I don’t know how to start my review, so I’ll just say… I LOVED IT!!! Actually, I love the entire series. I love the characters, I love the suspenseful plots, and I love the writing. I am completely drawn to the stories and I only emerge from the book once I finish reading.

In Shed No Tears, DC Cat Kinsella and her colleagues are called to investigate the discovery of a body in a field in Cambridgeshire: Holly Kemp went missing six years earlier and everyone thought she had been victim of the Roommate Killer, Christopher Masters, who then died in prison. However, the evidence cast doubt about whether Holly Kemp was indeed a victim of the Roommate Killer and, as Kinsella investigates, she uncovers secrets and lies that she didn’t see coming.

Cat Kinsella is a fantastic character and she develops well in this third novel. The story is told from her point of view and she feels authentic and relatable. She is funny, smart, she has flaws and makes mistakes and she is hiding secrets that, if they ever came out, could ruin her career and her relationship with her boyfriend. Cat Kinsella is my favourite character, but I also really like her colleagues as they form a well-put together team of detectives. I enjoy reading their humorous banter, their sense of camredie, and, especially I like Kinsella’s close relationship with her partner DS Luigi Parnell.

I love police procedural and I think that this series by Caz Frear is one of the best out there and definitely one of my favourites. Shed No Tears has a twisty and immersive plot that comes to life thanks to the author brilliant and captivating writing and I can’t get enough of this series!

So as Caz' first book had been lurking in my TBR for way too long, and thanks to the prompt by this blogtour, I went back to the beginning and read the Cat Kinsella mysteries from the start and oh boy am I glad that I did.

In fact, having raced through all 3 books in just over a week, I am envious of those about to encounter the formidable Cat for themselves.

In 'Sweet Little Lies', Cat is introduced to the world of crime fiction, her background story revealed as she investigates the death of a woman she had presumed had died decades before. Her instincts to investigate, explore and expose lies has been as integral to her from childhood, as is her antagonism towards her dodgy father, minor criminal figure and pub owner.

Change of name, move to London, established as rising star of the police force under the watchful eye of Murder Squad boss Kate Steele, and parental father figure of a partner, Luigi Parnell, Cat is going places. Her ruthlessness in pursuit is revealed as both a character flaw and a boon, she does not let go until the right person is being dangled by the ear in  front of Lady Justice.

In the second, 'Stone Cold Heart', after a brief sojourn, Cat is back in her stomping ground investigating the death of a young Australian woman-accident or murder, this throws up links to Joseph Madden, the coffee seller who asks Cat's advice about his wife who he is convinced is planning to do him harm. Was this a set up from the start? Where do you stop and start being a police professional? As the case progressivel gets darker and darker, what starts as trying to identify a killer produces a whole range of suspects...

And in this, the third outing for Cat, she is encountering her first 'cold' case-that of the serial killer known as 'The Roommate Killer'.

Four women were acsribed to his killer playbook,3 bodies recovered and irrefutable proof of the 4th entering his building never to be seen again,closed the case 6 years agao.

His boasts in jail attracted the wrong kind of attention and resulted in his murder, so when the bones of 4th victim, Holly Kemp are found, it seems like the case is once again, wrapped up tight. But discrepancies in the murder method, and the condition of the body ring alarm bells for Cat.

In order to go back into this case and investiagte every crossed t and dotted i, she risks undermining on the fastest climbing female superior officers, and personal hero Tessa Dyer. Coupled with this, one of her father's criminal associates, 'Uncle' Frank Hickey is determined to bring her onto his payroll with the threat of exposing her family history and undermining everything she has worked towards.

Caught between a rock and a hard place and somehow managing to extricate herself without sacrificing her strict moral code seems to be Cat's area of expertise-she absolutely not blind to her faults but playing the system in order to win is not the same thing as overlooking right from wrong. This Cat has 9 lives.

What I love so much about Caz' books is that the victims are always the center of the story. They are not laboured over in gruesome detail , there is a dignity to the way each death is dealt with that fits with Cat's first person narrative-the victims never exist as the fulcrum of a story whereby they are known by virtue of being a certain killer's victim-e.g 'number 4', Holly Kemp, was repeatedly represented in the tabloids with glamour shots and references to her breast implants and looks. Her sense of self and the loss of her life becomes secondary to the story built up around her where she can no longer speak for herself.

So Cat and her team step up and they speak for the dead.

Using the crime procedural framework, Caz examines they way women are depicted in society, especially the vulnerable, the ones who slip through the net, the ones who atteact the very worst sort of attention by nature of their fragility and then are abused, murdered and discarded with no more thought than chucking away chip shop paper.

