Bring Them Home

I really liked this book and although the ending was a bit predictable and wrapped up too nicely, it wouldn't stop me from reading the next book in the series as I feel you get to know more and more behind the main characters as the books develop and their home lives which the author gave us a glimpse of. Having said that it's an enjoyable read with some suspense . I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the arc to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own and are unbiased.

I thoroughly enjoy this book it center on two young girls who went missing from school. When lead DS Karen Hart is on the case she can't help but think that it's connect to a case she been working on ,on the missing women Amy Fisher so she focus on the Palmer family. I won't tell if they are involved or not you have read and see but I can say does have a happy ending and bring closure to a early mystery. Thank you for letting me read this book I'm looking forward to the next book.

This is the first in a series and it's a good start.

DS Karen Hart has to find two missing girls, whilst dealing with her own grief and loss. It's a fast paced police drama with some twists.

There were times it felt patronising and the lead character certainly has her flaws. Overall, it's an OK read that's very similar to many others I've recently read.

Thanks to the author, Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

OMG....This book was fabulous. I highly recommend this to everyone. The twists and turns were amazing. I was definitely not expecting the ending. D.S. Butler....you are a great storyteller. Can't wait to read more of your books. This is a definite must read.

I so adored this book! It has brilliant main characters, an excellent plot and it kept me engrossed all the way through. I would highly recommend this book.

Bring Them Home follows Karen, a detective, as she tries to track down the culprit of the missing two 10 year old girls, Emily and Sian, and 19 year Amy in a relatively quiet town.

This was definitely a Criminal Minds, piece-all-the-characters-together kinda vibe. As the story went along we were introduced to more and more suspects, where the reader is left to try and guess who did what.

One suspect family stays at the center light throughout the whole story. The Palmer family is an interestingly dark, and mysterious family that Karen is quite literally obsessed with.

One of the things I really enjoyed in this novel were all the little side stories we got about the main characters and their lives at home. It helped me understand why the detectives always reacted as they did, and why they looked at evidence the way they did. I thought that Butler did a good job making all the main characters three dimensional.

The plot itself was subpar. It wasn’t bad or boring, don’t get me wrong, it was just your typical mystery novel. Although it was fun trying to piece the mystery together, there was nothing shocking or anything that differentiates it from other mystery plots of missing children.

The writing was of a good pace. It was very easy to follow along with what was going on, and I didn’t find myself skimming through paragraphs like I often do when authors incorporate too many useless details (which is usually my biggest turn off in writing style, so i love an author who avoids this).

I think my biggest pet peeve of this story was definitely the repetition, specifically when we were in Karen’s POV. A detail such as “Emily would never go into the farm, we could rule that out.” Would be repeated about three or times within only a few paragraphs.

But nitpicking aside here is the final verdict: this was a good book. Nothing too out of the ordinary, nothing too “oh please god no, make it stop”. I would recommend it for people who love a classic mystery.

DS Karen Hart still has not solved the case of missing Amy Fisher, but that case moves to the back burner when two girls disappear from their school. Still reeling from the knowledge that she has been unable to find Fisher, Hart puts all her energies into investing the seemingly close-knit village. Are the residents there hiding something? Butler does a good job building her characters and setting, all in all, a satisfying British police procedural

Good read if a bit forgettable... similar to the other police procedurals I read. Still fun to read though

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the second in the series. I found the characters likeable, the plot easy to follow with enough twists to keep you entertained and overall raced through the book as found it enjoyable, easy reading.

#Bring Them Home; #Net Galley published by Amazon Publishing UK written by D.S. Butler. The UK Publishing should have been a suggestion that this book might have given the American reader some problems. It was hard to understand who the police characters were when they were introduced, maybe not enough explanation of terms and rankings. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew them all, it would have been refreshing to have known them better during my read. I did enjoy the story of the book, it was right on with the title. My attention was captured right from the beginning with the author giving details from the little girls' viewpoint. It was an easy reading and it held my attention. For the American reader, I would suggest more description of terms used for and by the police in Lincolnshire County. Also, it would have been helpful to possibly include a map of this area of England on one of the first pages since i am not familiar with the English countryside. Overall - good book, I enjoyed the read.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
D.S Karen Hart is still upset about a missing 19-year old, Amy, who disappeared 18 months ago when 2 10-year olds go missing. She has to put Amy's case aside and focus on the now and find these 2 little girls. Her suspicions are focused on a strange family, an elderly father with a grown son and daughter. The 2 men are brutish, nasty men, who totally rule the daughter, who is obviously deathly afraid of them. Karen is sure the 2 men were involved with Amy's disappearance and cannot shake the feeling they 're also involved with kidnapping the little girls. Her boss thinks she's obsessed with that family and should look further to find answers to this new crime.
This was a good mystery, the ending was a bit of a surprise, but all in all it was like so many other mysteries, nothing outstanding or different...A pleasant, quick read, but it didn't stand out for me.

