Let The Dead Speak by Jane Casey is a nail biting thriller that had me hooked from the start. It is the seventh book in the Maeve Kerrigan series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Written from the point of view of Maeve Kerrigan, the reader easily engages with the open and honest style from the start. The reader views all the action and evidence as Maeve 'sees' it. I tried to guess the outcome but failed miserably.
The book was full of twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. The storyline was fabulous and it would make a wonderful movie.
The novel shows that all is never as it seems. People show one face to the world and are quite another person underneath. Trying to uncover the truth can be a difficult job.
There are many themes including that of the sins of the parents. These should not be passed down the generations. This also links to the theme of guilt. It seems like everyone has something to hide.
Let The Dead Speak was definitely a roller coaster of a thriller which I really enjoyed. It was a very different genre from my usual choices but I shall be hunting out and devouring more by Jane Casey.
A fabulous read that will keep you guessing and gasping.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own

This is the first Maeve Kerrigan story I have read and I hadn't realised that there were six previous books in this series. The book can however be read as a standalone as the story is completely contained within this book. The only thing I feel I missed out on is some of the history between two of the characters - but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I don't do spoilers so it's difficult to comment on the storyline without giving too much away.

I am always amazed at how writers come up with such good complex and compelling storylines - which this certainly is. I read it in two sittings as I just had to know what on earth was going on. It was also a very easy book to read - the writing is so good that was just effortless to read.

The book begins with Chloe arriving unexpectedly back at her home to find her mother gone, but lots of blood everywhere. I loved the strong Dectective character of Maeve Kerrigan and her new sidekick Georgia - a very entertaining side story running alongside the murder enquiry.

As the story unfolded there were so many twists and turns - at one point I thought it was all done and dusted but saw that there was still plenty of pages to read, and then it began again, more twists and turns - absolutely enthralling.

If this is the standard of Jane Casey's novels then I think I need to read the previous six as this is one of the best crime novels I have ever read.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 and my thanks go to Netgalley for an advance copy of the book for review.

This is a five star read!! Why isn't this series been snapped up to be developed for the small screen? It is an absolutely terrific read and has the makings of a wonderful tv drama.
Although this is the seventh book in the Maeve Kerrigan series, it is the first one I have read but I fully intend to catch up on the rest of them as soon as I can. Yes, there are hints of what happened in earlier books but not enough to spoil reading them out of order. Maeve is a truly remarkable character who takes her job seriously and is damn good at it. The twists and turns are surprising at the time, but all make perfect sense in the big scheme of things and best of all, there is a truly satisfying outcome to this particular case whilst also leaving an opening for book eight.
This was one book where I definitely slowed down my reading in order to thoroughly savour each word. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough and Jane Casey is most definitely being added to my 'not to miss' authors list.

I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is the first book I have read by Jane Casey and my only complaint is that I couldn't put it down.
Totally unaware of the seven previous Maeve Kerrigan crime novels I became a fan instantly.
A young girl arrives home unexpectedly from visiting her estranged father and his family to find her mother missing and the house covered in blood obviously the scene of a horrendous attack or murder.
A murder investigation ensues lead by Maeve Kerrigan. It grips you straight away with lots of twists and turns.
One minute you have worked out the case and identified the culprit only to find in the next chapter that your conclusions are totally incorrect.
Utterly brilliant can't wait to read more of Jane Casey,s books.

Let the Dead Speak
Although “Let the Dead Speak” is the seventh in a series of crime novels featuring Police Officer Maeve Kerrigan, this is the first that I have read……..and it certainly will not be the last!
Jane Casey’s superb crime novel is so full of intrigue and suspense, that it is difficult to describe the plot in great detail without spoiling the book for others. What appears at first to be a classic case of a bloody and vicious murder turns into much more. Child abuse, fraud, blackmail – all appear as the plot unfolds.
The maze of intrigue and investigation begins when young Chloe Emery returns home unexpectedly, to find her mother is missing and her home looking like an abattoir. The murder squad team, which includes newly promoted D.S. Maeve Kerrigan and D.I. Derwent, are called in and the investigation begins. What appears at first to be a fairly straightforward case becomes anything but when Kate Emery’s body cannot be found and neighbours act suspiciously when questioned.
With each new piece of evidence, with each apparent dead end, the suspense and intrigue grows, making this an unputdownable crime novel. As I said earlier, I have not read the previous six books in this series, but it worked well as a standalone. It has piqued my interest and curiosity to find out more about Kerrigan and Derwent and other cases they have been involved in.
I enjoyed Jane Casey’s writing style. Without being too wordy, she portrays characters and scenes in such a way as to make them live in my imagination. The characters all have depth and are “real”, to the extent that I cared about what happened to them – or I detested them! I am particularly interested in the past relationship of Kerrigan and Derwent and look forward to back-tracking.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime novel and would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Chloe Emery comes home from a visit to her estranged father to find her house covered in blood and her mother missing. The detective team brought in to solve the crime cannot find a body but find lots of intrigue. DS Kerrigan is balancing her need for the truth with having to mentor a young protege and cope with the lasting effects of the loss of her relationship. In a way this mirrors the case, Chloe has had a sheltered life but both she and her mother were exploring relationships. Then there are the neighbours.

