I read all Liz Mistry's Bradford books and was intrigued to read a new book, with new locations and a new main character. I wasn't disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and almost figured out who was the baddie- almost but not quite. I would highly recommend this, as long as you're not too squeamish.

A fantastic dark and gritty read! The two main characters, Jazzy & Queenie, were engaging and likeable. There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and it kept me hooked until the very end. 4 stars **** Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Liz Mistry for an ARC copy of this book.

4+

Detectives Jazzy (Jasmine) Solanki and Annie McQueen #1.

Jazz and Annie, a.k.a. the Jazz Queens, watch a suspected cannabis farm owing
to their demotion for different reasons and relegation to the “D team”.

It’s December and Imogen Clark’s 16th birthday, but instead of the expected birthday greetings from her parents she’s confronted with a horrifying scene that will probably haunt her for all time. Jazzy and Annie are taken off their current job to investigate and what confronts them makes their stomachs flip. Why does Jazzy think the killings are a message for her? What is she hiding? It becomes absolutely imperative that this killer is caught before more lives are devastated and destroyed.

Wow. If you like darkly different Tartan Noir take a look at this one. This new duo created by Liz Mistry takes me a bit of warming to, but I definitely do, and certainly a night out with heart of gold Queenie (Annie obviously!) would be an absolute hoot as she’s got such a colourful way with language. Just ask Jazzy when she gets her “breeks” in a “fankle”. I love the humour she brings to what is a jet black dark and gritty plot. The rest of the team are really good too such as Geordie and Haggis and their DCI sure is well named!

Much like the characters, the plot becomes better and better the deeper it goes once the author gets into her stride and it ramps up and how. It’s a brace yourself and buckle up jaw dropper read. The killer is cruel, there are taunts, it’s traumatic, taut and rollercoaster twisty and talk about anxiety inducing. The toll it takes on the two lead characters is very well done, it’s heart wrenching and very emotional in places as you learn about characters heartbreaking past.

I think the Christmas time incongruous sparkle set alongside the darkness lurking deep at the heart of this serves to highlight it, and make it worse if that’s possible. The ending is dramatically hold your breath good with a dire warning note issued.

Although I do figure out a couple of things fairly early on, it doesn’t detract from this being a belter of a read, and I for one, can’t wait for the next instalment.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Interesting new partnership of two demoted cops ! Set in Scotland so I’m familiar with the environment. This book is a great start to a series- brutal at times , dark humour of the Scots comes through and I’m looking forward to the next book

I have always been going to pick up a book from this author so when I saw this on Netgalley and that it was a new series I decided to give it a go and I am glad that I did. The beginning of a new series is always intriguing, and a great new range of new characters to look forward to getting to know.

Your 16th birthday is supposed to be one of the best birthdays of your life but for Imogen it was anything but. She was looking forward to messages of love from her parents but all she received unfortunately was a message from a killer that had taken the lives of both her parents. We are then introduced to Detectives Annie McQueen and Jazzy Solanski who have both recently been demoted in their positions and are now thrown together, ironically Imogen’s birthday is the same date as Jazzy’s and now begins an investigation to see why these murders have occurred. Has Jazzy been targeted by the killer due to this fact or is it something to do with whoever she feels has been stalking her.

Not a bad start to a series and I look forward to reading more as this duo grows and develops as a team. Twists and turns send us off onto different paths, but it does come together satisfactorily in the end, but overall a pretty good starting point.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

First in a series of books featuring two female police officers based in West Lothian. Scotland.
As a Scot, I love books like these where I am familiar with the location they are set in and I had extremely high hopes for this publication. Whilst I'm grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC, I've got to be true to myself and say although it is a decent story, I just couldn't find myself remotely taking to either of the two main characters and as such I found it all just a little bit laborious and not really for me.

This was very thrilling and very great. Kind of reminds me bit of Vera books. I would highly recommend this if you like detective thrillers.

There are a number of detective thrillers apparently 'Made in Scotland' and I wonder what the lure is for us Sassenachs? Maybe the educational element of learning Scottish slang or of coming across one of the most grisly crime scenes in Liz Mistry's......The Blood Promise? It's certainly a hook to have you retching. Liz Mistry sets the scene very well, the snow and slush, the dark and of course some very unusual polis detectives. All in the run-up to Christmas. It has pace, action and some rather dark humour. I enjoyed the novel and there is definitely another to come. However, I think less would have been more in terms of the staging of the murder scene or scenes. Plus of course a detective with a past that catches up with them during a murder investigation is not new. The revealing of a suspect by the repetition of her name within the novel wasn't exactly subtle. A certainly unusual protocol clash had me wondering if Police Scotland operates under wildly different rules to the rest of the UK. I refer to a COI (conflict of interest) between an investigating officer and two murder suspects where there are close blood ties. I look forward to the next in the series and hope for less gore and more realism.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