I really like this book. The characters were well developed and likeable, or not. This story grabbed me from the very beginning and held my interest throughout the book. This story has excitement, suspense. This is the first book I have read by this author but I will be looking for more to read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of Bring Them Home the first novel to feature DS Karen Hart of the Licolnshire police.

When two young girls disappear from their primary school the police mount a massive hunt. DS Karen Hart is heavily involved and can't help but draw parallels with the unsolved disappearance of 19 year old Amy Fisher 18 months previously, a case she still hopes to solve.

I enjoyed Bring Them Home which is a straightforward hunt for missing girls. That is not to say that it doesn't have some twists and turns but it is basically the uncovering of secrets, eliminating suspects and discovering the truth. I like the slow accumulation of facts, the discussion of possibilities and the irrelevant secrets that crawl out of the woodwork. I also think that Ms Butler does a good job of portraying the grieving parents and the panic/emotion of investigating missing children. I'm not so sure about the ending which, while clever and unexpected, posed more logistical problems as to its possibility than I could comfortably believe.

I must admit that I didn't particularly take to Karen Hart. Yes, she is smart and resourceful and very much a people person but her fixation on one suspect with nothing to back it up except a hunch is unprofessional, old fashioned and quickly got irritating. There are hints that her obsessive behaviour may change in future novels so I'll probably give her another chance.

Bring Them Home is a solid read. 3.5*

An unusual crime story with various substory lines leading to a happy ending and bringing a conclusion to an earlier mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

Enjoyed this book although I guessed very early on who had taken the young girls. I liked the way we got to see several of the detectives characters developing hoping that we see more if them in future books

Detective Karen Hart has been called in with her team to investigate the disappearance of two young girls. She is battling her hunches that a local family are involved with the disappearance as historically when another girl went missing they were her main suspects. Can she find the girls before their bodies turn up?

I really enjoyed the different characters and the back stories with each of the main police officers and I look forward to their evolution in the next book. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Detective Karen Hart and her team have been called in to investigate the sudden disappearance of two young girls. She see parallels between a previous unsolved case of a missing young woman and the disappearance of these two girls. She suspects a specific family, but must follow the leads she has and look beyond what she think she knows.
I did enjoy the characters, especially when the author delved into them personally and made them more individual. The story I felt would be an on the edge of your seat mystery, but it didn't turn out the way. The pace was slow and sometimes it felt repetitive. The story was subpar and was still a fairly good mystery. I found myself struggling to get through to the end because it felt a little slow to me. This is still a fairly good read and a good mystery.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for letting me read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult one to review for me, probably more 2.5 stars than 3 unfortunately.

I liked the ideas in the book and the plot worked well. Much as I like a thriller with lots of twists and turns, I do also enjoy a more straightforward mystery. I like to read books where the detectives use good police work and logic, rather than astonishing leaps of faith or guesswork, and that's what we have here. The drawback to that was that I found some of the statements made by characters to explain what was going on were kind of obvious, and it felt like being talked down to. I think the author should trust her audience more, and have faith in their understanding and deductive reasoning powers.

Characters wise there wasn't any that I felt I really connected with. DS Hart, the main character, was annoying and a little unbelievable. She has an obsession with a local family and seems to want to do whatever she can to tie them to the disappearances. She also makes some very bad judgement calls such as entering a property without waiting for back up, and argues with her superiors regularly. I think the author is aiming for a character who is confident and a bit of a maverick, but brilliant with it, unfortunately I didn't get that feel with DS Hart. It came across more that she can't separate her emotions from the case she's working on, and isn't willing to listen to reasonable advice.

For me personally this one was a bit of a miss, and I probably won't read the next in the series. That said, fans of straight police procedural novels will like this I think.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc.

I rather enjoyed reading this book, it is extremely well-written - good use of English and sentence construction which made it flow, and the main storyline with several sub-interests are woven together seamlessly. I particularly enjoyed the relationship-building between DS Hart and her new boss which, to be honest, would probably be my main reason for a follow-up reading of a series, just to find discover how that pans-out. I felt that there was incredible detail (some of which I personally feel was unnecessary, but that's just my opinion) put into the fascinating investigation with all its twists and turns, only to feel it was all a bit 'rushed' for the conclusion. Having said that, the final narrative tied up all the loose ends, but almost as an afterthought to all the drama which had previously transpired. Not the best detective mystery I've read, but definitely not the worst.

Amy went missing 18 months ago, with no clues and no where to turn, How will the DI Karen Hart find clues? Then another possibly abduction occurs, this time 2 10 year olds, is there a connection? Who is the connection? Will the girls be found alive? A race against time to find out who took them. DI Karen Hart is a believable police officer, along with her team. I loved this book, I loved the storyline, loved finding out about each member of the team. Will be reading more from this author for sure

An absolute gripping story from start to finish, 2 young girls go missing from school and no trace found
An old missing persons case is at the heart of this story and a strange family hold the key to all

Karen Hart is a great character. She is just the right amount of feisty. Her instincts serve her well. I would have liked to have more back story. I felt that I had entered a series in the middle instead of book one. I will be looking forward to the next book.

