Shallow Ground by Andy Matsen is the 1st book from the Detective Ford series. Ford is on a mission to catch a serial killer! We follow Detective Ford who leads the search for the killer. The story shows how the detectives work and make their cases. I really enjoyed the story. The book's scenes were very well planned and written. The book had a good range of characters and suspects kept the story flowing. I couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend this book!

Great thriller which kept me turning the pages well into the night. Great characters and plot. Highly recommend to others!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read.
Thoroughly recommended

This was an interesting and compelling beginning for a new police procedural series. The characters were engaging, and the story told with skill.

I appreciated the interpersonal dynamics of the police team. I liked the father son relationship between Ford and his son Sam. The addition of a new police CSI officer named Hannah Fellowes, who has Aspergers, added greatly to the narrative and would seem a logical love interest for Ford in further novels. Her candor and forthrightness, along with her brilliant brain was a joy to read.

If I had to find any negatives about the book, I’d have to say that Henry’s extreme feelings of survivor’s guilt over his beloved wife’s death was a tad repetitive. Yes, he had made an impossible choice, but he had NO choice really. It was have her die, or have them both die. The blurb emphasized his feelings of guilt and his ‘dark’ secrets. I thought the blurb was a tad misleading.

Also, I cannot for the life of me figure out why the novel was entitled “Shallow Ground“. I could not connect the title with this story in any way. What am I missing?

As the reader, I was privy to the serial killer’s motivations (though not his identity), so while reading I was waiting for D.I. Ford and his team to find and apprehend him. The red-herring suspect was well rendered and skillfully misguided the reader as planned.

Some readers might find the narrative a bit gruesome in places, but those who read a lot of police procedural and serial killer thrillers will not mind a bit.

All in all, an impressive and compelling start to a new series. Highly recommended!

Ford lost his wife in a tragic climbing accident 6 years previously and still blames himself for her untimely death. He is desperate to keep the truth about her death from their son Sam but is finding it increasingly difficult with his new partner, Dr Hannah Fellowes on the scene.

Ford and Fellowes soon get embroiled in an intense serial killer investigation that starts with the discovery of the bodies of a young nurse and her baby. Ford is convinced that this murder is not a standalone and finds himself going up against his superiors in a bid to find the killer before he can finish his plan.

A very well written criminal thriller. It kept me guessing right until the very end.

This isn't my type of book, but I would encourage others to read it because many people seem to enjoy it!

I could not put this book down!! The characters were so well developed and the author wrote in a way that kept me guessing. So many murders, so many twists and turns. I typically don't go for the detective type thrillers but I will be keeping my eye out for book #2.

WOW 😮 what a fantastic read ! First in the series of the DI Ford books. This book had me gripped from the first page to the last! A original storyline that just kept you guessing right to the end. I also found the main characters really likeable and really looking forward to seeing them develop
Highly recommend this series and can’t wait to read the next one!

Shallow ground is an excellent police procedural and I love the MC Detective Ford.
This is Detective Ford's first case since being promoted to detective he has a savvy experienced team and a tenacious and very smart new pathologist on his team.

The book has many twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout the book and it held my attention in fascinated awe at hiw well the story was woven.

If you love police procedural I highly recommend it this book is an exceptional read.

This was a thrilling read that grabbed at at the beginning and didn't let go until the very end. I see this is the first book in a new series, and I can't wait to read the following books! Recommended.
TB

Interesting story with a fleshed out cast of characters and a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A gruesome murder of a nurse and her young son is investigated by newly promoted DI Ford. As more murders take place he realises there is a serial killer at work. With two main suspects can Ford identify the perpetrator before the case is taken from him? A tense murder mystery with gruesome scenes and extraordinary motives.

DI "Henry" Ford has recently been promoted to DCI. When he gets the call to investigate the murder of a young nurse and her young son, he has mixed emotions. This is his chance to show his superiors he's able to handle the job. On the other hand he feels he knows from brutal personal experience how killers cover their tracks.

