This novel goes in so many directions with so many stories, I found it difficult to keep track. This is a character driven novel with some intriguing characters. Others are just not likeable. Serial killer...work place romance...family dynamics...friendship...despair...a multitude of happenings. The book was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for review. Although it is not a favorite, something kept pulling me back to the story.

I love the Amy Winter series, so was delighted to get this latest one. It certainly didn't disappoint! Amy and her team are moved out to Clacton to investigate the apparent suicide of a police officer. They have good reason to suspect foul play. The officer in question was on to something, but somebody clearly wanted to stop her. A group of homeless teenagers could hold the key but they are terrified of talking. Another great page turner which will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Growing up I often found my parents to be real pains in the neck. I mean serious pains; curfews, chores, questions about where I was going and with whom. After reading the terrific Flesh and Blood at least I can be reminded and consoled that I wasn’t raised by a pair of abusive serial killers until age five. This is the background D.I. Amy Winters contends with ever since her adoptive father died a few years ago and her past came to light. A past she had managed to totally forget, until it started to forcefully emerge in book one of the outstanding Amy Winter series.
In the third book, Left for Dead, Amy and her team became well-known after DCI Donovan’s daughter made a TV documentary about them. With the fame came a lot more pressure, and the tendency of the brass to give Amy and her team high profile cases.
Amy and her team move to Clacton-by the–Sea to investigate the death of one of DCI Donovan’s former co-workers, Carla Burke. Carla’s death has been ruled a suicide, but Donovan knows without a doubt that Carla has been murdered. Amy is quickly able to tie Carla’s death to other seaside deaths that have been ruled suicides.
As always Mitchell, a former CID officer, has made the actual police work, sound mostly interesting, yet at times truthfully boring –ay-yi-yi all that paperwork and documentation of every action, not to mention the most boring job of all, surveillance.
Mitchell skillfully ties Amy’s nightmare mother and family into the present book without stretching the imagination. Amy is forced into maintaining connections to her newly found family because there are children involved, plus Amy’s sister-whom she actually loves- is married to one of her co-workers.
The subplot of Amy looking for her sister’s child, given up for adoption immediately after birth, has a surprising twist. Flesh and Blood has more than one surprising twist; surprising, but not from left field without any foundation.
Sadly, the only non-twist is figuring out the killer(s). Don’t worry, watching Amy and team come to the same conclusion is well worth the ride, Flesh and Blood, has great depth to it
I also think Mitchell did a great job handling the tender love story of Donovan and Amy. No great drama, just two grownups coming to terms with their feelings and the complications of Donovan being her boss.
Flesh and Blood explores more of the backgrounds of Amy’s co-workers. They have always been a part of the stories, but most have been a bit of a blank state, with Mitchell only slowly revealing their backgrounds and their sins.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC for review purposes.

This, the fourth book in the DI Amy Winter series, takes the team to Clacton to investigate a possible link between a series of suicides in coastal resorts. Although this is the fourth book in the series, it is the first that I have read and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. For that reason, I initially found the relationships between some of the characters a little difficult to get to grips with. However, that's my fault for not starting at the beginning!

The plot is well thought through and the characters are well drawn, I liked the team and the interaction between them. As I was reading the book forensically, I did pick up on one or two minor points (in fact, I made twenty notes on my Kindle) but that really was just me being ultra picky. There is one slight error in the timeline that confused me slightly, but not enough to spoil the book.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this book BUT I would say that if you enjoy reading police procedural series, start at the beginning and read all of them...it's too late for me now, there are too many spoilers in this book to make it worthwhile reading the first three, but on the basis of this book, I am sure I would have enjoyed the whole series.

This was a great addition to the series. It had an intriguing plot and interestimg characters. Looking forward to reading more

Flesh And Blood is the fourth book in a new series by bestselling author Caroline Mitchell, a police procedural, featuring DI Amy Winter, the daughter of a serial killer. Another winner!

