Despite some minor frustrations it's a great story and I really enjoyed it. The concept is clever and the delivery carefully done to reveal clues before you can spot them as such and there are none of those daft 'that would never happen' or 'oh, that's convenient' moments you sometimes get with authors who aren't sure how to bring threads together!

It occasionally moves a little slowly and the lead character, Maeve Kerrigan needs a kick up the backside on occasion too, but the storyline itself is both viable and unthinkable. The twist at the end is wholly unnecessary, but it works rather well!

Is it just me, or does anybody else want a well-rounded, balanced and self-aware police officer for once? I love the notion of strong women coming to the fore, making their mark and achieving their goals, but why do they all have to be damaged wrecks with hopeless personal lives?! Intelligent, secure women do exist and do very well in demanding roles!

My next review is:
"Let The Dead Speak:Maeve Kerrigan Book 7". written by Jane Casey and published in paperback by Harper Collins on the 24th August 2017.400 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0008149017

Eighteen-year-old Chloe Emery returns to her West London home one day to find the house absolutely covered in blood and Kate, her mother, gone. All the signs point to murder. But there is no trace of a body. Maeve Kerrigan of the London Metropolitan Police is determined to prove that she's experienced and has what it takes to be a Detective Sergeant in her new role in this very demanding case. She suspects that Chloe is hiding something but getting her to open up is impossible. No one on the street is above suspicion. Maeve needs just one person to talk but that's not going to happen. Because even in a case of murder some secrets are too terrible to share.

A wet, Sunday afternoon in Putney and a clearly fretful eighteen-year-old Chloe Emery arrives back home unexpectedly, having cut short her stay with father, Brian, and stepmother, Belinda. Flustered as she enters her home, she finds it covered in blood and with no sign of her forty-two-year-old mother, Kate. With enough blood to be indicative of a murder, but no body to corroborate this, acting Superintendent DCI Una Burt decides to investigate on the presumption of murder, with establishing the whereabouts of Kate Emery of primary importance. Who can have wanted Kate Emery dead and why? DS Maeve Kerrigan, an intelligent detective with real compassion hits the ground running, whilst still not feeling fully comfortable with her new found rank and questioning her ability. The situation isn’t improved by the unhelpful assistance of extremely confident fast-track graduate, DC Georgia Shaw, who dislikes routine legwork. In fact, DC Shaw is a liability and is both unsure in the field and often opens her mouth before she thinks, it doesn’t take her too long to upset her potential ally, Maeve Kerrigan.

This is the first of these very fast moving books that I've read by Jane Casey and the only stumbling block I had in reading it was the constant references to the previous history of the characters which was unfortunately not explained in this story. However, this aside I found the story immensely gripping and fast moving and the pages in this quite lengthy book soon shot by. I was thoroughly engrossed and look forward to reading more books by this very exciting author. Recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk)

I thoroughly enjoyed this title. I found the characters and dialogue believable from the start.

I did work out one plot thread, but the ending was still a surprise.

I will definitely go back and read earlier titles in this series.

OMG this book is absolutely bloomin' brilliant!

I can't believe I've not read a Jane Casey book before, and was gobsmacked this is number 7 but to my utmost glee, I've now got 6 whole back-series books to read as well - win, win :)

All in seriousness, Let The Dead Speak was a completely enthralling read, it kept me guessing, glued to the seat of my pants and each chapter unfolded. I literally breathed these characters and scenes whilst devouring this book.

The dinstinctly british eloquence was right on my wavelength. I engaged with everything within this book and the outstanding reveals along the way catapulted me into feeling like I was one of the team, that I was part of what was unfolding. I was second-guessing, trying to place pieces together, and realised how effortlessly the clarity of the writing was creating in my mind's eye, that I was watching a motion picture playing out that only comes from a 1st class read.

If you love a good murder mystery, with a multitude of characters that ooze their own traits, and paths that you don't expect to be going down, then this will deliver on all counts.

1st class read, and I can't wait to read more from this very talented writer. I received a copy of Let The Dead Speak from netgalley and he publisher, I wholeheartedly thank them for allowing me the enjoyment and read I just experienced.

I didn't realise that there were other books featuring Maeve Kerrigan but it didn't not affect my reading of this one in any way. It worked perfectly well as a stand alone title and I did not need to know about any other novels to get pulled in to the story.

A great start as a girl returns home expecting to find her mother but instead walks in to a house smeared in blood. The story then continues with Maeve Kerrigan investigating the events and neighbourhood to find out what happened.

A most intriguing read full of twists and turns which keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

Highly recommended.

