I loved the first book in the DI Sasha Dawson series by M.K. Hill, and I couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series. M.K. Hill’s writing is very engaging, and this time round, in The Woman in the Wood, he delves into the scene of reality TV. Reality TV has seen a huge boom in popularity in recent years, with shows such as Love Island and The Only Way is Essex. It made for an intriguing backdrop to the story, and it gave the book a unique hook.

I have to admit that being from Essex, the name M.K. Hill gives the reality TV series in his book, Laid in Essex, did make me cringe a bit, but I can definitely imagine such a show existing. A former star of the show, Abs, is one of the central characters in the book. He has been in the limelight for several years now; people recognise him in the street and feel as though they know him, even though they haven’t met him before. M.K. Hill takes you into that world, especially as Abs tries to make a comeback.

Abs was a character who I didn’t really warm to. I thought he was quite obnoxious, particularly in the way how he revelled in his fame and how he tried to flirt with women, but that is part of who he is. He can’t talk to someone without a complimentary, cheesy chat-up line. He is haunted by what happened three years ago, when a young woman disappeared while he was in Wales, he was once labelled a suspect in the disappearance, but no evidence could be found against him. And when one of his friends who was with him at the time is killed, it sends him into a panic frenzy. He fears that it’s because of what happened in Wales they are now being targeted.

M.K. Hill’s writing made this book a very addictive read. I really wanted to know what Abs and his friends were hiding about what happened three years earlier. I also wanted to know who was targeting them, and M.K. Hill throws in several twists, which will keep you turning the pages. The final chapters were very chilling as the truth was revealed.

You don’t need to have read The Bad Place to enjoy this book, but I would highly recommend that you do so. DI Sasha Dawson is a great character, and this is turning into an exciting, must-read crime series. I hope that there are going to be many more books in the series to come.

Well this is the 2nd book in a series which i already love. The storylines are good and theres a bit of humour in it. All round a great package with great characters

This is the 2nd book in the DI Sasha Dawson series by author M.K. Hill. This is a fast paced novel that makes an entertaining read. My second read from this author having already enjoyed the first book in the DI Ray Drake series and would certainly like to read more from him.

Danny Abbingdon had it all and was living life to the limits. handsome, famous girlfriend and a starring role on TV reality TV show, Laid in Essex. But everything was about to change. A party gets out of control and when a few days later a local girl is reported missing, presumed dead, Danny and his friends turn out to be the last people to see her alive. No charges are ever made but fingers are pointed and Danny’s career is over. Three years later new evidence is discovered by DI Sasha Dawson that could change Danny’s life once again but is it good or bad.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Head of Zeus for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I adore DI Sasha Dawson and I hope she's around for a long time. This is the second in the series. The first is The Bad Place. No need to read it first but you'll want to after you read this as you will want more of Sasha.

The brilliant part of Mr. Hill's book is that you could stop reading at any point of time and walk away satisfied. But don't - the ending is great. The characters, particularly Sasha, are written so well. So deep. She struggles as a mom, a wife, a boss. Like most of us do so she's very relatable. Her sister Connie is a pain in the ass and there is a secondary story with Sasha's poor boss Vaughn becoming one of Connie's victims. There are some really laugh out loud moments which I really love in a book.

I love the main crime involves a reality star and shows the reality of a reality star. The storyline is a linear narrative and while it involves a few flashbacks, it's just enough to push the story along.

I seriously cannot wait for the next in the series. DI Sasha Dawson is like a drug to me and I'm in serious withdrawal.

I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC.

I enjoyed this quick read and from the publicity blurb I thought that it sounded interesting and a little different, but sadly it turned out to be another routine police procedural albeit with an unusual background but with nothing
in particular that added to the genre.

I liked the hero Sasha until she agreed to let her daughter stay home alone - the night away was a fairly big part of the storyline but honestly it added nothing; except that from my point of view it made me query her suitability to be a detective if she could be so easily duped by a teenage daughter.

Some of the "street" / youngsters dialogue sounded a tad forced and unreal although I did think that the reality TV series background was interesting.

Despite my criticisms I enjoyed the book but was disappointed that it didn't have much substance to it.

DI Sasha Dawson has an intriguing case on her hands in this story. The family of a girl who disappeared three years ago is out for revenge. I liked how meticulous Sasha was while solving the case. This was an interesting read. The Woman in the Wood is the second book in author M.K. Hill's DI Sasha Dawson series. It can easily be read as a standalone.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Andrew 'Deano' Dean, is a troubled man, drinking to forget what happened three years earlier at a holiday cottage in a remote part of Wales. Finally though, he is beginning to realise that, if he is to move forward, he has to go to the police and tell them what has been destroying his life since then.

Danny Cruikshank, a slightly washed up reality tv star, from the poetically named Laid in Essex!, know to everyone as 'Abs' was also at that cottage. At the height of his popularity when he went on the ill fated trip, things have been going downhill ever since and, when he hears from another friend about Deano's plans, he is desperate to find out what the police know and suspect about what happened.

