I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Body in the Lakes by Graham Smith Also by this author: The Silent Dead, Fear in the Lakes
Series: Detective Beth Young #2
Also in this series: The Silent Dead, Fear in the Lakes
Published by Bookouture on 15th March 2019
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 366
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
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The woman’s limbs were so thin; the skin on her arms as translucent as tracing paper. Around her neck lay a faint string of purple bruises. In one so frail, darker, angrier marks might be expected but Beth knew the bruising would have stopped the moment her heart stopped beating.
When a walker finds the body of a woman by the shores of Ullswater Lake, the police are put on high alert. Felicia Evans was known to be a tough character, but who would have strangled her?
Detective Beth Young quickly spots the links to three cold cases. Three women strangled and discarded in the stunning, wild hills of the Lake District.
As Beth begins tracking down witnesses, the team receives an anonymous letter claiming the charming mayor of Carlisle is behind the murders. There’s pressure from the top to clear his name. But Beth is determined to find the truth no matter whose feathers she ruffles in the process.
Beth knows the clock is ticking. The killer is hunting again. And it’s down to her to find who’s responsible before another woman becomes his prey…
A gripping edge-of-your-seat thriller from bestselling author Graham Smith, perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, LJ Ross, and J.R. Ellis.
Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I loved the first book in this series and I was eager to get back to Detective Beth Young’s story. This is the second book in the series but you could read this as a standalone.
Beth and her team have quite a hard time in this book. Some unexpected events cause the team to be thin on the ground but Beth doesn’t let that stop her on her pursuit of whoever committed these heinous crimes. Beth works extremely hard and I couldn’t help but feel for her at times in this book.
Graham took us on quite a journey with this book. The story had a few different threads that tie up nicely as the book progresses. The pace was spot on and Graham did an excellent job of revealing things just at the right time, making you realise that the clues were there all along!
It was also interesting to see Beth’s personal life and I am really looking forward to seeing that progress in future books along with learning more about Beth’s past.
All in all, this was a thrilling edge of your seat story that captured my heart.
About Graham Smith
Graham Smith is the bestselling author of four explosive crime thrillers in the Jake Boulder series, Watching the Bodies, The Kindred Killers, Past Echoes and Die Cold. Watching the Bodies spent over two weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart and Amazon CA charts. Graham is also the author of the popular DI Harry Evans series and has collections of short stories and novellas. His latest novel – The Silent Dead is published by Bookouture and set in Cumbria / the Lake District, featuring DC Beth Young.
He is the proud father of a young son. As a time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer for the well-respected review site Crimesquad.com since 2010.
When not working, his time is spent reading, writing and playing games with his son. He enjoys socialising and spending time with friends and family.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
@GrahamSmith1972 Thanks, Emma!
Thanks, Emma! x
@bookouture Many thanks for the great review.