What a fabulous read and with a plot so intricate it could tie you up in knots it was that good. We start with the discovery of the remains of Holly Kemp who was a suspected victim of the serial killer Christopher Masters known as The Roommate Killer but things just don’t add up with this discovery and Cat and the team are tasked with reopening the case and wow does this make for one hell of a good story.
I love the character of Cat Kinsella and in this instalment of the series I think she really does come into her own. The rest of the team are equally well written and all likeable and there is always a feeling of realness about the banter that goes on between them.
It’s a police procedural that really stands out and with twists and surprises and a wow of a ending making me desperate for the next in a series that I love. No hesitation in recommending this read and many thanks to Caz Frear for a book that really does hit the mark and a 5 star read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I knew from the first Cat Kinsella novel that Caz Frear has created something special. Cat feels so real, you’d love to meet her in the pub and have a good chin wag over something chilled. In this novel, we go back to 2012 and the Roommate Killer who is otherwise known as Christopher Masters. The case resurfaces when bones are discovered in a ditch in Caxton, Cambridge. These prove to be the remains of Holly Kemp who has been missing for six years and assumed to be one of Masters victims although he was never charged. Subsequent enquiries reveals things than don’t line up with the 2012 investigation and a strong desire by surprising characters to keep secrets well and truly buried. The story is told by Cat which makes for lively reading.

First of all, this team are amongst the best in contemporary crime fiction. I’ve already sung Cats praises but DS Luigi Parnell is a marvellous sidekick. DCI Kate Steele, the head of the team, is brilliant. She is smart in every way and always has the right words which are frequently funny. The whole team feels authentic, their (mostly) camaraderie feels very natural, I love the snappy repartee, the dark humour and that they have each other’s back. The plot is gripping, it feels plausible and flows really well. There’s tension, suspense, plenty of twisty surprises as the team get to the truth that none of them wants to believe in a dramatic conclusion. In the background is Cats guilt about her father’s connections to organised crime and be in particular is way too close to home. I like how she has to balance her dysfunctional family with her overwhelming desire to do her job to the best of her ability. It adds an extra dimension to the storytelling.

Overall, a police Procedural, crime novel of high calibre which I have no hesitation in recommending.

With thanks to NetGalley and in particular to Bonnier Books UK for the ARC and to Caz Frear for entertaining me so well.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the Arc of this book before it's released later this year ❤️

As well thank you for Caz Frear for writing a sensational book, this is the 3rd one in her series📚

When Cat and her team gets called to a scene where a girl named Holly Kemp's remains have been found tackling the team with some questions which they are tasked in answering...😱

They assumed Holly was the fourth victim of the 'Room Mate Killer'

A man who was arrested after Holly's disapparence.. but he is now dead... As he was killed inside prison.. So warrants a full blown investigation of this and a new investigation is probed...

This is my first Caz Frear books I haven't read any previous of her books this works as a continuation after the 2 previous books and as a standalone... I will be going to read her 2 previous books to so I understand the room mate killer investigations and how it became a thing

Well done Caz Frear a thrilling gripping page turning thriller with twists and turns all the way through put the book finished within a few hours!!

Definitely recommend ❤️
5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed this one, possibly the most out of the whole series. The storyline was convoluted and interesting, keeping you on your toes. Cat and her team had to review a past case of a murder committed six years earlier, after the rotting remains of the victim had finally been found on a field, and see if the right man had taken the blame. Not all is as straightforward as it first seems with key witnesses appearing to be hiding behind perfectly formed recollections of the past and the past investigation itself seeming rushed in favour of pleasing the higher-ups in the command chain.

The protagonist is a young, twenty something Constable Detective Cat Kinsella who comes from a family (read father, occasionally brother) keeping close roots with the criminals, often dabbing on the wrong side of the law themselves. Cat conceals the fact, and often is forced to turn a blind eye in exchange for information in relation to cases she works on. Lies seem to surround her in the personal life and work, often converging and expanding, making the series a ticking time bomb which you’re just waiting to see explode.

