Cover Image: The Killing of the Cherrywood MP

The Killing of the Cherrywood MP

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Great read. Tackles a serious subject (terrorism in Britain) but easy read and with good story.. So many twists and turns to keep the page moving. Great characters and free flowing dialogue. Enjoyed the Munich part as I used to live there. Also had some amusing moments. More suspensful than chilling.

Was this review helpful?

Thankyou to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author, Louise Burfitt-Dons, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Killing of The Cherrywood MP in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book provided a good read. The twists and turns of the storyline keeps you guessing. Very entertaining. 3.5 stars.
Well worth a read.

Was this review helpful?

Description
The Killing of the Cherrywood MP is the brilliant second book in the lauded Karen Andersen political thriller series by Louise Burfitt-Dons. In this fast-paced and gripping novel P I Andersen is once again immersed in the world of radical extremism in Britain and about to learn it's as complicated as it's deadly. Jihadi brides return from Syria and deradicalised terrorists are released from prison. In reaction extremist right-wing groups proliferate across Europe. The Labour MP for Cherrywood is found murdered and police look for a lone wolf with a personal vendetta against ISIS. P I Karen Andersen believes it's not that simple. From the roulette tables of the Ritz to the respectable suburbs of Mainz, she searches for the truth. Does the home to one of Germany's violent neo-Fascist cells hold the vital clue, or does it lie hidden in the leafy English countryside?

My Review
The Killing of the Cherrywood MP is a great whodunit with a twist. Great mystery with well-crafted characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

Here she comes. After her debut "The Missing Activist", Louise Burfitt-Dons delves into the world of politics again. Netgalley offered me a copy of her new book "The Killing of the Cherrywood MP", a sequel to her first Karen Anderson novel. Anderson is a private investigator, and was involved in a Jihadi bride affair. This time she tries to solve the case of a murdered Labour MP in the lush countryside of England. And, of course, because a bit of sex always sells, she tries to solve her love story with a colleague (???). I am putting question marks here, because I have to admit that I keep losing track of the numerous characters and plots in this book. As in her first novel, the author mixes tracks, plots and sub-plots, elements of the past and current events... It is a bit of a challenge to keep track. Who? What? When? Where? And why? A dead model on a yacht in Southern France many years ago, an Asian love affair in Mainz (or not?), women with two names, German Neonazis... It is a bit too much of everything for my taste. But suspense there is, and maybe eventually the passionate new writer will calm down a bit and realise that in a novel of 381 pages, less could be more.

Was this review helpful?

Private Investigator Karen Andersen finds herself once again helping people she met in her first adventure called The Missing Activist. This second book in the series is another British conspiracy based around Jihadi brides, politics and terrorism. The Killing of the Cherrywood MP can be read as a stand-alone as you will not feel out of your depth. Each character has snippets of back story so that you can quickly gain a perspective of the unfolding drama. However, I would recommend that you did read The Missing Activist first as this would greatly increase your enjoyment of this book. I actually went one step further and started reading The Killing of the Cherrywood MP the very day after I had finished reading The Missing Activist.

I love Louise’s writing style and it is a very comfortable read. I liked the consistency in her writing and how her characters lived with you, day in, day out. My first impression was that before Louise wrote this book, the characters were buzzing around in her head, nagging her everyday with their comments. And then, just after midnight, the characters came out to play, just like little gremlins. This was powerful characterisation which added so much realism to this novel that I felt I had followed these characters in real life for quite a while. This story made me feel part of the family. I liked how this second novel carried on from the first, it was like going on a second date. I loved the feeling of being a part of the story with people I know. Louise’s writing quality is so good, her story really drags you in. Her use of incidents and people from the first novel is very similar to the Nicole Graves Private Investigator series from Nancy Boyarsky which I also enjoyed.

