I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! It was definitely a book that kept you thinking! I would definitely recommend this book to fellow readers. Thank you!

DS Karen Hart is back with her team on the case. An old man who appears to have fallen down the stairs. When a body is discovered in his house, Karen is called in to Investigate but not all is as it seems.

Welcome back to the main police characters from the first book and it’s a great read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review:

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this book it had me on the edge of my seat

It was great to see Karen Heart and her team investigating a cold case which had just come to light, a body found in a case opens up a mystery of how and why the person was murdered. The team come up against a number of obstacles but work Well together to solve the crime.
Not as fast paced as I'd have liked but a good read

This is an outstanding second book in the Detective Karen Hart series and in my opinion even better than the first. We catch up with all the main characters the last book and find out more of their background and lives which all adds to just what a good read this is. It’s a very well written book and a well thought out plot which deals with some uncomfortable issues and the lies and coverups unravel as the story progresses making it a book you don’t want to put down.
I look forward to the next in this excellent series and can well recommend the book if you enjoy a good mystery.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer / Amazon Publishing UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
This is the 2nd in the Detective Karen Hart series and even better than the 1st.
An old man is found at the bottom of the stairs of his home and rushed to the hospital. They make a shocking discovery in one of the rooms in the house and Karen are faced with a 30-year old mystery. It proves an almost impossible case to solve: the unsolved disappearance of a teacher and the body they are having analyzed, a daunting task after so much time. Meeting Karen and the team again and getting more of their backstories is one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much. The mystery is fascinating and the ending tense and exciting. Can't wait for the next book! I recommend this book highly.

This was the first book I’ve read by D.S. Butler. I love a good series. The fact that this was not the first book didn’t affect the story at all. I enjoyed the main Character Karen and her team.
It was an easy quick read. The story flowed well, I just found it to be lacking a little bit of excitement.

Detective Karen Hart #2

An elderly man, who a neighbour had shown concern for is found in his home. It looks like he has fallen down his stairs. He asks the policemen who attended the call out, not to go upstairs. Intrigued, they search upstairs only to find a decomposed body in a suitcase. It seems an easily solved case, that is until Detective Karen Hart finds a warning note: It's time to pay for your crime.

I'm really liking this new police procedural series. I know it's only the second book, but so far so good. We find out a little more about the main characters backgrounds. The story uncovers some sensitive issues. As the investigation turns into a cold case, the victim had went missing 30 years ago, and the list of potential suspects grows bigger. This is a well written book with many curve balls thrown at you. The pace is fast and the tension mounts. For me, this is the better of the two books. I can't wait to read the next instalment in this series.

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

If you like a murder mystery, this is a good one.

The writing is good, neither overblown nor facile. The characters are given depth through insights into their personal lives and the solution to the mystery isn't made clear until the closing pages, although parts can be guessed at - which we like, because it makes us feel clever when we're proven correct!

It's not tense and there's no sense of a building pressure to find the killer before he strikes again, but that's okay, sometimes all we want is a straight line novel, with a story that does what it ought.

I shall definitely read any further releases in this collection.

DS Karen Hart is back and the second book in the series is even better than the first, it has a great storyline and as the bags under my eyes will confirm I read it in one sitting until 2.30am this morning. It had me riveted and I couldn't read fast enough. I look forward to the next book in the series

Loved this. Being late to the party on the first of this series I was able to read them back to back and really enjoyed the binge read. Great character development in the sub plot and a really interesting main plot where again I didnt see the villain. Shaping up to be a great series

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for my ARC. I really enjoyed this second book in the new series featuring Detective Karen Hart. It was well written with plenty twists and surprises, a good story line as well as more details on the background of the main characters. I would rate this book better than the first in the series and well worth reading. I look forward to reading more in this series. Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook.

This is an excellent novel with well drawn characters and realistic emotions covering more than just the crimes themselves. It tied up almost all the loose ends in a most satisfying way and I wonder if the one unresolved issue will feature in a third outing for DS Hart and her colleagues.

The four main police officers work well, together but are also shown individually so as to include their private lives which creep into the case just enough to be a distraction to them getting the job done. Although this is the second book in the series and the first crime does get a mention there are no spoilers and nothing is lost by not having started at the beginning which was my situation.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book in return for an unbiased review thanks to Netgalley and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good police procedure which is well written and exciting without going over the top at any time although the body count was quite high! I will definitely be looking out for the next in the series.