Cat’s narrative is gold; it’s snarky and heavy on the sarcasm, which on more than one occasion had left me sniggering at something she had said. Cat throws out judgemental remarks as often as she swears and rarely will miss an opportunity to argue with someone (if not in her out loud, then definitely in her head). She’s flawed and she knows it, yet does nothing to change it, which will make you sigh because clearly she should know better by now.

There are plenty of crime novels out there and finding one where where the narrative is both fun and engaging can become a chore, but don’t worry this one wins tops marks on fulfilling both criteria. Frear had done fantastic job in developing all of the characters throughout the novels and keeping the dynamic of the team fresh and that of a big family. The case in this one and the superb writing make sure you will want to devour the book in one setting. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this one, possibly the most out of the whole series. The storyline was convoluted and interesting, keeping you on your toes. Cat and her team had to review a past case of a murder committed six years earlier, after the rotting remains of the victim had finally been found on a field, and see if the right man had taken the blame. Not all is as straightforward as it first seems with key witnesses appearing to be hiding behind perfectly formed recollections of the past and the past investigation itself seeming rushed in favour of pleasing the higher-ups in the command chain.

My thoughts about this brilliant third part in the DC Cat Kinsella Shed NoTears was outstanding a tensed gripping edge of your police procedural that tells the story of a victim that was missing six years a go that was never found all of a sudden her remains have been discovered and a deadliest serial killer who killed her that she was his last victim who denied he killed her was already dead so the case was closed six years ago but when the victims body gets discovered DC Cat Kinsella investigates an old case that was dealt with six years ago what she finds it was more than just a murder case was outstanding what else she finds while she does the investigation truly blew me away Author Caz Frear truly knows how to write a hardhiting police procedural that left me thinking what a gripping ride it was highly recommended I would like to say thank you to Caz Frear the publishers and netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read and review this hardhiting police thriller 💥💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for an advance copy of Shed No Tears, the third novel to feature DC Cat Kinsella of The Met.

When Holly Kemp’s remains are discovered it raises several questions that Cat and the team are tasked with answering. It was always assumed that Holly was the fourth victim of The Roommate Killer, a man arrested shortly after her disappearance and who wouldn’t confirm this one way or another. He is now dead and the discrepancies are enough to warrant a full investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed Shed No Tears which is an absorbing read with an interesting premise. After the prologue it is told entirely from Cat Kinsella’s point of view so the reader can get fully immersed in the read without distraction and can interpret the information alongside her rather from the position of superior knowledge. Of course I wasn’t as smart as Cat so the resolution was surprising and dumbfounding to me. I loved the whole investigation which unravels the truth piece by piece albeit via some blind alleys and false assumptions. These latter are mitigated by the collaborative team approach with brainstorming and blue sky thinking (ok, I’m kidding about the blue skies).

Cat has a great voice for a protagonist. She is a fairly normal person, in turns funny, smart and cranky with thoughts of her personal life intruding Into the investigation. I say fairly normal as she has some big secrets which involve lying and rigidly compartmentalising the various areas of her life. It’s stressful and obvious that it will come painfully tumbling down at some point. Most of these secrets refer to events in the previous two novels which I wish I’d re-read first as the frequent references with not much explanation are frustrating to the reader who can’t remember.

Shed No Tears is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The body of Holly Kemp is discovered 6 years after she went missing. The presumed killer is dead, but it quickly turns out that her death didn't fit his MO.
But if he wasn't responsible for her death, then who was?
Cat Kinsella has a hard case to crack.