I would like to thank Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for letting me have a copy of ‘Bring Them Home’ by D S Butler in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Ten-year-old Emily Dean and Sian Gibson leave school early as they’re going to meet Emily’s “friend” who’s taking them to look at the ponies. When they don’t return home DS Karen Hart and her new Inspector Scott Morgan send out search parties but apart from the discovery of one glove in a hedgerow there’s no sign of them. Karen thinks it’s similar to the disappearance of Amy Fisher, nineteen, who was last seen eighteen months earlier.
‘Bring Them Home’, the first in a two book series, is an exciting and fast-paced thriller with engaging characters and lots of action. There are twists and turns, a number of suspects, and an ending that caught me by surprise. I was so engrossed in the story that I started reading at mid-day and couldn’t stop until I’d finished that same evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to book number two.

This book was a disappointment to me. I'm such a fan of British mysteries set in rural areas. This one, about a female detective sergeant with an obsession for 3 missing persons - one young woman from an old case and two girls who've just gone missing - should have clicked on every level for me. It didn't.

From the beginning, the dialogue seemed stilted and formal, the narrative seemed to feature at least one cliche per paragraph, and the main character was problematic on many levels. I didn't mind that DS Karen Heart was unlikable; that's a category into which some of the best protagonists fall. To me, she was unprofessional and not believable. Of the dozens of police officers I've known and worked with and the thousands I've known (on both sides of the Atlantic) via the printed page, Karen Heart's interactions with her co-workers, and especially her superiors, were unique. And I mean that not in a good way.

I think we are to understand that she has a highly developed intuition that governs her police work. Instead, she came across as flighty and emotional, conforming to the very worst stereotypes of women at work.

I'm truly sorry to have to express these views; I wanted more from this book. In fact, if I hadn't received an ARC that carries the implicit expectation of writing a review, I wouldn't have finished the book.

BRING THEM HOME by DS Butler is is a great suspense novel. I had never read any of Butler's novels before but I will be on the hunt to read more from this great author.

When two young girls disappear from their primary school the police mount a massive hunt. DS Karen Hart is heavily involved and can't help but draw parallels with the unsolved disappearance of 19 year old Amy Fisher 18 months previously, a case she still hopes to solve.

This book was pretty straightforward and a quick read. I did enjoy how it ended but given that I read so many of these books, I knew who did it about a third of the way through. I think most readers will be surprised at the twist though. DS Karen Hart is meant to be a great detective who relies on instinct to solve cases but in reality, she comes off as impulsive and emotional.

2.5 stars out of 5. Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

The opening chapter of this book was very promising and written with credible realism as the two girls leave school and enter the woods.

However, by the time I reached 69% on my Kindle, I started to lose patience with how wooden a lot of the book was. The characters weren't really fleshed out or described, except by position and name. I was about a third of the way through before I realised DI Morgan was male. A lot of the action could have been edited out: details such as shutting doors and thanking the school receptionist and walking to the car were achingly dull.

I thought this book could have been really improved with more character description and more getting inside the narrators' heads. We know Karen's tragic past, but I don't feel I know Karen. There were also a lot of characters to keep up with but none that really stood out.

I've read a lot of books along a similar vein and somehow they kept me guessing, but this one didn't. It was clunky and was more like a list of events than a gripping story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Two young girls go missing and now we have an all out search.
DS Karen Hart is still trying to come to terms with death of her husband and daughter, also Karen has unfinished business with another case. Eighteen months ago a nineteen year old girl went missing and has never been found.
This is the first in the Karen Hart series and I am already looking forward to the next.
The story had me thoroughly engrossed and I was up until 1.30am to finish it.
This book is full of tension, so many suspects, it is a very busy book.
A really good crime thriller.
I would like to thank the author D S Butler, Amazon Publishing UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Two young girls go missing in a small town where usually families feel safe. DS Karen Hart is one of the officers investigating the disappearance. She believes that her current case is somehow connected to a disappearance of nineteen year old Amy Fisher who disappeared eighteen months ago.

A very interesting story and I look forward to the release of the next book. but I felt like not enough of Karen's background was really explained well. It was like all of the sudden the writer told us that her daughter and husband died in a car accident. No clear details or anything.

I enjoyed reading this book which is the first in a series featuring DS Karen Heart. It is not dissimilar to other police procedural/ crime thrillers but that's why I enjoyed it. It is well written and the story is easy to follow. There's plenty of background information on the main characters, I look forward to the follow up.

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I can't believe this is the first book I have read by D.S Butler, I am annoyed I did not discover her books earlier. Judging from Bring Them Home I think I have discovered a new go to author.

Bring Them Home Is the first book in the DS Karen Heart series. Four years earlier Karen`s husband and daughter Tilly had died in a car accident. After the accident she was grief stricken and blamed her fellow officers of a conspiracy. Karen still misses her family but Is close friends with Margaret her next door neighbour who is always happy to help Karen if she needs it

Ten year old best friends Sian Gibson and Emily Dean crept out of school early because Emily was going for her first pony riding lesson.. The girls went over the school fence to meet Emily`s friend, a tall thin stranger. The school called the police when they discovered Sian and Emily had left school. Karen and her team hoped the girls would return home but when they did not Karen and her new boss D.I Scott Morgan knew they were in a race against time.

