This is a gritty thriller but it’s also a book about family, friendship, and relationships. There’s a lot of grief and suspense, there’s a woman who’s facing hard times and must go back to the home she thought having left behind.
It’s a story about women, abuse, exploitation, violence, betrayal.
Robin is a character that grew on me as I was reading the story and turning pages very fast because I wanted to know what was going to happen and how her family relationship was going to change.
There’s a lot of darkness, there’s some moments when any hope seems lost.
But there Lennie, Robin’s daughter, and an investigation as Robin is a born detective and can’t help investigating and collaborating with the local police.
I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this crime thriller and am happy to read the rest of the series.
If you never met Robin, it’s time to go and read this novel.
Gripping, gritty and twisty, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Compulsive Readers for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Critical Incidents by Lucie Whitehouse has Detective Inspector Robin Lyons going home to her parents having lost her job in London.  She's going to work for a friend of her mother's as a private investigator, with her daughter Lennie going to school nearby.

Robin had gone against her boss in the police, and has a troubled relationship with her mother, so there is a lot of drama in this book, but you are taken on a journey as Robin investigates her best friend's murder.

This is a crime novel, with lots of suspense as you join Robin in trying to work out what happened.  There are family dynamics galore between Robin and her daughter, and her mother.  This was an enjoyable read!

 Critical Incidents  was published on 18th April 2019 and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Lucie Whitehouse on  Twitter  and  Facebook .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to 4th Estate.

I think that the students in our school library need to hear lots of diverse voices and read stories and lives of many different kinds of people and experiences. When I inherited the library it was an incredibly sanitised space with only 'school readers' and project books on 'the railways' etc. Buying in books that will appeal to the whole range of our readers with diverse voices, eclectic and fascinating subject matter, and topics that will intrigue and fascinate them was incredibly important to me.
This is a book that I think our senior readers will enjoy very much indeed - not just because it's well written with an arresting voice that will really keep them reading and about a fascinating topic - but it's also a book that doesn't feel worthy or improving, it doesn't scream 'school library and treats them like young reading adults who have the right to explore a range of modern diverse reads that will grip and intrigue them and ensure that reading isn't something that they are just forced to do for their English project - this was a solid ten out of ten for me and I'm hoping that our students are as gripped and caught up in it as I was. It was one that I stayed up far too late reading and one that I'll be recommending to the staff as well as our senior students - thank you so much for the chance to read and review; I really loved it and can't wait to discuss it wth some of our seniors once they've read it too!

A dark suspenseful book with two stories running side by side. A great story line which is easy to follow. A real addictive page turner.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

A bit of a change of pace for this author, but enjoyable nevertheless. The family relationships were well written, and the story kept me interested. Very enjoyable.

A really good thriller. Must be more to come as left on a knife edge! Well crafted, well written and I really look forward to more in the series.

Many thanks to netgalley and Lucie Whitehouse for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I haven’t read any other books by this author. I found this story a little slow, I had to force myself to finish it. The storyline didn’t really hold my attention and I found the ending to be disappointing.

This one wasn't for me unfortunately. These sorts of books are a let down recently. I need to be more selective in what I request going forward.

This is the story of Robin Lyons who has been dismissed from the Met, albeit, it seems unfairly. I'll admit I was incredibly confused for the first few pages, it was like we'd been thrown into a standout (it wasn't a stakeout), with too many characters for my head to deal with (but that could have just been me) and then when I heard what had happened to her I wondered had I missed a first book of a series, as I really wanted to 'see' her being dismissed, it sounded cool! Saying that I soon fell in line with the book and really enjoyed the drama, the dialogue and settings. There was perhaps a bit too much backstory and jumping between timeline for me but ultimately I enjoyed and think many others will enjoy too, in fact the reason I picked up this book was because of the deluge of raving reviews I'd read!! Thanks so much to Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews. - sadly I cant remember enough detail to give a full review.
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)
Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews. - sadly I cant remember enough detail to give a full review.
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)

Good enough story but got very slow about half way through and had to work at it to finish. This novel is about a detective with a lot of self doubt, is it me or them? Encompassing all the common ailments of society with corruption, drugs, prostitution and violence. By setting it in Birmingham the author illustrates that these problems are not just the preserve of the capital where police detective Robyn Lyons trained and got experience. Sacked from her job she goes back to her home town where life does not get much better.

I had to give it a few days before leaving a review for Critical Incidents. When I finished it, I actually groaned out loud. I was so disappointed in the ending. To be honest, by the ending I'd picked so many different faults with the book that I guess I spoilt it for myself but some things just didn't add up.

I desperately don't want to give away any spoilers for anyone still to read but the actions of Robin's brother made absolutely zero sense to me. It felt more bitter than a "normal" sibling rivalry but without any depth, reason or substance. Her relationship with her mother is difficult and pained and this I can totally understand.

I didn't really understand the reason for Robin to have been suspended from her job. It felt like an excuse just to give her a bitter edge and an excuse to return to somewhere she didn't want to be.

Her relationship with her daughter is obviously very close but even that relationship didn't feel authentic. Most of her relationships and friendships are pained or strained and she seems to use people for what she needs from them without really giving anything back.

For me there was far too many different characters and I kept getting the plot lines confused and ultimately found that I didn't really care, I just wanted to know what had happened. One of the plot lines is resolved fairly poorly... A mystery that's not a mystery. The other was pretty much unresolved and doesn't really provide any real answer as to what happened to these characters.
I feel bad leaving a negative review as the writing is good and Lucie Whitehouse is a really great author but this one just fell short for me. I didn't hate it but it kept me reading. No doubt some people will enjoy this one a lot more than me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucie Whitehouse and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After being dismissed from her former role at Scotland Yard, Robin and her daughter Lennie make the difficult transition of moving back home under the same roof as that of her parents. Taking on a private investigator’s role with family friend Maggie, Robin tries to bring some form of normality to hers and her daughter’s life. Tragedy strikes when Robin’s best friend Corinna is murdered. Suddenly Robin is faced with secrets she didn’t know her best friend had. With Corinna’s son battling for his life in hospital and her husband missing, Robin is determined to find out what happened without the power of Scotland Yard behind her!

This little cracker of a storyline has all the markings of a great new series! I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did and although I finished this some time back, I have found myself thinking about it on several occasions. Whilst it was not quite a 5 star read for me, I will most definitely be on the lookout for when Lucie Whitehouse releases the next title in this series.

Ive read several books by Lucie Whitehouse it was an easy read and I would love a follow up to this one

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
I have read other books by Lucie Whitehouse that I have enjoyed reading and Critical Incidents was a very intense police thriller. The storyline was excellent and the characters were very lifelike.
Robin is fired because she publicly disagreed with her boss about an active case and the story is published in all the newspapers. Robin is a police officer in the Met and returns home to Birmingham from London without a job or home. Her daughter, Lennie has to leave her school, her friends and is uprooted and is now sharing bunk beds with her mother at her grandparents home.
Robin goes to work for Maggie, a friend of her mother’s, who has her own private investigations business. Then Corrine, her best friend is killed in a house fire and her son badly injured trying to escape the house fire. Josh, her friend’s husband is suspected of her murder because he has disappeared.
It is a very intense and engrossing story and there are many twists and turns before the climax.
Highly recommended

I have read previous novels by Lucie Whitehouse and was expecting to enjoy this one but I found it a disappointing crime procedural and it failed to keep my interest.