This is the third book in the Cat Kinsella series, but unfortunately I didn't realise this when requesting the ARC.
However, this fact had only a minimal impact on my rating.
I'm sorry to say that this book turned out not to be to my liking at all, and I considered abandoning it multiple times. I was really struggling to keep going and only did so because I don't like leaving stories unfinished no matter how little they grip me.
The fact that the presumed killer was dead meant that there was no urgency to the investigation, and therefore the whole story lacked suspense.
However, it was definitely a well-plotted story, with an ending that I didn't see coming, and this is the only reason why I decided to raise the rating up to 2 stars.
I realise that my opinion is an unpopular one, I have not seen a single review of 1 or 2 stars, so you should check it out yourself.

Shed No Tears is the third in a series featuring likeable young DC Cat Kinsella. I read the second, Stone Cold Heart, last year but haven’t yet read the first, which is a bit of a failing as there’s quite a lot of continuity with the characters. (In fact after reading and very much enjoying the second one, I planned to redress this by immediately buying the first one on Kindle - but for some reason I then never got round to actually reading it. I’m definitely going to do that now.)

Anyway, you don’t have to have read the previous books to enjoy Shed No Tears, though it probably helps to understand a bit more about the backstory of the characters. Here, Cat’s team is investigating the murder of Holly Kemp after her body is found - Holly, who disappeared a few years ago, was always assumed to be the fourth victim of serial killer Christopher Masters, in what were known as the Roommate Murders. (Masters himself alternately claimed and denied responsibility.) But when Holly’s body is found, there are clear discrepancies which cast doubt on Masters’ involvement... and they can’t ask the man himself, as he was killed in prison by a fellow inmate.

As Cat and the team probe further, it seems that the original investigation, led by the impressive high-flyer Tess Dyer, might have had a few flaws... Meanwhile, Cat’s dealing with hard-to-resolve secrets in her personal life concerning her lovely boyfriend Aiden and his links to her own family and a previous murder investigation.

Caz Frear definitely knows how to write an engaging story. I loved reading about Cat and the team - her “work dad” DS Luigi Parnell is adorable, and DCI Kate Steele is just the kind of boss I’d love to be.

And now I’m off to read part one of the series and catch up on what I’ve missed...

Holly Kemp was the fourth victim of The Roommate Killer and her body has only just been discovered, several years after Christopher Masters strangled three other women. But there are questions that need answered about Holly’s death and DC Cat Kinsella has plenty of them. Working with DCI Steele and Steel’s former colleague and mentor, the team must reinvestigate exactly what happened all those years before. Because Christopher Masters is dead and cannot answer their queries. Suddenly the team need to look at this case in a different way, and no one is prepared for what they uncover. I sailed through this because I love the author’s work and her creation of Cat Kinsella. As you’d expect everyone has their secrets and in this particular novel, Cat’s are even closer to the surface. A brilliant read.

I previously read Sweet Little Lies, and I was looking forward to catching up with DC Cat Kinsella in this latest police procedural by Caz Frear. The novel follows the investigation into the murder of a young woman, Holly Kemp. At first it is assumed that she was killed by the now deceased ‘Roomate Killer”, but Cat and her team start to question the similarities in the case and whether Holly’s killer is still on the loose.

Shed No Tears is well written, with engaging characters and a pacy plot. As you’d expect from all good thrillers, there’s an unexpected twist at the end. I’m not a huge fan of police procedurals, but one thing I particularly enjoyed about this book was the characters. Despite the serious nature of the job at hand, there is plenty of humour and personal drama that is brought to life though Cat and her colleagues.

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. This is the third one in the series so I was delighted to get a copy of it. I loved it & it is my favourite one so far . I love the credible & realistic way in which Frear writes & how the storyline never gets too far fetched Another great book from this Brilliant writer

Everyone has a price. I truly believe that.

Except the price isn’t always money. It’s just a damn sight simpler when it is.
Well, while not quite everyone in Caz Frear’s third novel featuring DC Cat Kinsella, Shed No Tears, can be seen to be on the take, certainly a large percentage of the characters are either corrupt themselves or in the business of corrupting other people. The question is how do you tell the difference between the two.