The outrage felt by the reader is echoed in Caz, you genuinely believe in her multi tonal narrative, her desperate attempts to juggle her personal and professional relationships and realise her ambitions.

She is someone that you root for, someone you want better for from life.

And I cannot wait to read more of her investigations.

Shed No Tears is the third book in the Detective Constable Cat Kinsella series and the first one I’ve read. I was a bit worried that I would be missing some key background information. There were a few mentions of Cat’s father but it works perfectly well as a standalone.

In February 2012, four women were abducted and murdered: Bryony Trent (24, pub manager), Stephanie König (29, German, events management) and Ling Chen (33), plus Holly Kemp (22, car showroom receptionist), whose body was never found. Serial killer, Christopher Masters, was charged with all four murders, despite never confessing to the final killing, as there was solid evidence from a reliable eyewitness that placed Holly at his house, 6 Valentine Street in Clapham, the scene of the murders.

Six years later, Holly’s remains have been found in a farmer’s field in Caxton near Cambridge and DC Cat Kinsella and her partner, Detective Sergeant (DS) Luigi Parnell, have been tasked with finally tying up the loose ends and reinterviewing various people connected with the case.

Cat’s boss, Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Kate Steele, has asked the lead investigator on the ‘Roommate’ case, DCI Tessa Dyer, to give the team some background so that they can get up to speed. As Cat and the rest of the team investigate, there are various loose ends that don’t want to be tied, evidence that doesn’t match the killer’s modus operandi and Cat is rather suspicious of key eyewitness, primary school teacher Serena Bailey, and her perfect and detailed recall of events.

This was a cleverly plotted and entertaining police procedural novel with some great characters and I really enjoyed following Cat’s investigation as she left no stone unturned to solve the case. There were lots of twists and turns, red herrings, many secrets and numerous characters who’d played a part in the events of 2012.

We also learnt a bit more about Cat Kinsella’s complicated private life: her boyfriend, Aiden Doyle, who she met 18 months ago while investigating the death of his older sister, Maryanne. Her gangster father, Michael McBride, is connected with that case and it sounds like I need to read Sweet Little Lies to discover exactly what happened!

Cat is hiding various secrets and is in the verge of being considered corrupt but, in spite of that, she’s an intelligent, dedicated police officer and knows exactly which questions to ask and how to investigate cases in a clever and thorough manner.

Overall, I really enjoyed this gripping and absorbing crime thriller – there were lots of fascinating and detailed elements to the case and I enjoyed trying to work out exactly who was responsible for Holly’s murder. The case unfolded well and I was rather surprised by the explosive ending!

I’ll definitely be going back to read the other books in the series, Sweet Little Lies and Stone Cold Heart, and keeping an eye out for the author’s next book.

I absolutely adore Caz Frear's series of police procedurals featuring DC Cat Kinsella and so I couldn't wait to read this, the third in the series.

Serial killer Christopher Masters was convicted of  murdering three women in 2012 and the remains of what are believed to be his fourth victim have been discovered in a field in Cambridgeshire. The question for Cat and her team led by DCI Steele is whether this is the fourth victim of Masters or are they looking for another killer ? 

I love the character of Cat who has a complicated family history which has featured in all of these novels. Frear does a great job of portraying a believable relationship between Cat, DCI Steele and DS  Parnell. I love a solid police procedural and this series is one of the best- great characterisation, an involving storyline, tight plotting and twists I did not anticipate. .

I would recommend reading the previous two books in the series to fully understand Cat's history but this could also be read as a standalone. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Shed No Tears is the third book in the series with DC Cat Kinsella and DS Luigi Parnell, but there's enough background information to gain the knowledge required to read as a standalone, but I would if you can and I am sure you will if this is your first introduction to Cat, go forward and read Caz's previous books - Sweet Little Lies and Stone Cold Heart because Kinsella is such a compelling character and Shed No Tears continues to let her grow and I really like her. The way the books are written takes you through her thought and the dialogue and story that follows, but you get every thought, like when you think thing but can't say them out loud and this really works for me.

Holly Kemp went missing six years ago, she was seen at the time, on the door step of Christopher Masters, who was later identified as a murderer and branded 'The Roommate Killer' due to luring his victims round to his house on the premise of renting a room. Masters has since died, in Prison. but Holly's body has just been found and the way she's found brings Cat to think that it wasn't Master's doing after all.