Sian and Emily`s school backed on to the land of the Palmer`s. Eighteen months earlier a young woman disappeared after renting out one of their out houses. Karen suspected the owner Nigel Palmer of being responsible but never found any evidence. She was instantly suspicious when Nigel`s son Jasper found one of Sian`s gloves on a fence. Scott told Karen she was biased against the Palmers and to look for other suspects but she knew something wasn't right about that family.

I knew I would enjoy this book from the first page. The story went at a far pace and there were plenty of suspects who could of kidnapped the girls. I also enjoyed reading about the officers home life.

I liked DC Rick Cooper who had a reputation as a ladies man who went on hot dates every night. However in real life he helped care for his mother with dementia.. His sister was unable to cope, and wanted their mother to go into a care home. Rick disagreed and wanted his mother to stay at home. I initially did not like his colleague Sophie who was overly keen and tried to point score over Rick. I saw a nicer side when she went to Rick`s with his lost mobile and tried to get him help.

This was a great start to the Karen Hear series and I hope there will be more books to come. In the next book I would like to find out more and Scott and why he moved to Lincolnshire.

I found this a tense police procedural. Two young girls go missing from the same small village that a nineteen year old vanished from over a year before. Usually if someone abducts people they choose ones of the same age group - two ten year olds are very different from a nineteen year old, but one of the detectives is obsessed with the earlier abduction and spends her time trying to link them. One of the constables has a sick mother and is slowly sinking under the stress of looking after her, with the help of his sister.

So all in all I found it a page turner. Good cast of characters, everyone is very human. Would they have any more success with the girls than last time, it's a race to try and find them.

Two children leave school early and disappear. The only witness is another child and he doesn’t really see anything. The police start searching but to no avail and as is usual concentrate on family members.

DS Karen Hart is the lead investigator under the supervision of DI Morgan and “helped” by DC Sophie and DC Rick who each has their problems.

Sophie is really annoying and is pouting and huffing. Not at all what you expect of a police officer in the CID. She should have stayed on patrol until she grew up. Rick will rather be accused as a drunk than admit to family problems. Both are extremely unlikely to be of much help in the investigation.

Karen has plenty of her own faults mainly that she doesn’t follow directives of her superiors but is always off on her own personal tangent. Not a very likable person and seems prone to wallow in her righteousness.

Unfortunately all of the above made what could have been a great book just so so. I won’t be recommending the book and give it 2 stars.

DS Karen Hart #1

Two young girls disappear from their primary school in the village of Heighington. The village is put on high alert - and not for the first time.

Detective Karen Hart is called in to investigate the disappearance of two young schoolgirls. This is the second case of girls going missing within an eighteen month time period, except Amy Fisher was a young woman who still has not been found. Karen Hart also has to confront her own loss as she pulls out all stops to prevent what happened to her, happen to other families.

I have previously read a couple of D.S. Butler's books and enjoyed them, so I honestly don't know why I stopped. I enjoyed Bring Them Home, a book that has some twists but it's basically straightforward. Karen Hart just wants to bring the girls home safe after failing to find a young woman eighteen months previously. We get some background information on some of the main characters which I always find helpful as it builds up the character. The story has a good pace and it's also easy to follow. I never guessed who was behind the kidnapping and I was surprised at who it was. I look forward to reading the next book in this new series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author D.S. Butler for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book and was desperate for the 2 girls to be found. It was a good read, yet I am not sure I actually liked the main character, I genuinely didn’t put my finger on why. She somehow just seemed to lack something. It literally felt like most run of the mill books for my liking. It’s full of twists and she hell bent on trying to solve a crime that’s linked to the two girls, 18 months previous. I am not saying it’s not a good book, and without giving anything away I can’t say I personally found it gripping. On the plus not a bad book. I wouldn’t say don’t bother far from it give it ago. This is only my personal opinion. I would be very interested to read his next book

I truly enjoy getting in on the ground floor when it comes to finding a new crime fiction series. Both the series and the author are new to me, but I'm sure I'll be following both.

DS Karen Hart is a character with character. She comes with flaws and issues, but always tries to do what's right. She's lost her husband and daughter in an auto accident and returns to work to find a new supervisor, DI Scott Logan. They are as different as apples and oranges. She trusts her gut feeling and he's a stickler for proof, evidence. The only gut feeling he trusts is the one when he's hungry.

Logan and Hart are investigating the disappearance of 2 young girls from school. They left school early one day, hopped the fence and went into the woods. They haven't been seen since. This hits close to home for Hart. A year ago, a teenage girl disappeared. She suspects who took the girl, but without proof her hands are tied.

While her supervisors think she's obsessing over the girl never found, she 'knows' she should rein in her anger, but she can't afford to get sidetracked ... there are still two little girls missing.

