I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next book in Jane Casey’s outstanding series featuring Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. In “Let The Dead Speak,” Kerrigan is investigating the disappearance of of a London woman. Because there is blood throughout her house it appears that she was murdered, but there is no body. Kerrigan has been newly promoted to Detective Sergeant and is adjusting to her new role and increased responsibilities, aided by the exasperating and protective Derwent. As Kerrigan and her team delve into the case, they find several potential perpetrators, all of whom have something to hide. The plot takes several surprising turns and the conclusion is a stunner. One of the delights of this series is the relationship between Kerrigan and the sometimes prickly and annoying Derwent. Yet there is much hidden behind Derwent’s cantankerous exterior as Casey reveals through his relationship with his new girlfriend Melissa Pell and her 4 year old son Thomas. In a poignant and heartfelt conversation with Kerrigan, Derwent reveals his fears for young Thomas. Those fears are exacerbated by Derwent’s exposure to the worst that people can do. Casey also reveals more about Kerrigan and her missing boyfriend Rob. “Let the Dead Speak” is a well-written, dramatic, and suspenseful British police procedural with excellent character development of both the police and the suspects. Another great book in this fine series.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 3/15/17.

This story is basically about the murder of Kate Emery and what starts as a simple murder with the police looking for both the body and the murderer ends up following a very convoluted path of false herrings. The twists and turns were so well plotted, leaving the reader not sure of anything and the final few pages were by then totally unexpected. I read this in two days as I resented anything else disturbing my reading time. I did not want to put the book down as it was gripping and I wondered what was going to happen next to change the course of the events. The descriptions of the characters and the scenes were so well described that as a reader I could see them when I closed my eyes. For readers of crime stories they will love trying to solve the issues to the very end and still not get there. The conversations between the two main detectives was cynical and this added to the realism that one would expect from colleagues.
I loved the description that Maeve is a policewoman with a heart but this overrules her head at crucial times leading her to do things that were dangerous. This is the first time I have read a Maeve Kerrigan crime thriller and it will not be last as now I want to read the other 6 that precedes this one. It may be number 7 in the series but it can easily stand on its own as is not dependent upon the others in the series

An easy 5 star and well deserved.. A very well written page turning book and picks you up on page one and dangles you over the precipice for 400 pages. Exactly what you want from a crime storey. I haven't read any previous DS Maeve Kerrigan stories before, but am off straight away to find more. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Having compulsively followed the Maeve Kerrigan series since Book 1, Let the Dead Speak was on my wishlist before it had even been written. It was therefore like early Xmas when Netgalley granted me an early preview copy – time for a happy dance around the kitchen! This was the last exercise I was going to get for a while, until I had devoured it in a massive one-night read-a-thon.

In Let the Dead Speak, Maeve has been promoted to Detective Sergeant, and has a new detective constable, Georgia Shaw, under her wing. The pair is dispatched to investigate a potential murder scene after 18-year old Chloe Emery returns home from a weekend visit to her father’s place, only to find the house covered in blood and her mother gone without a trace. However, there is no body, no suspect and no obvious motive, and with Chloe reluctant to talk to police, the detectives are at loose ends as to where to start their investigation. Enter DI Josh Derwent, and the investigative team is now complete, with its usual interesting dynamics. As the detectives start to canvass the neighbourhood for any leads, it soon becomes obvious that the quiet, middle class street is rife with secrets and unsavoury characters that make your blood curdle, even more so since they come in the guise of ordinary model citizens. These people could be your neighbours, your colleagues, your friends, people you trust. As Kerrigan and Derwent slowly chip away at the lies, tensions build and people get nervous. Soon the investigation takes a different direction they did not seen coming, and the body count mounts ....

In Let the Dead Speak, Casey once again proves why she is firmly engraved on my list of favourite crime authors. With her unsettling talent for looking into the darkest corners of the human soul and bringing them out for everyone to see, her tales are all the more chilling in their ordinariness. These are normal people, in ordinary neighbourhoods, pushed to extraordinary acts of violence by anger, greed, misguided love or arrogance.

"Humans were still animals when it was all said and done."

