Jane Isaac's series featuring DC Beth Chamberlain is always an enjoyable read and this latest instalment is fascinating. When the body of a child is discovered buried in concrete on a building site, a whole strand of lies and deception is revealed and lives are changed forever. As a FLO, Beth is at the heart of the case and it becomes personal. An added point of interest is her relationship, both professional and personal, with colleague Nick. A thoroughly engrossing novel.

DC Beth Chamberlain serves as a family liaison officer and now she's got a real challenge of a case. Alicia went missing 15 years ago as an infant. Now, a body which could be her has been found and Beth must deal with the family, including reinterviewing them. Alicia's mother has secrets she's never told- until now. This part of the novel is nicely twisty, albeit somewhat familiar. I had not read the earlier two books and, therefore, when attention shifted to the kidnapping of Beth's niece in connection with her work on another case, I was a little at sea. Therefore, while it's a good read, it's also a challenge as a standalone. Those who have read the earlier books, however, will no doubt be pleased with this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I was pulled in right from the beginning. The characters are very well written and it is fast paced. This is definitely a must read!

While the characters were well-written and the plot was well thought out, I felt there was quite a bit lacking in this story. I did not feel as if I cared about anyone in the story or even the crime that took place. I didn't become emotionally invested at all. I almost stopped reading numerous times.
The ending felt very much like it was just patched together. While it was a detective story, I didn't feel like there was really any crime solving going on, and the crime wasnt solved until someone confessed. I also felt like there were too many loose ends that didn't find conclusion.

DC Beth Chamberlain #3

One sunny day in July, someone too three month old Alicia Owen from her pram outside a supermarket. No one saw who took her. Her mother, Marie, was inside. They couldn't find her. Now, fifteen years later, a teenage on a construction sight sees a tiny hand sticking out of the ground. The baby had been buried and preserved in concrete. Could this be Alicia?

Beth Chamberlain is a Family Liaison Officer. It's was nice to read a story from a FLO's rather than the leading Detectives investigating point of view. There is a couple of stories running through the book but we focus on them one at a time with just a little bit of the stories overlapping. There's a few twist and turns and the book is well written. I did not know that this was the third book in this series when I requested it. There were references to a previous book so I do t think if reads well as a standalone.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Aria and the author Jane Isaac for my ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed the opening of an old case thanks to the sighting of a hand on the building site. Great way to open the story.
I liked DC Beth Chamerlain's character, her sensitivity and compassion in her role as family liaison officer and
I also enjoyed her burgeoning relationship with Nick who seems like such a nice guy.
The investigation is well paced and the interviews with Marie and Daniel, Vic and Cara, all help the plot stay intriguing. The reader is kept guessing and wondering what on earth happened 15 years ago that baby Alicia was never found. I felt incredibly sorry for Marie who seemed to have so much heartache to contend with, not to mention a fair few secrets, and I found Daniel's loneliness heartbreaking.
I loved the twists and the eventual solving of the crime.
The bit I wasn't so sure about was Beth's sister Eden and her involvement with criminal Kyle.
I understand that the end part of the novel ties in with loss of a child, the fear when a child goes missing and the desperation one would feel to be in that position, but it felt a little too tagged on the end for me and the brief tension over an escaped convict too neatly and quickly resolved.
I think I would have preferred the secondary storyline not to have been present at all and for the ending to have simply been the conclusion of the cold case.
However as I suspect there is more to follow, I do appreciate that the author is setting up future ways in which the characters will develop and part of that is also having back stories humming away in the background.
Overall I enjoyed the book and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another Jane Isaac novel and I definitely want to carry on following Beth Chamberlain!
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

This was a thoroughly engaging read, which I felt compelled to read in a day.

The author has done a great job of making us feel invested in the characters. I really liked the way the tension grew in intensity as the story progressed. The climactic scenes with Daniel at the car park and Lily and Beth on the boat were particularly well written.

When a teenage girl finds a baby's arm protruding from a concrete block, a police investigation ensues. Could it be baby Alicia Russell who was taken from her pram fifteen years earlier?

The key protagonist, DC Beth Chamberlain acts as family liaison officer in the case. Through her, we are introduced to Alicia's parents and their families, as the reader tries to establish who stole the baby and why.

When the killer is revealed, it comes as a surprise. Although the puzzle pieces have all come together, the story continues when Beth's own niece is abducted.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. i will definitely recommend this read.

