3.5 stars rounded up

Warwick and Bell #3

In the early hours of a freezing January night, Special Constable Jane Bell is at the end of a busy late shift when she was called out to investigate strange noises in a local park. She finds a new-born baby girl dumped in a plastic storage box. That same night Detective Steph Warwick attends the murder of coach driver Bernie Gore, whose battered body is found in a narrow alleyway. The last thing Jane wants is to lock horns with Steph Warwick once again. Then vital evidence emerges linking Bernie Gore's murder to the abandoned baby. Jane has no choice but to alert the sharp-tonged detective inspector.

An abandoned baby, a coach driver who had been murdered, there's a connection of sorts, they both had a poker chip on them when they were found. But what is the significance of the poker chips? Jane and Steph don't get along, but they have to work together. There's plenty of twists in this well written addition to the series. It's also an easy book to read. The plotline is believable, the characters are well developed. I was quickly pulled into this story, wondering what the connection to the poker chips was all about. There's plenty of suspects to choose from.

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

Murder against the odds by Janice Frost.
Warwick & Bell Crime Mysteries Book 3.
The early hours of a freezing January night. Special Constable Jane Bell is at the end of a busy late shift when she’s called out to investigate strange noises in a local park. She finds a wailing new-born baby girl dumped in a plastic storage box.
This was a really good read. I did like Jane and Stephanie. 4*.

I have been lucky enough to read the two previous books, so I can comment on how well the character development has been written. The relationship between Warwick and Bell is starting to thaw, as both sides give a little more thought to their shortcomings. The plot was very good and I liked the way it told the hard truth about gambling addiction and the lengths that people caught in its grip will go to. Read in two sittings, very hard to put down.

I’d like to thank Joffre Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Murder Against The Odds’, the third in the Warwick and Bell crime mystery series written by Janice Frost, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Special Constable Jane Bell and PC Tim Sterne are nearing the end of their shift when they’re sent to a park in Lincoln where they find a new born baby abandoned on the bandstand. Meanwhile, DI Stephanie Warwick heads out to the Phantom Horse public horse when she receives a report of a dead body belonging to coach driver Bernie Gore nearby. Although not immediately apparent, these two cases are linked by the discovery of a poker chip left nearby.

‘Murder Against The Odds’ is a down-to-earth murder mystery that’s not so incredible as to make it almost impossible to believe. The characters are likeable and growing on me as the series progresses, such as DI Stephanie Warwick who wasn’t particularly pleasant in the first two books yet is developing a softer side, and SC Jane Bell who divides her time between her police work, tutoring and caring for her daughter Norah. The book contains drama, suspense, intrigue and an abundance of twists and turns, in fact everything necessary to keep me engrossed. This is a very enjoyable book that’s easy to read and has all the loose ends neatly tied up in the final pages. I’m happy to recommend it.

Well...although I felt slightly out of the loop, not having read #1 and #2 Warwick & Bell, Ms. Frost does an excellent job of giving just enough exposition that those familiar won't be bored and those not get a sense of what came to be in terms of the characters' relationships in #murderagainsttheodds. I think that's tough to do sometimes, so kudos for that. I found Warwick to be a tad annoying but get the sense she's come a long way, and Bell is a good foil for her. They both have excellent instincts, and the storyline is really good, it kept my interest and I missed these folks when I was done. The biggest strength here besides the plot is that these characters could be us, they are so easy to relate to. Another win for @joffebooks - I really enjoy their catalogue.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Who doesn’t love a detective story that gives you all the clues but makes it equally difficult to solve? A baby is found wrapped in a winter coat: who called 999? A man is found beaten to death: who is he and why was he killed. This was a great read, and the third in a series featuring two women working parallel to each other in different areas of policing in the UK. As in Frost’s previous novels, the characters are complex, sympathetic and believable. Interpersonal relationships between coworkers, friends, parents and those in loco parent are deftly explored as the story rolls forward. I particularly like the way the story deals with the difficulties faced by parents when their adult children associate with people whom they believe may endanger them physically or mentally. I highly recommend Murder Against the Odds.

