After taking down a paedophile and a corruption ring at the heart of the establishment, Constance Fairchild is now suspended until after the trial. Hounded by the paparazzi, obsessed by her privileged background, and shunned by the police colleagues and friends of the accused Con has just returned to London after spending a few months hiding away in Scotland. However trouble seems to find her and when she discovers the mutilated body of a young boy near her flat she is pulled back into an investigation which, yet again, is too close to home.
I really enjoyed the first book in the series and with this second outing Oswald is really hitting his stride. Without the encumbrance of having to include lots of extra detail about the main character the plot feels tighter and yet is very pertinent and believable. The backstory of Constance Fairchild gives the writer lots of chance to provide contrasts in the story and these work extremely well, juxtaposing gritty London with the country set, yet emphasising that evil happens at every level of society. I look forward to the next in the series.

You can’t really compare Nothing to Hide (and No Time to Cry) with the Inspector McLean series, apart from the fact they were all written by James Oswald; they are very different. Con Fairchild is suspended from duty and lacks the focus of working on an active investigation, but trouble still seems to follow her around and get her into hot water with her superiors. She is a bit of a loner with no partner (police or otherwise) or close friends to speak of, and the first person narrative emphasises this sense of isolation; Tony McLean, on the other hand, is very much part of a team. What they do have in common is the use of humour to offset the gruesome nature of the crimes, a subtle hint of something supernatural and the appearance of the wonderfully eccentric Madame Rose. After a while the appearance of the journalists and the refrain of ‘posh cop’ gets a bit annoying, which is presumably to show how it felt to Con as well. We get a bit more backstory to explain why she does not get on with her family. You could read this as a standalone but would get a better understanding if you read No Time to Cry first. I really enjoyed Nothing to Hide and look forward to reading the next book in the series when hopefully Con will be reinstated and part of an active investigative team. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Constance Fairchild Series and a follow on from "No Time To Cry" which I absolutely loved and enjoyed so much that I was a little apprehensive to read this just in case it didn't live up my expectations ... I needn't have worried, this one was just as good and, yes, you've guessed it, I loved it!

"Nothing to Hide" can be read as a standalone but I would strongly recommend you read the first one otherwise I think you could potentially be lost as to why DC Fairchild is in the place she is, i.e. suspended and a pariah amongst a lot of her fellow officers and a magnet for the media and paparazzi. "No Time To Cry" also provides a lot of back story and history that this book can only touch upon otherwise it would be a tome!

DC Constance Fairchild, or Con for short, is a fantastic, strong, female character whose strength, bravery and steely determination is highlighted within the pages of this book. Con is not however the only fantastic character in this story ... it's full of them and all of them have a part to play, big and small, in what is a totally engrossing and enthralling read from start to finish.

At the end of "No Time To Cry", I said I couldn't wait for the next one in the series and as I have said, I wasn't disappointed ... so .... when's the next one out???

Many thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Second of the Constance Fairchild series and the first I have read, which like Oswald's other novels has that supernatural undertone. Different too as Fairchild is currently suspended from active duty so less police procedural. The plot revolves around a religious cult and some of the best crime writing around at the moment.

