Really assured first full length police procedural. Great characters and a very intriguing plot, it's nice to have an older female investigator with a happy home life and supportive husband. I will definitely be looking out for more from this writer, a great read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an advanced copy of this book.

DI Isabel Blood is called to the discovery of a body and is shocked to discover it’s location is the house she lived in as a child. Worse still the death possibly coincides with the sudden disappearance of her own father.
Isabel and her team set about solving the mystery of the body buried in the garden and discover the many secrets surrounding the victim.
At the same time Isabel’s relationship with her mother is tested as she demands answers to the mystery of her father’s sudden departure from their lives during her childhood and discovers more untold secrets, involving her own life.
I loved this book from beginning to end and can not wait to read more from Jane Bettany.

In Cold Blood is an award-winning debut crime novel featuring DI Isabel Blood and set in the fictional Derbyshire town of Bainbridge. The Whitworth's are excited to be moving into a new house which makes a fresh start for the family. They immediately get to work renovating and invigorating their residence and altering it to suit their own tastes. They soon turn their attention the garden and begin digging to put their own stamp on it but shortly after starting they accidentally stumble onto what appears to be human bones in a shallow grave; this instantly halts the family's plans for a spruced-up garden for the foreseeable future as investigators are called in to identify the body, find out how the victim was killed and eventually who the perpetrator was. Enter Detective Inspector Isabel Blood and her intrepid team who arrive at the scene of the crime, 23 Ecclesdale Drive, with Isabel full of dread because this was the house she grew up in and has many memories of. She cannot stop the inevitable thoughts creeping into her mind that this may be her father's body who vanished when she was the tender of fourteen never to be seen again. The remains are forensically examined and are found to be approximately forty years old. Exactly the right age to be her father...but is it, and what exactly happened to him?

This is a captivating and compulsive read, which I enjoyed immensely, and I can honestly say that Bettany's first foray into the crime thriller/police procedural genre was a successful one. It's an original, fast-paced and compelling novel which is easy to race through and I found the plotting superb, especially for a debut. Mystery, secrets and lies abound. It was refreshing to see a female main character and protagonist who is over the age of forty as for some reason most crime novels feature mostly young guns. The advantage of being a little older is that you're usually a little wiser and have plenty of practical on-the-job experience and a developed gut instinct which all help towards solving cases efficiently. However, most of Isabel's instincts are taken over by intense emotion and creeping unease when she discovers the case hits a little too close for comfort. She is a fifty-something wife and mother who is dedicated to her job. Bettany has perfectly captured the essence of what it means to be a middle-aged woman in these times and one who is frequently torn between the demands of her career and her family. Many thanks to HQ Digital for an ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of In Cold Blood, the first novel to feature DI Isabel Blood of the Derbyshire Police.

A skeleton is discovered in the back garden of a house under renovation. CSI estimate that it has been there for 20-40 years and that brings a dread to DI Isabel Blood because she used to live there in that time frame and her father disappeared from there, never to be heard from again.

I thoroughly enjoyed In Cold Blood which is a procedural with some interesting and unusual plot developments. It held my attention from start to finish, no mean feat given my current malaise, and I read it in one sitting. It is told mainly from Isabel’s point of view with no word from the perpetrator. I loved this as it means I could guess along with her and get fully immersed in her personal dramas as well. Some of my guessing went better than others. I also enjoyed the methodical and rather relentless build up to a solution. I’m not sure what I mean by this but my overall impression is of a clean and clear plot and while there are the distractions in Isabel’s domestic life the novel is very task oriented, find the killer. It is a very assured debut and I will be looking out for any sequel.

I like Isabel who is in her late 50s and is still trying to juggle motherhood due to a late baby and a demanding career. As an incidental I was impressed by the simple fact that she and her detectives too time off for pressing and not so pressing family matters which seems a lot more realistic than the usual nothing gets in the way of a case. She still, however, has to walk that tightrope from time to time. She seems sensible and level headed but devastating personal news puts this to the test.

In Cold Blood is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

As a debut novel, In Cold Blood is a flawless example of its genre. With a steady pace, an interesting murder mystery and an in-depth investigation, it doesn’t fall short on any of its standout qualities. I read this in one sitting and loved every minute of it.