I loved the plot of The Killing of the Cherrywood MP, it was very clever and complex. The pace of this novel was very good, with a linear time scale and dates. There was no wretched going backwards and forwards that plague other novels. This story simply rolled forward one day at a time. Although the principal character is Private Investigator Karen Andersen, lots of this story is told from the viewpoint of a large range of diverse characters who all have a vital role to play in the drama.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Killing of the Cherrywood MP. Louise ticks all the boxes for me in her entertaining and thought provoking British conspiracy. With all the hate expressed online that we hear about, this novel forces the reader to wonder if events like these could unfold in Britain this year. I think that Louise has got off to a tremendous start with her Private Investigator Karen Andersen series and I look forward to another adventure with our motorbike riding heroine. The Killing of the Cherrywood MP gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Was this review helpful?

Karen Andersen, a Private Investigator, is drawn into an old case of Jihadi brides. This time someone is chasing and making them pay for their acts. Tammy Bishop, a deradicalized bride, is about to be released from prison. Huw Thomas, a Labour MP, is facing deselection from his constituency where Islamism is becoming more natural and involved in a pro-Sharia campaign as well.

It took me a while to get hooked up by the story, though it escalated quickly after some point. Undoubtedly, every character was carefully and well developed. Mrs. Burfitt-Dons made a surgeon-like research -that is aside her own experience- and delved into the terrorism theme exceptionally with an amazing writing.
You will not be able to let this book before finishing it. I definitely recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

A follow up to 'The Missing Activist' - which I thoroughly enjoyed. I found this one harder work and actually came close to not finishing it -but I'm glad I did. More chaotic and very much about the present times.

Good, but definitely a follow up.

Was this review helpful?

Great plot and excellent characters like in the first book, and this book is OK to read as a stand-alone. This one also continues with the serious side of brides of Islam, politician's hunger for power, terrorism etc.
The writing is typically British, as it seems a little messy, but there is a clear timeline. There's still some dead meat, but not too bad in this one.

Was this review helpful?

A tale of Good vs Evil, and a follow on from the author's "Missing Activist" book - which I haven't read.

Excellent start and satisfactory ending, but at times I was confused in the middle. Maybe because this book is a 'follow on' or were there too many characters? The plot centres around the murder of the Cherrywood MP and was it connected to ISIS? Private Investigator Karen Anderson is tasked to solve the crime.

What the reader is treated to is an insight into the Jihadi Brides scenario, and some detailed accounts of the U.K's Far Right movement.

I warmed to the character of the PI, and the author's exciting knowledge of terrorism in our country.

I could not, however, accept the incorrect use of 'licence/license, complimentary/complimentary and practice/practise.. More care required.

Thanks to Net Galley and New Century for the chance to read and review,

Was this review helpful?

The plot of the book was terrific. And if you like a tangle of political conspiracies, complex characters and surprises. You won’t be disappointed. A former terrorist is about to be released from prison and lone wolf far-right extremist is stalking ex-Jihadi brides. As in the first book, by Louise Burfitt-Dons the PI Karen Andersen is whizzing around the place trying to square the circle. When the Labour MP for Cherrywood facing deselection is found murdered, who’s behind it? I enjoyed the start, and the ending was not what I was expecting. Looking forward to another saga in this series. With thanks to New Century from whom I received a free copy in return for an honest review. #TheKillingoftheCherrywoodMP

Was this review helpful?

An ARC from Net Galley allowed me the chance to read this book

Its a good novel from the point of the jilted twin brother, and his angst as he tries to avenge and amend his own twisted family relationship. There are parts of this that makes you fear for the soon future of the real England because they are modern snapshots of logical ends of some of their current policies. The female PI flying all over with little to no authority or clearance is distracting if you know the heavy security that is always in place in the UK and the tight ship they normally run.

Even still I liked it but I thought the author gave away a little too much in the dialogue that detracted from the triller role if you will. Other than that a good read

Was this review helpful?

This was an excellent novel that I had a great time reading. Exquisite character development and fast flowing story make this book a success

Was this review helpful?

