This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend!

An entertaining police procedural plot. A juror from a murder trial admits in a book that he broke the rules and looked up the accused on line, then discussed what he found with the other jurors. When Leo Stone is released awaiting a retrial Kerrigan and Derwent reopen the investigation to make sure the case is watertight. More bodies are found and Stone's son Kerry seems to be involved. There is a twist in the end, but there are no clues until very near the end. An entertaining read.

I am reviewing Cruel Acts and The Cutting Place together; while these are two very different books in terms of plot, they still feature the same characters that I know and love! I am a huge fan of Jane Casey's Maeve Kerrigan series, following the sparky relationship between Maeve and Derwent, but hadn't managed to catch up on the latest books - until now.
Cruel Acts investigates the conviction of Leo Stone for the murder of two young women and whether he is now responsible for the murder of a third after his release. The Cutting Place covers important contemporary issues, such as white male privilege and domestic violence.
Jane Casey's books are brutal and witty (the dialogue drives the plot), honest and raw. She handles dark themes with sensitivity and care while leading her readers on a twisty path. The Cutting Place, in particular, focuses as much on the main characters' lives as the case they are trying to investigate, with a few shocking scenes and further revelations. Other characters, such as Maeve and Derwent's colleague Georgia Shaw, are also now being thrust more into the limelight.

A year ago, Leo was sentenced to life without parole for murdering two women.

But now, due to a technicality, a retrial is on the cards.

The detective, Maeve and Josh are given the evidence to re-examine. They're sure that there is actually another victim that Leo is responsible for that nobody is aware of. Until another woman disappears, and Leo couldn't have murdered her.

What's going on? Is Leo innocent after all or is there a copycat killer out there?

Maeve and Josh have a race against time to discover what is going on before another woman is murdered.

I didn't realise this is part of a series when I started reading this but I will certainly be looking at reading more. It follows Maeve Kerrigan, Josh Derwent and their team as they look into the murders of four women with the convicted suspect being freed from prison on a technicality. I have to admit that this book took a while for me to get into but once I did (about 30% of the way through) I could not put it down. Lots of twists and turns with some great banter between Kerrigan and Derwent. I really liked their relationship and really want to know more!

Although this is part of a series this does stand well on its own and I didn't feel like I had to have read the previous books.

Great book, great characters, a good one if you like the tension to build in a book.

Would recommend to anyone who likes a detective whodunit story.

I haven't read the other books in the series but after this I need to read them all!

Leo Stone was convicted of killing 2 women, but now there are doubts about his guilt and he is released from prison.

DI Josh Derwent and DS Maeve Kerrigan are both convinced of his guilt and are determined the retrial will return a guilty verdict and he will be sent back to prison. Leo maintains his innocence and D.S Maeve is starting to have doubts especially when another woman goes missing. Could there be a copy cat killer out there or was Stone innocent all along?

I loved this book; especially the relationship between Josh and Maeve. It is totally addictive and I will be investing in the rest of the series ASAP :-)

If you haven’t read a Jane Casey book before then you are seriously missing out!!

This was my first Jane Casey & I did enjoy it. The plot was well developed & intriguing although a little rushed towards the end. I enjoyed the character of .Maeve & thought her an impressive heroine. I would recommend as a good summer afternoon beach read - escapism for a couple of hours.

#CruelActs #NetGalley
I loved it. A good read.
A year ago, Leo Stone was convicted of murdering two women and sentenced to life in prison. Now he’s been freed on a technicality, and he’s protesting his innocence.
Not guilty?
DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are determined to put Stone back behind bars where he belongs, but the more Maeve digs, the less convinced she is that he did it.
The wrong decision could be deadly...
Then another woman disappears in similar circumstances. Is there a copycat killer, or have they been wrong about Stone from the start?
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy of this crime thriller.