Kinsella has to dig deep this time to uncover six years worth of witness memories, speaking to Holly's friends, trying to reveal even the smallest new piece of information as to why she would have been in Clapham that day wanting to rent a room, when she had a flat already.

Cat Kinsella's own family history intwines into the book and her background and her fathers dodgy dealings means she knew more about the criminal underworld well before becoming a police officer. She's learnt to trust her instincts and knows for sure not to trust anyone.

Caz Frear manages to entrap her readers and keep the pace going from start to finish, expertly plotted, a brilliantly mesmerising trail of lies and deceit woven to cover up everyones guilt, of what really happened to Holly Kemp and what ever you think it was, it never is.

Highly recommended, Cat Kinsella is a enthralling character.

A tense, superbly crafted plot line, author Caz Frear delivered a story that was multi layered.

Being no stranger to the author’s work, I was a willing prisoner to the aply juxtaposed words which added to the thrill. A case which was supposed to have been closed years ago, despite having not found the last victim’s body, the team of DI Cat Kinsella and Luigi Parnell soon found clues which made a simple case convoluted.

The story was a siren; I found myself unable to put it down. Desperate to know the truth, I raced down the pages. What was supposed to be a solid police procedural soon became a suspenseful tale of sticky web of discrepancies and hidden secrets. I was completely caught up in the plot with brilliant twists.

The writing flowed smoothly, the banter between the team kept the air alive. They were all different yet their determination shone through. Some great twists abd unexpected results made this an exciting breakfast read.

Shed No Tears is #3 in the series featuring DC Cat Kinsella, but can also be read as a stand-alone.

This is a police procedural, serial killer thriller and so much more.

Cat is such a likeable, well developed character and as a result you are with her every step of the way as she deals with her family drama, a relationship, her dark investigation into the murders and so much tension as she, and her team, try to stop a killer.

A brilliantly, twisty plot with red herrings, secrets and revelations that will keep you hooked to the very end. A thoroughly entertaining read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of Shed No Tears. This is my honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Shed No Tears is the third installment of the Cat Kinsella series, a fact that I did not realise at the time and have not read the previous books! I do think this book works poorly as a standalone and would highly recommend taking this series chronologically if possible. I have tried to let this affect my rating as little as possible however it is definitely hard to invest myself into the characters whose arcs feel very pre-established.

The first half of Shed No Tears felt very dull for me and overall I do think the book suffers from pacing issues, but the second half really picked up on the momentum. Nothing felt hugely mind-blowing but I didn't predict the ending and felt that overall the detective story was well-plotted, if a little hard to follow at first. I liked the parental dynamics explored between characters as well as thematic parallels, but did feel a little let down by the ending's format (a 'confessional' ending always feels very tell-not-show to me and I like revelations to slowly unravel rather than be spelled out all at once!). Still a very solid read and I do think my enjoyment would be higher starting from the first book in the series.

I have a little confession to make.  Although I have the first two books in the DC Cat Kinsella series on my ever increasing 'to be read' mountain, I haven't actually read them yet- much to my shame.  When I was invited to take part in the blog tour for 'Shed No Tears', it would be the kick that I needed to get the series read.  Having enjoyed reading the book as much as I did, I am now rather cross with myself that I left it this long to discover how flipping awesome an author Caz Frear really is.  I loved reading 'Shed No Tears' but more about that in a bit.
I loved the character of DC Cat Kinsella and I warmed to her from the start.  She is a feisty young police officer, who has a bit of a moral dilemma of sorts going on.  Her family background is a bit at odds with her profession.  I won't go into any more details as I would hate to give too much away.  Cat is kind, compassionate, determined, thorough, tenacious, tough and ever so slightly stubborn.  She often goes above and beyond the call of duty.  Cat works well within the team but equally she works well on her own.  Her home life is a bit more settled as she has a boyfriend, although the circumstances of the start of their relationship are perhaps a bit iffy and she hasn't told many people about her relationship as she seems to want to keep it under wraps.  I also love the fact that Cat has a dry sense of humour.  Even in the grimmest of circumstances, Cat can find a bit of humour.  That's what you call 'gallows humour'.
Oh my giddy aunt, 'Shed No Tears' has to be one of my favourite reads from 2020.  I fell under this book's spell from the moment I first picked it up and lasted until I had read the last word on the last page.  I just couldn't bear to be parted from the book for fear of missing out on some vital clue or development in the story.  The book wasn't glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me.  I read the book in the course of a single day, which is practically unheard of for me.  Usually I have the attention span of a gnat and I am easily distracted but not in this case.  I flew through the story at a rate of knots because I needed to know how the story concluded and what implications there were, if any, for Cat.  This was one of those books that I was desperate to finish but I didn't want the book to finish because it meant that I had to say goodbye to Cat.  I soon cheered up when I realised that I had the first two books in the series to catch up on.
'Shed No Tears' is extremely well written.  Caz certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into the story.  Caz writes so vividly and uses such realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself.  Reading 'Shed No Tears' felt like being on an at times very scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you can find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board.  
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Shed No Tears' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.  I will certainly be reading more of Caz's work in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The protagonist in this book is Cat Kinsella, and the story is told from her perspective. I really liked Cat in this novel, she is a strong, witty and very interesting character, who has quite a few secrets. The other characters chosen for this book are a different but interesting bunch as well because they all have something to offer to this story. I liked the way Cat was interacting with other people in this book, not only sharing the details from the investigation but her complicated personal life as well. I liked this balance. Due to the wide variety of people in this book, I did have to think sometimes, who is who, because there are many names to remember… 🙂

