Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed all this authors books and this was no exception. Fast paced, great storyline and would recommend to other readers.

My thanks to Headline/Wildfire for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Nowhere to Run’ by James Oswald in exchange for an honest review.

This is Book 3 in Oswald’s D.C. Constance Fairchild series of police procedurals. These stories exist in the same fictional universe as his Edinburgh based Inspector McLean series and there is the occasional overlap of characters.

Following the events in the previous book, Constance was placed on compassionate leave from the Met. She rented an isolated cottage in Aberystwyth, Wales; though when the pandemic hit she found herself in lockdown there.

When Con goes out for a drink she attracts the attention of two predators; though when they pounce she manages to defend herself. Yet she is the one arrested! While in custody she meets Lila, a young Ukrainian woman, who has run away from her manipulative boyfriend who had forced her into illegal activities.

Con offers to help Lila though soon realises that she has stumbled into a very dangerous situation. No further details to avoid spoilers.

As with the Inspector McLean series, there are subtle aspects of the mythical and supernatural woven into the story. In ‘Nowhere to Run’ ancient Welsh mythology and legends are referenced.

James Oswald is one of my favourite crime authors and I have enjoyed all of his novels for their intricate plots and memorable characters, as well as his respectful integration of the otherworldly into his narratives.

I certainly felt that with ‘Nowhere to Run’ Oswald has penned another brilliantly twisty crime thriller. I zoomed through it in record time as it proved impossible to put down.

A highly recommended novel, series and author.

On compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax plus then the pandemic arrived. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists. In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells. Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company.
This is the third outing for Con & it’s another very well written page turner, the author always adds a touch of the supernatural to his books & this is no different. The characters are wonderfully drawn, the locations well described & the action had me on the edge of my seat. I love the humour which the author mixes beautifully with chills & I found it very hard to put down so ended finishing it in the small hours.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

s there such a thing as magnetic energy? If there is, I’m pretty sure Con Fairchild has it. Everywhere she goes, she attracts those whose energy has different vibrations. Sometimes these are good; as often pretty bad, but she is incapable of going through life unaffected by the energy that pulls on the warp and weft of the world.

As we meet her again at the beginning of Nowhere to Run, she is sorely in need of positive energy. Battered and bruised from everything she has experienced, she is suffering from PTSD and has taken compassionate leave combined with a sabbatical. She’s now camping out in a cottage on the rugged coat of Ceredigion, hoping that nature’s positive energy will work its own brand of magic on her troubled soul.

In the midst of all this it’s also pandemic time and so self- isolation is the norm and going back to work is not something anyone is thinking about, which is just as well.

If you are a fan of James Oswald, then you’ll be delighted to hear that Nowhere to Run is a full cream version of his love for the unknown and inexplicable. While we are treated to a full on contemporary police procedural with drama with danger, thrills and all the action you’d expect, we also are not allowed to forget that we are in a land of myths and magic; in the heart of Arthurian legends where the Mabinogion was born.

Because it is Con telling her own story, you feel immediately connected to her and can sense the trouble that runs through her soul. But although she is weakened and depleted by everything she has gone through (do read the first two books, you at the back) that does not stop her from wanting to help those who are so clearly in need.

So when she unwittingly falls foul of two local men and ends up in a jail cell with Lila, a young Ukranian woman, it is not long before Con finds herself at the dark heart of a criminal enterprise which involves, drugs, modern slavery and prostitution.

One of the great strengths of James Oswald’s books is his characters. Con has such a great background and that not only makes her stand out from the crowd, but it also gives her the potential for a lot of rather different relatives and we meet two of them in this book together with their splendidly name Gelert whose story is a legend in its own right.

Utilising all the dramatic terrain of the Welsh coastline with its caves and tunnels Oswald takes Con on a journey into the depths from which it is by no means clear that she can return unscathed. Moving from Wales to London and back again, Con is caught up in the action almost so much that she doesn’t have to think about anything else, but in the background, where not all of her colleagues are delighted to see he back in action, there’s a constant hum in the back of her mind about whether she wants to be doing what she does at all and that does haunt this book somewhat.

With touches of humour and lots of chills, this is a fantastic and fantastical read that leaps off the page and engages the imagination. I love Oswald’s style and don’t in the least mind that he makes my cerebral cortex light up in the strangest places.

Verdict: I stayed up into the wee small hours to finish this one because I could not wait to see how it ended. That, for me, is the hallmark of a cracking book and I have no higher praise than that.

