Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an unbiased review.
First publication from Deborah Masson, featuring Eve Hunter and her team of detectives in Aberdeen where a mass murderer is on the loose.
Now I normally like this genre of book, but as a native of Aberdeen this book had even greater attraction for me.
Thought I'd seen through the plot around 2/3rds of the way through it but I was proved to be totally wrong.
Having read all the books by Stuart McBride featuring Logan MacRae and set in Aberdeen it is great to see that Mr McBride has some competition from Ms Masson.
Good strong characters, not all of them instantly likeable but they do grow on you.
Can't wait for the next installment

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were really well written and the suspense was kept high throughout. I had not guessed who the killer was and the last couple of chapters were brilliant. Highly recommended.

A good start a new series, this gritty debut at times was gruesome with the murders being described effectively to give the reader the feel of being there. I even winced when a certain scene was played out in the page.
DI Eve is back at work after 6 months recovery due to a run in with a local bad family. The repercussions of the run in have not Just’s impacted her life they have totally changed the lives of some of Eve team. Feeling the pressure and the lack of support from some of her team, Eve is thrown straight back in with the need to prove she is a good DI, who can catch a killer.
The characters were well rounded, I felt I warmed to some and not to other, also at time I felt a little annoyed by the main character having so many issues with the now and her past.

Great read. Suspenseful and intelligent writing. Premise was good and some great little twists throughout. I’ll be looking forward to reading the next instalment. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review.

A gritty detective novel. Quite gruesome with the descriptions of the murders that come thick and fast. I found that the story did not hold my interest all the time and this is possibly due to the author trying too hard? The characters were well rounded but not necessarily likeable.

DI Eve Hunter has returned to work after a 6 month absence and straight away has a gruesome murder to investigate and as if that wasn’t enough to be going on with, it’s the start of a series of murders. The details of the incident that led to her absence is teased out over the course of the book and maybe I’m short on patience but I’d rather have known sooner. There are some horrendous scenes described here which if it had been on the tv I may well have looked away. I think it’s bold to have your debut novel labelled as first in a series but as well as being a good read in its own right this did a great job of setting up the characters ready for the books that will follow it.

#Hold Your tongue # Netgally
OMG 😲 I can not believe this is a debut novel at all. It is a addictive from the first page to the last. I am absolutely thrilled to say what such ingenious storyline this is I found it impossible to put down a fantastic and outstanding book by far. One of the best of not the best I have read this year. The twist and turns just keep coming and coming. No matter how tired my eye where becoming. I just had to keep reading. I will be defiantly keep my eye out for further book from this extremely talented author. I can not express enough how good this author is. I suggest really I do that anyone who !liked a good thriller to read this. Also the ones who do not normally read thrillers give this one a go you honestly will not be disappointed. Seriously. This is one book I encourage you to read. If you read only one book this year make it this one.

DI Eve Hunter has just returned back to work after a brutal attack on her and her partner Sanders which left Sanders paralysed and Eve with problems with her leg.
First day back on the job and she is thrown start into a horrific murder of a young woman who has had her tongue cut out and a newspaper clipping attached to her clothes.
The first of many murders.
Can DI Eve Hunter catch this serial killer before she loses everything.

Thank you to #netgalley #deborahmasson and the #publisher for sending me this ARC. I simply loved it. I can't rave enough about this book. If you love crime novels and #whodunnit that'll keep you guessing this is the book for you! Wonderfully layered and complex storyline and an excellent example of how to achieve a second narrative that works brilliantly. I loved the characters - their insecurities and flaws laid bare for us to relate to. I loved the depth and intricacy of the lead up to the killer, the hidden clues, the red herrings, the fact that right up to the last moment I thought I had it figured and I just didn't. This is an excellent first in what I'm sure is going to become a long and successful series for this author, I'll be first in line to get the next one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ through and through.