This book is police procedural, and Cat is sharing the details of her investigation. I really liked the way the victim’s (Holly Kemp) character uncovered during this investigation, every chapter brought something new and kept me longing to find out more. The topics discussed in this book are children in foster care, blackmail, couples and family relations, police work, etc. I found this book absorbing, but the narrative felt a little too slow, I would’ve liked a little more action. 😦 There are quite a few references from the previous books in the series, but as a first-time reader, I was able to understand what was going on. However, I would recommend reading the previous books first. If I read the books from the beginning, I think then I would’ve been able to understand and relate to the characters better.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, the author has a sense of humour, and I really enjoyed her witty and sarcastic remarks during this book. 😀 The setting of this novel keeps changing, so the book doesn’t feel dull. The chapters have medium length, but the book was intriguing, so it did not drag for me. The ending was very unexpected and I really didn’t see it coming. 🙂

WTAF!

My days this is a cracking read.

To my shame, this is the first of Frear's books I've read but it will not be the last. Not at all.

Shed No Tears is the third book in the series with DC Cat Kinsella and DS Lu Parnell but I didn't feel like I'd missed out on anything. Frear wove the back stories of the characters into the new story in such a skillful way I was able to get to grips with who was who and where they were in their lives, without over-facing the new book with too much of the previous books.

So, in this one we meet Cat and Parnell in the middle of the field on a wet and windy day where they're looking at the remains of woman whose killer was locked up several years ago but who is now dead. It should be an open and shut case. Crossing the ts and dotting the is on a closed case that was just missing a body.

But things are not as they seem. As the team open the original case files, several issues come to light...Issues which could bring the force to its knees.

I adored this book. Seriously.

I instantly fell in love with Cat. She is a damaged but brilliant woman whose need to protect her family while staying on the right of the law (what with her being a police officer and all that) makes her a complex and wonderful character to get involved with.

I loved how she interacted with her partner, Parnell and her boss, DCI Steel. Cat has a lot going in her personal life too, what with her dad being a gangster...

My favourite thing about Cat is that she isn't the boss. She's at the start of her career so we don't have the usual renegade officer going up against the higher-ups and getting away with it because they've had such a long career or are owed favours or have such a great record, no one cares how they get to the arrest. It was such a welcome change to have her wondering about her actions, knowing that she could lose her job for doing the wrong thing. For saying the wrong thing. For suggesting the wrong thing. She is still developing and learning and absorbing everything from those above her and I'm so looking forward to see where she ends up.

Bookworms, you absolutely need to get involved with this series, Frear is a wonderful writer and a fantastic storyteller. She took me on a thrilling ride that started on the first page and didn't let up until the last word. Stunning!

This is a great crime thriller with a brilliant outcome that I didn’t see coming. 
Cat is called to a crime scene in Cambridgeshire where the body of a young woman is found in remote farmland.
It seems this woman has links to the Roommate killer investigated by the Met Police some six years earlier, and this young woman was believed to be his final victim. 
Although all the evidence pointed towards Christopher Masters at the time, the discovery of the body sheds new light on the investigation and forces the team to reopen the case.
As Cat and Parnell dig deeper more and more discrepancies are evident and this makes this book a great read as there’s so many directions it could take. 
I loved the ending and also the final sentence of the book.....
Thanks to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Cat Kinsella #3

Three women had been strangled by the "Roommate Killer " and the case was never closed. But now the remains of a forth victim have been found. Cat Kinsella and her team are investigating the case. The body is Holly Kemp and she has been in the field where she was found for six years. Cat and her partner, Luigi Parnell take a closer look into this case only to find discrepancies and questions. 

