Now everyone that knows me, knows I love a good binge read ... sooooo ... binge read is exactly what I did. I was so captured by this series and the characters that I barely paused to eat.
Another cracking read. Hanlon is a fantastic character. Tough, brutal and verging on being out of control, she is a law unto herself and I love her for this. Hanlon has the ability to make you root for her despite her obvious faults and in Enver Demeril we have the balance she needs.
This looks into the sordid world of people trafficking, abuse and is so carefully plotted I defy you to work it out before the last few chapters. This is a raw and visceral read that pulls no punches, but highlights many issues.

I adore this series, and Hanlon. I love that fact that while each book can stand on its own, the work better when read is sequence. I will admit, one thing I cannot help but think about is how Hanlon would struggle during quarantine - in this story she is aimless and adrift when she isn't working. Work is her job, her hobby, her passion, her social life, her everything. Life for her is very functional - clothes are practical, training is survival, and food is fuel. She's not one for fiction, for music, for noise or distraction.

One thing in particular that I love about Hanlon is that she packs a punch - when a character describes the injuries of another, the internal thought process is 'this guy is huge, so the guy who did this to him must be even more of a brute'. I love it. To know that Hanlon did something so destructive it couldn't possibly be done by a woman makes me smile - it's not dismissive and devaluing, it's their own demise.

In The Stolen Child, (DCI Hanlon #1) it was more of an unraveling - it wasn't so much a guessing game, but when it was revealed it was the suspenseful finish - will she save the child in time? Will she make him pay? How many laws and bones will be broken in the process?

In The Innocent Girl, unfortunately it was more obvious and while exciting, engaging, and well written, much of the content was about filling in the details. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and have already started on the third in the series.

Another thrilling read, I am getting used to this, and thanks to netgalley andto the publishers for giving me an advance copy, it just keeps getting better and better.

A direct follow on from the first book, another complex case for Hanlon where she bends the rules to breaking point and again only just survives her escapades

DI Hanlon has been promoted and is now DCI. She is still a maverick and is the most talked about woman in the Metropolitan Police.
Alex Combs once again writes with confidence and ability adding a welcome intellectual layer to a complex plot set in the halls of academia in London, and taking Hanlon to the dreaming spires of Oxford.
I particularly like the way the author takes such care in giving his characters a complete backstory. It brings them to life in an engaging way. Hanlon is very different to most cops. She breaks every in rule in the book to get the result she wants.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I've read by this author although this book is part of a series. It can be read as a stand alone book but I wonder if I would've enjoyed it more if I had read the previous book.
DCI Hanlon is a strong, female character who leads a pretty exciting life but I felt like it became too far-fetched and unbelievable for my taste. That said, it is well written.