To Catch A Rabbit by Helen Cadbury

To Catch A Rabbit by Helen Cadbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Publisher - Allison & Busby

Pages - 350 pages

Blurb from Goodreads

A dead woman is slumped against the door of a grubby trailer. She's on Sean Denton's patch, but who is she, how did she get there, and why doesn't CID want to investigate? As Doncaster's youngest PCSO, Denton takes the case into his own hands, but he's way out of his depth.

People are reported missing and Denton must work backwards, before anyone else falls prey to South Yorkshire's murky underworld of migrants and the sex trade.


My review

Introducing Sean Denton, PCSO (Police Community Support Officer), who finds the body of a young woman on his patch. When no one seems to take much notice Sean finds he can't just walk away or leave well along and does some investigating for himself. Along with that there is are people going missing and before long Sean finds himself in deeper than he could have imagined.

So, I had to message the author because PCSO seems to get very involved in the case and in Scotland, our specials or support officers wouldn't get close to or as involved as he seems to. Things are a bit different in the roles where this is set however, for the most part, Denton pushes boundaries and pokes his nose in where it most definitely isn't wanted. He is an eager and honest young man who is pulled toward the truth of what happened to this dead young girl. This sees him putting himself in danger and going over and above the call of duty.

The tale goes between Denton and the investigation and Bonfire night where the story focuses on Phil Holyroyd, a chap who as the story goes on you realize the relevance to this jump in the story. It takes a wee bit of getting used to as you wonder why it is going to this bloke but his part becomes apparently relatively quick into it. Karen Friedman is another main character within the book, introduced to her working and family life before her and Denton's paths cross when Karen has to report a missing person.

The story lines are interwoven, quite smartly executed. There are a few key players and more issues than you can imagine. Marital infidelity, police procedures and investigations, murder, drugs, abuse and human trafficking are just some of the issues covered in this busy wee book. A strong start to the series and a very well done debut novel. Definitely will be reading more by this author, certainly worth keeping an eye out for, 4/5 for me this time.

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Distant Images by Audrey Howard

Distant Images by Audrey Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Hodder

Pages - 475

Blurb from Goodreads

As they dazzle all the men at Queen Victoria's jubilee ball, Beth and Milly Goodwin seem to be mirror images of one another—beautiful, graceful and rich. They can take their pick of any man in St. Helens, but the only man in the room either of them wants is the one who could destroy both their lives.


My Review

Beth & Milly Goodwin are twins, beautiful and from a wealthy working class family set in the later 1800s, around the time when Emily Pankhurst was active with the suffragette movement. The girls capture the eye of Captain Hugh Thornley, sixteenth baron in his family line of noble blood, at the jubilee ball. Beth is pure, innocent, thoughtful and sweet, Milly is flighty, manipulative, forthright & very aware of her body and the effect it has on men. Both ladies fall for Thornley, only one will capture him, little knowing the devastation, hurt and horror that catching such a prize will bring.

Oh what a story, I am not normally one to pick a tale set in the past however this really caught my interest. In a time period where women have little rights and are thought of as the property of their husbands, some of the brutality the woman suffer in this book is at times quite hard to read. Thornley is a brute who will go to any lengths to dish out revenge to anyone he sees as has slighted him, the Goodwins are beneath him in his eyes as they are mere working class, he is a man of title. But what Hugh wants he gets and soon makes his move on one of the sisters which kicks off the heartache and horrors that follow.

This book covers many subjects and whilst being a tale of fiction, there are factual happenings dottered throughout, the protests and movements of the suffragettes, inequalities women faced during that time period, the attitudes and views of the different classes. It covers prostitution, infidelity, family bonds, violence, relationships and there is a fair few sex scenes throughout although nothing in extreme detail. This is my first time reading this author and I would certainly read her again. The characters go through a roller coaster of emotions, relationships are tested to the hilt and when I was sure I knew what was coming next, the author went in a completely different direction, 4/5 for me this time!

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Killer Plan by Leigh Russell

Killer Plan by Leigh Russell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 319

Publisher - No Exit Press

Blurb from Goodreads

Caroline’s husband is killed, but she can’t turn to the police without implicating herself in his murder. When one of her 10-year-old twins is kidnapped, the desperate mother is forced to resort to drastic measures to get him back. As time runs out, and a second body is discovered, Geraldine realises she has a secret that might just help solve the case. But the truth could destroy her career. Faced with the unenviable decision of protecting herself or the widow she barely knows, Geraldine must grapple with her conscience and do the right thing before the death count mounts any further.


My Review

Caroline Robinson is our opening character, a chance encounter with an old school friend finds her telling him of her woes at home. Mum to two twin ten year old boys and a philandering husband. When Brian reaches shows understanding, he has been there himself, and comes up with a plan to make her husband take notice of her she agrees. When he is murdered and Brian reveals exactly what he wants, Caroline finds her world turned upside down and thats just the beginning of it all. Her son is kidnapped and the police know there is more to this story than Caroline is telling. Then another body turns up, this time DI Steel knows something that could blow open the case however, revealing what she knows may ruin her career. Time is running out, a young boys life is at stake and Geraldine Steel must act before it is too late.

Firstly, at the beginning of the book before the tale starts, we have a wee glossary of acronyms which I loved. Sometimes there are so many titles and initials with the police it is hard to keep up with who is what, you can just flick to the beginning of the book and find what they are, just a wee thing I really appreciated.

This is a busy wee book, you have the murder, then a kidnap, then another body shows up and and affair with a married man. Geraldine Steel is still having issues from previous books with her birth mother and deciding if she should trace her although it is mentioned only briefly within this book. She has a lot going on in her personal life and some of the story focuses on this, there is a big investigation into Caroline's husbands murder however this tappers off and all attention is focused on the second body that is discovered. When her child is kidnapped she cannot get the police to take her seriously although she is erratic by this point.

The story goes along at a decent pace, you know from the beginning who the murder is and why he did it however the story takes a turn and keeps you interested. My biggest beef is the way the police behave, toward each other and their lack of ability to perform investigations and or listen to their colleagues when they make valid points about a case. In some aspects, not all but one or two points I had to suspend belief as I couldn't honestly see police allowing certain actions or lack of them. That said we do read about investigation blunders in the news so perhaps the author is taking the path of fiction reflecting reality. With a massive change to the police force I am hoping that in the next book, assuming there is more to come and I hope there is, that we will see the police having a massive shape up and functioning much better than they have done.

There is a lot of emotion throughout the story as well as action and drama. None of the scenes are gory so if you like crime without all the blood and guts then this is a good series for you although I would suggest going back to the beginning than starting with this one. 3/5 for me this time, thanks so much to RealReaders for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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