I love Casey's books so I was very excited to get stuck into Cruel Acts. This sees the return of Maeve & Josh such strong, well-developed characters it was wonderful to catch up with them again.

This plot is incredible and that climax is stunningly unexpected but totally spot on. If you are a crime fan, looking for a new read... stop now, because you have found it! Casey is at the top of her game and I for one can't wait till her next book.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK & Netgalley for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely brilliant - Casey's best yet. A twisting tale that shows just how insidious lies can be.

This is the first book I've read by Jane Casey, and I'm always dubious when I read 'this reads well as a stand alone' as I rarely find that this is the case. However, for this book it actually is true. Rather than repeating all of the history from past books, we get just enough, and no more.
Maeve is tasked to re-investigate some murders after an appeal is granted for the person they convicted. She's preparing for the re-trial by going back over the previous investigation and making sure nothing is missed. She's not sure if Leo Stone is guilty of the murders, she wants justice for the murdered girls. Maeve is a very personable character, and as the story evolved I found myself really liking her.
This was a great thriller that had me guessing right to the end.

It took me a while to get into this book as I had not read the previous installments. However once I got into it I found it very engaging. The characters are very well drawn. and the plot excellent. I will definitely read the rest of the series now. I would love to see this series televised. I received this copy free from Netgalley

Cruel Acts is the first novel I have read by Jane Casey and it won’t be the last. I hadn't realised that it was part of a series, it does fine as a stand alone novel, though I guess that reading the previous novels would give some background on the relationship/interactions between the main characters of Kerrigan & Derwent and therefore a different starting point.

All of the characters are believable, and the plot is very strong & there are just enough twists & turns to keep you interested - just when you think that you've worked it out, something happens to throw you down a different track.
Having said that, it wasn't a book that quite hooked you in from the first chapter - it all makes sense by the end but it feels oddly out of place initially. The storyline revolves around whether a man, released for prison pending a retrial, is guilty of murder or not. Initially our two lead characters DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are convinced he is guilty and set out to prove it. When another woman disappears he is an obvious suspect, but it soon becomes clear that there is more to be discovered ...

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Sadly after 2 attempts I really couldn't get Into this book so as its a DNF I will not leave a review on good read.

Well sorry it too so long for me to get to reading this but wow so glad I got to.Leo protests his innocence whilst in prison for the murder of 2_women,.. The police need to reinvestigate the case and make sure nothing was missed in the original investigation- a hard job when such a long time has passed, will witneses remember what they heard it saw? Then it turns out he has a long lost son who gets back in touch with him whilst he's in prison and also protests his father is innocent.
Leo gets out of prison and women begin to go missing again was he the killer after all or is it someone else, trying to pin it on him?
Loved the crackling chemistry between Kerrigan and Derwent, they need to be a couple.

This is an excellent book, I really like the main characters as I think they’re believable, especially Maeve and Derwent. I have read all of the books written by Jane Casey and I will continue to do so with this calibre of writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for a review.

Cruel Acts by Jane Casey
Rating *****. 5/5
Cruel Acts is the first novel I have read by Jane Casey and it won’t be the last. Although it is part of a series, I read as a stand-alone novel and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, purely because it was so well written I will be looking at the rest of the series.
The characters of Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are very believable, the prickly interaction between them gives depth to strongly thought out plots.
The best part for me was when Miss Middleton couldn’t find the right word. I won’t spoil it for you but it did make me laugh out loud. A bit of light relief from the evil that is always there, menacing.
I didn’t see the end coming; a sign of a great novel. Well recommended, you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to Jane Casey and NetGalley and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read a Cruel Acts. I, in return, have given an unbiased and honest review.

Having never read a Maeve Kerrigan book before, I was nervous as to how easy it would be to jump right in here at Cruel Acts, book number 8. I needn't have worried though as the novel worked brilliantly as a stand alone story. There were some references to previous stories but they didn't take away from my enjoyment as a newcomer.

It was a real page turner and I got through it in just 3 reading sessions over 3 days! I loved the set up of the story - we had a serial killer, a mistrial, a disappearance and lots more excitement too! I will definitely look out for other books in this series!

