Deadly Revenge

<b>Rep:</b> lesbian side character, blind side character<br /><br /><b>CWs:</b> graphic scenes of domestic abuse

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oldcastle Books for an advance copy of Deadly Revenge, the fourteenth novel to feature York based DS Geraldine Steel.<br /><br />When Jessica Colman reports that her sixth month old daughter, Daisy, is missing and she doesn’t know where her husband, Jason, is Geraldine’s colleagues immediately assume that Jason is responsible. Geraldine isn’t so sure and as she starts to unravel Jessica’s life she realises there is much more to the case than a simple parental abduction. Then a body is found and the case changes again.<br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed Deadly Revenge which is an absorbing read, full of twists and turns, many of which are genuinely surprising. Geraldine’s voice predominates in the novel but other voices are inserted as required. Sometimes this is good in expanding the reader’s understanding but early on some of these insertions gave me big hints about the general thrust of the novel. I say general thrust as Ms Russell and her imagination still managed to surprise me on several occasions. I felt the novel was slow at points with the team going over old ground but but then another bombshell drops and it’s all go again. The plot is unusual, not in the general idea but in the detail and how it plays out. This is not easy to achieve in a crowded genre so it should be noted and praised. <br /><br />Geraldine is having relationship problems with her new boyfriend and this plays in the background of the investigation. I’m not really too sure what I think about it as I can see the sense in her reasonable approach but would have preferred to see her totally let rip with a few choice words. Instead, I said them for her.<br /><br />Deadly Revenge is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

In Deadly Revenge we join Geraldine Steel and the team again as they try to solve the case of a missing baby. Jessica Colman has reported that her six-month old daughter has disappeared. Also, she can't get hold of her husband, Jason. Who has said he's off on a stag weekend. The only problem there is that nobody has heard of this stag weekend. Something fishy going on? It seems like a clear cut case, Jason has obviously taken the baby, hasn't he? <br /><br />When Geraldine and the team delve deeper into this case, they discover that not all is as it seems. And, there are things that happen behind closed doors that aren't very nice. <br /><br />Deadly Revenge can be read as a standalone, but as the storyline of Geraldine and Ian's relationship further develops in this book, I say it's always best to read a series from the start so that you can get to know the main characters better. <br /><br />This story was full of twists and turns that you may not have guessed, I did find parts a bit repetitive. But, it was useful to refresh the old grey matter on the details of the case. <br /><br />Thank you to Anne for my spot on the blog tour. And, thanks to No Exit Press for my gifted digital copy.

This is a typical Leigh Russell novel. The plot is fairly interesting, although blatantly obvious from rather early on, I'm sorry to say. On the plus side, there's little of the usual wasted chapters with Geraldine visting her sisters and ,hopefully, this is the last we'll hear about Ian's ex-wife too. As I said, this is a typical Russell book with all the usual mistakes that come with most of them. There are plenty of typos ( even though No Exit Press asures me they are carefully proof-read) and at one point April the coroner's assistant becomes Avril, which is unforgivably sloppy. An ok book if you want some leave-your-brain-at-the-door entertainment for a short while.

I do love the Geraldine Steel series!! The fact that this is still popular at book number 14 kind of speaks for itself doesn’t it?<br /> When a hysterical mother reports her baby’s sudden disappearance, suspicion immediately falls on the absent husband. But Detective Geraldine Steel’s gut instinct tells her this case is not as simple.. The case seems open and shut, the husband is also missing so surely he’s taken the baby. However, is it that simple?<br />I absolutely loved seeing the developments with the relationships, and the complications involved. <br />Can’t wait for number 15!!