Strongly character-driven, with vivid dialogue and non-stop action, the investigation carries the reader along in its wake to its shocking finale (which I did not see coming, by the way). The dynamic in Kerrigan’s and Derwent’s relationship is as sparkly and snarky as ever, and I felt like I was re-visiting old friends (or foes).

"He frequently threw himself into my private life with all the delicacy of a Labrador bounding into a stagnant pond, but it wasn’t something I encouraged."

There is something about the dry and often obnoxious Derwent that gets under my skin (in a good way), and sometimes his abruptness and political incorrectness is laugh-out-loud funny:

“But then, I don’t know how much the cat ... er ...”
“Shits?” Derwent suggested, sitting down again.

I am not the right person to judge whether the book would work well as a stand-alone novel, as I have hungrily devoured each one of Casey’s books, and would recommend other readers do the same. Whilst the murder-mystery would work well in its own right, part of the fun comes from watching the relationships between the detectives evolve over time. Kerrigan herself was the one I felt had changed the most in this latest installment, with her new responsibilities making her not only more mature but also weighing her down to a point where it seems that burn-out is not too far away. Still prepared to take risks for the sake of finding justice, this new Kerrigan is somewhat more tired and disillusioned than in previous novels, which makes me wonder how her career will progress in future books in the series. Derwent, whilst still blundering into action with the finesse of an elephant in a china shop, has acquired a few new soft edges with his new relationship with Melissa and being a step-dad to Thomas from After the Fire. Adding new blood in the form of DC Shaw added a new dimension to the team and made for some interesting dynamics – I will be watching this space very closely to see how it plays out.

Let the Dead Speak is a cleverly constructed mystery by a master on top of her game. As each layer of lies gets stripped away, a new truth is uncovered, like a whole series of Russian dolls cleverly slotted into each other, each with a different face and new reality. Slowly, carefully, each thread of the story is woven together to form a whole, which is totally different from the one first constructed when I started to read the story. This is not a book where you can be complacent for a single moment. Packing punch after punch, it left me somewhat stunned and exhausted after a night of compulsive reading like only the best of the best can do. I thoroughly enjoyed Let the Dead Speak and recommend it highly to all lovers of the series. If you have not read any books by Jane Casey yet, you are definitely missing out!

I am conflicted. Filled with a deep rooted joy that I have discovered an author whose book was just so gripping that I didn’t want to put it down and utter dismay that I have just read book seven in a series. Aaaarrrgghh! There is only one thing for it. I’m going to have to go back to the start and follow Maeve Kerrigan from her beginnings in The Burning.
When Chloe returns early from a stay with her father she knows that something is wrong. The house is empty and there is no sign of her mother. The house is dirty, there are bloodstains everywhere. Where is Kate Emery?
AS DS Maeve Kerrigan begins her investigation the quiet suburban street starts to take on a different hue. The neighbours included someone suspected in a knife assault and some evangelical Christians and their very strict lifestyles. Everyone is hiding something and all these secrets have led to murder.
Maeve is a great character, fiercely protective and passionate about what she does. The dynamics between her and the other officers are fascinating but her strengths really come to the fore when she is dealing with the public. Compassionate but professional she is the first to leap to the aid of someone in trouble even when it puts her own life in danger. Her detective skills are second to none and when it looks like the case won’t break her skills lead them to the thrilling conclusion.
Supplied by Net Galley and Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested this book I didn't realise it was part of a series, but having read it I am definitely tempted to go back and read the whole series. I also felt that it didn't impact my ability to relate to the characters and I didn't feel that I lost anything not having read the previous books. You can tell from the writing that there are previous histories and stories behind the characters.

I really enjoyed this book, and its fast paced and edgy characters. The story looks at the murder of Kate Emery after her daughter Chloe returns from her father's house to find her home smeared in blood. The story unravels the secrets of the neighbourhood and the depths that people will go to keep their secrets. The whole book was engaging and enthralling and I felt like I inhaled it all.

'A House Full of Secrets

A Life Full of Lies’

Let The Dead Speak is the latest in the Maeve Kerrigan Series from Irish Crime writer Jane Casey. Unbelievably, this is Jane Casey’s seventh in the series, yet it was a first for me!!