Another brilliant book. Although part of a series you can also read it as a standalone. Cant wait for the next one

#CruelActs #NetGalley
Jane Casey at her best.
it is packed with the gritty realism we have come to expect from Ms Casey.
Maeve and Derwent rip apart the original investigation and start from scratch, leaving no stone unturned (pun absolutely intended). Just when you think you know the answer, Jane swiftly serves you off-course and sends you hurtling in the opposite direction.
Read this beautiful novel to know more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

This pulled me in from the beginning, trying to work out what had happened to Lou. The strength of a mothers love shines all the way through this story. Two mothers who are completely different develop a bond that will live on forever. The feelings in this story will touch you as they are so real. Brilliant writing by a new author that I am sure will go on to write many bestsellers.

I haven’t read any Jane Casey books before and realise now that I have been massively missing out. ‘Cruel Acts’ is the eighth book in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series, though I would never have realised it, as this book can be read and easily followed as a stand-alone.
I was engrossed from the first page and thoroughly addicted to the storyline. I loved the relationship between Maeve and DI Josh Derwent and feel the author has produced one the best fictional police partnerships I’ve recently read.
I will be reading the previous books featuring Kerrigan and I look forward to now reading the next in this entertaining and well written series ‘The Cutting Place’.

This novel, Maeve Kerrigan #9, is both the best of the series and a 'go-to' if you want to know how to write great crime fiction....very much enjoyed!

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Is Leo Stone a cold blooded murderer or sadly a victim of a miscarriage of justice, that is the basis of this quality Police procedural. Maeve Kerrigan is our clever gutsy and witty heroine, this is an engaging entertaining read, atmospheric and tense at times always interesting with some surprises, and a brutal roof top climax.
I am ashamed to say I had never previously read a book by this Author, and was half way through when I discovered this was the eighth book in the series, well there were little or no references to previous stories so this works as a standalone book.
Recommended.

I love a good murder mystery, and here the enjoyment is heightened by the mystery having already been solved - apparently. With the police already having their man, surely it can't be too hard to prove - again - that the right man was charged so they can keep him behind bars...but excitingly it proves a complicated, and increasingly dangerous task.
The only element of this story that is a little jarring is the shoe-horned in addition of the relationship between the two key police officers on the case. I have no idea if the author is trying to add layers to the characters or some sexual tension, whichever, it doesn't really work and is an unnecessary distraction.

I really enjoyed this book, in particular the relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent having me wanting me to know more about where it will end (and I know how I would like that to be!) The twists in the crime story held my interest and the fast-moving final showdown between Kerrigan and the murderer (identity completely unexpected) was a page turner. Looking forward to the new book later this year featuring my currently two favourite cops.

How have I never read anything by this author before???

Since the beginning of the lockdown due to Covid-19 I have been in a bit of a slump reading wise, unable to concentrate. Boy has this turned that around - I didn’t want to put it down.

DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are partners fighting crime and have just been tasked with the job of reviewing evidence from a previous case which is up for retrial. The case is that of a man, Leo Stone,convicted of murdering two women. Maeve and Josh have to look at all the previous evidence and determine whether anything was missed during the original investigation. Maeve isn’t convinced that he isn’t also guilty of the brutal murder of a third woman but without a body and only a partial match on her blood they need more concrete evidence.

When another woman disappears in similar circumstances and Stone has a cast iron alibi - Maeve begins to question whether there is a copy cat killer or whether they were wrong all this time about Stone.

I was surprised to learn that this was the 8th book in the series but it can be read as a stand alone. It was a fantastic read and I can’t wait to read the others. Highly recommend you read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I found this book very hard to put down. A great story and some excellent characters. The only complaint I have is that Maeve is pretty disrespectful to senior ranks. OK, she is a good detective, thoughtful and observant but the police tend to be fussy about rank, especially in a meeting with several ranks represented, and that aspect doesn't ring true to me. It's a minor irritation though and overall I enjoyed the story.

Dark and cruel, gross, but at the same - author is a masterful crime fiction writer, looking forward to read the next book in the series! I love the main characters!

An energetic police procedural with a cast of strong characters - among the police as well as the suspects and victims. Lots of twists and turns, but few of them seem contrived. Kept me turning the pages and and I read it more quickly than I normally do - definitely in the unputdownable category. This is the latest in a series centring on DS Maeve Kerrigan - I will searching out the earlier ones.