I loved Karen Andersen in the first book in this series and she’s back in fine form here. The killing of the Cherrywood MP is a follow on from Louise Burftt-Dons’s Missing Activist but if you haven’t read that, don’t be put off. This one tackles the rise of the Far Right in the UK as well as the issue of returning Isis supporters. It has an interesting dynamic running through. Who is more radical? Who is in the right? The book is written in short chapters with page-turning endings which I like. There are a lot of characters in it, but they are all vivid and entertaining. I wondered how she was going to tie it all together. I was most intrigued by the villainous character nick-named Also Ran. What a backstory! The book begins with his twin brother’s beheading by Isis which is his driving force to get even with anyone who has supported Daesh. It follows his strange obsession with the women who were up for travelling to the Islamic State to become Jihadi brides. There’s a lot to enjoy but it's also got a scarily real feel to it. The plot is complex and twisty but I never picked the ending. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I finished it. Go, Karen!

Was this review helpful?

Another fantastic read in the Karen Anderson series, this follows on from The Missing Activist and we meet a lot of the previous characters and some new ones. The author has written a gripping story that kept me guessing right to the end while giving off enough subtle hints to lead in a few directions. If you like thrillers that have a political background then you should check this book out. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased.

#thekillingofthecherrywoodmp#

Was this review helpful?

This is the follow up to “The Missing Activist” which I enjoyed. This is about 3 years later after PI Karen Anderson foiled Zinah al Rashid’s attempt at bombing the Conservative party conference.

Now Zinah is Tammy Bishop and is being released from prison on the basis that she will help MI5 find other recruiters and stop terror groups. Someone has also managed to infiltrate the Jihadi wives What’s App group and has been targeting them one by one. Karen is now working with Quacker’s company, Partridge Security, but her Scottish/Japanese love interest is off the scene. Quacker is worried that Karen is at fault for a data breach which has led to these former Jihadi bride recruits being targeted. Karen is investigating who is responsible for these attacks. Throw in a the Cherrywood MP who has his seat thrown into threat as his Muslim community appear to think he isn’t doing enough for them. He is also living part time in London with Bea the ex-wife of the Tory MP who committed suicide in book one. The title of the book leads to no surprise when he is found dead in his Cherrywood house.

I did enjoy this, however it is deeply reliant on you having read The Missing Activist. In comparison to book one I felt this one was a lot more chaotic. The fast developing story was fine, but it felt a little all over the place. Karen’s role as the protagonist seemed weaker than book one, it could have just been that book one was building your rapport with the main character, but it felt she played a bit more of a side role in this story. There was a lot of coincidences in this book as well, with characters turning out to know other characters, which seemed a bit weird and very fortunate for the story.

All in all I did enjoy the story and the continued saga, but not as much as maybe book one. I give this 3.5/5 rounded up to 4. I received the copy of this book free via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The story starts out very strong and interesting with a scene that illustrates the atrocities of ISIS but also their clever marketing strategies when they shoot a youtube video where one of their terrorists and his English wife assassinate an English hostage by beheading him.
Thousands of foreign women and girls from all over the world did travel to the ISIS-held territories in order to marry a ‘glorious warrior’. Some of them were taken there by parents or other relatives against their will but most of them went more than willingly. Some of them were still very young and romanticised the idea of marrying a hero, a prince charming on a white horse and was quickly disillusioned when confronted by the harsh realities of being married to a brutal masochist in an ongoing war. The majority of women went there knowing what to expect and still believe in the jihad still as fanatic as ever. Nowadays they’re quietly making their way back home and for some of them, that’s the UK (over here in Belgium we have exactly the same problems but the book is set in England). No one seems to know how to handle this situation and how to differentiate between the gang leaders and their followers. As far as I’m concerned everyone who went there out of their own free will should be considered a terrorist and be punished consequently. I know that’s not a popular point of view, but there were no innocent bystanders in the caliphate but the victims and most of them are dead thanks to this women just as much as their husbands. They knew about the bloodshed and the atrocities and for many, that was exactly the attraction.
It’s a complicated book that’s confusing at times as there are many different things going on at the same time. Somehow they are all linked together through people and events.

