The devil's claw by lara Dearman.
Following a traumatic incident in London, Jennifer Dorey has returned to her childhood home in Guernsey, taking a job as a reporter at the local newspaper.
After the discovery of a drowned woman on a beach, she uncovers a pattern of similar deaths that have taken place over the past fifty years.
Together with DCI Michael Gilbert, an officer on the verge of retirement, they follow a dark trail of island myths and folklore to 'Fritz', the illegitimate son of a Nazi soldier. His work, painstakingly executed, has so far gone undetected.
A good read I enjoyed these sample and want to read more. 4*.

Great story by Lara Dearman Really thrilling read, great characters and an enjoyable story. Highly recommend to others!!

The premise of this book was intriguing, and Lara can write a 'get you in' story. The challenge for me was that being a journalist, I'm not keen on characters in this profession who are hesitant or always affected by what they find. I've read a similar book with the protagonist always disturbed by what they were reporting and frankly, go into PR and get out of journalism! But aside from that personal diatribe, a well-woven tale with intriguing characters! With thanks for an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley.

A winning balance of multiple mysteries {the island killings, plus the stalking of Jenny} with well-delineated emotions of various characters. The setting on Guernsey is appealingly drawn, making readers too wish for the "good old days" before a reduced economy, greed, and over-development.

The Devil's Claw is an atmospheric murder mystery in a claustrophobic Channels Islands setting.

I found this to be an intelligent read with plenty of history at its heart. The book is set in a close-knit town where strangers are noticed, yet murders have remained unsolved (and even covered up) for 50 years, considered to be 'drowning by suicide' instead. The narrative switches between journalist Jennifer, police officer Michael and the yet-to-be-revealed killer. Plenty of twists and turns kept me guessing right until the end.

I learnt a lot about Guernsey - not only in terms of its culture and history, but also about the people who live there. I even found myself Googling local legends and folklore to learn more. I have never visited the Channel Islands thought it's on my bucket list - and the author's stunning descriptive prose of the landscape and landmarks made me even more determined to make sure I get there one day.

I particularly love books with a journalist as the main protagonist, as long as they are portrayed realistically (journalists tend to get a lot of bad press). I found that Jennifer ticked all the boxes in terms of her inquisitive nature, inner strength and also vulnerability. Jennifer and Michael are both well-developed characters and I'm interested to see how they continue to develop in the next book.

The Devil's Claw not only entertained and intrigued me but also improved my knowledge of the world. An enjoyable debut.

https://jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com/2017/10/27/guernsey-writers-the-devils-claw/

Jennifer Dorsey has returned home after trying out life in London. She gets a job at the local paper, moves back in with her mother and is settling back into small town life. Her world is turned upside down when a young woman’s body is found on the beach and she discovers it has happened before. She goes digging and finds that over the last several decades, there are several unsolved deaths with one common thread: all the female victims bear a striking resemblance to one another. Unknown to her, the killer is still around and is aware of her snooping. He doesn’t plan to stop his killing spree and will eliminate anyone or anything that stands in his way. It will take all of Jennifer’s journalistic skills and partnering up with a local detective to solve both the crimes and her own life.

The Devil’s Claw by Lara Dearman features young journalist turned sleuth Jennifer Dorey in the small English town of Guernsey. This is the first book in what appears to be a new mystery series by this author. Although what I read was only a 3-chapter sample, I was impressed and believe that the rest of the book will be just as interesting. I look forward to obtaining a copy of the completed version and would at this point give it 3/5 stars.

*A copy of a 3-chapter sample was the only consideration given in exchange for this review.*

I received a copy of this sneak peek from Trapeze through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This publisher is smart. They put the book blurb at the beginning of the sneak peek, so I had to read it before I got to the story, which means that I didn't go into this one blind (like I so often do). That also means that I knew going in that I was looking at a sneak peek that probably wasn't going to really intrigue me much, and I was right. I'm just not that drawn to mystery. But that being said, I still have some thoughts.

The sneak peek got off to a really intense start, with what I assume is an attack by the killer (it wouldn't really make sense for it to be someone else though, so my assumption is probably accurate). There aren't a whole lot of details at that point though, and the writing style consists of very short, direct sentences. I didn't really like the sentence structure at that point of the sneak peek, but it didn't last long so it's not a big deal. I imagine it may be utilized at different parts of the story though, just depending on how many POVs are used to tell the story. The story is told from a few different points of view. I got four in the sneak peek alone and I imagine a few more will crop up later in the story, but I don't know for sure. It would make sense for this type of story though.

While I wasn't particularly drawn into this sneak peek as a whole, I was intrigued by one of the points of view, and I imagine it will factor into the story more heavily than some, although it's clearly not the main POV. I just couldn't help but be intrigued by it though, because it's the POV of the illegitimate son of an actual Nazi (and I'm forever going on about how I find the WWII era fascinating). I would honestly love to read all about this guys life growing up on Guernsey, where the book is set, but I don't have much desire to continue the rest of this story as it stands.

So will I be buying the book? Probably not. I'm a little sad I won't get to read more from that one POV, but I'm just not interested enough in the mystery of this tale to care to continue it when I have so many other books that I desperately want to read already.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this sampler copy. A great sneak peek into this beginning of this book. The first couple of chapters definitely held my interest and was quite disappointed when the sampler ended! Guess I need to go and get the whole book now to continue with the story!