I was intrigued by the title, description and cover of Deborah Masson's debut novel and excited to be given the opportunity by NetGalley to read this ahead of its publication. I immediately thought I'd made a big mistake as this is quite violent and unnervingly descriptive from the very first page, making it quite uncomfortable reading in places. I'm not sure why it shocked me as the clue is very much in the title " Hold Your Tongue" referring to the serial killer removing his victims' tongues whilst they were still alive. Anyway I took a deep breath and carried on and am so glad I did as it turned out to be really rather good.

I really enjoyed the style of writing which is short, snappy and to the point. It's really easy reading with the fairly short chapters continually tempting you to just read one more, particularly as the story starts quickening to its explosive ending. The narrative is principally the voice of the lead investigative detective, DI Eve Hunter, but interspersed with the odd chapter or section by the killer and other members of Eve's team which kept things varied and grabbed attention.

Following the police investigation is definitely my favourite style of crime writing as it provides a fascinating insight into police work. I always feel like I am a member of the team examining the evidence, looking for clues and trying to solve the crime alongside the characters. The best thing by far about this novel, however, was my total inability to guess the identity of the killer, due almost entirely to the author's clever misdirection throughout.

What's more Deborah Masson has a unique gift for characterisation. The four main characters, the police officers, are all flawed but still relatable and on the whole likeable. And, it's these flaws which make for such a captivating dynamic between the characters as they resent, distrust, dislike, compete and grieve with each other whilst trying to work together as a united front. Again it's the author's talent and incredible writing that enables you to put yourself in every character's shoes, understanding why they are and act the way they do - even the mentally disturbed killer.

A nice touch was that the book didn't end with the big reveal, instead it continued briefly exploring the aftermath of the case. We saw how the four main characters were coping and working towards putting their past and strained relationships behind them in order to move on as a supportive close-knit team.

Not for the squeamish but I really recommend this - a great debut from an exciting new author. I would've given it five stars except for the gruesomeness of the tongue scenes.

This is a brilliant debut novel. It is gritty and dark and full of suspense. A bit too graphic in places but it still had me hooked the whole way through. I liked the characters and their back stories. Well developed characters made everything more believable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Creepy and dark thjs story was an easy read but a little too graphic at parts but I enjoyed it. Well written and an easy read

DI Eve Hunter returns to work after an incident in which one of her colleagues was injured. Her team don’t trust her and she’s not sure she trusts herself. When the bodies start piling up she needs to get her team on board and push through them blaming her for past mistakes.

Be prepared for some gritty and gruesome murders in which the victims lose a body part. Plus we get to meet the killer and hear their thoughts. This added a lot of tension because the killer really is merciless and clever.

I enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first. There’s more action, the team dynamics aren’t so prominent and there are some great twists. I had no idea who the killer was and the reveal was a good one. In the first half Eve’s difficulties felt a bit laboured but I have to say I ended up liking her.

I’ll definitely look out for the next in the series.

I so so hope this is the first of a series!

Absolutely fantastic read, definitely in my top 3 of the year. A real thrilling read with real premise and the most explosive ending, I honestly had NO idea how this would end and was literally turning pages so fast until the early hours just to find out "who done it".

The crimes are brutal, gruesome and intricate but are written amazingly well, I loved the POV from the killer aswell which really had me guessing the whole way through.

I must admit when I first started reading I thought I had missed the first in a series as it starts going into brief detail of a previous investigation and the outcome but this is all explained further along in the book. I also had so many unanswered questions as I got further and deeper into the story but once again Deborah Masson brings it all together to a beautifully explosive ending.

The characters are written with real depth and creativity, they all have their own story to tell and flaws that show but this makes them all the more likeable. The POV of the serial killer gives a super creepy and somewhat scary feel to the storyline which worked brilliantly.

The story moves from the present and moments from the past but is weaved together expertly.

I can't believe this is the authors debut novel, the writing style has you intensely gripped from the get go. This could easily be turned into a TV series it even a film. I am such a fan already!

