Police.

On her first day back after maternity leave Josie recognises an address on the radio and gets there to find her old friend and mentor, Harry Ferman, dying after an attack. Further investigation suggests that there was a young girl staying with Harry but who and where she is are unknown. And then more bodies are linked to her.

I thoroughly enjoyed Watch over You which is a good read with an interesting plot and a high body count. The novel is mostly told from Josie’s point of view but there are chapters which slip back in time to cover the activities of a violent man called James with an unexplained agenda. I like this approach as James’s chapters backfill the detail without giving anything away ahead of time. in practical terms this means that the reader meets each new development at the same time as Josie and the team and James’s motive remains shrouded in mystery. There is plenty of room for speculation and armchair detecting and it certainly held my attention.

The plot is well conceived with a series of random killings defying the obvious solution and eventually being linked to a deeper motive. The novel also changes from a whodunnit to a hunt as the team home in on a suspect or from a puzzle to a thriller with plenty of action, tension and danger. It gets quite exciting towards the end.

Josie is a smart detective who enjoys her job but she misses her son when she returns to work. This involves the usual guilt, sense of inadequacy and reliance on others for childcare. It’s not really my thing in fiction so I found Josie a bit dreary in this novel.

Watch over You is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another fantastic read by MJ Ford.
DS Josie Masters returning early from maternity leave, is thrown deep into of one most emotional and personal cases of her career. It was an addictive read, so hard to put down. Is book broke down Josie's character, giving great insight into her flaws and strengths as a woman, mother, and detective. The writing at times was so raw and real. Definitely one of my favorites of the book series. I am not so patiently waiting for the next installment.
#netgalley

I’ve really enjoyed the previous books in this series and so was excited to read this latest instalment, it did not disappoint. A great story, with many shocking twists and turns, was on the edge of my sit waiting to see what would happen next! Definitely worth a read.

Another fast paced, well plotted case for Jo and her team with the new dynamic of her adjusting to motherhood and one of the victims being a close friend make this a compelling read.

3rd in the series and this one has a very high body count and extreme acts of violence

Returning to work after maternity leave DS Jo Masters is called upon to investigate the death of a former police officer, burglary gone wrong or something more sinister?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc

This is a fantastic well written story which had me gripped till the last page. I am looking forward to reading more in this series in the future by M J Ford.

This is the third book in the series and as the previous two were brilliant so was this one. You will be on the edge of your seat the entire time with the amounts of twists this book has. I would recommend reading the first two not that you have to you will want too they are that great.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. If you want a thriller with twists and turns and great characters you will really enjoy this book. I loved it.

For Josie her next crime scene has a personal flavor to it. It is the brutal murder of a dear and close friend of hers. However, as she continues investigating his death, she discovers that all is not as it seems, and she didn't really know her friend as well as she thought. Recommended book for anyone who love a good mystery!

This is the third book in the DS Jo Masters series and I have read the previous two and this is another gem.

Based in Oxford DS Jo Masters is returning from maternity leave when she gets called to a murder. It is a close friend and former police officer, Harry Ferman, and initially appears to be a burglary gone wrong. As the investigation progresses DS Masters discovers that he had somebody staying with him, a young woman.

I love the character of Jo Masters as she has faults and shortcomings throughout trying to juggle an intensive job with childcare. Finding it difficult she still takes on the job as the body count mounts.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and MJ Ford for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent read, highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an e-arc of this read. A classic cop tale I could easily imagine as a BBC show kept me reading until the very end. This is my first read from M. J. Ford and I was easily able to hop into the story knowing nothing of the characters in the series. The book starts off a bit slow but by the twenty percent mark, I was fully invested and loved every bit.

This is a dark mystery with excessive language—for those who can get around that aspect-the mystery is long, detailed, and at times, difficult to discern. Most of the characters are unlikeable with the exception of the main character, a female police woman. She is dedicated to her job while caring for her child.

Average thriller. Very sad that Harry was murdered. M.J. Ford's first book was the best; the last one was not great, but this one was better than the last one. Some good suspense, but overall, I skimmed more than I read.

#WatchOverYou #NetGalley
One time read.
DS Josie Masters is called out to a house in North Oxford to investigate a serious incident – an apparent burglary turned violent. But things take a personal turn when she walks through the door and discovers the body is that of her former friend and mentor, Harry Ferman. Who killed him?
Although the plot of the story is really good but the execution not upto the mark.
But still I completed it and found it ok for one time read.
Characters were ok. Narration was smooth in middle but a bit slow in the beginning anf in the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advance copy of this book.