DNF AT 13%

Unsure if my lack of enjoyment / interest was because this us the 7th book in a series but I couldn't get into it at all.

I found Kate to be quite frustrating and full of herself, and from what i can gather, someone who blurs the lines between her job and relationships- her partner is the Widow/ex wife /ex suspect of a murder victim Kate investigated, her fling is a previous witness...all very complex and if I'm honest irritating.

I have never been so relieved to have a next book in a series available for me to read. The previous book in this wonderful series showed Kate being delivered news which was devastating for her personally and also had an impact on her team. Both her and Hank go against orders and ensure that they can be involved with the air investigation team who are trying to find out what happened to the missing aircraft.

Kate is operating on her last nerve, exhausted and guilt ridden. Not only for the way she has treated Jo but also because she has left her father in hospital after he has had an operation. It impacts on her friendship with Hank and her career due to pushing Bright too far. But they recognise what she is going through and she does have their support, as well as that of Torres, the fierce American who is leading the investigation.

I was a little concerned about this storyline, I don’t like flying, but if anything it made me happier. To see how ground staff work and the rules they have to follow to ensure passenger safety. There was no technical detail about the actual flight so I didn’t feel too baffled by details of something I have no hope of understanding. It focuses instead on the emotional state, how anxious staff were over the loss of life and of course that they’ve also lost friends and colleagues.

Back home her team are dealing with a gangland killing, Kate and Hank are trying their best to help from London but they are limited and are unaware of what decisions are being made by junior members of staff. Initially, I wasn’t too aware of this storyline but that doesn’t last. It is probably this part if the storyline where you would benefit from reading previous books in the series.

This novel is a highlight of the series, and I have no idea what will happen next

This is part of the DCI Kate Daniels series
This book is well written. There are many scary moments throughout the book. A rollercoaster of a book

A fast paced and tense thriller with a great premise and some unexpected twists. This is part of a well established series which I haven't read but I didn't feel mattered at all. Great relationship between the team.

Again, another book I really wanted to love but unfortunately it just didn't hit right for me but I will be reading more from this author as the premis is there, just not the execution.

Very interesting read with a strong cast of characters. I was not expecting the book to take the turn it did, and my mind kept returning to the plane and the whys.

This was my first book featuring DCI Kate Daniels and I enjoyed meeting her. I think she's a great character to follow and felt it easy to warm to her. When the news about the plane comes out, Kate is riddled with guilt, having left her partner Jo thinking Kate put her work first, and that their relationship came after. The possibility that she might not see her again shakes Kate to the core and spurs her to push her way through the investigation. If you had the means, wouldn't you do the same? The author was spot-on in describing the anguish family and loved ones go through when such awful things happen.

The plot itself was good for the most part, I enjoyed the book and was satisfied with the ending.

This is, I think, my first Mari Hannah novel, and thanks to the publishers and other bloggers, I am now determined to work my way through her back catalogue.

From the very first page you are plunged into everyone's nightmare scenario-a plane has gone missing and you are almost positive that your loved one was on it.

As well as being personally outraged by the loss of life, Kate knows that not only does she have the necessary chops to work through the TransAtlantic effort to work out who did it, she has the personal connection.

Having left Jo under no impression that she chose her job first, their cancelled holiday to Scotland has resulted in Jo taking off for New York on the ill fated plane, and it is up to Kate to put the personal aside, persuade her higher ups to let her be involved in the search for answers, and set about bringing Jo home , one way or another.

What I loved about this book is Kate's relentless nature-she lets nothing get in her way and whilst she can be stubborn and pig headed, Mari has created a flawed and brilliant detective who uses the fire lit in her to find Jo to bring justice to each and every passenger.

What Mari has also done, especially with respects to recent news events, is make the unpalatable human, she has made seemingly huge numbers, which are incomprehensible to someone like me, and made me see them as individuals. The sensitivity and nuances which she employs in describing the combined efforts of the police in the US and the UK who are determined to work out not only who the target was, but why, gives you faith that there are good people out there who will not let events like this be overlooked or forgotten.

The level of detail puts you front and center as Kate pulls every string, bends every rule she can to go undercover and down some very dark alleyways in her relentless pursuit of her lover. It is a remarkable insight into a police procedural, much of which was accessible to a newbie reader and I enjoyed it immensely.