This is the seventh novel in a long-running series and Casey has a huge following of devoted fans. I can see why this is, she has a knack of plotting a good story and populating it with an interesting selection characters. Although I had not read any of the previous novels I didn't feel at a particular disadvantage as there wasn't a lot of back-story needed and the tale here was very engaging. As a simple and very readable police procedural this book works well.

I received my copy from Netgalley never having read any of Jane Casey's work before but I will most certainly looking for the others in the Maeve Kerrigan series although this one works extremely well as a standalone read.

This book is a real page turner, I didn't want to put it down so other things in my life had to give as I became caught up in the plot that starts with a murder scene with no body. It's a chilling read, no holding back on gruesome scenarios and it is full of suspense, just when you think you've got it sussed there's another little twist and I'm sure the big twist at the end wouldn't have caught just me unawares.

Brilliant book, sad that it ended where it did, the true sign of a great read.

When Chloe comes home early from a weekend with her dad and step family, she finds her house empty, but covered in blood. Where is her mother’s body and who would want her dead?

This book deals with the usual issues of good crime fiction: greed, jealously and revenge and lots and lots of blood. I haven’t read any of the other Maeve Kerrigan books by the author but I found her sleuth to be well written. There were references to previous relationships within and without the police force, obviously covered in previous books, but this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this well paced mystery.

I must admit that I guessed what had happened fairly early on, but I soon realised that the plot point I thought obvious was only a part of the picture and there were more than adequate twists and turns to keep me guessing, right to the end.

This is a good book and I would certainly read more by Jane Casey.

Loved loved loved this book! I haven't read any of the others yet, but I think it's time to start!!
So many twists and turns....

This was a real page turner from the beginning. Will definitely look for this author in future.

My first introduction to Maeve Kerrigan.

This is the seventh book in this series but the first that I have read. This was not a disadvantage as I was able to follow the plot without needing to know what may have happened previously.

The one thing that I did pick up on is the relationship/non-relationship between the newly promoted DS Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent. At the time of this story, Josh is living with his girlfriend Melissa and her son Thomas in what seems to be a happy relationship but there is always an underlying pull between him and Maeve, which, I presume, started in the previous books. Despite their constant criticisms of each other there is obviously a lot between them that, depending on Jane Casey, may end up with them together.

This is an interesting plot line. Chloe, a troubled 18 year old has been staying with her father, his wife and two teenage sons but decides to leave abruptly to return home to her mother Kate. When she gets back the house is empty, covered in blood but there is no sign of a body. Her neighbour who has given her a lift home from the station calls the police and Maeve soon arrives with a new DC, Georgia Shaw.

Chloe goes to stay with her neighbours, Ollie and Eleanor Norris as she is best friends with their daughter Bethany. Ollie’s brother Morgan who is between jobs is also staying there and right from the start the Norrises become prime suspects. They are all affiliated to a strange church but as the story unfolds we discover that both Norrises have had a relationship with the supposedly murdered Kate, but is she really dead?

Chloe and Bethany then run away together but it is only Bethany who returns and soon afterwards Chloe is found murdered. The plot is cleverly told and the ending is unexpected but I just could not really get immersed in the characters.

Maybe it is because I have not read any of the other books in the series but I did not feel engaged. Although this was worth reading and enjoyable it did not make me feel that I must read the previous books in the series hence only 3 stars.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

An interesting and confusing read. Confusing in a good way! We're introduced to very complex and interesting characters and we don't find out the answer until the end, but then there's more! A great read for lovers of crime and mystery!

Let the Dead Speak Jane Casey

The newly promoted DS Maeve Kerrigan is back, and you won’t be disappointed.

Whether you’re new to Jane Casey’s work, or a fan of her books, this is a treat.

Although this is the latest in a series, it reads well as a stand-alone. So, if you are new to Maeve Kerrigan and her team you won’t feel like a stranger at a party; and if you’ve read the previous books, you will love this one.