Nothing To Hide is set a year after the events in the first book in the Constance Fairchild series, No Time To Cry and sees Con coming back to London after spending time in the Highlands, trying to hide from the intense media attention. However, her return to her flat quickly turns sour - and not just because of the smell emanating from her fridge. She discovers a severely injured young man who has been left for dead and calls the police - who make it very clear that her role in uncovering a network of corruption within the Met resulting in the death of a couple of officers means her presence isn't welcome. She is surprised that CID are involved at such an early stage and even more confused when Detective Chief Inspector Bain from the National Crime Agency turns up. She soon realises that this is not just a run-of-the-mill street stabbing, particularly after Bain reveals the nature of the boy's injuries and that this isn't the first case of this kind.
I love Con; she refuses to let being officially suspended from duty to stop her from trying to discover who is behind the horrific attacks. This doesn't always endear her to her colleagues, particularly as her privileged upbringing has long made her an outsider in the force. Unfortunately, she is still considered an interesting story by the tabloid press who nickname her "Posh Cop' and take up residence on her doorstep while printing salacious stories about her family life. One of the many things I'm enjoying about this series is that Con is the type of character who is often portrayed rather negatively in some police procedurals. However, although she may have grown up in an affluent household, she has her own family issues to deal with and it's obvious that she grew up desperate for a more loving parental relationship.
I was thrilled to see her wonderful Aunt Felicity back in this book and really enjoyed seeing more of the fabulous Madame Rose, who contributes to the suggestion that there is something otherworldly about certain aspects of the story. I also really like Bain, who for all his bluster is actually in Con's corner. Nothing To Hide introduces some new characters, too - most notably PC Karen-with-a-K Eve and Superintendent Diane Shepherd. I hope that Karen will become Con's friend; she could really use one and I'd be fascinated to see how she would respond to having to be a little less self-reliant and realising that there are people who she can trust. There is almost certainly more to learn about Diane and I'm really looking forward to seeing how her character develops in future books. So many strong, independent and talented women in a series is a real treat and although they are all very different, they are all completely believable in their own ways.
Although the plot clearly signposts who is responsible for the barbaric killings, there are still disturbing and tense moments, especially in the latter part of the novel, and a few surprises as well. The inclusion of topics such as the worrying increase in the usage of the drug, Spice and the vulnerability of young homeless people may mean the story is darkly contemporary but there is good humour throughout too.
Slick pacing, intelligent plotting and excellent scene-setting complement the top-notch characterisation and ensure Nothing To Hide is an engrossing and enjoyable second book in the series with an intriguing ending which has left me desperate to discover what lies in store for Con next. Thoroughly recommended.

Nothing to Hide by James Oswald

I'm a huge fan of James Oswald's McLean novels and I also enjoyed the first Fairchild novel. The characters and the writing in Nothing to Hide are as good as ever but I found that they weren't really backed up by the plot, which never seemed to get going. It's slow-moving and bitty, with the best moments preserved for Con's brief stay in Edinburgh. Con doesn't seem to do very much, she just gets in the way. But, as I say, fine writing as always and how fabulous to see Madame Rose again!

I really enjoyed this latest Constance Fairchild novel by James Oswald, if like me you’re a fan of police procedural then I’m sure you’ll love it too. Connie is fast becoming one of my favourites. Highly recommended

I will willingly admit that it took me far too long to read No Time To Cry But once I did I simply needed more DC Constance Fairchild in my life. I was very lucky and Wildfire approved my Netgalley request for this follow up and it certainly did not disappoint!

After the events of the last book Con has been hiding out in the Scottish Highlands waiting for things to calm down. On her return home she discovers a body by the bins, the man is still alive but it’s not pretty, he’s missing his tongue and he’s been castrated. Con calls it in and before long DCI Bain is on the scene. DCI Bain’s appearance makes it obvious that this is not a one off and soon Con discovers that they have already discovered 6 dead bodies across the UK with similar injuries. Still officially suspended from the force Con is directed back to Scotland out of the way but soon lands herself back in the middle of it as another body is discovered.

Nothing To Hide is another fantastically plotted book from James Oswald. I flew through it in just a couple of sittings and genuinely surprised myself when I glanced down at the corner of my kindle and it informed me I was 73% of the way through the book. It felt like I’d only just picked it up to start!

The action in the book moves between London and Edinburgh and back again with a couple of stops in Con’s birthplace, Harston Magna, along the way. The plot covers a lot of ground, and there is a lot of detail to take in along the way but the plot still feels well paced and builds to a particularly dramatic ending that I absolutely loved and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough to get to the end and find out what happened. I’m quite intrigued to see how the ending will effect Con and the family going forward.

DC Constance Fairchild is of course back for her second story and I am just as fond of her as previously. I totally understood her frustration with not being able to do her job, and being surrounded by paparazzi, being dubbed Posh Cop and being openly disliked by your colleagues cannot be easy! I did like her determination to keep digging even when perhaps she shouldn’t. It may have got her into a sticky situation or two but I’m fairly certain she won’t learn from it!

It was nice to see Izzy, Charlotte and Aunt Felicity return from the previous book alongside DCI Bain. New to Nothing To Hide are Bain’s superior officer Diane Shepherd and PC Karen-with-a-K Eve. Shepherd comes across as someone who is probably quite easy to underestimate if taken at face value and PC Eve seems like a solid cop keen to make the most of her career.I’m quite sure they’ll both make excellent additions to the series if they stick around.

