A gripping psychological thriller following the murky world of undercover police. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it, finding it all a bit dark with all the subterfuge but appreciated how well written it was, and it certainly draws the reader in. Mainly set in Scotland where everything unravels for Chris, the main character. It was a slow start but gathered pace quickly with many unexpected twists and turns. Strong characters and who can't but love Jackson the dog.

This was a really gripping book which kept me turning pages to find out what would happen. Chris' anguish and trauma was really well explored as well as the sacrifices he had made in the line of duty. The descriptive language was used to great effect. I would recommend and read this author again. Many thanks

Chris Fletcher has been an undercover police officer and in the present day he’s vilified in the media. Why so? Years ago Sophia Roy becomes his lover on one of his operations and is found dead, a presumed heroin overdose. Nineteen years on, there’s to be an inquest following pressure from Sophia’s sister. Chris’s loyal wife Jill has always stood by him but things are strained and now she’s disappeared without trace. Chris’s life is imploding….is he guilty of any of the crimes that many people believe him to be?

This is an excellent and thought provoking novel about trust, betrayal, identity, trauma and what it means to love someone who basically lives a lie for a living. It poses a big question in cases like this concerning under cover officers- are they heroes for risking their lives for the greater good or are they villains if they become too embedded in their new identity? What or where are the ethics and the morality of these officers in getting the evidence the authorities want and how does all this affect relationships outside of the under cover role? It’s written so well that it seems very authentic and as a reader it makes me feel as if I’m living it with Chris and Jill.

Although it’s a psychological thriller it feels like true crime and, of course, pays lip service to evidence that has emerged recently of real life cases of under cover officers and blurred lines. It’s a complex story and one of the things I particularly like about it is that you have absolutely no idea what will happen next or how it will play out. Chris’s complicated internal thoughts are sharp edged and guilt ridden as he tries to rationalise the past and present and the pressure on him feels intense. What’s real and what the product of his overloaded and addled brain? Who is the real Chris? Wherein lies the truth about Sophia? Is Chris the only one who knows? Or does even Chris not know? What about Jill?

It builds and builds, there are shocking revelations which keep emerging which shifts parameters further deepening the mystery of both women and of course, Chris’s role. There are cliffhanger chapter endings which keep the focus and the need to keep reading on to try to grasp the elusive truth. There are multiple twists and turns and I end up not knowing who to feel most sorry for.

The role of social media in the present day is cleverly used, its inclusion makes the whole thing feel real as it acts like an incendiary bomb - sadly, so true to life.

Overall, this is a terrific novel which not only demonstrates the dangers of an under cover role but explores its ramifications. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K. for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

The world of an undercover policeman collides with real life. He falls in love but once he discovers she's pregnant he leaves her, leaving with no trace. However she is found dead a few years later with a needle in her arm and a high dose of heroin in her body. He's seen leaving the scene but swears it's not him and he's innocent.
He returns from Sardinia with his wife for the inquest and they both stay in an aunts remote house in Scotland. But during that time his wife goes missing, pressed drowned. Or did he kill her too!
A real page turner

CHRIS FLETCHER IS A MAN WITH SECRETS . . .

One woman dead.

Nineteen years ago, policeman Chris Fletcher's lover was found dead in an abandoned house.

One woman missing.

Now, his loyal wife has disappeared without a trace.

A man with everything to lose.

There's no doubt that he's guilty, but of which crime?

A fantastic read which kept me guessing till the end

4 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this arc

Gripping story based on a seemingly reclusive couple who are due to a dark past. Having to return to the uk from their idyllic home abroad they try to stay hidden but the past catches up with them and their secrets and past indiscretions catch up with them. Slow in places but overall a good read with some killer twists that you don’t see coming

Work is work and love is love, unless you're an undercover police officer and the divide between the two becomes murky.

Chris Fletcher has a past, one that he thought was long behind him but with questions being asked about a former lover who died in suspicious circumstances and an inquest looming, social media has got involved and piece by piece its catching up with him.

This was a compelling read from start to finish with great characters and a storyline that has you questioning just about everything as it seamlessly moves between the past, the present and social media. The first book I've read by author L.V. Matthews and I loved it, will definitely be checking out previous novels.

My thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an earl copy in exchange for honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 nearly 5 stars. What started as a slow burner of a book turned into quite a gripping story with a few twists here and there.

