When a man is found murdered, his wife is convicted of his murder. When she is found dead after her release and then another body turns up everything is thrown into the air!
The second in a series which I wish I had known but still a decent read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wasn’t a fan.

This one slipped down on my TBR pile from Netgalley and I don’t exactly know why. I’m thinking maybe because this was book 2 in the series and I intended to get my hands on book 1.

I loved the premise about the book most probably why I requested it back then. Since then I’ve really taken a break from Detective/police procedures for a while. That could account for my lack of enjoyment.

Like I say, the right up looked good but it dragged so much in the middle I swapped up to audio book to speed up.

Follow up to Ward's debut novel 'Bitter Chill' featuring DC Childs. This slow paced murder mystery dragged and spoilt my enjoyment.

A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward is the second book in the DC Connie Childs series. The first book is called In Bitter Chill which I thoroughly enjoyed and was delighted to read the follow up which is as good if not better.

2nd in the DC Childs series, every much as good as book 1
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A Great new writer for me to follow! Thank you to Netgalley for this great read.

I was enthralled, I do love a good detective story/thriller. I loved the characters, Inspector Sadler and DC Childs, were a great team and very believable characters. I was on the edge of my seat, trying to solve the crime for myself.

Great book, Ms Ward, I will definitely be looking for more of your books. It is apparently a sequel, but I read it and felt it was great as a stand alone book, although I will definitely be reading the first inspector Sadler book, "A Bitter Chill".

I just love British mysteries because the descriptions of the countryside makes me want to be there. I love a good who-dun-it, and this book did not disappoint. Recommended.

A fantastic mystery, thriller that I could not put down. I had not read the first in the series but am eager to read this now. Great writing, and intriguing plot.

This mystery is set in a fictional Derbyshire small town called Bampton and has people asking the question why? Follow both the police and the residents as they try to solve the mystery over a number of deaths.

This book does thaw, like the title suggests but rather than deadly it is more like a sliced loaf that has been left to thaw overnight on your kitchen counter. It has lots of short chapters which make it reader friendly, in the same way as sliced bread is toast friendly. But that is a problem as these short chapters usually end with a cliff hanger and the next chapter involves another character, leaving you at a loss. Also the format of this novel is not linear and it drops back in time repeatedly before returning to the present day. Then we have a small amount of adultery between the police officers, which is another of my pet hates. Although there are sexual issues involved in this novel, there is no gritty sex to reward the reader.

There is no specialist police work is solving these mysteries around Bampton, making A Deadly Thaw a character led novel. The chapters flit from character to character and this uneven flow made me unable to develop an empathy for any character.

I found this book a frustrating read, the cliff hangers, the time shifting and poor characterisation. Why could Sarah have not featured a real town in Derbyshire to add some realism or local interest to her sorry tale? She featured Whitby and that is very real. I found the pace slow and the whole mystery dragged on and on through the years. One character really enjoyed dragging this story out and was proud to claim "You of all people should know that everything can't be told." and "Then it's all been for nothing."

I think A Deadly Thaw is a tiresome tale with no humour to brighten it up, the best in the whole story possibly being...

He parked in one of the small gravelled areas used by walkers to leave their vehicles. One couple, returning from a hike, gave a condescending look towards Kat's trainer-clad feet. She felt like shouting that she was a local and could wear what the hell she wanted, but what was the point of adding to the prickle of tension she already felt.

...So sorry Sarah, but I found your novel a POOR 2 star read as it did NOT rock my boat.

Lena confessed to her husband's murder & accepted her sentence giving no reasons for her crime. It is a big surprise when the dead' husband appears many years later in an old deserted morgue however he is definitely dead this time!

This book took me a while to get into but once I did I was intrigued and wanted to find out what this was all about. I thought the characters were engaging. The police trio are an interesting dynamic and although I couldn't warm to Lena much I did like Kat . A good police procedural story that I would recommend. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read it.