Where secrets Lie is a good read! Karen and team work will together and keep things moving along. D. S, Butler thankfully did not go the typical way of over describing the gory details of the murder.

This book was a little hard to read at first. The characters felt flat or incomplete, not sure how to explain. The story seemed shaky in the beginning and for the first half of the book it was unable to keep me interested. The second half was much better. I found mysel quite intrigued. Oliver Fox, missing 30 years, turns up as a skeleton in a suitcase. There’s a sizable cast of suspects. Some are easy to rule out. The why of Oliver’s death is fairly simple to deduce but the who and how is the main mystery. I found myself amused with the comical actions of Albert in the hospital. He reminded me of someone but can’t recall who it is. As the suspects beganto dwindle and more secrets were revealed the main characters became more lifelike. In the end this book earned its fourth star for the different angle taken for the big reveal. Well done.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of Where Secrets Lie, the second novel to feature DS Karen Hart of the Lincolnshire police.

When Albert Johnson falls downstairs the police break in to rescue them but he isn’t happy to see them and forbids them from going upstairs. When they do they find a skeletonised corpse in a suitcase in a padlocked room but what seems like a straightforward case takes a few turns when the investigation gets underway.

I thoroughly enjoyed Where Secrets Lie which takes a simple premise and adds many layers, turning it into an exciting whodunnit. I was hooked from start to finish because the reader knows, although the police don’t that there are two killers to find, one from the thirty year old cold case and one from the present day. I didn’t have a clue in either, found myself slavishly following the crumbs Ms Butler provides and still couldn’t work it out. It’s good stuff although I find the writing style a touch tedious as the author tends to over explain and ram things home.

I like the main protagonist DS Karen Hart who has sorrow in her life but gradually seems to be coming to terms with it. It adds empathy to her strong investigative skills and clear thinking, making her almost the complete detective. The story of her blind date is amusing but I sense her interest may lie in her boss, DI Scott Morgan, with whom she is building a good rapport. He is another good detective with a strong streak of decency which comes to light in this novel.

Where Secrets Lie is a better book than its predecessor so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

I like Karen. She's flawed, but honest, and she knows her way around a mystery! This is book 2 in the series, and it's just as great as the first. it does pick up after it, but enough background is given, that the reader can read this book as a stand alone. you read enough police procedurals, you tend to pick up themes, and they can run together. But Butler does a good job in keeping this book fresh from the field by letting the tangled web of lies show itself, a la Agatha, and then show how each step of the way as she unravels a bit Hart stumbles upon an even deeper web. It's a quick read that will have you rapidly turning pages,and a great entry for the last mystery of the year!

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Where Secrets Lie’, second in the DS Karen Hart series written by D S Butler, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The police are called to check on the well-being of Albert Johnson and find him lying at the bottom of his stairs. They become suspicious when he says they’re not to go upstairs but curiosity gets the better of them. They enter a padlocked bedroom and discover a suitcase containing a decomposed human skeleton and a recent A4 sheet of paper on which is written ‘It’s time to pay for your crime’. DS Karen Hart and DI Scott Morgan are asked to investigate and evidence leads them to believe the body belongs to teacher Oliver Fox who disappeared in 1988 but what they consider to be a cold case becomes anything but when discover there were rumours about Oliver and his liking for young boys.

‘Where Secrets Lie’ is a worthy sequel to the first in the Karen Hart series and just as gripping. It has an interesting and complex storyline with a fast-paced plot, twists and turns, several suspects and likeable characters who I feel I’m getting to know better. We learn more about Karen’s private life, the reason for Scott Morgan’s relocation to Lincoln, Rick Cooper’s concern about his mother and Sophie Jones’ desire to buy her own home. It concludes with a final twist which kept me enthralled and although it’s a two-book series one can always hope that D S Butler decides to write a third.

Easily enjoyable book, good storyline, well written, I thoroughly enjoyed this, kept me guessing till the end, kept me awake as I couldn't put it down

Having never read any previous titles in the series I was a little worried I wouldn’t understand the main character, but it was needless; this book can easily be read as a stand alone, although I shall be looking out for the others. The characters were realistic, as were the relationships between them. The story had s9me great twists to it. I would highly recommend this book.