One of the best bits about Con’s trip to Edinburgh was the return of Madame Rose, this was only made better when Janie Harrison and Manda Parsons stumble across Con at the pub, and I could not help but smile when Grumpy Bob appeared! I’ve always had a soft spot for Grumpy Bob!


Final Thoughts
Once again James Oswald has created a fantastic story, with plenty of drama along the way. This is shaping up to be another fantastic series that may even rival the McLean books in my eyes!

‘Nothing to Hide’ is the second book in Oswald’s DC Constance Fairchild series. Con, as she likes to be called, has been suspended from duty after her last case ended in the high-profile arrest of one of Britain’s wealthiest men and exposed corruption in the Metropolitan Police Force. Con is an outcast in a force that always took exception to this ‘posh cop’ and her aristocratic background. Con tries to distance herself from her neglectful parents, but in this book, there is no escaping her family.
She has returned to London to be a key witness in the court case but is hounded by the tabloids. Outside her dingy block of flats she finds a young man bleeding, brutally mutilated and barely breathing. Even though Con is off-duty and is under orders to keep a low profile until the trial, she is bored and lonely and takes every opportunity to insert herself into the police investigation. But she is not a team player and keeps getting into trouble, always relying on her intuition and the clues that she, time and time again, unwittingly stumbles across. This in the end leads Con into a very dangerous and life-threatening situation.
The plot is fast-paced with a large cast of colourful characters across three locations. I haven’t read the first book in the series, and it took me a quite a few pages before I realised that Con was female. Maybe this was Oswald’s intention, but I could not get emotionally invested in her character. It was only towards the end when Con starts to develop personal relationships that her character becomes more facetted and so more human and relatable. This is an ambitious book written with Oswald’s usual craftsmanship, but for the third book in the series I hope that Con gets transferred permanently to Edinburgh. The Scottish capital is obviously a place that Oswald knows well and describes in vivid detail rather that Con’s sketchy London. And I would love another outing to Rose’s house in Leith.
#NothingToLose #NetGalley

This is the second book in James Oswald's series featuring DC Constance Fairchild.
Con is suspended, while awaiting the trial of Roger DeVilliers, a paedophile, and the corrupt detective Bailey.

She is being harassed by the media, with paparazzi camped on her doorstep and she is known as the ‘posh’ cop. Returning home after a break in Scotland, she finds the mutilated body of a young man, he’s still breathing...so she is back in the thick of it again.

Poor Con is still the pariah to other cops, so she sent back to Scotland to do a little investigation there, away from the press. DC Karen Eve, is helping and they form a slightly fragile friendship. We also meet the marvellous character, Rose, who I have to admit is one of my favourites…..with her air of mystery and glamour...I’d love to read more about her. ( I have read other of James Oswald’s novels that also feature Madam Rose…).

Meanwhile Con is also dealing with her brothers impending wedding and meets her mother, who is now part of The Church of the coming light and the disturbing Reverend Dr Masters…..

When further bodies turn up, also mutilated, Con finds herself in danger in a claustrophobic drama….

Can they find out the link between the victims, and why they are being so horrifically mutilated?

I really like Con, she’s strong, independent and certainly feisty and dogged in her determination to find the truth. I’ll certainly be looking out for the next in the series.

I would like to thank the publishers, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free, this is my honest and unbiased review

Book 2 in James Oswaldo new series with DC Connie Fairchild as the main police character. Skilful writing allows you to pick up the threads from the first book . Connie is still suspended from duty in the aftermath of her previous investigation. She is trying to keep under the radar as she tries to pick up her life again in London but fate has other thoughts. She finds the mutilated body of a young man near her flat. Blowing apart her plan. She is hounded by paparazzi, reviled by some of the officers in her local police station but becomes caught up in a national hunt for the killer of several young people. The feisty Con sets off to follow and pull together the threads of an investigation involving a religious cult and nearly losing her life.
Con is a feisty character who is trying to figure d herself and not be hampered by her aristocratic roots. The story told here is enthralling and fast paced. Roll on book 3

My thanks to Headline/Wildfire for an eARC via NetGalley of James Oswald’s ‘Nothing to Hide’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in Oswald’s D.C. Constance Fairchild series of police procedurals. I have read a number of his Edinburgh based Inspector McLean series though not the first in this series. Still, I felt there was enough background provided to get a sense of the particular stresses Constance is currently facing.

