This was my first experience with DS Karen Hart and I was not disappointed. It is not necessary to read the first two installments to enjoy this novel. The author does a great job of painting the backstory.

The premise of this novel is a murder. The man is bludgeoned to death and also may be tied to human trafficking. DS Hart is investigating this while still being haunted (who wouldn't be) by the accidental deaths of her husband and daughter that happened 5 years ago. The pacing of this novel is wonderful and keeps you guessing.

I look forward to finding out what happens next!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and D.S. Butler for providing me with this ARC.

Still reeling from the end of the book!
Still trying to wrap my head around the implications from the last case of Detective Hart. Intense reading from the very first chapter, the drama and action held me hostage until the last page. One of the most interesting and intriguing crime fiction series out right now, it is definitely worthy of your time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book .
#netgalley #dontturnback

I found this book overall a pleasant read. The case was an interesting twist on the typical murder mystery. I found some of the characters to be a bit irritating, I would have preferred for more chapters be from the perspective of the main male detective. The end intrigued me to read the next.

I would give it a 3.5 stars

Don’t Turn Back, @dsbutlerauthor gets 5 * from me. Just love this Detective Karen Hart series. And book three has left me wanting more!

This is book three. Don’t Turn Back can stand alone, however you’ll get a more in-depth appreciation of what’s going on if you read books one and two. D S Butler has ingeniously scattered seeds here and there in her previous books that come together as you read this book.

As I mentioned in my review of #wheresecretslie Detective Karen Hart doesn’t let anything go and if you read the previous two books you’ll see what I mean when you read #dontturnback.

It starts well ‘He was going to die tonight. But that didn’t slow him down. His death might have been inevitable, but a primitive urge to flee kept his legs moving as he stumbled up the mist-cloaked escarpment.’

‘Terrified, he turned to face the snapping jaws and heard the cold laugh of victory – the sound of a man who’d caught his prey.’

The story has two separate cases moving along side by side, one about human trafficking and the other a murder..... with a connection to the Red Lion Pub. Karen has history with Patricia and Rod Perry, the owners of the pub, and when Patricia hissed ‘You should have learned your lesson last time.’ Karen was knocked off balance and needed to understand why she had said this... Karen Hart is haunted by the loss of her husband and daughter.

Full of twists and turns and Butler writes in great detail.

‘The man had no morals. No qualms about killing. He’d kill again given the chance. xxxxxxxx injuries, his smashed face and skull, had made it clear his killer was a man out of control. The cool, conceited way he delivered his lines told her this was rehearsed.’

‘Stay calm. Screaming at him won’t help.’ ‘She wanted answers so badly. Needed them. But had it really come to this? Relying on this man for answers? He was a psychopath. There was no remorse for what he’d done, no empathy for his victims.’

‘She felt the familiar tug of her old obsession – the uncertainty, the paranoia – but it was different this time. Now, she wasn’t working alone. She looked up and handed Morgan one of the forensic reports. He smiled as he took it from her. ‘It might take a while, but we’ll get answers.’ Karen returned his smile and raised her glass. ‘Yes. This time, we will.’

I don’t want to say much more, not into spoilers, just buy the book and enjoy!

A door is left open to more books in the series. Here’s to book four of the 🕵️‍♀️ Karen Hart series! 💃💃💃

A man is found bludgeoned to death in woodland by the village of Canwick, and the close-knit community is sent into shock. Detective Karen Hart, still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter nearby, is brought in to investigate the horrific murder.
It soon becomes clear that dark secrets lie behind Canwick’s unspoiled appearance. When Hart begins to suspect that a modern-day slavery ring has been hiding in plain sight among the villagers, she faces a race to find proof before the culprits slip from her grasp. But when key witnesses start disappearing, it’s obvious that there’s a deep-rooted conspiracy to keep prying eyes away from the truth.
This is the third book in the series & can be read on its own. I haven’t read the earlier books but after being totally caught up in this book I’ll certainly be reading them now. A fast paced story, well defined characters all made for a read that I was loathe to put down & I read it in two sittings. There are plenty of twists, turns & red herrings also some revelations that had me gasping & made the pages fly by. I liked that it was written from the point of view of the investigators so I was able to see if I could work out the solution before the team
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Loved this book. Karen Hart at her best true saying be careful who you trust. Cant wait to read more books like this

Another book with detective Karen Hart. A brilliant series of books. Tense and thrilling. Next one please.