When a book is the first in a series, you usually find the same issues creeping up. There’s either too much of something or not enough of something else. Mostly, there’s not enough time spent on getting to know the main character to make you want to read more about them, or there are too many names mentioned that you can’t get to grips with the story properly. But there’s none of that with this book. In Cold Blood has the perfect balance of story, mystery, and development, and you come away knowing enough about every single character.

It’s a really easy book to enjoy. The detective story itself reads like an episode of Vera, which I mean as a huge compliment. The author is obviously a fan, too, as they even mention her at one point which made me smile. The promotion for this book alone says that it’s for fans of Ann Cleeves, and you can see why. Isabel is likeable, committed to the job, and uniquely funny, and the mystery is complex but easy to follow.

It follows a similar pattern to others in its genre in that it makes you question every character, and you don’t know how it all links together until the very end so you are constantly kept on your toes. But what it does best is that it links together Isabel’s own story with the case she is working on, meaning that they are both given the attention they deserve to allow us to feel connected to everything that’s going on.

I wouldn’t say that it’s a gripping or a shocking read, which is the only reason that I haven’t rated this a five-star book as I really couldn’t find any fault with it, but it is interesting, engaging, and enjoyable to see unfold. Bettany has obviously done her research and looks at the police procedural side of the investigation from all angles. I also like the use of the odd northern phrase and occasional mention of an accent as it shows that she pays attention to details.

Most of all, the book deals with its central theme brilliantly. I won’t say what that theme/issue is as it would spoil some of the revelations, but I really like how it was used to add more mystery, but also to tackle a few stereotypes and prejudices along the way.

In Cold Blood is a quality first instalment and will certainly remain one of my favourite reads of this year. I will be looking out for the next DI Isabel Blood book without a doubt, and already look forward to seeing what mystery she has to solve next.

This is the first book i read by this author and won't surely be the last as it was a gripping and entertaining read.
I liked the solid mystery, the well thought characters and the plot that kept me hooked.
Can't wait to read the next instalment, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

#InColdBlood #NetGalley
A must read.
Whitworth family begin renovations on their new home, their plans are brought to an abrupt end when they discover a body buried in the back garden.
DI Isabel Blood and her team are called to investigate, but as she approaches Ecclesdale Drive, a feeling of unease settles in her gut.The property cordoned off is number 23. The house she used to live in as a child…The forensic team estimate that the body has been in the ground for up to forty years – coinciding with the time Isabel’s family lived in the house.
I loved DI Isabel. Other characters were quite funny but good. Narration of the story was crispy.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.

When human bones are discovered in the garden of a house being renovated, DI Isobel Blood and her team are called in to investigate. As she approaches the house she realises that it’s where she used to live as a child. When she was 14 her dad left and was never heard from again, could she have finally discovered his whereabouts?

A good book which was an easy and enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, kept me enthralled and had very interesting characters. DI Isabel Blood is called to investigate the remains of a body found in a garden. the property was the house she grew up in and the body has been there for a number of years. Can this be her father who disappeared when she was a child? I would recommend this book and author and I hope there is another book to follow. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Jane Bettany's debut novel
In Cold Blood set in England.
DCI Isabel Blood gets called to a crime scene, turns out it's her old house. She worries it's her missing father.
Isabel is a mother,one of children is a late life child, she's a wife and a chief inspector. Dedicated and tired.
Secondary characters provide a lot of assistance in solving case.
Enjoyable read will read her next book when it comes out

A good blend of modern-day thriller and old-fashioned police work. The characters lifted right off the page, in this skillfully written tale that blurs the boundaries between cop and criminal -DI Isabel Blood's family history an integral plot twist.
I read it in a couple of sittings.

A family are beginning renovations to their new home, while digging up the garden they find skeletal remains. D S Isabel Blood and her team are sent to investigate. The property that is cordoned off is her family childhood home. Why does Isabel have this feeling of dread that the remains are her father who disappeared when she was fourteen years old. Secrets, lies you just know that it will not have a happy ending. A really good murder mystery and so much more which I devoured in one sitting.
Thanks to H Q and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.