Lena and Kat are sisters and in 2016 are living together in Brampton in Derbyshire. Lena has served her sentence in prison for the murder of her husband Andrew, who she killed by suffocation, back in 2004. She is released and has returned to her home where she is getting on with her life. Kat has returned to the family home after training as a counsellor, running her business from nearby offices. They are trying to rebuild their fractured relationship, but Lena has never explained why she murdered her husband. She is a keeper of secrets that one, a bit of a loner, but all secrets have consequences and Lena is playing with fire. But the two sisters rub along together well enough and Lena has been free for over a year now.
When a body is found in a disused mortuary on the edge of a remote wood nearby, it is identified as Andrew once again. This time there is categorically no mistake. Police visit Lena seeking an explanation as to why she identified the body in her bed as her husband all those years earlier. They know she must have had a reason, indeed must have known the man she suffocated. They need to find out whose body was misidentified back in 2004 and also who killed the man that has been positively identified as the real Andrew. Lena decides she must run for shelter and hide. She does not tell Kat that she is afraid of what might happen when the truth gets out. Kat is left with the task of trying to solve the mystery and finding her sister before it is too late, a parallel investigation to the one the police are carrying out.
'A Deadly Thaw' is the second novel in the DC Childs mystery series, a highly readable and baffling novel in the police procedural genre. The story is full of menace from the very outset and never once did I correctly solve the puzzle for myself. The story gathers pace as odious crimes of the past come to light and the police investigation gathers momentum. This is classy writing with a swathe of different stories and crimes finally shedding some light on Lena’s behaviour. A mysterious friend of Lena’s delivers clues designed to help Kat put the pieces of the jigsaw together, but there are many blind alleyways, shocking twists and turns, and a few duplicitous characters who are truly not who they seem to be. The novel is darkly compelling: unputdownable and very original. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Faber and Faber for my copy of this novel, sent out to me in return for an honest review. I enjoyed it immensely and will most certainly look out for other novels in this series.

In less capable hands this book could have been terribly cliched, but Sarah Ward has done the near impossible with her second novel its better than the first. She has blended three dimensional characters with a really nuisance plot that does scream Scandinavian noir at the same time has that classic mystery feel! It really was gripping, the skill of th author is clear in the way past and present are weaved together seamlessly and her writing is elegant and subtle unlike other novels in the genre it doesn't scream it's plot it whispers it. Who was the man Lena killed if it wasn't her husband?
The novel feels real and made me stay awake two nights in a row to see this fantastic book to the end. It's a rare second effort that is as well written as this, the author is secure in her storytelling and skills and lets the characters breath! I can't recommend this book enough!

I wouldn't rave over this book. I did read it to the end but found the story totally implausible and it took away the enjoyment that I usually have when reading crime thrillers. Sorry not really for me

You know that old adage about the difficult second book? Well, come closer and I’ll let you into a secret. Following Sarah Ward’s compelling debut  In Bitter Chill I’m going to boldly state that this one is even better. There, I’ve said it. Gauntlet thrown down for those foolish enough to challenge me. From the very outset I was completely hooked by this dark, suspenseful tale of Derbyshire folk, so read on and find out why…
What Ward achieves so well in this book is a perfect symmetry between the strength of her plotting and her razor sharp characterisation. The basic twist in the story upon which the whole book is played out is devilishly good, and as a long time crime reader provided a very unique and intriguing premise for a story. Woman reports husband dead. Woman convicted of his murder. Fourteen years later husband turns up dead. Again. Who was the original dead man? Brilliant. As Ward takes us on a darkly disturbing journey between the two timelines of the story, some nasty secrets centring on a string of local sex attacks come to light, flicking on the reader’s empathy switch, and completely immersing us on the dark history that comes to be revealed. Ward’s control of pace and reveal is perfectly realised throughout. With the branching out of other stories focussing on the particular personal relationships of her cast of protagonists, and a frighteningly familiar tale of police incompetence and the lack of sympathy to female victims of crime,  this book adroitly raises these serious issues throughout, but never to the detriment of this being a tautly played out thriller.
Once again, this is an extremely character driven book, and I liked the reprise of the police characters from the first book- DCI Francis Sadler, DS Damien Palmer and the wonderfully feisty DC Connie Childs- and the professional and personal interactions between them. Sadler is still firmly and solidly at the helm, and I liked the way that both Palmer and Childs sometimes resemble recalcitrant teenagers as their personal relationship takes a different turn in this book, and they continue to vie for the professional affection of their boss. There is also a strong cast around them from their under pressure senior commanding officer, Superintendent Dai Llewellyn, gruff pathologist Bill Shields and his assistant Scott, which really shores up the forensic and procedural accuracy of the book as past mistakes rear their ugly head. Equally, Ward carefully explores the sibling relationship between Lena and Kat Gray, and the tensions that arise from the aura of suspected guilt within their family dynamic, and the dangerous ramifications this holds for them both.  Ward again sensitively depicts the fear and emotional vulnerability of Lena as a person in the light of her traumatic experience, balancing this with the turbulent effect that her actions have caused in her sister’s life too, which is a real lynchpin in our engagement as a reader with them.
Great plotting, superb characterisation, the exploration of important issues, and perfectly placed moments of snappy humour make this book a perfect pick up and read. Highly recommended.