Published on 9th March by Harper Collins UK, I can honestly say that this was a pure page turner that kept me completely immersed as I swiftly ‘swiped’ each page at speed.

Please read on for my full thoughts…

Chloe Emery arrives out of the station on her way home with the rain pouring down.

‘The rain poured off the awning, splashing onto the pavement in front of her. It coursed into the gutters where filthy water was already swirling, dark and gritty, freighted with rubbish and twigs and dead leaves.'

Immediately, as a reader you can feel the sense of impending doom. The atmosphere is dark and consuming from the get-go.

Chloe is eighteen years old. Returning home earlier than expected from her father’s house she discovers, on entry to her own home, that all is not right. The house resembles something out of a nightmare with blood everywhere and no trace of her mother anywhere.

Chloe’s parents split up many years previously, with her Dad, Brian, now settled elsewhere with a new family. Chloe has lived a very sheltered life with just her mother, Kate, for company. Chloe is immediately removed from the scene, as the police arrive to investigate what tragedy befell Kate Emery. But with no body and no trace of a murder weapon, the police are confounded in their search for the truth.

DS Maeve Kerrigan arrives on the scene. With the assistance of her colleague DI Josh Derwent, they search for clues in the house. But this is most certainly not a straight forward case.

Through hearsay and follow up investigations they soon discover that Chloe had lead quite a challenging life. In and out of psychologists from a very young age, Chloe seemed to have the mental of age of a much younger child. Without the natural ability to process information and with a father who appears a little estranged from her, Chloe is temporarily left in the care of her neighbours, the Norris family.

Oliver, his wife Eleanor and their fifteen-year old daughter Bethany live a very religious life with very strict rules to abide by. They are very heavily involved in a local church and they strongly adhere to the teachings of this community on a daily basis. Morgan, Oliver’s brother, is also living in the house, albeit temporarily.

Bethany and Chloe have been friends for years, with the age difference never really being an issue. There are a lot of complex issues dealt with here and it’s not long before Maeve Kerrigan realises that the key to unlocking what befell Kate Emery may lie with Chloe and Bethany.

As secrets are revealed and truths uncovered, Maeve and her colleagues are exposed to the twisted and crazed side of humanity.

I had no history of Maeve Kerrigan coming into this book and, while I’m sure it helps with a few of the backstories, it really did not affect my overall impression of Let The Dead Speak.

This is a wonderful example of a fast-paced, heart-pounding, page-turning novel. It is pure crime fiction with many twists and turns that keep the reader completely enthralled to the end.

Multiple layers with an extremely riveting plot-line, Jane Casey has written a gripping novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend to all looking for a captivating read.

I love a good police procedural and this series is one of the best. Consequently I was delighted when I discovered that detective Maeve Kerrigan was back, and back with a vengeance. In Let the Dead Speak, Maeve is now a Detective Sergeant, but thankfully still part of the Major Investigation Team. I say thankfully, as connoisseurs of this series will appreciate, that means she’s still working with DI Josh Derwent. Derwent is a potent blend of handsome machismo with latent sympathetic tendencies which has you loving him one minute and happily wanting to throttle him the next.

Maeve is still settling into her new role when a major murder case breaks. Chloe Emery arrives home to carnage and her mother Kate is missing. When the police arrive at the scene all the evidence (for that read copious amounts of blood and alarming blood spatter patterns) suggests there ought to be a body, but where is it, and more importantly who is responsible.

Chloe, may, or may not be, as intellectually challenged as everyone claims but she certainly appears to have a secret, but does it relate to the case in hand? The problem for the team, is that once investigations get under way, most of the people who Kate and Chloe came into contact with also appear to have secrets. So the race is on to find the body and uncover the truth.

I was gripped with this story line from the beginning page when the slightly creepy neighbour picked up Chloe and gave her a lift home from something she was clearly escaping from. From the outset, there was an underlying sense of unease which set the tone for what was to follow. Once the murder is discovered the pace picks up and doesn’t drop until the very end. As the team worked through the secrets and lies I was no wiser as to what the outcome would be and I’d be surprised if anyone else reading would piece it together either.

