DI Dan Riley is faced with a broken down suspect in the gruesome murder of her philandering husband. He doesn't think she has done it but the evidence piles p against her. Meanwhile, the book flashes back to the abusive relationship between a young girl, her adoptive parents, and their son. Even before Ms. Weatherley made the connection for the reader, I knew where it was going. But the character development, the story, and the falling together of the puzzle pieces make the reading very enjoyable. You know where you are going, but just how are you going to get there? I did like the twists snuck into the story and have really enjoyed learning more about Riley. I look forward to seeing where his character goes in the future.

This book was okay. The main thing I took away was feeling awful for Laurie, who seemed like a kind human being. I really felt for her & the situation(s) she ended up in.

The book includes back & forth between the past & present, which all ends up making sense in the end. At times I just found it confusing. Parts of the story felt very slow and then other parts seemed to move very quickly. The overall writing style was nice - I liked the character's voices - though at times some of it seemed like it was trying too hard.

The majority of plot points I saw coming so there wasn't as much suspense as I might have liked. Some of the characters were highly developed, while some I found wanting to know more about or feeling more in the dark.

Overall not a bad book, but not one I consider good either.

I didn’t realise that this was the second book in the series featuring Detective Dan Riley, but it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book as a standalone. Laurie and husband Robert live a comfortable life on Cedar Close after moving wanting a fresh start. Laurie discovers that Robert has been having an affair and has a child and when she attends a neighbourhood barbecue, in a drunken rant she tells everyone about Robert’s affair. Three months later she is preparing a dinner for her estranged husband still hoping they can be reconciled. She starts drinking vodka waiting for him to arrive and passes out. When she wakes up she is covered in blood but cannot remember anything about the evening. Robert is found dead and Laurie is the main suspect but she knows that she never would have killed him. Her best friend helps her but she thinks that Laurie did kill Robert and then we have a gripping story of deceit, lies and psychological abuse. Detective Dan Riley is drawn to the case, he doesn’t think that Laurie is guilty but as he investigates the case he discovers secrets after secrets. I did guess who the killer was early on but it didn’t stop my enjoyment of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a brilliant book was took in right from the start . I will definitely be reading more of Anna-Lou books . This one is a who needs enemies when you’ve got friends like these

Ooh this is a good read.
I was totally hooked after the first few chapters and desparate to know who had killed Robert.
His wife Laurie is prime suspect as she found his body and was covered in his blood, but Dan Riley knows deep down that she’s not the killer.
The rest of the team want it to be Laurie but with a strong alibi, how can it be?
Laurie’s friend has been supporting her but she is also hiding information from her friend.
Robert is a serial adulterer and once dead, it comes to light how many women he’s been seeing.
He’s also said to be a master at manipulating people so some would say he deserved to die.
Dan is sure there is more to the murder than meets the eye, and when a second person is killed, the clues start to build up regarding who is to blame.
Laurie can’t remember what happened but knows deep down she didn’t kill her husband, but will the Police believe her?
This is s gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Laurie Mills is preparing a meal for her husband. Things have not been right between them and all she wants is to set things right. But that when there's no sign of him, the last she remembers is drinking while waiting for him. The next thing she remembers is waking up covered in blood, and discovering her husband's brutally murdered body..

Needless to say, she's the prime suspect and Inspector Dan Riley is on the case.

It is considered an open and shut case by everyone but Dan Riley. He is convinced that there is more than meets the eye..

An interesting read. I guess the murderer very early in the story, which kind of spoiled the suspense for me, but it was still an interesting, fast paced read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Mary Lou Weatherly for the opportunity to read and review this book. The Couple in Cedar Close is totally unputdownable. I love love loved it. What a brilliant crime thriller. The story revolves around Laurie and Roberts marriage. A very sad couple; he is a dominant narcissist and she is a devout wife. She jeopardises her own happiness through out their marriage until one night Robert is found brutally murdered
Does Laurie have blood on her hand or is she yet again a victim.

Really enjoyed this book - though it did take me a while to get into it. So much so that I've bought the first book by the author!

I'm a sucker for a detective with a back story and Dan Riley is certainly one of those - though I think the books could be read as stand alone and certainly don't need to be enjoyed as part of a series!

*I received an ARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

Laurie and Robert haven't had the best marriage. In fact, he's fathered a child with another woman and when Laurie finds out, things don't go very well. In fact. Robert is found in their bedroom with his throat cut, and Laurie is covered in blood.

This is a thriller that didn't have very many thrills for me. It was apparent who the killer was very early on in the story. I found all the characters to be immoral and/or annoying, so I never was able to get emotionally invested in any of them. It's not a bad book; I would describe it as "meh". Others obviously disagree with me, so if it sounds like your cup of tea, grab a copy and enjoy!

Absolutely loved this book! Couldn't put it down until it was finished. Will definitely be recommending to customers at my work!

I was not sure about this one, as i had never read this author and I was afraid it would lean more towards a domestic drama than a police-procedural. WRONG! This book is GREAT!! Lot's of twists and pretty dark. The only thing I didn't like is that it is actually Book 2 in a series so I hadn't read the 1st one. Still really enjoyed it, that's just my thing. I like to start with Book 1. I will go back and read that one too, though. Thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley!!

What an amazing novel! I have always been a fan of Anna-Lou Weatherley, but this book tops her previous ones. Less of a bonkbuster more of a domestic drama, it reels you in and doesn't let go...

Get ready to get sucked into this book. You will get hooked,
This is a very meaty book full of mystery and intrigue . It’s well written and enjoyable.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Bookouture for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

The Couple on Cedar Close is basically the autopsy of a toxic relationship, detailing the fallout affecting the lives of family members and friends of the central couple, and color the hearts and minds of the police. We see the damage inflicted on generations of women throughout the almost 40 year lifespan of Bobby Mills, who is a psychological brute, a covert narcissist who understands all the right moves to keep his women in line and at fault.

