What an epic debut novel Hold Your Tongue is. That opening chapter is enough to make you squirm, and at every attack scene that was described in vivid detail, I squirmed and held my breath some more. What a vicious and cruel act to hack at someone's tongue. Stomach churning. But why did the serial killer do this to their victims? Well obviously I'm not going to tell you that nugget of information. Get the book and find out.

In this book we are introduced to DI Eve Hunter. Now I'll be honest when I started reading this story and as I got more into it, I did wonder if in fact I had missed out on a book somewhere. Hunter has a backstory that is referred to a lot. A previous case that went a little bit wrong. And, I'll be honest I was getting a bit confused and annoyed as to why on earth we were having to read about something that isn't in another book. But, then it dawned on me. This was to build the character of Hunter and her colleagues, it was also crucial to see how they all worked together and it gave us a basis for a clearer image of our lead character, rather than little titbits here and there.

This story is edge of your seat stuff and the evidence and clues are dropped to us at just the right times to keep us hooked. Even when I was rolling my eyes at the mistakes the police were doing, this showed how clever the author was in her writing ability because whilst I was thinking what on earth are they playing at? The author throws a curve ball here and there that slots the puzzle into place.

A cracking debut novel and I hope we get to see a lot more of DI Eve Hunter in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my gifted e-arc copy in exchange of an honest review.

I loved this. A true police procedural to start with, then the gruesome crimes kick in and we have an excellent whodunit. I didn't guess the murderer and was pleasantly surprised by this fact, when I found out who it was. I loved the tendon between the force and the returning main character. I loved the plot and it was written very well. Overall a great read, and I would recommend.

DI Eve Hunter returns to work after six months recovering from injuries sustained during her last case, A case that left her colleague paralysed. She is not exactly welcomed back with open arms! Some people blame her for what happened & the one replacing her injured colleague seems to have already judged her & found her wanting. However before she can even settle behind her desk a call comes in. A young woman has been discovered in a hotel. She is dead, her tongue has been cut out & a newspaper has been left with her body.

As the body count rises, Eve has to prove to herself as well as her team that she is up for the job before too many people have died.

The fact this was set in Aberdeen was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book as I always like books where I have some familiarity with the area. However it didn't great impact on the story- although I'm glad it made me choose it in the first place. It was a great read & I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Well, Hold Your Tongue had me captivated all the way through! Without giving anything away, I thought the murderer was someone else, not any of the suspects in the story and was desperate to find out if I was right. I certainly wouldn't make it in the police force!

This starts of as your typical police procedural, in line with Angela Masons and M.J. Arlidge; a strong, lonely female lead detective. I must admit, I struggled at first because it was so like so many I've read previously and I was finding it a bit samey; however the ending soon knocked that right out of the water. I'm so glad I persisted as at 80% I was starting to flag. I didn't see the ending coming at all, which after reading so many crime novels is a massive plus for me. The crimes are gruesome, the characters are interesting and the conclusion is brilliant; A strong first novel, Deborah Masson is one to watch.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House UK.

DI Eve Hunter #1

This book is set in Aberdeen, Scotland. The body of a young woman has been discovered in a hotel room. There is a newspaper clipping pinned to her clothing. But the body count is rising and DI Eve Hunter and her team are called into investigate these gruesome crimes. Eve has just returned back to work after eing on sick leave for six months.

I really don't know why I told you that this book was set in Aberdeen as there no Scottish dialogue at all. It could really have been set anywhere. The story starts off slow but it not long before the pace picks up. The investigation is complex. Eves background is revealed to us slowly. I did not .like Eve to start with but I warmed to her. The characters are well rounded and likeable, there insecurities just made them more realistic. There is hidden clues and red herrings all over the place. The backstory between Eve and Sanders, her partner who got life changing injuries in there last case made good reading. The descriptions of the scenery in Aberdeen sound beautiful. A wonderful debut novel and the first book in a new series. I can't wait to see what happens next to Eve and her colleagues.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author Deborah Masson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A most enjoyable crime story. I kept changing my view on who the killer might be. Although I had my suspicions on who it was I had to wait until near the end of the book to have it confirmed. Well writen. A good basis for follow-on books with Eve as the main character. Would I buy the book, the answer is yes I would.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers/Corgi for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Hold Your Tongue’ by Deborah Masson in exchange for an honest review. It was published in ebook in November with its paperback and audiobook editions out on Boxing Day. I have purchased the ebook.

