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DI Jo Shaw
A Calculated Risk
Detective Jo Shaw has it all worked out. She’s good at her job, she has loads of mates, and she likes being single. She doesn’t need complications, but an emergency call to the stabbing of a young woman brings plenty of those. Jo has to risk her career to save the woman’s life, and a bad night gets worse when the trauma surgeon turns out to be Isla Munro, Jo’s only real love, who walked out on her fifteen years ago and never came back.
With the victim’s children missing and the husband the prime suspect, Jo’s investigation is stonewalled by a community living in fear. As one dead end leads to another, she and Isla are forced to put their differences aside and work together. But the case is far more dangerous than Jo realizes, and her determination to sort the truth from the lies may put her own life on the line.
With the victim’s children missing and the husband the prime suspect, Jo’s investigation is stonewalled by a community living in fear. As one dead end leads to another, she and Isla are forced to put their differences aside and work together. But the case is far more dangerous than Jo realizes, and her determination to sort the truth from the lies may put her own life on the line.
284 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2023
About the author
Cari Hunter
12 books506 followersCari Hunter lives in the northwest of England with her wife, their cats, and a field full of sheep. She works full-time as a paramedic and dreams up stories in her spare time.
Cari enjoys long, wind-swept, muddy walks in her beloved Peak District. In the summer she can usually be found sitting in the garden with her feet up, scribbling in her writing pad. Although she doesn’t like to boast, she will admit that she makes a very fine Bakewell Tart.
She has a hat trick of Goldie awards and multiple Rainbow awards under her belt, and has twice been a Lambda finalist.
Her new novel, A Calculated Risk, the first in the DI Jo Shaw series, was released in September 2023.
Cari can be contacted at: [email protected], via her blog: http://carihunter.wordpress.com/, or by dropping by and saying hi on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/cari.hunter.9 :-)
Cari enjoys long, wind-swept, muddy walks in her beloved Peak District. In the summer she can usually be found sitting in the garden with her feet up, scribbling in her writing pad. Although she doesn’t like to boast, she will admit that she makes a very fine Bakewell Tart.
She has a hat trick of Goldie awards and multiple Rainbow awards under her belt, and has twice been a Lambda finalist.
Her new novel, A Calculated Risk, the first in the DI Jo Shaw series, was released in September 2023.
Cari can be contacted at: [email protected], via her blog: http://carihunter.wordpress.com/, or by dropping by and saying hi on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/cari.hunter.9 :-)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
January 12, 2024
Edit: January 12th, 2024, audiobook review
When I reviewed this story in its book form last summer, I wrote that one of the things I love about Cari Hunter’s books is “the author’s ability to make me hear the characters” and that I was looking forward to Nicola Vincent’s narration, so I could check whether I had got them right. As usual, Vincent went beyond my expectations (even though I had a moment of uncertainty at the beginning, I’m not sure why). She’s so good at varying voices, matching them to each character, even the smallest secondary one.
Every time I review one of Cari Hunter’s stories—and I guess even more when I review an audiobook after the book—I worry that I might keep repeating the same things and sound overly enthusiastic. I am not, though. Enthusiastic, absolutely, but not overly so.
The stories she tells don’t leave me warm and fuzzy at the end, they’re dark and bleak and would absolutely make me cry if I let myself think about them too much. I don’t read Hunter’s books for escapism. They’re realistic and believable and, in that, as disheartening as real life.
But.
But they also have the most beautiful characters. I know I’ve written this before and I know I’ll write it again, the world may be a horrible place but people like Jo and Isla and Tully—because I want to believe there are people like them IRL—give me hope that all isn’t lost. I don’t get that hope from sunshiny novels, with those I get to escape and recharge. The hope, however, I get from dark, gritty, painful stories from which it emerges on the shoulders of those who overcome the dark, the grit, the pain. Who live with them, find happiness despite them.
These are the books that inspire me and give me strength, they feed me and empower me, even if all I do with this power is wake up another day (and sometimes I do a lot more than that, but even that feels like a win). In some books, the dark, the grit, the pain come from inside the characters—though often it’s inside because of something that happened outside—and in others, it’s in the circumstances. Hunter writes the latter, and she writes her MCs and the people around them with such tenderness, such generosity, that everything that is wrong with the world feels manageable.
Loads of thanks to fellow reviewer Marie Sotiriou for the gift of this audiobook 🙏
------------------------------------------------
Cari Hunter doesn’t churn out books by the dozen every year but they’re all well worth the wait. They’re extremely well-plotted, for one. And with A Calculated Risk, Hunter gives us, once again, the kind of characters I love most. I want to say they’re perfect, but I don’t mean they’re flawless. On the contrary, they’re wonderfully human, fallible, relatable. Fifteen years after Isla broke her heart, Jo bumps into her at the local hospital. Isla went on to become a cardiothoracic surgeon and a consultant with the Emergency Response Team. Jo dropped out of med school and joined the police instead. A DI with the Serious Crime Team, she still can’t resist an animal in need of a foster home and is at her best when she gets to do “all this detective stuff”. She’s never told anyone about Isla, not even her partner and friend Tully, and when a case involving a gruesome attempted murder and the kidnapping of teens puts her and Isla in unavoidable proximity, every feeling – the good and the bad – rushes back to the surface.
I love many many things about Cari Hunter’s books, as anyone who has read my reviews before knows. One of these things is the author’s ability to make me hear the characters. Don’t expect them to sound American. They aren’t and they won’t. You may have to google a word here and there or accept that you don’t need to understand exactly what they’re eating or what an idiom means precisely. That’s part of the fun, of travelling via reading. I’ll read a sentence and hear their voices. Now I can’t wait for the audiobook and Nicola Victoria Vincent’s narration so I can check whether I got them right.
