I hadn't read any of the other books in the Maeve Kerrigan series and went into.this completely blind. I am going to have to go back and read the others now because this was wonderful. Dark, sinuous twisting plot with plenty of twists and turns, MCs sparking off each other and sparklinh dialogue. Thoroughly enjoyable and easily accessible as a standalone despite beimg part of a series. Will definitely look out for the author's back catalogue.

A good, tight thriller with a strong story line and a decent twist. All of the likeable and loathsome characters are there for you to get behind and to hate while the plot carries you on the top of a tidal wave to the conclusion. Finished in the early hours feeling sated.

This last chapter proofed everything I thought I knew to be wrong. Who would have thought that there could be more to the story than what Maeve Kerrigan found out in her investigation. I was pulled into this book from the start and wasn’t able to stop reading. There were so many suspects, but nothing added up and I kept biting my nails to find out who did it and why. And when the suspects were arrested and it should have been over.....it wasn’t. And yes, it took me by surprise. Love the story. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK!

This is the first time I have read a book by Jane Casey, and I enjoyed it. I hope to read more of her work. This is a crime thriller set in London. Chloe arrives home early from her dad's, to find her mum missing. The family cat trapped in her room and the whole house covered in blood. No sign of a body just a lot of blood. Detective Maeve Kerrigan is on the case. While investigating the neighbours we meet the very religious Norrises and the local bad boy William Turner. Chloe stays with the Norrises, as she is friends with their daughter Bethany. As the police work the case, trying to find out what happened to Kate. Will they work it out quick enough? This book has many twists and turns as we reach the climax. A few times I thought I had worked it out, only for another plot twist to happen.
Great story although I felt it dragged on in a few places.

This is the first book by Jane Casey that I have read, however I am about to download her whole back catalogue. This is 7th in a series however it is easy to read as a stand alone book and there is no need to read the other 6 first.
The book starts at a crime scene, a house covered in blood but no body to be seen, and progresses through the resulting investigation. There were plenty of twists and turns and even when you reach the last 2 to 3 pages there's one last reveal. I would highly recommend this book and as mentioned I will be reading all of her previous books.
Thank you to Netgalley who provided me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and frank review.

Read it in a day! Shows how much I enjoyed it as I've got 5 kids running riot in the holidays!!! I've read the whole Maeve series and love her as a character even Derwent! This one was no different in the way that I still love them both! I always enjoy a book much more when the characters are well written, and you get to know them. The story centres around a murder investigation but there's no body..... by the end there are bodies! But it certainly kept me guessing as to who was the culprit. Lots of twists and turns. Very very good read!!!

Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey

Title: Let the Dead Speak
Author: Jane Casey
First Published: Aug 2017
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 401
Price on Amazon: Paperback £559 Kindle: £4.49
ISBN: 0008149011

Can you call it murder when there is no body?

Chloe Emery is just eighteen years old she returns home early from spending the weekend at her dad's house to find her home where she lives with her mother covered in blood, the cat locked away in the bedroom with a bowl of water and her mother missing. Chloe's neighbours phones the police and it's not long before a full blown murder investigation is underway. While Chloe's house is being investigated Chloe goes to stay with her neighbour and friend Bethany and her family but is all as it seems?

It's not long before everyone is a suspect, including Chloe and Bethany, and even Bethany's parents and uncle. As the investigation goes on more things come to light that people wish had stayed hidden but nothing remains a secret in a murder investigation.

A few days into the investigation and suddenly Chloe and Bethany go missing, does this make them look even more guilty? When Bethany shows up a few days later but Chloe doesn't can the police get to her before it's too late? Will they find the body of Chloe's mother and track down the killer?

I got this book as a free copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. When I got this book I didn't realise it was the seventh in the series. I was thinking gosh I can't believe this has happened again, luckily it is one of those books that you can read without having read the others in the series. That is not to say I won't be going back and reading the rest of the series because I most definitely will as I really enjoyed this book. I read this book in two sittings, I'm currently going through my insomnia stage so having good books to read makes things a lot better and this book sure helped.

