Ask no question by Lisa Hartley.
Detective Caelan Small Book 1.
After an operation goes badly wrong, undercover specialist Detective Caelan Small leaves the Metropolitan Police for good. Or so she thinks. Then the criminal responsible is seen back in the UK.
A really good read with good characters. I did like Caelan. Looking forward to the next book. 4*.

Written by Lisa Hartley — Lisa Hartley is best known for her DS Catherine Bishop books, but here she introduces us to Detective Caelan (pronounced Kay-len) Small, a woman who is happiest when she is being someone else and working deep under cover.

But maybe that sentence should be in the past tense, because Small’s last big operation went horribly wrong, resulting in the deaths of a child and a fellow officer. Meanwhile, the perpetrators vanishing into thin air. She walked away, taking retirement and vowing never to return. But now Seb Lambourne, wanted for double murder, is back, and the phrase ‘never say never’ has never seemed more appropriate.

Caelan is on a solitary holiday in Egypt when she is approached by a familiar face. It’s fellow undercover officer Richard Adamson. He has a proposition for her, sanctioned by the bosses of her shadowy department. The thought of catching Lambourne at last proves too tempting and Small is soon back in the fold, but as things begin to unravel around her, has she made the mistake of her life?

The problem is she always seems to be a step or two off the pace. It looks like someone within the Met is feeding information to Lambourne… and there are a long list of likely candidates. In the meantime, Caelan Small must put herself in the firing line in the hope of getting a result in this most personal of crusades.

At times, Caelan is an interesting character; at other times she is bloody annoying. It’s a tough task to satisfactorily introduce a new character and doubly difficult when you’re working with someone as complicated as this lady. She’s a heady blend of Mata Hari and Juliet Bravo. A committed police officer, her work undercover has dragged her into places that no sane person would go and there are times when you can see those experiences have taken their toll. Fortunately we have a foil to Caelan’s unpredictability, in the shape of ex-soldier Ewan Davies, whose role as her driver soon develops into something much more hazardous. This is a man battling demons of his own, but still willing to go through fire if it will help her out of a tight corner.

Hartley’s Catherine Bishop series is set in Lincolnshire, and we take a fleeting visit to the country in this new book, but the majority of the action takes place in London, and the descriptions of the capital are well drawn, with the city’s seedier side being brought into sharp focus.

There’s plenty of action within the covers of Ask No Questions and the narrative races along, but I felt that some of the more cloak and dagger moments were a little overblown and melodramatic. However, there are twists and turns aplenty to keep you on high alert and I particularly enjoyed the interplay between Small and Davies – a solid centre to a swirling confusion of supporting characters. The big reveals, when they appear, are well executed and neatly disguised.

The cliffhanger ending has set us up nicely for book two in the Caelan Small series. I’m hoping for more revelations about this multi-faceted woman and another appearance from Ewan Davies too.They’re a crime fiction duo worthy of another outing and maybe even a television appearance or two.

There are lots of unpredictable cops like Caelan Small in crime fiction, but two more to try include Sarah Hilary’s Marnie Rome, and Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole.

Canelo
Kindle
£0.99

CFL Rating: 4 Stars

Ask No Questions is the first in a new series featuring Metropolitan Police Officer Caelan Small and what can I say, except... bloody hell. I read a lot of crime fiction, and this was without a doubt one of the better offerings I've enjoyed this year so far! Well done, and now I'm off to the sequel!

I actually started book 2 and felt i'd missed something, when I checked I realised there was a book 1. I put book 2 down and started this one.
I'm glad I did, I felt I had a better understanding of things for going forward to book 2.
The title of this book says it all. Is there really no one you can trust?

​'After an operation goes badly wrong, undercover specialist Detective Caelan Small leaves the Metropolitan Police for good. Or so she thinks. Then the criminal responsible is seen back in the UK.'

It's been great getting to know Detective Caelan Small, what an interesting character she turned out to be.
She's a woman that wants answers and will go the extra mile, no matter what the consequences are, to get her answers.

This is one of those books that from the first page, you are totally intrigued, and you know you can't wait to turn those pages. That is exactly what I did with this book, It really did get me involved.
What a great storyline, a read well worth reading. Plenty of twists, and at times I really didn't know who could be trusted. I did occasionally get lost with some of the names, there does seem to be an awful lot of characters. Once i'd gotten into my head who was who, I was fine.
The ending of this book leaves you wanting to read the next one, luckily for me I can. Sometimes being behind on a series does have its advantages.



Some secrets were meant to stay hidden… Trust no-one

3.5 stars
An interesting and original thriller, with quite a lot of characters and a multitude of twists (maybe even a little too many). I was quite disappointed with the ending in the epilogue as I thought the final twist was unnecessary. Overall, the story gripped me and I really liked the main protagonist Caelan, so will definitely read the next one in the series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

A taut thriller in LisaHartley’s usual slick style.