If your after a book full of twists and turns which has you wanting more with each chapter, look no further.

The biggest thanks to netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

If Hold Your Tongue is to be a series, then it's a brilliant start. A well thought out police procedural with an excellent premise and a real twist at the end. This one will keep you guessing, just how I love them.

I originally thought I may have missed the first book to this as it starts off talking about a previous incident that happened to DI Hunter and her colleague DS Sanders. But this is actually the first in the series, I thought I may have lots of unanswered questions but they were all answered in the book. This is a cracking book which I thoroughly enjoyed. The crimes are brutal and the story from the killers perspective is fascinating. There's lots of twists which I loved and I did not see the ending coming, which is unusual for me! This is dark, gritty and a little scary. I can't wait for the next 😊

Hold Your Tongue is the sort of book that would make for an intense and fast-paced TV show—the kind that you would want to binge watch at the cost of sacrificing your sleep.

DI Eve Hunter returns to the force after a six month absence due to a harrowing event that ruined her life and the lives of those around her; an event she blames herself for. While burdened with the guilt, Eve is tasked with investigating a series of brutal murders that take place in Aberdeen. The murderer's MO is unlike any other the department has come across—newspaper clippings pinned on to the bodies of the victims and each one of them is missing their tongue. In a race against time, Eve struggles to catch this psychopath before he claims his next victim.

Deborah Masson's debut novel is impressive to say the least. She has succeeded in writing a gripping thriller that is hard to put down. There was something about the gruesome, intricate murders that reminded me of the thriller series Hannibal (the one with Mads Mikkelsen & Hugh Dancy).

I liked the way Masson has portrayed the characters in this book. They each have their flaws and yet they are likeable. Even when it comes to an irrational character, Masson's incredible writing helps you put yourself in the character's shoes and understand why they are the way they are.

At times I did question the efficiency of the police team and some of their decisions but I eventually let it slide. The murderer's identity was a little predictable from the subtle hints that were dropped throughout the book but the reveal was a good one and the end was extremely satisfying. This book is the first in the DI Eve Hunter series and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next one.

[I'd like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK and Deborah Masson for this ARC. Expected Publication Date: 9 January 2020]

#HoldYourTongue #NetGalley It took me a while to get into this book, mainly because I couldn't warm to any of the characters especially the main character DI Eve Hunter. Apart from Cooper, her team seemed to dislike her and didn't give her any respect and I was waiting for her to take control and be the boss! The serial killer storyline was interesting albeit gory and the theme that linked the killers was different (although I wish it had come out earlier in the book). As the characters developed and we heard more of their history, I started to enjoy the book much more. The last quarter of the book had loads of action and I found myself continually saying 'just one more chapter'. I'm not sure if this is the start of a series but I would definitely read more in the series if it were.

Coming back from six months of enforced sick leave most people would hope for a little time to get back into the swing of things. Unfortunately for DI Eve Hunter that isn't even a remote possibility after a young girl's body is found at a local Aberdeen hotel with all the signs pointing to a possible serial killer.

As the body count begins to rise the hostility Eve receives from colleagues and the local press bring previous mistakes back into the limelight and her insecurities to the fore. When a victim is discovered which hits far too close to home Eve and her team realise they have far less time and way more to lose than anyone could imagine.

This is the first book by Deborah Masson but I  have absolutely no doubt more will follow. To begin with this was an entertaining story, one which set the scene well, had a main protagonist with an interesting history and a seriously flawed killer but somehow it didn't quite reach unputdownable status. Then, wham, a victim was found which changed everything and turned 3 stars into 4 in one powerful chapter. From then on it was an indication of what Ms Masson is capable of and I can't wait to see what comes next.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new author to follow or enjoys good, well written police procedurals which has the ability to surprise.

Right up my street!

A credible and descriptive police procedural so it that’s your bag then you’ll love this.