I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it. This is the fifth book in a series involving Detective Karen Hart. I didn't feel like I missed anything by not reading the first 4 books. I will probably go back and read them. Karen Hart is at a Christmas fair with her boyfriend when she discovers a body in a church near the fair. As she starts investigating the murder, her superior receives a letter with some pretty serious allegations and hints that her superior may be next. Then, 3 officers from another precinct come in and take over the investigation in place of her superior. Karen and her partner, Sophie, do not like the head guy and come to find out that he is under suspicion of corruption within the police force. Then two more bodies are discovered. Are these bodies tied to the corruption? What about the hit-and-run accident which left a young boy dead? There are no obvious links but Karen and Sophie wonder if they are all connected. Either way, they are determined to find out who "The Cleanser" is.

Good storyline, great plot and good character development. ( )

Karen Hart is beginning to move on after the untimely deaths of her husband and daughter, and has begun a new relationship. She's on a date with the new man when a scream from the cathedral draws her to the scene of a murder. After her current DI is threatened, the Karen's major suspect in the ongoing corruption investigation in the police is put in command of her team. Solid police procedural that keeps the twists and turns coming.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley..

This is the fifth in the Karen Hart detective series; it is the second one I have read. On a cold winter night, a body is discovered in Lincoln Cathedral. The victim has been strangled and a cross was etched into his forehead. After the murderer sends a note to Karen’s DI, her team is split up and a new DCI and team join Karen in the investigation. This new DCI seems to have it in for Karen. Could he be part of the corruption that has haunted the department? After a second body is found, it seems there may be a ritualistic serial killer at large. Is Karen in danger?

Told from two points of view, Karen’s and the killer’s, this book is fast paced, with tight writing and likable protagonists. Fans of British police procedurals will enjoy this story, as well as others in the series. ( )

Review of eBook

Detective Sergeant Karen Hart, first on the scene of a gruesome murder in the Morning Chapel, a small chapel within Lincoln Cathedral. The body of a man, Lloyd Nelson, bore ligature marks across the front of his neck. And the figure of a cross, carved into his forehead, suggested some manner of a ritualistic killing.

As Karen investigates, a letter purportedly from the killer [signed “The Cleanser”] indicates that this is the first of many killings. Soon enough, there’s another killing, carried out in the same way and with the cross cut into the victim’s forehead. And then a letter left on the doorstep of the lead investigator causes a shuffle in assignments and brings the difficult Detective Inspector Churchill to the Lincolnshire Police and splits up the investigating team.

The officers, caught up in investigating the serial killer murders, are also involved in the investigation of a hit-and-run involving a young bicyclist, hit by a car and left by the side of the road to die as the motorist drove away. And there’s still the hint of corruption within the department.

Is there a conspiracy within the police ranks? Will The Cleanser strike again before the police find him? And will the conspiracy claim more officers before they expose the corruption at last?

Fifth in the Detective Karen Hart series, this intriguing police procedural brings well-developed, believable characters into a complex plot. There is sufficient backstory for readers new to the series for “On Cold Ground” to work as a stand-alone, but with several plotlines coming from previous books, readers may want to start at the beginning of the series.

As in previous books, Karen continues to try to come to terms with the death of her husband, Josh, and daughter, Tilly, several years earlier. This backstory gives depth to the character; readers may find themselves empathizing with Karen as the story unfolds. Time, as they say, helps; however, she now seems a bit compulsive in her determination to prove the involvement of someone at the station.

There are several unexpected plot twists that readers may not see coming; some surprising revelations change things for many of the characters involved in the telling of the tale. Readers who enjoy police procedurals as well as fans of the series will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley
#OnColdGround #NetGalley ( )