I liked that we never found out what happened till the end and that it wasn’t all tied up nicely or cliched.

Would recommend and will read more by the author.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC. I did enjoy this although it took me a little bit to get onto it. Once I did then it was gripped by what is a well thought out and interesting plot.

Read in 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Reading this book was the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight, fittingly enough.
I was expecting a mildly interesting mystery, not to be punched in the throat out of nowhere with moments of acute sorrow.
This story covers some heavy topics, which are unexpectedly raw in the UK still.
For those of you who don’t live in England, there was a scandal within the end of 2010 and during 2011, when it was disclosed in UK media that a number of undercoverpolice officers had, as part of their 'false persona', entered into intimate relationships with members of targeted groups and, in some cases, proposed marriage or fathered children with protesters who were unaware their partner was a police officer in a role as part of their official duties. Various legal actions followed, and this was highlighted in the news until late 2016.
This is what the author has based their book on and they perfectly summed up the grief, betrayal and outraged that followed the revelation.
In this story, Chris is a former undercover officer, and was part of the infamous Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), who are compared to the elite Special Air Service (SAS), also in the UK.

In the story, insiders confirm that they “thought they were above modernization, above the law. For decades, the unit had no rules and no regulation. The officers in the field were young twenty-somethings from Hendon who were let loose like dogs and thought they could do anything they liked. Some of them crossed the line when they were on deployment, sure.”
It was part of the job, to keep up appearances.

He’s come into the firing line when his role in this operation is uncovered because of a looming inquest- during which his deceased ex is plastered all over the internet- and his loyal wife of 20 odd years is livid.
Then, she goes missing. This can’t happen twice. What’s Chris hiding? Will his secrets spill out after all these years?

One page describes that “Chris puts his hand to his throbbing temple, relieved that Oli and others above him are looking out for his wellbeing - after all, an undercover agent, or officer, gives their life, their very identity, to the state in return for protection.”
This is a sobering thought that really hit home; the abandoned women had every reason to be upset but the undercover cops were also isolated and in treacherous surroundings-even years later, they couldn’t disclose anything about the case- even their own emotions.
Some officers are described as “going native” and leaving their job and former lives behind to stay with their new wives, something which is much more monumental- and dangerous- than it appears.


At one point, Chris’ handler, and only friend, laments: “I'm sorry. For all of it. It came to find us anyway, didn't it? The truth. In this job there are shadows and lies and all manner of messed-up things. We only ever try to do the right thing, and sometimes it's not right, but we don't know it at the time, do we? Of maybe we're trying to protect the bigger picture - the police and all that they stand for. That's why people get so upset with the police.
Because it's an establishment set up to protect, to be brave, and yet sometimes we get it so wrong, and people are failed.”


A “news article” in the book strikes the deadly nail on the head as well:

The thing you need to know — the fundamental part of this whole thing - is that they [Special Branch covert units] underestimated the hurt and anger and betrayal that people felt. They didn't appreciate that people would be wanting answers, wanting closure. They [undercover officers] thought they had tight withdrawal strategies to disappear - mental breakdowns, skipping jail — but it wasn't enough.
They didn't realize that the best motivation for finding someone is driven by all-consuming, raging love. Isn't that the reason for all the things we do? People kill for love, people die for love. We rage because we don't have love, or we're miserable because it's taken away from us and we want it back. That's the key to it all. They all underestimated the women they deceived.

Once again, this story is based on similar real life events.

As the author writes so movingly, “This is a novel about love. It is about putting your trust in those who then betray you. It is about trauma, and the loss of identity. It is about trying to do the right thing when the right thing itself is murky and unclear.
Police infiltration into activist groups is an emotive subject and has affected many lives. The independent inquiry into its morals - or indeed, the lack thereof - is ongoing and full of complexities. The unofficial motto of the SDS was 'to obtain information by any means necessary'. As such, regulations were not put in place, and in some cases officers went to extreme lengths to deceive their targets. Sometimes extreme lies are absolutely necessary; after all, undercover police officers risk their lives for others. But at other times they are not. Sometimes these lies do more harm than good.”

If you read these quotes, you’re only scratching the surface of the trauma that each character faces, and the lies that whip back to lash them like brambles being pushed aside on a thorny path.
It’s tense, miserable, and frustrating- and most importantly, set partly in Derby.
This is a smasher of a story and I’m afraid to see what the author will have me hooked on next.

