This has been a very good series and The Cutting Place is one of the best yet, I think.

The book is largely about male violence and contempt for women, and based around an organisation which holds events similar to The President’s Club Dinner, which caused such scandal a couple of years ago. There are also major developments in the lives of both Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent, whose relationship continues to be an intriguing and very well handled aspect of these books. To say more of the plot would be a significant spoiler.

Jane Casey, as always, writes very well in fluent, readable prose which carries you along without drawing attention to itself – an excellent attribute. She also creates very believable characters, especially Maeve whose narrative voice is convincing and who is human, flawed and very engaging. Casey also manages to make very important points about sexism, class and coercive control while never indulging in wholesale man-bashing so it makes a powerful and readable story.

I did think that the solution to the initial murder was rather silly and detracted from the rest of the book, but overall this is a thoughtful and very gripping read which I can recommend warmly.

(My thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Another brilliant book in the series that had me racing through the pages during every spare minute. The case starts with the discovery of the body of a freelance investigative journalist and rapidly spirals into something much, much bigger. With a plot that focuses on male privilege, social hierarchy and violence towards women, this is a case that also impacts Derwent and Maeve directly and in shocking ways. It's this attention to the detective's lives that puts this series head and shoulders above most of the competition and keeps me coming back for more. Roll on book 10, I for one cannot wait.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the copy sent in return for an honest review.

This book is exactly like all the others in the Maeve Kerrigan series - completely compelling. I highly recommended this book - and the rest in series - to all readers of crime fiction.

The ninth book in the superior police procedural series makes for a very intriguing read, tackling themes of elite male privilege, corruption and violence against women. The novel begins a world away from wealth and entitlement when DI Josh Derwent and DS Maeve Kerrigan are called for the foreshore of the Thames after a licensed mudlarker finds a human hand. Later, further parts of a corpse are subsequently recovered and Maeve is faced with the challenge of identifying the deceased and leading the investigation into her murder and dismemberment.

When the victim is identified as a freelance investigative journalist, Paige Hargreaves, Maeve is keen to determine any relevance her most recent research could have in relation to the crime, and the investigation soon enters a world of wealth and influence and a secret “Gentlemen’s Club”.

A second narrative, flashing back to two years previously, gives a real edge to Maeve’s investigation and the secrets of the Chiron Club.

A strong hooking point for the book is that so much of what Jane Casey portrays is believable and not without precedent, as tabloid stories of prestigious gentlemen’s clubs will testify.

Maeve’s initial area of interest into the murder of Paige Hargreaves is soon widened as some unexpected revelations send the unfolding story in a number of unforeseen directions.

The relationship between the DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent is central to the series and something that is as compelling and intriguing as the crimes investigated. Despite the snipes, put-downs and cutting remarks, there is a bond between them that makes them fascinating to witness. During the story, Maeve’s private life takes an unwelcome turn, showing a different dimension to her friendship with Derwent, who also faces some unexpected personal developments.

This is the latest installment in the series featuring DS Maeve Kerrigan of the Metropolitan Police. Although the series is great, this can also be read as a standalone as a lot of the backstory is explained or not needed to follow this book.

In this novel, Maeve's team are called upon to investigate the disappearance of a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves. It seems that she was about to publish an article about the Chiron Club, a bastion of secrecy and dubious attitudes to women. As Maeve gets closer to the truth, the extent of the Club's activities are revealed and there are some who would go to extreme lengths to preserve the secrets it holds.

Having read a few of the previous books, I was glad to see DI Derwent present as the potential romantic interest; this is a book where Maeve's private life takes a starring role, something that I felt rather distracted from the story's denouement although it was an interesting plotline. This is a well- written and lively addition to the series, although not quite a 5 star read as I found the ending slight lacked something for me personally.

An enjoyable police procedural for those who are already familiar with Maeve's world, but I'd probably recommend starting earlier in the series if you haven't read any of the others.