When Holly Kemp’s body is found in a ditch in Cambridgeshire the discovery reopens a case that the Met thought they had put to bed six years previously. Holly had been assumed to be the fourth and final victim of Christopher Masters in what was known as The Roommate Case. However, while the bodies of the other three victims were recovered at the time, Holly’s body had remained missing. Masters himself, now dead, having been killed in prison, vacillated between claiming her murder as one of his and denying any knowledge of it. The discovery of the body only adds to the confusion as there are very obvious differences between Holly and the other three women, most particularly, while the latter were strangled, Holly has been shot through the head.

When Cat and her partner, DS Luigi Parnell, report back to DCI Kate Steele it is to find that she has made contact with DCI Tessa Dyer, a highflying contemporary of Steele and tipped for great things. Dyer was the SIO on the original case and hers was the decision to go ahead and charge Masters with Holly’s death despite there being no body. Still, apparently, convinced that Holly was Masters’ fourth victim, Dyer reminds the team of the rock solid evidence given by a teacher, Serena Bailey, which placed Holly on the killer’s doorstep at the very time she was known to have disappeared.  Re-interviewed, Bailey still insists that she saw Holly on the afternoon that she vanished, but something about her evidence doesn’t ring true to Cat and thus begins the unwinding of the case that made Dyer’s name and provided the foundation for her subsequent career.

Meanwhile, Cat has her own difficulties to face. Daughter of a man who has a more than shady background himself and who is still associated with people that it is better Cat’s colleagues and superiors know nothing about, she does all that she can to keep her family at arm’s-length. However, when her father is taken into hospital with a broken arm which he claims to have been the result of an accident with a beer barrel, her more practiced eye recognises the beating he’s been given and she is forced to question just what he may have become involved in and consequently where her duty lies, especially, knowing as she does, that he is paying the price demanded in return for Cat herself being left alone. Coupling this with the news that her brother, Noel, always a thorn in her side, has been released from prison in Spain and is likely to be returning to London, the offer her boyfriend, Aidan, has had of a twenty-two month contract in New York suddenly seems a rather more tempting proposition than had previously been the case. Cat and Aidan seem to be the ideal couple, but their relationship is not without its own difficulties. Unbeknownst to Aidan, Cat’s father was peripherally involved in the murder of Maryanne, Aidan’s sister and Cat is terrified of what revealing that knowledge to him would unleash.  Moving to New York would remove her from the immediate threats her family poses but would also mean leaving the job that she loves. What should she do?

Caz Frear is one of a number of up-and-coming women crime writers who are making a real mark on the scene. I have read both of her previous books with pleasure and this did not disappoint in any way at all. Because of the complicated family history involved, if you haven’t read the earlier books, Sweet Little Lies and Stone Cold Heart, then I would suggest you start there before allowing yourself the pleasure of reading this, the latest in what I hope is going to be a long running series.


With thanks to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the review copy.

‘Shed No Tears’ sees the return of the inimitable DC Cat Kinsella for the third in the series. Even though it is one of a series it could easily be read as a stand alone for those who haven't read the previous books. Having said that, I am getting to know the characters and am finding this adds to my enjoyment. This is yet another excellent read.

The remains of a young woman, Holly Kemp, are found in a field in Cambridgeshire, covered by twigs and logs. The body has been there for some years and it is identified as the fourth victim of a serial killer who is in prison for the murder of the other three women. He was not convicted of this murder as the body hadn’t been found and there was no definitive proof.

There are several inconsistencies with the other three murders so an investigation begins to ensure that it is the killer of Holly Kemp who is behind bars.

Serious questions around the evidence, witness statement and police methods are raised and Cat soon believes all is not as it seems. Following the plot with all the twists and turns of the storyline the reader is taken into a deep, dark and dangerous place where gangsters (something Cat knows about first hand) and police are working hand in hand.

Cat is one of my favourite fictional detective characters. She has inner demons and a sense of humour which keeps her going. Sometimes she opens her mouth when she shouldn’t and I am now wondering what the next instalment will bring.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and Caz Frear for my ARC of ‘Shed No Tears’ in return for my honest review.

