Katrina diamond does it again another dark and twisted thriller. In this story a little boy is kidnapped and the only witness is a broken hearted teenager ransacking his exes house across the road. As they investigation kicks off secrets and lies are on every corner and finally Adrian and Imogen have to face some home truths of their own which they have been holding on to for too long. Great story and I could not put it down.

Katerina Diamond's books hold a special place in my heart because #TheTeacher was my first ever crime thriller that I fell in love with, and the rest is history!

#TrickOrTreat is the latest instalment in the DS Imogen Grey series and after waiting a little bit longer for this one after the intense cliffhanger that was #TheWomanInTheWater it certainly did not disappoint! This novel is another carefully crafted thriller that shocks you at every turn. I couldn't put it down! Adrian Miles and DS Grey are amongst my favourite literary partnerships of all time - if you haven't read this series, I implore you to start!

A perfect autumnal read.

Wow this is another fantastic read by Katrina Diamond. Trick or Treat is the 7th Book in the Detective Imogen Grey series.
It is Halloween, Jason Hitchin has been dumped by his girlfriend. So, while herself and her family have gone on holiday on the family yacht, Jason seeks revenge by breaking into their home and thrashes the place.
Whilst he is there, he sees 6-year-old Marcus Carlyle riding his new bike on the drive when a van drives up to him and kidnaps him and drives away. While it is happening, Jason takes out his burner phone and anonymously phones the police. But when the police get there the parents say he is fine. Until they find out later. He has been kidnapped.
I haven’t read a Katerina diamond book in a while, and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting at first. But this book was so good. This is not your typical child abduction story. This is a story of many layers, cleverly intertwined that kept me hooked to the end. It has so much going on in this book. I thought the parts about Adrian Miles were well written and sensitively done. I can’t wait to see what develops on the next instalment. 5 stars from me.

I had really enjoyed Katerina Diamond’s previous book “Woman in the Water”, and this one was just as good. Although this is clearly a sequel, you can read it as a stand-alone, as all the information you need from previous books in the series is gently inserted into the current story.
The main story to be investigated by the police here is the abduction of a Marcus, a six-year-old boy, from outside his home. The police are alerted – not by his parents – but by an anonymous witness to the kidnapping. The parents are contacted by the kidnappers, and a demand for ransom is made.
The book opens with a teenager, Jason, taking revenge on his girlfriend for being dumped by trashing her parents’ house. Jason’s family is from the wrong side of the tracks, his brother in jail, his father AWOL:
“Feeling like a loser wasn’t even second nature to Jason, it was first nature.”
I began by intensely disliking Jason – the girlfriend had obviously made the right choice – but as the book went on, Jason redeemed himself, and becomes one of the heroes.
The police woman in charge is Imogen. Her partner from the previous book, Adrian, has retired from the police force with PTSD following his violent rape in “Woman in the Water” – which he has not mentioned to any of his colleagues. He remains in a relationship with Imogen, which is now under severe stress, as he will not tell her what is wrong.
Although I did, of course, want Marcus to be found alive and well, for me the most important part of the story was Adrian facing up to, and overcoming, his trauma. Male rape is seldom dealt with, seldom acknowledged – but the effects can be as devastating for men as women. Men don’t often live with the fear of rape as women do, and don’t have to worry about resulting pregnancy, but if women still have a monumental task getting their rapist convicted, they are at least nowadays generally believed.
“In her own mind there was nothing more damaging than rape. It was like killing someone without physically killing them, destroying something precious that could not be repaired. As a woman it was something she thought about often. Whenever she was walking home alone, in an underground car park, or a lift alone with a man she didn’t know. Even for the briefest of moments it might pop into her mind that she wasn’t safe, as though women were conditioned or resigned to the fact that it would probably happen one day.”
A man is assumed to be strong enough to repel any attack, if he doesn’t, then his manhood, his entire identity, is called into question. So, many male rape victims remain silent.
“‘I believe Corrigan used sexual assault to control and undermine men that were in his way. He knows none of them would say anything about it to the police.’”
Adrian’s suffering is so vivid in this book – I so much wanted him to find the perpetrator and live free again:
“But he knew he couldn’t live like this any longer. He couldn’t hold his breath every time he walked down the street or turned a corner, in case he heard that voice again. He had spent the last year wondering if the faces of the men he walked past belonged to the man he spent five hours with in the back of that van.”
There are two really evil people (as well as any number of bad eggs) in this book– one of them being the rapist. For the other, it takes a while before his true psychopathy is revealed, and Marcus is not his only victim.
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who likes an excellent police procedural, and also to anyone who wants to know more about dealing with the aftermath of rape. At the end of “Woman in the Water” there is a list of places offering support for male victims of sexual assault.

