The first of this series which I have read - the joy of discovering new writers - but there are already more on my Kindle. A chilling tale, not spoiled by having missed out on previous stories, of women vanishing mysteriously, which goes back many years. Set in 1997, a year I remember well, this was just great and the ending twist was unexpected.

Having read the previous books in the series I had high expectations and wasn’t disappointed. Great story, great characters and a well crafted sinister edge to the cutaway scenes with our missing lady and antagonist - it’ll keep you turning the pages right to the end.

'The chosen ones' by Howard Linskey is one of the best crime thrillers I have read this year and Linksey has shot right to the top of my favourite authors.

'The chosen ones' was my first encounter with the DC Ian Bradshaw series but it is 4th in the series. Having not read the previous novels it didn't impact on my experience at all but not I HAVE to go back and read them all as I loved it so much.

I went into this story blind and I would highly recommend doing so as it blew my mind. It was so twisted, calculated, inventive and intelligent.

This would be a 5 star read for me but there were some cliche moments that lowered it to a 4 star. Do you ever watch a scary movie and someone always goes into a haunted house alone? Or the actor hears a noise and instead of running away runs to the noise? & you are screaming at the tv NOO, What are you doing? You are going to die! That's how I felt about certain parts of 'The chosen ones' which spoiled the realism for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for a honest review. I would recommend this novel to everyone who likes a sick and twisted crime thriller.

This was my third Howard Linskey book, somehow I missed book no 3 in the series, something that I will have to rectify soon. Luckily this book can also be read as a stand alone novel. I loved the setting and the characters as well as the writing style of Howard Linskey, he has the ability to pull you into the story and make you see the scenes as he writes it. The threesome makes a good team, just sorry for the bosses that sometimes gets in the way of good detective work. I would recommend this book if you love police procedural and mysteries.

What's it about?

Eva Dunbar wakes in a metal box. She has no idea who put her there and she has no way out. 

Leading the search for her, DCI Ian Bradshaw has no leads and time to find Eva is running out. Then he realises she isn't the first girl to disappear in these circumstances, and this case might be bigger than they first thought.

My thoughts

I always seem to start reading crime series a few books in. I thought this was my inability to read blurbs properly, but now I'm starting to think it's quite a good way to separate the wheat from the chaff. A few stories in, the author has worked out those 'getting started' bugs and can begin almost in media res. The characters work well together and they have some sort of past to draw upon. Most importantly, a decent novel should allow you to start wherever in the series you want and not get bogged down in in-jokes and assumed knowledge. 

This is the fourth book in the DCI Bradshaw series and it's one of those good'uns. It's a well crafted thriller, with plenty of action, intrigue, and a few subplots thrown in for good measure. I disliked the intolerable characters, warmed to the likeable ones, and gasped in the appropriate places. 

In terms of plot, it's not bad! There's a bunker involved (tiny spoiler - I think it appears pretty early on) and it was clear that the author had done his research*. Like I said before, it's a well crafted thriller and it works in all the right places. It's one of those where you know both sides of the plot all the way through, and it kept my interest and didn't feel stilted (a danger with those kind of stories). A minor point, though, was the "she could see the hate in his eyes" type of phrase. You can't read emotion in eyes, you read it in expression or infer it, so stop using this cliché! 

It's also set in 1997, which I found interesting. There are mobile phones, but they're not nearly sophisticated enough to allow tracking (or even batteries that charge, apparently). There are also reference to the 1997 General Election, and there's a kind of underlying feeling of change on the horizon as a result. I liked that. 

Would I recommend it?

Yes, if you're looking for a decent thriller. The book I was reading before this was also a thriller but so awful that I gave up on it about halfway through. This was a very welcome change. 

*There's a decommissioned Cold War bunker in York that's open to the public, and the descriptions in this book reminded me of it. It's well worth a visit if you're ever in these parts.

Over the years young women have been going missing in North East England. No one saw or heard from them again. Without any leads the police have had little to go on. But when a body is discovered in the woods, the police are hopeful it will hold new clues leading them to whoever is responsible.