This is the first in a new series of dark and gritty police procedurals set in Aberdeen featuring DI Eve Hunter. As the novel opens DI Hunter has just returned to duty following an incident on the job that left her injured. Her partner was left in worse condition.

Hunter has a lot to prove to regain the trust of her unit. The first case on her return sees the discovery of a young woman’s body with horrifying injuries and a newspaper clipping pinned to her clothing. It quickly becomes clear that this is the work of a serial killer.

Although the main narrative focuses on Hunter and members of her team, we get occasional chapters from the killer’s perspective that tease as to their identity.

I will leave it to your imagination as to the meaning of the title though will say it’s a pretty gruesome aspect of the serial killer signature.

This was quite a slow burn though I appreciate that in a police procedural as it gives a sense of the processes involved in the investigation and the dynamics between the characters.

Certainly recommended for those who enjoy Tartan Noir. It’s an impressive debut and I look forward to Deborah Masson’s next book.

This is what I call a slow burner and a very creditable debut from this new British author. It did take me a while to get into it and to get used to the writing style but once I did, I was hooked.

DI Eve Hunter is returning to work under a cloud after being injured in the line of duty which saw her colleague paralysed. She walks into the gruesome murder of a young woman and so begins the hunt for a brutal killer by her and her team and so begins this dark, gruesome and gritty police procedural set in the Scottish city of Aberdeen.

Mainly written from Eve's perspective interspersed with sections from members of her team and those of the killer, this gave insight from all the important characters in this book. The characters are well developed and believable with the relationships between Eve and the wider team excellently portrayed however, and this is my main criticism of this book, it took an awfully long time to get to the bottom of what happened with Eve and her colleague; you get snippets of the story here and there but, for me, this ended up annoying me slightly as I just wanted to know! In my humble opinion, this should have been explained close to the beginning of the book (maybe in a prologue?) so that the actions and reactions of Eve and her fellow officers would have been better understood.

I must applaud the author for keeping the identity of the killer well hidden amongst several red herrings; I changed my mind about who the person was a couple of times and was still caught out when the reveal happened ... excellent twist.

Overall, although I did find the first half of the book a little slow, the second made up for it and I am very much looking forward to what I hope are more outings for DI Hunter and her team.

My thanks go to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Wow. What a fantastic book. There is no way I'd have guessed this was a debut novel!

The characters work really well together as a team.

The plot was gruesome and fast paced with enough twists to keep you hooked right to the end.

I will definitely be watching out for DI Hunter and her team in the future.

Excellent crime novel with a twist I certainly didn't see coming! Well written and kept me hooked in there throughout the whole story!

This was a gritty no holds barred book. Quite graphic. Set in Aberdeen and good descriptions of areas of Aberdeen and Inverurie. As a first book this was very well written. Hope there will be more on DI Eve Hunter.

Cleverly woven thriller that kept me guessing all the way through. A 5* page turner. And despite the gory murder scenes, they were written in such a way that didn't over sensationalise the facts making them bearable for me to read. I am not a fan of overly graphic descriptions. Good stuff.

An interesting and quite enjoyable read unfortunately a little spoilt by the credibility of the (often quoted by reviewers) classification of the book as a 'Police procedural' story. Sorry, no. An unsolved murder case would not be given to a Detective Inspector (unless maybe already solved) and certainly as the number of related murders increased day by day a much more senior detective would have taken over. To just muddle along with the same 'junior' team would not happen. This may seem a pedantic criticism to some but affects the backbone of the story.
However, notwithstanding this is a pretty good effort for a first novel
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this opportunity to give an unbiased review.

This book is engrossing read, tightly plotted and well paced. The main character Eve is returning to her crime team after a traumatic incident, causing injuries from which she is not yet fully recovered, physically or mentally. The atmosphere within her team is tense, with some hostility towards Eve as the full facts of the incident are gradually revealed.

Eve is pitched straight into a gruesome murder investigation, which develops into a serial killer investigation, and a race against the clock to try to halt the killer’s sick ‘game’.

The tension is ramped up throughout with still no clue to the murderer’s identity. The reveal, when it finally comes, is most unexpected.

This story is set in Aberdeen, which added to my reading enjoyment, as I lived there for ten years.

This is a well written police procedural, and an excellent read. I will look for more from this author.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Absolute masterpiece.

I couldn't put this book down. The reign of terror didn't stop once throughout and although the twist was guessable, the identity wasn't.

