I received this as review copy from Netgalley, so as always many thanks to them and the publisher. This is the third book in the Cathy Connolly series. The books are an easy read and I really enjoyed the Dublin setting which reminded me of frequent family holidays as a child. I felt the two differing back stories made the flow a little disrupted. Also the ending seemed to be a bit rushed. The main characters all work well together but references to the potential for a romance between Cat and her boss became an unnecessary distraction after a few chapters. Not sure if this was always intended as a trilogy but hopefully there are more Cat Connolly books in the pipeline.

Another killer read by a talented author! I love Sam Blake's writing, and I hope there is some more in the Cathy Connolly series. Well done and recommended.

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

This is the first novel I have read by Sam Blake and I will need to check out the previous two in this series. However, it is stand-alone and the main character, Cathy Connolly, is a gritty tough woman with a soft centre. I loved her.

‘No Turning Back’ is an addictive read and focuses on the murder/suicide of a student and the definite murder of one of her friends. Are they connected? The plot becomes intertwined with affairs and computer hacking. Although complicated, it is well thought through with numerous twists and turns.

The main action takes place in Ireland with the final scenes in London and well portrayed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and Sam Blake for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Great Read. Highly recommended.

No Turning Back is the third book in the Cathy Connolly series. I think you might possibly get away with reading this as a stand-alone but why would you want to? Read all three, as I have done and I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this latest one is the best one yet.

Young Tom Quinn is found dead in the road from what looks to be a hit-and-run. His parents are obviously devastated but something isn’t quite right in the Quinn household. Then Tom’s classmate, Lauren, is also found dead at the bottom of a cliff from an apparent suicide. Are these two events connected somehow? O’Rourke, Cathy and the rest of the team have their work cut out for them because these two families may look like they have it all but they’re all hiding secrets they desperately don’t want to reveal.

There are multiple exciting layers running throughout this story. Not only are there the investigations into the deaths of Tom and Lauren, we also get teasing glimpses of an unknown character seemingly plotting terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, Cathy is also getting increasingly confused about her relationship with O’Rourke while also wondering about her future and where the next step in her career might be. Things are definitely changing.

This is a well-plotted, compelling and tense addition to the series with an explosive and action-packed conclusion. The investigation spreads far and wide and held my attention from start to finish. However that was mostly due to a professor with an intriguing background and connections in the CIA. With many twists along the way, it is a suspenseful book that will keep you hooked and will make you think twice about modern technology. Although I must admit that some of that technical stuff went right over my head, I will definitely not forget to cover up the cameras on all my devices. Just in case.

No Turning Back wraps up this trilogy nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s in no way an ending, but it does promise a new and exciting change for Cathy Connolly and it will be interesting to see where Sam Blake takes Cathy and this series next.

Another solid entry on the Cat Connolly series. It's a bit of a whirlwind and the ending felt a bit rushed but still a solid five star not to be missed. I especially enjoyed references to runners and gurriers, hopefully the non Irish readers won't need a glossary. I wonder if the next installment will feature Cat in the armed response unit? I'm really enjoying the current crop of Irish crime thrillers long may it last.

This is the first Sam Blake book I have read but it certainly won't be the last. Although this is the third in a series it was easy to read without having read the first two (which I now plan to do!) The story has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end. Very enjoyable book.

This was the first time I had read a book by Sam Blake- it is about Garda Detective Cat Connolly who seems to be an adrenaline junkie with a passion for her job as a police investigator. Although this book is the third one in the series it was relatively easy to pick it up as a stand alone and references to the earlier novels really made me want to go back and read them.
There seems to be some excellent crime fiction books coming out of Ireland at the moment. There are obviously some very talented authors residing on the Emerald Isle. This book kept me up reading late into the night desparate to work out who had committed the crimes. What a compelling read!
In this book Cat is investigating the murder of a young student, killed in a hit and run whilst walking home. Soon another body is discovered and the race is on to find the perpetrator of these crimes.
The plot is complicated but so well thought out. There are several strands to the investigation into Tom’s death and Cat starts,to discover connections to the second murder too.. There are many suspects and even an avid crime fiction fan like me found it difficult to guess who did it!
The story is mostly set in Ireland but the climax of the book moves to London which ramps up the excitement as another strand of the plot is revealed. Computers and hacking feature strongly in the story so the book is very up to date and incredibly well researched.
I also liked the romantic tension between Cat and her boss O’Rourke and enjoyed reading about Anna, the University professor trying to come to terms with a tragic event in her past. I had the feeling that Anna might feature in future books about Cat Connolly as they seemed to develop a connection as the story progressed.
This was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend it to all you crime thriller fans out there. Cat is a great heroine, brave, feisty and strong, moreover she is not frightened of putting herself in danger in order to solve the crime.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What I love about a good detective novel is gritty lead characters whom I can warm to, a great plot with lots of twists and turns that I don't see coming and lots of action instead of pages and pages of background descriptions - and this book ticked all my boxes. I loved the main character Cat and especially her relationship with O'Rourke. The plot was exciting and kept me turning the pages to find out more. This was the third book in this series and having not read the first two, it didn't really matter. There were references to what I presumed happened in the first two, for example Cat being shot and the explosion but there was enough detail given to fill in the background without wondering what on earth was going on. There is obviously going to be further books and it will be great to see how Cat and O'Rourke's relationship develops or not but I would have liked to have known in this book whether Cat got the ERU job and whether she won the kick boxing title.

A great novel!

Full of twists and turns, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. Or in my case, up at night telling myself I would read just one more chapter. And then I had finished the book.

Absolutely fantastic!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of No Turning Back, the third novel to feature Detective Garda Cathy Connolly.

The team are stretched with two deaths on the one night. Student Tom Quinn is the victim of a hit and run and his friend Lauren O'Reilly jumps to her death not far from his home. As the team investigate the circumstances surrounding these two deaths get murkier and murkier.

I enjoyed No Turning Back which is filled with twists, turns and the very modern backdrop of computer hacking. It would be easy to pick holes in the plotting - everyone involved, except the gardai, has some kind of secret which does not paint them in a favourable light - but the slow uncovering of these secrets makes for a good read so it doesn't matter overly much.

The capabilities of computer hackers and what is required to combat them is truly scary. There isn't much in the novel that hasn't been publicised before but when it all comes together in one novel it really makes you think twice about switching on, never mind logging on. As a result of this theme there is a fair amount technical detail in the novel, most of which went over my head.

It's all change at the station with Cathy thinking of moving on and her boss and unrequited love, O'Rourke, moving to Limerick for a promotion. There is fair amount about these changes and their relationship in the novel but it's an ongoing situation so we'll have to wait until the next novel to see how it pans out and if Cathy wins the National Kickboxing Championship as the novel spends a lot of time with her training.

No Turning Back is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.