Many thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins Pubishers for sending me a ARC copy of this book. I loved the title, which was the main reason for chosing to read and review this book. However I wasn't so certain about the story, which was a shame because the first chapter and a few other chapters were brilliant. Maybe I'll re read at another time.
I only found out later that this was the 8th book in a series of books based on the leading characters, the detectives Derwant and Kerrigan.

I tend to love thrillers that give me a burning question in my mind and then tease my interest so that I find it hard to put the book down. I struggled with this book though and mainly finished it because I wanted to be able to give it a decent chance and review.

I would recommend to readers who have read the rest of the series and would like to follow on from there.

This is the eighth book in the series featuring DS Maeve Kerrigan, although this is the first time I’ve read one of the books in this series. This was not a major issue, although there was a few references between Maeve and her colleagues around events which happened the previous summer and references to things that have happened in the past with Maeve’s ex boyfriend, but other than that you can read this as a stand-alone book.

The book is well written and focuses on Leo Stone whose double murder conviction is overturned as a juror from his trial revealed the jury was prejudiced, and a retrial is called.

D.S Maeve Kerrigan and D.I josh Derwent are initially convinced he is guilty and are determined that at the retrial he will be found guilty and sent back to prison. Leo is adamant he is innocent and D.S Maeve starts to have doubts when another woman goes missing. Plenty of twists and turns in this book and certainly worth a read, but would probably start with book 1 in the series if you have not read the others.

This is the first book in the series that I have read, I had heard about it via Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely look for the others in the series. This is the 8th book and it centres on Leo Stone who is convicted of killing two women, and sent to prison for life, but a re-trial is ordered after a jury member reveals rules were broken.
The relationship between the detectives DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent is really interesting and there is plenty going on.

Thank you Jane Casey, Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and HarperFiction for the priveledge of your ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I can’t believe this is the 8th book in the series and I’m devastated I've not read the other 7....!

Very well written book and I adored the lead detective and her band of misfit underlings!

Kept me on my toes throughout and I didn’t put it down until I’d finished, what a fantastic book and author.

I was glad I was on holiday when I read this as I couldn't put it down.I had read some of this series before and enjoyed them so I expected it to be good ,and I wasn't disappointed.It tells of the investigation into the murder of three women after the original conviction is quashed on a technicality.It was quite gruesome in parts and definitely made me glad I wasn't having to walk home alone!
I love the main character,Maeve Kerrigan and the love-hate relationship between her and her colleague ,Josh Derwent.
Definitely one to recommend for people who like a good crime thriller!

I’ve never read anything by this author now it’s giving to change I really enjoyed this book it kept me in suspense.

I really enjoyed this book and would love to read the next one with Maeve Kerrigan and her varied and disfunctional workmates. The story was well crafted, drip feeding bits of information so as to keep the reader on their toes and guessing. A very good introduction to me of this talented author.

Fantastic, well written! Really enjoyed it. I will be looking out for the authors other books! Thank you for letting me preview this book.

DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent team up for the eighth book in this series by Jane Casey and ‘Cruel Acts’ is a storming read. Maeve and Josh work well together and their ‘relationship’ and characters add to the dynamics of the writing and storyline.

This time they are both assigned to the case of Leo Stone who has already been convicted of killing two women and sent to prison for life. However, a juror reveals that the rules were broken in the jury room so a retrial is needed. The case needs to be investigated from the beginning and Maeve and Josh set about the task, finind that another woman had disappeared around the same time but never been found.

As soon as Stone is released from prison a woman disappears and he immediately becomes a suspect but all is not as it seems. As the story is told through Maeve it becomes clear who she feels is guilty and the fast-paced nature of the novel kept me on the edge of my seat.

I love the min characters and Maeve’s complicated personal life as well as the intricacies of plot and possible murderers. Another five-star read from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Jane Casey for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Great read and highly recommended.

Maeve Kerrigan and her partner are asked to investigate when killer Leo Stone is released from prison on appeal for the murder of two women. Can they find the evidence to have him put back behind bars or is someone else behind the killings?
With the murdered girls families at odds and Leo’s long lost son pleading his innocence, as well as a missing girl no one seems to want to find what is real and what is a red herring? When another girl goes missing it’s a race against time for the truth. Twists and turns that had me guessing right up until the end.
This is number 8 in the series which I wasn’t aware of at first but it read perfectly well as a stand alone. Thoroughly enjoyable read.