Kate and her team's relationships, especially with her second in command, Hank, really spoke to me, I loved their banter and professional regard for each other, and how little details were sprinkled through the story about their shared history.

It has made me so keen to read the other books in this series and find out how they became friends, how Kate and Jo got together and flesh out the details of cases they have been on together.

A stark reminder of the inevitability of death and also how not to take any of the days that we live through for granted, this is a meticulously researched police procedural which I thoroughly recommend for fans of Val McDermid and Angela Marsons.

WOW WOW i love this series with DCI kate daniels and her trusty side kick DS hank gormley. Thid story is close to home for kate when her partner profiler jo soulsby is supposed to be on the plane that crashes into the sea. Kate is convinced jo wasnt on the flight and sets out to try and prove it.edge of the seat stuff.i couldnt put it down. Gripping. Highley recommend

Fantastic read. I have been completely unable to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
Full review to follow

DCI Kate Daniels and DS Hank Gormley had driven to Heathrow after hearing the news about flight 0113 crashing, Jo was possibly on that flight and Kate needed to know for sure. She wanted in on the investigation although it was outside her jurisdiction. It was being handled by the Met Police Casualty Bureau, FBI and Homeland Security in New York, they needed to know why the plane just disappeared. When bluffing didn’t work, Kate went to her boss, Superintendent Bright. He says no but she has a feeling that Jo may not have been on that plane and she wanted to investigate to make sure, that way she knew it would be done right.

She got her team checking movements on Jo’s mobile phone signal, signs if her bank account had been used etc. Meanwhile, she and Hank went to prove that Jo did get on the plane and whilst doing this she received a call, Bright had got them in the Casualty Bureau. Also, they learned two ladies didn’t board the plane so that needed looking into. Then Kate remembered her friend Rob Clark that worked for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, he might be able to help too. Rob went one better, Kate managed to get a job working undercover in the luggage hold while Hank could interview the workers who loaded the suitcases onto plane 0113 in his capacity as a police officer. Kate was to keep an eye out for any suspicious characters or activity then mention it to Hank and her handler in Homeland Security, then take it from there.

Does Kate find anything useful in her undercover role? Was Jo on the plane? Does Kate go rogue like she usually does?

This was a brilliant read, a real roller coaster once Kate got her investigation going. Really well written and so well researched, everything just gelled together for me. Made me realise how much I had missed reading this series! Just love these characters and how they bond with each other.

A rollercoaster of a ride, where Kate's girlfriend is on a plane destined for disaster. I couldnt put it down ,and loved the twists and turns. This is part of a series, and i will certainly go back and read the others to get more of a back story

Despite having all the Kate Daniels books on my physical and/or virtual bookshelves, I have to confess that I have only read the first couple so I am behind on the series and Kate's backstory but that did not deter me from picking up and reading Mari Hannah's latest Without a Trace which is the seventh book in the series. Was I missing something? Maybe but at the same time there's enough recap provided for some of what has happened previously regarding past experiences and relationships to enable me to go with the flow and follow Kate as she attempts to find out whether or not her ex-partner Jo was on board the doomed flight.

From the outset it's clear that Kate was on a mission and no-one was going to stop her getting the answers she needs, she's prepared to go rogue if that is what is needed but thankfully she manages to get agreement from her boss to be involved, even if the Met don't want her there, and thankfully she has her second in command Hank Gormley to keep her on the straight and narrow, or at least try to!

Kate and Hank are a great partnership, there for one another in the good times and the bad and they really had to keep their wits about them as nothing was as it seemed. It was interesting to see a more human and emotional side to Kate as she pushes herself to her absolute limit, both physically and emotionally. It was clear that she was going to push the boundaries and to defy orders no matter what it may cost her professionally.

And this is no ordinary murder investigation like the ones Kate and Hank would typically be involved in, especially when suspected terrorist activity is involved which led to the mass casualties, which sees international relations come into play with multiple agencies joining forces both in the UK and US. At times there was clear mistrust and wariness between the multiple lead investigators as to how much information could be shared between them even though they were all really one team and working for the same outcome, to catch whichever criminal mastermind was behind this heinous crime.

Without a Trace was a taut thriller which takes us on an emotional rollercoaster with the characters, the hopes and fears skilfully weaved throughout until the final pieces of the puzzle were pieced together, an investigation that led them closer to home than first expected.