I know police procedurals aren’t for everyone and I know readers who enjoy contemporary romance above all are not very likely to pick up this book. And I get it, I really do. I love romance too. These readers are missing out on some of the best characters in sapphic fiction, however. Some of the best in fiction, period. I know I say it every time but it’s true: I want to live in a world in which Cari Hunter’s characters exist. To get them though, to experience their emotions and crushes and angst, to fall in love with and alongside them, the reader also has to contend with criminals who feel just as real – terrifyingly so. There’s no escaping ordinary evil either in the real world or in the one Hunter writes but at least in hers, there are genuinely kind people fighting it, and with success to some extent. What I’m trying to say is that despite reading about the horrible things humans do to each other, my heart will be full and warm by the time I turn the last page. It’s true again with A Calculated Risk. It will be alright, it says. We will be alright. In this burning world, Jo and Isla, like Meg and Sanne before them, like Grace, Safia, Jem or Rosie, like the side characters in their lives too, are beacons of hope I very much want to believe in.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
When I reviewed this story in its book form last summer, I wrote that one of the things I love about Cari Hunter’s books is “the author’s ability to make me hear the characters” and that I was looking forward to Nicola Vincent’s narration, so I could check whether I had got them right. As usual, Vincent went beyond my expectations (even though I had a moment of uncertainty at the beginning, I’m not sure why). She’s so good at varying voices, matching them to each character, even the smallest secondary one.
Every time I review one of Cari Hunter’s stories—and I guess even more when I review an audiobook after the book—I worry that I might keep repeating the same things and sound overly enthusiastic. I am not, though. Enthusiastic, absolutely, but not overly so.
The stories she tells don’t leave me warm and fuzzy at the end, they’re dark and bleak and would absolutely make me cry if I let myself think about them too much. I don’t read Hunter’s books for escapism. They’re realistic and believable and, in that, as disheartening as real life.
But.
But they also have the most beautiful characters. I know I’ve written this before and I know I’ll write it again, the world may be a horrible place but people like Jo and Isla and Tully—because I want to believe there are people like them IRL—give me hope that all isn’t lost. I don’t get that hope from sunshiny novels, with those I get to escape and recharge. The hope, however, I get from dark, gritty, painful stories from which it emerges on the shoulders of those who overcome the dark, the grit, the pain. Who live with them, find happiness despite them.
These are the books that inspire me and give me strength, they feed me and empower me, even if all I do with this power is wake up another day (and sometimes I do a lot more than that, but even that feels like a win). In some books, the dark, the grit, the pain come from inside the characters—though often it’s inside because of something that happened outside—and in others, it’s in the circumstances. Hunter writes the latter, and she writes her MCs and the people around them with such tenderness, such generosity, that everything that is wrong with the world feels manageable.
Loads of thanks to fellow reviewer Marie Sotiriou for the gift of this audiobook 🙏
------------------------------------------------
Cari Hunter doesn’t churn out books by the dozen every year but they’re all well worth the wait. They’re extremely well-plotted, for one. And with A Calculated Risk, Hunter gives us, once again, the kind of characters I love most. I want to say they’re perfect, but I don’t mean they’re flawless. On the contrary, they’re wonderfully human, fallible, relatable. Fifteen years after Isla broke her heart, Jo bumps into her at the local hospital. Isla went on to become a cardiothoracic surgeon and a consultant with the Emergency Response Team. Jo dropped out of med school and joined the police instead. A DI with the Serious Crime Team, she still can’t resist an animal in need of a foster home and is at her best when she gets to do “all this detective stuff”. She’s never told anyone about Isla, not even her partner and friend Tully, and when a case involving a gruesome attempted murder and the kidnapping of teens puts her and Isla in unavoidable proximity, every feeling – the good and the bad – rushes back to the surface.
I love many many things about Cari Hunter’s books, as anyone who has read my reviews before knows. One of these things is the author’s ability to make me hear the characters. Don’t expect them to sound American. They aren’t and they won’t. You may have to google a word here and there or accept that you don’t need to understand exactly what they’re eating or what an idiom means precisely. That’s part of the fun, of travelling via reading. I’ll read a sentence and hear their voices. Now I can’t wait for the audiobook and Nicola Victoria Vincent’s narration so I can check whether I got them right.
I know police procedurals aren’t for everyone and I know readers who enjoy contemporary romance above all are not very likely to pick up this book. And I get it, I really do. I love romance too. These readers are missing out on some of the best characters in sapphic fiction, however. Some of the best in fiction, period. I know I say it every time but it’s true: I want to live in a world in which Cari Hunter’s characters exist. To get them though, to experience their emotions and crushes and angst, to fall in love with and alongside them, the reader also has to contend with criminals who feel just as real – terrifyingly so. There’s no escaping ordinary evil either in the real world or in the one Hunter writes but at least in hers, there are genuinely kind people fighting it, and with success to some extent. What I’m trying to say is that despite reading about the horrible things humans do to each other, my heart will be full and warm by the time I turn the last page. It’s true again with A Calculated Risk. It will be alright, it says. We will be alright. In this burning world, Jo and Isla, like Meg and Sanne before them, like Grace, Safia, Jem or Rosie, like the side characters in their lives too, are beacons of hope I very much want to believe in.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
September 11, 2023
I am not sure if A Calculated Risk explains the decision Detective Jody (Jo) Shaw makes to save a woman’s life or the decisions Cari Hunter makes in her storytelling.
Jo arrives at the scene of a stabbing and must make a life or death decision in order to save the female victim. She arrives at the hospital to check on her charge and runs into her first love, Isla Munro. Now fifteen years older and a much respected surgeon, Isla saves the victim’s life. Jo and Isla work on understanding their personal history as the mystery unfolds.
Hunter knows how to grab her readers from the very first page. She drops us into an adrenaline rush medical rescue as the means of introducing Isla. Unfortunately, the excitement falls off quickly through the middle section of the story only to return at the resolution of the mystery. This is very unexpected from a writer of Hunter’s calibre. The uneven pacing is quite noticeable as the mystery is somewhat lacklustre. It meanders with no sense of urgency which is so unlike any of her other books.
The calculated risk of giving us limited historical information on Jo and Isla’s past relationship hinders our connection to the two mains. The depth of each character is missing making them more like shadows rather than being three dimensional. The other risk taken is the choice of ending for the novel. I enjoyed the ending and admire this choice. It adds realism and speculation which is rarely seen in this genre.
I enjoyed parts of the story especially the glib dialogue. It floats the sections which sagged. Overall though, the novel is a disappointing 3 out of five stars.
I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jo arrives at the scene of a stabbing and must make a life or death decision in order to save the female victim. She arrives at the hospital to check on her charge and runs into her first love, Isla Munro. Now fifteen years older and a much respected surgeon, Isla saves the victim’s life. Jo and Isla work on understanding their personal history as the mystery unfolds.
