I really enjoy the DS Jenna Morgan series by Diane Saxon and this on did not disappoint!

Jenna has to work on her day off and is called to a what look like domestic incident in Ironbridge, but everything is not what it seems and she son realises that there is a child missing.

Jenna and her team race against time to find the child will they be able to do this?

I got really involved in the characters and what was happening, I saw the twist coming from the clue Diane had left.

Please keep them coming

The Ex is apparently the fourth book in this series which I was not aware of when I started reading.It is a good police procedural thriller which finds DS .Jenna Morgan up against it when she is called out to an assault and what first looks like a domestic dispute turns into a hunt for a missing child when the little boy of the couple goes missing and when Imelda the boys mum is also found seriously injured all roads lead the girlfriend of Zak the boys dad.It's a decent enough read but I would read all the other books in the series first because it was off putting when the story kept referring back to things that had happened in Jenna' s and her sister Fliss pasts.For that reason alone I can only this book a 3 star review I would recommend the book but read the previous ones first.

A good overall concept and storyline, an ex girlfriend turns up and attacks the new wife and abducts their child. The sense of fear and helpless in the situation is well portrayed and there were some heart stopping moments for me. I found the ending of the book a little too cliched for my liking, although the issues surrounding mental health were sensitively navigated and I felt some empathy for the perpetrator.

I didn't realise this book was part of a series and it really didn't matter because as a standalone book, it was a fantastic read with nothing missing having jumped in here.

Emily is at her works summer ball. Gossip is rife regarding her last boyfriend who is now married. Emily had struggled with the break up, seeking professional help. However the voice in her head is adamant that she should go and reclaim Zak back.

During the unbearable summer heatwave, DS Jenna Morgan is called to a possible domestic abuse case. Pregnant Imelda has been found unconscious in her home with serious head injuries. Zak is in a state of shock and seems unable to be a reliable witness. It suddenly becomes apparent that the couple's 11 month old son is missing.

Emily's sister has always yearned for a baby and awakes to suddenly find a strange toddler in her house. A little boy, that Emily insists is a girl becomes dressed I a girls clothes and is referred to as a girl.

This story follows the race to find Joshua whilst awaiting to see if Imelda will wake up to fill in the gaps.

A fast paced book with twists along the way. A great read, highly recommend

A woman is brutally attacked in her own home and her son has been kidnapped, police officer Jenna must figure out who has taken him and why before time runs out,

I read the previous book in the series and thought I would give this next one a try after seeing it on Netgalley. One of my criticisms of the previous book was the seemingly unrelated plot, there was none of that in this book. It was very focussed on the main story and the characters centred in it which I liked. The way the author wrote some scenes was absolutely gripping and I found myself really invested in the characters. For me, I still like more of a reveal when it comes to who the perpetrator is, there was a good twist in this book but I would have preferred more of a build up to find out who had done it. That’s really just personal preference though and the writing and characters more than make up for it, I will be reading more from this author.

What looks from the synopsis a great police procedural with heart stopping action is not what happens when read.

I could only get as far as chapter 10. The slow and very over descriptive writing prolongs the story and doesn’t captivate you from the onset.

Police procedurals are fast and engaging. This is not.

The main suspect is shocking and you feel like you just want to shout and say “get over yourself and move on”. Having the story in reverse does not do it just. I rather work out who is responsible than know from the onset.

Chapters at times are long and laborious with hints of old fashion style.

I had and felt great expectations but this fell way short. I don’t think I would read the previous ones either.

Overall not for me.

Awesome! I was pulled in to this twisty tail from the first page. Rich characters drive a tale of love and loss, revenge and mental illness. A compelling, heartbreaking thriller.

DS Jenna Morgan is called to an dispute at the home of a couple and their young son. She finds the pregnant wife in a pool of blood and her husband claims he found her when he came downstairs from working. DS Morgan doesn’t know if the young mother fell and hurt herself or was attacked, then the husband realizes their eleven month child is missing. This was a quick read and kept me wanting to read to find out what happened. Thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I knew I was in for a good read after having read 2 other books by this author, I didn't think that i was going to be blown away by it!
It was one of those books that you are desperate to race through as you want to see how it goes, but you don't want to finish.
I was gripped, as usual by this author's writing, by the first few pages, intrigued to know where it was headed.

The author highlighted mental health in this book,and it was done so well!
The police procedurals were described brilliantly and I love DS Morgan's team, they're a family who look out for each other.

Strongly recommended if you like a edge of your seat police procedural/ thriller.
Loved it!