WOW!

Intense, fast paced and emotionally charged from start to finish.

Loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read and review honestly.

Well what an opening to my 2021 reading!

Working for the Northumbria MIT Unit Kate is a workaholic, she becomes absorbed in her cases to the detriment of her family, friends and, to her cost, the love of her life Jo.

Having, once again, put work before their relationship Jo has left. Kate believes it’s for good, it’s her own fault she knows, Jo returned her key and planned an imminent trip to New York.

Kate was at the hospital, on leave, visiting her father when her second in command – DS Hank Gormley – brings Kate news that a plane has disappeared 150 miles from New York. It was the flight which Jo was on!

Kate takes off, Hank loyally at her side, first to Jo’s sons to break the news in person before racing down the motorway to London and the Casualty Bureau. This is the only place, Kate knows, where she will be able to get access to what has happened and find out what has become of Jo.

Through blagging, threatening and calling in a favour Kate, and Hank, become part of the Bureau investigation, then seconded to the FBI team. With greater authority and access Kate and Hank, with the help of her team, pursue their own agenda as much as the one they have been given by the FBI – Kate goes undercover.

This is a terrific story it is emotional, gripping and tense. With wonderful characters who are all well drawn and believable. The storyline will have you reaching for the tissues as this disaster plays out in Kate’s mind, actions and heart just as much as it will have you completely immersed, heart pounding, in the action as Kate and the team race to solve murders, the air investigation and prevent further bloodshed.

The rollercoaster of emotions, the tension, the fast paced action as things begin to happen on all fronts…

Mari Hannah is surely one of the best crime fiction writers about.

What a great way to start off 2021 – I loved this book!

✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️

I have read Marri Hannah before the Stone and Oliver books (also well worth reading). Without A Trace is the seventh in the DCI Kate Daniels series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone still you can be sure I will be going back to read the rest of this series.

Previously read: Stone and Oliver series.

When Kate’s partner is on a flight that had a bomb aboard, Kate and her police partner Hank do everything to find out what happened and question if she was actually on the plane. A fast paced story that lots of twist and turns, always more than meets the eye.
I loved the working relationship between Kate & Hank. Some funny moments and some sad. Hank is a true friend that will risk everything to help Kate.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read a pre-publishing copy of this book.

Publish Date - 7th Jan 2021

#netgalley #marihannah #orion

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Coming into land is Without A Trace, the newest instalment of Mari Hannah’s always excellent DCI Kate Daniels series with a significant change of pace, and a real ramping up of the emotional intensity…

This very much felt at times like a high octane thriller, with a breathless race against time for Daniels to ascertain whether her former lover, Jo was actually one of the passengers on this ill-fated flight between London and New York. Although, Hannah is always adept at keeping the pace of her normal fare of police procedurals, injecting this plot was an international investigation into a suspected terrorist led air crash, really allows her to stretch her thriller writing skills. This she achieves in spades, and as the investigation progresses, I was fascinated by how this kind of global incident that crosses borders and investigative branches is undertaken and acted upon. By weaving in different teams of investigators from both Britain and the U.S. and with Daniels working on her own agenda, there is a real sense of tension and people working, at times, at cross purposes, which kept up the speed and intensity of the main plot.

Through the books, Daniels is perceived as a strong and steadfast woman and by extension, senior police officer, not known to suffer moments of crisis or real indecision. Consequently, it was extremely interesting to see her being put under an inordinate amount of professional and personal tension in this book, as she defies her superiors and sometimes her better judgement as this case progresses. The bond and fierce protectiveness she still displays for her former lover drives her on, despite the possible costs to her both personally and to her own career, and those who support her in her seemingly hopeless quest. As her second in command, the fiercely loyal DS Hank Gormley observes, ” In the past few days, layer upon layer of the armour she’d put on during her police career had been peeled away, leaving her exposed to the same raw feelings as anyone suffering the loss of a loved one. Stripped of her confidence she was inherently vulnerable,” something we have not seen in her character so far. However, despite this growing sense of vulnerability, we still see the familiar flashes of strength from her, particularly in dealing with obdurate men inside the investigation who are so quick to condemn her for what they perceive as feminine vapours. Daniels continues to outwit them, and add moments of perceptive insight in the course of the air crash investigation, whilst keeping tabs on another case back in the North, which proves to have some interesting connections…

I am always impressed with Hannah’s deliverance of pace and plot, not only in this, her longest running series, but across her other two series too, and although this book feels quite different in style, it further proves her versatility and skill as a writer. Her dialogue and scene setting is fluid and perceptive, and by taking Daniels and us outside our comfort zone a little more in this book, it’s fair to say that Without A Trace is probably one of the strongest books in the series to date. Really enjoyed this one, and cannot wait to see what twisted roads she takes her readers down next. Recommended.