Another must read for any fan of crime thrillers. Highly recommended.

I have really enjoyed this book, despite being part of a series I have not felt as though I have missed anything. This has been a great read which has kept me guessing from start to finish. I have loved everything about this book, it has been a great read which I found impossible to put down.
I have been completely pulled into this book, I love the author's writing style and have found this to be a a good solid detective mystery book. A superb read by an extremely talented author.

This is the third in the series featuring DC Cat Kinsella. Having not read the previous books in the series, I'll admit to being a bit lost with the back story of Cat's family and the members of the police team - I think this is probably one where it is best to start at the beginning of the series.

The book opens with the discovery of the body of Holly Kemp, a young woman who was supposed to be the fourth and final victim of a serial killer. Cat Kinsella and her team are called in to investigate what seems to be inconsistencies in this cold case. What they uncover raised some serious questions about the previous police investigation.

I really liked the character of Cat herself and the touches of humour in the book. However, I didn't find it that compelling - maybe it's the nature of the investigation as a cold case, but it never really felt very thrilling or pacy and I found it a bit slow-going in places.

I'd say this is a solid police procedural and will be a good addition to the series for those who have followed it from the start. However, for new readers it probably isn't the best place to start.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three women were strangled by 'The Roommate Killer' and the case was closed. Then the remains of a fourth victim are found and DC Cat Kinsella and her team are called in to investigate and questions are asked. The problem is The Roommate Killer, Christopher Masters, is now dead so is unable to answer them.
This was the first book in the Cat Kinsella series I have read and I enjoyed it, though I think I would have benefitted from reading earlier books to understand the relationships between characters and their backstory.
As a fan of thriller/crime stories I will continue to read this series by Kat Frear

When Holly’s body is found it should have been case closed. Celebrations for those who worked the case and peace for those waiting for answers. That is the case until closer examination reveals that this body has a few more secrets of her own.

DI Cat Kinsella is faced with a decade of lies and deceit to unravel whilst dealing with some pretty unsavoury leads.

This book is incredibly hard for me to review not because I didn’t enjoy it but more that it was a helluva task to try and read it. As grateful as I am to have received my ARC from NetGalley and Bonnier Books I had to contact them both to explain how the formatting of my copy had gone completely askew. Rouge double spaces in words, typos, soft returns and unexpected hyphens everywhere. I’d say if anything the fact alone I managed (and wanted) to finish this book earns it extra praise!

For me the first half of the book was a bit slow particularly in physical movement and uncovering of evidence. But the second half more than makes up for it. It’s full of little twists and lighthearted humour. The characters are not as easy to develop a relationship towards because (I think) a lot of their individual backstories and relationship to Kinsella were covered previously. That said, I didn’t feel like I had missed out by not reading the previous books.

I have to admit I did guess pretty early on the major plot twist but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and I look forward to the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel. I hope that you are able to fix the issues in the kindle download for Caz prelaunch.

Where to start with this one, eh? It’s starts in inimitable Cat Kinsella/ Caz Frear style, typical Cat and Parnell interplay. Didn’t see the twist coming when it did, loved it a lot. Raced through it in fact, every character was fleshed out, nobody was two dimensional. I cared about the fate of them all, to a degree even the baddie, when it was revealed. I’m afraid I can’t say much more than that; needless to say. Go and buy all of Caz Frear’s previous work. You won’t be disappointed!

Unfortunately I've not read all of the books in this series but I have dipped in and out over the years so had a good idea of who the characters are. While I'd never recommend reading the newest book in a well established series first I do think it will just about work as a stand alone novel.
I love the characterisation and humour throughout this series which continues despite a very complex, twisted case. I'm intrigued to see what happens next.

Can Fryers best yet. Gripping, well paced, a great thriller. Looking forward to Finding out what is in store next for Cat Kinsella.