I found this book easy to read, with a great plot which was easy to follow with great descriptive writing helping to form my imagination. I loved the characters in the book, I liked how Casey even gave us a character we could choose to dislike in Georgia, I found myself having mixed feelings about her throughout the book. I decided from the outset I didn't like Morgan and he was the type of person you'd want to punch in the face if you met him. I enjoyed the character of Derwent, I found him intriguing and a very complex character with several layers to him. I found him to be very well written. Then, of course, there is Kerrigan, I found her passion for the job refreshing and I liked the fact that although she could see Georgia wasn't up to the job and she didn't like her she stuck up for her anyway and watched out for her around Derwent. I'm interested to read the books at the beginning of the series to see the relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent develop to the stage it is at now.

All in all, I have given this book four out of five stars, had I have read the others in the series beforehand and had the previous background knowledge then I suspect I would be giving this book five out of five stars. I would certainly recommend this book to people and will be reading the rest in the series and this one again when I get to it again in the series.

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Tightly written crime novel with a moving moral compass that unravels satisfyingly. The author does an excellent job of exploring teenagers especially Chloe, whose learning difficulties add to the complexity of the plot.

This is the second book in the Maeve Kerrigan series that I have read and like the first I was gripped from the start. Kerrigan may not stick exactly to the rules and lives for her work but she will not give up until she gets results.

When a young woman with learning difficulties returns home unexpectedly she finds blood over the walls and her mother missing. DS Kerrigan is sent to investigate. A tense and gripping thriller that you won't want to put down.

This is a really well written book that has get me gripped! Every time I reached the end of a chapter to stop reading, I found it really difficult to stop as I needed to find out what happened next.

There are twists and turns in the plot that will keep you guessing right through to the bitter end...

With hindsight, I am probably not best placed to be reviewing this book as I have found out since receiving it that it is book 7 in a series featuring detectives Kerrigan & Derwent and I am very late to the party.

The story in itself I thought was good, with a cast of characters not all that large but sufficient to provide several suspects, all with a credible motive for murder. Although strictly speaking without a body we are subtly reminded throughout that it may not even be a murder enquiry. The dynamic between Kerrigan and her colleagues is interesting but I did feel that I needed to read previous books to really understand why they interacted the way they did and why the new addition to the team was treated with little respect or trust at times. This however is my failing and in no way a reflection of the writer’s ability. I would recommend that anyone considering this book reads the previous titles in order to get the most out of it.

The plot weaves back and forth between suspects, drip feeding new information which made me change my opinion of each character in turn. The Norris family start as good Samaritans, change to be prime suspects, then villains with their treatment of their neighbours which was far from neighbourly - although at times Eleanor Norris made me want to give her a good shake. A couple of the characters I thought were rather stereotypical but not enough to spoil a good tale. Nothing prepared me for some of the revelations towards the end of the story though and my predictions of “whodunnit” (and why) at the start of the book were way off track. Clever writing and plenty of red herrings made sure of that, and I will definitely be seeking out the previous books in the series so I can untangle the detectives’ back story.

This is one of those books you don't want to put down, so much so even starving kids didn't get a look in !
The book revolves around two main women Kate and Maeve the story has your brain synapses pinging with what could possibly happen next, quite often not what you think.
The author draws you in superbly and you will be hooked right to the last page. I would highly recommend this for any crime / murder readers

Once again, I have not been disappointed by Jane Casey; she has delivered and written an excellent book that I really enjoyed. Great story line that is full of suspense and keeps you enthralled. The characters are fantastic and believable; I particularly like the working relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent which comes across as being very genuine. Highly recommended read to anyone and you don't have to have read the previous books in the series as this holds up as a stand-alone however, I would suggest you do as you won't be disappointed.

This is the first book by Jane Casey that I've read and it most definitely won't be my last. This police thriller places its reader straight into the heart of the action from the very first page and then keeps you guessing all the way through. The plot twist and turns and spins the reader around so much, that you simply can't work out what is truth and what is lies. However, it all wraps up very nicely at the end, leaving no loose ends. The book is taken from the view of Detective Maeve Kerrigan who is a great protagonist. I would highly recommend this brilliant police procedural whodunnit.