As a huge fan of the Maeve Kerrigan series I couldn’t wait to see what she and Derwent would get up to in this latest instalment. Jane Casey writes clever, gripping tales with great suspense and impossible to predict (yet very believable) twists and Let the Dead Speak is another excellently written police procedural.
The book opens with Chloe Emery returning home one afternoon to find her house covered in blood and her mother missing. It is filled with complex, unlikeable characters on both sides of the law and delves into themes of family and religion. Although a great read, I will admit that it wasn’t my favourite of the series so far. I didn’t get the same feel for Maeve’s personal life or her relationships with her colleagues in the station that I did with the previous books in the series. There were even one or two incidents that jarred for me (the “trust” comment?!) Despite this, Let the Dead Speak is a top notch police procedural and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a well written crime novel.
Many thanks to NetGalley and who provided me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

What starts off as a seemingly straightforward murder mystery soon becomes a story filled with twists and turns that will have you questioning what's going on every step of the way. Casey deftly weaves a tale of deception and obsession, with characters that change their nature depending on how you look at them. Although I had my suspicions, it had to be said that I was kept guessing until the very end, which is quite impressive - when you've read as many thrillers as I have, eventually they all become the same, but this managed to keep one step ahead of me.

Thoroughly recommended.

Despite only having read one other of this series, I found it very easy to connect with Maeve Kerrigan, a keen officer in her new role as a Detective Sergeant as she is called in to investigate this new case.

When 18 year old Chloe Emery returns home earlier than planned from visiting her Father and his new family, she finds her Mum missing and the house covered in blood. Her best friend Bethany lives in the same street so she immediately goes there, where she remains for the time being.

When Maeve and her partner arrive to initially take Chloe's statement, it is soon obvious she isn't like other teenagers, having learning difficulties and not as mature as expected for her age. It is also difficult to speak to her without interference from her best friend Bethany.

As the investigation progresses, slowly, with lack of a body, they can't be sure they are dealing with a murder, or whether Chloe's mum has been kidnapped. Talking to the neighbours in the street raises more questions than answers, as it seems everybody has something to hide with several possible motives in the disappearance of Kate Emery.

Since reading this fantastic book, I had to immediately purchase the other books in the series. Although this may be book 7 in the series, it can easily be read as a stand alone, however, if you are as enthralled as I am with this book, you will soon be working your through the others in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for RC in exchange for honest review.

I didn't even know this was #7 in a series- so it clearly works as a standalone. I takes off with breathless speed. Chloe Emery returns to her home to find it awash with blood and her mother missing. There is no body but there must have been a murder, right?

For such a dark subject, Jane Casey's treatment of the plot is light. Somehow, she manages to inject humour at times. The characters are very strong and their voices are distinct.

This isn't cosy crime but neither is it overly graphic or hardcore. I found it to be a perfect half way house, in fact.

When 18 year-old Chloe Emery returns home unexpectedly, the house is covered in blood and her mother is missing.

How do you solve a murder when you don’t have a body? How do get to the truth when the daughter of the victim is hiding something? How do you do your job when everyone involved is too busy ensuring their own secrets are kept?

Let the Dead Speak is a fast-paced thriller whose characters leap off the page.

I love a good police procedural, but for some strange and mysterious reason Jane Casey is an author who has never previously crossed my radar (bookdar? readar?). So I was surprised to learn that this is actually the seventh in a series featuring (newly promoted) Detective Sergeant Maeve Kerrigan. And I'm also very happy, obviously, as I now have a whole new back catalogue to explore!

Eighteen year old Chloe Emery – a young woman with some apparent mild learning difficulties – arrives home unexpectedly to find the house covered in blood and her mother, Kate, missing. There’s no body, but it certainly looks like a murder has been committed. Unravelling what has happened proves quite a challenge for DS Kerrigan and her colleague Josh Derwent, encompassing evangelical Christian neighbours, missing persons and some complex relationships. It’s an intriguing story which is tightly plotted and unpredictable.

As said, this is the seventh in the series and there’s clearly a lot of back story to the main characters, which is referred to at times but never impacts negatively on the story for a reader who, like me, is new to the series. Maeve’s relationship with her colleagues is well drawn, particularly a prickly love-hate sort of thing with Derwent (again, there’s clearly history there) – their interactions are very enjoyable to read. There’s also fast-track-graduate Georgia, new to the team, who hasn’t exactly impressed Maeve so far.

I loved the character of Maeve, a tough, committed police officer who perhaps cares a little too much at times. In this book at least, she doesn’t seem to have much of a personal life outside the job – though there are references to a past relationship which is clearly still affecting her.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will definitely seek out Jane Casey’s previous books.

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC

Never read this author before but I love her style of writing and she is a great storyteller

Didn't realise this was book 7 in the Maeve Kerrigan Detective series so the other 6 books are now must reads

There is a great relationship between Maeve and Derwent with lots of 'Banter' between them and a few chuckles had by me while reading this gripping thriller with a good few twists and turns and whodunnits

This is already the seventh Detective Maeve Kerrigan book, and having read all of the previous' books, I honestly say, they just get better and better. The book starts innocently, with a young girl returning home and discovering her home covered in blood, her mother missing and that sets the tone of the rest of the book - absolutely brilliantly written and worth your time and effort. Highly recommended!!

utterly engrossing, fabulously delivered. this is full of twists that keep you guessing and completely addicted right up til the very end. very emotional. Kerrigan is a brilliant character, utterly relatable which make it all the more perfect a read.
for fans of Patricia Cornwall or Karin Slaughter will love this.