D.C. Fairchild was born into an aristocratic family and formally is Lady Constance or as the tabloids have named her: Posh Cop. The paparazzi are hounding her after the events of ‘No Time to Cry’. It’s due to this harassment that she discovers a bloodied, mutilated, barely alive young man in an alleyway close to her flat.

This situation quickly escalates even though Con is on suspension while the turmoil from her last case settles. She ends up leaving London and the paparazzi and travels to Edinburgh where she stays with Rose, a longtime friend of her eccentric aunt. Readers of the McLean series know Rose well. A couple of other supporting characters from the McLean series make cameo appearances - sure to create a great deal of enthusiasm from readers of the those books.

Yet trouble seems to follow Con as a number of mutilated bodies turn up and a shady reverend pops up everywhere.

This proved a very satisfying crime thriller with plenty of surprises. As with his other books there was a touch of the otherworldly though a little less to the fore. I rate Oswald very highly for not only writing great characters and engaging plots but integrating this aspect in an accessible way.

I have made sure to obtain the first in the series as well as will be looking forward to more cases for Lady Constance.

Fantastic novel. Really enjoyed the development of the characters throughout. Storyline kept me intrigued.

I really enjoyed reading this book by James Oswald and thought that Con Fairchild was an interest character. Nothing to hide was a long involved tale of witchcraft, dead bodies and mutations. The story involved Con’s whole family and family friends and places across the country for her to stay. Her neighbours and newspaper journalists also played a role in what happened and reporting whatever happened.
I thought this an excellent read
Highly recommended.
With many thanks to Netgalley, also the publishers and Pigeonhole for the ARC, which was gratefully received and read.

If there is anyone who deserves a little bit of a break, it is Con Fairchild. If there is anyone highly unlikely to get one, that would also be Con Fairchild. In the first of the series, Con found herself at the heart of a massive case, steeped in scandal, one which brought down not only a well known business men but also a number of her colleagues from the Met Police. Far from being hailed a hero, as star witness for the prosecution, she finds herself ostracised by her colleagues and forced into hiding in Scotland. From very early in the book it is clear that she might have been better off staying put north of the border as soon after her return to her London flat, Con finds herself caught in yet another dark and disturbing case.

So far, so ordinary. It's a police based mystery when all is said and done. What kind of mystery would it be without a perplexing case to solve? And this is one perplexing case as it is clear from the off that this is more than just a case of another young man being stabbed on a London street. The victims injuries are severe, but also indicative of an alarming pattern of murders which had been occurring across the country. And not just any killing, but seemingly linked to the practice of Muti - taking body parts in order to incorporate them in medicinal treatments of others. And this is just the start. As the story progresses it takes a very dark and, perhaps surprising turn, one which shows that it is perhaps not quite in Mr Oswald's repertoire to ever write a 'straight' police procedural. And, hell, would we really want him to?

I have loved getting to know the character of Con Fairchild. Strong, straight talking and very independent, she is the complete opposite of Mr O's other great creation, Di Tony McLean, but she is still someone I love to read about. The styling of the book is different too, told in first person - not a small ask in attempting create a convincing female voice, but one which I feel he has managed perfectly. Con is not particularly feminine, but she is someone, god help her, I can actually identify with. Although my life is a lot less dramatic or deadly than Con's thank heavens. And my family aren't remotely as wealthy, or (quite) as dysfunctional as Con's, although we'd probably have given her a run for her money were my parents still alive ...

Fans of the Di McLean series will be having a good old chuckle as they read this book. Not only do we see the return of Madame Rose, but this time, as Con heads back to Scotland to lay low - i.e. chase a lead in the murder cases - she is joined by two other regulars from the series, Janie Harrison and Grumpy Bob Laird. I love Grumpy Bob. He may not have been in the story long, but his presence was welcomed. It perhaps the most physical work I can actually remember him doing though, so I guess there has to be a balance somewhere ...

One thing I have always loved about James Oswald's writing, aside from the tendency to take a normal(ish) situation and give it a more supernatural or occult based twist, it is the development of character. The way in which he has developed Con and the people around her, especially PC Karen Eve, Con's neighbour, Mrs Feltham, and Superintendent Diane Shepherd, has made them all characters you become completely invested in. And it is great to see a strong contingent of bold and focused female characters at the heart of the book, and I include Madame Rose in that statement. Even when it comes down to the people on the wrong side of the law, the way in which they have been portrayed oozes menace and threat. You can feel your skin crawl and sense the unease that grows whenever in their presence. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind as to who should not be trusted, long before suspicions were confirmed, but the ending still managed to deliver a surprise or two, for the reader as well as for Con.

