DS Iris Locke returns to her childhood home, Limerick. Her first case in the Murder Team is to attend the scene of a burnt out cottage in the forest with 3 dead bodies inside. A mother and her two children. A complicated police procedural with many suspects but no motive. A clash of personalities, not the least of which is how Iris feels working in the squad where her father, former Superintendant Jack Locke, had reigned supreme. If this weren’t enough, Iris feels there is a link to a vanished baby 30 years ago, but no one will listen and the files are missing.
This excellent police procedural is a great opening novel for this series and I’m looking forward to the next instalment

A great first novel in this series. I really liked the characters, they were very believable and likeable. Lots of twists and turns throughout. I've already purchased the next novel in the series.

I couldn’t. I had a hard time following this story line. Not because I didn’t understand it, but because I was bored. I struggled big time. I really don’t have anything to say about this book. The writing was bland and the characters were just as boring

Great thriller which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to others!

Enjoyed this book and a first introduction to Iris. Some really good twists. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

A good start to a new series. Iris Locke finds herself investigating a case her father was involved with. It's nicely plotted and she's good character. Looking forward to more.

Limerick, 1990. Baby Janey Faurley disappears from her pram whilst outside her mothers home.
Thirty years on, her older sister Anna is murdered, along with her two young children.
Iris Locke is brought in to help solve the murder, but feels that both cases are connected somehow. While looking into the disappearance of little Janey, Iris uncovers long hidden secrets that someone does not want to get out.

This one was a little slow in places but having read the prologue, I knew I needed to continue reading. And I'm so glad I did. It was enjoyable and definitely worth the read. The characters are all flawed in their own ways and relatable. There are a few great twists, although one of them seemed obvious from early on.
Recommended.

An exciting new series - loved the setting in Limerick. An excellent pace to this detective novel which evokes intrigue and thill throughout the book.

Excellent police procedural and hopefully there will soon be more in this series. Geraldine Hogan writes engaging characters in an appealing setting, and ramps up the tension.

The story starts off with a baby girls going missing, and she is never found. Many years later her sister is killed, and then the reader starts going on a thrilling ride until the end! There was many twists and turns until the end, and I didn't see the ending coming!
Recommended.
TB

I would like to thank Bookouture Editions and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

This book is the first in the series "Detective Iris Locke".

It all starts when a baby is kidnapped from a yard, it will never be found. Thirty years later, his sister who became a mother is killed.

Anna Crowe is murdered in her sleep with her children next door, everyone is in shock. It reminds everyone of when her sister Janey disappeared as a baby.

Inspector Iris Locke, who after a year of unsuccessful undercover work, takes on the case to restore her reputation. Her father having investigated Janey's disappearance, she reopens the case and tries to understand why Janey disappeared and why her sister is killed thirty years later.

A book read almost in one go, so much so that I hung on to the story, so moving at certain passages, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters. Can't wait to read book two.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't for me but was well written and is a good police procedural.

As a fan of crime fiction and police procedurals, after a while many of them tend to be a little "samey" in the sense that they have all the same cliches - usually a bit of tension between the ranks as well as the token drunken cop with no life outside of work or the pub. While SILENT NIGHT did have these, it also had something a little different to offer. Something that you probably wouldn't see coming.

The fact that I did probably shows I read a little too much crime fiction thrillers that I see a twist around every corner. Ironically, I pieced most of the puzzle together at about a quarter of the way through...just because the conclusion I foresaw was a twist I honestly didn't see happening. I just though it would make things interesting if it did...

The story opens in a Prologue some 30 years ago with ten year old Anna in complete awe of her newborn baby sister, whom she silently named "Janey" after her doll. She was so enamoured by her that she even replicated the little birthmark Janey had on her right hand on her own and on her doll, so they were triplets of a kind.

One afternoon, with a storm in the air, Anna is gazing lovingly into baby Janey's pram whilst her mother is bustling about the kitchen and telling Anna to "stop bothering the baby and to go play with Ollie". Ollie was a boy who lived in the next cottage and they had played together for as long as she could remember. But now that baby Janey was here, Anna could see no point in such frivolities when she had a new baby sister to take care of. Even when Ollie came calling, she sent him away with a flea in his ear informing him that she was "minding her new baby sister".

But then suddenly, Anna felt a cold shiver up her spine and she turned to look back at where baby Janey's pram stood in the afternoon sun, her eyes wide. Her mother looked up and saw Anna's face as both mother and daughter ran to the pram, pulling back the shade. The pram was empty. Janey was gone.