Our viewpoint is through the eyes of British Homicide Detective Inspector Dan Riley, often assisted by Detective Sergeant Lucy Davis as they follow the trail of broken ladies left behind after the murder of Bobby Mills. Which of his many victims is responsible for the death of Bobby Mills? Are they also involved in the deaths of his many murdered women?

This was at times a difficult novel to read, but the need to understand the ripples of destruction trailing the Mills couple kept me reading on. This is a novel I can comfortably recommend to family and friends. Anna-Lou Weatherley is an author I will add to my must read lists.

I received a free electronic copy of this British Police Procedural from Netgalley, Anna-Lou Weatherley, and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Wow. What a brilliant read. This is the first time I have read Anna-Lou Weatherley even though this is the second in the series of Detective Dan Riley. Needless to say I will now be buying the first in the series even though not having read it didn’t detract from this novel at all.

Cedar Close had always been a peaceful, fun place to live where the neighbours look after each other and nothing bad ever happened apart from a little gossip. That is until Robert Mills is found murdered in the guest bedroom of his house even though he no longer lives there with his wife, Laurie.

The couple had moved into Cedar Close to be opposite Laurie’s best friend, Monica after ‘the accident’ which is detailed later in the story. They had seemed a loving couple until the annual street barbecue where Laurie confronts her husband about having an affair.

Laurie wakes in the bed of the guest room to find herself covered in blood, husband dead with his throat cut and she cannot remember anything about how she got there. Everyone, apart from Detective Dan Riley, even Laurie at times, believes she is guilty. As the story unfolds the twists and turns of Robert’s life and indiscretions is told, in the present and past.

The plot is constructed with precision and each character shows their true nature at times in a way that when the final scene is played it becomes clear. I worked out some of the sub plots and twists but not all. Absolutely riveting from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Anna-Lou Weatherley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

A must read. Highly recommended.

This book was such a stunner! You not only had one psychopath in the story, but two!! Incest, murder and mayhem are so shocking in this book! Just when you think you have the book figured out, BAM another twist and turn!! A must must read!

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book. I loved the first Detective Dan Riley book so as soon as I realised this was another one book with Detective Dan I knew I had to read it. That being said this could easily be read as a standalone.

The book flicks between the perspectives of Detective Dan, Laurie Mills and Kiki. I loved the different POV and seeing how the story comes together.

I really felt for Laurie Mills. The poor woman has been through hell before we even meet her. I just wanted to give her a big hug and a good meal.

This book was more than just a Detective novel there's also the psychology to it. We always hear about physical abuse but sometimes it's the mental scars that do the most damage. It was interesting to see the different effects it has on people.

The story has a good pace but towards the end, I was so tense! I was racing through page after page because I just had to see how it all worked out.

Anna-Lou dragged me into this story and it tore me up and threw me back out. I cannot wait for another Detective Dan book!

I've been looking for a twisty (and twisted) read for a little while now. This book fit the bill. Laura and Robert are never really a couple for the reader. We walk in on the end of their marriage. Looking back at how they go to where they are is full of all kinds of side adventures that, though some are predictable and some are fantastical, are still all interesting to read. You always feel for Laura, even though you wouldn't blame her or hold her accountable for a second if she had really decided to kill her husband. No one deserves it more. Well, maybe one person.

The detective solving the case immediately feels for Laura what the reader feels and sets out on following his intuition. He goes to bat for her, never relenting to popular opinion or the easy solve. He ends up uncovering a story with a little bit of everything.

All throughout the reading I got the feeling of a series, so at the end I had to check it out. Indeed, this is the second in a series. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture now have to go buy myself yet another book in a series I was introduced to through my Netgalley shelf.

The Couple On Cedar Close is the second novel in the Detective Dan Riley series; however, it works perfectly well as a standalone. The highlight of the story is definitely the characters; they are all so real and beautifully flawed. The author makes you care for both the good characters and the bad. You sympathise with the good and despise the bad. It's difficult to comment on the novel without giving away details that I feel should be kept under wraps, so I will keep it purposely vague. I found that you didn't know who to trust throughout the story as most of the characters are untrustworthy, but it didn't take long until I knew exactly what was going on and sadly there were no twists of surprises.

Detective Riley is intelligent, intuitive, compassionate and has a tendency to be stubborn. He's a well-developed character, but what let the novel down was the lack of suspense and the very obvious clues that pointed to the killer early on that I'm pretty sure even a youngster could figure out. The book then focused on the psychology of the killer and why they decided to carry out such a despicable act. Don't get me wrong, the book had a lot of potential and I enjoyed the psychological aspect, the writing was sound and the characters interesting but those positives couldn't make up for the lack of twists and thrills.

Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

This is the second book in the DI Riley series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. I did not have the feeling that I missed something in order to pick this one up, but I do missed reading about DI Riley (but that is my own fault by not reading the first book and has nothing to do with the author not giving enough information), because you just have to love him. He is kind, compassionate, funny and stubborn by sticking to what he believes in and looking beyond first impressions. He might become my favourtie DI.

There are two ways of writing a crime book. You can keep the identity of the culprit hidden until the end or you can reveal it earlier on and give them a more active part in the story. I like both ways. I am not going to give away how this story was structured. That is for you to find out for yourself.

The author takes us on a journey by intertwining past and present into a fabulous book. She shows us that although we think we know someone we never really know them at all.

The story is a mixture of a police procedural and psychology that kept me very entertained. 4 stars.

Thank you, Anna-Lou Weatherley, Bookouture and Netgalley.