I loved this because it's a police procedural with a different slant. The main character Jane Bell is a special constable rather than a detective and she becomes personally involved in the case. We have an abandoned newborn baby, a murder and poker chips! It's emotive with an outcome that I didn't predict, which makes for an enjoyable , plausible read.

Two women solving a murder mystery and find the mother of an abandoned baby are at the center of this book. Intrigue and mystery, with red herrings, keep the reader intrigued. The women do not like each other but must work together. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author. Curl up and become lost in this mystery…a baby…

Gambling and murder!

I’ve read all the Warwick and Bell crime stories thus far. It’s interesting in that Frost has chosen a different social dilemma / crime theme for each title. In Aginst the Odds gambling raises its ugly head. There’s also cohesive control, and the selling of children.
This time a new born baby is left in a rotunda, a young protestor disappears, a man is murdered in the CBD, Jane Bell’s daughter has hooked up with a man much older than her who Jane fears might be controlling, and more. There are confluences of influence that surprise us all.
With the gambling, people are being conned by unscrupulous loan sharks, and then finding themselves in thrall to those entities.
DI Steph Warwick has been undergoing therapy and she’s somewhat less aggressive in her relationships with people.
I tossed up between a 3 / 4 star response. In the end I feel that the moving parts came together well, even though Jane has lately been annoying me.
A good read though that held my interest.

A Joffe Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder Against the Odds, the third novel to feature SPC Jane Bell and DI Steph Warwick of Lincolnshire Police.

While Jane is attending a call about noises in the park, Steph is investigating a murder. Jane finds an abandoned new born and Steph wonders who would want to murder a coach tour driver, Bernie Gore. When links appear between the two cases the women have no choice but to work together, especially when a viable suspect has links to Jane’s family.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder Against the Odds, which is full of twists and unexpected links and goes in directions I wasn’t expecting. It’s told from Bell and Warwick’s points of view and rather these alternating perspectives being a distraction it works extremely well as they are attacking the various leads from different angles, giving the reader more food for thought and a wider view of events.

The novel also changed my view on the characters. Steph Warwick is growing before my eyes as she seems to have found some empathy. She can still be brusque and awkward, but she’s learning to tame. For the first time I can say that I really like her, and like her better than Jane Bell, who comes across as emotionally needy and a bit interfering in this novel. That’s the first direction I didn’t expect.

The plot is absorbing and held my attention throughout. Jane Bell has all sorts of domestic crises to navigate and whatever she does is wrong according to her family members. Still, she manages to unearth information and links that are useful to Steph Warwick and conduct a small investigation of her own in a subplot. Warwick’s investigation is a doozy, full of lying witnesses, undisclosed acquaintanceships and a victim who is not as innocent as he first appears. It’s one surprising reveal after another culminating in an explosive showdown, which is well worth the journey to get there.

Murder Against the Odds is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

First of all, I would like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for an ARC copy of Murder Against The Odds by Janice Frost to read and review.

Special Constable Jane Bell investigates noises reported in a local park, she discovers an abandoned newborn baby girl in a storage box. Detective Steph Warwick is called out on the same night, to a murder scene of a coach driver in an alley. Are these two crimes linked in any way? These two ladies will find out soon...

This was my first book by the author, even though it is part of a series and is the third book, I didn't feel like I missed anything. In my opinion this can be read as a stand-alone, but at the same time, things were mentioned in this book(as part of an explanation of previous events) that piqued my interest to read the first and second book very soon.

I found the writing of the author really well done, it was an easy read but at the same time very gripping. Every time I picked up the book to read, I completely forgot about the world around me. The twists and turns of the mystery, kept me turning the pages. Her storytelling completely captivated me. I loved the characters Janice Frost created, Jane Bell and Steph Warwick, each of them struggling with their own insecurities, and that made it possible to connect with these fictional minds. These characters felt completely real and believable.

Many events take place within this novel and many issues are covered, which at some point felt a little overwhelming and a lot of information to absorb, if that makes sense...but it didn't take anything away from the overall plot of the story.