The books in the DI Amy Winter Series include:
Truth and Lies (Book 1)
The Secret Child (Book 2)
Left For Dead (Book 3)
Flesh And Blood (Book 4)

I would recommend that you read the novels in the series in sequence, as there is a lot of references to previous storylines, and it would be easier to follow, and understand Amy and her background. DI Amy Winter is the daughter of a serial killer, Lillian Grime, a serial killer who has just been released from prison. Amy had grown up in a dysfunctional family under neglect and abuse in the household. Amy pushes the boundaries of police procedure.

A string of suicides at local seaside towns. A community in terror. It had been five years since DCI Donovan had worked in Clacton, living in London, with a new position of DCI of a specialist crime team, and in a relationship with his partner, DI Amy Winter. Now Donovan and his team were off to Clacton to hunt down a killer, who had killed his former colleague, Carla Burke, a detective.

Carla would never have committed suicide. She was terrified of the sea. DI Amy Winter suspects things are not what they seem, possible foul play may be involved. Something is wrong.

No one in the community is willing to talk. Someone knows more than they are letting on, but Amy’s questions are met with resistance. A group of mysterious teenagers might hold the answer, but they are afraid to talk.

Amy must confront her dark past if she is to solve the crimes, before more bodies are washed up.

This was another fast-paced police procedural novel with complex plot, lots of twists and turns and well-developed characters. The author’s previous experience as a police detective enriches the overall quality of the novel.

Many thanks to the author, Amazon Publishing and Net Galley for my digital copy.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

It took until the 4th book in Caroline Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series to figure out how to read the series without losing sleep. I started reading it first thing in the morning. Her novels are brilliantly written police procedurals, full of exciting characters and backstories, that are hard to put down.

As with the prior three installments, Flesh and Blood, focuses on Amy Winter's professional life and personal life. This time her team is tasked with investigating a wave of apparent suicides at several seaside resorts. The main reason her team travels to Clacton is it is Winter's boss’s, DCI Donovan, a prior partner who is the latest apparent suicide victim.

After the team's last case and ensuing news coverage, their profile has gone up, and they are under the microscope by the press, public, and their higherups. ​Their presence and help are not welcomed in Clacton, but Amy, as usual, plows on and is determined to find the truth...no matter where or who they need to investigate.

Mitchell has established a well-formed world around DI WInter's childhood, biological and adoptive parents, work, and personal life. It would be remiss to not read the series from the beginning.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.

This is book 4 in the Amy Winter series and this time the team are off to the seaside!
When a former colleague of DCI Donovan is found dead of a suspected suicide, he wants to find out what happened as he doesn't believe that she would take her own life, so packs the team off to investigate.
The investigation uncovers similar suspicious deaths in other seaside locations, but are they linked? And if so, how? And what do the group of teenagers that Carla had been in contact with before she died have to do with it?
Running along this main story are the ongoing issues Amy has with her birth family, her relationship with Donovan and new, eager DC Molly.
A complex and twisty plot delivered with the usual ease I have come to expect from this series, I can't wait to see what comes next for Amy and the gang!

An intriguing plot which kept me guessing throughout. DI Amy Winter and her brilliant team are talked with investigating a suicide of a police officer in Brighton. Each member of the team has their own speciality which certainly helps solve the investigation. A gripping read with some unexpected developments.

Whenever I see that this author has another book out, I am desperate to read it because I already know that it will be brilliant! This book certainly didn't disappoint. I think it makes a huge difference that the author was a police detective, all her books certainly have that authenticity but she is also a very skilful author.

Amy Winter is a cop who is certainly traumatised by her past but she tries hard not to let it impact on her everyday life, now. Donovan is a member of her team but they are also trying to form a relationship, although neither of them knows exactly what they want to have happen. Amy also has to deal with her sister, who adopted a child out when she was young and wants Amy to find that child.

As well as Amy's personal struggles, she needs to deal with a case of a cop from Clacton who drowns. Is this really suicide or is it actually murder? And why are there a group of teenagers who move from town to town - are they victims or perpetrators?