I am praying for another Eve Hunter installment. If you like Thrillers, or are a fan of Chris Carter, you need to read this novel immediately.

Utterly terrifying and gripping in equal measure. So cleverly written, with a few false trails to keep the reader guessing till the very end. Well crafted characters with complex relationships. Loved it!

If this is a debut then I can't wait to read more of this new authors work. This book definitely ticked all my boxes. Hooked from the first page, enough tension and suspense to keep me glued to my seat. Atmospheric and scary which had me holding my breath. A killer like no other. Red herrings which had me constantly changing my mind and such ingenious deaths with more than a touch of blood and gore. If I could award this debut more than five stars I would. A MUST READ for all readers of this genre and enjoy a really good crime thriller. I really hope that this is the start of a new series. A very happy reader and definitely left me wanting more.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I think this is the very first novel set in Aberdeen that I read, which kind of surprises me, since I assume there are plenty of stories set in that city. Since I’ve never visited it either, I had absolutely no idea what it looks like, so I couldn’t rely on my own knowledge of it. We get a few streets’ names to place the action, but not so many that it becomes confusing, and what the city’s areas stand for (posh districts, less savoury places, and so on) is clear and presented concisely. It had a gritty side, and a sometimes stifling atmosphere that went well with the nature of the crime/murder mystery here. On the other hand, I have no idea if the real Aberdeen feels like this. I was under the impression that the setting here, while fitting, was perhaps more generic than anything else (it would’ve worked just as well in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham or Manchester).

“Hold Your Tongue” deals with DI Eve Hunter getting back to her job after a couple of harrowing events that left her and Sanders, a colleague, heavily wounded—and not only does she have to immediately investigate a series of gruesome murders, but a lot of people aren’t happy to see her back, including other police officers who hold her responsible for what happened to Sanders. While the novel is not entirely clear about the latter point in the first pages, it’s still obvious how much this is weighing on Eve, and her coming to terms with this (psychologically, emotionally and physically) is just as much part of the plot as the murders themselves.

The story comes with plenty of turns and red herrings. These included focusing on a suspect in spite of a lack of clues; gut feelings; and also chapters narrated from the point of view of the killer, spreading little clues here and there, but still vaguely enough as to not make the killer’s identity too obvious from the start—I got close to guessing who it was, but not too close either, which is good for me. At times, I found the characters perhaps too prone on jumping on certain clues or making certain mistakes because of how their own experiences influenced them (for instance, Eve and Ferguson’s strained relationship clearly doesn’t help them keep a straight head); this was partly understandable, and partly cast a shadow on them, in that it made them look less professional in such moments.

I liked that some of the tension gets resolved in this first volume in the series, but not other things (Eve’s origins and how they may colour her future take on life, or how the killer’s actions will weigh on her team in general). This was a good introduction to Eve and her partners, hinting at more depth—although I regret that one of those relationships just can’t be exploited anymore, or not directly, in the following novels.

Conclusion: 3.5 stars. As a first story in a series, it sets the scene and characters well, with a partial resolution only, and therefore more left to explore later on. It was a bit slow in places, though, and could do with just a smidge of plot tightening. I'll definitely be interested in book 2 no matter what.

A fantastic debut!

I found myself checking the blurb as I could not believe this was a first book by a new author! It is very well written, easy to read (but not so easy to put down!), the characters are well developed and their back-stories described perfectly.

DI Eve Hunter returns to work after a previous incident left her mentally and physically injured with her former partner permanently incapacitated. She returns on the same day a body is found and, despite his reservations, her boss, DCI Jim Hastings, hands Eve the case to prove herself. With a new DC on her team, another who is resentful and lacks respect for Eve plus the officer who has been covering the role in her absence, things are unlikely to run smoothly and it soon becomes clear that Eve will need to work extremely hard to prove she is still capable of getting a result. With relationships strained, solving what will become a serial killer case was never going to be easy but the story behind Eve’s absence also unfolds and brings its own twists and turns.

Not for the faint-hearted, there are graphic descriptions of the murders in this book. These are necessary in my opinion (after all we are dealing with a serial killer) but some readers unfamiliar with this style may be put off.

The outcome of the case is the most surprising and I certainly didn’t see it coming, testament to the quality of writing by this new author. There is plenty of scope for the character’s roles to develop in future books and for the team dynamic to be tested. I look forward to the next instalment and will be actively seeking it out.