Caelen is 28 years old and already a legend for her her uncanny ability to be a chameleon in her undercover work. In the stroy we follow Caelen and Ronnie with an addictive interest as she hopes that he will lead her to his criminal father, and he hopes that he won’t.

But things are not as they appear and the story becomes more complicated. And more complicated. And yet more complicated.

And in the end, just too complicated for me - and I like a bit of complication in my books...

I suspect an Agatha Christie look-alike storyline in which the author doesn’t actually know herself who  dun it, until the very end, and lays down many clues so that it could be one of many.

I’d like to give this book a 4 but in the end find I can’t. For the reasons above. When you have some 5 suspects the story gets too complex and involved and almost unbelievable. Clues appear like magic to fit up too many....

So 3.5 it is.

What an absolutely brilliant start to a new series by Lisa Hartley.

Meet Detective Caelan Small, an undercover policewoman with the Met police force. She is a very highly rated officer who is brilliant at her job, smart, intelligent and a little bit reckless in regards to her own safety.

Except at the moment she is no longer working in the police force and had vowed never to return to the job due to her previous case. It was a really bad case that went drastically wrong ending in a loss that still haunts her and the main suspect evading capture and disappearing into the wind.

But now it seems that the suspect is back and back with a vengeance. That is what brings her back to the force as she tries to hunt down the killer and maybe try to make right the wrongs from before.

You get a real feel for Caelan with her no nonsense and tough attitude and her other side that is still reeling and being haunted from the case that made her walk away from the job, a case she keeps getting flashbacks to.
As the hunt for the killer heats up and with the body count growing the dramatic web of corruption, violence and lies brings her colleagues come under suspicion and even Caelan herself becomes a suspect!
Not knowing who she can trust, Ewan is brought in as her new partner, he is ex army and has been working security. He instantly becomes a lovable character and one of the lead characters in the book.

There are a lot of characters in this book and at times i found it a bit hard to keep track of them all.
This is an extremely fast paced book packed full of twists, turns and red herrings that will keep you guessing and then re guessing wanting to race ahead to find the answers to all the questions this book throws at you.
The flashbacks are really relevant to the story as they reveal the details of the case that made her walk away from the job.
The ending of the book brings together the past and present with a final twist that I really did not see coming at all.
I loved this book and my only negative would be the wait for the second book!
This is 1 book that i will 100% recommend to friends and family as well as everyone else!

If you want a book full of twists and turns, one where you never quite get a handle on who is to be trusted or who isn't then this is the book for you. This does mean that it's makes it difficult to have any connection with any of the characters and at times it became a little irritating to me. Overall however enjoyed caelens adventures and look forward to book 2

Oh wow I loved this book it had me hooked from the very first page. There are so many twists and turns that you don't see coming and when they do you really are not sure who Caelan should trust. I really did not want the book to end and when it ends on a cliff hanger after everything that Caelan has been through you really want her to have a happy ending. Amazing story and it was so nice to see really strong female characters that are very high up in the metropolitan police. This book kept me gripped right to the last page and I read it in one setting it was brilliant. You really did not know what was coming next and the book keeps you gripped right to the last page where you want it to be a happy ending but it does not happen. A brilliant book you don't want to miss

I wasn’t planning on or looking to take part in any blog tours when Faye asked if I would be interested in taking part in a blog tour for Ask No Questions, I was already behind in writing up my reviews and I knew I had an exam coming up that I needed to study for but I had a quick look at the blurb and decided it sounded like just my sort of book, and the date was far enough in the future that I’d be able to fit everything in, less than 48 hours later I’d requested, downloaded and finished the book!

Lisa Hartley is a completely new author to me and Ask No Questions is the first book in a series (although not the first book Lisa has published). Now I was in a bit of a slump when I first this on my Kindle app, I normally don’t really like reading more than one book at once but I was struggling with my current read, something I really loved the idea of but wasn’t quite connecting with me. I had no such problems with Ask No Questions, I started reading quite late on a Saturday night and by the time I finished the first chapter I was hooked!

The lead character in this new series is Detective Caelan Small Caelan works for the Metropolitan Police and specialises in undercover work, Ask No Questions takes place some time after an operation has gone badly wrong and Caelan has quit the force, suddenly there are reports that the main suspect from their previous case is back in the country and Caelan is convinced to come back and track him down.

Ask No Questions is most definitely a page turner! Looking back at the comments I put on Goodreads as I was reading I can see that by 22% I was completely hooked and full of questions I NEEDED answers to.

I really enjoyed the different characters throughout the book, obviously Caelan is the lead and we find out little bits of information about her as the book goes on but I definitely want to know more! She’s obviously very good at her job, but she’s still young and I’d love to explore in future books what spending so much time undercover, living as another person does to you as your own person, do you end up losing part of yourself?

Ewan Davies is an ex-soldier now working as part of the protection unit who is sent to collect Caelan at the beginning of the story – I really liked him, I think there’s a lot of potential and I hope he sticks around!