This book was a bit of a slow starter for me and took me a bit longer to finish than usual. I think this is because I didn't realise that this book was part of a series, so the book was mentioning the main character and other detectives and was talking about things from past books building upon their relationships. If I had read previous books from this author which were based on this detective series, then I think I would have enjoyed it more.

The book begins with Chloe Emery returning home after staying with her dad and step mother. She returns home early and expects to find her mum at home but returns home to an empty house and a house covered in blood. Her mothers body isn't found in the house or the local area, so we join Maeve Kerrigan, the main character of this book, as she investigates what has happened to Chloes mother.

Many things happen throughout the investigation as they find out things they didn't expect to about Kate and there are many plot twists. I certainly didn't foresee the ending!

If you're a fan of mystery thrillers, then you will enjoy this book. You might want to read the other books in this series so you get a better grip on the character Maeve Kerrigan though.

Anne

Really enjoyed this book. Did not realise it was in a series and had not read previous titles. However, still enjoyed and will be going on to read others too

I wasn't too sure at the start of this book as the setting seemed somewhat mundane but the various twists and turns in the plot and characterisation soon changed my mind and held my attention. I would look for future development of the detective characters in other novels.

I cannot recall reading any other novels by Jane Casey, but shall certainly be wanting to read more. It didn't matter that this was the 7th in the Maeve Kerrigan series, as i soon got used to the main characters. The story gripped me from the start and with so many twists and turns, this novel certainly had me guessing. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.

Sadly couldn't read this as was number 7 in the series and I am a sucker for reading in order, sounded so good too!

Rating: 8/10

In her latest outing, Detective Sergeant Maeve Kerrigan investigates an apparent homicide when teenager Chloe Emery returns home to find her house a bloodbath and her mother missing and presumed dead. Working alongside her grouchy co-worker, DI Derwent, they are soon embroiled in a mystery where everyone is a suspect with a secret to hide, including Chloe and the evangelical Christian neighbours she stays with.

Let the Dead Speak is a crime thriller done right. It is delightfully suspenseful, a complex mystery with a lot of meat to its bones - it constantly kept me guessing. I did guess some aspects of the ending, but the way it all came together was a revelation and I was very impressed with the plotting. This is my first Jane Casey book, and even though it is seven books into the series(!), I was able to follow along pretty well and I was throughly attached to all the recurring characters by the end. That being said, whilst it can definitely be read as a standalone, as always, you would probably get more from it after enjoying the rest of the series. There were some connections that I did not have, and while Casey gives you all the context you need, I am immensely curious about Derwent's backstory with his girlfriend as well as some of the relationships in the team. I know I will be picking up her earlier novels in order to get fully embroiled in DS Kerrigan's world.

The characters are where the novel really shines and gives a real heart to what would otherwise be a bit of a bleak thriller. DS Kerrigan is a fantastic protagonist and someone you can really get behind. She is brave with a heroic streak, dealing with a lot of pain from past mistakes and heartbreak. She is a workaholic, presumably trying to distract herself from an ex-boyfriend who abruptly disappears from her life. She suffers no prisoners as she struggles to work with a plucky new addition to the team who is still learning the ropes and ambitious to start rising the career ladder. I am curious to see if there will be a resolution with the seemingly 'will they, won't they' relationship with Derwent in future books. Derwent is no perfect leading man: he is grouchy, opinionated with a bit of a misanthrope streak. Yet, he is a complimentary partner in work and life; even when they disagree, they have a strong emotional bond and, despite what Maeve claims, a great deal of trust in each other. I am completely behind a future romance sub-plot. The rest of the police team really complete the set-up with a range of work-place personalities and professional clashes.

The Norris family were particularly compelling with a litany of secrets from each other. Oliver is a traditional patriarch who, along with his wife, are dedicated members of a near-by evangelical charismatic church. I really enjoyed this part of the novel; it was actually this aspect that drove me to pick it up. I only wish there was more prominence given; it was more of a background detail and, because of this, a limited degree of complexity in Casey's depiction. However, my disappointment is more to do with my expectations and tastes. Nevertheless, the array of suspects are richly drawn and I was completely invested in solving the mystery alongside Kerrigan.

The reason I did not give this book a higher rating was that I had a few niggles about some of the apparent logic gaps. Some of the hypotheses and suggestions by the team in interpreting some of the evidence did not make complete sense to me. For example, in one scene (no spoiler) when Maeve discovers a used condom and semen on the wall in a room, she immediately suggests it was used as a rendez-vous location by multiple couples. Whilst this may have been true, it struck me that it was just as likely or even more so in the circumstances that the location had been used by one couple on multiple occasions or even that the couple could have just had multiple sexual encounters on one occasion. It may have been two men. Personally, the conclusion she draws seemed more improbable. If it was used to foreshadow a future revelation, I thought it was clumsily handled. There were a few other occasions that this happened which took me out of the narrative briefly but really this is just nit-picking.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.