Another episode in the DC Con Fairchild series this time mainly set in mysterious Wales. A mixture of smuggling crimes and mythological cures and stories it all rattles pleasingly along. A chance violent encounter with two thugs at a pub starts the chain of events off. Meeting a young girl in a police cell gets Con involved in a tale of abuse and drug and human smuggling overseen by a Welsh crime family. Her aristocratic background is useful as she is staying in the cottage belonging to a local Lord friends of her family. They are the custodians of a copy of the HolyGrail and have connections with mythical healing treatments which come in rather handy in the course of the storyline aided by a large deerhound! It all sounds rather silly but is an entertaining tale which builds to an exciting denouement.

This is one of those books that is vey hard to put down.. I started it late last night, had to sleep, read it on my commute there and back and eschewed everything else when I got home to finish it.
The main character, Con, is on convalescence leave from the NCA after events that happened in a previous book. (the narrative does touch on them but they aren't central to the plot) She is in a remote area of west Wales in a cottage loaned to her by a family friend.
When a series of things happen and this leads to her boss visiting, she knows that the end of her leave is coming. When she meets a young Ukrainian girl called Lila who is obviously not wanting to be where she is, she promises to help her only for Lila to disappear.
Con ends up working off the books looking into a smuggling operation which puts her in great danger.
I really liked this book. Having not read any books by this author before, he is now near the top of my TBR list..

Constance Fairchild is recovering in Wales when the pandemic strikes so elongating her stay but she manages to stumble into a whole load of trouble after meeting Lila during her short imprisonment. The intriguing storyline involves drug smuggling and human trafficking and immerses Constance in the dark side of the world in her quest for answers. Welsh legend is carefully interwoven into the plot testing you to decide what is real and what is fantasy. In any case does danger seek out Constance or vice versa. She must use up several of the legendary 9 lives in this book

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Nowhere to Run, the third novel to feature Detective Con(stance) Fairchild of the National Crime Agency.

After the events of the previous novel, Nothing to Hide, Con took time out in Aberystwyth, Wales to heal, then the pandemic struck and she stayed. Out for a quiet drink she is attacked and defends herself, but ends up in a police cell where she meets Lila, a young Ukrainian who confesses to having run from her boyfriend who has forced her into prostitution and running drugs. Con offers to help, but Lila disappears as she’s investigating a break in at her cottage. Soon life becomes dangerous for Con as she tangles with violent criminals.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nowhere to Run, which is an exciting and slightly fantastical thriller told entirely from Con’s point of view. The first thing to note is that realism doesn’t play a big part in this novel, so it’s swallow your disbelief time and plunge into a big adventure.

The novel is a bit slow to start as Con explains her current situation, gets attacked and meets Lila. Well, it’s slow in comparison with what’s to come. After that Con makes discovery after discovery about the gang and their activities and gets taken captive more than once. How she escapes is tied into Welsh myth and the supernatural. That’s not my bag usually, but I found it interesting and inventive. It adds a certain frisson to events, hence my initial description of fantastical, and beats the multiple action scenes hands down in the something a bit different category.

The author is a great storyteller, so I was glued to the pages, wondering what would come next. Yes, it relies on coincidence and Con is like a terminator, always picking herself up and getting on with the job, but it’s fun, especially as she has quite a caustic take on events.

Nowhere to Run is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

My Next review is:-

“Nowhere To Run(The Constance Fairchild Series)”, written by James Oswald and published in Kindle by Wildfire on 11 Nov. 2021. 309 pages ISBN-13: 978-1472290465
On compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists.

In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.

Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that there's nowhere left to run?
James Oswald was a writer of Fantasy books before he was persuaded by fellow Scottish author Stuart MacBride that crime fiction was a better and more popular genre and so he launched the very successful Inspector McLean series of books which whilst they were police procedurals as is the Constance Fairchild series have an element of fantasy in them.
I was impressed with the third book about the new character and I look forward to reading both the Inspector McLean and the Con Fairchild series in the future. Strongly recommended.


Best wishes,

Terry

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Wildfire for an advance copy of #NowhereToRun by #JamesOswald.
If you can suspend disbelief you will probably enjoy this book, but I’m sorry that I couldn’t.
The main character is a police woman from a very good background Detective Constable Constance Fairchild otherwise known as Con and what see goes through is unbelievable. Not a series for me.
I kept thinking maybe it’s a spoof and meant to be funny, but no it isn’t. One to miss for me.
⭐️⭐️

Although I prefer the Tony McLean series set in Edinburgh, James Oswald's Constance Fairchild strand is very enjoyable and well written. In this novel Con is on compassionate leave in Wales following the death of her mother. Inevitably she gets involved in a case but cannot be as hands-on as a cop would normally be. Nevertheless the plot, involving people smuggling and drug smuggling, is satisfying, if slightly spoilt for me because of some strange supernatural elements.

This is the third instalment in the Constance Fairchild series and yet another that doesn't disappoint. You don't have to have read any of the other 2 books but I would suggest you do because it gives insight into Constance's story and you won't regret it. Nowhere to Run provides some of the back story and history but it can only touch upon it otherwise it would be a tome!