Hunter knows how to grab her readers from the very first page. She drops us into an adrenaline rush medical rescue as the means of introducing Isla. Unfortunately, the excitement falls off quickly through the middle section of the story only to return at the resolution of the mystery. This is very unexpected from a writer of Hunter’s calibre. The uneven pacing is quite noticeable as the mystery is somewhat lacklustre. It meanders with no sense of urgency which is so unlike any of her other books.
The calculated risk of giving us limited historical information on Jo and Isla’s past relationship hinders our connection to the two mains. The depth of each character is missing making them more like shadows rather than being three dimensional. The other risk taken is the choice of ending for the novel. I enjoyed the ending and admire this choice. It adds realism and speculation which is rarely seen in this genre.
I enjoyed parts of the story especially the glib dialogue. It floats the sections which sagged. Overall though, the novel is a disappointing 3 out of five stars.
I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 21, 2023
It's not my preferred style, crime novel or suspense, but with Carl Hunter (and the occasional case), ever since I read her first novel published by BSB I've tried to follow everything she's published. And since everything I have read to date has been excellent, I intend to continue doing so, so I hope that she has a prolific life and that her muses always accompany her.
In this novel, the protagonists are Jo, a very intuitive police inspector, and Isla, an emergency surgeon, I think, who, like most of them, is always willing to volunteer.
Circumstances make Jo have to face a life or death situation in a domestic dispute to which she and her partner have to go, applying a surgical technique in that situation, she a homicide detective applying a surgical technique? But at the hospital, Jo accompanying the assaulted woman, meets Isla, the hospital surgeon who is the only one not surprised by what Jo has done. Because Jo and Isla have a common past, which Jo has not made public and which she explains why she knew how to act to save the life of the assaulted woman. All this in itself is already interesting, discover the reason for this.
But there is more, much more. Because the assaulted woman cannot explain why her husband has allegedly assaulted her and taken her two eldest children. Nor do her relatives explain it to her. Neither the acquaintances nor her neighbors. And this is also interesting to discover little by little, the reason for the aggression against the woman.
And to create this interest, Cari only takes three or four chapters, so he gives us the remaining twenty-five to delight us with the intricacies and twists of the mysteries raised. No deception or subterfuge. And there's romance, a little, but it's enough.
Again, wonderful.
Publisher Bold Strokes Books was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for an honest review
In this novel, the protagonists are Jo, a very intuitive police inspector, and Isla, an emergency surgeon, I think, who, like most of them, is always willing to volunteer.
Circumstances make Jo have to face a life or death situation in a domestic dispute to which she and her partner have to go, applying a surgical technique in that situation, she a homicide detective applying a surgical technique? But at the hospital, Jo accompanying the assaulted woman, meets Isla, the hospital surgeon who is the only one not surprised by what Jo has done. Because Jo and Isla have a common past, which Jo has not made public and which she explains why she knew how to act to save the life of the assaulted woman. All this in itself is already interesting, discover the reason for this.
But there is more, much more. Because the assaulted woman cannot explain why her husband has allegedly assaulted her and taken her two eldest children. Nor do her relatives explain it to her. Neither the acquaintances nor her neighbors. And this is also interesting to discover little by little, the reason for the aggression against the woman.
And to create this interest, Cari only takes three or four chapters, so he gives us the remaining twenty-five to delight us with the intricacies and twists of the mysteries raised. No deception or subterfuge. And there's romance, a little, but it's enough.
Again, wonderful.
Publisher Bold Strokes Books was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for an honest review
August 30, 2023
A Calculated Risk by Cari Hunter is the ultimate book to grab if you are into mystery, intrigue and thrillers. Of course, this author is known for her heart-stopping suspense novels, so I’m not surprised I enjoyed it so much.
This story reintroduces us to Detective Jody (Jo) Shaw, a character we met in a former book. When Jo and her partner Tully are dispatched to the brutal stabbing of a young woman, the two become part of a case that includes, assault, kidnapping, murder, and more. This case also leads to Jo reconnecting with (whether she wants to or not) the only woman she has ever loved; the woman who left her fifteen years ago…trauma surgeon Isla Munro.
The story is set in Northern England, an area the author is well acquainted with. Some words and phrases may be new to your vocabulary, unless you’re also from that region. Don’t worry though. You can usually figure the words out from how they are used. I find it more realistic and fun reading the tale in the dialect of the place it is set.
The characters are easy to connect with. You will see most of the story through Jo’s eyes, though occasionally the narrative hops over to Isla. The action and suspense of this tale will grab your interest and keep you reading.
This book does have a definite end to the plot, but I’m pleased to report that there will be more with these characters. The author has confirmed this is the first book in a series which I’m very happy to hear. I’m not ready to leave Jo and Isla just yet.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
This story reintroduces us to Detective Jody (Jo) Shaw, a character we met in a former book. When Jo and her partner Tully are dispatched to the brutal stabbing of a young woman, the two become part of a case that includes, assault, kidnapping, murder, and more. This case also leads to Jo reconnecting with (whether she wants to or not) the only woman she has ever loved; the woman who left her fifteen years ago…trauma surgeon Isla Munro.
The story is set in Northern England, an area the author is well acquainted with. Some words and phrases may be new to your vocabulary, unless you’re also from that region. Don’t worry though. You can usually figure the words out from how they are used. I find it more realistic and fun reading the tale in the dialect of the place it is set.
The characters are easy to connect with. You will see most of the story through Jo’s eyes, though occasionally the narrative hops over to Isla. The action and suspense of this tale will grab your interest and keep you reading.
This book does have a definite end to the plot, but I’m pleased to report that there will be more with these characters. The author has confirmed this is the first book in a series which I’m very happy to hear. I’m not ready to leave Jo and Isla just yet.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
October 2, 2023
I am a hard sell for second chance romances. But I just read two in a row that won me over. This book is one of them.
Jo is a veteran detective who is right at home at her job, tackling cases with her partner and best friend, Tully. Fifteen years ago, Jo left behind a career in medicine and more heartbreaking, the love of her life, Isla.
My first thought about the book is that A Calculated Risk is grittier than Hunter’s previous books. Dark Peak series may have more graphic images but this book presents more realistic settings. I felt like I was in a musty old room listening in on a law enforcement huddle. The surveillance they performed on the street, the antagonism between the police and diverse populations. Even the pleasure of sharing food during the long stretches of investigation and no sleep all gave a sense of being there. Same with the medical and surgical procedures done by Isla and her colleagues. I personally enjoy a book so much more when the author has done the research.