Early in the novel a man turns up dead - and the dead guy was presumed to have died 12 years earlier - and his wife spent years in prison having confessed to killing her husband. Why did the wife confess to killing her husband and serve time, when it obviously wasn't her husband? How were the Police and coronors so incompetant as to identify the body incorrectly? Where has the husband been all this time, and why has he turned up dead now? Where has his wife dissapeared now? These are some of the questions confronting the wife's sister, the Police, and the reader. A very interesting read.

Even though this book is the second in the series, it could easily stand alone as a novel. A great read with interesting twists and turns. I enjoyed the story line

A really clever and gripping title, perfect for lovers of a good mystery. I look forward to what the author has to offer in the future!

A Deadly Thaw is the second book from Sarah Ward which once again features DC Connie Childs, DI Francis Sadler and DS Damian Palmer. It drew me in from the very beginning. A murder victim's body is discovered in an abandoned mortuary and Sadler recognises it as Andrew Fisher. The thing is, Andrew's wife Lena has not long been released from prison having served a sentence for his murder - twelve years ago. The detectives have quite a task working out who the mystery victim is, as well as where Andrew has been for the last twelve years. Lena's sister Kat, a counsellor, is receiving mysterious clues from a teenage boy and is also drawn into trying to solve the mystery. In a place where the locals admit "We're good at keeping secrets here....You won't get far taking what everyone says at face value.", the detectives are going to find this case challenging.

I really enjoyed the style of this book. Short chapters giving the multiple viewpoints of the detectives and Lena's sister Kat gave me a good overview of what was happening and kept the story moving along a perfect pace. At the end of many of the chapters there were teasing mini-cliffhangers which led to me wanting to keep reading just one more chapter. I was really engrossed in story puzzling over who was the original murder victim and if not Andrew, then where had he been for all these years? And why on earth would Lena confess to murdering her husband if she hadn't? Part of the plot looked at how policing has changed over the years focusing on one particular issue and that was really interesting to read about. The detectives worked solidly through clues which I feel is probably a true reflection of police work.

Sarah Ward has created some terrific characters and I enjoyed finding out more about the personal relationships between the characters in this book. DC Childs was the focus of much of the storyline and her experiences as a woman in a male dominated workplace was enlightening. Kat in particular was a fascinating character to read about as her feelings conflicted with her professional ethics and her complicated relationship with her sister came to the fore.

I have to mention the setting in this book. Sarah Ward has made her fictional town on Bampton in Derbyshire so atmospheric especially with the references to the cold and the swirling fog. The abandoned morgue also added to the chilling feel. And I now know why the Cat and Fiddle road, so often mentioned on radio traffic reports, has that name!

A Deadly Thaw is a compelling, atmospheric read and an excellent follow-up to In Bitter Chill. I think the dynamic of the three detectives works really well and hope to read more about them in future books.

The overall story for this novel was quite interesting. I liked reading from the perspective of all of the characters, especially since they all have their unique take on the situation. There was the police angle but also the family angle, which is interesting because I don't think I've really ever read a book that has both of those perspectives. The theme of the story was really strong and carried through the entire book. I felt that the author really took the time to develop the story and shed light on every aspect of this problem. I liked the detective characters more than I liked Kat and Lena, or any of the other civilians; they just seemed more cohesive in terms of their organization and thought process compared to Kat, who sometimes acted like a chicken with its head cut off. There were two romance angles that were also worked into the story; one was more successful than the other in terms of its belieavability and growth trajectory. All in all, this was quite a good detective novel that was unique because of its dual perspectives on the same situation.

The second book in a series is often a difficult or even insurmountable challenge but Sarah Ward has nothing to fear as this is a top-notch atmospheric thriller that beautifully captures the feel of the Derbyshire setting and in DI Frances Sadler we have a well drawn and sympathetic leading character.

A well written, tightly plotted, topical, gritty and gripping police procedural which is thoroughly recommended.