As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot - there are plenty of reviews like that out there already. I heartily recommend that you read this for yourself - you'll enjoy it if you're a fan of police procedurals with added layers and great characters.

I've read all the books in M J Lee's Ridpath series, and always look forward to the next! Although the framework is familiar - for instance there is always a tight timescale involved - the multi-layered plots are never predictable. We get to know Ridpath on several different levels - as himself, as a father, as a policeman, and as a Coroner's officer. Throughout, he remains true to himself and his principles, refusing to back down in the face of corrupt police officers and sinister government figures.

It's lovely to see the relationship between Ridpath and his daughter Eve, who's now growing up fast. Also great to get to know the other characters better - Mrs Challinor, Claire Trent, Sophia, Emily and Chrissie in particular. As always, I found myself worrying about Ridpath - which for me is a sign of a great character!

Looking forward to the next book in the series already!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers (Canelo) for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Oh I do love this series.
Another brilliant book in a fantastic series.
Ridpath is asked by the Coroner to investigate the death of a man whilst in Police custody.
The Coroner asks if he wants to take on the job as he’s still a serving Policeman and will need to interview other Police officers.
As expected Ridpath is met by stony stares and the information is not forthcoming.
Turnbull has still got it in for him so life is not easy for Ridpath.
The investigation leads him down different paths but it’s clear to Ridpath that there’s more to this than an accidental death.
This is a brilliant series that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I’d like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘When The Night Ends’, the eighth in the DI Ridpath series and written by M J Lee, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DI Tom Ridpath is working for the Coroner’s Office and has been asked to investigate the death of Ben Holdsworth that occurred three years ago while in a cell at Redbury Police Station. It looks to be an open and shut case of accidental death but Ridpath uncovers some discrepancies that don’t sit right with him. The other police officers aren’t happy with Ridpath investigating one of their own, especially DCI Paul Turnbull who for some reason has a grudge against him.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading more of Ridpath and the latest episode ‘When The Night Ends’ is a welcome addition to the series. The storyline is well-written with drama, suspense and twists and turns that I’ve come to expect, as Ridpath follows down leads and uncovers clues while being a single parent to thirteen-year-old Eve. Ridpath seems to be a genuinely nice person who treats others fairly and I’m enjoying getting involved with the other characters, his brilliant assistant Sophia Rahman, and the two police officers Emily and Chrissie. The first half of the book is a bit on the slow side but the latter half more than compensates as the tension increases and Ridpath’s career is on the line. With the cliffhanger thrown out in the final pages I can’t wait to read book nine.

For me, this is the most entertaining of book series I have read. There are numerous reasons for this and, although it can be read as a standalone, I would advise reading it from the beginning.

DI Ridpath is my favourite police character out of all the books I have read. He is an excellent police officer but has numerous flaws and sometimes puts himself in the way of harm to get to the truth.

There is a death in police custody and the internal enquiry has cleared those involved but DI Ridpath is seconded to the coroner’s office and has been asked to investigate. This does not go down well with the other police officers around, even those who were not involved at the time and Ridpath is treated like a pariah by most of his colleagues.

As the story progresses and all of the actions begin to emerge the twists and turns keep on coming. Another excellent read.

Thank you to Canelo, NetGalley and M J Lee for my ARC in return for my honest review. Highly recommended.

What makes this series so entertaining? Many things, beginning with the characters. Ridpath is a very good police officer, because he firmly believes in getting things right. From the first book on, he is someone you would like to meet in real life, to have a chat and a pint. His daughter Evie is growing up, and becoming a likable young woman, who is despite her advanced age of 13 not afraid to cuddle with her father. Coroner Mrs Challinor is clever and honest. Head of DSU Clare Trent is aware of Ridpath’s flaws but eventually she always trusts him to do what is necessary. And on the other end of the spectrum is DI Turnbull, a policeman rotten to the core.
Then the writing style. Ridpath usually only gets a week to find the evidence in a case, and we, the readers, live every minute of that week together with him. The narrative flows and the dialogues are so, so engaging to read. I just love good dialogues.
In When the night ends the plot is actually not very complicated; it’s clear from the start of the story that people are lying about what happened the night Ben Holdsworth died in his cell. But why all those lies? Ridpath finds out, as always, and in time, as always. That doesn’t make him superhuman; he’s paying for it with sleepless nights and doubts about himself.
Doubts or not, I hope the author finds it in him to give Ridpath a long, long life with many interesting (for the readers then) adventures. And I would just love to see Evie grow up.
Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this review copy.