Yay... another Geraldine book :) Obviously usual series rules apply, maybe even more so in this book due to the complexity of both Geraldine and Ian and their separate and combined back stories but, if you are not so inclined, the main story works OK as a standalone. You'll just miss out on all the rest of the fun...<br />So, we have a missing baby, and an absent husband. Are the two connected and, if so, in what way? As we follow the mother, who appears to be in the shadow of her family, Geraldine, Ian, and the team face a race against time to find the baby before something worse happens... And then a body is found...<br />I've been with this series from the start. Witnessed Geraldine's family life implode, see her relationship - both personal and professional - with Ian wax, wane and all things in between. So much so that it feels so comfortable opening another book as I feel I am reconnecting with old friends. Knowing the backstories eases me into the book so gently that I only meant to start this book, a few chapters before bed, and next thing I knew I was half way through... <br />The story contained herein is a bit harrowing and doesn't pull its punches. That said, it is delivered in a very respectful way, mindful of the subject matter at all times. The book also contains a fair bit of personal stuff, wrt Geraldine and Ian but this remains balanced with the crime investigation side of things and is only what you'd expect and require from a series book. Part of their charm is re-connecting with old friends and seeing what they are up to outside of work. Well, it is for me anyway. Pacing is good and the waffle and padding count low!<br />All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive and well established series. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Didn't enjoy this one as much as 2nd one in the series. The ending seemed disjointed and hastily put together. I will go back and re-read the last 5/6 chapters and try make sense.<br />Lovely new word that I can't say I have come across before 'curmudgeonly' (especially of an old person -bad tempered, negative)<br />Favourite quote...<br />'She had not understood how lonely she was, until she had stopped being lonely'

No matter how many books I have in my "to be read" list when a Leigh Russell book arrives it jumps straight to the top of the list. This one sees Geraldine Steel investigate the disturbing case of the abduction of a young baby. Just reading the story made me feel as if I too were racing against time to find this little girl. Secondary to the crime but just as compelling is the story of Geraldine's relationship with the other characters in particular her superior officer Ian Peterson. I can't wait for the next one.<br />Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

I have read all of the books in this series and have enjoyed them, but I just got so frustrated with this one!! A baby gets stolen out of their cot in the middle of the night and there were no forensics done ? until the mother found a few spots of blood in the cot later in the day. The main characters seemed to be all over the place and unrealistic in my opinion which is a shame as it could’ve been a great read. Disappointing as I’ve enjoyed the others in this series <br /><br />Thank you to NetGalley and Oldcastle books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

It's hard to believe this is the fourteenth adventure for Geraldine, but the series remains as interesting and fresh as ever. In the past Geraldine's life has been a bit up and down, finding out she was adopted and helping her newly discovered birth sister escape the clutches of a drug dealer which led to her getting demoted from the rank of Detective Inspector to Sergeant as a result. She moved to York and found herself working for her former sergeant, Ian Petersen, now a DI and a man she has secretly been in love with for a long time. Only now she has found out her feelings are reciprocated, he has left his wife after finding out she has had an affair resulting in a pregnancy, and has been staying over quite a lot at Geraldine's flat. They have a good DCI in Eileen and things are going well at work and on the home front. The story begins with that all too familiar sad story of domestic abuse. A bullying husband Jason has been gradually grinding down his wife, both mentally and physically, until it's too late and one day she finds herself stuck with a new baby and nowhere to turn to. The battered mother wakes one morning to find her baby has vanished in the night. Her husband has reportedly taken himself off for a few days on a stag party but cannot be contacted or located. With no signs of a break in and only a few people having access to the house, the police immediately suspect that the man has taken his child, possibly to hurt his wife Jessica or to begin a new life, and while they need to find Jason, there is no reason to believe any harm has come to the infant. Geraldine is famous for her gut instinct and straight away it is telling her they are not getting the whole story. Jessica's parents are not exactly complimentary about her, claiming she should never have married Jason, that she is often hysterical and unable to cope with life in general. Jessica's father is a local councillor, overbearing and not well liked by the public who have to suffer his budget cuts. Whilst Geraldine and the rest of the team are making precious little progress in locating father and child, lots of other strange things are going on in the background, and then to make matters worse a body is found in suspicious circumstances. With life throwing a spanner in the works for Geraldine at home, the race is on at work to investigate the death and find the baby. There is a lot of action in this compelling story and with suspects everywhere I was as baffled as the detectives at times. The ending was superb and shocking at the same time, and a lot of satisfying justice was meted out. Praise must go to the author for raising awareness of two very important issues, that of domestic abuse and the far ranging repercussions it can have, and also the ever present problem of budget cuts which have serious implications for libraries, schools and other council services, not to mention loyal and long serving staff ending up on the scrap heap. I have an extra reason for loving this book since one of the characters has been named after me which is a great honour! The entire series has been consistently great (one of my favourites) and I am already looking forward to book 15! 5*