I’ve not read any James Oswald’s previous novels so I had no preconceived ideas about this new series.

I didn’t really have any empathy for DC Constance Fairchild and seemed to be the usual troubled, rebel women in the Police force with a bit of a temper, nothing really unique or particularly interesting about her.

Set in an bit of an unidentified London and an undercover police operation regarding organised crime and corruption in the MET police, with a bit of murder thrown in. It’s faced paced and does flow nicely and a good overall detective tale.


I would like to thank the James Oswald/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

I was a bit apprehensive about reading this, as I’ve not read any of Oswald’s other books, but as it’s the start of a new series, I thought I’d give it a go.

At first, I found it hard to get into, but I think that’s the first-person narrative, which I’m not always a fan of.

However, the more I read, the more I liked! It started to read like I was watching a detective film, with a narration forming the inner thoughts of the main character, in this case DC Constance (Con) Fairchild.

Set in London, we meet Con while she’s working an undercover case with her boss Pete. She receives a strange text from him asking her to meet, but when she arrives she finds him dead, tortured then shot.

From this point on her life starts to unravel as she becomes the main suspect for Pete’s murder.

After someone attempts to kill her, she heads to her home town to stay with her Aunt, to get away from things, and to look into the disappearance of Izzy, the sister of a former school friend.

Little does she know that this will only drag her further into the case as it widens into sexual abuse and police corruption.
It’s fast paced, gripping, and I somehow ended up at the end without realising how long I’d been reading it!

Oh, and there’s the bonus of added cat 😉

(Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC)

Beautifully crafted detective story unearthing evil close to home. Definitely a new hero worth following; can't wait to speculate characters develop in future books.

A great start to a new series, DC Constance Fairchild (Con) is on an undercover op. On returning to their operations centre ( a seedy office in a run down neighbourhood) she discovers her boss DI Pete Copperthwaite,
he has been executed by a shot to the head.
Her superiors at the MET seem determined to pin the blame for the ops failure firmly on Con.
Shes suspended and abandoned by her fellow officers.
Con though is not one to give in easily and sets out to discover who is actually to blame for the death of her boss Pete.
A trail of police corruption is discovered resulting in murder. As Con gets closer to the truth she too becomes a target.
Her story is told in the first person and it really worked well for me. The book moved at a pace and kept me gripped to the end.
Can`t wait to read more about DC Constance Fairchild, definitely a series to watch out for.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this as an ARC.

Well I don’t really know what to say about this book, except it was so different from Inspector McLean, it was brilliant.

I don’t usually like books in the first person, but this had to be told this way for obvious reasons when you read it.

I couldn’t read it quick enough, it was fast paced, and I’m sure in another life Con would have made MI5/MI6. She’s a suspended CID officer with a price on her head, but that doesn’t deter her from finding out the truth. She’s quick witted, ruthless and very clever. There are a lot of unsavoury characters and at times my heart was in my mouth. I thoroughly disliked De Villiers and the way his money could buy anything, including peoples silence, and I hope in another book we find out he’s been beaten to death in prison or some such karmic injuries that he deserved!

I think it must be difficult for any author to embark on a new series especially when Inspector McLean is so popular, but hats off to James, this one, I think personally, is a cracker.

My thanks to the author, publishers and netgalley for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book, I really did but I struggled with a few things.

The main character is just not that likeable and she is reminiscent of too many troubled, hot tempered and rebellious police women that have featured in recent detective series. Nothing about Constance's personality stood out to me.

To me, the story also didn't flow great. I found myself wondering how we got to this part or even how it would be relevant to the story (and not in a good, keeps you guessing way).

All in all, I did persevere though and when book 2 comes out, I wouldn't rule out reading it.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is different from the usual murders. At first it seems unexplainable then it becomes an opportunity to remove a police officer who does not share the corruption of her colleagues. It has many twists and turns and then goes beyond the police into a world unhappily familiar recently. It is of course well written given the author but its particular attraction is being different.

This story of corruption within the police force is a good one and kept me gripped from the beginning. The characters are well written and enjoyable to read about. The main character for me lacked congruence and I'm not entirely sure why. There are some inaccuracies in the police stuff but after all this is a story.
Overall a very enjoyable book.

I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the Inspector Maclean stories and this was totally different a female lead DC Con Fairchild who gets involved with the murder of her friend and boss DI Pete Copperthwaite. I found this book one that I needed to read completely would I recommend it without a doubt I loved it . Hopefully I look forward to the next one.

I really love the McLean series of books by the author so was curious to see how it would go reading something else from the same author. I did not need to worry, this was a fantastic book to read and kept you enthralled reading it as you tried to work out what was happening. i did love the little nod to the McLean series though!