When DI Sasha Dawson is called to a murder scene in an Essex village the condition of the victim is only the first shock coming her way in a case which seems to have no reason behind it. With her home life remaining as chaotic as ever, the last thing Sasha needs is her sister being even more irresponsible than usual when she is so busy. Connie however has ulterior motives Sasha can't begin to fathom and has no hesitation in involving anyone she thinks will prove useful.

This is the second of the Sasha Dawson novels and provides an interesting view of the world inhabited by reality tv stars, their fleetingly brief period of fame, and what happens when controversy changes everything.  Alongside this is a storyline detailing the desperate need for revenge when a family feels they are the only ones looking for answers to a recent tragedy.

Although I enjoyed the storyline and was surprised by an ending I incorrectly assumed I had all worked out there were things which didn't ring true. The team Sasha controls was, for me, the weak link in this storyline. In particular a young detective constable who seems to have risen through the ranks without acquiring any of the confident bravado I would associate with other fictional characters of this rank. There were also family moments I was surprised Sasha agreed to but it is still a good read with a solution I didn't see coming.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is well worth getting, especially if you enjoyed the first book.

The Woman in the Wood is the second book to feature DI Sasha Dawson. As I have not read the first book I was missing a little of the backstory but I don't feel that this affected my enjoyment of this book. I enjoyed the characters and the story got me hooked from the beginning. It had twists and turns that kept my interest until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for my ARC.

Danny “Abbs” Abbingon was enjoying the fame and fortune that went along with being in a boyband. But that all changed on the night if the party three years earlier. A girl disappeared and was declared dead, leaving Abs holding the bag His career is in tatters, but police have come up with new evidence all these years later, will they prove Abs innocent or is he a killer after all

A Sorrowful Scenario.....
A weekend gathering, a TV reality star, a night of drinking and a local girl missing. A sorrowful scenario that has already destroyed his career and now comes back to haunt former TV reality star, Danny, when a friend of his is murdered and he becomes a suspect. Smart procedural with credible characters and an engaging storyline but many sad and depressing themes prevalent throughout.

4.5 stars, rounded up.
I am getting to be a bit of a fan of this author having read and enjoyed both the series opener for this follow up and his other series featuring DI Ray Drake. There's obviously something about his style of writing that gels with me. Obviously you'll get the best from this book if you read The Bad Place first, and it's great so why not? But at a push you could read this stand alone as the main story is wholly self contained.
So there's this thing that happened three years ago when Danny "Abs" Cruikshank was having a weekend away in a remote cottage in Wales with three of his best buddies. A local girl went missing from a pub they were seen drinking at. It was at the height of his reality show stardom but on returning back to work found that his career did not survive the scandal of being questioned. There was always that question mark, heightened by the fact that the girl was never seen again no one was ever charged in relation to her disappearance.
Back in the present and the body of one of Abs' friends is found after being hit by a train. Initially thought suicide but soon ruled suspicious. Enter DI Sasha Dawson and her team to investigate. Fingers soon point to Abs and his remaining two friends and Sasha's interest in what happened three years since is piqued. Is someone targeting the friends? It then becomes a race against time to try and keep the others safe from harm, but with none of them telling the truth, can they get to the bottom of things in time?
Oh My! This hit the ground running, sucked me in completely throughout, spitting me out at the end completely satisfied. The plot is well crafted and executed and stars some rather larger than life characters, equally well drawn - both series and episode extras. It also goes along at a fair lick, not being spoiled by any added superfluous waffle or padding. It also kept me on my toes throughout with all the twists and turns along the way. I guessed a few thing right but mostly I was way off the mark so kudos to the author for that.
All in all, a cracking follow up to what is shaping up to be a good series. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of The Woman in the Wood, the second novel to feature DI Sasha Dawson of the Essex Police.

When Andrew “Deano” Dean is murdered it reverberates with his friend Danny “Abs” Cruikshank. 3 years earlier on a weekend in Wales Abs, Deano, Tony and Jez were the last people to see Rhiannon Jenkins before she disappeared. No charges were brought but Abs lost his reality TV contract and the others their way. Now DI Sasha Dawson is renewing police interest in Rhiannon’s case while investigating Deano’s murder.

I enjoyed The Woman in the Wood which is an absorbing read with several unexpected twists. I have not read the previous novel in the series so I wasn’t sure what to expect and initially I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the format, but it soon grew on me and became quite absorbing. It is told mostly from Abs’ and Sasha’s points of view. Sasha’s narrative concentrates on the investigation while Abs’ switches between the present and the events of three years ago in Wales, gradually revealing over the course of the novel what happened. Normally I don’t like this concealment of secrets and the spinning out of the reveal but it works well here, adding to the mystery of who killed Deano and why. That has an interesting, if a touch unrealistic answer.