Other than the clever plot lines, the star of this series has always been Maeve and her relationships with her team. As ever, her relationship with Josh is ambiguous and I still sense an underlying sexual tension especially from Josh. Am I reading too much into the fact that with his new-found relationship, he talks more lovingly about his partner’s son than his partner, thereby leaving the door open for Maeve? Whatever the truth, it’s a relationship that is realistic, believable and intriguing. Maeve however has new team member that she is less ambivalent about, namely her new DC Georgia Shaw. Onto a loser from the start due to being a fast track candidate, Maeve observes she’s also young, pretty, ambitious, articulate, confident and damningly not interested in hard work. I have to say I’m with Maeve on this one, DS Shaw will need to up her game if she’s staying around. On the plus side PC Pettifer only made a few appearances, but we definitely need more of this sensible but wry observances.

So in short, this offers everything I want in a police procedural, a taut and clever plotline, multiple suspects, brilliant (if not always likeable) characters, realistic working relationships, some humour to balance the darkness and most importantly a satisfactory outcome. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC via NetGalley to enable this review.

When Chloe Emery returns early from staying with her father she finds a house covered in blood.....her mothers blood. But there's no body to be found. Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent find themselves trying to navigate a suburb full of secrets and unravel a web of lies....

This is the first Maeve Kerrigan book I've read and been at the 7th installment it isn't a stretch to say I came a bit late to the party. But I found it didn't matter. You could easily read this as a standalone book. There are references to previous stories but not so much that it leaves you feeling a bit clueless or (if you enjoyed it enough) to spoil going back and reading the previous installments. And I really did enjoy this. Unusually for this type of book it's told in the first person from Maeve Kerrigans POV, and this works really well. It gives a real sense of the detectives thought processes which I found refreshing. Something else I enjoyed was the chemistry between Kerrigan and Derwent, a detective in the same unit who runs a good line in "do as I say not as I do" when it comes to police procedure and ethics. The plot is intriguing and well paced, and full of twists and turns. In fact the only problem I have with this book is its added another 6 books to my TBR list.....I should be caught up around 2058.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harpercollins and Jane Casey for a copy of this novel for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me review this book. This was a great read, absolutely loved Chloe and had me hooked from the beginning.

As someone who hasn’t read any of the other books in the Maeve Kerrigan series, I was approaching Let The Dead Speak with completely fresh eyes, hoping to judge it as a standalone book in its own right. I have to say, I LOVED this book and am so glad I gave it a go – I only wish I hadn’t waited this long to read it!

As this was my first encounter with Maeve Kerrigan I wasn’t sure if I’d warm to her, but she is truly a great character; sharp, witty, prone to rash decisions (but most fictional Detectives seem to be!) but with a heart of gold. However she’s not perfect, which I like – she seems to really dislike new recruit Georgina and doesn’t seem to try and hide it. I liked her no-nonsense attitude and loved her relationship with Derwent – they are great to read about as a pair and I found some of their interactions really comical. Derwent himself seems like a likeable, if grumpy and irritating, character and his dry humour made me laugh at various points. Great characters are what I feel elevates a crime novel from good to great – and Jane Casey has certainly managed that with Let The Dead Speak!

The storyline itself is so well written – tightly plotted and believable but whilst still retaining plenty of drama and tension. It really keeps you guessing - packed full of characters who you constantly wander about (not about the police themselves, just the civilians!)… and with very good reason! There’s plenty going on in the neighbourhood where Kate Emery has gone missing and where the investigation is taking place, and everyone seems to have something to hide. It throws up plenty of questions and kept me completely enthralled, racing through the novel in no time at all. What a brilliant read – bring on the rest of the series!

Fabulous book! It's the first book I've read from the author and I was not disappointed! I loved it. It's a brilliant read and will keep you guessing to the end!

What a truly gut wrenching book right from the start until the very last page!! ANOTHER must read from Jane Casey......keep them coming!! Thanks again Netgalley.

