When eighteen-year-old Chloe Emery returns to her West London home she finds her mother missing, the house covered in blood. Everything points to murder, except for one thing: there's no sign of the body.

London detective Maeve Kerrigan and the homicide team turn their attention to the neighbours. The ultra-religious Norrises are acting suspiciously; their teenage daughter and Chloe Emery definitely have something to hide. Then there's William Turner, once accused of stabbing a schoolmate and the neighborhood's favorite criminal. Is he merely a scapegoat, or is there more behind the charismatic facade?

As a body fails to materialize, Maeve must piece together a patchwork of testimonies and accusations. Who is lying, and who is not? And soon Maeve starts to realize that not only will the answer lead to Kate Emery, but more lives may hang in the balance.

This is a good murder mystery, and from someone who that hasn't read any of the previous series, it was easy to pick up on the long-term characters and also the new characters for this story, there are plenty of twists and turns in the storyline to keep you guessing, with an abundance suspect it keeps you guessing until the end.

Well written and with a good plot, recommended read.

I quite like crime novels and I was anticipating that this one might be a little different

It wasn't totally different than other detective style books, the main character leads a lonely life, there is friction with colleagues, the story has some obvious elements to it.

The plot is a good one, I did work out some parts of it, at the same time there were some complete surprises too. The characters were well written and the description of the environment worked well for me.

It follows the story of Chloe who comes home to her Mums, from her Fathers (Chloe's parents are divorced). On arriving back in town, it is teeming with rain, her neighbour spots her and gives her a lift home. Chloe forgets her bag in his car and he brings it round. When he see inside Chloe's mums house, he rings the police and take Chloe over to his place.

The story then shifts to the perspective of the Detective Sergeant involved in the case and how she and her colleagues gather the evidence and sift through all the clues to try to solve the case before anyone else disappears, or dies.

I would specifically recommend this book to both my Father and my Mother-in-Law. I do know that they both would enjoy this tale as they both like(d) crime novels, so I will see about finding a paperback copy for my Mother-in-Law.

Fab story,gritty and tangled and full of surprises.

I love the Maeve Kerrigan series and this one is just as good as all the others. The interaction with Josh is superb and very funny at times. How long before they're an item ?
The plot was very well handled, the ending not too obvious and the writing very good indeed. Couldn't put it down and can't wait for the next one.

This is the seventh novel featuring one of my top three all-time favourite female Detectives - Maeve Kerrigan. Although it is part of an ongoing (and hopefully never ending) series, it's not imperative that these are read in order and this can easily be read as a standalone - although why wouldn't anyone want to read the entire series?!

I thought that I had got to know Jane's slightly twisted writing mind fairly well considering I've read all of her books at least twice, however I was unable to predict certain twists this book has to offer.

I have already recommended this book to fans old and new, and will continue to do so. Now it's time to wait another year *sob* until number 8!

A strong 4.5 stars

Thanks to HarperCollins UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sheer addictive entertainment - great characters from victims to perpetrators - a comprehensive psychological depth to all - from the scheming mother trying to look out for her child, to the complexities of abuse of women which is a definite sub theme of this book with its outspoken, brave female detective - giving her new second a chance to figure it out in a wholly male world. We are all exploring police ethos these days and this is a good insight with a great story of who did it. It's more than one perpetrator involved here and not all what it seems to be. Jane Casey is someone I'm pleased to be introduced to and will follow up on - terrific reading, top flight police procedural which is far more than the run-of-the-mill genre piece.

Brilliant book cover but i really struggled with it, blurb sounded great but just wasn't for me unfortunately.

Thank you very much to netgalley for sending me an advance copy of let the dead speak in exchange for an honest review.
I have read all of Jane caseys books to date and I love everyone of them her style of writing draws you in straightaway. I love the maeve Kerrigan books and though the wait seemed to take forever for this book it was well worth waiting for. The story revolves around Kate Emery whose daughter is staying at her dads house for a few days but cuts her visit short to go home to her mother but when she gets there there is blood smeared on the walls etc and though her mother couldn't possibly survive such blood loss her body is missing. It turns into a murder investigation with numerous suspects and maeve Kerrigan who's now a sergeant encounters numerous dead ends. This book will keep you gripped until the very end.