Trick or Treat by Katerina Diamond
I give this book 4.25 stars

TRICK OR TREAT?

6 year-old Marcus is taken from outside his house on Halloween.

TRUTH OR LIES?

As Detective Imogen Grey arrives to question Marcus’s parents, they tell her there has been a mistake. Their son is just fine.
But if that’s true, where is Marcus?

INNOCENT OR GUILTY?

Imogen becomes locked in a race against time to find the missing child and uncover the truth. Can she discover what’s happened to Marcus before it’s too late?

This is book 7 in a series but can be read as a standalone (like l did)
The first thing that caught my eye was the cover!!
A pacy police procedural crime thriller that held my attention throughout.l loved the short chapters and really enjoyed the deeper insight into the main characters personal lives which made me feel like l connected with them. This book was a dark,tense and twisty read with multiple layers to the plot line.
I enjoyed the characters and writing style so much lm now in a mission to read them all!
With thanks to Netgalley,Katerina Diamond and Avon Books UK.

Thankyou Netgalley for this book l. My first spooky book of Fall! The description initially intrigued me but the story went above and beyond!
When six-year-old Marcus is taken from outside his house on Halloween it shakes his quiet neighbourhood to the core.

Everyone was ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Now the unthinkable has happened.

TRUTH OR LIES?

As Detective Imogen Grey arrives to question Marcus’s parents, they tell her there has been a mistake. Their son is just fine.

But if that’s true, where is Marcus?

INNOCENT OR GUILTY?

Imogen becomes locked in a race against time to find the missing child and uncover the truth. Can she discover what’s happened to Marcus before it’s too late?

Trick or Treat is the latest book in the Imogen Grey & Adrian MIles series. Whilst it can be read as a standalone, and the story is largely self contained, I really do recommend that you are least read the previous book, Truth or Die, as there is much that happens in this book that is a direct result of what happens there. The last book was quite shocking, one that really toyed with your emotions, and watching Imogen and, more importantly, Adrian, deal with the aftermath.

The book opens in an almost pedestrian way by the author's standards, at least up until the dying moments of that first chapter. Don't be fooled - this is a Katerina Diamond book. Be prepared to be taken on a rollercoaster of a ride full of mystery, and some very, very intense moments. This is the story of a child abduction, a young boy snatched from outside his home, and the only witness is someone who shouldn't even have been there. Ransom demands, dark threats and moments of danger that are right in the heart-thumping territory. With the sense that not everyone involved in the investigation is telling the truth, it falls to Imogen to save Marcus before it's too late. Just when you think you may have a handle on what is happening, the whole case tilts on its axis. Katerina Diamond is adept at keeping readers on their toes, but this case is full of those big surprise moments and whilst you may guess certain aspects of the case pretty early on, tapping into Imogen's innate senses, there are so many parts of the book which caught me unaware but had me completely engrossed to the very last page.

I do love the characters in this book. I came to the series a bit late, but have grown very fond of Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles, so I'm not going to lie - the last book was a big surprise and one of those real hit you in the gut moments. How do you follow it? Well - quite brilliantly as it turns out. Everything that happened led to a massive change for Adrian, its impacts being felt by Imogen too. Seeing him wrestle with his feelings, the emotional turmoil that he is going to and the extent to which it impacts him both personally and professionally, was very carefully handled and made the story all the more effective. It's hard not to be touched by everything that happens in the book, both the case and in personal terms, and everything about it, about the reluctance to face the issues head on, the concern about certain stigmas of the case, absolutely rang true. Its tough watching characters you care about going through the ringer - doesn't stop the author from pushing us all again though. Just how I like it.

There are a few surprises in store throughout the book - faces from the past who make quite an impact on the story. I'm intrigued to see where the author takes us next as the ending, whilst not a cliffhanger in terms of the case - that's well and truly resolved - it certainly left me with a whole host of questions and a real hunger for that 'what happens next' moment. I am hoping that Imogen and Adrian have turned a corner, although the road ahead looks like it will be very bumpy. But by 'eck. I am looking forward to the ride.

Trick or Treat is the latest book in the Imogen Grey & Adrian MIles series. Whilst it can be read as a standalone, and the story is largely self contained, I really do recommend that you are least read the previous book, Truth or Die, as there is much that happens in this book that is a direct result of what happens there. The last book was quite shocking, one that really toyed with your emotions, and watching Imogen and, more importantly, Adrian, deal with the aftermath.

