DS Aiden Corcoran moved from the Met to the Thames Valley police force for a quieter life, big mistake! When a woman is found close to death on the side of the road he finds himself catapulted into a case the like of which he's never known before. By the time the first victim, Sarah, has been in hospital for three days two other victims have been found and hospitalised.

Forced by his boss to work with Dr Marie Palmer, a renowned criminal psychiatrist, he finds himself driving around the south of England trying to discover anything to give them an idea of who is responsible and why. When the case gets even more complex Aiden comes face to face with the one person he swore he would never work with again. Can he let that go for the good of the case or is it a step too far?

Ed James has the enviable ability of being able to write more than one successful, innovative series at a time with engaging, believable, characters who you want to succeed. Aiden and Marie are no exception. Gradually some of his back story is explained, but not enough for his reasons for behaving like he does to be immediately understood. Marie comes across as amiable, strong willed, and perhaps a little out of her depth, but determined to make the right deductions to enable the police to find their perp.

The SIO, DI Alana Thompson, is not a sympathetic character but I don't think she is supposed to be. She is forceful, confident and right up in Aiden's face as she makes sure he puts his past behind him and concentrates on the matters at hand. She demands loyalty and a strong work ethic something Aiden is more than happy to provide as long as she lets him do things his own way. I see a few interesting discussions between them in future stories!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the storyline was original and compelling with the final part of the investigation being a gradual reveal which enables the reader to be just a step ahead, always good for the ego! This is the first in a new series from Mr James and I will continue to clear my reading diary for his new characters just as I did with his older, more familiar ones. As a favourite author of mine I am delighted this book adds another first class adventure to his already brilliant library of titles.

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 this author's work; once again he is at the top of his game.

Having read previous books in the Cullen series I knew about this author. This book is however somewhat different. It centres on the relationship of a cynical DS and a young female criminal psychologist as they try to unravel the connections between a number of abductions. The plot is good but there is a lot of explanation about the thinking of the main pair. The relationship between the DS and other police characters can at times be confusing. That being said it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next in the series to see how the relationship develops.

spoiler alert ** A good start,with some good central characters.
An interesting crime,where people are getting abducted and tortured in strange ways before being release.
I felt slightly tortured by the kids song myself.
For me it fell a bit flat when a motive came to light,and a bit rushed to it's conclusion.
Id definitely read James again, hopefully with same characters.

I loved Senseless. It terrified me at points!

I love a good crime thriller and this is definitely one of those! Dark, shocking and incredibly twisted.

3.5/5

I thought this book sounded like it would be good. And it did start off like that. However it did feel likw it was dragging a bit along the way. Plus with a title like senseless I thought there would be 5 victims. Not sure how the title really fits.

Could have been half thr size and packed more of a punch. I didn't hate it but I wanted more.

A woman turns up six weeks after disappearing, almost starved to death. The another missing person reappears. What is going on? A great crime story with interesting characters. Will look forward to any further additions to the series. Recommended!

Nice start to this. Six weeks after she disappeared a woman is found by the side of a road naked. She is miles from where she was last seen. She is almost staved to death. The big question is why. Two cops - DS Aidan Corcoran and DI Alana Thompson - are diverted from another case to investigate. This case looks strange. When another missing person is found again - almost out of his mind - things start looking very twisted.

In the main this book follows Aidan Corcoran's investigation of the case although DI Thompson is in charge. Corcoran is ex Met police. There is no doubt that he had some issues with that force but what are they and how might they impact on the current case. A civilian criminal psychologist joins the team. Dr Marie Palmer has some experience of talking to violent and serial offenders. How useful will she be on a live case?

I found that the characters came through well in this book. The minor ones were good enough. Palmer and Corcoran were good. This book does not have massive depth to it - it is a straightforward crime read in many ways. The plus here - compared to some - is the pace and tension that is worked in. When you get that some of the niceties of scene setting etc are less important.

The tag line that this book would be good for fans of MJ Arlidge and his DI Helen Grace books is understandable. This is a pacey mysterious case. However Corcoran is no Helen Grace. Or certainly the Helen Grace of the early books. That said this is a decent crime read that fans of similar authors should find enjoyable. I found it a worthwhile read and would happily recommend it to others. I'll certainly look at reading the next book in the series when it comes out (I hope!).

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Senseless, the first novel to feature DS Aidan Corcoran of the Thames Valley Police and forensic psychiatrist Dr Marie Palmer.

When Sarah Langton is found close to death from malnutrition DI Alana Thompson pairs Corcoran with profiler Dr Marie Palmer as there is obviously more going on than a simple abduction. Sarah has been missing for six weeks. When another two survivors are found at different times in different parts of the country, suffering from different symptoms Corcoran and Palmer are under pressure to find the perpetrator.

I thoroughly enjoyed Senseless, but then I like all of Mr James’ books. He has a simple, clear style of writing that draws the reader in and doesn’t let go and Senseless is so easy to read that I read it in one sitting. The plot is equally easy to follow. That’s not to say it is simple as it has plenty of twists and turns, some heart pounding moments and some real nastiness at its heart. I hesitate to say evil because everyone is damaged and damage begets consequences. The plot starts with mysteries, why is this happening and why these victims? These are slowly teased out over the course of the novel via various red herrings and blind alleys. It’s quite compulsive, wondering what will come next. The explanation doesn’t offer much new in crime fiction terms but the journey is great.

Corcoran and Palmer have a few teething problems at the start of their professional relationship, she’s frightened of up close and personal involvement in a live case and he’s not so sure of her worth. Gradually they find a way to become an effective team. The slow reveal of his backstory is interesting, yet another damaged detective, so it will be interesting to see if he learns from the psychological positivity that Palmer dishes out. She is a bit of a cypher in this novel so I can only assume that her story will be at the forefront of any sequel. I must admit that I found all the mutual character re-enforcement a bit too touchy feely for my taste but it seems to be the modern way. I much preferred DI Thompson’s rather brutal “just get on with it” mentality as it added a bit of fun to proceedings.

Senseless is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Ed James does it again! A brilliant first instalment in what is set to be a stonking new series. Fast paced and twisted with intriguing characters and just the right amount of humour though I do miss his Scottish humour.

A good start to what could be another good series featuring Ds Corcoran as i love the Scott Cullen series by the same author


When missing persons are turning up weeks later in a crazed and broken state it appears that someone is torturing their victims to the point of insanity, tasked with finding this twisted individual Ds Corcoran teams up wiith a criminal psychiatrist to stop more victims

Ed James fans should give this a look

A gripping procedural crime novel. Really like the fact the main character is not the DI and slowly hear of his backstory through the book. Definitely an author I’ll read again and hoping for a follow up with Corcoran and Palmer!

#Senseless #NetGalley
One then two then three and then game over.
DAY ONE
Six weeks after vanishing, Sarah Langton is suddenly found - delirious and starved close to death.
The police struggle to find any answers.
DAY TWO
When another missing person reappears, half-crazed and hysterical, a terrifying pattern emerges: a twisted predator is pushing his victims to insanity.
DS Corcoran, haunted by a previous case, and Dr Marie Palmer, a leading criminal psychiatrist, must try to establish a link between the survivors.
DAY THREE
As it becomes clear others are in grave danger, every second will be critical. But can Corcoran and Palmer unravel the deadliest of puzzles in time?
The most interesting thing in this book was it's narration. It was so smooth that i finished it in one go.
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for an advance copy.