Jo and Isla have an intense connection. Had things gone a different way in the past, they probably would still have been together 15 years later. This story is more of a slow dance simmering. They have to trust each other again. I am here for the series and I am looking forward to reading how life will treat Jo and Isla in the future.
As always, I love Cari Hunter’s details of specific food, language, and the communities. Details are what give color and vibrancy to the background so I get a kick out of what Hunter does in her books to highlight the characters are in England.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Jo is a veteran detective who is right at home at her job, tackling cases with her partner and best friend, Tully. Fifteen years ago, Jo left behind a career in medicine and more heartbreaking, the love of her life, Isla.
My first thought about the book is that A Calculated Risk is grittier than Hunter’s previous books. Dark Peak series may have more graphic images but this book presents more realistic settings. I felt like I was in a musty old room listening in on a law enforcement huddle. The surveillance they performed on the street, the antagonism between the police and diverse populations. Even the pleasure of sharing food during the long stretches of investigation and no sleep all gave a sense of being there. Same with the medical and surgical procedures done by Isla and her colleagues. I personally enjoy a book so much more when the author has done the research.
Jo and Isla have an intense connection. Had things gone a different way in the past, they probably would still have been together 15 years later. This story is more of a slow dance simmering. They have to trust each other again. I am here for the series and I am looking forward to reading how life will treat Jo and Isla in the future.
As always, I love Cari Hunter’s details of specific food, language, and the communities. Details are what give color and vibrancy to the background so I get a kick out of what Hunter does in her books to highlight the characters are in England.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
September 16, 2023
5 ⭐️
I'm always doing a happy dance when I get my hands on a new Cari Hunter book, I just love the stories she is creating. This time I'm especially happy because it's the beginning of a new series. I like her writing style, it's precise, emotional, and vivid, and she is a master at building suspense. The interplay of suspenseful police work combined with Emergency Room action and the beginning of a second-chance romance is my favorite mix.
Detective Jo (Jody) Shaw and trauma surgeon Isla Munro have a history together, they were a couple and had a bright future ahead of them in the world of medicine - until Isla broke Jo's heart and Jo changed careers. Fifteen years later, they cross paths for the first time when a brutal case of attempted murder and child abduction requires total commitment from both of them.
What I especially love about Cari Hunter's stories are the characters. They storm into your heart no sooner has the story begun and never let you go. They stay even when the story has been finished for the longest time and I wonder from time to time how they are doing They are not perfect superheroes and mythical creatures, they have flaws and make mistakes, but they are also hard-working and caring, and they never give up, and that is what makes them so endearing.
If you love crime/thrillers, you will enjoy this book. The police procedural is often Sisyphean work, complicated, elaborate, slow, exhausting, and sometimes depressing when false leads are first pursued - but at least in fiction, always exciting and are usually solved. The case of Jo and her team is heartbreaking, tragic, and unfortunately often reality. And I'm also glad and proud of the police and appreciate their hard and unfortunately necessary work (though of course black sheep often tarnish the reputation here too, we all know that).
The possibility of a second chance romance is there, but before anything can develop in matters of the heart, the past must first be cleared up, since Jo still doesn't know what actually happened back then. The connection between the two is still there after all these years, although Jo understandably resists it at first. But in brief moments of calm amidst all the chaos, Jo and we readers gradually learn what happened back then and the two tentatively build a new friendship with potential for more.
It will be hard to wait for the next part, but I already know it will be worth it.
Highly recommended.
I'm always doing a happy dance when I get my hands on a new Cari Hunter book, I just love the stories she is creating. This time I'm especially happy because it's the beginning of a new series. I like her writing style, it's precise, emotional, and vivid, and she is a master at building suspense. The interplay of suspenseful police work combined with Emergency Room action and the beginning of a second-chance romance is my favorite mix.
Detective Jo (Jody) Shaw and trauma surgeon Isla Munro have a history together, they were a couple and had a bright future ahead of them in the world of medicine - until Isla broke Jo's heart and Jo changed careers. Fifteen years later, they cross paths for the first time when a brutal case of attempted murder and child abduction requires total commitment from both of them.
What I especially love about Cari Hunter's stories are the characters. They storm into your heart no sooner has the story begun and never let you go. They stay even when the story has been finished for the longest time and I wonder from time to time how they are doing They are not perfect superheroes and mythical creatures, they have flaws and make mistakes, but they are also hard-working and caring, and they never give up, and that is what makes them so endearing.
If you love crime/thrillers, you will enjoy this book. The police procedural is often Sisyphean work, complicated, elaborate, slow, exhausting, and sometimes depressing when false leads are first pursued - but at least in fiction, always exciting and are usually solved. The case of Jo and her team is heartbreaking, tragic, and unfortunately often reality. And I'm also glad and proud of the police and appreciate their hard and unfortunately necessary work (though of course black sheep often tarnish the reputation here too, we all know that).
The possibility of a second chance romance is there, but before anything can develop in matters of the heart, the past must first be cleared up, since Jo still doesn't know what actually happened back then. The connection between the two is still there after all these years, although Jo understandably resists it at first. But in brief moments of calm amidst all the chaos, Jo and we readers gradually learn what happened back then and the two tentatively build a new friendship with potential for more.
It will be hard to wait for the next part, but I already know it will be worth it.
Highly recommended.
September 6, 2023
This is a story about police detective Jo Shaw who lives and works in northern England. She’s investigating a potential kidnapping and murder. Isla Munro is a trauma surgeon and is also required to go out on accident calls for some serious emergencies and operate on a victim on site.
Jo and Isla were a couple back in their university days. Fast forward 15 years and they meet up on this case. I liked the mystery Jo is trying to solve and her police partners were great characters too. Isla is such a brilliant surgeon and super brave to do all she does while being injured herself.
Of course throughout the book I was rooting for them to get back together. And there is some romance and we will get to see more of them in the sequels coming up.
Cari Hunter knows her EMT stuff well and her British humor and fun slang and snacks made the story come to life. I’ve enjoyed all of Hunters books that I’ve read and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
ARC received from NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review
Jo and Isla were a couple back in their university days. Fast forward 15 years and they meet up on this case. I liked the mystery Jo is trying to solve and her police partners were great characters too. Isla is such a brilliant surgeon and super brave to do all she does while being injured herself.
Of course throughout the book I was rooting for them to get back together. And there is some romance and we will get to see more of them in the sequels coming up.