This is a dual timeframe novel that starts in the present time with a teenage girl walking past her school to have a quick cigarette in her secret place, a new-build site. She lights up and notices the left arm of an infant sticking out of a concrete block. Almost immediately a builder appears and she takes flight in terror of getting into trouble, leaving the adult to report the gruesome find to the police.
DC Beth Chamberlain is allotted the jobs as FLO (Family Liaison Officer) when the team of detectives suspect the corpse encased in cement is most likely to be baby Alicia Owen who had been kidnapped in her pram in nearby Kingsthorpe on the outskirts of Northampton fifteen years ago. Her first priority is to get a positive identity. Poor Marie and Daniel Owen had been in limbo for all those years, hoping against hope they would one day be reunited with their surviving daughter. It is an extra tragic kidnapping because they had already been bereaved when baby Alicia’s twin sadly died, and the trauma of their twins short lives was the cause of them eventually splitting up and going their own ways.
Although this is the main story in this novel, with about 80% of the novel having passed by when the mystery is suddenly solved with a garbled, surprising, guilt - induced confession. This is when the last 20% of the novel starts off by making a complete U-turn and dealing with a second unrelated child kidnapping. This time Beth is personally involved when her seven-year-old niece Lily disappears into thin air.
Before this point I had not read either of the first two books in the DC Beth Chamberlain crime thriller series trilogy. It appears that this story is related in the second novel that ended with a cliff-hanger. I felt totally discombobulated. I couldn’t think why this thread was relevant. The second story felt as though it could have been written as an entire novella. That being said, both story threads, though not related, were very tense, action-packed and enjoyable. Jane Isaac certainly tells very interesting and absorbing stories that are meticulously researched and authentic. I am a fan of this genre and these two stories were really good. I loved the issues within the novel: a family crisis, buried secrets, heart breaking revelations, suspense and criminality, to mention just a few.
I enjoyed reading this novel and would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Aria for my copy sent in return for an honest and fair review. It is a 3.5* review from me.

I’d like to thank Aria and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Hush Little Baby’ by Jane Isaac in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Teenager Jordan Quinn doesn’t want to go to school and is hiding on a building site when she sees what looks like a baby’s hand sticking up through the ground. Fifteen years ago three-month-old Alicia Owen was taken from her pram outside a supermarket while her mother Marie was inside shopping. Could this baby be Alicia? DC Beth Chamberlain of the Homicide & Serious Crime Squad is Family Liaison Officer to the Owen family while her boyfriend DS Nick Geary heads the team investigating the baby’s death.

‘Hush Little Baby’, the third book featuring DC Beth Chamberlain, is a welcome addition to the series and I’ve enjoyed reading it. It’s an involving police thriller that’s had me gripped from page one, with an exciting plot, drama, suspense and twists and turns. But just as I think Beth has the case solved another sub-plot arises that causes concern for her safety. It’s been a great pleasure to read more of Beth and her growing relationship with Nick, also her sister Eden and niece Lily, and the further I’ve got into the story the more their characters have developed. I can recommend this thriller and look forward to the next one.

This is a great crime thriller. It's the third in a series, but works as a stand alone. I haven't read the pr e vious two books but may go back and do so.

This book focuses on the murder of a small child which may be disturbing to some. However I found it to be a very interesting detective read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

This is the third book in the DC Beth Chamberlain series and has a sad story line, centred around a missing child. It would be best to have read the previous two in the series for background detail. I was drawn right into this story and I loved the character development. I like Jane's style of writing and the two converging stories. This is another solid read from the author. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I didn’t realise this book was part of a series - so you could say it definitely works as a stand-alone story also. I was gripped from the first page. A brilliant murder mystery!

I didn't realise that this was the third book in a series. It is still good as a stand alone story but I wished I had read the previous two first

This book is a third in the series and lived up to my high expectations. A harrowing story but written well and with emotion. Fantastic story. Another great one in the series.

This is a good book. It has a gripping opening and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you going, Isaac is a great writer and her talent shines through in this book. it's slightly long but other than that a really great read.

I received Hush Little Baby as an ARC to review.

Hush Little Baby sucked me in taught away! Within the first few pages I was invested in finding out what happened to Alicia. The book flows well and was easy to get into. I enjoyed this book up until about the halfway point. It got a little slow then, but picked back up after. There were some twists and turns in there that had you guessing and then abruptly it ended. There’s a confession and that’s that. I found it rather sudden and out of nowhere. However, the book wasn’t over there. A whole new mystery comes up and it’s like there’s another book at the end of the first one. Kind of strange. And by that point I was ready to be done with the book.
Overall it was a decent read. Just a little wordy and long.