The Chosen Ones is the fourth book in a series featuring Detective Ian Bradshaw and investigative journalists Tom Carney and Helen Norton. The detective/journalist combo was hugely enjoyable and I felt it worked extremely well. They each brought something new to the table and it really was a refreshing change. All three were likeable characters with whom the reader could empathise and identify.

Although I hadn't read the previous three books, I didn't feel I was missing any pieces. In fact had I not known, I wouldn't have guessed it was part of a series. Everything was explained clearly and succinctly.

The writing was a pleasure to read and flowed exceptionally well. Yes, there were one or two typos, but they can be forgiven. The main characters had depth without unnecessary padding which, in my opinion, is a massive bonus. It was a thrilling fast-paced read. One which takes you on a dangerous journey into the subterranean lair of a madman. It was excellent and a series I hope to revisit soon.

I had not previously read any of the Howard Linskey books but do enjoy the genre. Whilst I had high hopes for the story itself, I was a little bit disappointed in the execution. I think part of the issue was that i had a downloaded copy (from Netgalley) and the formatting made the story difficult to flow, especially where the narrative changed.
My other minor gripe with the content was the small side plot that the journalist has with his old flame. I felt this was unnecessary and didn't add any value or enjoyment to the book. Without this, it would have definitely been a 4 star read.

Brilliant read. I am a big fan of Howard Linskeys books. This book had me gripped the whole way through. It is a very clever plot which has been really well written. The hunt for missing girls is scary and full of surprises. It was really easy to visualise everything and I was totally caught up in the story. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy

An interesting twist on the police procedural genre. Five women have gone missing and it is up to DS Bradshaw to investigate, to assist him he calls in two journalists who have helped him with previous cases. I'm not sure how true to life that would be.

The story moves at a fair pace and the dynamic between the main three characters is entertaining. The writing is a little pedestrian and at times it felt as though the author thought he needed to explain situations, rather than let the reader work them out.

There is a side story concerning one of the journalists, his old girlfriend and a blackmail attempt. I’m not convinced this added much to the novel.

The ending felt decidedly rushed and the final twist did not come as a surprise.

It was an OK read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Great read, when I started reading The Choosen Ones I had not realised it was part of a series. Having said that I happily read, and it can be read as a stand alone book

An enjoyable read with likeable characters. The seen is set from page one, where we meet Eva who wakes up in a metal box. Subsequently DC Bradshaw, one of the main characters is set to investigate a series of gems who have gone missing. Together with his journalist connections he sets to work to solve their disappearance.

Very well written and enjoyable read. Quite the page turner.

The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey is a 5 star read.
OMG this book was brilliant, I couldn’t put it down until the very last page, this author khows to draw you in and keep you interested.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.

Another cracking read from Howard Linskey featuring the brilliant trio of Ian Bradshaw, Tom Carney and Helen Norton. This book gripped you right from the start. It was a thoroughly enjoyable story as are all his other books. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books- Michael Joseph.

When I started this book I didn’t realise it was part of a series, this can absolutely be read as a standalone novel though and it won’t diminish your enjoyment of it at all.

I loved this book! From its griping beginning to its climatic end. The book starts with Eva waking up in a large metal box, with no idea why, I really liked Eva’s character, she was gutsy and determined even in the face of such an awful situation. The story progresses quickly and the pace of it keeps you engaged, there are also side stories along the way and I really enjoyed the complexity of it all.

I warmed to the three main characters straight away, Ian (the detective), Helen and Tom (the journalists) – the latter two obviously have a complicated relationship and I hope this is explored in further books. As a set of three they work really well together and each adds a unique element. The book is set in the early 90’s, I was a teenager then and I loved the random references to what was going on at time, it brought back a lot of happy memories.

The final third of this book really kept me on my toes, I was getting increasingly tense and the adrenaline was flowing. If you like a good psychological thriller with some excellent characters this book is for you. I will certainly be going back to read the other books in this series, many thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for a copy to review.