Cari Hunter knows her EMT stuff well and her British humor and fun slang and snacks made the story come to life. I’ve enjoyed all of Hunters books that I’ve read and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
ARC received from NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review
October 15, 2023
Cari Hunter is simply gifted at writing first responder tales in such a relatable way, and with such wonderfully flawed characters that they never fail to make me laugh, gasp, agree with and cry. This one is no exception. Nicola V Vincent is exceptional as usual.
November 20, 2023
Detective Jody (Jo) Shaw kicks off the story with a high-stakes scenario where Jo swiftly decides to save a woman from a stabbing incident. This crisis reunites her with Isla Munro, her first love who is now a respected surgeon. From here on, we follow the story of what instigated the stabbing, as well as the fracture in Isla and Jo's relationship.
This is my first read from Cari Hunter and she demonstrates her skill in captivating her audience right from the start. However, the narrative momentum noticeably dips in the middle, and I struggled to keep engaged with the story due to the slow pace. For me, the mystery at the heart of the story meanders, lacking the urgency and grip typically found in crime novels.
I found the limited backstory provided for Jo and Isla's past relationship frustrating. While it adds an element of intrigue, it simultaneously restricts the readers’ ability to fully connect with the characters, rendering them somewhat two-dimensional. Their lack of chemistry and romance led me to hope that Jo would end up romantically entangled with her superior, DSU Maslin.
The novel shines in its witty dialogue, which helps buoy the slower sections and adds a lightness to the narrative. Despite its uneven pacing and a mystery that could have been more compelling, A Calculated Risk offers an enjoyable read, particularly for those who appreciate realism and sharp banter in their stories.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first read from Cari Hunter and she demonstrates her skill in captivating her audience right from the start. However, the narrative momentum noticeably dips in the middle, and I struggled to keep engaged with the story due to the slow pace. For me, the mystery at the heart of the story meanders, lacking the urgency and grip typically found in crime novels.
I found the limited backstory provided for Jo and Isla's past relationship frustrating. While it adds an element of intrigue, it simultaneously restricts the readers’ ability to fully connect with the characters, rendering them somewhat two-dimensional. Their lack of chemistry and romance led me to hope that Jo would end up romantically entangled with her superior, DSU Maslin.
The novel shines in its witty dialogue, which helps buoy the slower sections and adds a lightness to the narrative. Despite its uneven pacing and a mystery that could have been more compelling, A Calculated Risk offers an enjoyable read, particularly for those who appreciate realism and sharp banter in their stories.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2024
First in a series so I didn’t expected speed or tied up ends but the book was a bit complicated at some parts to read
October 10, 2023
When sitting down with a Cari Hunter book, you can guarantee you're going to read a good thriller or suspense story. Like most of her novels ‘A Calculated Risk’ keeps you gripped to the end, continually keeps you guessing, although I did find it a little darker than her other novels.
I ‘took’ to the characters, and I always enjoy how she gives plenty of descriptions, whether it's the characters, the local setting or the biscuits and sweets!
I've given A calculated risk a 4 out of 5
I ‘took’ to the characters, and I always enjoy how she gives plenty of descriptions, whether it's the characters, the local setting or the biscuits and sweets!
I've given A calculated risk a 4 out of 5
August 21, 2023
If you’re looking for a sapphic crime book, this is for you. It’s very light on the romance and heavy on the crime and solving the case. Was really hoping for a good HEA between the two MCs, and while it wasn’t not happy, it left me wanting to know how their story ended after the crime was solved. Also, being American, I did struggle sometimes as there was a lot of British terminology that I had to glaze over or google when it warranted it.
Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2023
Another excellent read by Ms. Hunter, and another compelling couple in Jo and Isla. True to form, this is not a contemporary romance, just like her other works. But Ms. Hunter truly shines with her slow burn, her flawed characters, and building up massive layers of emotions, all the while sucker punching the readers with shocking scenes when we least expect it. I did feel the middle part dragged, and more details seemed to focus on what the characters were snacking on than the actual case. However, because I was totally ready to accept more characters that never eat vegetables, I let this slide and stick with my 5-star rating. I'm ready for book two now, s'il vous plait. :)
January 8, 2024
4.5 stars
Cari Hunter does an excellent job with crime/medical thrillers. And her go-to narrator Nicola Victoria Vincent is superb at voicing a wide variety of characters - both female and male - with staggering number of accents.
Hunter hasn't disappointed with anything I've read or listened to of hers so far. This new series features Detective Inspector Jo Shaw, who had a cameo in Hunter's outstanding stand-alone book Unbreakable. And if you read that, you'll appreciate revisiting a great character from that book.
While there is a slow burn second chance romance blossoming in this story between Shaw and one-that-got-away trauma surgeon Isla Munro, it's not the focus. I will enjoy seeing it play out in future books, though, as Hunter plans for this to be a series.
You really can't go wrong with this author's work.
Cari Hunter does an excellent job with crime/medical thrillers. And her go-to narrator Nicola Victoria Vincent is superb at voicing a wide variety of characters - both female and male - with staggering number of accents.
Hunter hasn't disappointed with anything I've read or listened to of hers so far. This new series features Detective Inspector Jo Shaw, who had a cameo in Hunter's outstanding stand-alone book Unbreakable. And if you read that, you'll appreciate revisiting a great character from that book.
While there is a slow burn second chance romance blossoming in this story between Shaw and one-that-got-away trauma surgeon Isla Munro, it's not the focus. I will enjoy seeing it play out in future books, though, as Hunter plans for this to be a series.
You really can't go wrong with this author's work.
September 16, 2023
Cari Hunter is, without a doubt, one of my favourite writers. This is another good book. For romance fans, this is pretty thin on that. The MC's are ex-lovers, meetings again after 15 years. The fact that they don't immediately fall into bed with each other keeps it more realistic. But, the focus is on the case, this time of a woman stabbed and her husband and kids gone missing. The usual kinds of Cari Hunter characters are here, police and doctors, all of whom have real affinity for biscuits and sweets. I wouldn't mind a follow up book to this one.
October 17, 2023
Superb! The British Gerri Hill. Can’t give a greater accolade. Really swept along with the story - can’t wait for number 2….
September 13, 2023
4 stars. Boooo! Now I’m back to having nothing else to read by Hunter until book two of this series comes out. On the flip side though this was so good. Not a favorite for me from this author unfortunately but it is only the first book so I can give it grace.