I have really enjoyed reading this book it certainly grips you with the plot and i was happy to read that i had the killer sussed.D S Butler certainly writes a brilliant book.When police are called to the home of an elderly man by a worried neighbour they are about to make a discovery that will have the team racing against time to stop a killer.If you want to read a good book then i can highly recommend this one.Well worth 5*

I haven’t read book 1 in this series so I can confirm that it reads perfectly well as a stand alone book. What appeared initially to be a cold case enquiry turned out more and more complex as the book progressed. The main character DS Karen Hart was easy company and I rather like that she follows up on her gut reaction to things. I have a minor gripe with the fact that she was referred to as Karen while her boss was always referred to as DI Morgan. That aside, it feels like there should be a few more books to come in this series.

Well written, good characters great plot.
When police attend a routine call to an elderly man who appears to have fallen down stairs they find a skeleton in a suitcase that has clearly been there years. DI Scott Morgan, DS Karen Hart and their team are given the task of finding out who he was and how and why he was killed. They discover it is the body of Oliver Fox a school teacher who has been missing for almost 30 years. As they start to dig onto his past they discover that not only he was having an affair with his wife's sister, he was also accused of abusing some of the boys he taught.
What is the connection between the elderly man and Oliver Fox and how far back does it really go?
When it transpires the old man was actually pushed and the team find he had previously received a threatening note Karen and the team must pull out all the stops find out before anyone else gets hurt.
Just when you think you guessed who did it something happens to quash that theory.

I enjoyed 1st book in series and 2nd book is brilliant very good story and I so enjoy the characters and I enjoy there lives and secrets and the murder enquiry in this is brilliant so recommend cant wait for book 3

A cold case suddenly becomes very hot...

An old man has fallen down the stairs and when the police arrive to check on him at the behest of a concerned neighbor, they are warned not to go upstairs. Intrigued, they investigate and discover a skeltonized body in a suitcase inside a padlocked room. It turns out that this is the body of Oliver Fox who went missing over 30 years previously. In addition, a note is found in the kitchen and reads: "it's time to pay for your crime." The old man, Albert Johnson, succumbs to his injuries before the police get a chance to question him about the body and the note, but he's the obvious suspect when a postmortem exam proves that Oliver Fox was probably murdered. So, the death of Fox is old but the note is new. Have DS Karen Hart and DI Morgan stumbled upon a case that is going to be more complicated than they first imagined? After some investigation, Hart and Morgan discover that Johnson and Fox worked together at Greenhill Secondary School. Was Johson's death an accident or was there foul play involved? Hart and Morgan, along with DCs Jones and Cooper, are pulled into a complex web with an unsolved crime that happened so long ago that it will be difficult to figure out.
NO SPOILERS.

This was an evenly-paced, if somewhat pedantic, police procedural that weaves the past into the present with a connection that presents them with many suspects and strong motives. I hadn't read the first book in the series so the characters were all new to me and I was able to enjoy this without having done so. I can see that Hart is a fairly genre-stereotypical female detective -- she's had a loss, she's on her own, and she's mentally tough. Hart, however, doesn't seem to have a dark side or engage in maverick behaviors at this point -- for which I am glad. I'm tired of damaged female police detectives! I'm a bit wary of a potential romantic development on the horizon as the signs are there. This was easy to read in one setting and though some red herrings are dangled, the revelations didn't come as a big surprise. I liked it well enough that I'm sure I'll try to read the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishers for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #WhereSecretsLie

This is the second book in the Karen Hart series and it reads well as a stand-alone. Butler does well to provide an adequate background to the characters, making the reader feel comfortable diving right into this novel without having any prior knowledge of the previous storyline.