The book opens in an almost pedestrian way by the author's standards, at least up until the dying moments of that first chapter. Don't be fooled - this is a Katerina Diamond book. Be prepared to be taken on a rollercoaster of a ride full of mystery, and some very, very intense moments. This is the story of a child abduction, a young boy snatched from outside his home, and the only witness is someone who shouldn't even have been there. Ransom demands, dark threats and moments of danger that are right in the heart-thumping territory. With the sense that not everyone involved in the investigation is telling the truth, it falls to Imogen to save Marcus before it's too late. Just when you think you may have a handle on what is happening, the whole case tilts on its axis. Katerina Diamond is adept at keeping readers on their toes, but this case is full of those big surprise moments and whilst you may guess certain aspects of the case pretty early on, tapping into Imogen's innate senses, there are so many parts of the book which caught me unaware but had me completely engrossed to the very last page.

I do love the characters in this book. I came to the series a bit late, but have grown very fond of Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles, so I'm not going to lie - the last book was a big surprise and one of those real hit you in the gut moments. How do you follow it? Well - quite brilliantly as it turns out. Everything that happened led to a massive change for Adrian, its impacts being felt by Imogen too. Seeing him wrestle with his feelings, the emotional turmoil that he is going to and the extent to which it impacts him both personally and professionally, was very carefully handled and made the story all the more effective. It's hard not to be touched by everything that happens in the book, both the case and in personal terms, and everything about it, about the reluctance to face the issues head on, the concern about certain stigmas of the case, absolutely rang true. Its tough watching characters you care about going through the ringer - doesn't stop the author from pushing us all again though. Just how I like it.

There are a few surprises in store throughout the book - faces from the past who make quite an impact on the story. I'm intrigued to see where the author takes us next as the ending, whilst not a cliffhanger in terms of the case - that's well and truly resolved - it certainly left me with a whole host of questions and a real hunger for that 'what happens next' moment. I am hoping that Imogen and Adrian have turned a corner, although the road ahead looks like it will be very bumpy. But by 'eck. I am looking forward to the ride.

Full of tension, action emotion and brilliant characters, and a story that is very carefully told. I wasn't sure if the author could make such a physical impact with the story this time around and yet she has. This is one crime series that if you haven't started yet, I really have to question why not. The characters, the setting and the storytelling are just fabulous. Go on - have a read. You know you want to.

I had forgotten how good Katerina Diamond was!

This story partially leads on from a case where Adrian Miles, Imogen Grey's partner, was attacked which has since left him with unwelcome life-long memories.
Being a series, I'm looking forward to see how their relationship pans out, especially since a blast from the past is now on the scene!

This was a really brilliant addition to the series!
I thought the storyline following Imogen and Adrian would have made for an excellent standalone, but the addition of the new kidnap case really ramps it up and makes this a fast paced, procedural thriller.
Bursting with action and tension the characters I have become so fond of really come alive.
I was also really impressed with the gental handling of the plot following Adrian, centred around male rape. Its a brave plot to address and it is done with care and is incredibly realistic.
I was thrilled at the return if Dean, he's a really interesting character from previous books in the series.
I felt the end came together well, whilst only some situations were resolved it seemed more realistic that others should be addressed later in the series. So despite being left on a cliffhanger with the suggestion of (hopefully) another book, I felt totally satisfied with the answers I got.
Another masterclass by Katerina Diamond, I can't wait for the next!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book, but my review and comments are my own.

Oh Diamond, you've done it again! Another violent, intense police procedural - well done!

Now, after the last book in this series, I wasn't sure there was going to be more - I felt it ended well, given the circumstances of book 5 (Come Out and Play). But book 6 is IN YOUR FACE with the events of Book 5 - this is a series that I think you need to read in order rather than starting with this one and going back to the beginning.

On it's surface, Trick or Treat is about a missing child. However, this is very much a follow on from Book 5, with a lot of (I would say half maybe?) the action taking place because of, or to deal with, the events in book 5. The VIOLENCE in Book 5 is revisited often in this one, and this is where I struggle. We know what happened. It's covered very early on in this story, as a refresher of the horrors. I'm just not sure we needed it so brutally described to us every time it was mentioned or dealt with in book 6.

Sadly, this meant that the crimes committed here didn't have the impact or shock factor, (the scene in a bedroom with one character hiding under the bed, for example), because they just didn't compare to the event in the White Van from book 5.

However, I am VERY looking forward to book 7, and the return of a character from earlier in the series - and hopefully some further healing for Adrian.

Finally, a new DS Imogen Grey…

Trick or Treat is a brilliant continuation of the Grey/ Milles storyline and in itself a great crime thriller.
The fluid story and short chapters keeps you hooked for the whole book.
The story of a child abduction, imposters and with a variety of twists along the way.
The portrayal of Adrian’s mental battle after a traumatic event is brilliant. An event that happens but is rarely written about, the description of Adrian’s feeling and actions is extremely detailed and well written.