I found the writing clear and concise making it an easy read. I don’t always comment on the writer’s style but in this case I think it’s noteworthy.

I thought that Abs was a strong character in his depiction, not his actual character. I know less than nothing about reality television but the shallowness of his thought processes and the fleeting nature of his fame chime with my impression of the lifestyle. And yet, he’s lovely, a cheekie chappy with an innate need to please and be liked and he evolves slightly. Sasha Dawson is more of a cliché as the hard working detective with a troubled home life. Her troubles are more inventive than most but I felt they overshadowed my ability to get to know her.

The Woman in the Wood is a good read that I can recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the second in the series, and while there is some backstory I didn't have about DI Sasha Dawson, it worked well as a standalone story. I liked the look at part of the dark side of reality TV stars - what happens when they become has-beens. I thought the characters were well-written and the plot had me hooked - there were several twists I didn't see coming, or only figured out as the characters did. This was my first book by M. K. Hill, but it won't be the last.

This is a difficult book to review. Is it police procedural? Sort of. Is it humorous? In parts. Does it fully hang together? Again in parts. However overall it was an easy and enjoyable read and whilst The Woman in the Wood is the latest book in the DI Sasha Dawson series it can be read quite easily as a stand-alone as the story and plot are very much self contained and any, albeit limited, backstory is easily covered off

This is the first book I have read by this author, but this book works well as a stand-alone. It is a dark and gripping thriller that I could not put down. I loved the character of DI Sasha Dawson and will be looking up M K Hills previous book.

Death by Train. What a way to open a book. But did he fall or wash he pushed? Well ... if you read the opening chapter to the book, you'll know the answers. lies somewhere horribly in between, but the reasons for the not quite straight forward demise of this books first victim is far more complex than Sasha Dawson and her team can imagine and more so than even the reader might realise. We know that he is guilty of something, his drunken ramblings leaving little doubt about that, but as for what. Well that is something that will slowly but surely be revealed over the course of the book, a story filled with a brilliant blend of tension, humour and surprises that I ate up.

This time around the author has tapped into a world that readers will easily recognise and either love or loathe. The wonderful world of reality TV and the concept of celebrity for a return of little talent. This is not the whole of the story, but it is something which definitely informs what happens and the course of the investigation as one of the victims friends is former reality TV star, 'Abs' Cruikshank, a man whose catchphrase is as pointless as his celebrity status. Or should that be 'former celebrity' status. There is defining moment in his life that derailed his career as a media darling and is set to blight his future too. It is thus which brings him front and centre in DI Dawson's investigation and right into the spotlight for readers. He's a seemingly vacuous character, but it would be unfair to say that this is all that defines him. For all his faults, and there are clearly many, it is apparent that he is someone only searching for acceptance and one bad decision, a very, very bad decision has cost him dearly. But he is someone who cares. About his friends and about doing the right thing. Albeit a tad too late.

I really enjoy getting to know Sasha DAwson and her team. She went through. the ringer last time around and it's fair to say that it's no plain sailing for her this time either, finding herself in a difficult and dangerous position as the investigation progresses. But I love her fierce determination and the dynamic between her and. her team is great, even if she does overstretch herself at times. We also get to see more of her familial situation and the scenes in which she tries to rekindle the romance in her marriage do elicit the odd smile too.

The are a few different storylines in this book that the author has carefully interwoven in a way which you won't initially see coming. The more we read, the more we understand the characters and the clearer the picture becomes. It draws us to a tense and a dramatic conclusion as the killer is revealed as well as a well hidden secret. Nothing is dealt with in a graphic way, but the implications are enough to get the skin itching. And then there is the ending. Fun, light and in keeping with the story, indicative of the nature of Abs, a man who can try and turn even the bleakest of times to a positive ending.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing where the author leads us next. If you enjoyed the first book, The Bad Place, then I am certain you will enjoy this too. Sasha Dawson and crew are a team who are rapidly growing on me and it's great to see such a positive, strong but believable female character front and centre at the helm of the series.

A dark and thrilling story. Chill to the bones! I was hook hard on it. It's has taken me some time to start be, but when I finally pick it it was a two days read! Captivating! You should read it!

I loved The Bad Place so was very happy to see another in the series. It also works well as a standalone thriller.

Obviously I knew this was going to be awesome but it’s actually next level! Shocking, dark, marvellous! I love this series and I love DI Sasha Dawson....she’s quickly becoming a favourite character of mine.

Every character has FANTASTIC development and I loved watching Abs grow as a person. The plot is fabulous and has excitement throughout!

I may only have five stars to give but this is a six star book!

M.K.Hill I’m really looking forward to the next book...please write faster. ;)

The cover of this book says "funny" but I found it incredibly sad..... The character of Abs is so desperate to be loved and Jez is messed up; both due to childhoods spent in care. Vaughn is vulnerable and Angel is damaged too (though it was obvious what she was planning).