The plot of this book is complex, weaving through the twists and turns of a murder mystery from the past and that of the present. The narrative is character driven, mainly by that of the book’s main protagonist, DS Karen Hart. Parts of the narrative do stall with time spent on unnecessary details that ultimately circumvent the primary plot. However, while the story is slow to build, and has a few trivial moments where the plot stalls , it does pick up midway through and concludes with that "shock-value" that so many readers of this genre crave. Overall, a good read. 3 stars

You did what you thought was best. A old man has fallen down his stairs and is seriously hurt should be a simple call for the police but everything changes when they find the body in the suitcase. Why does Albert Johnson have a body and did he kill them? DI Scott Morgan and DS Karen Hart have been given the case and this isn't going to be a easy case as the body has been there for many years. Albert the suspect is still in hospital and they have a man waiting to talk to him but he isn't been cooperative so they will just need to be patient. They have found out who the victim is Oliver Fox was 45 when he just disappeared and they will need to find out if Albert killed him. The family isn't too happy about the police poking around in their business but they need to find out who and why Oliver was killed. Things are just about to get harder for the team as the murdered man's brother is a former cop and he wants to be kept abreast of everything but that isn't going to happen. The wife is hiding her head in the sand, the sister in law doesn't believe that her ex lover did anything wrong and the sons have their own problems. Looking into Oliver's background they start putting the pieces together and realize that Oliver wasn't such a good man and that he deserved so much worse for his crimes but they still haven't found the killer. Will they be able to find the killer before they strike again? Can the team put their own problems aside and work this case and get it solved? Karen is missing her family, Scott is dealing with someone from his past that is blackmailing him, Sophie isn't too sure if she still wants to be a cop as she never gets to go out and Rick is dealing with his mother's slow decline.
Can DI Morgan pull them all together to solve this case and put the past to rest?
A good solid read. They are a good team that works well together. Scott is going to be the perfect leader for the group seems like a fair man that admits his mistakes. Hopefully Karen will be able to find someone to share her life with. Sophie might need to change her career as I don't think that she has the right attitude for being a cop. I hope that Rick's mom doesn't have to suffer. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Another great book in this series. If these books keep being written like this, I'm going to have another new favorite series.

I tried to guess who the killer was numerous times but I honestly wasn't even close.

Well written and exciting. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

I went into this book straight on from the first book and I'm really glad that I did as I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed the first book. I really like the characters in the book, especially the relationship between Karen, Rick and Sophie and also the rapport between Karen and DI Morgan. The writing is fluid and quick and enjoyable. I loved the way the entire investigation and trying to figure out the killer was written. Overall a really enjoyable book and a really good series so far. Looking forward to her next book. Would not hesitate to recommend this book. And a big thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.
This is the 2nd in the Detective Karen Hart series.
An old man is found at the bottom of the stairs of his home and rushed to the hospital. They make a shocking discovery in one of the rooms in the house and Karen are faced with a 30-year old mystery. It proves an almost impossible case to solve: the unsolved disappearance of a teacher and the body they are having analyzed, a daunting task after so much time. Meeting Karen and the team again and getting more of their backstories is one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much. The mystery is fascinating and the ending tense and exciting. Can't wait for the next book! I recommend this book highly.

This book had me hooked from the first page, so much so that I hated having to put it down to do other things.

I loved the plot- the catalyst of which being the discovery of a 30 year old decomposed body in a suitcase within an elderly man’s house - and the twists and turns of a cold case becoming a very current one.

This is the second book in the series, but having not read the first I can say that Where Secrets Lie can be read as a stand-alone. I am, however, very much looking forward to reading the first instalment.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended. This is the first of D.S. Butlers books that I have read but I will be reading more.

This is the second book if the series but can be easily read as a stand alone. The story was interesting and had many layers. The main characters definitely had their work cut out for them trying to solve this mystery. There was lots of different people involved and the twists and turns meant it was a guessing game throughout!

The discovery of a decomposed body in a suitcase leads Karen Hart and her team on a journey to understand how and when the victim died. Discovering the victim was a teacher who disappeared more than 30 years ago the team learn that sometimes some secrets need to be uncovered and justice brought to the fore

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It takes hold from the very beginning when a suitcase with a decomposed body in it is found in the upstairs home of an elderly man. As the investigation into this thirty year old murder begins many things come to light that brings more crime into play. This kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book. This is the first book I have read by this author but I will read more in the future.
Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

The first thing that called to this book was the cover it just looks amazing and calls it to be a good book. I thought I had the suspect figured out but as the story kept unfolding I realized I was far off. I like books like that!