Janice Frost always writes well and this, the third in the series, is no exception. It is easily read as a stand alone but I believe that a new reader to the series would benefit from reading the earlier ones as they help to round out the actions of the characters. Is the abandonment of a baby girl linked to the gruesome murder of a coach driver? Does the presence of a poker chip with both mean anything? How does the protest against planning permissions fit in? Two threads that, themselves, stand alone although come together at the end. The story deals with gambling additions and it's ramifications which might not be an easy read for some. Special Constable Jane Bell finds the baby, is having problems with her adult daughter and current boyfriend and finds out more than she bargained about her own life; DI Steph Warwick chases gamblers and their attempts to fund their addiction as well as trying to sort her own dark history. The two women are starting to accept and understand each other more which makes for a better working relationship, they are believable. DS Elias and his amateur acting really adds to the story as do his insights into his female colleagues.

This is book 3 in the series of Steph Warwick and Jane Bell but can be read as a stand alone. The book starts with an abandoned baby in a car park and a murdered coach driver. How are they linked? The plotting is good, as is the characterisation but the references to climate change, veganism, gambling, trauma etc left me feeling a bit depressed and distanced from the characters. I did like the interaction between the two main characters though. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A compelling story I love this series so far, Gripping chapters from start to finish.
Lincoln, as we join the characters Steph Warwick and Jane Bell in book three murder against the odds.
An abandoned Baby girl in a park, A murdered coach driver both are found with poker chips on them, could this be a compulsive gambler and are they linked, read on chapter after chapter.
You grow to love all the characters good or bad, this book has so many twists to set your heart beating faster as you read. I will look forward to hopefully many more to come.

Many thanks to both Joffe Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Murder Against the Odds.

Expected publication March 4, 2023

3.5 stars, rounded up.

The early hours of a freezing January night. Special Constable Jane Bell is at the end of a busy late shift when she’s called out to investigate strange noises in a local park. She finds a wailing newborn baby girl dumped in a plastic storage box...

Murder Against the Odds is my first book in the Warwick & Bell Series and I found it to be filled with twists and turns aplenty! I had a bit of trouble getting into the story, as there were also explanations aplenty. I'm sure that if I had read the previous books in the series all of the explanations would have made sense to me but I found myself a little lost. However, the more I read, the more I became hooked by the story.

I liked SPC Jane Bell a lot and by the end of the book I even liked DI Stephanie Warwick. (Warwick definitely needs a couple of therapy bunnies!) I think Elias was my favorite character. He made even ME feel better with his calmness and wisdom!!

Well written as per usual with Janice Frost with a wide range of believable characters. The police are human and as fallible and damaged as everyone else. A very human story. Exciting, twists and turns abound, it's two stories in one really.

Read it in one sitting - 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.

A very good book from the very first chapter, I have read quite a few books of Janice’s and this one doesn’t disappoint, I look forward to reading more in the future

I always thoroughly enjoy a novel by Janice Frost. This is a continuation of the series featuring Special Constable Jane Bell who finds a baby abandoned in a park on a very cold night. Also features Detective Steph Warwick investigating the murder of Bernie Gore. This is an excellent murder thriller book that keeps the reader enthralled until the final pages.

Murder Against the Odds by Janice Frost is an unputdownable mystery full of twists. Special Constable Jane Bell is at the end of a late shift when she’s called out to investigate strange noises in a local park. She finds a wailing newborn baby girl dumped in a plastic storage box. That same night Detective Steph Warwick attends the murder of coach driver Bernie Gore, whose battered body is found in a narrow alleyway.

Do these two mysteries have anything in common? Hmm, I couldn't wait to find out. The action starts right away and keeps going until the surprising end. I liked the author's descriptions of the setting. I often felt like I was right next to the characters as they unraveled the story. The characters were well-written, believable, and interesting. This was a very good mystery that had me gasping out loud when various things were revealed or uncovered.

I would recommend this book and this author. I will check out more books by this author in the future.

A 4.5 out of 5 stars (rounded to 5).

#MURDERAGAINSTTHEODDS #NetGalley @JoffeBooks

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, A crazy who done it , great police work and so many crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!