I think I can safely say that I'm a fan of James Oswald's work and I particularly like his character DC Constance Fairchild, otherwise known as Con. She is one tough cookie and this is shown in all its glory here.

It starts off pretty sedately with Con recuperating in an isolated cottage in Wales but, as is the case with Con, trouble seems to find her regardless of whether she is in the centre of London or in the middle of nowhere! Here she is getting embroiled in a smuggling operation on the Welsh coastline - you just know from the very beginning that things aren't going to go well for Con but little do we know just how bad.

Once again, Mr Oswald creates fantastic characters even ones of the four legged variety; I absolutely loved Gelert the deerhound who embodies the phrase "[wo]man's best friend" and I guarantee you will want a Gelert in your life albeit without the flatulence!

With action from the start, numerous scenes of peril and suspense all wrapped up perfectly in a plot which mixes contemporary themes with Welsh folklore and a touch of the unexplained, this is a book that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

This is the latest in the Constance Fairchild series and it's every bit as thrilling as the previous instalments! This book finds Constance in Wales on compassionate leave, living in a remote cottage. trouble seems to find her wherever she goes and she is soon caught up in drug running and people smuggling. Another fine blend of crime fiction and the supernatural from James Oswald which I would highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I read this book in one day. I have read all James Oswald books and mainly loved this one. I think it would be better for the reader to have read the previous two in the series as there is reference to past events. I said mainly because there was a scene that I couldn’t make head nor tail of but won’t spoil it. Fast paced with a touch of the mystic. Great read.

Ahhhhh. Con Fairchild - I have missed you. Even when she is looking for the simple and uncomplicated life, trouble has a way of finding her. It's had to make a fair old trip this time around though, as Con has taken herself off to the very edge of the Welsh coast, a stay extended by the ever helpful gift of covid and a series of lockdowns which make any kind of return to her day to day life impossible, even assuming this is something Con might actually want. She doesn't ... but as her boss well knows, a puzzle is something Con finds very, very, hard to resist.



Strange and unusual seem to be an everyday occurence for our favourite Detective and Nowhere to Run is absolutely no exception to the norm. It's one of the things I like about this series, and James Oswald's books in general to be fair. They are not your average police procedurals. Not by a long chalk. And Constance Fairchild is not your average Detective. She has seen her fair share of the inexplicable and the scene is set for more to come with local legends and mythology intermingling with a case very much grounded in the real life atrocities that could all too easily have been ripped from the headlines. It is a story which is very topical, a touch dark in terms of theme perhaps, but told in the series trademark first person, almost conversational style which keeps readers immersed in the action but a step removed from the real depravity of what is happening. It works brilliantly in this case, with Con's conscience and natural curiosity driving her to get involved in a very complex investigation, even though she is meant to be on sabbatical. But from her perspective we get a unique take on what is happening, and I found myself faced with a real determination of our own to see the whole thing through to its conclusion.



I really love the character of Con Fairchild. She has a very unique background, is an actual Lady no less, and her connections extend far and wide, sometimes touching on the periphery of James Oswald's other wonderful world, that of Inspector McLean, most specifically Madame Rose. She isn't as affected as someone of her breeding would be expected to be, in fact she works hard to be the direct opposite of what is expected of her. She's a tough cookie, completely messed up mentally as you'd expected from what has happened to her in the course of the past two books, but uncompromising and almost unstoppable. And believe me, people try there damnedest this time around. Almost succeed too. It leads to some moments of real tension and also a lot of the mystery and suspense which pulses throughout the story.



I powered through this book. Ate it up. Gone in a day, much to my delight and my regret. There are so many elements of the book that I loved. It possibly helps that I know some of the area the book is set, Aberystwyth and it's surrounds being one of my 'local' beach resorts. It's familiar to me and many of the references made me smile. Then there are the elements of the mythological which permeate the series. It's not quite supernatural, it's not a ghostly presence we experience, but there is something ... otherworldly which informs the story. The knowing glances between certain characters, the kind of sixth sense that comes to the fore. The local legend, the folklore which is beautifully blended into the tale in a way which didn't even make me bat an eyelid. Folklore and legend in a book set in Wales? Well, duh. That whole concept just fits. 



Everything in the book worked for me in fact, even the inclusion of the dreaded 'C-19'. It almost wouldn't be the same without it. This book is rooted well and truly in the present day, and what better reason for Con to stay exactly where she would be needed than a national lockdown. or two ... It doesn't dominate in anyway, in informs and, to a degree, amuses as the story carefully reflects the very different rules, and fortunes, we've all experienced. It also means that those doing bad things in the middle of the night have an added layer of privacy and isolation which adds to the jeopardy and the tension of the overall story.

.

And I really, really want a Gelert now. Minus the farting. Read the book. I promise it will all make sense.