Don’t Turn Back, by D.S. Butler, is the third book in her series featuring DS Karen Hart.

A man is found bludgeoned to dead. In his pocket, a scribbled beer mat from a pub. Buried not too far from the body, a mysterious ledger. Investigating the Red Lion pub, DS Karen Hart and her boss, DI Scott Morgan, discover undocumented workers hidden in a garage.

What begins as two seemingly separate cases, one allowing DS Hart to prove old suspicions against the Red Lion’s owners, turn into a nationwide investigation in human trafficking. An investigation, quite different from the previous ones, that will bring back ghosts from both DS Hart and DI Morgan’s pasts, and lead to shocking revelations.

Although this book can be read as a standalone, it can only be fully appreciated if you have read the previous entries in the series. D.S. Butler subtly seeded several plot points in her first two novels that all come together in quite a thrilling way in the course of this story.

The author keeps to her usual style of a third person narration alternating the point of views of the multiple characters featured in the story. It’s particularly efficient this time around, as events bring back DS Hart’s paranoia with a vengeance, and push DI Morgan back to keeping to himself. The outside POV of the team’s two young DCs, and of other protagonists (and antagonists), bring us to doubt the two main characters, and ourselves, as to what is really going up with the investigation. Multiple narrators means some, if not all, have to be unreliable.

This time around, more time is spent on the investigation itself, and less on the personal lives of the team. That is, until those personal lives come crashing into the story, all the way to a very satisfying payoff.

Not much more can be written without spoiling anything. Unexpectedly, the three books finally end up forming a trilogy, rewarding the constant reader. Do not worry, however, as a door is left open to more books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Amazon Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.


Review of book one : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3202221086

Review of book two : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3213896315

Full review to be published online in early April.


DON’T TURN BACK begins with an unnamed character on the run, and he’s determined to hide a notebook before he is caught. The discovery of his body leads a relieved Karen to leave an awkward family barbecue. She lost her husband and daughter in a tragic accident prior to the first book and although she’s still coming to terms with it, her sister is chivvying her along to start a new relationship! Subsequent events in this book make her recovery process even harder.

Without giving away the plot, parts of it are very believable but I felt the underlying police corruption theme was a bit contrived and to me the ending, and those involved were telegraphed from quite early on.

I did enjoy it but just felt I wasn’t as invested in Karen as I should’ve been - she and her boss seemed to change personalities when the ex colleagues appeared and Karen changed from a strong woman to someone who took orders from a subordinate. I know that the upheaval in her personal life from what she learns doesn’t help but I felt it was a little unbelievable. I enjoyed it enough to continue the series, however.

Third book in a series by J S Butler.

I have read the previous in the series so was looking forward to reading this. It exceeded my expectations and had me hooked right from the start. It can easily be read independently of the others in the series and is a great police procedural with realistic characters.

3rd book in a Detective Karen Hart series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone. This is the first one I have read from this author, and look forward to reading the others. It was a great thriller that I could not put down until the end. All the twists and turns kept me guessing and it was a surprise towards the end!
Set in Lincolnshire, DS Karen Hart is still very much tramatized after the loss of her husband and daughter. The quiet village she lives in is shocked and on edge by a grisly murder and suspicions of police corruption, human slavery and ties with the death of her husband and daughter.
You won't be sorry buying this novel!


Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

Great police procedural,mystery. Apparently it is a third book in a series but is easily read independently. I have read one other book of the DS Hart series,but it is not necessary to have ready any of the prior books to enjoy this one.
DS Hart and her boss are investigating human trafficking, murder and a possible connection to the death of her husband and child as well as police corruption. Who is trust worthy??
Characters are conversational and easy to follow so that you feel you are there and can see and feel their experiences. No profanity, blood and it's or raunchy sex.

A good clean mystery read that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased reviews.The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first book I've read by this author, need to read the first two in the series now. I loved this book & couldn't put it down, kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what was going to happen next. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in return for an honest review.