The Devils Claw (Sampler) by Lara Dearman

Title: The Devils Claw
Author: Lara Dearman
First Published: Nov 17
Publisher: Tropeze
Pages: 368
Price on Amazon: Paperback £7.99 Kindle: £1.99
ISBN:1409170284

Going home isn't always a good idea.

Jenniffer has returned home to Guernsey and is living with her mother and working as a journalist whilst trying to escape her past. One night Jennifer takes her mother to the bonfire and firework display. This is the night the body was found on the beach.

I received a sample of this from NetGalley and I was really enjoying it, just as it was about to get really interesting the sample ended so needless to say I am going straight to preorder the book.

I've never read anything by Dearman before but if this sample is anything to go by I have high hopes. It is hard to rate a sample but given that this sample has got me hooked and heading straight to the Kindle store to preorder the book I am giving it four out of five stars.

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Actually 4.5 stars.
This was a book that I really wish that I had started at a different time. Sadly, due to life getting in the way, I had to stop several times whilst reading it and every time I was away from it, I kept thinking about it and really wanted to get back to it soon.
Set on the relatively small island of Guernsey, we meet Jenny Dorey. She has recently left the bright lights of London after a bit of a traumatic incident and returned to live with her widowed mother in her childhood home and is currently working as a journalist for the Guernsey News. Whilst covering a firework display she is alerted by a scream and her instincts kick in and she rushes to investigate. On the beach she finds that a young woman has been found dead, possibly drowned. On the face of it, it appears it could be suicide but as Jenny starts to dig into the incident, certain things don't seem to add up and, being a reporter, she starts to look more closely into things. Scouring the archives, she discovers a few more similar incidents over quite a long period of time. Is this just a coincidence or could there be more to it? Having failed to get the desired response from her editor, she takes her discovery to the police in the form of DCI Michael Gilbert who, surprisingly, takes her seriously. Teaming up with journalist colleague Elliot, can the trio cut through the noise to figure it all out and bring the killer to justice once and for all?
This was a tricky book for me to get into initially. I am not sure why but I have an inkling that this could be a series opener and, if so, this could explain why the author has included certain things to set scenes and build up the characters maybe a little more than I would expect from a stand alone. That said, as already mentioned, once I got into it, I did find it very hard to put down. I was drawn into all the wonders of the island life. The politics, the people, and especially the folklore. I have never been to Guernsey but I have visited Jersey and the two islands do have similar histories regarding occupation in the war so I was easily able to follow that side of things.
Throughout the book, we also hear from an unnamed individual. We know certain things about him, the fact that he was the illegitimate son of a Nazi soldier and a woman of ill repute and we see how his life is shaped over the years. As the investigation carries on in the foreground, we see incidents from his point of view which complement and enhance this present day narrative.
I really warmed to Jenny quite early on. She is still haunted by something that happened in London and initially fears that this had travelled with her back to Guernsey. She is also still haunted by the death of her father and is very close to her mother. Michael is another good character, one I also found easy to connect to. I would also go so far to say that the setting of Guernsey is also almost a character in its own right. It is definitely front and centre in things due to its settings and history.
The rest of the supporting cast all played their roles well and kept me guessing as to their actual parts in the main story. There were the usual list of suspects that were ruled in and out throughout the book which kept me guessing pretty much right up until the end.
There were a few minor things that left up in the air which also lends credence to this being a series opener. I for one would love to reconnect with Jenny and go back to the wonderful island of Guernsey.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

As usual, in my eagerness to read this title, I glossed over the fact that it was a sampler... I'm now impatiently waiting to read the whole thing as I'm hooked and will definitely be buying a copy.

Following a traumatic incident in London, Jennifer has returned to her childhood home in Guernsey, taking a job as a reporter at the local newspaper. After the discovery of a drowned woman on a beach, she uncovers a pattern of similar deaths that have taken place over the past fifty years.

The character of Jennifer took a little while to get to know, but she drew you in, and as the story unfolded i was looking forward to the unfolding of the investigation to find out what actually happened. The descriptions of Guernsey are great and as a first novel this is a promising start.

This was a great sample with a good pace and an intriguing story. Living in Jersey (that other Channel Island) I loved reading the Guernsey names and the descriptions of places and people. I liked Jenny and really want to find what's going to happen to her as the book progresses.

Strong sample of chapters. Looking forward to diving deeper into this mystery.

Jun 10, 2017 Jeanette rated it it was amazing
The Devil's Claw Sampler. This will be one book that I shall be watching out for upon it's publication date! Although this is only a sampler and it's not always easy to rate as such, I read enough to know that this is going to be a must read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing this sampler.

I'm loving the channel Island setting of Guernsey. Its distinct coastal and historical significance combined with familiar residents and new arrivals crank up the intrigue.

The story has a good rhythm with tantalising teasers of characters, and *that* was a hugely curious point at which to leave the story - but I do like it when sufficient loose threads weave their wicked way and entice me to want to read more!

Verdict: Pretty good stuff!

This will be one book that I shall be watching out for upon it's publication date! Although this is only a sampler and it's not always easy to rate as such, I read enough to know that this is going to be a must read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing this sampler.

This review has been posted on Goodreads.

Loved the opening of this book, it opens with so many questions that I need to have answered. I can't wait to read the rest!

After a jaw dropping prologue, I was worried the rest of the sample would disappoint but I've been left wanting. I need to read the rest of this book!!!! Bring on September!!!