This was a real page turner- I couldn't put it down once I started reading. It's the seventh in the series but not having read any of the previous books I still found this one totally absorbing and I felt I knew the characters well. Now I am really keen to read the previous books in the series.
When a teenage girl arrives home unexpectedly early from a weekend at her dads- a terrible crime scene awaits her. Maeve and her crew are left investigating a murder where they don't have a body.

The neighbours all seem to have sides of their characters that they are keen to keep hidden, an obvious suspect seems almost too obvious, other characters become more suspicious as the book reveals more clues. When the teenager goes missing it really picks up pace and you are holding your breath as the investigation continues.

The characters are all very interesting and I loved meeting the detective team and will eagerly await the next in the series.

Well. This was a clever little story. Not what you think you're getting when you start the book, but a plot that has more twists and turns than a Thorpe Park rollercoaster.

Lots of complex characters to get your teeth into and a simmering relationship between Maeve and Derwent. I had no idea that this was the 7th book in the series - it was clear that there was history between these two characters but it didn't matter and this book was successful as a standalone read. Now I want to go back and read the previous 6 books - big sigh as my TBR pile is already a mountain.

A well-deserved 4* worthwhile read - a fast-paced whodunnit with a little more to it than meets the eye.

Maeve's back!

When Chloe Emery returns home early from a visit to her dad's new family, she is horrified to find her house covered in blood and her mother missing. Maeve Kerrigan has been promoted to Detective Sergeant, and is called to the scene by Una Burt, who's still acting head of the team. The sheer volume of blood suggests there's no hope the victim could have survived, so they're treating it as a murder case, with the first item on the agenda being to find the body.

I was quite unhappy with the way the previous book ended, with Maeve and Josh turning into typically unbelievable vigilante-style mavericks, so I'm delighted to say that in this one Maeve's back on track. There are lots of reasons this series stands out from the herd, and one of the major ones is Maeve's refreshing normality. Of course she's affected by her experiences, but she's basically a good cop who works well within a team and tries to stick within the rules as much as possible. And for my money, the books are better when she does.

Now that she's a sergeant, Maeve has supervisory responsibilities and in this one is looking after the newest team member, Gloria, a graduate entrant. Maeve's not finding it easy – Gloria's pretty annoying, ready to feel herself slighted for the smallest reason. But she also seems ready to develop a bit of hero-worship for Josh and Maeve's horrified to find herself feeling a little bit jealous. It's professional jealousy though – Maeve is still hoping that she and Rob can get back together, and every girl's favourite male chauvinist Josh (amazingly!) has his own little family now, having taken on the role of father to his girlfriend's young son. (My mind still boggles at the idea of him giving the boy dating advice a few years from now!)

Plotting is another of Casey's major strengths and this one is particularly convoluted. It soon transpires that the street is filled with people with secrets and jealousies, and Kate, Chloe's mum, seems to have been at the centre of many of them. Chloe is staying with her friend Bethany and her parents, an ultra-religious family who belong to a church that’s not quite a cult, but is tending in that direction. Chloe herself is, perhaps, a bit slow intellectually – certainly her mother had been keen to have her diagnosed as such – but some people think she's more intelligent than she seems. She's also physically attractive, all of which makes her vulnerable to any unscrupulous predators she might meet.

As always, the writing is excellent and there's plenty of humour to lighten up the tone. It's narrated by Maeve in the first person, past tense, so that we're privy to her thoughts and her rather spiky comments about her colleagues. Her relationship with Josh is more equal now that she's been promoted – he's still her superior, but she's no longer the new girl. He's still just as protective towards her though, which she appreciates even though it annoys her sometimes. And it's nice to see his softer side peeking through now that he has his little family to humanise him.

This one would work fine as a standalone, though as usual I'd recommend reading this series in order to get the full benefit of the characterisation, and especially the development of Maeve's unlikely friendship with Josh. Great to have them back in action, and here's hoping we don't have to wait too long to see them again!

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.

Well, I'm not quite sure what I've been doing to miss this author! I loved everything about this thriller, from the writing to the plot to the twiisty twisty twists. Although this is clearly a book in a series of thrillers feturing detective Maeve Kerrigan, it works really well as a standalone to a reader new to the series. I also love the fact that the characters aren't school-of0hard-knocks, alcohol binging cliches. Every character was carefully formed and the dialogue was so convincing.