This is a gripping,  tense and an edge of your seat read.  Nothing is quite what it seems. It's a hard book to review as I don't want to give too much away. This is one of the best police procedural that's going about just now. The pace is fast and the story is told from Cat's perspective. The truth is revealed slowly, piece by piece.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Books and the author Caz Frear for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shed No Tears is the third book in the Cat Kinsella series by Caz Frear. When the remains of Holly Kemp, the assumed fourth and final victim of the “roommate” killer, are discovered, the murder squad are called in to reinvestigate when several discrepancies compared to the original case findings 6 years ago come to light. 

Caz Frear has been on my radar for a really long tine and I’ve really enjoyed spending the past couple of weeks reading the series, although each book can be read as a stand-alone.

Each book is better than the last, with more complex characters and plots. Cat Kinsella is a character I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and I hope there will be more on her in the future.

Available Thursday 23rd July
Thanks @netgalley for my copy

My favourite read off Netgallery.

Well written, engaging characters, plenty of twists and turns.

Everything from the front cover, the blurb to the way it's written scream TOP SELLER.

I would highly recommend this book and will be looking for many more books by Caz Fear.

Many thanks to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my spot on the blog tour. And, also to the publishers for my gifted copy. 

She'd No Tears is the third installment in the DC Cat Kinsella series. And, I've just jumped straight into it with this one. I've read other people's reviews and the majority have said you can easily read this as a standalone. However, for me I did feel like the new girl on my first day at work when I started reading this. And, it took me a while to get into the story as I felt I was playing catch up with the characters, who obviously had a great camaraderie. I just felt like I was missing out on gossip between them, and they all had a backstory that I needed to know. But, saying this as soon as I got to grips with who's who, and their roles I got easily swept up in the case and storyline. 

A body has been discovered in the undergrowth, and it turns out to be that of Holly Kemp. She was the apparent final victim of Christopher Masters, a serial killer who abducted and murdered several women. He was sent down for his crimes, but had always denied murdering Holly despite the fact that a key eye witness saw Holly go to Masters house on the day she disappeared. All very mysterious! What happened to Holly? Was she really another of Masters victims? Or is there another conclusion? 

Cat Kinsella is definitely a unique character, her family has criminal connections, which given she's in the police force can make for interesting reading. I liked this arc to her storyline as it shows a different side to her character. It also gives her more of an edge. 

As the investigation intensifies Kinsella and Parnell discover and delve deeper into the Masters case and the find out a lot of discrepancies that don't make sense. What could be going on? 

Shed No Tears was a fantastic read full of mystery and intrigue to keep us guessing throughout. Great characters which I'll be making sure to read the rest of the series, from the start.

Could not finish. Just wasn’t able to connect with the writing, or figure out what was going on. It didn’t hold my attention long enough for me to want to find out either. 

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Shed No Tears is the fabulous third police procedural drama by Caz Frear featuring the wonderful character DC Cat Kinsella.  I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of these books and love the character of Cat, and her relationship with her colleague DS Lu Parnell, more and more with every book.
The central story is that of a previously solved murder (where the body was never found) which comes under investigation again which the victim’s body is found. The serial killer, ‘The Roommate Killer’ aka Christopher Masters, has since died and therefore cannot be questioned about the body and manner of death of Holly Kemp.  During his lifetime he had both denied and admitted the murder at various points and it was decided he could not be trusted to tell the truth. The police decide they must look into the matter again to try to find out once and for all if Masters did kill Holly Kemp.
Surely it must have been Masters? If so, did he have an accomplice, either working with Masters or alone? Will Holly finally be able to rest in peace?  
As usual, Cat has a lot going on with her family and social life which provides as much drama and intrigue to the story as her work life.
Another excellent book from Caz Frear. I cannot wait for book four in this series!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first novel in the Cat Kinsella series a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so was really excited to be approved to read the new one! Happily, it was just as good as I hoped it would be and I raced through it. I had guessed the identity of the villain by about the halfway point but that didn't spoil anything. It's so refreshing to read a crime/procedural novel that isn't populated solely by middle aged men!

I read this for a blog tour. 

This started off as a pretty average police procedural but then took off in a completely different direction, the plot gathering pace as the investigation sped up. The brilliant twists towards the end were not easy to spot and very little foreshadowing suggested where it might all end.