Fabulous book ! In a strangely violent way it’s funny. Written in the first person we have Con/Connie/Constance/Lady Constance who starts off as a straight forward copper at the Met bu5 who actually comes from landed gentry - the book has some fairly grim moments however the characters are wonderful I hope we see much more of Aunt Felicity and Madame Rose , not to mention the London neighbour Mrs Feltham and her amazing curry.

There’s more than a hint of Agatha Christie in the writing- the complex plot, the gathering at the end for the big reveal but it’s all the better for it as all the ends come together leaving a satisfied reader.

Bring on the next one !

No Time to Cry is the start of a new series by notable crime writer James Osland featuring Constance Fairchild. I felt that it had a slow start and it took me some time warm to Constance. However, though she felt a difficult chracter to warm to initially, her background story and interactions with the people around her made me interested in her plight and left me cheering for her in the end. Something I felt truly unique in the writing, was that Mr Oswald never mentioned in detail Constance´s physical appearance. After years reading books where the women were often described in terms of their physical beauty, this was a pleasant change. I also appreciated that the sexism that was present in the novel was shown in unflattering terms. Con is a strong role model and I would look forward to reading more in this new series.

Really enjoyed this book hopefully the start of a cracking new series from James Oswald. I like his Inspector Maclean mysteries and DC Con (Constance) Fairchild, although quite different from Maclean, is going to be another must read series! Con’s a likeable character that I warmed to from the first pages and her ‘talking conscience’ adds to the charm. It’s a fast paced mystery that doesn’t let up and so I found I read it really quickly, as I didn’t want to put it down. I liked Con’s family members too, especially her Aunt. Fantastic read has plenty of action, a sense of humour and stacks of intrigue. I highly recommend this book!

Deeply gripping and compelling story. Detective Constable Constance Fairchild is plunged into a nightmare with a price on her head with too many people wanting her to disappear. As she starts to piece together just what is going on and how things are connected the stakes get increasingly high. Con is a great character and her interaction with her boss keeps her grounded and on track throughout. I read this in one sitting as I had to know what happened next. I look forward to the next book already.
Netgalley review copy.

I took a few chapters to get into the story and to engage with the main character. She is a maverick detective who does things her own way. At first I found the way she was presented slightly irritating but her behaviour was consistent and I found that I warmed to her. The story picked up pace at about 30% and then became full of fast moving action. While it made for a good entertaining read I found it slightly unbelievable as this young police detective with only neighbours and the occasional relative, fought a major gang and the powerful and high ranking members of the Metropolitan police force.
However, I did enjoy it and would recommend it as a good read.

Constance loves her busy job, but her life is turned upside down when her boss is murdered. Gripping from the first page with great characterisation. Twists and turns and many miles travelled, both on the road and emotionally. Fantastic read with a woman the lead character. More please, loved it from start to end.

I got this book the day my hardback copy of Stuart MacBrides new book came out. My plan was hardback during the day and Kindle at night. I hope Logan and Steele can forgive me but they got dumped for Con!! I blooming loved every bit of this book. Con is great and I cannot wait to see what she gets tied up with next. Aunt Felicity and Izzy loved them both, great characters with loads of potential. And cat awww poor cat but at least its got a home now. Cannot wait for the next book to come out. Highly recommend this book. Definte top 10 of the year.

I admit to being a bit dubious about reading the new James Oswald - the king of police thrillers with supernatural overtones set in Edinburgh now writing about the undercover police in London? Well have no fear, as he jumps down to the England capital with ease. His London is a vague one - no real locations to speak off but a nice sense of the city and its chaotic streets, back room offices of the met and the struggles of tailing someone in a crowds of millions.

I did like the character of Constance ‘Con’ Fairchild - she’s got some balls this woman! Put in several tough spots, and tough situations, she plays and fights hard. Not sure if I’d like to work for the men in her office but her - for sure.

She’s the one who tells the story in her first person narration which added immediacy and style to the whole affair. There’s a very unusual hook to this affair which you really have to discover for yourself. This is more of a character driven novel than his other books but the book has plenty of character of its own.

I have read the Tony Allan series written by James Oswald and love them. In Constance Fairchild I think James is on to another winner. A great feisty character with a good back story which I think could develop into a great series. The plot was complex and the story moved along briskly . I just wanted to read another paragraph which led onto another and another ....... ! As in all his books there was a touch of supernatural which was believable and added another dimension. Was it her conscience talking or Pete ? Look forward to the next one.

A very gripping book. An exciting storyline with lots of twists and turns. Slightly different from James Oswald’s other books and just as good as I’d expect from him. Eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.