So many threads to keep track of, some of them very confronting, it has to be said, but that is why I like this author's writing. Incredible plot, believable characters and a few twists and turns, for good measure. And in this particular book, an ending I didn't see coming! I am loving this series, looking forward to reading the next one.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

I LOVE THIS SERIES! This book has it all; a case close to home, romance, family drama and SECRETS abound! I did not guess the who in the who done it and I loved the shock of it.

I have been so lucky to have been granted the opportunity to have access to all 4 eARCs in the series. This year I am struggling to read without an audiobook and was so excited that Kindle Unlimited had Flesh and Blood available to read and listen, so I got to start listening on release day!

Flesh and Blood is the fourth book in the DI Amy Winter series by former CID detective Caroline Mitchell, about the daughter of notorious serial killers who now hunts them herself as part of a specialist police team. I’ve read them all in order and think you do need to know the characters’ background to get the most out of this one. It’s a great series but I found this one hard going because it’s about the organised sexual exploitation of children, although the acts themselves are not described.

Amy is still getting used to her new secret relationship with her DCI, Donovan, when they are sent to the coastal town of Clacton in Essex, to investigate the apparent suicide of his former CID colleague Carla. They discover that she had been working off the books on a case involving a group of homeless teenagers, with links to a series of similar deaths by drowning in different seaside locations - was Carla getting too close to the truth?

This was another meticulously plotted police procedural with a large cast of characters - it was difficult to keep track of who was who at times, as many had similar names eg Denny, Damien & Darren, Mo & Molly. The scenes with Mo’s therapist are particularly harrowing as she recounts her history of systematic grooming as a young teenager, but it was unclear who Mo actually was until a shocking reveal that turns the book upside down - well played Ms Mitchell!
There are further twists and turns that I did not see coming including one which will shape the rest of the series. It’s well written and while it deals with a very dark subject, there’s no gore or descriptive violence. The ongoing dramas in Amy’s family did slow the pace a bit, but are integral to the series as are the relationships with her colleagues.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review.
Flesh and Blood is available now.

I enjoyed this book, I felt it was an emotional read which got anger, sorrow, and sadness flowing through it, which in my book makes for a good read.
DI Winter has a cracking team and a dysfunctional family and lots of baggage, but it just works.
Book 4 of a great series.
Looking forward to the next one already.

Flesh and Blood is another excellent book in the DI Amy Winter series. It is book 4 but it can easily be read as a standalone, although I do recommend the entire series.
In Flesh and Blood, the death of a colleague takes Amy, and her team, to Clacton. The apparent suicide sends shock waves of grief throughout the team and questions are raised. This soon sparks an investigation into other suicides in seaside towns. Nothing seems to connect the victims, but something doesn’t sit right with them. It’s soon obvious that there is much more to these incidents than meets the eye and nothing could prepare them for what they find out as their investigation progresses.
This is a hard-hitting storyline which is even more horrifying as these things do happen in the real world. There are some brilliant characters throughout this book who really bring this story to life. They really made me think about the awful things some people go through and how lucky we are to live in a safe, secure, and happy environment.
Amy is an excellent character. I love how real she is. I always like that we get to know a little more about the ‘main’ characters, who feature throughout a series, as their stories progress. I’m excited to find out what happens next in her life, especially give that ending!
I always enjoy a police procedural and Caroline Mitchell knows exactly what she’s talking about being a former police detective.
This is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and emotional read which kept me glued to my kindle. I loved it and will highly recommend to anyone who will listen.
**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via Netgalley**

Caroline Mitchell is back once again with another breathtaking installment in the DI Amy Winter series. Flesh and Blood is dark story of child trafficking, death and corruption. But Caroline manages to balance the darkness with light and love through her amazing storytelling. I'm not ashamed to say I shed a few years along the way. Wonderfully written, Caroline has a unique ability to bring real feeling to her characters. Flesh and Blood is my favourite book this year.

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside, oh we do like to be beside the sea … yes Amy and the team have left the metropolis and are at the seaside. But this is no holiday. They’re investigating the death of one of their own, one of Donovan’s former team. Did she commit suicide or has something more sinister been going on at seaside resorts?