Karen is the free-lance private security who went undercover to roll up a jihadi-bride recruiting ring. Now she’s asked to find the far-right extremist who’s targeting those Jihadi-brides and worst of all the very recruiter who she put behind bars is on early release and needs protection from right-wing extremists. Karen refuses to believe that Tammy has altered her life and thinks she’s still as dangerous as hell.
Glenn Bell is the twin-brother of Greg Bell who was assassinated by ISIS. He wants revenge and focuses on white girls that converted to Islam in order to become Jihadi brides. He’s an atypical villain in the sense that he’s far from being an evil mastermind. He’s been belittled and ridiculed by his father from the day he was born (called him ‘also ran’) and outshined by his brother in everything. He worshipped that brother and is severely wounded by his murder and everything that he does is, in fact, to show Greg that he loved him and that he will make the enemy pay for his death. It’s not hard to understand him and see why he does the things he does: the pampering of returning Isis-women and their children, most of whom still believe the radical ideas that made them leave, who are a real security risk. And believe me that by now, their (supposedly killed) husbands are also on their way back here. He’s also a very confused lonely boy. At a certain point in the story, he’s delusional that Beth (a former jihadi-bride) can fall in love with him and will voluntarily go on a date with him.
Tammy Bishop used to be Zinah al Rashid the ringleader and recruiter of the jihadi-bride-ring that Karen infiltrated. She’s in prison and has turned 180° degrees and forsworn jihad and Islam. She’s about to be released and going work as an informant for the authorities and wants to be of use as a deradicaliser for the government. She accuses the husband of Bea to have molested her as a child. She wants info from Bea about her mother’s death. Her shrink is Ali Al-Sayed. For all the bad things she’s done, she’s not truly evil but easy to impress and has a need to belong somewhere where she’s loved. But that’s not an excuse for the things she has done and she’s a repenting sinner, what about all those non-repenting ones that flock back into the west?
Ali Al-Sayed is the psychiatrist from Tammy in prison. He and his evaluation of her were a crucial factor in her early release but when it’s about to happen he suddenly starts acting very strange, poses weird questions and makes creepy suggestions. Tammy thinks he’s testing her. Outside Bea is also his client. He’s the son of Huw’s election agent and lives temporarily in the MP’s house.
Baroness Bea Harrington is a conservative candidate and shares a house (and sometimes her bed) with labour MP Huw. She used to be a friend of Bea’s mother when they both were models and was present the night she died.
Huw Thomas a labour MP for [fictional] Cherrywood (Devonshire) who’s afraid to be ditched by the party because of rumours that he’s lost touch with his voters prefers to be in London rather than in his constituency. He struggles with lots of problems in his district; high unemployment, increasing numbers of addicts, mass foreclosure of independent small businesses, large amounts of Asian and Muslim immigrants going hand in hand with a growing islamophobia.

The book does build on elements from the previous book ‘the missing activist’, that’s still on my TBR pile but you can read this perfectly well as a standalone. Everything that’s necessary is explained very well, but I keep having the feeling that I missed out on some things. So if you have the choice, read the previous book first. I’m sorry not to have done so.
This is a fast-paced and gripping story that doesn't ever slow down. It is a chilling account of the problems faced by our contemporary society. Issues that are often swept under the carpet but will fester on and on until it will explode in some mass-eruption.
The themes in this book are very close to my own door, as my daughter has also converted to Islam (long before ISIS existed though) and in the past, I have been afraid that she would come under the influence of radical ideas but luckily that she has more brains than that. Nevertheless, I wonder why one would join a religion that treats you as a second class human being, one that is inferior to men.
Isn’t it out of order that government and police are more concerned that Christians/atheists/LBGT will take revenge actions against returned jihadi-killers and their womenfolk (who are not an inch better than their husbands), than that the released terrorists will return to their evil practises and recruiting tactics? That’s not exactly what really happens, but it is the perception of a large majority of the population. And just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean that it won’t! Hasn’t? The very recent attack in England was done by a known radical prisoner who was released but mere days earlier! The rich Russian far-right supporter puts it like this: “A girl, born here steals a passport and travels to a foreign country to learn to come back and kill you. We deem the person that takes action against the girl who steals passports and want to kill people in foreign country a member of a terrorist cell; How can that be just?"

