Found the story a little slow but this may be because I hadn’t read any more books in the series so perhaps wasn’t as invested in the characters. Could follow as a stand-alone

The plot is intriguing with many twists. The plot is fast paced and it is well written.
The characters are well developed and likeable especially the main character.
A good thriller

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I was hooked on this book! I couldn't put it down as I wanted to find out what happens next. Gripping read and highly recommend

Great thriller that kept me turning the pages. Great story, great writing and characters. Really enjoyable and would read this author again.

I didn't realise this was part of a series but not having read the previous books didn't matter here. It felt enough of a standalone to work anyway. The pace is quite slow and I feel it could have benefitted from being slightly faster to build the tension more.

I love a good police procedural and the DCS Frankie Sheehan series is fast becoming one of my favourite in this genre. I have just read books 2, 3 and 4 back to back and feel that they are getting better and better in terms of characterisation and plotting. This, the third in the series has a compelling plot with twists I did not see coming and the ending ties up the various strands of the plot well. The police procedural aspect is superb, it's beautifully written and moves along at a good pace. I love the characters of Frankie and her partner Baz and the atmospheric setting in the Wicklow mountains. Although I would recommend starting with Book 1 in the series this could definitely be read as a standalone. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

This is my first book by Olivia Kieran but I don’t think I needed to have read the earlier books in the series as this is a stand alone as far as I can tell.
I got to almost 60% and asked myself if I was enjoying it. The pace is quite slow and the drama is well not dramatic at all. The characters at this stage in the book seemed shrouded and very unclear and yet I was enjoying the read.
However the second half dipped for me and I finished the book with a sigh of relief. It was I suppose a good procedural story but too many things happened out of the book and only reported on after.

While I did somewhat enjoy If Looks Could Kill (the first half was better than the second), I had to skip a lot of the useless information and was underwhelmed with the ending. All of the important action happened off-page and we were only told about it in summary, and there was little to no suspense or pay-off because of it. This affected the pacing too. It was nowhere near as thrilling as most police procedurals I've read previously. There were also a few unanswered questions that I'm pretty sure aren't going to be answered in the next book.
The characterisation was lacking. I didn't connect with any of the main characters and a lot of the time struggled to remember who they were. Maybe that's because I haven't read the first two books in the series, but this one has left me with no desire to pick them up.

Lastly, I have no idea how the title is relevant to the book's content.

One plus of this book is it contains little to no politics, which is truly a breath of fresh air.

3*

I always enjoy books from this author and this one is no exception. It hooks you in from the start and keeps you gripped all the way through. I can't wait to read more from them in the future - great book.

If Looks Could Kill by Olivia Kiernan is a very enjoyable murder mystery set in Ireland. The author is new to me and this is the third book in a series but it works well as a stand alone. I liked the sense of teamwork that the writer created within the police department through believable characters. The plot was well structured with some surprises along the way. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a detective mystery.

My thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Editions Ltd, Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

With thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the ARC

Another great instalment in this excellent series.


Full review to follow...

Book 3 and it could still be enjoyed for the investigation into a mother's life. FRANKIE was called when the mother Debbie was reported missing. There was blood at home but no body. So it was up to Frankie to start her investigation and get to the truth.

Year 2020 has been filled with police procedural and this too was interesting when secrets were dug up about Debbie's life.

It was slow initially then got interesting when the investigation sped up. I liked Frankie and she made me stick to my kindle till the end.

A good read.

This is another excellent book by Olivia with her character Frankie who investigates the disappearance of a woman in Ireland. An excellent page turner.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Storyline that keeps you turning the pages, intriguing and quite fast moving. The beginning Is strange and doesn’t appear to tie in with the storyline but just be patient, all will be revealed. Brilliant read

Two seemingly unrelated incidents in Dublin lead Sheehan into an investigation that deftly twists and turns. No character is what they seem, but Kiernan's innate gift is to make the locales characters in themselves.

I really enjoyed this book once the pace picked up a bit. I’d say around the 40% mark was where it became unputdownable. My biggest worry reading If Looks Could Kill was the fact that I hadn’t read the first two books in the series but I think this works really well as a stand alone-there were a couple of instances where I thought “maybe that makes more sense with context from books 1 & 2” but it was never anything major and it didn’t take me out of the story.
My favourite thing about If Looks Could Kill is the amount of times you think you’re racing towards a conclusion only to be twisted around abs pointed in another direction-I feel this is how working on real cases might feel to detectives. I marked it 4 stars but it probably would have been 4.5 if I hadn’t figured out some of the “shocking” twists quite early on.
Highly recommended to fans of police procedurals, crime thrillers etc. I can’t wait to read the first two now.

If looks could kill is a truly magnificent read. The story is brilliant, full of twists and turns which are far from predictable and points where you find yourself shocked by what happens. The pace is perfect, ramping up the right amount of suspense to keep the reader hooked.
A wonderfully written book which everyone should read.

A great storyline, with lots of twists and turns. It is never predictable, and there are a few time when you are surprised with the turn of events. It flows very well and feel like a real journey. The characters are likeable and you build a relationship with them, as you journey with them. Frankie and her sidekick Baz, who does a fantastic supporting role.

It never gets too dark which is something I dont like. There is life and honor in here as well. I have not read the other books in the series but didn't need to. I will definitely be checking them out as soon as possible, as I want to spend more time with the characters. A Great read.