This series is brilliant. I accidentally came across the first book in the series, The Teacher then immediately ordered the whole series. The standalone novel Heatwave is a must read too.

It took me a little while to review this because after a few pages I realized this was a series, so I had to go start at the beginning. And Wow what a series!
I loved watching Miles heal some in this book, it was really emotional at times. I was so worried that Grey was going to leave him as she was struggling just as much as he was.
The team just doesn’t let up when solving a crime, the suspense is always very high.
This was my favorite book of the series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this. I can not wait for the next book to come out.

This is the 7th book in the series and I've read all of the books that came before. I think you need to to understand the context. Whilst it's called the ds imogen grey series it does have perspectives from the other main characters.

Just when I thought hmmm not that bothered by the series they brought Dean back. I'm so glad Dean is back! That was my favourite storyline and to be honest I never really understood why the author dropped him.

I didn't really understand the title- if it happened around Halloween that wasn't made clear enough. It didn't seem to fit with the story.

Its a fun, easy read thriller however not up to par with the first in the series sadly.

Thank you for the arc.

“This was all like a surreal nightmare he couldn’t quite get his head round, but then, life had been like that…maybe he died that night in the van…maybe this was hell.”

Justin is royally peeved that he caught his girlfriend cheating on him, and while he knows that she was “slumming it” being with him, he’s determined to teach her a lesson. Knowing she’s on holiday, Justin breaks into her home and begins vandalizing it. When he sees a white van pull up and snatch the little boy he just helped with his bike, Justin quickly snaps a picture of the kidnappers with his phone. But what to do with it? If he shows the police, they will arrest him for breaking and entering. If he doesn’t, what will happen to the boy?

After an anonymous tip to the police, DS Imogen Grey has been called in to check out a potential kidnapping of a 6-year-old boy in an upper-class neighborhood. After meeting the parents who claim there has been no foul play, DS Grey suspects someone is not telling the truth. But what type of parent could possibly cause harm to their own child?

Six-year-old Marcus Carlyle has been warned never to talk to strangers, so when a teenage boy approaches him offering to help with his bike, Marcus is skeptical. But what little Marcus doesn’t realize is that this stranger will become tangled in a deadly web…he could either become Marcus’ executioner or his savior…Trick or Treat…

When I requested this book via NetGalley, I did not realize it was part of a series, and the author actually did a good job of making this installment read stand-alone. Enjoyed and would recommend this very emotional crime thriller! Will be going back to read the previous books in the series!




**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Wow!! I read a lot of crime books and this is the first one that has dealt with the after effects of adult male rape. This seems like the last taboo; child abuse and the mental anguish it causes seem to be covered in a lot of books, but the rape of an adult male is rarely written about. I congratulate the author on writing about this as I’m sure many men have suffered, thinking they are the only ones this has happened to.
Even without this, the book really keeps you hooked. The police characters are so believable, showing that working relationships can sometimes be strained. What a fabulous villain too. This is a first class police procedural by a writer at the top of her game. I eagerly await the next book in this series.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked everything this author has written and this was just as good. A fast paced page turner thriller with lots of twists and turns, loved it.

This book was so tense, no time to breathe properly :) A teenager decides to break the home of his new ex-girlfriend and while he is leaving he is a little boy being kidnapped by a white van. Detective Imogen is on the case but it is not going to be an easy one. Mystery and lots of twists. This was great, for a long time a hadn't read such a tense story.
Thank you Netgalley for this Arc.

I had no idea this was part of a series. I wish NetGalley would make that clear like they do here on GoodReads. I haven't read any of six books before this but I was okay figuring this out. Who wouldn't love a good old Halloween detective story? I love the cover too as Autumn is my favourite time of year!

This is a hard case for DI Grey to crack. A little boy is abducted on Halloween and teenager sees the kidnapping so he calls the police. When the police arrive the parents say that their son is fine. This was a really gritty, grab your heart read and seeing as it deals with children it isn't for everyone.

This book was so good and there is a lot going on but that's what kept my interest, it wasn't the same thing being repeated over and over...I hate that. I really liked the characters and how twisty it was. There were many surprises...some I figured out but most I didn't. They say money is the route of all evil. And that ending was the best! I will have to check out more from this series as I enjoyed this so much.

A little boy playing outside on his bike goes missing the kidnappers contact his parents about a ransom and warn them not to contact the police. But a member of the public has seen the crime and has called the police this book is addictive and along with the twists and turns is well worth the 5*

This is my first time reading a book from the Detective Imogen Grey series and it was a delight. I pretty much can't resist a book set in Fall or on Halloween. That combined with a mystery and you might as well call it my kryptonite. I found the story to be gripping and well paced. I do think that despite being part of a series you could read this as a standalone novel which is great. Intricate and well woven mystery. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.