Another fun, action filled mystery that provided the perfect blend of intense investigation, memorable characters, witty dialogue, legend and mysticism. Loved it.

‘Nowhere To Run’ is the third outing for James Oswald’s Constance Fairchild but it can be read as a standalone book.

Constance is on compassionate leave after the events in the last book and it just so happens to coincide with Covid hitting the UK. Her Aunt has recommended a cottage to recover in that's in Wales and it's there she gets stuck. But maybe she is quite happy about this situation? Whilst on a trip to the local beer garden she comes across two guys who attempt to jump and attack her. They soon get shown who is boss but she ends up being thrown in the cells at the local police station! It's there that she meets a young girl from the Ukraine who has been beaten up and soon she turns up on her doorstep asking for help. Her boss also ‘randomly’ turns up asking for help with dealing with some ‘county lines’ drug gangs.

Well, I think you can say that Constance is never going to have a boring life wherever she goes. This was an action-packed book full of twists and turns all over the place. Plus, there was Welsh mythology and legends interspersed with the main plots, which gave it a magical feeling, an enticement to carry on reading. I adored all the action that was set in the tunnels and cave systems as it had such a claustrophobic atmosphere, plus it's one of my great fears is being underground!

‘Nowhere To Run’ is a thrilling, bone-chillingly, claustrophobic read where the story pops off the page. I devoured it. Also, where can I get the recipe for that special coffee and goat curry?!

The 3rd Con Fairchild book arrives and with it a seemingly anxious and somewhat reflective Con, following the Harrowing events of the first 2 books.

Living in Wales, on an extended sabbatical, to recover and decide on what’s next, Con finds herself drawn into a story involving people trafficking. And a story also deeply set in Welsh folklore.

With many of Oswalds usual traits, this is another well written and tense thriller, with hints of the supernatural. But overall much more in reality than his inspector Mclean books.

I found this one slightly lacking in pace, and lulled a little through the middle pages, but at a relatively short 290 odd pages it never lasted long, and the story ended with a fine and pleasing end. I’ll look forward to more from Con Fairchild

This is the latest in James Oswald's wonderful DC Constance Fairchild of the NCA series, if you are familiar with the author, then you will be aware that he blends crime fiction with the supernatural. Con is endeavouring to recover from the trauma and PTSD she has suffered, this includes the death of her mother. This has her on leave from her London home, and renting a remote cottage near Aberystwyth in Wales, and the pandemic extended her stay. However, trouble has a way of finding her, when she fights off two men, unprepossessing would be rapists, she finds herself in a police cell, which is where she meets a badly beaten up young Ukrainian woman, Lila Ivanova. Lila has escaped her 'boyfriend', a man responsible for trafficking her and pushing her into prostitution.

Con is rescued by her landlord from the police, Gareth, Lord Caernant, and when Lila turns up at her cottage, Con is determined to do everything she can to help her. After the ransacking of her home, a frightened Lila disappears and a visit from her boss, ex-military Superintendent Diane Shepherd, informs her of a ongoing covert police operation to gain intelligence about the growth of drug smuggling and people trafficking. With the police struggling, Shepherd ostensibly warns Con to steer clear, yet is actually encouraging her to get involved below the radar. Con is apprehensive, and with good reason, she is far from recovered, finding it hard to sleep and is experiencing panic attacks. The bad guys are ruthless, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect their nightmare activities, will Con be able to help Lila and survive the terrors that come her way?

Oswald draws on Welsh Celtic ancient myths, legends and folklore in his storytelling, particularly the Cauldron of Life, found among several sources, including the famous Mabinogion. Con finds herself with fractured memories that make little sense to her, but her health declines rapidly, with her barely able to operate on her return to London. She is not a believer in the Welsh ancient legends, but Karen's ex-girlfriend, Aisha, and her wise neighbour, Mrs Felton, have her returning to Wales in the hope of piecing together her broken mind and body. I am a huge fan of the author and his brand of fantastical crime fiction, this offering is engaging, entertaining and suspenseful, and I look forward to the next in the series with great anticipation. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Another great book by James Oswald, I love the sense of the supernatural in his books and this one has it more than most. The setting for this one is Cardigan Bay in Wales, which makes a change from the usual Edinburgh setting. sadly, this means Madam Rose does not appear in this book. Great characters here, some spine tingling villains, as well as some lovingly penned eccentrics.

Constance Fairchild is in Wales recovering from her experiences in the previous book in this series but as with all good stories this doesn’t stop her and those around her from being dragged into trouble.

The story fairly hurtles along with the action coming thick and fast and the pages turning rapidly although sometimes a breather may have been useful.

The author, James Oswald, is better known for his Inspector MacLean series but this one starring DC Fairchild is a good one to fill in the gaps between books.

Recommended