No matter how much Amy tries, the line between personal and professional is blurred. Possibly doesn’t help when her personal relationships are intertwined with her work life. But down in Clacton, she’s followed by a family member wanting a favour. Will Amy oblige or will her duty to the force prevent her?

The seaside deaths are very intriguing. Nothing really connects the victims other than the cause of death. But Amy and Donovan have that niggle, that copper’s intuition that says something isn’t quite right. And you know what? I’m inclined to believe them – they know what they’re talking about!

Yet again Mitchell has crafted an intriguing and addictive read. I felt I was there in Clacton; even though I’ve never been, I could picture the pier where Carla met her demise. I had an image of the police station, its tight car park and the sea front. The more I get involved in Amy’s life, the more I want to keep going back. She’s a woman out to prove herself for her abilities not the sins of her parents which makes her oh so more appealing as a character! Please Caroline can we have some more Amy Winter??

This review was originally posted on <a href="http://booksofmyheart.net/2021/04/22/%f0%9f%8e%a7-flesh-blood-by-caroline-mitchell/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I bought the first in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/225802-di-amy-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>DI Amy Winter</strong></em></a> series, <strong>Truth and Lies</strong>, as an Audible Daily Deal.   The second book,  <strong>The Secret Child </strong>I was able to listen to on Kindle Unlimited. I got <strong>Left for Dead</strong> for review. The whole series is in KU, both ebook and audio are available.

I love police procedurals set in England so it was easy to start the series.  There is always a case and since Amy is on a major investigations team, it is always serious, often dealing with a serial killer.  I would read this series in order due to the progression in Amy's personal life and the revelations about her family and even the changes in the team of co-workers.

I really liked the setup for this story with a police officer dying where Donovan used to work.  There is the chance to get to learn about his old colleagues.  There have been a string of suicides at seaside resorts and the team tries to find out if there are any connections.   Donovan and Amy struggle a bit with their new found notoriety from solved cases and keeping their personal relationship private.  There are layers to the case. It's exciting and dangerous.

Amy has her ongoing issues with her biological mother, and new problems with her sister, Sally Ann.  She is uncertain about what she wants in her relationship with Donovan.  She is also trying to figure out the case and incorporate the new team members who have their own problems.

I found some of Donovan's reactions a bit over the top, as he was too close to the case.  Amy seemed to be quite steady.  She also has a way of gathering the facts and deducing the truth, putting it together almost better than is possible.  But the clues are available if you are observant, and sort them together in the right configuration.  At least, Donovan recognizes her skill is extraordinary.

Both the police case and Amy's personal life seem to have a huge impact.  I am looking forward to more in this world. The investigations and the personal situations of the characters are both fascinating to learn.

Flesh and Blood by Caroline Mitchell is the fourth in the DI Amy Winter mystery series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DI Amy Winter is a strong, rather competitive, and independent woman. Although Amy was fostered by wonderful people, her biological parents (Jack and Lillian Grimes) were serial killers.  Jack is dead, but Lillian is now out of jail, having gained the public's support and sympathy, as well as testimony from her other children, but not Amy.   Perhaps Jack and Lillian are the reason  Amy can get inside the heads of murderers.  She is responsible for running a team to handle high profile cases.  Her team includes DS Paddy Byrne, DC Molly Baxter and DC Steve Moss.  The newest addition is DC Gary Wilkes.  Her boss is DCI Donovan. 


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When DCI Donovan hears about the suicide of a former colleague at his last post in Clacton, he is sure they are wrong.  Clara had just called him the night before, leaving a message saying she wanted some advice on a case.  She sounded fine then.

Donovan pulls some strings, and the team heads to Clacton.  His old team is not thrilled with the "interference".  Everyone there is still grieving, and are somewhat convinced that Clara committed suicide.

However, there have ben a string of suicides in seaside towns, and Amy is starting to see a pattern.  There have been a group of teenagers hanging around the piers every time someone died, and she thinks they may hold the key.