Jane Casey is the multi award winning author of the superb police procedurals featuring Detective Sergeant Maeve Kerrigan and her boss/colleague Detective Inspector Josh Derwent. “The Cutting Place” is the ninth outing in the popular and absorbing series and my second after recently reading the brilliant “Cruel Acts”.
Although any of these books can be read as a stand-alone, I do believe there’s a special enjoyment of following characters and even though this was only my second visit with Maeve, I truly felt it was like wearing a comfortable slipper, I was so at home with everyone and genuinely felt I knew all the characters personally.
Alongside the police procedural part of the plot, we were privy to very deep personal storylines for both Maeve and Josh and it was this that had my emotions all over the place. Heartbreaking and endearing on many levels, the author did a fabulous job of weaving these into the polished and well executed criminal story involving domestic abuse and the power of men in the upper echelons of a private society. The opening chapter about the mudlarking on the Thames I found fascinating and set the scene for the story perfectly, with a grisly discovery on the banks of the river.
I adore the relationship between Maeve and Josh, which swings between a friendship, work partnership and a possible but highly unlikely love affair. The comaraderie is perfect and the fact that they both respect each other to extreme points, just shows how much effort and thought Jane has endeavoured to include in her characters personas.
Easy to follow, a pleasure to read and very realistic and believable I thoroughly enjoyed “The Cutting Place” from start to finish and felt quite bereft when it came to an end!
An absolute genius of a masterpiece in British crime writing with the added X Factor and a series and author I intend to follow fully. I shall be reading all seven previous books and really can’t wait to get going.

5 exceptional shiny gold stars for this belter of a book.

The Cutting Place by Jane Casey reminded me of the perfect cake. Everything carefully measured, mixed and baked. It tasted so good. Of course this was no recipe book but a hard hitting detective thriller led by DS Maeve Kerrigan.
Maeve came across as a really thoughtful soul, trying to see the final hours of a victim's life as if she was the victim, to gain that vital insight. She had her flaws too and didn't quite see a poisonous relationship creep up on her.
There was no plot reliance on badly thought out technology as is the case with many a thriller. I was puzzled by something Emma Khan said at the trial of Seth, maybe it's court etiquette but why say to the judge that he had no previous convictions? Surely that was for the defence to state? Anyway I'll leave that hanging there and just conclude by giving this novel a high recommendation. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I am a huge Maeve Kerrigan fan. I admit this.

I re-read the series atleast twice a year and I still get immense joy out of reading them.

The Cutting Place is the 9th installment in the series, and wow, so much happens. I love the dynamic between Josh Derwent and Maeve, their whole relationship has truly evolved since they first met and I cannot wait to see how it will continue.

Brilliant. 5 star read. Full of drama and action. I was gripped the whole way through and reading about the continuing story of the Maeve and Josh feels like finding out about friends. I have loved all this series and would definitely recommend any of the books.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Cutting Place by Jane Casey
Thanks @netgalley @janecaseyauthor and @harpercollinsuk for my arc.
Out now!!!
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Hands down the best book I’ve read this year. It just grabbed me from the start and did not let go. Amazing. Highly recommended xxx

Another thoroughly enjoyable instalment in the DS Kerrigan and DI Derwent series.

When a series of body parts start appearing in the Thames Kerrigan has the hard task of discovering the identity of the victim. The victim appears to be a investigative journalist called Paige Hargreaves who has been working on a story concerning the gentleman’s’ club called the Chiron Club. Has the club got secrets to hide and dies keeping them hidden warrant murder.

This storyline had many different twists and turns to keep the reader entertained until the end.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

MAEVE AND JOSH ARE BACK!!!
'The Cutting Place' is the ninth novel in the D.S Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey. For newcomers to the series, there is no need to worry about not having read the previous books as Casey provides sufficient background, without boring the reader.
In 'The Cutting Place', the investigation kicks off within the opening paragraph as a hand is washed up on the banks of the Thames and Maeve must determine who was the owner and just how the hand came to be in the Thames. Maeve soon establishes that the hand belonged to a journalist Paige Hargreaves and that while investigating a secretive club, The Chiron, Paige upset many welthy and influential men.
The story alternates between the current storyline with Maeve and a second scenario where the reader is given an insight into an event two years ago when a murder occurred. As the investigation continues, these two storylines begin to converge, with the reader trying to determine just who from the list of suspects in narrating this past event. The main storyline is told from Maeve’s first person point of view.
Maeve has grown in the series and while she is still prone to making mistakes, she has now learn to accept the help of her friends and this realisation has helped to make the character more rounded and likeable. This also means that she does try to protect Derwent, this time due to the reappearance of some individuals from his past. And of course, we continue to have the Maeve/Derwent wonderfully awkward relationship.