I’ll start with the things that I enjoyed. The writing, of course. Cari Hunter is a fantastic writer and I mention in every review because I can’t say enough. I also thought the plot was intriguing and kept me entertained throughout. Also, some of the side characters were pretty great and I liked them a lot.
Where this failed a bit for me is in the main character herself, Jo Shaw. I never connected with her because I feel like I didn’t get to know her at all. Same with her former lover that she’s having a second chance with Isla. I don’t know I usually love the way Hunter does relationships but I was not buying the chemistry in this one. I have no doubt that we’ll get some development and better chemistry in the next one. Overall, this was a good read with some intense moments and action and I can’t wait for book two.
I’ll start with the things that I enjoyed. The writing, of course. Cari Hunter is a fantastic writer and I mention in every review because I can’t say enough. I also thought the plot was intriguing and kept me entertained throughout. Also, some of the side characters were pretty great and I liked them a lot.
Where this failed a bit for me is in the main character herself, Jo Shaw. I never connected with her because I feel like I didn’t get to know her at all. Same with her former lover that she’s having a second chance with Isla. I don’t know I usually love the way Hunter does relationships but I was not buying the chemistry in this one. I have no doubt that we’ll get some development and better chemistry in the next one. Overall, this was a good read with some intense moments and action and I can’t wait for book two.
August 15, 2023
The first chapter is off at full speed, and is not graphic but is an evocative advert for wearing a seat belt. We meet both mains, and they re meet each other.
25% in, and I’ve got many questions about the mains shared past. I am however gripped by the main plot, and although medical terms abound, my lack of understanding of them is in no way hampering my enjoyment. Although I am developing a craving for sweet treats and of course a craving for a cuppa…… as any Cari Hunter novel is likely to do.
Well I have barely raised my head while reading this! The pace does not let up, and if anything cranks up on the final stretch.
Hunter writes in a really descriptive way. Not all flowery metaphors but gritty details that ping. I love a novel that feels I am somewhere different, I loved this novel.
25% in, and I’ve got many questions about the mains shared past. I am however gripped by the main plot, and although medical terms abound, my lack of understanding of them is in no way hampering my enjoyment. Although I am developing a craving for sweet treats and of course a craving for a cuppa…… as any Cari Hunter novel is likely to do.
Well I have barely raised my head while reading this! The pace does not let up, and if anything cranks up on the final stretch.
Hunter writes in a really descriptive way. Not all flowery metaphors but gritty details that ping. I love a novel that feels I am somewhere different, I loved this novel.
July 25, 2024
If you were here for the romance, maybe this book is not for you. If you are here for the thriller, definitely read it! I wasn’t bored for a minute. I was hooked by all the twists. Listening to the audiobook was a bit of a struggle for me because English is not my native language: the English slang and accent threw me off. Luckily I had the ebook to help me. There is a second chance trope between Ilsa and Jo, but it’s just in the background. Sure, I wish there was a bit more depth, or even some flashbacks because I didn’t really feel chemistry, but keep in mind that the investigation is the star here; it's a thriller, not a romance.
The pace is good, and the writing is good, pulling the reader into the story. I look forward to knowing how the investigation will turn out and how Isla and Jo’s relationship will evolve in the next book of the series.
The pace is good, and the writing is good, pulling the reader into the story. I look forward to knowing how the investigation will turn out and how Isla and Jo’s relationship will evolve in the next book of the series.
August 19, 2023
I always feel the same way whenever I start one of Cari Hunter's books: Why the hell did I wait so long to read one?? I did really well with this one, though. I actually read the advanced copy BEFORE the publication date! Anyone who even sort of follows my reviews knows that's a rarity. So I'm feeling pretty chuffed right now. I still have at least one book by Hunter that has gotten lost in my TBR but I'll be digging it up soon.
Cari Hunter is, without a doubt, one of the most talented authors I've had the pleasure to read. She writes such real characters and puts them together in such a way that the reader absolutely has to care about them. Not just our main protagonists but any characters we spend any amount of time with. A Calculated Risk was just so damn well done. Some of the scenes with one of the victims and her family nearly brought me to tears. And, of course, Jo and Isla (pronounced EYE-la - I looked it up), were perfect. And I thought their past and present was handled beautifully. It felt natural with what we knew about the characters.
I've been thinking about this all day and if I was stranded on a desert island and could only have books by a single author, I'd absolutely pick Cari Hunter's books. I mean, I get everything I really want: good action, an interesting crime, lovely damaged characters, lots of genuine emotion and situations, and plenty of dry witty humor.
If you're reading this before September 2023, preorder it. You won't regret it.
So thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for giving me another chance to get a book read on time! And an even bigger thanks to Cari Hunter for being such a wonderful writer.
Cari Hunter is, without a doubt, one of the most talented authors I've had the pleasure to read. She writes such real characters and puts them together in such a way that the reader absolutely has to care about them. Not just our main protagonists but any characters we spend any amount of time with. A Calculated Risk was just so damn well done. Some of the scenes with one of the victims and her family nearly brought me to tears. And, of course, Jo and Isla (pronounced EYE-la - I looked it up), were perfect. And I thought their past and present was handled beautifully. It felt natural with what we knew about the characters.
I've been thinking about this all day and if I was stranded on a desert island and could only have books by a single author, I'd absolutely pick Cari Hunter's books. I mean, I get everything I really want: good action, an interesting crime, lovely damaged characters, lots of genuine emotion and situations, and plenty of dry witty humor.
If you're reading this before September 2023, preorder it. You won't regret it.
So thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for giving me another chance to get a book read on time! And an even bigger thanks to Cari Hunter for being such a wonderful writer.
August 15, 2023
Detective Jo is doing well with her life she and her team is investigating a crime ring that’s ties to a young woman who gets stab and her children goes missing with her husband maybe the prime suspects. Jo life gets complicated when an old love comes back into her life when she sees her after getting injury. Isla is a trauma surgeon who gets entangle with the mystery who still has feelings for Jo who never understood why she left after everything they were planning together now they have a chance to clear the air and see if they can start again. I enjoy the mystery and Jo and Isla have great chemistry that you could feel through the book but this more about the mystery then a romance which I love because it’s balanced it out with both can’t wait to read more with Jo and Isla if this going to be a series and even better if crossover with Sanne and Meg
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
August 19, 2023
If you enjoy gritty, police procedural stories with a bit of medical mixed in this is the book for you. It starts off immediately with officers running down a suspected drug runner and the pace never slows. Detective Inspector Jody Shaw is a hard working officer with an eidetic memory. While working her cases she ends up at the hospital running into her past love cardiothoracic surgeon Isla Munro. They haven’t seen each other for 15 years. The newest case involves a woman left with multiple stab wounds. Her two children are missing as is her husband, the presumed suspect. While Isla cares for the woman as her patient Jody is searching down any lead for the missing kids.