When Detective Hart and DI Morgan are pulled into the case of a body being found in a suitcase they knows there is a case here but, who would put a person in a suitcase? When we discover who is in it we learn that there is a reason this person was put there. Yet, it will be a race against time as it seems those who may have answers to who this person is are dying. Could there be a connection or just bad luck headed these people's way. I really like how everyone who was involved in the case had a job to do, and I could relate to Sophie how she was building her dreams up and just would feel defeated. Even at her job she questioned her abilities and yet she stood though it and was able to help bring a killer to justice. Even though Sophie was a secondary character it was good I could relate to her in some way.

I haven't read the first book as I didn't realize this was book two but I will be looking into reading it as I am intrigued with Detective Hart.

The suspense was great and built up perfectly and I loved how there was some personal problems or issues going on with the characters but that it didn't deviate from the story.

Three schoolboys keep a terrible secret, as do two of their teachers. Years later, the secret comes out – and all hell breaks loose.
This book starts ominously with the callous murder of a drunk pushed to his death from his balcony. Soon the deaths mount and it’s up to Detective Karen Hart and her team to investigate.
I really liked Hart, who is wonderfully normal and gets on well with her team. There are just enough sneak peaks into the lives of her fellow police officers to make them familiar and likeable. There are also some deliciously awful characters, such as the retired policeman who continues to throw his weight around as he interferes with the investigation.
I enjoyed this well-written, quick read. In a strange way, despite lots of death, this is quite a cosy, homely and comfortable read. Or maybe that’s just me. This is the second in the Karen Hart series; I hadn’t read the first but this didn’t detract from this read at all.

An old man not going out for his paper as usual arouses his neighbour to call for help. What happens next spirals and lots of families are affected by something that happened 30 years ago. You won’t want to stop reading as this story unfolds. There are twists and turns with lots of lives about to be changed forever. Two teachers trying to help some troubled pupils unfortunately do something that will change everyone involved lives forever.

Reading this book was like riding a horse: first you go for a gentle stroll and you are enjoying the ride and wonder if your horse likes to go a little faster, then things ramp up a bit and you are trotting....and then next thing you know, you are going at a full gallop! My horse skipped the cantering completely ;)

Seriously though, this was one good read! DS Karen Hart is back in her second adventure and even though I read the first book, it absolutely doesn't need to be read first for this story to make sense.

Karen gets caught up in a case which is puzzling but it is a cold case and therefore that sense of urgency is not quite there, as there would be in a current case. That soon changes and Karen and her team find themselves running here, there and everywhere trying to figure out how everything fits together. Then the murders start....

There was so much going on in this story, but the author did a great job of keeping the threads going and then making sure all those threads made sense at the end. I enjoyed getting to know the various team members a little better, all those things make a big difference to my enjoyment of a book. It is not just about the case, but all the various people involved in the case and their personalities that makes for a well-rounded book.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

First time reading this author but will definitely seek out her other books. I love British crime tv shows and this book is written as well as any of them. Lots of twists and turns and when you think you know 'who dunnit', you will be wrong! I don't give 5 stars often but this one definitely is a 5+! Jacket cover is adequate descriotion, no book report or spoilers from me!

This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

I struggled to get into this book at first until I was about 20% in and I must say I'm pleased I stuck with it. Although it was based on a cold case I was really rooting for the team investigating it. I disliked the fox family immediately but the other characters were great. The end shocked me to be honest but in a good way. I'd definitely recommend it to others as I thoroughly enjoyed it

Good solid story, interesting characters. This is my first story by this author and the second in a series. It does work as a stand alone.

This story does have a decent amount of twists and red herrings. The key characters were fleshed out enough to give you a feel for them and their relationships as a team. They also evolve throughout the story and it appears that each sequence will build on that. The final reveal was satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

Old men, an old corpse, old secrets = a cold case for the Linconshire, England police detectives. Who is trying to expose old secrets and who is trying to hide them, and who is lying?

If you are a fan of UK police mysteries, this might be the new book you are looking for. After reading "Where Secrets Lie", you'll likely agree that hiding the truth never truly solves anything and actually makes life worse. Well written with a swift, easy yo read pace, this pre-pub release would have been on my "purchase" list. I'll look for more by this author.