A death in police custody is a serious matter, it means desk duty, internal investigations, and public condemnation, for the officers involved and heartache for the families concerned. It also means a coroner's inquest and that's where DI Ridpath comes in.

Everyone knows having internal affairs on your case after an unexpected death is an unpleasant necessity but this final investigation is definitely not ok. Ridpath is an ordinary copper who happens to be a coroner's officer and it's obvious all those concerned object to what he's doing.

There is a very tight time frame, set by the coroner's office, to ensure the investigation is completed before the inquest begins which Ridpath has to adhere to. Tasked with questioning everyone concerned, including serving officers who have already endured two previous enquiries, most of those involved are hostile and feel enough is enough. It seems however that people are still dying so time is obviously of the essence.

This is book eight in the wonderful Ridpath Mystery Series and once again M. J. Lee captures the jeopardy involved right from the start while still including his customary twists, turns and multi layered storyline. I always fear for Ridpath from the beginning of each book as the author has an uncanny knack of exposing his vulnerabilities and drawing me into his world where I'm kept until the final scene ends. This doesn't happen very often and I love it.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed this author's work and recommend it as highly as possibly.

I enjoyed this 7th in the Ridpath series. My only complaint is that the stories all feel very familiar. Ridpath must solve the mystery while alienating MIT. They do develop his character more as his daughter ages. And the mystery reveal at the end was a Surprise to me.
So while there is a formula to these stories I still do enjoy them.

The DI Ridpath by M J Lee has been an excellent series throughout and with book number 8, When the Night Ends, there is no fall off in the quality with this one probably being the best so far.

The storyline gripped me from the start and throughout the many twists and turns kept me fully hooked until the very end.

Highly recommended.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "When The Night Ends", the newest book in the "DI Ridpath" series.
These books just keep getting better and better, and not just because the people who have it in for Ridpath are starting to get what they deserve, but because the plots keep getting tighter and tighter and the characters more defined.
This time out, the Coroner is tasked with finding out the facts behind a death in custody, a death that is mysterious to say the least, because of the circumstances; and Ridpath is tasked with the most onerous of jobs: investigating other 'coppers'. Needless to say, they're not happy, and intend to throw up as many roadblocks as possible.
When Ben Holdsworth is arrested in 2018 for suspected drug dealing, he demands to see a member of the NCA, but when he cannot reach his contact, he ends up in a cell - where sometime later he is found on the floor, dying. CCTV mysteriously is not working at that time, and everyone had decided that it was death by misadventure.
Now, three years later, the Coroner's court is about to sit and Ridpath is tasked with interviewing all of the potential witnesses, many of whom are police like him.
When things just don't add up, and it looks like the possibility of some sort of conspiracy, Ridpath comes up against the famous Blue Wall; but his doggedness in the face of adversity will not let him rest until he uncovers what he feels must be the truth.
A gripping entry in the series and I cannot wait to see where things go next.

I really love this series of books set in Manchester and featuring DI Ridpath, who is seconded to the Coroner's Office. This latest tale finds Ridpath investigating the death of a prisoner in custody. I really enjoy the insight into the work of the Coroner's Office and how inquests are run. The character development is good, with the reader finding out about Eve, Ridpath's teenage daughter, and his struggle to balance home life as a single parent after the death of his wife. The plot was solid and written from several perspectives which kept me intrigued until the end. I give this book 5* and I am sure it will be another hit for the author. I highly recommend the series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Tom Ridpath is in hot water again. Following a death in custody, internal police investigation, three years ago, concluded no fault and everything was done absolutely by the books. The coroner now needs an investigation before her final inquest and Tom's spidey tingles ring out. Too many coincidences, too many niggles. He upsets his police colleagues as only he can although a couple remain his staunch allies as usual. He has little time to bring things to a conclusion what with being targeted by a senior colleague and villains alike, none of whom wants him involved. In between times he is coping with his now 13 year old daughter as she grows, alternatively worrying about her, wishing she was still his little girl and thankful she's so supporting - a lovely relationship that just grows. All the characters continue to develop well, the plot lines are complex but realistic and the series just keeps getting better. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the 2nd half of the book far more than the first which I found was too heavy on dialogue. I'm likely to read others by this author.

