Theis crime novel started out reasonably with tied up victim suffering from having been kidnapped and starved of food and water.  So we believe DI Ridpath but no one else does! But then other deaths follow .. we are privy to perps in this tale and realise they are after revenge,  no matter how incoherent. But unfortunately there are myriad repetitions and about halfway through we are fighting with tedium to continue.

I had read the previous book in this series and thoroughly enjoyed it and this one was just as good.  I love the setting of Manchester which is familiar to me and the characters are well written and likable.  I also enjoy the different angle of a policeman working as the Coroner's Officer, which gives a different perspective to the story.  Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.  I will look forward to the next one in the series with great anticipation.

As someone from Manchester I really enjoyed the locality of this book. Well written and the protagonist was relatable.

Excellent follow up to the series debut. Tight plot and prose. 

Can’t wait for the next instalment.

I've read other books by the same author and like the style of writing and the characters.  I enjoy a crime novel and this one didn't disappoint.  I'm hoping there will be more with the same characters.

The beginning is tense and perhaps even more gripping as the victim is male - more often than not with this style of detective murder novels, the kidnapped person is female. Lee continues to hook the reader with his approach and style of writing throughout 'Where the Dead Fall'..
Work in his new role for the pathology department should be less demanding for Detective Inspector Thomas Ridpath following his treatment for cancer but the brutal death of a young man triggers a sequence of events that are anything but straightforward and stress free. Ridpath's investigations are unwelcome but he persists doggedly, taking the reader with him on an exciting journey full of twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst, not something I would usually read, I was gripped throughout and will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author in the future

So pleased to be able to review this new DI Ridpath book. The last one was excellent and this didn't disappoint either.

Ridpath narrowly missed hitting a man who runs in front of him on the busy M60, but the man is sad!y hit by a lorry and ki!led. Ridpath is convinced there was a man at the side of the road, could the dead man have been running from him? And can he convince his former colleagues in the MIT team to investigate the case?
Still working in the coroner's office he's asked to look further into an apparent suicide case, but it appears there might just be a.link between the two cases.

It was great to have the story in the background of Ridpath''s determination to win back his wife and daughter, as well.as his health worries.,which continued from the first book. Roll on the next book!

Fast paced, gripping, and well written...definitely unputdownable! Great read! Now all I need to do is read the first book in the series!

This is just an all round fun series.

A different take on police procedural stories, Ridpath is an officer working for the coroner's office when he sees a man chased onto the motorway by a gun toting masked figure. Twists and turns abound, as he gradually unravels why he was there and who was chasing him.

Strong characterisation elevates these nicely crafted tales to create a compelling, easy to read series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This book is an epic page turner. I love Karin Slaughter’s works and this one is as exceptional as her previous works.  Recommended to anyone who enjoys thrillers and great characters, woven with great storylines.  Brilliant

I was so pleased to receive the second installment of the DI Ridpath series from Netgalley as I enjoyed the first so much; it would read just as well as a standalone novel I hasten to add.

I was not disappointed, this police drama, with Ridpath at it's centre with one foot in the Coroner's Court and the other in MIT's camp, built up the suspense in solving what was initially one murder that was closely followed by several others. 

Whilst having an overall view as the reader did lead me to think the police procedure was long and drawn out as I felt sure I knew who was responsible, but of course it was down to Ridpath to join all the dots and make it a viable case to pass the CPS and get to court.

On a more personal level I really do not understand what Ridpath sees in Polly. She is pretty one dimensional at this stage and doesn't offer much as a wife or indeed as a teacher; how many in real life would get away with not showing up to work a couple of hours ahead of the kids she teaches. I think you can see how I feel about the final scene, haha!

Overall, if you like police drama then I am sure you will love this book.

As usual in my reviews, I will not regurgitate the plot (plenty of other reviews like that around if that's what you want), but will simply record my thoughts and views.

This is a fast-paced and compelling page turner - the second in the DI Ridpath series.  I was rather annoyed that I didn't manage to finish it in a single day as I didn't want to put it down!

For me, it's very important that I like the main character in a book - and DI Ridpath is quite a likeable chap.  He loves his job, but we find him seconded (unwillingly to begin with) to another team (coroner's office), and soldiering on despite personal illness (the aftermath of cancer) and family problems - a determined and dedicated police officer.

A good plot with some unexpected twists makes for a cracking read - well worth packing if you're going on a journey.

