I'm a little torn about Fire on the Fells. I enjoyed the story, which was gripping and engaging, and I loved the characters, especially Leo, Shan and Ang.

I hated the talk about the hunting, the killing of the birds, the pit of dead animals towards the end... I understood and appreciated the environmental message, and realised it's the core of what this book is about, but ugh. It's dreadful, what people are capable of.

I felt deeply for Tyler's parents. Leo is a sympathetic and gentle man, and Shan's feisty bravery and spunk are the perfect complement to his methodical, sensible—and solid—presence.

I loved the narration; the gruff, accented voice perfectly suited the characters.

Had to re-read this book because I forgot to review and couldn’t remember a thing. A good story with some tragic moments but maybe a little too much going on at once. A book that needs a little more concentration than I have available to me at present. Don’t let that put you off. It’s good, sad, tragic, and suspenseful. What’s more the author takes the chance to address some important environmental concerns

I wasn’t aware that this is the second book in a series; this works well as a standalone. It’s a murder mystery police procedural, but the two lead detectives, Donovan and Young are also characters of interest with their own back stories and personal issues, so it becomes a well rounded who,e. I listened to the audio version and although it was well narrated, I’m sorry to say I wasn’t keen on the accents. At times I found the narration irritating, but not so much so that I didn’t want to listen. I think I’d enjoy the hard copy better and I’ll look for the first and next in the series in that format. Catch Staincliffe does a great job with setting; she weaves fact into the story in terms of the ecology of the moors and the dangers of wildfires. Given current uk heatwaves, this takes on a whole new meaning. The investigation into a death is interesting and buts are revealed as the story progresses, making it complex and satisfyingly well plotted. Overall, o enjoyed it and my thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

I do wish I had read/listened to the first book in the series it would have given me more of the background but it didnt really matter that much as I soon got into it. Now I want to go back and listen to the first and look forward to the continuation.

The story itself got me very engaged with how the racism elements were dealt with.

The narration worked well, I hadnt listened to this narrator before.

I read and absolutely adored The silence between breaths by this author so was delighted to get this audiobook. However I didn’t enjoy it nearly so much as I was hoping. I’m reluctant to blame the narrators but being from the North of England some attempts at Northern accents even when the actors themselves are from the north can be very annoying and that was how I felt. So I will stick to reading any more by Cath Staincliffe and see how that goes.

Having read and enjoyed the first in this series I was very eager to get my hands on Book 2. This time both Donovan and Young are having a difficult time dealing with problems in their personal lives but on the work front are investigating the shooting of a young man high on the Yorkshire Fells. The plot is interesting, authentic and the book is paced just right. There are several heart stopping moments as the pair face danger when fire breaks out and spreads quickly. The two main characters are well fleshed out and the minor characters are interesting. The Fells also seem like a character in their own right and the author vividly describes the landscapes allowing me to imagine the scene perfectly. This series is one I will follow and I eagerly await Book 3.

Laura Brydon and Mike Rogers narrated the book brilliantly.

On the whole I enjoyed this procedural thriller.

The setting is descriptive and being familiar with the area really added to the atmosphere.

There is a lot going on with all of the characters which adds to the back story.

One element I did find very irritating (perhaps more obvious because this was an audiobook) was the authors habit of following almost every sentence with 'said'.
Leo, said, Shan said, so & so said .... It really isn't necessary to spell things out to this degree and that did impact on my enjoyment. Because of this I'd review this as 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARAC which was very much appreciated.

📱E-Book Review📱

Fire On The Fells
Cath Staincliffe

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is actually the second book in the Detectives Donovan & Young series and I totally didn't spot this until later on.
However, this still reads absolutely fine as a standalone read given that the case here was whole and complete and we maybe just miss out on some of the character development from the last book - but this is written well to not cause any confusion moving through the series.

I haven't read this author before, but I love a good detective series and this was no exception.
Our detectives, Donovan and Young, have a good partnership and seem to work well together.
We do see some background into their personal lives too, which added some intrigue to their personalities and them as characters.
I can see this developing well throughout the series.

The case was tricky and left us, not with too many suspects, but at first, really nothing to go off at all.
As the story progresses and the investigation uncovers more information about the dead man, our duo start to piece together a string of secrets and lies and the twists and turns come thick and fast.

I absolutely loved the setting for this series.
My husband grew up in the Yorkshire Dales and we have often visited since moving away.
The writing here was so descriptive and I found that it transported me right back to our holidays walking the fells - luckily we never came across anything like this!

This was a great read and I've already grabbed the first book in the series to read and catch up with before any further releases are due!
I know it's the wrong order, but let's just look past that for now....
Looking forward to seeing more from this author and our two detectives in the near future.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Fire on the Fells by Cath Staincliffe. I really enjoyed the interplay between DI Leo Donovan and DC Shan Young—professional, empathetic, and with a chemistry that brought real warmth to the investigation. The storyline, following the murder of an eco–campaigner on the Yorkshire fells, moved at a deliberate yet compelling pace .

Staincliffe weaves in fascinating ecological and rural details—like the grouse shooting estates, fells’ wildlife, and the devastating risk of fires during heatwaves—which enrich the tightly plotted storyline. As a biologist this element of the book really peeked my interest . As an added bonus, the narrator’s seamless delivery made each character feel distinct and the investigation immersive.

While I’d have liked slightly deeper exploration of some aspects of the storyline overall it was an engaging read.

If you appreciate a heartfelt crime drama with strong character work, ecological insight, and atmospheric narration, Fire on the Fells is well worth the ride. I’ll certainly be looking forward to the next in the Donovan & Young series.

Great narrators, great with different accents for characters. The relationship between both detectives was great, l'd like to read more. I feel as it was like a police tv drama, it was laid out great. There was a lot going on. (No spoilers).

The backstories of the ongoing characters are as convoluted and twisty as the murder investigation itself. The story kept me going from beginning to end and I was blown away at the end. Hope more in series are being planned.
Voice actor Laura Brydon has a clear soprano level voice. Voice actor Mike Rogers is quite convincing and has a baritone level voice.
I requested and received a temporary advanced listener copy from W.F. Howes Ltd via NetGalley. #FireontheFells by Cath Staincliffe #DetectivesDonovanandYoungBk2 @wfhowes #NetGalley #crimethriller #procedural ***** review
#Contemporary #intense #ptsd #psychologicalthriller #grief #lies #secrets #familydrama #endangeredspecies #grouse hunting #YorkshireFells @joffebooks @the_book_folks @laura_brydon_vo #suspense