Where Secrets Lie by DS Butler is the 2nd in the Detective Karen Hart Series

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Series Background (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books):
DS Karen Hart lost her husband Josh and her daughter Tilly in a car accident. Years later, she struggles to move on, living in the same large house, afraid to move lest her memories of them weaken. She pours her energy into her work. Hart, who relies heavily on her instincts and hunches, has a new boss, DI Scott Morgan, who takes a very logical/fact-based approach to the job (and his life), leaving little room for emotional thoughts. Hart is trying to keep her own emotions in line, while also trying to keep her constables reigned in. DC Sophie Jones is fairly new, and ambitious. DC Rick Cooper is more experienced but dealing with an aging mother. The two constables are constantly bickering.

My Synopsis:
When elderly Albert Johnson takes a fall in his home, the police find, in an upstairs bedroom, the skeletal remains of a body in a suitcase. It is quickly determined that the bones belong to the missing Oliver Fox. He has not been seen for 30 years.

Fox’s family are not exactly forthcoming with information, and his brother is making things worse. Attempting to solve this cold case is further complicated by the fact that the witnesses the team try to interview keep turning up dead. This is no longer a cold case but an active murder investigation.

Meanwhile, Karen’s sister tries to set her up on a blind date, Sophie is thinking about a career change, Rick is trying to understand his mother’s dementia, and DI Morgan’s past is about to become public knowledge.

My Opinions:
This series is getting very good. These books are an easy read, and although I thought the last book moved slowly, this one did not. The pace was good, and there was enough going on that you were never bored.

The characters are getting deeper as we learn their pasts, and we see that they are now becoming a team. The author is slowly building a family of the four detectives, and she is doing a good job.

I m looking forward to the next book!

I really liked this story, even without reading the first book. It kept me guessing! I plan on going to read the first book now!

Where Secrets Lie, the second novel in the Detective Karen Hart series, is a fascinating, multi-layered whodunit, and right from the beginning I enjoyed the dual storyline; both the cold case that suddenly heats up again thirty years later and the present day crime means there are two different killers to identify, convict and imprison. Butler manages to fool this seasoned crime reader for the duration as it didn't matter how far I read into the story the killers were well hidden. This led to unpredictability when the conclusion arrived after the captivating twists, turns and tension. I enjoyed it more than the previous book and appreciated Ms Hart as an astute and intelligent investigator. She is empathetic and emotionally strong and a force to be reckoned with.

This is a fast-paced and gripping novel that is refreshingly real and the characters flawed and human. Although I had the pleasure to read the predecessor, this works perfectly as a standalone too. I am already looking forward to seeing how things evolve, so roll on the next instalment.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book Netgalley.

This is a story about DS Karen Hart, her and her team are investigating a body that has been found in a suitcase. It's been there for a long time, but someone knows who is responsible and they are going after the people involved.

I really enjoyed this, it's very well written and I read it quickly because I was desperate to find out who was responsible.

Fast paced, with great characters I would recommend this to anyone who likes crime and thrillers.

very enjoyable book to read. Storyline was easy to follow and kept you guessing to tge end. Never imagined how the book would end. Look forward to reading more from this author.

Now this is more like it! I was so disappointed in the first book in this series, Bring Them Home. In this installment, Detective Sergeant Karen Hart is much more believable as a seasoned member of a police force. She is methodical and professional as she and the other three detectives confront a 30-year-old cold case that generates quite a lot of current-day activity.

DS Hart works with Detective Inspector Scott Morgan and two detective constables in largely rural Lincolnshire. The author does a good job on the character studies of victims, suspects and police personnel, past and present. I appreciated the steady pacing, where I was puzzling out clues and making discoveries right along with Hart and Morgan.

It was interesting to see DS Hart taking such a mentorship role with the two DCs -- particularly since she herself had seemed in such need of mentoring in the earlier book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

An old man falls down the stairs and the first officers on the scene find a body in a suitcase in a bedroom. DS Hart, her boss DI Morgan and DCs Jones and Cooper have to investigate a 30 year old murder.

This is a well written police procedural. The book deals with the sensitive subject of historic child abuse, which is sensitively handled and doesn’t go into detail. Throughout the book I suspected one character after another but Ms Butler had me fooled till the end. The police characters were all likeable, especially DS Hart, and it will be great to see how things develop for them in further books. I feel that there may be some romantic involvement between Karen and her boss in the future!

Although this is the second book in the series, it is my first encounter with DS Karen Hart, and it reads well as a standalone, although I will now be reading Book 1.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.