Thoroughly enjoyed this well paced thriller. It had enough twists and turns to keep me reading late into the night. Although I guessed a few of them I was still on tenderhooks towards the end waiting for the final denouncement. I will certainly look out for other books in this series.

'Cruel Acts' is an engaging police procedural/thriller. This is the first Jane Casey I have read, but it didn't harm the story at all for me to begin mid-series. The plot is great, twists and turns that keep you guessing. I changed my mind on the culprit three times and still got it wrong. The characters felt very real and it is refreshing to have an investigator who isn't superwoman and has more realistic reactions. I will be reading the earlier books in the series.

I haven’t read any books before by this author and it looked like the kind of book I like to read. There are a series of books featuring Detective Maeve Kerrigan, and this book is the eighth in the series. It can be read on it’s own, although I would recommend the books are read in the correct order.

Leo Stone, a man convicted of two murders is released from prison on appeal and awaits a retrial. Kerrigan, along with her boss DI Derwent are tasked with reviewing the original case to see if anything was missed or overlooked. I really enjoyed this book - it grabbed and held my attention from the first to last page. Kerrigan finds things that were missed in the original investigation which potentially could cast doubt on Stone’s original conviction. Women go missing and more bodies are found when Stone is released putting him under heavy suspicion and his family are thoroughly investigated. Did Stone take/kill them or was it someone else? There are so many twists and turns in this story that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. Huge reveal towards end of book which I didn’t expect or see coming. The book really picked up it’s pace for the last quarter and was very absorbing. I would read the previous books in series and recommend this book.

This is my first Maeve Kerrigan book from the series, and it read well without having read the previous books.

Kerrigan and her boss, Derwent are called to reinvestigate the evidence against serial killer Leo Stone. Not everything is as it seems as another woman goes missing. Is there a copycat killer, or was Stone wrongly convicted? With a twist that will keep you guessing until the end.

Absolutely brilliant book, another page turner from start to finish. I've read them all in this series and for me, this was the best, I found it hard to put down once I had started reading it, finishing it in 2 days (would of finished earlier if I hadn't been at work the following day).

Another brilliant read from a brilliant author, can't wait for the next one.

I really wanted to like this book, it has all the necessary ingredients for a perfect thriller: a serial killer, uncertainty and a really engaging protagonist. Alas, I was confused and somewhat lost, but I really wanted to like it! I persisted not once, not twice but many times but could not go further than 40%. I am not a quitter but could not bring myself to try again. I am sure some people will love it, I just did not.

I was really disappointed with this novel. On paper it had everything I like- courtroom, wrongful conviction etc. However, it was just another police procedural- which I can appreciate the merits of usually, but this one didn't grip me enough. The investigation was too complicated for me, and I needed some kind of aid at the start! Couldn't finish it, sorry

I had not heard of Jane Casey when I requested this book and I was disappointed to learn that it was part of a series. However, although I had not read the previous stories, I will do now, this book is gripping from the start and brilliant thriller, how have I only just discovered this author?

A fair review would be to say that this was a okay story, Four missing girls, a suspect just out of prison, his son and his lawyer being trailed by the detectives Kerrigan and Derwent who we know from previous Jane Casey novels. The characters are all pretty believable but for me to much time was spent on Kerrigan’s hangups. The banter between the two detectives got on my nerves a little to be honest. The story was cleverly written albeit a little over the top at the end. Overall it was a good read.

This was a really gripping and tense novel, with gritty descriptive language. . Well worth a read. My thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

An absolute pageturner! Pulls you into the story and you find yourself more and more desperate to have the killer's identity discovered.
Detective Kerrigan's faces a challenge to prove whether or not Leo Stone is guilty of 2 murders after he has been released from prison, due to jury tampering.
The more she digs the more Kerrigan becomes convinced that Stone is guilty of another girl's murder, but for some reason, no one else thinks she should be spending so much time on trying to uncover years-old evidence.
It is quite clear that Derwent secretly trusts her judgement, and suspects she will go the extra mile to uncover the truth.

3.5/5⭐

Thank you #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What happens when you start a detective series by book number 8? Seriously? I enjoyed it all the same but truth be said, I was a bit lost at the beginning.

This book hooked me up straight away. I always like murder cases told by the police detective perspective (DI Helen Grace or DI Adam Fawley, for instance) and this one wasn't an exception.

The narrator is Maeve Kerrigan. A female detective that I guess has been in the force since book number 1! I really liked her. She is such a hard worker woman, with a really good reputation and lot of experience.

I liked the case. It's an old one that gets re-open and assigned to her, although she wasn't a part of the original investigation.

I enjoyed all the process of reconstructing what had happened, how they were looking for new clues, how they were trying to know if the police had made a mistake or not... It was very interesting, very well written and explained very easy to understand.

I liked the relationship between Maeve and Josh, her co-worker. There were funny situations, tense situations, betrayals, disappointment, happiness...

I liked how the case evolved and all the twists and turns that came along. There were a few that I could see coming but the big one, that I didn't expect!

I enjoyed the book. I would have probably enjoyed it more had I read the previous ones in the series.

However, I found it a little bit too dense, with a lot of information that it wasn't strictly necessary to the story and the case got a bit too convenient in the end.

I am really glad I read this book and I am very grateful for the opportunity but I don't think I'll continue/start the series

This was a really great read that kept me wondering and guessing right until the very last page. Would highly recommend!

Wow. I hadn’t read anything else by this author before this but I will be looking to read from book 1 of this series! Really gripping and tense with several murders and gritty descriptions. Very realistic and would make a brilliant TV drama. A must for fans of detective/ police procedure novels.

Really enjoyed this book and now need to read others in the series although it didn't spoil the book not knowing the characters from previous. Good characters, good story. Thought I sussed the end but not was i wrong. Well worth a read

This was an excellent read with what is quite likely the most dislikable 'bad guy' of all the books I have read so far. Despite this, the plot delivers reminders that due to the actions of one juror he is owed the opportunity of a fair retrial regardless of his personality and behaviour that makes you convinced he deserves to be in jail. There are many loops and misdirection within the plot and a very satisfying ending.

As serial killer thrillers go, this one is rather good. Well drawn characters, interesting plot and easy reading. If you are a devotee of this genre, I recommend it to you.

Despite this being the latest in a series it was my first Jane Casey and Maeve book. It worked well as a standalone but I am already keen to read more about the misadventures of Maeve and Josh. I loved the dynamic relationship between the two. A captivating story with a gripping plot. Thank you to netgalley and harper collins for the advance copy.

A new author to me but the book can be read as a stand alone story. Beautifully written story well thought out and captivating. Fast moving which kept me hooked from the beginning. Such a good read it makes me want to read more from this author. Brilliant.

Great characters with very entertaining interaction make for a brilliant read.
The story flows easily and keeps you turning the pages.
Highly recommended.