While I enjoyed this book, I did not feel that the plot moved quick enough, or with enough OMG moments to keep me intrigued.

DS Karen Hart is still haunted by the death of her husband and daughter in a tragic car accident. She is trying to move on and focus on her job. When a man is bludgeoned to death the trail leads her back to the case she was working on when they died. Was it really a tragic accident?

This is the 3rd in the series featuring DS Karen Hart, I haven’t actually read the second one yet but I don’t think it’s really necessary. But I highly recommend you go check out all the books in this series as they’re brilliant. Great storyline which keeps you hooked from start to finish. And Hart is a great character who I like reading about in each book.

Although I did enjoy her writing, I wasn't in the mood for this before archived up so I didn't finish it before then, but did enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher

You never know who or what is genuine and what is fake. I can't really say more about the plot, otherwise I would spoil the fun and thrill of reading it. And it sure is a gripping read with some twists.

I was a bit surprised how the police is treated by the people their are interviewing. Very disrespectful, and not only by the Perry couple. Also two elderly ladies tell Karen Hart off for being her 'behaviour'/doing her job. And in my opinion she treats them all very gentle, cautious and polite. Something that would never happen in a US-thriller. I did not like DC Webster at all, she was a horrible b*tch, but she voiced my feelins exactly when she said: "I'm surprised you ever get anything out of interviews if you give up that easily!"

I suspect that Karen Harts personal storyline is not finished with this 3rd part of the series, I think there is even more to it than she found out now. We'll see when the 4th book comes out.

I have not read the first two books in this series but I plan to do so now. This was a great mystery with a very deep plot that was like a puzzle. Karen is a great investigator, although still broken from personal loss. I look forward to reading more of this series.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It seemed very repetitive, very slow, and very predictable. After the discovery of an unidentified, murdered man, DC Hart is working on two parallel cases, and the connections between the two were fairly obvious right at the start. Then a case from Karen Hart's past, the murder of her husband and daughter are added to the mix, and once again, you can see where it is going. The main problem for me is that I don't think I empathized with any of the characters. DC Hart seemed a bit wimpy for her position as a detective constable, her staff seemed to take extra initiative, and her boss seemed clueless. The book had an interesting story line, but for me, fell a little flat.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. Normally, I am not enthralled by British mysteries, however, found this one engaging.. Think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the author's previous novels.
This was a very detailed police procedural and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I liked the characters and the story overall, but the people who seem like the bad guys are--surprise--the bad guys. The writing was fine, but the ending was disappointing. I liked the two main characters, but there was a surprising lack of tension here.

Hart's efforts to find out the truth about the deaths of her husband and daughter were more gripping than the murder mystery.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #D.S.Butler

Don't Turn Back is a fast moving, un-putdown-able book that i really enjoyed. The main protagonist DS Karen Hart, was a smart, empathetic and likeable character. The story began with a man being chased and then bludgeoned to death. DS Hart is called to the murder scene and finds a beer mat in the deceased's pants pocket with the name of a local bar, The Red Lion. Following that lead, she discovers three men in a building on The Red Lion's property who she suspects are living there in squalor and working for petty wages. Thus begins the investigation into what they suspect is human "slave" trafficking and whether the two cases are related is just speculation at this point.

The case has allot of twists and surprised me all the way till the end. I did not see it coming. I found this book very entertaining and would definitely recommend it. This was my first book by the author and even though it was the 3rd in the DS Karen Hart series it definitely worked as a stand-alone. I look forward to reading other books by D.S. Butler and also more about Karen Hart!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really good conspiracy theory book. Loved the suspense and thrill. The story line was very detailed and made you think.

Don't Turn Back is the 3rd book in the D. S. Karen Hart series in which investigating a crime leads to old, personal wounds being reopened for our female lead.

A bludgeoned body of a man is found in the woods around Canwick with a beer mat of a local pub, the Red Lion, in his pocket. The mat has a date and time scribbled on it. Not far from the body, a ledger is uncovered which consists of dates, codenames and payment figures. D. S. Karen Hart already has had a run in with the owners of the Red Lion in the past. 5 years ago, she had investigated the owners on the suspicion of them being involved in human trafficking and modern day slavery. However, she had to let her investigation go because of a personal tragedy involving an accident and deaths of her husband and daughter. When she and her boss D. I. Morgan investigate the pub, her suspicions prove to be correct as they discover three undocumented workers living in undesirable conditions in the garage.

What starts off as two separate investigations, a murder case and a small town modern slavery case takes a turn when it comes to light that both these seemingly separate cases are part of one huge puzzle involving a nation wide human trafficking business. While investigating D. S. Karen begins to suspect that a few members of the police force might be part of this problem too and she can't help but wonder if her initial inkling was correct about her family's death not being an accident but a murder, because of her involvement with the case and the fact that it was hushed up as an accident.

This is a complex and taut plot which covers human trafficking, modern day slavery and corruption within the police department. The pacing is fast and taut and the police procedural is gripping with a couple of shocking revelations in the end. Although, this is the 3rd book in the series, it has enough backstory to be read as a standalone.