Maeve is single, again, she’s still working on the Murder Investigation Team, but has been promoted to Detective Sergeant. With the added responsibility comes the added problem of looking after a new team member. Detective Constable Georgia Shaw is not exactly making friends. Being young and attractive is enough to rile some people, but add to the fact she is on the fast-track-promotion scheme, and has little or no experience as a copper, and you have a character that adds a nice little sub plot to the main story.

The main story is brilliant in its simplicity. The crimes all happen on the same street and involve two families and a few other local members of the community.

Kate Emery is a 42-year old single mother, divorced from her husband for over 12 years. Her daughter, 18-year old Chloe has cognitive disabilities, and Kate has dedicated her life to being her carer.

When Chloe returns home, from a weekend stay with her father and his new family, she finds her mother missing and the house is a blood bath.

Kerrigan and her team start a murder enquiry.

Chloe is left in the care of a family living over the road from her house. The Norris family are a tremendously well written bunch of characters. Devoutly Christian they stand for everything that Kate didn’t, but the daughter Bethany is Chloe’s best friend.

As the inquiry into Kates murder progresses Kerrigan and her team start to find evidence that Kate was not the woman she seems. Single, and attractive, it appears she has a secret life her daughter and “most” of the neighbours don’t know about.

She is receiving money from her ex-husband, and has her own business, but it still seems she needs more money.

Is Chloe actually as bad as her mother would have people think, or are her disabilities an exaggeration of her shy personality that her mother is trying to use to get benefits, schooling, and more money from her ex.

The story has a limited bunch of characters but anyone of them could be the killer, and I didn’t see the end coming right up till it leapt of the pages of the last chapters.

The Norris Family could have a whole book written just about them, would any of them want Kate dead, and what possible motive could any of them have for killing her.

Brian Emery, Chloe’s dad, and his new family could have a book written just about them too. His new wife is a bitch, and her two teenage sons are spoilt brats, who Chloe hates. So why does she spend the odd weekend at their house. Could one of them have wanted Kate dead. Does Chloe really hate them or would her mother’s death mean she could spend more time at the house.

This book has twists and turns in every chapter.

It has moralistic issues as well. I found myself liking characters I shouldn’t like.

Casey writes the story so well that when you are seeing things through Maeve Kerrigan’s eyes you find yourself going with her thought process. In other books of this ilk I often find myself disagreeing with the main character, or think “don’t be daft” but with Kerrigan everything just seems right and justified. Maybe we just think the same way.

If you haven’t read the other books in this series you really have missed out. Read this one then go back and start at the beginning.

Like I said at the start of this blog YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED

This is a great instalment in the Maeve Kerrigan crime/police procedural series by Jane Casey. I actually can't compare it to the others, because although it's book seven, it was my first read by Casey. Luckily, she knows how to write so you don't feel like you're missing anything. There are hints of back story, but it's not overwhelming or off-putting.

Anyway, back to the book at hand. Chloe, technically an adult but seemingly vulnerable, comes home early and upset from her father's house, to find her mother gone and her home covered in blood. There's no body, just a hell of a lot of questions and a surprising amount of suspects.

DS Maeve Kerrigan has to wade through this mess and try to find the dead body and its killer.

I really liked the characterisation, it felt like a world inhabited by real, complex people for the most part. And it was a compulsive read - I had things to do tonight but they got set aside for the book!

It gets very twisty and turny as it hurtles towards the end. At one point I thought it would get a bit messy, but Casey keeps hold of the plot threads just long enough to get you to the conclusion. I'll certainly go back and look up the earlier books now. A satisfying read.

Positive review on Amazon. Great book lots of twists and turns

"'That's how you are. You want to make everything right. You want to to believe in happy endings.'
'There's no such thing,' I said softly.'There's just life.'"