This series of books, following a detective inspector who works with a murder investigation team but is seconded to the coroners office throughout the series, is just wonderful, and the author is on top form in every book.
I devour every book and then cannot wait for the next one in the series.
In this latest instalment, DI Ridpath has to investigate a death that occurred in a police cell. So he is investigating fellow police officers which is frowned upon by some at the Manchester Murder Investigation Team, especially his old adversary, DCI Turnbull. His loyalty to justice and to the coroner ensures that Ridpath will not be swayed from his quest in finding out the truth, but what if others prevent him from doing so?
Another excellent book in this series, each one further develops the characters, astounds me with a new and exciting storyline and, as always, I just cannot wait for the next book in the series!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I just love the Ridpath books, always plenty going on and I can’t turn the pages quick enough. Ridpath always seems to get himself into trouble but with his lovable personality that makes me root for him all the more. He doesn’t give up and always uncovers the culprit in the end. I can’t wait for the next instalment, please don’t keep us waiting too long.

I love this series! I was thrilled to get the chance to read this but it took a few extra days because I realized I was missing one in the series and I prefer to read them in order.

I am so interested in Ridpath and his life the mystery becomes almost secondary!. As always, a quick and interesting read.

Thank you very much to Netgalley, MJ Lee, and the publisher. A great series!

Love the Ridpath novels. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #WhenTheNightEnds by #MJLee

Yet another fabulous book in the DI Ridpath Series.
As well as being a Detective Inspector with Manchesters Major Investigation Team Ridpath is seconded to the Coroners Court where he assists Mrs Challinor investigating unexpected deaths.
The inquest coming up is into a death in custody at one of Manchesters Police Stations, at first glance it looks straightforward but when Ridpath starts asking questions things don’t look so black and white.
A fantastic series for anyone who loves crime, well researched and gripping from the first page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another great book in the series. Ridpath is still working for the Coroner but his latest investigation involves a death in custody. His police colleagues are outraged at this perceived betrayal and he is blocked at every turn. My heart was in my mouth as Ridpath faced increasing danger. Ostracised by his police colleagues with nowhere to turn was this finally the end of his career? Brilliantly written, this tense thriller will have you on the end of your seat.

Fantastic read, such fun to have Ridpath back and doing what he does best. A warm feeling envelopes me when I read this series of books.

My thoughts about MJ Lee’s When The Night Ends is a ride that relentlessly takes you through a thick plot. The story is compelling and realistic.When it focuses on crimes and solving murders, it’s dark, mysterious and griping like little else out there. MJ Lee’s When The Night Ends is packaged into a psychodrama that advances fast enough to retain you from thinking too hard. Writer M J Lee’s has done a brilliant job in its story that is well written and portrayed. The story of When The Night Ends begins when Ben Holdsworth dies alone in a police cell, riots erupt in Manchester. But after a post mortem, the authorities have decided nobody was to blame. DI Ridpath is asked to investigate by the coroner before an inquest, and immediately uncovers some discrepancies in the witness statements.
Why was the CCTV not working that night? Where was the custody sergeant, and did he know the victim? Wherever he turns there are lies and gaps. It’s a dangerous game and the net is closing… On Ridpath himself.
There is only one way out: uncover what really happened in the prison cells on that dark Manchester night. Without a doubt, MJ Lee’s When The Night Ends is one of the best crime books I’ve ever read. The plot is deep and you fall in love with the characters. MJ Lee’s When The Night Ends lives up to all expectations, it is a absolute stunner of a thriller. I would like to say thank you to Author M J Lee and Netgally, and Publishers Canelo Books, for kindly letting me read and review this brilliant masterpiece ive enjoyed reading and reviewing.