Once again Kiernan has grabbed my attention from page one and made sure I didn't and couldn't do anything else until I finished the book. Having read the previous 2 books based on the investigations of Frankie Sheehan I was really looking forward to this & I wasn't let down. Another cracking read from a very talented writer

DS Frankie Sheehan is involved in a seemingly open-and-shut case involving the disappearance of Debbie Nugent, whose daughter has been charged with her murder even though her body hasn't appeared. Frankie is not convinced Margot is guilty and embarks in the search for the truth.

Wow!

Talk about starting with a bang.

If Looks Could Kill was a very fast-paced, enjoyable read that kept me on the edge of my seat. Lots of twists and turns, and a surprise ending make this an all around book. There really isn't much to say bout this novel except for you-won't-regret-it!

This is the third installment in the Frankie Sheehan series but I don't think you need to read the previous two to enjoy this one as a standalone novel. This was my first Olivia Kiernan novel and definitely not the last.

Disclosure: I'd like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

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4+.

The novel starts in a very dramatic way with an incident in a park in Dublin. A few weeks later DCS Frankie Sheehan and DS Baz Harwood of the Bureau of Serious Crime are called to Wicklow to help investigate the case of missing woman, Debbie Nugent. Her house shows evidence of foul play but for now, no body. Debbie has two daughters one of whom lives with her. As the team question them over the next few days it becomes very apparent that something very strange is going on in the Nugent household. The unfolding drama is told by Frankie and the ensuing investigation takes the team into dark, unexpected and dangerous territory.

The plot is really intriguing with plenty of twists as perplexing contradictions emerge that deepens the mystery. The novel is well written, the storyline flows and the plot is fast paced and compelling. The characters are good and mostly likeable especially Frankie. I like that’s she’s complex, by no means perfect but she’s dogged and brave in the pursuit of the truth. She makes for a good and clear voice in the narration. I like Baz too and he’s a good sidekick. There are touches of humour which helps to lighten the increasing dark mood, there’s lively scene setting so it’s easy to imagine and as a whole it feels plausible and realistic.

Overall, an enjoyable read. The case is enthralling and has elements of a thriller so goes behind a run of the mill police procedural crime fiction.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Quercus Books for the ARC.

This is Book #3 in the Frankie Sheehan series - although I have to admit I haven't read previous ones, this is fine as a standalone. I thoroughly enjoyed this. The characters are really good and you really get to know them; it's well-written with believable and sometimes witty dialogue. I like the relationships in Frankie's team and how they all work together for the Bureau for Serious Crime in Dublin, where Frankie is the Detective Chief Superintendent.

It all starts off with a 'bang' - literally, but you have to keep reading to the conclusion which brings all the strands of this fast-moving investigation together.

Twenty years ago Debbie Nugent moved herself and her daughters, Margot and Kristen, to an isolated farmhouse outside Ballyalann, a small community with the backdrop of mountains and forest, and of course the wettest of Irish weather. Present-day, on a Saturday morning, Margot's boyfriend David calls the Station to report Debbie had been missing for 3 days, describing what could be the scene of an attack at her home. Frankie has only the story from the daughters to go on - no motive, no weapon, and no body, but it becomes increasingly likely that Margot knows more than she's telling.

Debbie has no social media presence, doesn't own a mobile phone and has very few friends. When Frankie starts to delve deeper into her background the layers of intrigue mount. We are taken into the realms of Police corruption, rival underworld gangs and undercover detective work. All leading to a cleverly plotted conclusion.

This was a really good read, I look forward to reading more of the series.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

debbie is missing

but the crime scene and the missing persons report dont add up
two sisters questioned, but there are more questions than answers

a suicide in the park

a frustrating case for frankie and her team but they have the bit between their teeth and could the answers be a lot closer to home than they would like

a compelling read with all the answers coming together at the end...

DS Frankie Sheehan returns in If Looks Could Kill which is the third book in the series by Olivia Kiernan.

Told in the first person this is a story with a number of twists that engage the reader and keep you turning the pages. The ending was also a surprise.

This is an enjoyable series and I look forward to future books

Recommended

My first DCS Frankie Sheehan book and a very good read it was.
Slow start but lots of layers and complexity with all the strands coming together at the end.
A daughter is accused of killing her mother - seems an open and shut case for Frankie and the team but soon there are links to the criminal underworld, police corruption and a struggle to uncover what really happened to Debbie Nugent.
An enjoyable read of Dublin Gardai procedures with believable characters and a storyline that keeps the reader hooked.

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read with interesting characters. Highlights what Police have to go through to get to the truth at times.

A great read. The first few pages almost put me off, adjectives galore! However it was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend.

