I’ve met Cath Staincliffe... so find her books very believable and understand her style of writing! This one didn’t disappoint.... fast paced with believable characters especially Donna and Jade! Great storyline which left you wanting more.... would recommend for someone who likes a fast paced novel!

‘Quiet Acts of Violence’ begins with the distressing discovery of a newborn baby girl in a skip. That in itself is tragic enough, but this poor baby girl’s death was no accident.

House to house calls reveal nothing significant initially, nobody knows of anyone in the immediate area who was pregnant, but as with any neighbourhood, there’s always a curtain twitcher who seems to know everyone’s business, and so it is that George, an elderly neighbour with not much else to do but watch the comings and goings in the street, gives the investigation its first tenuous lead. Further enquiries bring the team a couple of suspects, but just like an onion, the truth will only be revealed one layer at a time.

DI Donna Bell is in charge of investigations, she’s meticulous and methodical in her job. In her personal life, she has more than her fair share of problems, with five kids, and being the sole breadwinner, life’s really hard, and there’s much worse to come. Her husband Jim, a driving instructor, isn’t working, he’s recovering from a heart attack, and in addition, he has an upcoming court appearance - the result of a car accident that occurred when he was in the throes of his heart attack, and which unfortunately led to the death of a pedestrian.

DI Bell’s sidekick, DC Jade Bradshaw, is the opposite of her boss, she’s impatient by nature, primarily because she believes her ideas and instincts are one step ahead of her colleagues, however, she lacks empathy when it comes to understanding others’ feelings, and that means she can come across as tactless and uncaring when dealing with the public. She also has some serious psychological issues stemming from physical and emotional abuse in childhood, with various events replaying over and over again in her head. Though she mostly manages to hide these issues and feelings, there are times when they will expose themselves in an uncontrollable frenzy of emotions, and Jade is about to be pushed to the point of breakdown.

This is a police procedural of the very best kind, the vivid characterisations are hugely insightful, it has a plot that is both gripping and emotional, and a storyline that has real relevance today, with mental health issues, poverty, homelessness, and child abuse, - being just some of the issues that it covers. Highly recommended!

A homeless woman discovers the body of a dead baby in a commercial bin. How did the baby die? And where is its mother?

Detectives Donna & Jade struggle against the environment, the local community and their own personal lives to get to the truth

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
Quiet Acts of Violence by Cath Staincliffe was a masterclass in storytelling. It covered so many issues and the main characters were so well written. Donna, the main police officer in charge of her team has found out that her husband has been unfaithful and Jade her assistant, sees her mental health suffer when a person from her past appears. Then there is the case they are both dealing with, the death of a new born baby girl and the disappearance of her mother.
A hauntingly, sad story with no happy ending.

I've read a few of this authors books and enjoyed them all. This one certainly didn't disappoint and it kept me hooked from start to finish. I read it in two sittings as couldn't put it down. I hope this is going to made into a series as I really liked the characters and can't wait to read more about them.

I’ve read a number of Cath Staincliffe books over the years but I think this is the best so far. What makes this stand out from the very crowded crime fiction market is how realistic and authentic it feels, nor is the author afraid to confront difficult issues head on. In this novel DI Donna Bell and DC Jade Bradshaw not only have to deal with a very emotionally charged crime but they have major problems in their personal lives. Colette is homeless through little fault of her own and because of the dangers for a woman on the streets she is forced to sleep in a commercial refuse bin where she finds the body of new born baby wrapped in a bin bag. The ensuing case is a tragedy in more ways than one, it’s very challenging and elicits all the emotions.

First of all, the author deals with issues like the realities of homelessness and mental health and because it pulls no punches it makes you feel a host of emotions from shame, to sadness and it’s a moving experience. It is so well written and with such clarity that you feel like you are more than a reader but an observer. The characters are very well conveyed with Bell’s meticulousness versus Bradshaw’s impetuousness. This case and other events impact on Jade’s well being in a serious way and through this we learn more about her tragic childhood which is written so powerfully you almost hold your breath as you witness the implosion. The plot is excellent and plausible with the key players, witnesses and the Manchester area being sharply observed. The storyline is hard hitting, gritty and gripping and the issues achingly well conveyed. I like how at the beginning there are touches of humour and banter between the characters but then the mood changes as the case becomes ever more serious.

Overall, this is a crime fiction novel that stands out from the crowd. It has so many relevant issues in the storytelling so that you feel the desperation and heartbreaking sadness of homeless Colette, the cruelty of the perpetrators and witness the impact of the case on the officers which makes it an emotional read. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC.

