The blurb or précis for The List promised an excellent story however, unfortunately the book failed to deliver on this promise with one dimensional characters and a very weak plot. Not a book I enjoyed

*3.5 Stars!!

This is the first book in the Martha Munro Crime Mysteries series following Detective Munro.

The day starts off just like any normal day for Martha, she’s at work trying to catch the bad guys whilst her mum is at home looking after her 4 year old daughter Betty. When she gets informed that her daughter has been kidnapped and her mother shot dead its a rush to find the culprits before they hurt Betty.

Martha’s father lead the anti- corruption squad at Scotland Yard and its rumoured that he kept a list of every informant, corrupt officer and those that worked for him and someone wants that list very badly they they would even kill for it!! When Martha finds herself on the wrong side of the law and with her life in danger it’s upto her and her fathers closest friend Harry to find this list and the people who are setting her up before she ends up dead.

I liked this book found it to be a really quick read and it kept me on my toes. The main characters were all likeable but some of the story was a bit unrealistic and some of the things wouldn’t happen in real life but still a good read. I did however feel that the ending didn’t really wrap things up enough in my mind it kinda of felt like even the supposed good guys weren’t really good but dark grey. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next book.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for my honest review.*

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The List, the first novel to feature DC Martha Munro of the Met.

Martha is stunned when her mother is murdered and her four year old daughter, Betty is abducted. She suspects that it may have something to do with her late father, who ran the anti-corruption squad and apparently had a list of targets, informants and allies. She can look for that later, first she has to find Betty.

The List is a bit of a mixed bag. It has some genuinely tense and thrilling moments and is well written in a lively way that encourages the reader to keep turning the pages, but, while I can be a fan of novels that trade realism for entertainment this seems to take it too far and I simply couldn’t swallow enough credulity to get really involved in the plot.

I was excited when the novel opened with Martha in a prison cell in fear of her life and the flashes back to her mother’s murder. It’s enticing, thrilling and very moreish, until it isn’t. The novel disappears down its own rabbit hole of all powerful criminal masterminds with unbelievable reach. It doesn’t seem likely or even plausible that a six year old plus list could awaken so many forces or that said forces could have so much reach. As to how Martha gets to be in prison, don’t even ask.

I don’t know what to think about Martha Munro and her motley bunch of helpers. They seem a bit contrived and they definitely drink too much, at least once a chapter. It’s not the drink I object to it’s the constant repetition.

It would appear from the ending that this is only part one in Martha’s fight against the forces of evil. I don’t think I’ll be indulging in part two.

Martha Munro Crime Mysteries #1

It was just an ordinary lunchtime when Detective Martha Munro's life changed forever. Her sergeant is speaking, but she barely hears what he's telling her. Your mother has been shot dead. Your four year old daughter has been taken. There are no leads, Who would want to hurt her family? Martha realises it's time to ask herself some hard questions about her late father. He led the anti-corruption squad at Scotland Yard. It's rumoured he kept a list of everyone who worked for him, from coppers to criminals.

This is quite an easy book to read but the pace is slow. This is a story about corruption in the police and government. The first half of the book is filled with information. The characters were well developed and believable. My favourite was Harry the hat who sounded like he was the spiv from St, Trinian's. There were some parts that were far fetched. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #MichaelLeese for my ARC of #TheList in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much promise but unfortunately for me it did not deliver. The plot was unbelievable and it was a struggle to finish it. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The blurb was interesting but the book failed to live up to it. Rather too far fetched with a character, Harry the hat, who seemed better suited to a story set sixty years ago.
Not difficult to read though and some clever red herrings and plenty of action.

A good story, with reasonable believable people in it. It kept my interest fro start to finish. You can't be sure who the baddies are - or the goodies - until the end.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

From the description I was looking forward to reading this book but I found it slow paced and at times my attention slipped away.
I did finish but I was dissapointed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Bokks for the ARC

The List by Michael Leese was a so so read for me. Some of the scenes begin to get redundant and slow-moving in parts. The story didn't really wrap up as much as I would have liked and didn't hold my attention. Toward the end, I really didn't care what happened with the characters.

#THELIST #NetGalley

Much too far fetched for me unfortunately. From the blurb I was expecting a police procedural, while I'm not sure what I would categorise this book as it definitely isn't that.
Well written and engaging but a very over the top read.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
When I saw all the good reviews for the author I decided to try this book, but I was disappointed. The first part with Martha in prison was intriguing, but after that I soon lost interest. It didn't hold my attention. Sorry!

Based on the description of the content, it seemed to me that I would find this book interesting. The writer’s other books get a lot and good reviews, and critics have also written a lot of praise for his books. So I got excited to start reading the story. But then I didn’t get what I expected, I didn’t feel like I had to read this book. Maybe I’m at fault, I just wasn’t in the best mood. The point is, I didn’t feel the beginning of the book was exciting enough, and I couldn’t give a chance to see if the story would become exciting and interesting. That’s why I even finished reading at 10%.

Good book! This book was awesome! It had suspense, intrigue, action, and lots of great police work! The storyline flowed nicely, the characters were very interesting , all and all it was a great book! I definitely recommend reading this thriller! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!