If you are looking for gripping crime fiction then this should be just the job. I’m grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review this book. Dublin based detective Frankie Sheehan and her sergeant investigate the disappearance of a woman from a rural village. Judging by the scene at the womans home this very quickly appears to be a murder investigation but the lack of a body brings problems. The strange behaviour of her daughters arouse suspicion and what is the connection to the suicide of a man in Dublin? Strong and complex characters make for an intriguing mystery.
If like me you haven’t read the two earlier novels don’t worry this stands up well on it’s own but I’m sure like me you’ll enjoy it enough that you’ll want to search them out.

Aman kills himself in a park in Dublin , no trying to hide it he shoots himself in public , there is no obvious reason at the time but things start to reveal themselves later . Shortly after DCS Frankie Sheehan is called to a house in the Wicklow mountains where the mother of two daughters(Debbie) is found murdered and the house ransacked . One of the daughters lives abroad and is returning home to be collected from the Airport by the other daughter Margot, and her boyfriend . Suspicion falls on Margot and she is charged with the Murder . Frankie , however, is not convinced that she is guilty and continues o search for the truth , despite being told from "above" to drop it as they have a result . What follows is a plot by an undercover police officer to protect his family , police corruption and an unexpected result . A great read .

Frankie and team are called to a crime scene in Wicklow. Something violent has obviously happened and a woman is missing but is she dead? How long has she been missing? What do her daughters know? And what, if anything, has it got to do with a mans suicide in Dublin? the Bureau have to work out of a small local police station and deal with a woman who has lived a very private life so it is hard to follow her timeline.
This is another great read from Olivia Kiernan. It is tension filled and has loads of strings to the story that eventually all come together. I look forward to meeting Frankie and the team again.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

I have read the previous books in the series and loved them so was looking forward to reading this. It didn't disappoint and was a taut, gripping mystery with strong characters and great writing.

I loved this book!

This is the third in the Frankie Sheehan series but the first book I've read in the series; I'll definitely want to read the first two.

The main characters are likable and I genuinely had no idea whodunnit for most of the book. The story is well written and I found I couldn't put the book down. Frankie is clearly a complex character and this comes across alongside the main storyline. My only complaint was that the last couple of chapters felt a little slow.

Loved this, hadn't read any of her others. That wasn't a problem though.
A good little who dunnit with a good plot. Plenty to keep the reader guessing.

Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley and Olivia Kiernan for this copy of this book!

If Looks Could Kill is number 3 in the Frankie Sheehan Series!♥️

Frankie and her team are sent to the rural and urban place of Wicklow where a woman who has mysteriously disappeared, which then makes her family to worry about her. Debbie has 2 daughters, one in which lives with her in her own home and the other one who just returned from her holiday. Frankie decides to question both of them, neighbors to Debbie and other people who have had contact with her/knew her. The circumstances in which Debbie goes missing are suspicious and very unusual straight from the onset. Could she of gone missing before people realised? How did the daughter she lived with not realise?

This is a twisty but unexpected novel, where you get sucked into the book and drawn into the investigation, characters and the plot and makes you put all the clues together to reach your own conclusions which is brilliant and i loved that i could do that! with an unexpected plot reveal/twist which was amazing

Thank you Olivia Kiernan for such an amazing thriller! 5 Stars Definitely recommend! Will review on Amazon as well when it is Published! and Post on social media (Instagram) too!

A satisfying read that takes you through the intricacies of trying to solve a murder. All the characters within the story are believable.

“If Looks Could Kill” is the third in the DCS Frankie Sheehan series, where she takes interest in a rural missing persons enquiry which unexpectedly leads to a wide-ranging investigation into more than anyone could have imagined.

The circumstances of Debbie Nugent’s disappearance look unusual from the beginning. Margot, her daughter, seems to know a lot more than she is prepared to admit but at the same time doesn’t really seem capable of harming her mother. The recent arrival from France of Margot’s sister and her partner make a cover-up look all the more likely. Frankie Sheehan and the team start putting the evidence together to secure a conviction. However while awaiting trial, more evidence comes to light that shifts the investigation in a totally new direction. By the end of the book DCS Sheehan has clashed with senior figures running undercover operations, become involved with two major drug cartels, contemplates a possible leak from inside the force and believe it or not, a good bit more!!

Olivia Kiernan has created another gripping thriller with such an unexpectedly clever plot that hits you like a truck!!

A brilliantly woven tale where nothing, ever, is as it seems, with outstanding characterisation. Sheehan is an inspired creation, a force of nature strictly on her own terms, and it's impossible not to root for her. Crime-writing at the highest echelons.

Really enjoyed this book. Hadn't read any by this author before but I will definitely check her out now!
A flawed detective, but a good one (all police thrillers have them!) Who won't rest until the case is fully solved. I liked this character so will be interested to see the growth of her in previous and future novels.
Thanks Netgalley and the publishers!