Cath Staincliffe’s writing highlights important and often difficult subjects. In ‘Quiet Acts of Violence’ the focus is very much on child abuse and the terrible legacy it leaves its sufferers. In this novel not only are we immersed in an horrific situation which leads to infanticide but it is also clear that the baby’s mother has been horribly treated from a very young age. Why is this?
In this novel we are reintroduced to detectives Donna Bell and Jade Bradshaw, both dedicated members of the police force living complicated, busy lives. The theme of abuse is repeated through Jade’s flashbacks and eventual mental breakdown. She, too, was an abused child, taken away from her mother at the age of five, old enough to remember much of her deprivation. Staincliffe’s depiction of Jade’s metamorphosis from competent detective to hallucinating psychotic is vivid, persuasive and very sad. Less credible is the idea that she is able to return to her former job after a spell in a psychiatric ward, given that she is often on the front-line. In this novel, the competent Donna, juggling five children and a husband off work, has her back. However, is the fact that Donna, time and time again, covers for or ignores Jade’s behaviour entirely realistic?
Perhaps I would be able to accept the two women’s professional relationship more easily if I had read the previous novel in this series. That said, ‘Quiet Acts of Violence’ can be read as a standalone as Staincliffe occasionally provides some background information. However, in this novel a rather superficial portrayal of the criminals’ familial relationships felt like a missed opportunity to understand the origins of their abhorrent behaviour, perhaps the implication being that abusers do not always recognise that their cruelty or when acts of malice become the norm.
Staincliffe is, rightly, well known for her television scripts and I can imagine a successful series emerging from this female partnership, quite different in tone to ‘Scott and Bailey’.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK for the arc of Quiet Acts of Violence by Cath Staincliffe.

Thank you to Cath Staincliffe for writing the second installment of DI Donna Bell and DI Jade Bradshaw

This follows where Donna and Jade are called to go a crime scene where something horrific and saddening has been found.... a dead baby😭😭 The baby was found by a lady who is homeless, Nobody knows who might of gave birth to the baby but saddening truth that No one wants to help to get to the truth of it all.. which is shocking but Will Donna and Jade her partner be able to find who the mother of the child could or may be? And can justice be served and done for the poor deceased baby...

This was a gripping but saddening and emotional read about a death of a baby, it did have me gripped all the way through with all the twists and turns in its way, saddening that no one that wants to help...

Recommend
4 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

There is a strand in crime fiction that depicts the state of the nation and contemporary issues that elevates this element of the crime genre beyond its boundaries, the award winning Cath Staincliffe is one such proponent of this, and she does it with a sense of humanity, humility and compassion that breaks your heart, enough to make you weep. She creates characters and poverty stricken communities that depict the reality of the harrowing, deadly and criminal impact of the tory government policies of austerity that can often resonate with readers more than reading any newpaper article or other media coverage ever will. One of the characters in this story that epitomise this is Colette Pritchard, illustrating just how so many in our country are but one step away from homelessness, with the loss of work, home, dignity, health, and respect, with the invisibility and vulnerability that goes with it.

It is a scared and traumatised homeless Colette who discovers a dead baby girl, only a few days old, discarded like rubbish in a bin bag, taking it to a police station, triggering a disturbing, soul destroying and emotionally charged murder investigation that features the return of DI Donna Bell and the volatile DC Jade Bradshaw of Manchester police. There are examinations of CCTV, follow up of baby's clothing, house to house calls, interviews with local business owners in a case that reveals tragedy, rape, assault, suicide, abuse, exploitation of minors, lies and deception. Neither Donna and Jade are immune from devastation in their personal lives. Donna has five children, discovering a secret that threatens to smash her family into pieces. Jade is a character that can be hard to warm to, she struggles to be a team player or show empathy to others, the entry of a stranger claiming to be her sister she hasn't seen since she was 5 years old brings back all her fears and insecurities. Her traumatic past emerges, having her unravelling in a spectacular fashion as she becomes ever more paranoid, even as she make a number of key breakthroughs in the case.