The Blood Promise is a fab start to a new series by Liz Mistry. It certainly hit the ground running with its beginning and lured me straight into the story. I liked Jazzy and Queenie who investigate a murder that may connect to Jazzy's past. They are both down to earth, larger than life (especially Queenie) who I took to quickly and was rooting for throughout. The banter between the detectives is great and I love the laugh out loud humour the author brings to her writing. The writing style is different compared to previous books - it is still absorbing and engaging and I enjoyed the story being told through mainly Jazzy and the murderers perspective. The writing is very descriptive and I could picture the characters and locations in my mind when reading. The scottish dialect took a bit of getting used to! The plot line is very good and well thought out, and the story moved beautifully from past to present times, giving the reader glimpses of Jazzy's childhood and how it has shaped her. I did guess who the murderer was and was right about another thread in the story.

Overall a wonderful start to a new series and I'd recommend this book if you're a fan of police procedurals. I will definitely want to read the next book in this series.

4 stars

This is a brilliant start to a new series set in Scotland and I loved it! The plotting is very clever and I liked the two main characters, although it took some time before I was really invested in the pairing. There is plenty of humour between Jazzy and Queenie and although it is a bit dark at times, I loved the unexpected reveal at the end. My only negative is there is too much mention of Dick! I can't wait to read more from this pair! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Past and Present Collide..
The first instalment in a new crime pairing from this author - the Solanki and McQueen Crime series. Sixteen year old Imogen Clark wakes to find her parents at the breakfast table. It is her birthday, both parents are dead and there is a message from the killer. When detectives Solanki and McQueen embark on the investigation they see more than simply the face value of this particular crime. As past and present collide, a race to find a killer begins. With a change of tone from previous books, this is a pacy and immersive crime investigation with a credible and well drawn cast and unexpected twists aplenty. A promising start to a new series.

Wow just wow, if you have read any of Liz’s other books you need to read this one. It’s fast paced, great detail & love the characters.
This book made me laugh, take a breath & most of cry for the emotional rollercoaster it was.
I can’t wait for the next one (fingers crossed)

I am a big fan of Liz Mistry's writing, so I was excited to read this first in a new series. Set in Scotland, demoted detectives Jazzy and Queenie are called to the scene of a most horrific murder. Jazzy starts to think that this is personal to her and is linked to the person who has been sending her anonymous cards. The story is not for the faint hearted, but it is exciting and fast paced and a great read. The character of Queenie is especially worthy of a mention! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Rounding up to 3 ⭐


This book opens so well,and if you like a bit of gruesome in your books, this has it.
Interesting set up and good use of flashbacks .
Unfortunately I couldn't get past the two main characters. They were the thing that made me less keen on the book.
Others are going to love their banter, just wasn't the one for me unfortunately.

A really promising series in the making. I'm a bit fan of Misty and this looks like it will turn out to be a cracking series

Not read anything from this author before and I found it hard to get into the storyline

The characters were mainly ok but for me personally it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have not read anything from this author for a while and was pleasantly surprised. Great storyline and great characters, would recommend.

Liz's books are a must read for me, I loved her Bradford set ones and this new series in Scotland, judging from the book, is going to be a cracker.
Her writing is always gripping and she has the best plots, full of twists that keep me totally hooked.

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

I have read some of Liz Misty's previous books which I enjoyed. This is a new series, it will take some getting used to, but good so far.

Demoted to DCs Jasmine ‘Jazzy’ Solanki and Annie ‘Queenie’ McQueen are not flavour of the month at their station. Queenie has been demoted due to a knitting needle incident (!), and Jazzy under secret circumstances, though the rumour mill is grinding away imagining all sorts. Placed together on a nighttime stake out in a less than salubrious area, they are pushing each others patience. Towards the end of their unsuccessful shift, they are directed to another incident nearby, as there are no other officers available. What they discover is not for the faint hearted.

A new series from the much lauded Mistry. Her Nikki Paresh books are well received and have a huge following. As a writer I think the author is usually spot on and always a very good read. I appreciate that successful writers need to diversify and they hope for another success, but I’m not at all sure about this pairing. As it’s book one in the series we are introduced to the team and spend sometime getting to know them. I understand the need for a mix of dynamics and found the humour a nice touch, but the Queenie character is too much, definitely needs reining in, and Jazzy’s self analysis was cringing at times. Also too much Dick by name dick by nature - a couple of times is ok, but please stop!

The further into the book the better the characters became, they did settle down somewhat. A nice, unexpected twist with Jazzy, though the murderer was obvious very early on. The big action scene was farcical!

Not sure this gruesome twosome is a success, but hopefully book 2 will change my opinion.

2.5* upped to 3*

Thank you NetGalley and HQ.