Many thanks to Netgalley who provided me with this ARC. I chose to read it and give a voluntary and unbiased review.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you so much!! This is the first Jane Casey book I have read and it certainly won't be the last. It is the seventh in the series (and am I lucky that I have six to read - no waiting for me!!) I immediately felt I knew the characters ( I googled to see if they had been made into a TV drama and that's why I felt I knew them but couldn't find anything. Why not? It should be!!!!) and the story kept me going right up to the end. Anybody who hasn't read these books should do so now. I am going to catch up and will be eagerly waiting for new ones (and to see it on TV!!) Once again thank you to NetGalley and everyone involved in allowing me to read this.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this amazing book

wow where to start...an amazing thriller with so many red herrings, this book kept me guessing right to the end who did it...that doesnt happen very often...

no spoilers but plenty of action that will keep you guessing till the end of the book

will definitely be keeping an eye out for anymore of this authors work

More twists than a serpent at a jive contest! Absolutely loved it! Of particular note (other than the brilliant plot) were the relationships, both professional and personal within the investigating team. Additionally, no techno crutches were used, whichmany writers in this genre like to have in their arsenal. Readers may remember that poorly researched tech and its use in novels is my pet hate. In this novel it was the reverse, the failure of comms out in the sticks (we've all been there)! Best of all was the false ending, just when we thought it had all been explained away there followed a very dark finale, just a few pages but enough to make you think! I was minded of Exodus 34:7 "....visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children".

An interesting story and well written, however it did not resonate with me and I found it difficult to empathise with the main characters, possibly because it is not my usual preferential genre.
Some nice twists but overall it did not fascinate me, however for fans of this genre I am sure you will disagree

This is a seriously twisted police procedural in the Maeve Kerrigan series. In a middle class Putney neighborhood in London, an 18 year old upset Chloe Emery returns home early after visiting her father and his second family. Awaiting her is a scene that bewilders her, the cat has been locked in, and the home is a blood spattered crime scene of murder, but no body. It is assumed her mother, Kate Emery, is the murdered victim whose body was removed. The newly promoted DS Maeve Kerrigan is on the case where nothing is as it seems. The learning challenged Chloe is taken in by neighbour Ollie Norris and his family, he is a member of an evangelical church with a strong emphasis on traditional values and on how a woman's role is to support and obey her husband. Chloe is close to the Norris's 15 year old daughter, Bethany, a strictly brought up and bright girl. Chloe is not talking, and a frustrated Maeve and the police team have to rely on their own investigations that reveal the secret life of Kate and all those she knew.

There are some really compellingly obnoxious characters in the novel that include the violent and hypocritical Ollie, his nasty but charming, good for nothing, brother, Morgan, a scheming, mean, wicked and ghastly stepmother, Belinda, and her spoilt, arrogant, over-privileged and entitled sons. There is the local bad boy, William Turner, with a fearful reputation. Maeve has been burdened with the responsibility of mentoring DC Georgia Shaw, an over confident and irritating woman with her eye on moving up the ladder as fast as possible. Not surprisingly, Maeve does not like Georgia, and it is not long before Georgia's shortcomings in the job become apparent but Maeve continues to support her. Kate's life leads the police down a myriad of confusing paths that make finding the truth ever more elusive. In the meantime, Chloe and Bethany disappear sparking a police hunt.The maverick DI Josh Derwent continues to be an intriguing, complex and close personal friend and professional colleague to Maeve as they find themselves in dangerous territory.

This is an impressively plotted story with a number of red herrings, and packed with a raft of twists. The narrative is gripping, tense and full of suspense. However, it is Jane Casey's expert and skilful characterisations that drives the novel. Even where the characters seem to have little in the way of redeeming features, they are never less than complex and compelling. Maeve's personal life which has been an arid arena since Rob left, has her in limbo as she puts her faith in him returning, her fantasy is cruelly shattered as she becomes aware of the truth. This is a great read that I found entertaining and enjoyable. Highly recommended. Thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.