Meanwhile, Amy hired a PI and former detective, to track Lillian's moves.  She will never trust her birth mother.


My Opinions:
This continues to be a really good series.

I liked how the story was told from the different perspectives of Donovan, Amy and Molly, as well as a young woman talking to her therapist about her past.  Although I had guessed who that woman was,  I was not 100% sure until the reveal.

The characters, as always, are the ones that pull the story along.  Even the criminals have interesting tales.  I was surprised by one perpetrator, but not the other.  There were a number of personal issues that the characters were dealing with, and it made the reader feel closer to them,  but at the same time, it sort of took away from the plot.

The topics of bullying and child trafficking were rather dark, but handled well.

Everything flowed well, and most things got tied up nicely.   However,  the ending had an interesting twist that should come into play in the next book.  I'm looking forward to it!

My thoughts:

Flesh and Blood is the fourth instalment in Caroline Mitchell's series of police procedurals featuring DI Amy Winter. If you have been following the series, you know quite a lot about Amy's family of origin and why her background makes her an outstanding police officer. If you are planning to start the series from this book, it is possible to read and enjoy it as a standalone.

DI Amy Winter and her team are enjoying a brief respite after their last case, when Donovan gets bad news from the police station in Clacton where he used to work before coming to the Met. One of his colleagues committed suicide by jumping off the pier. The weird thing is that she had called Donovan just a few minutes before it and left a voice message asking for his advice on a case. If only he'd answered his phone... A closer look at what has been happening in the area reveals a strange spate of suicides with victims apparently having nothing in common. Amy's super team decide to investigate what has really been going on in this seaside community and what mysterious case Carla had been looking into before her death.

One of the things I like so much about this series is the author's personal experience of a police officer which shines through in the level of realistic detail. Caroline Mitchell knows how to engage her reader with an interesting case, as well as giving us a glimpse into what it's really like to do this job on a daily basis. The members of Amy's team are all strong characters with their own unique voices. I was particularly happy to get to know Molly and discover her secret. While Amy's horrific past is and always will be there in her life, she isn't defined by it, and we see how she is finally allowing herself to believe in the possibility of her own personal happiness. This case has less focus on Amy, although it turns out to be quite personal for Donovan.

Caroline Mitchell masterfuly weaves together several threads and throws in a few red herrings to keep the reader guessing until the end. The pace is really good - the story isn't rushed at any point, but the chapters are quite snappy and leave you wanting to read more. The ending opens up new possibilities and new dilemmas Amy will have to face up in the next book.

A well-written, intriguing, and gripping read from page one to the last page, Flesh and Blood is a great addition to an excellent seriesand I can definitely recommend it to all the readers who enjoy the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Flesh and Blood  (DI Amy Winter #4) by Caroline Mitchell 

In book #4 of the DI Amy Winter series, Winter and team leave their usual haunts for the former work location of DCI Donovan. After a series of "suicide by ocean" of several men, Donovan's former partner, Carla, commits suicide in the same way. Donovan knows Carla wouldn't/didn't commit suicide and her death leads to suspicions that the men didn't commit suicide either. Soon it's obvious the deaths of the men are connected and things are much darker than just possible murders. 

Winter has promised to not go rogue and to constrain herself to doing things by the book. It's here, in Donavan's old Clayton-on-Sea station, that we learn what has led him to be such a stickler for following procedure and making sure everything is done just so. Young DC Molly is worried that she isn't pulling her weight with the team and could lose her coveted place to others with more skill and time on the job. Just as Winter is vowing to toe the line, Molly takes the initiative to do "more" and manages to befriend some young people who may know a lot more about the deaths than they are willing to reveal. 

Even though all of the Winter books are dark, this one may be the darkest one of all as we get the sordid details of the exploitation of children. Having to work this case that has parallels so closely to Winter's family past is hard on Amy at a time when Donavan is dealing with his own struggles with the past. Baggage follows almost all the team to this seaside resort. I look forward to the next entry in this series as I've become very fond of Winter and her team. 

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.