Thirty years later and after a marginally successful undercover operation that went belly up, Detective Sergeant Iris Locke is now stationed in her hometown of Limerick, despite her father's reservations. As a detective who quickly moved up the ranks to Superintendent and on the force for over 40 years, Jack Locke cannot help but worry for his daughter. He doesn't want her to see the things he used to see and face the things he had to face during his career. But all Iris ever wanted to be was a detective on a Murder Squad like her father...and to make him proud.

Early one morning, Iris is called out to a horrifying crime scene that every guard, whether detective or uniform, hates the most. The burnt out remains of a house with three victims inside...and one of them is Anna Crowe, formerly Fairley, whose baby sister vanished without a trace 30 years before. Now Anna has been killed along with her own two children. But it's not as simple as it first appears. There was no electrical fault, no embers from the fireplace, no cooking accident. The three victims were all shot in the head before as they lay sleeping in their beds by the time the fire took hold. Who would do such a thing?

The team begin their investigations, looking into Anna's estranged husband Adrian and an art teacher at a college she had once attended. But Iris believes the key to Anna and her children's murders lay in the past...and a missing baby that was never found. She begins digging around and finds that the case files for the Fairley investigation have gone missing from archives and those uploaded to PULSE are restricted.

Frustrated, Iris is forced to ask her father about the case and is shocked to learn that he was the senior investigating officer in charge of the investigation. Her father had had a stellar career with an almost 100% solve rate...but the Fairley case was the only one he couldn't solve. But Jack is reluctant to discuss it saying only that it was the general consensus that the mother had been responsible for killing the baby whilst suffering post natal depression and was later institutionalised.

Iris doesn't understand why, not only her father but everyone else, brushes off her concerns surrounding the missing baby and the current case with the possibility of them being linked. She is determined to get to the bottom of both cases and prove one way or the other whether they are connected.

From her first day on the Murder Squad, Iris is teamed with DS Ben Slattery, an overweight aging gruff copper who enjoys a pint of Guinness and a whiskey chaser a little too much. The pair clearly do not hit it off but Iris refuses to let the bad-tempered detective get under her skin...and even if he does, she is just as determine not to show it. But as the investigation goes deeper, Slattery appears to gain a fresh appreciation for his new partner...even if she is the daughter of the old "guv".

But when it seems Slattery's days are numbered on the force, his first instinct is to head to the pub but instead he parks up in front of the house he shared with his wife for more than twenty years. Pondering her recent diagnosis after a car accident that almost killed her and claimed the life of another, Slattery wonders where he fits into anything - her life, the job - before his mind wanders to the case of Anna Crowe. He receives a phone call from a snout he'd visited with Iris earlier that day with some information on a senior officer that could turn everything on its head, and in turn he pieces the puzzle together with a shocking clarity.

The characters in SILENT NIGHT are an odd bunch that compliment each other. Iris, as the lead, is the typical strong determined detective that I often find irritating in books but I didn't in this case...though I'm not sure why. She's hardworking and ambitious but is a closed book. She doesn't want to live in her father's shadow but rather make her own mark in the guards, and resents any thought of favouritism.

Slattery is the stereotypical type. Failed marriage, drink problem and a bad attitude to boot...although this tough exterior hides his soft underbelly and the fact that he truly cares deeply about his cases and the victims. Despite his gruff nature, I quite liked Slattery.

DI Coleman Grady is another closed book. It is hinted that only Slattery and another detective know of his past which apparently affects him deeply...though to watch him at work you wouldn't know it. I look forward to picking his secrets apart and getting to know him further.

There are a few other characters peppered throughout that are crucial to the investigation such as June Quinn and Westmont (I think his name is), and another I can't begin to spell or pronounce (LOL). Their roles, while still significant, aren't at the forefront though I am sure we will get to know them as the series develops. However, we are introduced to everyone on the team in such a way that we do get to connect with them on some level that we look forward to getting to know them better.

Overall, the pace was rather slow to begin with although it did end up being a fast read. But it was well worth it to get to that ending.

The twist, when it came, was shocking despite having pieced it together myself just a quarter of the way into the story. I still didn't expect it eve though I had suspected it. And it was that twist that set this procedural apart from others. I just hope the series continues as one that is set apart from the rest which would make it unique and interesting.

SILENT NIGHT, which I believe has had its titled changed to HER SISTER'S BONES, is a brilliant debut to this fresh new series. It is compelling and intriguing with something a little different in store for readers despite its slow pace to begin with. Normally, that is something that would irk me, as I loathe slow burns, but there was just something immediately compelling about this book I simply had to devour.

I enjoyed SILENT NIGHT far more than I thought I would and as I am a little behind in my reading, I thought I would slot this one in first before tackling DS Locke's second installment. And I am glad I did because I didn't want to come across any reference to the first book made in the second to spoil what I essentially had yet to read. So my recommendation is read SILENT NIGHT aka HER SISTER'S BONES before tackling further cases by DS Locke.