The book begins with Chloe, an eighteen year old vulnerable girl with special needs returns home early from a visit to her father. On arriving back at the home she shares with her mother Kate, she finds the house covered in drying blood, and her mother missing. Kerrigan and her sidekick Derwent are on the case and there is no shortage of suspects, from the creepy neighbour who insisted on driving Chloe back from the station to the charming neighbour William Tanner who seems to have got away with attempted murder in his past.

As the police search the house, Chloe goes to stay over the road with her friend Bethany and her parents, all members of a new church with almost cult-like rituals. As the search for Kate's body and her murderer intensifies, so the suspects abound and Casey leads us into one twisty dead end after another.

I may be new to this author's work, but it certainly won't be the last book I read. I'm intrigued to find out more of Kerrigan's back story and I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy every page.

I have read all the Maeve Kerrigan series and always enjoy. The character of Maeve is well rounded so not a 'ball busting' cop or a weak and feeble one with a strong male partner. The story was excellent lots of twists and turns so your left guessing if they are a suspect or innocent. Liked the storyline and the characters.
Would definitely recommend and, although you could read as a stand alone, I would recommend reading the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel that I’ve voluntarily chosen to review.
This is the seventh novel in the Maeve Kerrigan series, and although it’s a standalone book that can be followed without difficulty even without having read any of the rest (as that was the case for me) I wondered about how I would have felt about the characters if I had known their background. As is the case in police-procedural series (this one set in London, UK), we have the case that is being investigated on the one side, and, on the other, those doing the investigating.
The case in this novel is quite original (although not unheard of). There is a crime scene without a body and a pretty bloody and dramatic one at that. The owner of the house has disappeared and her daughter, Chloe, who has learning difficulties (although the specific diagnosis is a matter of debate), suddenly comes back early from her stay at her father’s (her parents are divorced) and walks into a nightmarish scene. The first chapter, that follows Chloe’s return home and what she finds there, is told in the third person from her point of view, and due to her cognitive difficulties, we get to sense the confusion and chaos of her not assimilating or understanding fully what she’s seeing. It reminded me (although the effect was far less disorienting and shocking here) of the beginning of Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, where we also see things from the point of view of a character who has little understanding of what is happening.
Most of the rest of the story is told in the first person from the perspective of Maeve Kerrigan, now detective sergeant, who is still trying to get used to her promotion and has mixed feelings about the new detective she’s been assigned (Georgina, who doesn’t have much experience on the job but seems to know important people and has ticked the right boxes). We get some hints at previous events, like the fact that Kerrigan feels guilty for the death of one of the members of the team, that her boyfriend moved out a long time ago but she’s still hopeful he might come back and we see and experience her interesting relationship with Derwent, who is one of the most entertaining characters, although I did feel there was a lot of background information I was missing, that might have helped me enjoy the nuances of their interactions more. The last chapter is again told in the third person, from the point of view of another one of the characters in the case, Bethany, a girl of fifteen, and that creates a nice symmetry in the structure of the novel.
The case has all the elements one could wish for: complex family relationships, secrets and lies, blackmail, suspects galore, alternative religious organisations, action, chases, dead-ends, adultery, love stories, risky and dangerous situations, twists and turns, and yes, a final twist.
The book is well written, a page-turner, flows well and although it follows the requisite investigative procedures, is not heavy on terminology and offers enough details without being too gore. I only missed feeling more connected to Kerrigan and the rest of the team (perhaps because I’d missed too much of the background story up to that point).
A good read, entertaining and that will keep readers guessing. Recommended to lovers of police procedural novels set in the UK, looking for a fast read, full of action and heavier on plot than on characterisation.

Jane Casey is probably in my top ten list of thriller writers. This book is, like her others, immensely readable, hard to put down, and the plot has you guessing right to the end. Maeve Kerrigan is likeable, honest and sometimes rushes into situations where she puts herself at risk and her D.I. Josh Derwent can be disparaging and critical - but you can't help but like him! Together they make an excellent pairing. I'd recommend this book - and the author.