A quality crime story, well written and perfectly paced.
Packed to the rafters with emotion and suspense.
Book three in the series, and my favourite so far. It would be best to read books one and two to better understand Beth’s family and work colleagues.
On the way to school a teenage girl squeezes in between some fencing surrounding a new building development to have a crafty cigarette. There’s a horrible smell. Amongst the rubble she sees a tiny hand, wearing a bracelet. She does a runner, and is noticed by one of the workers.
Fifteen years ago a baby, Alicia Owen, was taken from outside a shop and the case was never solved, Alicia never found. Could this be her?
Alicia’s parents Marie and Daniel have since split up with Marie going on to marry Vic, Daniel’s old best friend, and having a child together.
Daniel never got over losing Alicia and his home is filled with photos, it was so very sad.
DC Beth Chamberlain is a Family Liaison Officer. Her role is to support the family – and quietly investigate them. She is there to support both Marie, Daniel and their families.
DNA is taken from Alicia’s parents to check if it is her.
The team dig out the old files and revisit the case, re interviewing people who were originally questioned. Looking at it with fresh eyes doesn’t seem to help.
Marie is reliving it all again, and keeping some secrets from her husband.
Daniel’s twin sister Cara is worried about him, and neither of them have had contact with younger brother Scott who mysteriously disappeared soon after Alicia was taken.
Also at this time Beth is feeling vulnerable, after a serial killer from a previous case escaped custody.
I like Beth as a character and I like the way that her personal and family life is brought into the story. She has a great relationship with her niece Lily, they are both keen swimmers. Her sister Eden had a relationship with a local criminal, Kyle, which caused Beth some problems at work in the past, covered in previous books, and he is still around.
This is such an interesting case, with lots of twists and turns as the investigation progresses. The tension built perfectly and I just couldn’t put the book down.
Easy to read, I was engrossed. I thoroughly recommend this author and I look forward to more in the series.
Thanks to Aria Fiction and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

It is always sad when it's about a kidnapped child, and when is an infant it is even more. An infant corpse is discovered on a construction site. Could it be Alicia's, from 15 years back? DC Beth is going to try and find out.
I enjoyed the book, even though the last part for me was too much.
Thanks for NetGalley and publisher for this opportunity.

This is the third in the series starring Police Family Liaison Officer Beth Chamberlain and, although the main story is self-contained, you would do better starting from book one to take in her backstory and character development. We also revisit an ongoing case towards the end which does require a bit of prior knowledge to fully appreciate.
So, fifteen years ago someone took three month old Alicia from her pram as it was parked outside a shop. The police followed several leads but she was never seen again and her body never found. The case went cold.
Back in the present and the body of a baby is found preserved in concrete on a construction site. There are signs that point to the fact that this might be Alicia. Enter Beth and the team to liaise with Alicia's parents, now sadly split up. With the case now blown open and new evidence to examine, Beth has to ask some rather tricky questions and soon a picture starts to emerge. But will the truth coming out set free those in limbo all these years, or will they have to face new nightmares?
This book was a very decent read in itself but it didn't quite hit the heady heights of the first two which I loved. I have been pondering on why but I can't quite put my finger on one thing. Maybe it's a tad slower as they do get a bit bogged down in all the investigation stuff along the way. It does include some of what happened in previous books towards the end so that may be why. I wasn't expecting that to happen so was a bit taken aback. It made the book feel a bit disjointed as there was quite a sudden switch. But, that said, if you have read the previous books you will follow what happens.
All in all, a solid read that continues the series well even though it was a bit weird in structure. I am looking forward to the next one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book

This is the 3rd book in a series, which I had not realized when I picked it up, and a lot of the story ties back to things I had not read in the previous books. The main premise of the story is that the body of a baby is found at a building site, and Beth, the detective, has to confirm that the case ties to the case of a baby that went missing 15 years back, and then figure out what happened. This is a pretty interesting premise, but it's interspersed with a storyline about a serial killer who may or may not be after Beth, which I felt took away from the primary story.

The police work done to investigate baby Alicia's case was pretty interesting, though somewhat drawn out. It took a lot of time to even establish that the body belonged to Alicia, despite the fact that it was pretty obvious, and is the primary premise of the whole book. There was also time spent chasing down various leads that ended up not going anywhere.

The unveiling of the villain was kind of anti=climactic, though I didn't see it coming. I can't decide if I liked the way it all came out or not. The overall situation is pretty heartbreaking (probably not a surprise in a book about killing babies) and I think it will stick with me. Oddly, this story line is wrapped up but the book keeps going to wrap up the other story line that carried over from the previous book. There was also multiple references to another policewoman who had some kind of vendetta against Beth, but I didn't understand the background or reasoning of that situation, so am assuming that it was also from earlier in the series.

Overall, I thought this was a decent book but wish it had worked better as a standalone- I think there was enough there to have built that out further where the other plot line wasn't even needed.

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