As an aside, I don't see how either title SILENT NIGHT or HER SISTER'S BONES have much bearing on the story. I can see why the second was chosen but after reading it, I still fail to see its significance.

I would like to thank #GeraldineHogan, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SilentNight #HerSistersBones in exchange for an honest review.

A baby goes missing from her pram years ago and the case is still unsolved , years later the missing baby's older sister is murdered,. Iris thinks there a connection between the two sisters but is unable to get anyone to listen. Her father worked on the missing baby case and couldn't solve it, now he wants her to let it go.
This was a good book with twists and turns and an unexpected ending. I stayed up all night to finish this one. Can't wait to read more from this author.

First in a new series I was drawn right in the characters the town the investigation .Looking forward to next in the series#netgalley#bookoutture.

The second I saw that Geraldine Hogan was heading into crime territory I was so excited, knowing her writing, which was always so beautiful with lovely dark undertones coursing through it, was PERFECT for this genre. I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

This is the story of Iris Locke, who’s trying to earn her stripes in the police force. Iris is asked to join the Limerick Murder Squad, but doesn’t want to as her father was also in the squad. When she does, she is investigating the murder of a woman and her two children, the woman, Anna, who had a link to a baby that went missing years ago. I loved feeling my way around this one, trying to figure out how the heart breaking story of the missing child was interconnected. The story is gritty, fuelled by a host of characters, some unlikable and also by a chilling presence. I could tell this was the first in the series as there were a lot of characters for us to be introduced to, which was fair enough, and I absolutely fell into the descriptions as Locke and her alcohol fuelled partner proceeded through the investigation.

Very much enjoyed and I look forward to the next. This book was previously published as Silent Night but I’ll admit I like this title better!Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating:4 /5

I’ve come to love this author’s books and this is another fantastic read!!!
Anna Crow is found dead along with her two children resulting from a fire in a burned out cabin and horrifyingly they all have gunshot wounds to their heads. Iris Locke is on the case and leading the investigation when she discovers Anna Locke is the sister of Janey Fairley the little girl who disappeared from her pram twenty nine previously never to be seen again. Coincidentally Iris’s father led the investigation into Janey Fairley’s disappearance and he concluded that Janey’s mother killed her as a result of depression and she was institutionalised as a result but now years later Iris is about to ruffle a lot of feathers in the department as she searches for Anna’s killer .... are the two cases linked?

Thank you to NetGalley Bookouture and Geraldine Hogan for the arc of Silent Night my review is honest and unbiased.

A crime thriller with a great twist but lacking originality

In the sleepy Irish town of Corbally, a mother and her two young children are brutally murdered in their sleep and their house burned down. The victim, Anna Crowe, is already infamous for being the sister of a baby who vanished without a trace 30 years previously. As the town reels from the horror of the killings, Detective Iris Locke is brought in to investigate the case. Fresh from a failed undercover investigation, Iris is desperate to impress the Limerick Murder Squad, particularly as her father Jack Locke used to run it. Teamed up with the cynical Detective Slattery, Iris decides to re-open investigation into the Baby Crowe case, believing there must be some link with the present-day murders. However, by doing so, she may end up unearthing secrets that people have paid a heavy price to keep hidden.

This was an entertaining crime thriller novel with enough suspense and action to keep you turning pages. It opens with a prologue recounting the dramatic disappearance of Baby Crowe and doesn’t hold off the tension when it then jumps to the present day, with the brutal murder of Anna Crowe. The author does a great job of introducing multiple red herrings to distract and puzzle the reader as Iris works diligently to find out what happened to Anna that night, often putting herself in jeopardy as a result. The grizzled, borderline-alcoholic Detective Slattery was a great character, who added some comic relief to the story but also some emotional aspects too thanks to the subplot featuring his estranged wife. The twist at the end was quite unexpected, (although on reflection perhaps a little unoriginal) and it set up well for possible sequels featuring the cast of characters.

Unfortunately, there was nothing about this novel to make it really stand out from the many other similar crime thrillers out there. Most of the characters were a little flat and two dimensional, and I didn’t really connect with the protagonist Iris – in fact, her actions at one point in the book where she essentially snitches on a colleague made her quite unlikeable. I also found the writing a bit lacklustre at times – in one chapter, the author mentions the protagonist’s ‘long copper hair’ three separate times, which was both annoying and unnecessary.

Overall, this was a decent crime thriller with a great twist, but there was very little else to make it memorable. I would however consider reading more from this author, as I did enjoy the story and she clearly has talent as a writer.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

Great first in a series featuring Detective Iris Locke, looking forward to Book 2
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the first book in the series. It is of course a police investigation. I have never read any of her books before but I will definitely be reading more. There was a lot of twists and turns which kept my interest going.