The title of Staincliffe's novel, Quiet Acts of Violence, is so appropriate in this hard hitting and gritty narrative, with the below the radar and the all too ordinariness of a raft of terrifying and violent acts that break and desolate communities and individuals. These are not confined to the death of the baby and the various aspects of the investigation, but intrude into the personal lives of the central protagonists, Donna and Jade. This is particularly the case as we come to learn of the horrors and terrors have lurked in Jade's background, allowing us to empathise with and understand her so much better. Donna is incredible when it comes to handling Jade when matters reach a point of no return. This is must read crime fiction that I cannot recommend highly enough. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

What a fantastic read! The prolific Cath Staincliffe never fails to deliver and this is one of her best. The storyline is fascinating--a new-born baby is found dead in a skip and the race is on to find out its identity and how it came to be there. The two principal cops are fascinating; Donna is married with kids and has a lot going on in her life and Jade is young with a history of abuse and mental illness. Hopefully there will be more to follow. Superb!

Quiet Acts Of Violence is the second book in the series featuring DI Donna Bell and DC Jade Bradshaw. Like the first book, Girl In The Green Dress, this book is a brilliant read.
Donna and Jade are called to a scene where a dead baby has been found by a homeless woman. Nobody seems to know who gave birth to the child. No one seems to want to help to get the truth. Will Donna and Jade be able to find the mother of the child? Will they be able to get justice for the baby?
It was wonderful to meet these two characters again. Whereas in the first book, I found that Jade really grated on my nerves, in this second book, I found I understood her much more and grew to really like her.
Such a brilliant book, so well written as with all of Cath’s book. Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book and it was made even better by the fact that once again we were treated to knowing more about detectives Donna Bell and Jade Bradshaw who are both in their own way fascinating characters.
So a newborn baby is found dead, left in bin in an alleyway behind a terraced street but where and who is the mother and how did the baby die this is the sad case that presents itself to Donna and Jade. The story also focuses on the the lives of Donna and Jade who are both struggling in their own way to cope with life and this really made for some compulsive and compelling reading.
Beautifully written by Cath Staincliffe (many many thanks) with characters that were flawed and very real it’s a story that really got to me and I found myself really caring about what happened to all of these people and that for me made the book a wonderful read and one that I can highly recommend. I do hope we can see more of Donna and Jade in the future as I am sure there is more to come in both their stories also.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group, Constable for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Brilliant author dead baby missing mother really good book.. Second in the series and really loved it. Definetely a good follow on from the first book

A dead baby. A missing mother. A cradle of secrets. Detectives Donna Bell and Jade Bradshaw find lies and obstruction at every turn, in a community living on the edge, ground down by austerity and no hope.
I enjoyed this book to a certain degree but found the detectives lives had so much going on that it distracted me away from the real story of the abandoned baby. Which was really good.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

When Cath Staincliffe contacted me recently to ask if I would read her new book and be on the blogtour it was an absolute YES of course from me as I have read and adored her standalone books.  She mentioned that her latest book Quiet Acts of Violence was a sequel to The Girl in The Green Dress which was an incredibly powerful and emotional read for me back in November 2018

I didn't read the blurb for this book before starting it so I went in without any expectations except knowing it was written by Cath it would be an emotional ride and I wasn't wrong.

Before I talk about this book, whilst this does feature the police team from The Girl in The Green Dress, you can absolutely 100% read this book as a standalone and to be completely honest I had forgotten about the police officers from the first book as the powerful storyline about the young girl who was murdered was the most important part of that book to me.  Anyway, back to Quiet Acts of Violence....

Once again Cath Staincliffe has written a topical, emotionally charged and compelling story.  A newborn baby girl has been found dead in a dumpster in a neighbourhood full of despair, poverty and secrets.  Police Detective Donna Bell and Jade Bradshaw, who first featured in The Girl in the Green Dress, team up again to find the truth out about the baby and locate her mother quickly.

Quiet Acts of Violence centres around these two police women, Donna who is the boss, trying to juggle her career and home life with 5 children and a husband stuck at home recovering from a heart attack and Jade, a young, highly ambitious police officer with demons from her past that are threatening to turn her present life upside down.

This was another unputdownable book by Cath Staincliffe and I absolutely devoured it over the space of a few hours.  Emotional and captivating and thoroughly recommended by me.

** spoiler alert ** 3.5 stars


There's a lot going on in this book.
Two main characters with a lot of baggage it seems.
It's the second book in the series,and it feels like it... I wish it was made clearer on the blurb.

That might be my only complaint.
Two interesting main characters,and a crime that leaves you just horrified.

The treatment of the baby,it's mother,are shocking,but also too,the witness,who describes how he life so easily spiralled out of control to leave her on the streets.

Quite the hard hitting book,without going over the top with violence and gore.
I'll look out for first book now.