No. 18 in the Det Geraldine Steele series and this one is no disappointment. either.

Twists and turns in the novel but also love the characters lives in the books and can't wait for the next instalment to see what happens with Geraldine's sister!

Great Read

This is the eighteenth book in the series featuring DI Geraldine Steel but would read well as a stand-alone. Geraldine and Ariadne, a member of her team, are called out to investigate the suspicious death of Doreen, an elderly wheelchair bound woman. The main suspect is her weird son Eddy, who was known to be in conflict with his mother. Eddy claims he has an alibi as he was with Kylie, his girlfriend. When they discover Kylie doesn’t exist he is arrested. But then Geraldine discovers that Kylie is really a young woman called Louisa, who had never met Eddy, but he had been stalking her convinced that they were in love. When Louisa is found dead she realises that Eddy was innocent of the crime as he was in custody sat the time. Another suspect surfaces regarding the death of Doreen and turns out to be the new husband of Geraldine’s colleague Ariadne. Geraldine really has to dig deep to link and solve these two complex cases.
This was another enjoyable read and I look forward to book number nineteen.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Eighteenth in this series featuring Geraldine Steel. A murder with an obvious suspect so easy result but Geraldine doesn't believe it. Red herrings,twists and turnsmake this a good read.

Another in the Detective Geraldine Steele series
And another brilliant read
This is a book 18 in the series and is still as good as the first one I read
Can’t wait for her next book
And this series is one I would highly recommend
Thanks NetGalley

Leigh Russell is one of my go to authors when I'm looking for a good, solid police procedural. I love the way she balances the crime along with the relationships between the officers. This isn't the most exciting story but there are a couple of nice little twists. I have to say that I missed Ian in this book, he barely featured in the first half of the book.

I discovered this is a longstanding series but this is the first I read and, even if it's the nr 18, I thoroughly enjoyed as it's an excellent police procedural, tense and gripping.
I liked the storytelling, the characters, and thoroughly enjoyed the mystery.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wow! Book 18 now - and, mostly due to the author constantly mixing things up for the poor long-suffering Geraldine both personally and professionally, showing no signs of flagging!
In this book, Geraldine is flying solo as Ian is off gallivanting elsewhere! But she has her trusty new best friend Ariadne to ably assist. Until however Ariadne's new husband comes on the radar as a suspect in their new case. But I get ahead of myself. The case in question is about the death of a woman in her own home. She is a wheelchair user and quite dependent on her son who lives with her. Initially the fingers of suspicion point his way until he provides an alibi. But on further inspection that alibi proves unstable and, well, lets just say things escalate there too...
But Geraldine is a powerhorse of a detective and, even without Ian's input and with Ariadne pulled from the case for obvious reasons, there is the rest of the team to ably assist. Hopefully it'll not be long til she works it all out, arrests the bad guys and make the streets safe once again!
I do love Geraldine. And boy the girl needs a lot of love given the shenanigans that the author puts her through. Her on-off relationship seem stable on for now but I still fear for their longevity! But one thing never wavers and that's her work ethic and I do love reading her thought processes and watching her solve a case. Especially one that keeps me on my toes throughout, as this one does.
Obviously to get the best from this book, as with pretty much every series, it is best if you start from book one and read in order. A bit of a big ask for this series what with 17 books here and there's also a couple of books featuring Ian as main character. But you'll thank me in the end if you do! They've all been cracking reads which I have no problem recommending each and every one!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Fake alibi by Leigh Russell.
A DI Geraldine Steel Thriller Book 18.
A wheelchair-using woman is strangled and her son, Eddy, is arrested. When his alibi falls apart, the police are satisfied that he is guilty. Only Geraldine doubts whether Eddy is cunning enough to kill his mother and cover his tracks so successfully.
A brilliant read. Lots of twists and turns. Love this author. 5*.

When a wheelchair bound woman is murdered in her home,her son becomes the prime suspect .when his alibi falls apart, the police are convinced he did it and want him charged, geraldine is not no sure.
Eddy spends most of his time following a young woman, who he claims is his girlfriend, but his so called girlfriend says she has never met him ........ great addition, twists and turns.

This is a good read even if the conclusion becomes fairly obvious! An elderly women in a wheelchair is murdered in her own home. The obvious, too obvious, suspect is her son who has mental issues. Geraldine, unlike her senior officer who just wants to close the case, does not believe he has the capacity to commit the crime. He would inherit the house but he already lives there rent free with his mother looking after him. Then there is the other murder. Eddy, the son, believes he has a girlfriend but all he does is stalk her. She has no idea who he is. When she is murdered, he is a suspect for that too. The way that part of the story developed is hard to believe. This is an easy read. Unfortunately, in common with many detective novels, the police always seem to have to have problems in their personal lives. Geraldine has issues with her sister, boyfriend, colleagues. The senior officer has to leave her job. Her best friend at work is the newly married wife of a suspect in the case. None of that adds much.