This was yet another top read from this author. It blends good humour, great character, topical themes such as the current abundance and rise in use of spice as a recreational, and truly debilitating, drug, cunning plotting and all while tipping a nod to the faithful readers. If you are looking for a straight, no-nonsense police procedural with a very formulaic process, then this may not be the book for you. Whilst not as overtly otherworldly as the McLean series, it does border on, if not quite the inexplicable, then most certainly the more unorthodox, and I love it. I'm just waiting for the day when James Oswald pulls off a full on mash up of his two series as this would be utopia. The ground work has been laid. Here's hoping it's only a matter of time.

A top read and definitely recommended.

This is the second book with James Oswald's detective Constance Fairchild and picks up the story almost immediately after the end of the first. Knowing the back story made it easier to get into the thread of this one.of recommend reading it first although this does stand alone.
Still on suspension from duties, having uncovered corruption within her team at the Met and higher in the last book, Constance is fighting the system to get herself back into her job and work out why the press are so interested in her.
The story takes her to the Highlands of Scotland, to Edinburgh, where the story connects with incidents in Oswald's previous books, which is a good touch. The main action takes place in London, although other than mention of the Met, there is not much to identify it. The action is busy and the characters realistic. There's a touch of dark magic at times with a pseudo - priest who turns out to have links to black magic. There is also more involvement with Madam Rose who featured in the Inspector McLean series, good to see her back.
The series is working its way up to being very good, I'm looking forward to more character development as the 'posh cop', DC Con hopefully gets some time to get to grips with her new job as a member of the national crime agency in the next book.

This is book two in a new series featuring DC Constance Fairchild. When she discovers a body in a communal bin area, Con is thrown into a murder investigation, despite still being suspended. For fear of spoilers, I won't comment any more on this. The book is an exciting read, carefully plotted and with some interesting characters. I loved the links to the Inspector Mc Lean series, a nice touch. Fans of the author, one of my favourites, will enjoy this read which is shaping into an interesting series. I have no hesitation in recommending for fans of the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This is the second book in the series where we see Lady Constance Fairchild or Con as she likes to be called. I loved the first one but there was something missing in this one it didn’t grip me and a couple of bits of the story repeated itself. It took me a lot longer to read as well because I wasn’t hooked. I love all of the books James Oswald has previously written. It may just be where we are getting to know characters that will evolve more in the next book.

Con is from an aristocratic family but she doesn’t have a good relationship with her parents as they are not happy that she decided to become a police officer. She is a Detective Constable however in this book she is still on suspension after things that happened in the first book which can’t say much about or it would spoil it for anyone reading this book.

Con finds a body left in an alleyway near where she lives the boy is still alive just but has been badly mutilated having had his tongue and genitals removed. As Con is suspended she is not allowed to do anything with the case but this doesn’t stop her looking into things. But she seems to flit and float all over the place in London one minute then she goes up to Edinburgh as she is being hounded by the press in London again to do with the story from the first book.

I am just a little disappointed with this one have definitely read better by James Oswald hoping the next one in the series gets better and we will see Con back on duty and doing her job.

The second tale of posh cop Constance Fairchild is an entertaining yarn of gruesome murders,,weird cult with a pantomime devilish leader and family relationships. The somewhat unlikely scenario of our heroine suspended from duty yet still managing to be the prime investigator in what becomes serial murders is nevertheless a well constructed rollercoaster ride through London,Edinburgh and back to London via a Midlands family wedding in disguise to avoid the dastardly press! It all builds to a satisfactory conclusion and one can look forward to more in a similar vein!

James Oswald is one of my favourite authors and he doesn't disappoint in Nothing to Hide which is the second book in the DC Constance Fairchild series.

The story starts with Fairchild, who is still suspended following the events of book one, finding a man who is nearly dead in her backyard. There then follows a complex but very engrossing story as Fairchild, along with friends and colleagues, tries to solve the mystery.

The writing is superb and the pacing excellent with numerous twists and turns that kept me hooked throughout.

Once again James Oswald has delivered a great book and one that I thoroughly recommend