Should I be worried? Much of the "movement" in this book is a mirror image of my life with my husband. Before mobile phones it was so easy to not be reachable. Pre internet how could you find out if traffic delays were caused by insurrection, floods, IRA riots close to the port or a four week launch of a new car in Sitges.

All of this innocently happened and I only started worrying when our car, including children, was surrounded by armed officers at Dover screaming about a second passport.

The other half left the car and it was a name error that was sorted in minutes.

L V Matthews your writing flows so well, raises so many wee bumpy questions that I can't be the only one wondering.

As a novel this is truly believable. As a manifesto for paranoics...you got me thinking

Thank you to Netgalley and the Kayla at Penguin publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated. I really enjoyed this book which delves into the impacts that undercover policing can have on the individuals involved and their loved ones. Great fast moving story and very atmospheric. One comment I would make though is that the story was slow to start and I almost gave up on it as it appeared to be another formulaic thriller and I was getting bored however the main part of the book and the ending made up for it. I will certainly look out for more by this writer. I ;loved the characters especially Meredith and her justifiably acid tongue!!

From the opening chapter, readers will know this is a well-written, even better plotted novel. Chris Fletcher’s lover was found dead almost 20 years ago. Now, his wife is missing and no one has a clue where to find her. Chris is guilty of something, but what is it? This is one for those who understand living life with regret, and keeping secrets from the closest people. The tension piles up neatly, but not so neatly that you don’t feel on edge for about 70% of the reading time. I read it over the course of one day and that’s what it deserves: complete absorption.

A very imaginative and well plotted thriller about secrets, lies and double dealing. It pulls you in from the start and we gasp as we learn about the secret life of police officer Chris. A complex plot is deftly handled and keeps us on the edge of our seat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

Excellent is the 1st word i think of as a description of this novel.

I really loved this, it's an addictive read, i just couldn't put it down. An undercover cop pushes the boundaries (well it's a thriller so they have to obviously) but the story has twists and turns all unexpected and who are the bad guys and whose not, You will find your view change as you read on Jill and Sophia the 2 ladies in Chris's life he's the pro-lier.

The back story mixed with the present which is about an inquest into the death of Sophia over nearly 2 decades ago. The events the mistakes and the truth then another turn what's going on with Jill. Everything changes when a journalist releases a story challenging the official version of the death of Sophia. The wheels of the system are turning and well you've got to read it to see how and it really is a great read.

I feel that 5stars is too low for this read it's surely needs a much higher score i think you will as well.

Stunning! I thoroughly enjoyed this great story about undercover police officers, the toll & heartbreak it wreaks on normal lives & the huge problems of living two lives. The characters are written sensitively & with feeling. Wonderful twists & turns make this an engrossing read.

Two decades ago, policeman Chris Fletcher's lover was found dead. Now, his wife has gone missing. But what crime is Chris guilty of?

This psychological thriller explores the questionable acts and morality of an undercover police officer. It’s a theme not often covered in this genre and ideal for readers who enjoy a straightforward and arms’ length/reportage style of narration.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
On publication I will post this review on my blog.

I don't think this book should be marketed as a psychological thriller. It's much more serous than that. It explores the whole issue of undercover policing and what happens when the undercover police officer gets in too deep. Chris Fletcher has done exactly that. He's joined a climate action group and fallen in love with Sophia but he's already married to Jillian.

I don't want to say more in case I reveal spoilers but this is a deep exploration of the psychological effects on a man of living two lives and they are devastating as is what happens to Sophia and Jill.

Recommended.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Wow, this book had me hooked from the start. The main character Chris really drew me in and the author was so good at creating emotion. Chris is hiding in Scotland with his wife Jillian awaiting the result of the inquest of the death of his ex lover, a target when he was an undercover police officer. Chris endures trial by media as he awaits the results then one night his wife Jillian goes missing. Is Chris guilty of harm towards both women?
The book is very fast paced, I found myself completely immersed in the story and I couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend.

Lies and more lies . Throw in a romantic setting, a complex domestic relationship and you have a gripping story which is not at all what you might expect.

I didn’t like Chris as a character but he held your attention and he was well written enough to come to life. We don’t have to like him to appreciate the situation.

I won’t say more to avoid a spoiler but this is no ordinary domestic drama.