Another fantastic read by the author! The Geraldine Steele series just keeps improving, this being book 18. When an elderly woman is found murdered in her own home, Geraldine and her team investigate. The pace is steady throughout and the writing is the usual high standard. I love the characterisation and the twists in the plot, an insight into the frailties of human nature and the vulnerability of people with disabilities. I can't wait to discover who Geraldine's sister is marrying and why all the secrecy surrounding the wedding! Bring on the next chapter please! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I have read all of the books in this series and overall enjoyed them all - this being no exception. That being said, there were times in the narrative which were repetitive and for me, unnecessarily so. It is possible that most people wouldn't pick up on them and that being so, it is a good story where two people are murdered who are tenuously linked but does that mean that the same person killed both? Added to that we have Geraldine's ongoing relationship with Ian and her twin sister too plus a DCI who isn't quite as on the ball as usual!! Well worth a read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

A wheelchair-using woman is strangled and her son, Eddy, is arrested. When his alibi falls apart, the police are satisfied that he is guilty. Only Geraldine doubts whether Eddy is cunning enough to kill his mother and cover his tracks so successfully.

The situation becomes more complicated when the girlfriend Eddy claims he was with at the time of the murder denies having met him. Shortly after the girl thinks she is being stalked, her dead body is discovered outside Eddy's house.

As the body count grows, the investigation team become confused, putting Geraldine under almost unbearable pressure. Well-written and exciting book that feels close to reality. The police work is depicted in an unusually realistic way which is not so common in today's detective stories.

I’d like to thank Oldcastle Books, No Exit Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Fake Alibi’ written by Leigh Russell in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Wheelchair-bound Doreen Lewis is found by her neighbour lying dead on the floor and DI Geraldine Steel and her team arrive to investigate. When they question Doreen’s son Eddy he says he didn’t harm his mum as he was with his girlfriend Kylie, only Kylie doesn’t exist. They identify the young woman Eddy calls Kylie but her name is Louisa Thomas and she’s never heard of him let alone met him. The case becomes more complicated when Louisa is also found dead and Eddy is arrested, but Geraldine isn’t sure Eddy is responsible for either of the two murders.

‘Fake Alibi’ is the latest in the DI Geraldine Steel police series set in York and surrounding region featuring DI Geraldine Steel, with a brief appearance from her boyfriend DI Ian Peterson. This is the eighteenth in the series and some background knowledge of previous events would be helpful but doesn’t detract from the story which is equally enjoyable as a standalone. This novel is easy to read and has a sound and straightforward plot but I don’t think it has the excitement I’ve come to expect from a Leigh Russell’s thriller although it does end with a very satisfying twist and dramatic conclusion.

What can I say that I’ve probably not already said in the previous 17 reviews? Another Geraldine Steel book, another belter of a good read.
A wheelchair bound lady is found dead and all fingers point to her mentally vulnerable son. As usual not all is black and white, despite Geraldine’s colleagues wanting it to be and again she finds herself the lone voice unsure of the ‘quick result’. Another great read, an interesting twisty man plot and nice to catch up with the characters in the subplot, which bubbles with hints of some very interesting possibilities to come
As always Geraldine never disappoints. A book you don’t want to stop reading but you’re sorry when you’ve finished. I’d love to be able to immediately crack open number 19 and find out what’s next for Geraldine et al

I’m a fan of the author, her books are always a reliably good read and this one didn’t disappoint either. The plot was on the cusp of being guessable but not quite so I was intrigued to continue reading to the end quickly to see if I was right. The twists and turns, although not dramatic and shocking, are also ‘enough’ for an enjoyable ride, a bit like a gentle rollercoaster.
I loved the symmetry of the plot in this book, without giving too much away and the poignancy of the motives behind the murders. There is always something to make you think of human nature and it’s vulnerability in Leigh’s writing. Having read the series in order it was nice to catch up with the detectives and their personal and romantic relationships but I didn’t feel they progressed much or offered anything that interesting this time. Another slight criticism there seemed to be a few random unusual words thrown into the, normally very accessible, text a little like the author had bought a thesaurus, which I found a bit patronising and irritating overall.
A good safe read, quite cosy and lemonade compared to my usual gore fest or shocking texts but worth a read.

A disabled lady is found strangled and the chief suspect is her son Eddy. Geraldine's DI thinks it's more or less an open and shut case but Geraldine isn't so sure. Eddy throws a spanner in the works when he says he was with his girlfriend at the time of his mother's murder. This is where things get interesting as the girl he names says that she has never even met Eddy. The plot thickens when there is another murder, Geraldine is putting extra hours in but she doesn't seem to be able to find another suspect. I love this series which always lives up to my expectations.

This is a well established series on it's 18th book and I've dipped in and out of the series. I've always enjoyed what I've read and been able to pick up and follow the thread and narrative of the story line and plot. I find the the writing to be no frills, straight forward and entertaining.

Another great read by Leigh Russell. I have read and enjoyed a few books in the Geraldine Steel series and this was no exception. Plenty of twists and unpredictable bits to keep me turning the pages make for a great storyline. It can easily be read as a stand alone or part of the series. An interesting plot I really enjoyed. I look forward to the next instalment.

A good read that was engaging and well written with a good cast of characters. It had mystery and some unpredictability.