281 pages

3 and 1 / 2 stars

DS Sara Hirst reports for the first day of her new assignment to a hostile work environment. Sara meets DC Bowen and DC Ellie. Not only are her new team mates decidedly not glad to have her join, some of the officers are sexist and hyper-critical. She meets her immediate boss, DI Edwards who doesn't seem such a bad sort. He just wanted the promotion to be internal, not for an outsider like Sara. 

The story jumps right in when a decomposing body is found. It is murder. This is the first murder they have had in the quiet little village in perhaps a year. The team is excited to work it. 

At the same time, a series of thefts are going on in the surrounding farming community. 

A parallel story is also being told in the book. Two young women are being held against their will. One is a “cook,” and the other is used by the men for their “pleasure.” They are desperate to escape. The ever resourceful Lenka is the cook while the frightened Mouse is used and degraded. The bully boys who hold them prisoner are mean and ruthless, even to one another. 

An elderly farming woman is being pressured to sell her land – for a much lower price than it is worth. She is trying mightily to resist the obnoxious neighbor whose name is Des Dixon. 

Pour this all together and the reader is in for a treat. This is a very good debut novel and I am guessing that this is the first of a series featuring Sara and Edwards. It is well written and plotted. Some parts were a little weak, but overall it was a very good read, especially for a debut author. I liked Sara, but wondered at her moments of weakness. I would guess if a victim was my long lost father, I'd be upset too. I didn't feel that that whole scenario really added anything to the story though. Just a distraction.  

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very nice book for me to read, enjoy and review.

A solid first novel of a new series.
Interesting characters, contemporary social issues and a decent amount of drama.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Sara Hirst has moved from London to North Norfolk to join the police force.  Her mother is angry and not speaking to her, but Sara wants to find her father, who left when she was two and her mother refused to discuss him.
It's difficult for her, her team is not exactly welcoming and when they investigate a murder and a series of serious farm robberies, Sara has a big shock coming.
I liked Sara and empathized with her and also felt very sorry for her father.  There is a nasty gang of Eastern European farm workers who keep two girls imprisoned and those chapters are very tense and exciting.
I'm assuming this is the start of a series and will definitely be reading the next book.  Recommended!

Enjoyable start,to what I assume will be a series.
A good cast of characters both in the police station and outside of it.
There were a few things that struck me as a bit far fetched,but I'm sure by book 2 they will just be background.
Interested to see where it goes from here.