I adore Kate Daniels and in this book she is back with a bang, all guns blazing – and nothing and no-one is going to strand in the path of the whirlwind she creates as she refuses to give up looking for the woman she loves.

Without A Trace gives Hannah a huge canvas to play with as transatlantic flight 0113 goes down with a mix of US, British and international travellers and Homeland Security is involved alongside the Met. Kate is reeling from the news that Jo Soulsby was on that flight, but she won’t accept that until she has seen the concrete evidence for herself. First though, there’s the slight difficulty of inveigling herself onto the investigation.

Using sheer determination and taking her boss’s name in vain, she blags her way onto the investigation leaving DCS Philip Bright no option but to back her up. He’s furious with her and really furious that Hank her second in command has gone with her, but he knows that there’s no point in arguing; nothing but nothing is getting in Kate’s way on this one.

As Kate goes undercover with the blessing of Homeland Security, she realises that the lax security and petty thefts that permeate airport security have created the ideal conditions for terrorist activity to slip a bomb onto a plane.

Kate is a woman on a mission though and she is prepared to do whatever she has to to find out exactly what happened to Jo – and that means she’s taking risks and breaking rules left, right and centre. She’s on dodgy ground with every move she makes but this time she doesn’t give a monkey’s.

Mari Hannah’s plot is fast paced and thrilling. The action never lets up and you can feel the shock, guilt and determination roll off Kate Daniel in waves as she puts herself at serious risk in pursuit of the truth. Fortunately she has Hank, steadfast and loyal to a fault at her side.

Full of shocks and explosive moments, Kate is at the heart of an international investigation but events take a different turn when an old ‘friend’ appears to point her in a different direction. There are shocks, twists and heart-stopping moments in this book which will change the Northumbrian team forever in a roller coaster of a thrilling police procedural where all the rules are broken and many tears will be shed before the terrible truth is revealed.

Verdict: If you’re looking for a fast-paced emotionally engaging thriller with real heart then you’re in for a huge treat. Without a Trace is chilling and powerful, emotional and heart-stopping. What a wild ride!

‘Without A Trace’ is the best Kate Daniels book yet. It’s an emotionally intense, perfectly plotted story, that doesn’t let up for a second. When a plane goes missing over the Atlantic, with Kate’s soulmate on board, she stops at nothing, and is willing to break all the rules to find out what happened. Mari Hannah’s pacing ramps up the tension bit by bit, and takes the reader with Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels as she struggles to cope with the prospect of losing Jo. This is the book in which we see more of Kate than ever before. We see her vulnerabilities and her pain. I could feel that pain with her and like her, I held onto hope. The combination of personal and professional and the pull of her heart over the job was powerful. It’s something Daniels has always struggled with, but not to this extent before. Mari Hannah is an astounding talent in the field of crime writing, and here she is at the top of her game.

I was given this ARC to review.

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Mari Hannah is one of my favourite authors. I have followed the Kate Daniels novels from the beginning, so I was pleased to get the opportunity to read this one as an ARC from Orion and NetGalley. It is a meaty story full of drama, including emotional drama and it is well told. It starts with a Boeing 777 exploding out of the sky before it reaches New York with all passengers and crew lost. It seems that Kate’s lover was on the plane and in desperation Kate and her 2ic inveigle their way onto the investigation being jointly run by Britain and the USA. The detail is excellent and the tension builds; but there are more revelations to come when a link is found to other serious crimes. As well as an exciting read, it is also a satisfying one as I have come to expect from the author. Highly recommended.

This is the first Mari Hannah book that I have read, and will now be going back to read all of her titles. This is a book full of action and twists and turns. A thoroughly good read and I could not put this down.
Kate Daniels is on a mission and nothing is going to stop her from finding out the truth, despite it being personal at first, but she is determined to find out what happened, not thinking it all started in her own neck of the woods.