Radical extremism isn’t something that’s owned by Muslim terrorists but there are domestic radicals that are willing to use the very tactics they despise and call ‘beastly’ and ‘ inhuman’ and all that you can imagine.
I loved to see a major politician run a stale croissant under the tap to put it in the oven after. Great, really down to earth. And why shouldn’t they be depicted as ordinary living people?
I have some issues with the credibility of the story on the hierarchy department. Although she’s got zero authority Karen zooms around England as if she’s a top anti-terrorist agent. But in reality, she works freelance for Partridge private security, who in turn are only sometimes used by government agencies for certain jobs. If so, that will be strictly limited to protection and bodyguarding, not investigating all sorts of possible threats and dangers.
One of the things I dislike here is the non-linear use of time at the beginning of the book. Sometimes this works great in a story, but not here. It’s actually more annoying than anything else. You have Karen getting ready to go out to the casino to check out the Russian boyfriend of Regina who she knows from a previous case. In the next chapter, she tells her spy boss what happened there in the end and only in the following chapter you get the full story of everything that went on from her POV. There’s no real need to have the meeting with Quaker put before the night in the casino, it doesn’t make sense.
Another thing is the fact that they give alternating parts of Karen’s POV the MP’s and the right-wing extremist. You know everything he does and also who he is and why he does what he does. As the book is called ‘the killing of the cherrywood MP’. You also know who’s going to be murdered and by whom, the when and how are to be found out. So there’s little suspension left than how they will catch him. But what we think to know, is not always the truth or is it?

I received a free ARC through NetGalley and from the author and this is my honest, unbiased review of it.

Was this review helpful?

P.I. Karen Andersen is back as the tension mounts between a radical assassin’s group, terrorists and right wing extremists across Europe. Louise Burfitt-Dons’s THE KILLING OF THE CHERRYWOOD MP is steeped in conspiracies, politically motivated and very deadly as authorities determine the death was not the act of a group, but a singular killer on a mission. Now it is up to Karen to uncover what she believes to be the truth.

Radical extremism is not new, but this thriller brings it to life with raw scenes and an atmosphere that begs readers to turn just one more page, over and over again. Dark, edgy and intriguing reading.

I was invited to read an ARC edition by New Century. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Was this review helpful?

Great story with vivid characters built around far-right activists, politicians, former Jihadi brides and a security company that works for the Home Office. Karen Andersen is a private investigator with a manic temperament who works off her hunches. Huw Thomas is a MP facing deselection from his Islamified constituency who gets involved in a pro-sharia campaign to prove his loyalty. When he is found dead, suspicion falls on a Far Right lone wolf who has been threatening former Jihadi brides. Enter into the equation Tammy Bishop, the deluded deradicalised former Isis terrorist about to be released from prison. Chillingly real and timely for today’s Britain. The message is pretty stark. Can former terrorists be let out or not? Burfitt-Dons is an insightful storyteller who packs the punches. But there’s also some fun. Definitely recommend

Was this review helpful?

This was an interesting sequel, but I still found the story to wander, guess that's the way she writes. Sometime must find the protagonist 's love interest important but I did not. The story line moves along in spite of the digressions.

Was this review helpful?

If you are a lover of tangled whodunit plots, Louise Burfitt-Dons’s The Killing of the Cherrywood MP is for you. The constantly revealed connections, past and present, kept me guessing all the way to the end. Ms. Burfitt-Dons also sets her story against a thorny issue, ISIS volunteers who are now returning home, with which I was unfamiliar. The pace is a little slow but worthwhile.

Was this review helpful?