There are plenty of suspects to look at. What Logan and Hart find is that almost everyone comes across as secretive, with secrets they aren't willing to see the light of day. Logan and Hart, along with the others on their team are going to have to sift through the lies to finally get at the truth.

I enjoy the interaction between Logan and Hart, despite their differences, they get along well, with each bending a little to accommodate the other. I'm looking forward to finding the story behind the story ... to see where Logan, especially, came from and what makes him tick.

Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing UK / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley / Simon Leonard for the advanced digital copy of this suspenseful crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I do so love storylines involving kidnappings. There's always this delightful race against the clock to find the victims alive. Tick, tock.

The story starts out exciting enough. Two ten year old girls go missing from school. From the beginning, it's clear this will be one frustrating investigation. There are no witnesses, no clues and detectives don't know where to start looking for Emily and her friend Sian. But DS Hart has a suspect in sight early on. Is she distracted by a previously unsolved case though?

Bring Me Home is the first instalment in a brand-new series, featuring Detective Karen Hart. I liked the fact that she isn't a DI but a DS because, let's face it, there's a lot of those around. While a DI might sometimes get away with breaking the rules, DS Hart doesn't get that opportunity very often, although she gives it a good go, as her boss is always nearby and he's a stickler for the rules.

Now, as you know, I read a lot of crime fiction and I'm fully aware of the fact that it's becoming increasingly harder for an author to come up with something new that will either shock or surprise me. So although I thought Bring Them Home wasn't badly written, it felt a little too much like things that have been done before.

Throughout the story, these characters never really convinced me. On top of that, I found the author tried too hard to dazzle the reader with red herrings and dead ends but deep down, I always felt there was only ever going to be one way the story would end and thus, the conclusion wasn't unexpected at all.

All in all, a straightforward mystery but to be honest, there are far more better ones out there to sink your teeth into. For me, this ended up being a quick but, sadly, forgettable read.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the plot. It was gripping the whole way through and well written. I hope that this is the start of a really good series. I feel that I am just getting to know the characters and their lives and I would like to know more about them.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I'm so glad I requested this book from NetGalley.

This book was wonderful. It catches you from the first chapter and keeps you interested throughout the whole book.

DS Karen Hart is a detective that has a weight on her shoulders due to losing not one but two people in her life. She investigates the mystery of the two missing children but a past case still bothers her. Karen is one of my new favorite detectives.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy.

I have really enjoyed this book. It's well written and well planned with an interesting group of detectives. I found myself connecting with their personal lives, and that made the book special for me. They weren't just cardboard detectives. They had depth and interesting backgrounds. Two ten-year-old girls, Sian and Emily, go missing in a tight-knit village. in Lincolnshire. I couldn't help thinking the title of the book was a dead giveaway which may have detracted slightly from the suspense and been a little predictable, but I had to find out the outcome which proved to be hair-raising. There were a lot of twists and turns on the way. Well-meaning villagers sent the team on wild goose chases. The case also opened old wounds revealing some well-hidden secrets and an old unsolved case. At one point it concerned me that DS Karen Hart may have been over-eager to lock up a suspect on the flimsiest of evidence. She's a hunch-detective whereas her Boss is a by-the-book type. The Amy Fisher disappearance eighteen months earlier which was unsolved seemed to obscure her judgement. It was intriguing to dip into Karen's earlier tragedies and her coping mechanisms as well as Rick's home problems. A race-against-time ending where Karen shows her plucky approach in the knowledge that time is crucial. When you get down to the nitty-gritty of the past it all falls into place and no stone is left unturned. Goodness me, it all goes on in these villages!!!! Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I have really enjoyed reading this book,Every mother's nightmare two little girls go missing and Detective Karen Hart is called in to investigate.The search is on but karen has a feeling that this case is connected to a case of a missing girl eighteen months ago which is still unsolved.Karen has a hunch but her bosses are reluctant to let her go down that path again so the search continues and plenty are questioned.If you want to know what happens then read the book.well worth 5*

This book was a bit of an unusual read because it was purely from the points of view of the police investigating the disappearance of these two little girls.

DS Hart and her team try and figure out what has happened to two little girls who go missing after they leave school a bit early one day. There are suspects galore, parents who have secret lives and the dynamics between the police team are still getting established. I quite like reading a series from the beginning and I am looking forward to reading books by this author, and books in this series in particular. I thought the characterisations were well done and the storyline flowed.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Ten year old Emily Dean and her best friend Sian Gibson disappear from their primary school in Heighington. DS Hart and her team are tasked to investigate but she is already on alert as nineteen year old Amy Fisher disappeared from a nearby farm, owned by Nigel Palmer, eighteen months previously.

Hart is sure that the two crimes are linked and that the Palmer family are involved but her boss DI Scott Morgan is not convinced. Is she seeing links where there are none, just like after the accident when she lost her family?

This is the first in the DS Hart series and the first book I’ve read by DS Butler. It was a well written police procedural with a good cast of characters and plenty of suspects which captures the shear terror of a child going missing.