I have not read any of the previous three books in this series about Detective Ian Bradshaw and journalists Tom Carney and Helen Norton and on the basis of reading this will seek these out and look for future books by Howard Linskey. This story, set in the north east of England in the 1990s, does refer back to earlier events in the trio's professional and personal lives, but The Chosen Ones is a stand alone thriller which is not dependent on having read the earlier books. The plot of this book concerns the disappearance of several young women and the attempted abduction of another which leads the three investigators to solve the crimes. During the investigation they recognise connections with disappearances in the past which had been written off by the local police in the 1970s. Along the way there is police corruption, people trafficking and references back to the Cold War. I found the story very well written and the experiences of the disappeared women chilling. However I could have done without the side stories of Tom and Helen's personal lives which I did not think added anything to a well plotted thriller, although perhaps I would be more concerned with these aspects if I was reading the whole series. I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in return for an honest review.

Read as a stand-alone but made me want to discover the rest of the series. Full of suspense and twists and turns

This is the second in the series that I’ve read. Dead North introduced the characters of Ian, Tom and Helen, three very likeable characters. It’s an unusual trio, one policeman and two journalists working together to solve crimes but it works well.
In this instalment, five girls are missing and Ian Bradshaw is given the case.
It’s an easy read, but still a complex plot.
I really enjoyed this book and wish I’d read the other two now. The characters are fleshed out and each is very believable.
I look forward to the next in the series.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

I enjoy this book, while it was the 4th in this series it read perfectly as a stand alone read. All characters are likeable, I did find it a little frustrating reading about the non acted upon feelings of Ton and Helen, however i can see this being a relationship that develops in later books.
DC Ian Bradshaw is investigating girls going missing however he is alone in this due to loosing some corrupted officers. He calls in his journalists friends to help and together that delve deep into a murky past.
The different time lines in the book were well written and I enjoyed this book being set in the 90's.

Women are disappearing, but is there a crime? DC Ian Bradshaw is investigating this nearly impossible task. When one of his own goes missing he has to hurry to solve this case, before it's too late. Good, solid story, showing how difficult it can be to do good police work.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK!

A really good thrill with twists and turns and shocks. fab read from beginning to end, could not put this book down

This was my first encounter with DC Bradshaw, but despite landing four books into the series it worked well as a standalone read, with only a handful of moments looking back to fill in the history I'd missed. Given that, I don't know how it compares with the earlier books, but based on this I'm curious to go back and find out more which I regard as a good sign on any series.

However, this is a review of this book and this book alone. I'll start with my favourite factor - the story is set in the late 90s! Okay, my enthusiasm is less about nostalgia for the time and more for the fact that it solves a common problem for contemporary crime stories - technology. This retro world means that when people go missing the police don't check their mobile phone location before they close their laptops and talk to relatives. It's nice reading an investigation from that era again. There are a few lines here and there that remind you it's a modern book, but the trip 20 years back in time is done well and doesn't feel overly nostalgic or a gimmick. But a book still needs more to thrive, and Linskey offers up a nice little plot involving a series of women who disappear. And of course the investigation, it is a police story after all.

Oddly, DC Bradshaw is slightly secondary to the story. He's more of a way to make things all fit together. Tom Carney, a journalist Bradshaw knows, takes the biggest role in this book really thanks to a couple of additional side plots that he manages. But basically, they, along with Tom's colleague Helen Norton, mix comfortably together and create a good ensemble. Each stepping forward for sections before giving the others room to do their thing. They also stay back a little from the plot, in a series like this it's easy for such recurring characters to smother the storyline a little and steal some focus, but this trio follow the story instead of leading it which I really appreciated as a newcomer to the series.

And then comes the aforementioned plot and I get very happy. Sure, it's not the freshest basic plot ever but it does do the story well and manages to combine a number of these tropes into something that is different enough to stand out. It's delightfully creepy, with enjoyably vague moments that leave you puzzling over how it will unfold, and it really does a good job in that regard, fleshing out some of the red herrings enough to make for plausible detours.

I suspect an even better read if you're already into the series, but if you just want a random one-off cop book head to North East England in the late 90s and enjoy this offering.