Reading this was like watching an episode of Law and Order and I used to love that series. There was a time when I wouldn't have missed an episode! I liked the main female protagonist: a strong, determine woman. Having in mind my TV analogy I'd say she is a book version of Gillian Anderson in The Fall. The female protagonist in Law and Order is strong, but she is still overshadowed by the male counterpart of the duo( I am having in mind the 2001 series, with Kathryn Erbe). But Stella Gibson is absolutely gorgeous from so many points of view. Just like Stella, Maeve is strong and very smart, she is not afraid to go after what she wants. She is not afraid to show some vulnerability both at a personal level and professional one, even is that is a bit out of place in her line of work. I appreciated her relationship with Georgia and how she joggled her shortcomings and feelings with wanting to do the right thing!
Really enjoyable case, if I can use that word seen all the gruesome parts of the story. A lot of twists to keep you hooked and that ending, I must say I didn't really see that coming. As stereotype goes, even if I knew the book was set in UK, I haven't took into consideration that Police is not carrying guns. I have imprinted in my brain the US Police force so much so, that I was really taken by surprise when Maeve mentions she doesn't have a gun to either stop the criminal or protect herself(this little detail also helped me to understand an earlier scene that at first I though was a bit exaggerated, but it actually made total sens knowing they don't have guns). It actually made me realized how courageous this people are, how they are really risking their life with almost no way to protect themselves. Admirably!
I also want to add that even if this is part of a series it can be easily read as a standalone. In fact is the first book in the series that I read. I was a bit curious about 'the death of a colleague' that's mentioned, but it does not affect the story in any way, being actually a pretty insignificant detail from the story point of view. If I would have a lot of time on my hands I'd like to read some other books from this series, it would be interesting to see if there's any progress, growth of characters as the series progressed.

*Book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you Harper Fiction.

Thank you Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Let the dead speak. This is the first book I have read in the Maeve Kerrigan series and it certainly won't be the last! I wish I had read all the previous books in the series but will definitely be looking out for them. A brilliant read which was a real page turner right until the end . I was kept guessing the whole time and the revelation of the identity of the murderer was a real surprise. Wonderfully drawn characters and I am now waiting for the next book in the series .

Let The Dead Speak

Opening this book to the familiar characters of Maeve and Josh was like coming home. With a well established dynamic, seven books in means it is easy to dive right into the story without having to get it straight into your head who all of the major players on the police team are.

The story itself was bittersweet and engaging. Although I guessed a few of the answers, the twists were still impressive and I just wish the ending had gone on a teeny bit longer! Overall, another great read from Jane Casey!

I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Eighteen year old Chloe Emery was unhappy.

She had been to stay with her father, but his new wife and her two sons had made her so uncomfortable that she couldn’t stay, and so she was making her way home to her mother. Rain was pouring down and so she couldn’t turn down the offer of a lift from her neighbour, Oliver Norris, even though he made her rather uncomfortable too.

It was clear that something terrible was going to happen.

When Chloe stepped through her front door she began to realise that that something had happened while she was away. Her mother wasn’t there, the mess was appalling and the smell was dreadful. When Oliver Norris reappeared – because Chloe had left her bag on the back seat of his car – he realised straight way that the mess was blood.

Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are sent to the scene. She is newly promoted to DS, she is eager to prove herself in the her new role, and she is equally determined that Derwent is going to stop treating her as a junior. That doesn’t quite happen, but it is clear their wonderfully combative relationship is underpinned by mutual respect.

Though there is no body they are at the beginning of a murder enquiry. Chloe’s mother, Kate Emery, is nowhere to be found, all of her belongings are still at home, and the physical evidence is compelling.

Chloe was staying with the Norris family, they were protective of her and she was unwilling to say very much at all. That might be quite natural, but it might be that the Norris family had something to hide, it might be that Chloe was withholding facts that could help to reveal what had happened to her mother.

The police were left to wonder is Chloe was a slow-witted as they had been told. Because if she was her obvious physical attractions might make her very vulnerable. Because if she was her close friendship with Bethany Norris, who was very bright and a few years younger than her, was very hard to understand.

But at least Chloe was safe …

Understanding the kind of woman Kate Emery was might help the police to discover what had become of her, but hard facts were hard to come by and they heard a great many conflicting opinions.

The picture that emerged was of a complex character who might have been beginning to run out of options …

The story was set up so cleverly, it was full of drama and incident, and the plotting and the pacing were immaculate.

It rings true. The details are right, the characters are utterly believable,and the twists, when they come, are in no way contrived. They flow naturally out of that story. And whenever I thought I had things figured out something else came to light to make me think again. It really is very well judged.

I’ve grown to like Maeve Kerrigan over the course of seven books in this series now. She is good at her job, she works well with her colleagues, but she is still a little inclined to rush in without thinking things through. Her role as a mentor to a new graduate recruit was an interesting element of this book, and I’m still enjoying the development of her working relationship with Josh Derwent.

The story is a little too dramatic to be true, but I can quite believe that Maeve is in London at work.

I’m just a little sorry that her own story hasn’t moved forward, and that I’ll have to wait for the next book in the hope that it will.

That’s my only small disappointment with this book.

A couple of books ago I wrote:

“Oh Jane! I just want you to get everything right, because when you do you could have an outstanding piece of crime fiction on your hands, you really could.”

This time she did and she does!