DS Hart is an interesting character. She relies on her gut and really goes beyond the call of duty to help victims. Throughout the book she really struggles to keep it together and rein in her temper which considering she lost her family, including her young daughter I found understandable. Then we have DI Scott who is a bit of a mystery, relying on evidence, seems a little cold and remote too. I’m hoping in the next book we get to really dig into his character a bit more.

There’s also the junior members of the team, DC Rick Cooper and Sophie Jones. Sophie is the more junior of the two but is very ambitious and has a tendency to where her emotions on her sleeve. Then there’s Rick who’s a self confessed ladies man and a bit of a charmer but he has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know. They both play off each nicely and their competitiveness added a nice bit of conflict.

I have to be honest while I did enjoy the book, I just didn’t quite get that urgency to find out the who, what and why behind the crime which I usually get with this type of novel. Of course that is probably down to me as I read a book recently with a fairly similar storyline.

Overall Bring Them Home is a solid start to a series that I look forward to reading more of and a must for fans of police procedurals.

I enjoyed this mystery. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The characters were well thought out and written. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

This is everything that a psychological thriller/mystery should be! The plot moved fast and kept me wanting more. I am definitely going to read more from this author!

A really good start to a new series. I loved the character of Karen Hart and the detail in the book. Told from a police point of view rather than the missing girls. The story line was excellent, I loved the Lincolnshire setting and the writing was very detailed. I only have one complaint and that is, I thought the ending was a bit rushed. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

police procedural in its genre andcwhikst an easy read wasn’t quite the page turner i was expecting.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very good solid thriller!

4,5 Stars

The book opens with a very frightening incident to every parent: two little girls go missing from their school, potentially kidnapped.
Luckily, the reader only follows the work of the police force - and don't get an insight into the fate of Emily and Sian. I can barely stomach such stories, and don't want to 'experience' them too closely.

But as I said, we accompany Detective Karen Hart and her colleagues trying to solve the case by following several leads. To me their course of action seemed quite real. The writing style was straight forward - clean and cut to the chase. Just the way I like it.

At the end several loose ends were tied up. That was a bit too much, too unreal. But I very much enjoyed the rest of the book.

This was a cracking read. I hadn’t read any of this writers work before, and I do love a good crime book. I did pick the ending though fairly early on, but sometimes I’m more attuned to plots than others.
The lace was good, storyline was strong and when I first started to read it, thought I was on book 2. But the storyline expanded and as it thickened, the characters development did too.
Really enjoyable, I’ll definitely read the next one.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy and bring able to review.

I always love to start a series from the very beginning so was really excited to hear that his was book one in the DS Hart series (book two is also out now).

This book starts off with the disappearance of two children from their school and DS Hart is thrown into the investigation as she has connected the dots and linked this one to another set of disappearances 18 months previous.  She then has to convince her superiors that she is correct and not just trying to make links that aren't there.

This is a brilliant first book in the series, which really sets the scene and gets the reader into the mind of Karen Hart and the way she works.  I really liked the back story to DS Hart and we delve into all that she has lost previously, with this affecting the way she works now.

I also liked the way that DI Scott is the complete opposite of DS Hart where he is very mysterious and relies on all the evidence instead of his gut instincts.

At times the book dragged slightly but very soon afterwards would pick up again and get me hooked back into the story line.

Overall this is a brilliant book and I can't wait to start book 2 to see how the team develop and work together in the future.

5 Stars.

Thank You to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC of this book.

I have never read any of D.S. Butlers' book before this one. I didnt know what this book was going to be like, I hadn't read any of the usual things that are abouf the book and thought I'd give it a read purely just by knowing the title.

Wow for a detective series this is pretty powerful on an emotional level. Like many of my reviews I don't want to say anything about the plot because so many people before me have done it, so I would only be adding to the endless amounts of the same plot.

I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next one in the series when it is out, I got sucked into the emotion of the story as well as the characters and the plot and didn't expect the ending, I thought I had worked out 'who dunnit' but i am glad I was mistaken, this made me rethink things and enjoy the book just that little bit more.

I think that D.S. Butler has just made her fan base just that little bit bigger by gaining another fan with me. Well done.

I would deffinatly recommend this book to anyone but especially to those who are fans of the DI Adam Fawley series.

*thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Yet again D.S. Butler delivers another excellent book! I was pulled into this story right from the start and stayed in it until the very end. I really liked DS Karen Hart and am so glad that this is only book 1 in a series. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for book 2. This was so good that it only took me 2 days to read. It wasnt easy to predict who took the children but once it was all explained at the end, I could easily understand it. But that is all I will say about that. You will just have to read this gem to find out what im talking about. Highly recommended.

Two kids have gone missing and DS Karen Hart has a hunch who might be behind the abduction. There is also Amy, missing for 18 month now and even in this case Karen is sure who is too blame. Interesting story and I really liked it. Karen was a bit obsessive about the Palmer family, but who can blame her. Good start to a new series and I definitely will read the next book about Karen Hart.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK!