The writing remains as taunt and witty as ever and Casey ensures to add as many ‘uh-oh’ moments as possible to the mix. For example: there is a moment when Maeve shows Derwent a photo of the suspect and Derwent instantly mentioned Luke. The reader is lead to the (natural) conclusion that Luke is the suspect picked out by the witness. It’s only a few paragraphs later that Casey reveals that Maeve had several photos in her hands at the time!! Still moments like this add to the story and this is one series where I can never see the BIG twists (and I mean proper twists) coming.

If you haven’t discovered Jane Casey/Maeve Kerrigan yet, then do so as you are in for a treat!
Thank you to Harper Collins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this brilliant book in return for an honest review.

Jane Casey's DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent series is one of the finest crime series around, as this latest addition confirms with its strong emphasis on their personal lives and their strong relationship and support of each other. This is a particularly twisted investigation that begins with a mudlarker discovering a human hand in the River Thames at Blackfriars Bridge in London. Further pieces of the dismembered body turn up, but the victim's identity proves elusive until a DNA match proves that she was 28 year old Paige Hargreaves, a freelance journalist. Why would anyone want to murder Paige? Derwent gets briefly sidelined to a traumatising cot death inquiry, before returning to the case, Maeve herself has changed considerably, having taken up a significantly healthier lifestyle, with her yoga and healthy snacks, due to the influence of her lawyer boyfriend, Seth Taylor, a man who spoils her rotten and is so good to her, yet is liked by none of her colleagues.

Paige turns out to have been a loner who trusted no-one as it emerges she was secretly working on a story on the secretive male only Chiron Club, run by Sir Marcus Gley who refuses to divulge the small membership list of its privileged, extremely wealthy, powerful elite men, that include politicians, businessmen, bankers and judges. It is hard to get information on the club with its sinister culture of silence, although rumours abound of the bad and horrifying behaviour at club events. Running parallel in the narrative is a secondary storyline that goes back two years to a rural party with raucous celebrations and a male guest waking up alone the morning after the night before, to a nightmare scenario. Maeve has been keeping secrets from Josh that puts pressure on their relationship, whilst she finds herself blindsinded and shattered by events in her personal life.

Casey gives us intense and dark storytelling, intricately plotted, compulsive, full of suspense and tension, that keeps the reader utterly riveted, turning the pages as fast as possible, right up to the end as the surprising truth of what happened to Paige is revealed. This may well be the best addition to this fabulous series which I particular enjoy for the police team dynamics, for Maeve and Josh's character development and relationship with each other, and with what happens here, I cannot wait to see where they are heading next. This is brilliant crime fiction that focuses with sensitivity on the terrifying issue of male violence and the abuse of women in the world of male privilege and arrogance in a London all men's club. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

I love this series - the police procedural is one of my favourite genres, and Jane Casey's Maeve Kerrigan books are among the best. This has a juicily gripping plot, which begins with the discovery of the body - well, parts of it - of freelance journalist Paige Hargreaves, and sets Maeve on the trail of an elite private club for privileged men who really don't want their activities scrutinised.

Meanwhile, Maeve is dealing with her newish relationship with lawyer Seth - who does seem a teensy bit controlling - and her police colleagues: annoying Georgia, pregnant Liv, and of course Josh Derwent, with whom things move on a bit in this instalment.

A lot happens for Maeve in this book, not all of it work-related, and it's an enthralling - and at times rage-inducing - read. Highly recommended, as always.