DS Jenna Morgan answers a call out to what appears to be a domestic at a house in Ironbridge. When she arrives she makes a preliminary assumption that it could be a falling out between the the couple, Zac and Imelda, and that Imelda fell down the stairs. It’s not until they realise that the couple’s baby, Joshua, is missing that events take an even sinister turn.
When I started reading this book I wasn’t aware that it was part of a series of Jenna Morgan stories, so the harping back to a previous case and the way in which Domino was idolised was a little confusing. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book and it quickly became a page turner. The characters were well written, the setting perfect (though I am probably biased as I love Ironbridge!), and the story moved along quickly. Whilst I am not a fan of series type books, this could encourage readers to catch up with others in the series. This is not an whodunnit, as the reader knows this from very early on, so anyone wanting a denouement will be disappointed, but nevertheless it is a good read and I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Zak and his pregnant wife were attacked and their 11 month old baby kidnapped. Jenna Morgan is called to the home to investigate what happened. This was a nail bitter from start to the finish.

When I read this book I was unaware that this was part of a series so I was confused at times which is the reason for 3 stars.

The Ex by Diane Saxon is a crime thriller with DS Jenna Morgan at its centre. I read this novel as a standalone, unaware that it is part of a series, and my enjoyment was not at all diminished by this fact. I am left wanting more, scrambling to find other books in this series.

DS Morgan is called to a home in response to a report of a domestic incident. What she finds is a pregnant Imelda Cheetham-Epstein unconscious with serious head injuries. Further adding to the traumatic scene, Imelda and husband Zak's eleven month old son has gone missing. Clearly, something about the scene in Ironbridge is not right, and it falls to Jenna to find out exactly how foul the state of play.

While I very much enjoyed this novel, I was slightly disappointed that I was blindly entering an already established series. That being said, the book does hold up as a standalone, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This crime series has a fresh feel to it with engaging characters and a good dose of humour despite the dark nature of the cases.
The author deals with complex mental health issues with sensitivity too

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Now that I come to post my review on Librarything, I see that this is the fourth instalment of a series. This was not apparent from either the NetGalley or the Goodreads listing, although it was obvious when reading the novel. There was a lot of harping back to traumatic things that had happened before, and a big focus on a dalmation and who could be trusted to dog walk such a precious animal etc, which must make more sense to returning readers than they did to me.

I found this curiously lacking in suspense. We knew who had committed the crimes and why from the very beginning and the police quickly worked this out too. Without being too spoiler-y, it was all a bit anticlimacitc; everything turned out not to be as bad as it might have been.

i a big fan of this author and she never disappoints . and set not far from me .Emily Shenton is at the company summer ball. and she not really want to be there ,she had one true love who worked with her but when they broke up he left the company , then her boss announces Zak has got married it causes a chain of events that is lethal and upsetting for some of the characters . Jenna and her team are on the case and i so love some of the funniness in this book and is nice to catch up with the other characters in the book i love the Dalmatian Domino as always gripping and addictive cant wait for the next book in series

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I always get sucked into Diane's books by their covers and descriptions, but then get let down. This one didn't do it for me for the simple fact she said right up front who the perpetrator was. I understand that secrets came out about Emily, but it really lost my interest right away.

A missing child an unconscious pregnant woman with head injuries in Coalbrookdale. D S Jenna Morgan is at Malinsgate Police Station Ironbridge and becomes involved with the case is this an accident for the woman or something more, The husband and father Zak Cheetham-Eptein is frantic is his wife
Imelda going to survive and where is Joshua his son who has taking him. Emily Shenton is The Ex and Zak is the love of her life she will never forgive him for leaving her and now the voice has spoken it was back and knew where her heart lay what was she going to do. Jenna and her sister Fliss and trusty dog Domino still lived together Fliss a teacher at Coalbrookdale Ironbridge school were both in relationships dating. Fliss and DC Mason Ellis Jennas partner at work and Jenna with Adrian Hall a crown prosecutor and relationships are hitting off but they still both enjoyed girlie times alone together, Getting back to the story its in the middle of a heat wave and Eleven months old Joshua is out there somewhere and needs to be found they have no idea if he just wandered off or was taking from the house. Oh what can I say this book is gripping and gave me shivers I found myself feeling very emotional in parts I love this authors style and this book is brilliant to read from start to finish they just get better and better and I am loving the whole series. I give this so the worthy stars but deserve more.

#TheEx #NetGalley
A good read.
DS Jenna Morgan is called to a domestic incident at the home of a young family in Ironbridge.
Pregnant Imelda Cheetham-Epstein has been found unconscious by her husband, Zak with serious head injuries.
When Jenna arrives on the scene, she discovers something even more disturbing – the couple's eleven-month-old son, Joshua, is missing and the race against time begins to find him.
Is this an accident or something more sinister?
Are the two incidents linked?
Or has something in the Cheetham-Epstein's past caught up with them?
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an advanced copy.