Gripping UK Police Thriller!

This was a wonderful and suspenseful read for me. The book is so enticing and well-written that I didn't want to stop reading and felt sad when the story ended.

The story begins with two ten year old girls (Emily and Sian), who have sneakily left school early to meet a friend in the woods. This friend was going to let Emily ride some ponies that she visited frequently and wished she could learn how to ride them.
Several minutes after leaving school, the girls seem to vanish. Noone has seen them anywhere since they left the safety of the school property. Someone Must Know! The story also centers around four detectives handling this case. DS Karen Hart and her boss DI Morgan and two younger detectives DC Rick and DC Sophie. Eighteen months ago, another girl went missing and was never found and Karen has a hunch the cases could be connected but the pieces don't fit too well, since the unsolved case was about a missing nineteen year old and the missing girls are very young, so the chances of being connected are very slim.

I really enjoyed this book. It had many twists and turns and a variety of colorful characters who were quirky, entertaining and mysterious. The main characters (the detectives) are people that you want to know better and they all have background stories that that are not known to one another and makes the storyline more interesting. This book had everything for me and I can't wait to read more of D. S. Butler's books.

I highly recommend this book to all mystery and crime readers!

I have given this book 5 Wonderful 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

I want to thank D. S. Butler for writing this book and thank the publisher Thomas & Mercer and NetGally for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I do not know what it is about police procedural books and TV shows that draws me in so much, but I am a true sucker for them and Bring Them Home was no different. From the prologue where we’re given a snippet of information about the crime that has taken place, until the very conclusion – I was well and truly hooked. A part of you knew that the police were following false leads, losing time and energy but you also couldn’t help but wonder. As with most crime books, I did try and solve the puzzle alongside the detectives and while I had my suspicions, I did not have anything concrete. The conclusion was such an interesting one and I really enjoyed reading it and discovering the truth behind it all.

One of the things that really kept me turning this page was the main protagonist, DS Hart. She has such a fascinating character to read about with an emotional history. She kept focussing on one suspect and was constantly made to feel like she was being biased. It made the read an interesting one for sure as she tries to navigate around a male territory with her thoughts. However, I also really enjoyed the entire team. I would love to read more about Rick, and how he deals with the things going on in his homelife. I’d also be interested in witnessing Sophie progress in her career too. The dynamic team really made this book that much more entertaining to read – it wasn’t just about the main crime but everything else going on too.

Lastly, there was also another side plot in this book with a domestic abuse victim that I really liked. It showed how compassionate and caring Karen Hart can be, as well as linking slightly to the main investigation too. This just added yet another aspect to this book which kept me enthralled and turning the page. D. S. Butler has done a fantastic job of writing an entertaining, addictive and emotional read. I found myself turning pages quickly and yearning to read when I wasn’t able to. Which is always what you want in a book.

So, if you’re looking for a good new crime book series to get stuck into, I would definitely recommend giving this book a read!

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

Great Read!!! Excellent writing and character building. What a surprise ending I did not see it coming. I highly recommend that you read this book.

Read in one day really enjoyed the storyline very real characters all with their own agendas quite a complex plot very descriptive window into rural Lincolnshire life with a touch of madness and menace 👍

I would have liked to have been able to give three and a half stars because on the whole I found the book an easy pleasant read. However the end was too plausible and just a bit too tidy so three stars it will have to be.

Detective Karen Hart is investigating the missing of 2 girls. Is there a link between this cases and the unsolved disappearance of 19 year old 18 months ago? Great story for the first book of DS Karen Heart series.
Thank you Netgalley for providing this copy in advance. I will follow the story, no doubt.

I was hooked from the first page. The characters were engaging , lots of twists and turns. I thought the plot was interesting.. The book had excitement and suspense.

It’s always good to find a new series. I enjoyed this book very much. It’s an easy read with a somewhat predictable end but I’ll admit I didn’t spot the villain. Interesting characters that definitely have a lot to give. Looking forward to reading number two
#Bringthemhome#Netgalley

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author, D S Butler, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Bring Them Home in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I thought this novel offered a good read. It was well written with great plot twists. a good rainy day read.

I love British mysteries, especially police procedurals, and this one is no exception. I look forward to more from Hart and Logan.

This book pulled me in from the very beginning, and kept me reading well past my bedtime so I could finish it. I went and pre-ordered the Audible version as soon as I was done reading it just so I could get the authentic British feeling of being there while listening to a wonderful narrator bring the story to life in a way that I can't with these since my accent is rubbish. It's definitely a book I'd reccomend to any fan of British mysteries or police procedurals.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC of this book.

I found this book very easy to read and it has a great flow to the story.

The characters were very well developed and I loved their interaction. They make a great team and I definitely want to read more about them!

I loved the setting and the author has captured the area really well, you do feel immersed in the story and it was one of those books for me where I had read a lot more than I realised when I took a break. I finished the book the morning after I had started it the evening before.