The young woman was bashed in the head, strangled and then left to bleed out. The child was given a shot that stopped his heart. There are few clues, no DNA, no apparent motive.

Ford has a new partner ... Dr. Hannah Fellowes, a crime scene investigator with an analytical mind that just doesn't stop.

This murder is just the beginning, as other bodies fall. They are all killed the same way. The only thing connecting them are the number left on the walls of each crime scene.

How are these victims chosen?

As the investigation continues, Ford's instincts lead him to a high-profile suspect .. but his supervisor has warned him off this particular person. Knowing Ford, he will just ignore the warning and does what he always had ... follow his gut feelings.

This is the beginning of a new series by this author (who has produced other series). A second book becomes available later this year. The characters are deftly drawn. Ford is a single father, having lost his wife in a climbing accident some years ago. He feels guilty that he wasn't able to save her. He and his teenage son still haven't come to grips with her death. Fellowes is a marvelous character. She's got a brilliant mind, she's very friendly, and seems to put everything out there. She has Asperger's and worries what others will think of her. Secondary characters bring a lot to the story as they are also front and center in crime solving.

There's non-stop action filled with suspense. What the killer does is horrendous ... the why is even more evil.

Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Perfect read to keep one up all night and awake, tense and gripping atmosphere compliments a wonderfully written novel. It was an easy recommendation to friends.

This was a very good police procedural with an intriguing plot. I loved DI Ford and enjoyed looking into his personal life and his past. The writing was atmospheric and I enjoyed going along for the ride.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Detective Ford has struggled to cope with the loss of his wife. Her death is something he blames himself for. His colleagues have avoided the subject. Shortly after he is promoted to DI he investigates the death of a young mother & her son. Splashed across the walls & written in blood is the number 666. Dr Hannah Fellowes has just joined the team as a CSI but she has experience in profiling. Having Asperger's Syndrome makes her very direct & he finds her directness somewhat soothing. When another victim is found with another number written across the wall in blood & then a third one it looks like they have a serial killer on their hands. Ford has his suspicions as to the killer, but his high status makes it difficult to pursue.

I haven't read any of Andy Maslen's books before but I really enjoyed this one. The characters were interesting & engaging. I loved the way Hannah & Ford worked together & I'm already looking forward to the next in this promising series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Shallow ground encompasses the loss of a spousal and the difficulties of bringing up a child alone, and at the same time, assuming a new position at the Police Force, responsible for a team and facing the need to uncover the new serial killer who is terrorizing the area. Ford faces a lot of struggles, especially those relating to his past personal life, lack of support from his superiors, at some point lack of support from his team, till when he is able to prove he was right. He also is able to engage in a new relationship with a highly qualified member of staff who has recently landed in town. It's a new beginning in many areas - his profession, his personal life. Great start of a new series, full of mystery, action, and many turns till the truth is unveiled.
I downloaded a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
It has a strong plot with likable, quirky (Especially Hannah - how refreshing!) characters and a few twists along the way.
I found myself switching between probable suspects as to who was the killer and that's always a good thing.
Just the right length too.
Many thanks.

Inspector Ford is a Salisbury detective with plenty on his plate: coming to terms with the death of his wife, struggling to bring up their teenage son by himself, and a new colleague in crime scene detective Dr Hannah Fellowes to cope with.
Then comes the mysterious death of a local nurse and her young son. With a number daubed on the wall of their flat in blood, Ford knows that he is looking at a strange and twisted adversary. The murderer’s modus operandi suggests someone with medical knowledge, but at the local hospital Ford finds himself warned off by a consultant with friends in high places. Then another body is found with a different number on the wall, and he knows he is in a race against time before the killer strikes again.
The first in a new series of crime novels by thriller writer Andy Maslen, Shallow Ground is a meticulously researched piece of police procedural, with its carefully crafted pulling the reader in and not letting go until the last page.

(Various Living Magazines, Nov 2020)

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. I hope to read more books by this author.