This is very British. I love all the different titles and acronyms. I knew some from watching British mysteries on BBC. Jo and her partner work the case following leads that can change their focus. There is no magical computer that solves things. It is extremely long days, interviewing suspects and piecing bits together. Along the way Jo and Isla’s path continue to cross. There is reconnection but not romance in this story. The potential is there for more, especially if this continues into another book for the pair. If this is the end of their story I will let my imagination give them a HEA.
I can’t recommend this enough if you enjoy police mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
This is very British. I love all the different titles and acronyms. I knew some from watching British mysteries on BBC. Jo and her partner work the case following leads that can change their focus. There is no magical computer that solves things. It is extremely long days, interviewing suspects and piecing bits together. Along the way Jo and Isla’s path continue to cross. There is reconnection but not romance in this story. The potential is there for more, especially if this continues into another book for the pair. If this is the end of their story I will let my imagination give them a HEA.
I can’t recommend this enough if you enjoy police mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
September 1, 2023
I suppose most readers would say this is a 4 star story. It has all the elements of a detective story and a teeny slow burn romance but somehow it was missing something for me.
The beginning really grabs you with action and excitement. But then it sort of drags with bouts of action scenes but then drags again. The mystery wasn't interesting to me. And lots of silly dialog between Jo and her work mates that I sort of skimmed.
Jo is a bit over exuberant detective that gets involved in many exciting situations. Those were interesting.
The slow burn romance really bothered me. Isla's past was messy and never really explained. And after all the angst between them .....all is left up in the air. I don't like open endings.
Also, this was the first Cari Hunter book that I have read that was soooooo British. There are many british jokes, foods, terms.....that was lost on me.
Cari Hunter is one of my favorite authors. I have loved all her previous books and will continue to look forward to her books in the future.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The beginning really grabs you with action and excitement. But then it sort of drags with bouts of action scenes but then drags again. The mystery wasn't interesting to me. And lots of silly dialog between Jo and her work mates that I sort of skimmed.
Jo is a bit over exuberant detective that gets involved in many exciting situations. Those were interesting.
The slow burn romance really bothered me. Isla's past was messy and never really explained. And after all the angst between them .....all is left up in the air. I don't like open endings.
Also, this was the first Cari Hunter book that I have read that was soooooo British. There are many british jokes, foods, terms.....that was lost on me.
Cari Hunter is one of my favorite authors. I have loved all her previous books and will continue to look forward to her books in the future.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 24, 2023
I have only read one other book by Carrie Hunter, but know she is a popular choice for readers wanting suspense and action, and sometimes it’s nice to read something in which the romance
comes in second to the main arc.
A Calculated Risk is the story of Jo, a detective who is great at her job and is content with her life. When she is called to a house where a woman has been stabbed, she performs a life-saving move,
which compromises her job and brings up questions about a past she refused to talk about.
Running into the first and only woman she had ever loved throws even more fireworks into her complicated night. Isla is a trauma surgeon, and seeing Jo brings back the pain she has never healed
from. Still, she vouches for the detectives’ abilities when it comes to the risky surgery Jo performed to save the victim, and it isn’t long before Jo and Isla are thrust into a case more complicated than
they initially believed it to be.
As far as police procedural stories go, this is up there as one of my favourites. I enjoyed the fast-paced suspense but didn’t particularly like the cryptically slow roll out of Jo and Isla’s past mistakes.
The depth and authenticity of these two MCs more than made up for this, though, with their
romance being gently interwoven behind the mystery of the investigation.
The great news is that this is only the first book in what appears to be a new series. I can’t wait to see what
comes next.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for my honest review.
comes in second to the main arc.
A Calculated Risk is the story of Jo, a detective who is great at her job and is content with her life. When she is called to a house where a woman has been stabbed, she performs a life-saving move,
which compromises her job and brings up questions about a past she refused to talk about.
Running into the first and only woman she had ever loved throws even more fireworks into her complicated night. Isla is a trauma surgeon, and seeing Jo brings back the pain she has never healed
from. Still, she vouches for the detectives’ abilities when it comes to the risky surgery Jo performed to save the victim, and it isn’t long before Jo and Isla are thrust into a case more complicated than
they initially believed it to be.
As far as police procedural stories go, this is up there as one of my favourites. I enjoyed the fast-paced suspense but didn’t particularly like the cryptically slow roll out of Jo and Isla’s past mistakes.
The depth and authenticity of these two MCs more than made up for this, though, with their
romance being gently interwoven behind the mystery of the investigation.
The great news is that this is only the first book in what appears to be a new series. I can’t wait to see what
comes next.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for my honest review.
October 25, 2023
Excellent police procedural with a second chance romance thrown in to soften the brutal aspects of the crime investigation. Nicola Vincent makes every book she narrates even better and A Calculated Risk is no exception. Terrific read.
March 25, 2024
this one was fine, but tbh i wasn't all that into it. i've enjoyed this author and narrator combination before, but, (for me) this one didn't grab me. i wasn't too connected with either mc or the mystery/thriller plot all that much and it felt slow and took me a while to get through. i don't think i'd be picking up more from these characters unless the descrption really grabs me.
November 24, 2023
So. Damn. Good.
I mean, written by Cari Hunter is going to be solid, but when you take the intricate, location-drenched magic of a Cari Hunter thriller and add in the performance perfection that is Nicola Victoria Vincent doing an audiobook, you get borderline perfection, frankly.
I mean, written by Cari Hunter is going to be solid, but when you take the intricate, location-drenched magic of a Cari Hunter thriller and add in the performance perfection that is Nicola Victoria Vincent doing an audiobook, you get borderline perfection, frankly.