My review as posted on Goodreads:

This is the first book that I have read which is written by Jane Casey. I will start by saying that it will not be the last.

I don't like it when I see that I have chosen to read number seven in a series featuring the same detective. It usually means that I've missed something significant from earlier books.

In this case I felt that the story stands out on its own merits.

I liked the way the characters were introduced and developed.
I liked the pace of the story and the way different characters came into the cross-hairs as possible suspects.

Right to the end I was not certain who was responsible for the crime(s).

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy in exchange for this review.

I received a copy of this from net galley - thank you - in return for an honest review.

I came to this book unaware that there were 6 previous titles in the series. I am going to seek these books out now, but not having read them in no way hindered my enjoyment of this book.

Maeve was a terrific character; really down to earth and believable. Some of her dry comments really made me laugh. She seems to have a complex relationship with her partner, Derwent, again, this was so "real" for want of a better word. In crime fiction, I have rarely come across such realistic, likeable characters. The office politics are believable and the dynamic between the investigation team strikes a very genuine tone and Maeve's relationship with the newest recruit in particular added an interesting depth to the novel.

The suspense in the novel builds, as clues are discovered and secrets revealed. It all goes to show that you never know what goes on behind closed doors. There are some great twists and turns, and a really interesting dynamic explored within more than one family.

Very difficult to put the book down and I raced through it.

Loved this book and couldn't put it down, a murder scene with no body, dissappearing girls, many suspect people. Kerrigan has her work cut out getting to the bottom of it with her colleagues, one she doesn't take to one she has great banter with so we get to see there characters as the story unravels. A book that definitely drags you in from page one and keeps you there right until the last page

This is the first book I've read by Jane Casey and I've dropped into the middle of a series featuring a number of regular characters. From that point of view, this story works well as a standalone, but I feel I'd have a better sense of the central police personnel and the nuances of their interactions if I knew more about their back story. That said, I really enjoyed the complexity of this book, a thrilling and well written police procedural.

Chloe, an eighteen year old with some difficulties, returns home early from a few days away with her father. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her mother. A neighbour offers her a lift home from the station and there's an immediate sense of potential danger to a vulnerable young woman. When she goes into her home, she's faced with a bloodbath scene and no mother. Secrets and lies soon start to unfold as the police investigation gets underway and the plotting is tight and often intense.

The potential suspects soon mount up and it seems everyone has something to hide. Set in south London, I felt a strong sense of location. I also enjoyed the banter at scene between the various investigators; dark humour and some lack of political correctness made the dialogue interesting as they worked through the clues. I found the plotting intriguing and it's a story well told. I whizzed through it in a couple of sittings and I certainly enjoyed it well enough to be keen to read the earlier books in the series.

My thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy via Netgalley.

Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey

This is the latest book in the Maeve Kerrigan series and like all the others it does not fail to please.

Detective Maeve Kerrigan newly promoted and mourning the loss of her relationship with her cheating boyfriend is called upon to lead her team in investigating Chloe Emery’s mother who is missing – her house empty but covered in blood. Has she been murdered; where is the body? The investigation introduces us to the neighbours and their behaviour, who can be trusted, who is honest, and who is lying?

As in most crime novels, the police are under enormous pressure; from the media; from the senior officers; from the general public. Maeve is led by Josh Derwent and theirs is a strange relationship. She is keen to prove worthy of her promotion and at the same time she is irritated by a new member of her team who she does not really trust – is this just paranoia.

I was so happy to read this book and welcomed my reintroduction to Maeve and Derwent. Casey’s characterisations are a joy. How could you not love Maeve who is struggling with lack of sleep and concerns about her ‘new’ tidier image and whether further crimes will be committed on her watch. How could you not fail to admire Derwent, a maverick (don’t do as I do…)? Her portrayal of the different neighbours illustrates Casey’s manipulation of the readers’ expectations. How can you not find the Norrises a bit weird; how can you not worry and ache for Chloe?

I cannot recommend this highly enough. The worst bit of the book? The end – I just wanted to carry on reading it. A very satisfying tale with a well-structured plot and incredible characterisation. If you have not met Maeve Kerrigan before I urge you to remedy this as soon as possible, you will not regret it.