This book has a wow,It starts with the discovery of the partial remains of Paige Hargreaves a journalist the investigation unearths a secret club.This is a gripping book i highly recommend it.5*

When the partial remains of Paige Hargreaves, a journalist writing an exposé of a secretive society, are discovered, DS Maeve Kerrigan is pulled into investigating the behaviour of the Chiron Club.

There's a solid cast of team members around Maeve: Josh Derwent, sometime work partner, landlord and friend, Liv, now 6 months pregnant and with a valuable background in financial investigation, Georgia Sutcliffe, disliked by Maeve, and the Superintendent Una Burt, who was slightly more human in this book!

I really enjoyed this, the plot was complex and intriguing but not too incredible. Because I've read all the other books in the series I'm quite invested in the characters, and it was fascinating to see a previous storyline, of Josh's past, re-enter the story arc.

Kudos to Ms Casey for the delicate build up of the storyline affecting Maeve's personal relationship with Seth Taylor.

Great read!

This was such an addictive read! I went to bed reading it and woke up reading it. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. Also I hadn’t read any of the previous novels in the series and you don’t need to ..FYI!

Set in London, detective Meave Kerrigan is covering a case where bones are found in the Thames. Determined to find out who they belong to and what happened to the victim, she is soon lead to a private gentleman’s club. Will she find out what happened or will she uncover even more secrets? Only they uber- private members will decide that, along with Maeve’s great detective work.

Ok so I’m not a huge reader of crime thriller novels but this has me wanting to read more in the genre. It’s well developed, very quick on plot and there’s the chemistry constantly sizzling between Maeve and her colleague Josh Derwent. There’s also a subplot of domestic violence which was gut wrenching but also riveting. As to the main storyline though, I constantly found myself trying to figure out who the murderer was..and I wasn’t too far off in the end!

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Cutting Place’ by Jane Casey in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When parts of a female body are found in the River Thames at Greenwich DS Maeve Kerrigan links her investigation to the Chiron, a club for privileged and wealthy gentlemen. She discovers that a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves, has disappeared whilst working on a story regarding the club and the degrading of young females working there and although the body parts aren’t those of the journalist Maeve thinks the two cases are connected.

‘The Cutting Place’ is the nineth DS Maeve Kerrigan thriller and a worthy addition to the exciting police procedural series. I admire the character of Maeve who not only uncovers evidence that nobody else has found but engages in facetious banter with DI Josh Derwent and her team adding some much-needed light-heartedness to the investigation. I thought the story was all but over around three-quarters of the way through when it changed direction somewhat and we learn more about Maeve’s private life with boyfriend Seth, adding even more suspense, drama and twists and turns to the final part. This is a gripping and highly readable thriller which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

The arrival of a new Maeve Kerrigan novel is always something to be celebrated. This latest in the series, The Cutting Place, is all the more welcome because it is definitely one of the strongest in the sequence. Maeve is called out by the Marine Police unit to a partial body dump in the Thames. A licensed mudlarker has discovered a hand while on her early morning walk.  The body part is eventually traced back to a missing freelance journalist, Paige Hargreaves.  Subsequent investigation indicates that Paige believed that she had discovered a serious scandal inside an exclusive male only establishment, The Chiron Club. When Maeve tries to breach the hallowed halls, she is treated to a “butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth“ interview with one Sir Marcus Gley. Asking for further information about the nature of the club, having found it difficult to get any details about the way it works or what it does she is told:

that’s quite deliberate, but not for any sinister reason. The details are only of interest to members, and one cannot apply for membership. Prospective members are selected with great care. They are approached and offered the opportunity to be part of this organisation. We don’t want to attract attention from those who would be… let’s say unsuitable.
Sir Marcus might protest that there is nothing sinister about the activities of the Chiron Club but a parallel narrative, which reports events from two years previously, suggests strongly that this is not the case. In this second strand to the story a nameless young man wakens from what is clearly at least a drunken if not also a drugged stupor to find himself in a remote country house with a dead body and very little memory of what happened the night before. At various intervals the main narrative is punctuated by his attempts to escape from his situation and the consequences which then unfold over the intervening period. Blackmail is the least of it.