A tale of modern day slavery and so much more. Detective Karen Hart is gradually putting her life back together again after a devastating car accident took the lives of her husband and young daughter. A body is found beaten to death and a visit to a local pub uncovers three men locked in a garage. And this is only the start. Atmospheric and chilling, it beggars belief what we as a human race can inflict on each other. It is upto Morgan her boss and their team to find answers and uncover the truth no matter the cost. This read had me glued to my seat and tapping my kindle like a demented wood pecker. Action packed and a good police procedural. Can't wait to read more as Karen, Morgan and their team have unfinished business. Another in this gripping and very addictive series.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC. I really love this series of books, this is the third book in the DS Karen hart series and it just keeps improving. I really like the character of Karen, who is still struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband and daughter in a car crash. A dead body is found in woods and the investigation uncovers a people trafficking ring in Lincolnshire. The investigation leads to police corruption and there are plenty twists and surprises. I liked the ending with a piece of the puzzle missing and look forward to a fourth book in this series.

Love this series, was so excited to read this next instalment of karen hart.i certainly wasn’t disappointed i absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down.if you haven’t already read these books in order you can read this one as it takes you back in the story explaining about her husband and daughter.would definitely recommend this book and looking forward to the next one.

Don’t Turn Back is the first book written by D S Butler that I have read but it won’t be the last.

This is the latest book in the DS Karen Hart series which is set in Lincolnshire however without having read the previous book I had no issues with following the story as a stand-alone.

The main storyline also has a further arc that weaves in and out that adds to the reader’s enjoyment and page turning. The story is also nicely left open for the next in the series

This is definitely a book that I would recommend to all police thriller readers

Detective Karen Hart is trying to put a brave face on things even though she is still not coping well with the death of her husband and daughter. She is enjoying a barbecue with her family and finally relaxing a little when she is called to a crime scene which, although she doesn't know it yet, is going to blow apart everything she thought she knew and cause her to doubt everyone.

The battered body of a man found in woodland by a curious dog leads to a family Karen has had dealings with before and a comment that chills her to the bone. When two London detectives known and disliked by her boss Scott Morgan are seconded to their team the tension increases steadily until everyone can see something or someone will have to give before long. Who will survive the fallout is anyone's guess but both Scott and Karen know the case is more important than any one person and keep pressing on despite the danger it could cause.

Once again D S Butler has written an entertaining, fast moving story which covers a great deal of ground. The main characters are sympathetically drawn and although the London officers were a little stereotypical that maybe because they were accurately described for the situation they found themselves in.

There was one piece of unfinished business which I'm not sure will appear in a future storyline but hopefully there will be more from this series of books as they are an entertaining, well written and relevant set of police procedural mysteries.

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 enjoys a good murder mystery with relatable stories and characters.

Don’t Turn Back by DS Butler
3 Stars
Good book but missing something to make it a great book.

This is the third in a series with DS Karen Hart, the central police character, working with her boss DI Scott Morgan in Lincolnshire. Morgan transferred from Thames Valley at the start of the series and some of his very unlikeable ex-colleagues make an appearance in this instalment as the family which appear to be at the heart of the crimes have links to the Thames Valley area.

It starts with an unnamed character on the run, not from the police, and he’s determined to hide a notebook before he is caught. The discovery of his body leads a relieved Karen to leave an awkward family barbecue. She lost her husband and daughter in a tragic accident prior to the first book and although she’s still coming to terms with it, her sister is chivvying her along to start a new relationship! Subsequent events in this book make her recovery process even harder.

Without giving away the plot, parts of it are very believable but I felt the underlying police corruption theme was a bit contrived and to me the ending, and those involved were telegraphed from quite early on.

I did enjoy it but just felt I wasn’t as invested in Karen as I should’ve been - her and her boss seemed to change personalities when the ex colleagues appeared and Karen changed from a strong woman to someone who took orders from a subordinate. I know that the upheaval in her personal life from what she learns doesn’t help but I felt it was a little unbelievable.
I feel a bit guilty giving it three stars but I don’t think it warrants a four. That said, I would read a fourth instalment, were there to be one.

@sunnybookreviews who received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

A complex case of people trafficking and police corruption with a well written narrative and relatable if serious characters.