As a bonus - being a native of Greater Manchester, I was pleased to realise that I knew some of the settings in the novel (I even Googled some of them to catch up on developments since I left the area!).

Looking forward to more in this series - always a good sign.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read this book, after thoroughly enjoying the first in the series.
DI Ridpath is a complex character, with health problems, who is torn between his family and his work. This book sees him working between the Coroners Office and the Major Incident Team of the Greater Manchester Police. It's a fast moving story with plenty of twists and turns and a big twist to finish.
The characters are all very believable in this very well written book.  I shall look forward to the next in the series.

I really enjoyed the second instalment of the adventures of DI Ridpath. Although this could be read as a stand-alone book, I would recommend reading the first book so that you understand the characters, especially Ridpath. 
This was an exciting story with a few twists and  unexpected turns. Starting with Ridpath minding his own business, driving to see his daughter, when he nearly runs into a man on the motorway... to the end result which I will leave the reader to find out.  In between those two times, the story unfolds and Ridpath works between the police and the coroner’s office to discover what is really going on. 
Fast paced and interesting, it was hard to put down. Highly recommended.

Where the Dead Fall by M J Lee is a detective murder mystery. The main character is DI Ridpath who is a MIT detective seconded to the Coroner’s Office as he recovers from serious illness. It’s well written and the plot involves various gangland characters based in Manchester. It’s fast paced and was concluded well..

I particularly liked the main character’s unease in his new role, not sure whether his loyalties lay with his old team or new. The situation created an element of vulnerability in the detective which we seldom see in such a novel.

This book is set in Manchester UK - a grim town as I recall (always raining) and according to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in their novel Good Omens, it was created by the demon Crowley as part of his work towards sending humans to Hell [not to mention his slight adjustment of the M25..].
This novel does not encourage you to think that it might be a nice place to visit and be a tourist. It talks about crime families - 4 in Manchester - having ‘carved up’ the town into 4 quarters each holding their own with no inter-gang warfare, but each specialising in drugs, or prostitution, or...  but not really guns until this story starts.
I found it a useful introduction to the work of a Coroner’s Office which I had not known - I always assumed that it was part of the offices that dealt with the post-mortem - no doubt confused by TV stories. But here we find out that they stand for the victim and attempt to discover just what happened to them and how the death was investigated, if necessary.
The story makes grim reading as we have a series of deaths and a very ill policeman working for the Coroner’s Office who is charged with assuring the Coroner of her facts as she holds her Inquest into their deaths.
But still compelling and whilst I had guessed some of it, I had not guessed all of the back story which ended up with these particular deaths.

Thank You to Net Galley and Canelo  for allowing me to reveiw this book.

Tom Ridpath is back in this second novel about life as a policeman in Greater Manchester.  Although the crime scenario is new the backstory of his troubles with family life and continued treatment at Christie's Hospital for cancer continues to provide an interesting story. It also gives informative insights into the work that goes on in he Coroners office and the important role that is played there.
Especially interesting to read a book set around Manchester and its Motorway system as I come from that area and recognised many of the places described and used in the story.

Another excellent thriller from M J Lee and I hope that there are more to come so that we can continue to follow the characters in these novels

Fast-paced, believable, complex characters, an authentic, recognisable setting and a likeable detective; four of the reasons, the DI Ridpath series is a favourite of mine. 

Ridpath is a conflicted man, driven by his role in the Murder Investigation Team (MIT), he neglects his wife and daughter who he loves dearly, the situation implodes when he becomes dangerously ill. In remission and reassigned, he finds his detective skills are in constant demand, and maybe he can rebuild his family life too, as a policeman attached to the Coroner's office.

The first chapter of this second story in the series is adrenaline-fueled and suspenseful, the writing is full of visual imagery, and it's easy to imagine what's happening. It would make a great TV series.

The plot is layered, with new surprises and dramatic irony, where the reader learns information that the main protagonist doesn't know.

Ridpath's work life balance is a constant source of conflict as he tries to rebuild both his career and his family life, this doesn't impair his detection skill, which is insightful and tenacious. 

This is an intelligent thriller, not relying on graphic images to draw the reader in. You turn the pages because you want to know if he will outsmart the criminals, his doubting colleagues and still manage to salvage his personal life.

I can't wait for the next one.

I received a copy of this book from Canelo via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you the publishers and netgalley for allowing me to review this book. 
A well written police story with twist at the end that was unforeseen.