Maeve’s investigation brings to her attention a young man by the name of Roderick Asquith and his housemates, Orlando Hawks and Luke Gibson. Roderick and Orlando are both members of the Chiron Club. Luke, from a more humble background, watches on but is seemingly not involved. At least, Maeve desperately hopes he’s not involved, because it very quickly becomes apparent that Luke, unbeknown to both of them, is related to one of the investigating officers. What will be the fallout if she is eventually forced to arrest him?

Although it is never mentioned, the events that form the main part of this book are surely influenced by the reports in late 2018 of the sexual assaults perpetrated on young  female waitresses at a men’s only charity event held in London. They, like the events eventually revealed in The Cutting Place, were the result of the assumption of entitlement felt by a certain section of rich male society and it is the concept of entitlement that is one of the main themes of the novel. In a parallel strand, we watch the development of Maeve’s relationship with the lawyer, Seth Taylor, and it surely isn’t only her partner, DI Joss Derwent, who is concerned about the control that Taylor appears to wield over Maeve’s life. Seth is another example of someone who believes that he has the right to manipulate others for his own ends and who, when it becomes apparent that he may not be able to get his own way, resorts to violence, confident that his position in life will enable him to get away with whatever he likes. It shouldn’t be thought, however, that Casey is only exploring this theme in relation to the male of the species, and the rich and powerful.  There is also an example of a young woman who bends the law in an attempt to further her own career, firmly convinced that she has the right to do so. When Maeve and Derwent catch up with her, she complains this is so unfair. Only to be told:

No. It’s the law. And, although you might not want to believe me, it applies to everyone.
A feeling of entitlement, as we have seen in our parks and playgrounds over the past couple of weekends, is not a prerogative simply of the rich and famous.

A secondary theme in the book concerns the relationship between fathers and sons. When Luke, brought up by Claire, his single parent mother, finds out the identity of his father, there are inevitably fireworks. However, he also discovers that his father will move heaven and earth to help him. Likewise, it is the tightness of the father/son bond that the Chiron Club has exploited in the case of one of the young men involved in the central crime, placing him in a situation where he can be blackmailed so that his father will hand out any amount of money in order to prevent that from happening. There were times when what was happening in this novel made me so angry I wanted to spit!

As I said at the beginning of this review, I think this is one of the strongest books in the sequence. Casey is an excellent writer anyway, but in this novel I think she has really pulled out all the stops.  It was one of my most satisfying crime reads for some time.

With thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a review copy.

DS Maeve Kerrigan finds herself in an unfamiliar world of wealth, luxury and ruthless behaviour when she investigates the murder of a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves. Paige was working on a story about the Chiron Club, a private society for the richest and most privileged men in London. Then she disappeared. Everyone's heard the rumours about elite gentlemen's clubs, where the champagne flows freely, the parties are the height of decadence . . . and the secrets are darker than you could possibly imagine.

Another thrilling book in the Maeve Kerrigan series. It can be read as a standalone but it's good to know about Maeve's past.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

Slow Starter.. but overall Great Read

The Cutting Place is written from Detective Maeve Kerrigan's perspective, whilst this is book 9 in this collection, you could easily read as a stand-alone novel. I've not read any books by this author before but definitely would read more.

Body parts washed up with the tide, raising questions whose are they? And what happened?

Paige Hargreaves, a freelance Journalist goes missing whilst working on a story into an elite gentleman's club. DS Maeve Kerrigan leads the investigation into this case, looking into members, made all the more difficult as those who are members believe this gives them immunity, and will be okay. Whilst looking into this case, she meets someone she did not expect....

Lots going on, DS Kerrigan has her own secrets/difficulties in her personal life. Then there's her colleague, DI Josh Derwent, who also discovers something about his own life. They seem to have a great relationship, more than just work colleagues, they care about each other.

Story lines tackled, not what I'd expected but well written. Definitely worth reading 👍