I like how the author is moving forward with the series with an emphasis on police corruption. Towards the end, the author also introduces a new character, an ex police officer, who could play an important role in helping D. S. Karen Hart uncover the root of the police corruption issue in future installments.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Amazon Publishing and the author D. S. Butler for an e-Arc of the book.

DC Karen Hart has had some extreme trauma in her life, losing her husband and daughter, but chooses to keep working as a means to heal. She accepts an assignment to a small town where neighbors are friends and family too but also seem disguised as persons of criminal intent. DC Hart finds herself in the middle of a crime ring unable to decide who is at the root of the crime. DS Butler books are always enjoyable reads. Fast moving, tension filled and enough clues that keep you guessing until the very end.

In the prologue, a man is running from his killers. He has to keep a small blue notebook away from them. He falls in the woods, scrambles to bury the notebook, and gets up to run more. What was in that notebook? Intriguing prologue!
"Don't Look Back" is the third in a series of books about Detective Karen Hart. When the man's body is discovered, there's a beer mat in his pocket. This leads the detectives to a pub, Many many investigations and interviews encompass this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for the privilege of reading "Don't Look Back."

A very good police procedural featuring a widowed detective sergeant and her boss. The murder leads to bigger things being discovered in their small town. Very good writing and characters made for a good read. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I was so eager to read this book, as I read D.S. Butler's two previous ones. This third is just as good, an exciting read from page one to the end. I will plan to read additional books by this author. I like the characters, felt the story moved at a good pace and no matter where I stopped reading, I wanted to get back to reading and learning more about the story. I did receive a copy from NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. I hope the author finds many more interested readers, as I am ready for the next. book in the series.

Really enjoyed the other books in this series,so could not wait to read this book.
Was not let down,another great storyline that will keep you reading.
Good to link the background and present to and get a full picture.
Liked the way other characters are developing.
Can't wait for the next book!!

Apparently this is 3rd in a series so I was worried that I would be lost as there are a LOT of characters, but Butler does fill us in so by the end of the novel I was clear. DI Karen is still haunted by the accidental death of her husband and daughter five years ago and when a murder occurs that involves some of the shady suspects related to their deaths, of course it re-awakens those memories and spurs her on in the investigation. There are lots of investigators, red herrings, jealousies, suspicions, and all the things you probably have come to expect and enjoy in a police procedural. This won't be the last of Butler's books I read as it was captivating from beginning to end.

My spouse and I have taken up watching British mysteries on Netflix and BritBox, <cite>Midsomer Murders</cite>, <cite>Frost</cite>, <cite>Shetland</cite>, <cite>Vera</cite>, and so forth. This book reads much like those TV episodes. It's a sort of British police procedural, I suppose one might say. But, instead of having Detective Inspector someone-or-other as the main character, we have Detective Sergeant Karen Hart as the main character in this book. Apparently, this is the third such book featuring D.S. Karen Hart.

So, a body is found on a hillside. There are no identifying marks, other than a tattoo on his arm and a beer mat (coaster) in his back pocket that features the logo of the Red Lion Pub. The Red Lion is near by, so the police check it out. The Red Lion is run by Rod and Patricia Perry, a sketchy couple with whom D.S. Hart has had a previous encounter.

The Perrys, naturally, claim to know nothing about the dead man. But, as they're about to leave, D.S. Hart and crew see a movement in the garage behind the pub. They investigate and find three men inside, apparently living there in squalor. They think they might be illegal immigrants, so haul them off to check them out. They're thinking that the Perry's might be involved in human trafficking.

As they leave, Patricia Perry says to D.S. Hart, "I'd have thought you'd learned your lesson the last time". This brings up all kinds of flash backs for D.S. Hart. Last time she'd dealt with the Perrys was five years previously. That period coincided with the auto accident in which Hart's husband, Josh, and young daughter, Tilly, had been killed. The police investigation at that time concluded that it had been a one-car accident. D.S. Hart was unconvinced and spent considerable time and energy worrying about a possible police cover up. She had since, finally, reconciled herself to the findings of the police report, but now, she's no longer sure. Was there a police cover up, is some kind of collusion within the police still going on?

Well, that's a big part of the story. D.S. Hart is once again faced with the possibility of police collusion in the human trafficking and murder investigations in which she's involved. They get some tip offs about the human trafficking, but when they get to the various scenes where things might be going down, everything is clear and calm. There is, however, one instance of a stake out that does uncover some perfidy. That particular operation had been approved through a somewhat irregular channel, so many fewer people knew about its going down. Interesting!

So, anyway, D.S. Hart and company slog along. They have to deal with a couple of detectives from outside their local area who seem fond of preening and throwing their weight around, but not actually helping get much done. Hart also has to deal once again with the trauma of having lost her spouse and child. In the end, of course, things more-or-less work out.

It was a pretty <em>GoodRead</em>. I'll likely re-visit D.S. Hart again.
#DontTurnBack #NetGalley

D S Butler writes about several different investigating teams, all of which are excellent reads, but I think DS Karen Hart is probably his most complex. As well as being faced by appalling crimes and their perpetrators on a daily basis she is trying to deal with the tragic loss of her husband and child. The motive for the murders here is bang up to date,, to cover up the crime of human slavery. This is a great read and I can't wait for the next in the series.