Four and a half stars from me for this one, rounded up to five stars for Goodreads and Amazon – a thoroughly enjoyable read – very highly recommended!!

A straightforward, interesting at times police procedural. Although I liked the overall story, the main character never meshed with me,

I could not put this book down, so many twists and turns and I didn't see the ending coming. Very well written , I look forward to reading more books by D.S. Butler.

The ending was so GOOD!
I loved her writing style and the way the story unfolded! Also, Karen was such a great character with a heartbreaking background and I'm glad I saw her helping herself after focusing so much on helping others!
Definitely read it if you love crime fiction!!! I'd love to see this on screen too!

This is the first book in a new series DS Karen Hart. Even though the book was a slow and steady read, I can really see it going places, and I can't wait to read and explore more about Karen. She has to investigate the disappearance of two girls from school while still dealing with the disappearance of another girl several months ago. It was a great read, highly recommended.

I really enjoyed Bring them home it was very easy to read and the characters were relatable.
Interesting story with a great twist.
Can’t wait for the next instalment.

Though I would up enjoying the story overall, I found this book to be a bit slow going for much of it. I'll give D. S. Butler another try.

A brilliant thriller! I can’t wait to read more from this author! Five stars from me!

Many thanks to Netgalley and D.S.Butler for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

What a great book! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't wait to get to the end. Lots of twists and turns and a great police character in Karen. Really looking forward to reading more from D.S Butler in the future! Highly recommended.

Bring Them Home – D.S.Butler

Let me introduce you to D.S. Karen Hart and the hopefully wonderful series of books to follow. She’s bright and full of attitude she’s feisty but wears her emotions on her sleeve. She also has issues relating to grief and the loss of her husband and daughter in a fatal motor accident. When she’s investigating a case she has a tendency to run with her gut instinct, which sees her go above and beyond to solve cases. I’m going to try not to put too many spoilers in this review.

Two ten-year-old little girls vanish from their school in Heighington. This is on the back of nineteen-year-old Amy who disappeared eighteen months previously. The team are already on high alert when the news of the two little girls hits Karen and the teams’ desk. It’s not long before Karen decides that the two cases are somehow connected several times she’s reminded that there could be other possibilities or scenarios not to get too bogged down with her only suspect Palmer.

With the team comprising of Detective Constables Rick Cooper and Sophie Jones, lets not forget the teams overall gaffer Detective Inspector Scott. Each of the team has their own specific niche, their own special talent that are used to their full capabilities.

I am loving that we are learning about the teams lives away from the job, Rick is dealing with his mothers steady decline into dementia, Sophie is just starting out in her career and we learn about her insecurities. DI Scott comes across as a cold fish so I’m hoping he warms to the team a little more. I’m looking forward to learning more about each of them in any further books here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long for them.


Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishers

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is overall a well written with some clearly developed characters. It feels quite realistic in comparison to some crime novels I have read recently which have so many twists that they become ridiculous. A good solid uncomplicated story. The emotive main subject is tackled well and the action moves at a steady pace to keep the reader interested.

I loved this. Karen Hart is compulsive and compelling as a heroine, and the story of these girls is dark, and disturbing, making for a addictive reading thriller!

This was a fabulous U.K. police thriller, loved the lead character Detective Karen Hart, basically 2 young girls go missing from their primary school and it’s all hands on deck to find with with Detective Karen Hart at the helm.

It was a race against the clock kind of case and another girl had also gone missing 18 months previously and hasn’t turned up, are they linked? You’ll have to read it and find out for yourself.

A cracking read can’t wait for number 2 in the series

Thrilling story with a plot that kept me turning the pages, really well written with great characters. Highly recommend to everyone who is a fan of this genre.

I really enjoyed Bring Them Home by D.S. Butler. There were some parts that were a little slow but overall the story was catching & entertaining. If you do not like mysteries/thrillers from a detective/police point of view this isn’t for you.

Bring Them Home by D. S Butler was a very intriguing, suspenseful thriller that had me gripped right from the start. Great storyline and believable characters.

It all goes on here! Written in a style that picks you up and sweeps you along in a furious tale of lies and deception.
D S Karen Hart is a brilliant lead character! I cannot wait to read the next instalment in this series and see how she develops.
The story is full of twist turns and a fair few red herrings!
Kept me up until dawn reading as I couldn’t put it down!!

I have read a number of negative reviews of the author. I am at a loss to know why, in all honesty. DS Hart is a good solid detective and the team around her are all worth investing in. Admittedly this was not an edge of your seat book but it was a good solid read, that did not disappoint and reached a worthwhile ending. I got this as a review copy from Netgalley - thank you and thanks to the publisher. I have a few more DS Hart books to read which I am looking forward to.

A great introduction to the series for me. This is the first DS butler novel that I’ve read but will definitely move on to the next. Thanks for the opportunity to read

Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

This is a great read which had me hooked from page 1. I look forward to reading more by this author.

A decent thriller, well written with great characters. The ending was predictable which ruined it a bit for me but a great book nonetheless