August 10, 2023
Bleak, brilliant, very British: a near noir police procedural
The setting
With brilliant brushstrokes accomplished and accoladed author, Cari Hunter, paints at the outset the setting: post-Covid, post-Brexit, the area near Manchester is impoverished and emaciated, crime has skyrocketed, police are underfunded and overworked, same goes for the health service (NHS), the story is set in rainy and cold October – the canvas is bleak or in the unabashedly Northern English vernacular (sprinkled with the occasional Scottish) dreich. Take the cover as an indication of what is to come.
The characters
Bright lights on this bleak canvas are those people who are like beacon of hopes: police detective inspectors or short DIs (I love those British titles!) Jo/Jody and her partner Tully, hospital surgeon Isla and the nurse Dev, the courageous souls in the Pakistani community In all the struggles of a difficult and at times near hopeless investigation they try to do their best. The story emphasizes how important the comradeship and humon relations (and a lot of food and the peculiar British humor) are to carry on. We come to understand that this is how people survive in near impossible situations.
The writing
The story starts slowly. The reader gets a lot of local coloring: We encounter hands-on the daily work of the police in the Pakistani community and the gruelling service-hours of a surgeon. There is a lot of well-placed detail and the reader is from the very first sentences totally immersed into the police and medical setting (had to brush up on my medical knowledge though, but well worth it). Hunter does a brilliant job of controlling the pace which picks noticeable up in the last third and she pulls together all threads in a satisfying story arc and an ending which had me on the edge of my seat (or rather bed, wink). BTW I loved the cameos with Safi from Unbreakable.
I totally loved the Britishness which was not edited out to an inch of its life. Thank the Goddess for a rather big favor: the junk food is all Brit, the vernacular is totally (Northern) English with some Scottish. I love me a butty, bacon barm, blimey, bollocks, and salty language (ZON will block me if I go on).
The investigation at hand is done at the end, but the work to fight crime is not.
Fair warning: This is not a romance or romantice suspense. Jo and Isla who were together umpteen years ago at University start to become friends again, but the focus is very firmly on the ongoing investigation. And a trigger warning: graphic descriptions of injury and violence.
Thanks for the ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.
The setting
With brilliant brushstrokes accomplished and accoladed author, Cari Hunter, paints at the outset the setting: post-Covid, post-Brexit, the area near Manchester is impoverished and emaciated, crime has skyrocketed, police are underfunded and overworked, same goes for the health service (NHS), the story is set in rainy and cold October – the canvas is bleak or in the unabashedly Northern English vernacular (sprinkled with the occasional Scottish) dreich. Take the cover as an indication of what is to come.
The characters
Bright lights on this bleak canvas are those people who are like beacon of hopes: police detective inspectors or short DIs (I love those British titles!) Jo/Jody and her partner Tully, hospital surgeon Isla and the nurse Dev, the courageous souls in the Pakistani community In all the struggles of a difficult and at times near hopeless investigation they try to do their best. The story emphasizes how important the comradeship and humon relations (and a lot of food and the peculiar British humor) are to carry on. We come to understand that this is how people survive in near impossible situations.
The writing
The story starts slowly. The reader gets a lot of local coloring: We encounter hands-on the daily work of the police in the Pakistani community and the gruelling service-hours of a surgeon. There is a lot of well-placed detail and the reader is from the very first sentences totally immersed into the police and medical setting (had to brush up on my medical knowledge though, but well worth it). Hunter does a brilliant job of controlling the pace which picks noticeable up in the last third and she pulls together all threads in a satisfying story arc and an ending which had me on the edge of my seat (or rather bed, wink). BTW I loved the cameos with Safi from Unbreakable.
I totally loved the Britishness which was not edited out to an inch of its life. Thank the Goddess for a rather big favor: the junk food is all Brit, the vernacular is totally (Northern) English with some Scottish. I love me a butty, bacon barm, blimey, bollocks, and salty language (ZON will block me if I go on).
The investigation at hand is done at the end, but the work to fight crime is not.
Fair warning: This is not a romance or romantice suspense. Jo and Isla who were together umpteen years ago at University start to become friends again, but the focus is very firmly on the ongoing investigation. And a trigger warning: graphic descriptions of injury and violence.
Thanks for the ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.
October 8, 2023
Detective Jo Shaw enjoys her work and is living a comfortable, if unfulfilling, life fifteen years after a hurtful, seemingly inexplicable, break-up with Isla Munro, who was Jo’s influencer and companion during a period of medical training they shared as young women. Isla has since become a successful trauma surgeon and has similarly settled into a comfortable but unfulfilled lifestyle. has it all worked out. An emergency call about the stabbing of a young mother leads Jo to take a first “calculated risk”, which could have severe repercussions to her career and which suddenly and unexpectedly reunites her with Isla, who is the treating physician when the stabbing victim is taken to the hospital.
Two of the victim’s children and her husband are missing and the husband is prime suspect, Jo and her colleagues’ investigation is significantly hampered by a fearful community whose members are reticent to speak up to help the investigators. Meanwhile, Jo and Isla’s reacquaintance gradually increases and they are forced to put their differences aside and work together. The case grows in magnitude and danger as Jo and Isla try to come to grips with their renewed feelings for each other.
The crime drama hits its stride after a few chapters and is well-told. The characters are realistic and believable, and stay true to themselves. I was not completely satisfied with the explanation of Isla’s break-up with Jo, however. At times, I got bogged down and discouraged with the medical jargon and, to a lesser extent, the police jargon, the acronyms, the local vernacular and the use of unfamiliar brand names. I might attribute that more to my point of view than to the author’s writing, but it did distract me from the storyline a few times.
NetGalley and publisher Bold Strokes Books were kind to provide me with an advance copy for an honest review.
Two of the victim’s children and her husband are missing and the husband is prime suspect, Jo and her colleagues’ investigation is significantly hampered by a fearful community whose members are reticent to speak up to help the investigators. Meanwhile, Jo and Isla’s reacquaintance gradually increases and they are forced to put their differences aside and work together. The case grows in magnitude and danger as Jo and Isla try to come to grips with their renewed feelings for each other.
The crime drama hits its stride after a few chapters and is well-told. The characters are realistic and believable, and stay true to themselves. I was not completely satisfied with the explanation of Isla’s break-up with Jo, however. At times, I got bogged down and discouraged with the medical jargon and, to a lesser extent, the police jargon, the acronyms, the local vernacular and the use of unfamiliar brand names. I might attribute that more to my point of view than to the author’s writing, but it did distract me from the storyline a few times.
NetGalley and publisher Bold Strokes Books were kind to provide me with an advance copy for an honest review.
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