This is the second book in the series featuring Detective Martha Munro. I haven’t read the first book but enjoyed this one so much that I will certainly be reading it. After traumatic events in the first book Martha is back at work but given a mundane task of investigating the abduction of cats but who are then mysteriously returned. The case escalates when one of the families receives a threat to abduct their children. Martha’s own family also comes under threat due to her past. I don’t want to give away any spoilers other than to say I am completely hooked on this series and can’t wait for book number three.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this book which didn’t read as smoothly as I would have liked. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I will just say the ending was certainly not what I was hoping for. If you’ve read it you will know what I mean & if you haven’t well read it and you will then know what I mean.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written book with some unpleasant characters and gruesome murders. Recommended.

I enjoyed this book…very suspenseful and interesting story, even though it’s connected to previous books and left a cliff hanger for the next one which I now want to keep up on.

This is a crime mystery that is fast paced, heart pounding and every so thrilling. I loved it.

Detective Martha Munro is getting back into a job she loves after a tough time but on her first investigation back things are not as them seem. This is a cat and mouse game story that grabbed my attention from the start and had me flicking the pages as I read faster and faster.

Love the characters and the pace of the book, the writing is flawless and twists, turns, secrets and crimes it is the type of book that will be a big hit and will have everyone wanting to read it. I loved it, enjoyed it and want to read it again. Highly recommend for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book it gave me a little fear of closed spaces, but if you love thriller you can’t help reading it.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Another slow burn book leaving on a cliff hanger not good. We all love a conclusion so we can move on. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

The second in the Martha Munro series is engaging and fast paced, although one or two areas stretch credulity a little. The core story from the first novel is continued, with Harry and his underworld contacts again coming to the fore in Martha's defence.

DC Munro is ordered to investigate a series of cat abductions. This seems an oddly trivial assignment for a detective, but she has to comply. Somehow this quickly escalates into threatening behaviour and then several shocking, and apparently random, murders.

Martha instigates, strangely being promoted from constable to acting inspector in the process. But as she looks into the cases, she comes to the conclusion that the whole series of events is actually designed to entrap her - into what she doesn't know.

The Trap is a well written and readable thriller. The underworld connections and strange events become a little difficult to believe in places, but the characters are well developed and the reader is drawn further into the bizarre scenario facing Martha.

This is the second book in the authors Martha Munro series and whilst I think it can be read on its own I'd say read the previous book first. I wished I had, and will be doing exactly that when I can. There are references to previous events which I don't feel detract from the plot in The Trap, if anything the hints have piqued my interest. I think this is a very well written and engaging read and I really liked Martha and cared for her, and like her back history. She initially investigates what appears to be a simple case which is anything but and becomes more serious and sinister. Is all as it seems though and who can she trust? I thoroughly enjoyed this read and loved the suspense and intrigue Michael Leese introduced. I was hooked from the first page to the last and often had no idea what direction the plot line would go. Despite its slowish start, this read grabbed my attention and interest very quickly and I loved all the developments that certainly kept me on my toes as the book progressed. I thought the book flowed really well and has themes of corruption making it a very believable and realistic read that I would return to whenever I could. I liked that the story was told through different character perspectives and getting to know them. Some I really liked, others I loathed and I thought the pacing was spot on. If you are a fan of police procedurals and crime books I would recommend this and I for one will be eagerly awaiting the next book to see where it goes.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book starts very slowly and although I wanted to like the main characters, I felt they were very two dimensional. The dialogue was very clunky and unrealistic in places and I did think about giving up. However I pushed through to a non ending. I felt dissatisfied after finishing this book but not intrigued enough to want to read a sequel.

This is the second in the Martha Munro series, and I was hoping for a better story as I didn’t really enjoy the first. Sadly it wasn’t to be, and this one follows the same themes as the last, namely being incredibly far fetched with obnoxious and unlikeable characters. Whilst I appreciate that this is a work of fiction, if you are basing a story about police procedures and investigations, I do feel there needs to be elements of realism to it, and these stories don’t feel like that have any.

Martha projects herself as a victim and someone who has been set up previously, and thinks everyone is out to get her, but she is not innocent, and comes across as someone who cuts corners and rejects authority, thinking her way is best. She is not a character i feel any sympathy or support for, and the way people seem to pander to her (being given a temporary but massive promotion, seemingly having senior officers constantly praise her etc) is unjustified, and unrealistic. The amount of ‘lucky guesses’ and random coincidences in helping solve the case is silly too, and how the main story is supposed to relate to Martha thinking her enemies are back and this is all about her, is beyond me.

The ending, and this contains no spoilers, is disappointing in that it just stops mid story with no conclusion whatsoever. I’m all for cliff hangers or themes running throughout books but this just feels as though the author just stopped mid way through and it hugely frustrating. Overall I found this more disappointing than the first in the series, and despite the unknown ending, I can’t see myself returning for book 3.

Thank you to netgalley and Joffe books for an arc of this for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #JoffeBooks for the copy of #TheTrap by #MichaelLeese
I enjoyed this book until I was about half way through when I realised that the story was not going to end in this book.
I hadn’t read the first book which also contains the same protagonist. Some books also contain an individual story that concludes in the book but this one just left more questions.
It’s more like reading a chapter, which is fine as long as this is made clear.

THE TRAP by Michael Leese.
MEET DETECTIVE MARTHA MUNRO IN ONE OF THE MOST GRIPPING CRIME MYSTERIES YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR.
Last year her daughter was kidnapped and her mother was murdered. Martha Munro is getting back on her feet, but old enemies are still out there — and they want revenge.
After the worst year of her life, Detective Martha Munro is looking forward to getting back to the job she loves. But her first case is an investigation into a spate of cat abductions in leafy south London.
The Brown family’s beloved cat mysteriously disappeared one day, but then turned up unharmed.
Then they receive a terrifying message: Next time it’s the kids.
I really enjoyed this book. Gripping and twisty. 5*.

An amazing book.. shame about the cliffhanger but I enjoyed the story and the cliffhangers
Would recommend it to anyone

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This is definitely a slow starter! It does pick up but ends without closure! Frustrating! An ok read with some good twists.

This is a bit of a slow burner but soon picks up the pace, with a few twists along the way. I quite liked the characterisation, especially our detective Martha, and the book was well plotted. it's a good read but the ending just failed to wrap things up neatly, although it left me looking forward to a follow up. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I am not sure how to rate this one. I enjoyed the book but I like to have some conclusion to the story and this felt like it ended more like a chapter than the book. I get leaving something for the next in the series, but this felt like it ended too soon with no real closure.

The book gets off to a bit of a slow start but builds quickly. Lots of intertwining stories and twists. While it can be read standalone, it feels like it will make more sense if the first in the series (The List) is read first to get more background on the characters. Plus you will certainly need to read the next one because it was left so open, so many threads out there than will likely matter in the sequel.

After a slow start, I got into the story and was hooked! I only put it down to go to sleep. A thriller with a twist is always a good one, and this book definitely had a couple of those! The ending of this book makes me look forward to the next one!

I'd just finished reading the first one - The List - of this series when I read The Trap. I thought I'd now get some closure on Martha's problems, that her life would become the humdrum life of a London copper. To begin with it seems true - after all she's sent to look into the theft of cats, cats that return, how basic a job is that for a detective.

Things then escalate quickly. The book ends, but the story doesn't. Sometimes I wish that series of books with stories that keep on giving would release them all at once - I hate waiting.

Loved it - well written - but now I'm hanging on waiting for the next one.

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.