NetGalley supplied this book via Kindle in return for an honest review.

Let the Dead Speak sounded like a book I would really enjoy in the blurb' but sadly it didn't quite live up to premise.
A good murder mystery to me needs good twists and turns and needs to be unpredictable - sadly not the case here as I guessed a lot of the story. Also it helps to like the investigating team - I didn't, I don't know if it's because I haven't read any previous books but I couldn't connect with Kerrigan. I have read many a detective novel without this being an issue but sadly it was with this one. Even more disappointedly I didn't much care for the 'victim' for the first two thirds either.

I hate to leave a negative review and I've given it three stars as it it was entertaining read and I did read through til the end.

Having read all of Jane Caseys books I was looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. This is an absolute stormer- intelligent, sharp, suspenseful writing that meant I devoured the whole thing in one sitting. I love Maeve, I love Derwent and in this installment I started to love Una as well. More please!

I would like to thank HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Let The Dead Speak by Jane Casey in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Teenager Chloe Emery has been staying with her divorced father and leaves for home unexpectedly. She receives a lift from the station from her neighbour, Oliver Norris, and on opening her front door they find the place covered in blood.
DS Maeve Kerrigan arrives to investigate accompanied by DI Josh Derwent and DC Georgia Shaw and their initial problem is that although there’s a lot of blood from Chloe’s mother Kate, there’s no body.
‘Let The Dead Speak’ is the seventh in the Maeve Kerrigan series and although it would have helped if I’d read the earlier books in the series to be able to work out the relationship between Maeve and Josh Derwent, nevertheless I found the book to have sufficient detail to be read alone.
I thought this crime thriller was entertaining with a good storyline and believable characters. There were a lot of twists and turns especially in the final pages, and the ending surprised me as it was not what I was expecting.

A police storyline with complex characters that do not show their true selves until the end. I enjoyed this book and would like to think it is the first of a series involving DS Maeve Kerrigan and team. Murder, emotions and all other reasons people use to commit crimes are in the storyline of this book together with characters good and bad.. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.

There is no body, but Detective Maeve Kerrigan is sure a murder has taken place. Chloe Emery returns home to find her mother, Kate, missing and blood all over the house, too much blood for a simple accident. Because there is no body, Maeve and fellow detective Josh Derwent look at the people closest to Kate, beginning with her neighbors. They’re a strange lot, the Norrises act holier than thou, but their teenage daughter is obviously hiding something, could it be murder? Then there’s neighborhood criminal William Turner, who was once accused of stabbing a school friend and who now is the go to person any time something bad happens in the neighborhood. Maeve will have to tease through many layers of lies, secrets and neighborhood gossip to discover what really happened to Kate. Casey is one of my favorite British crime writers, her stories are always exciting without being gory, with intricate mysteries and well drawn characters

A really enthralling read, such realistic characters, and I could never have guessed the ending.
Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an advance copy of Let The Dead Speak, the seventh police procedural to feature Maeve Kerrigan.

18 year old Chloe Emery returns home to find blood all over the house and her mother, Kate, missing. Chloe is a bit slow so it is her neighbour, Oliver Norris, who calls the police and takes Chloe in. Although there is no body the amount of blood suggests foul play and the police launch a murder enquiry. Who would believe a suburban street in Putney could hide so many secrets?

It has been a few years since I read a novel in this series so it was like starting fresh and I can assure new readers that it works well as a stand alone with a clever plot and some interesting characters.

The plot has plenty of twists and turns with 2 very big twists, one of which I guessed almost immediately and then spent chapters wondering why the police were so slow to pick up on it, the second I didn't guess at all. Otherwise the team spend their time picking apart the lives of Kate and her neighbours, none of whom turn out to be pleasant individuals.

I like Maeve and the team. Her love/hate relationship with her immediate boss, Josh Derwent, is prickly and adds a bit of spice to the narrative. It is unusual to see a working relationship where home truths are the order of the day. I also liked newly promoted to sergeant Maeve's ambivalent attitude to newest team member DC Georgia Shaw, a shiny with an attitude problem. I think I'd have done a bit more than tell her that respect has to earned!

Let The Dead Speak with its fairly intricate plotting and sparky inter-personal dialogue is a good read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.