Lisa introduces a number of other characters as well, from superior officers like DAC Nasenby, Commander Penrith, and Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Beckett, to her former colleague Sam Clifton and other supporting characters. Lisa does a wonderful job of building suspense and making you question everyone and everything. The writing is fast paced, with twists and turns to keep you guessing and surprises right from the beginning. I have to admit that I didn’t really see the ending coming, despite spending most of the book trying to guess, but I didn’t feel cheated either which is the sign of a great book, enough clues, real and false, to keep you guessing but enough laid down that you don’t feel the author’s just randomly decided something right at the end and you never had a chance to work it out.

Would I Recommend?

Absolutely I would recommend this to any of my readers who love a good crime thriller! Lisa has written a wonderfully paced and clever novel that was full of things that kept be second guessing all that had gone before. I am so pleased Faye asked me to be part of this book tour and introduced me to this fabulous book – and that epilogue?! You’ll know what I mean when you get to it! Can I have book two already please?

The Cover: I like the cover of Ask No Questions. The shades used, the architecture in the back ground; all of it suits the nature of the story.

The Plot: I really enjoyed the story line of Ask No Questions. It was a great game of 'who dun it' that literally kept me guessing with every twist, turn, or murder.

The Characters: I loved all of the characters, especially Ewan and Ian Penrith. Ewan because he stepped in from seemingly out of nowhere and stepped up. Ian seemed at points to be almost comic relief and that is all I can say without giving anything away. All of our characters were very well written and added to the story in just the right way.

Was it Worth Reading?: Definitely! I really enjoyed every moment, except maybe the last couple pages! I have no idea what to make of them! Other than that, the story was so entertaining and kept me guessing as to who our villain was. I highly recommend Ask No Questions and give it 4 out of 5 crossbows.

Did not finish got too confused and lost as to what was going on.

A good crime thriller with some suspense and a good ending
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow Lisa Hartley has pulled out a fantastic new character to lead this new series. A real page turner that will keep you awake all night.
Caelann an undercover cop comes out of retirement to help track down a wanted killer. She finds it extremely difficult to know which colleagues she can trust and enlists the help of ex army now security policeman Ewan.
As the story unfolds the suspense just keeps on building right to the very end and the number of twists keeps you double guessing right to the last page.
A thoroughly great read I can't wait for the next in the series

I loved this book,from first book,a great thriller,with every page,couldn't put it down,will read more from this author.

An unputdownable read! Twists and turns a plenty in this crime thriller.
Detective Caelan Small, having quit her job after her last assigned operation ended in tragic loss, vowed never to go back to her job as an undercover detective. It's when a previous colleague is sent to retrieve her that she finds a new chance to get questions answered, to right wrongs and get justice (or revenge?)
Unsurprisingly, Caelan was my favourite character in Lisa's new book. I love her fight, her strong mind, her intelligence and how she tells it like it is. You get a real sense of the main characters in this book. Caelan has this tough outer shell but suffers flash backs that make you see how her business is unfinished and she's still reeling from past events. Ewen is another character I took to instantly. He's the slightly nervous but capable new undercover partner to Caelan.

OMG! I hate authors that do this to me. You can not just stop there. It's unfair and cruel. All I can say is there had better be a sequel or I'm going to have to...... oh I don't know. See how do you like it?

This is the first book I have read by this author and wow what a start. The start of the book is best described as explosive and the ending well I didn't expect that. You just don't see it coming.

Caelan Small resigned from the Metropolitan Police when an operation went from bad to worse. She believed that she was done with her old life. Little did she know was that the Metropolitan Police decides to reinstate her and compared to this operation the one that caused her to resign was in fact a cake walk.

Ask No Questions is a thriller of a frantic pace. Once you pick it up I dare you to put it down. Seriously it's 100 miles an hour and that's on a slow page. You think you have worked it out then suddenly it changes direction and a whole new set of questions are asked.

Small is an extremely likable character. There are many characters in this book that give you the impression that they are good trustworthy people. Wow I was so wrong.

Would I recommend it? Ohh yes without a doubt. If you love a mystery and a thriller you will love this. Enjoy!


*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2074079653

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1VLSIF6OLPTUS/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Have you ever finished reading a book and thought to yourself; ‘Hallelujah!! This is just the book I’ve been waiting for!’? I have..

Now even though I read a lot of books, I still expect each and every storyline to be unique. However, recently it feels like a lot of the thrillers/psychological thrillers I’ve read, whilst being a good enough read, haven’t made me go ‘wow!’. Until now.

Caelan Small resigned from her job in the Met after a police operation went from bad, to worse, in a matter of minutes. As far as Caelan was concerned, she had left her job permanently. However as far as the Met were concerned, Caelan was about to be reinstated and thrown in the deep end. If Caelan thought the operation last time was a mess, she has no idea what is about to come her way…

‘Ask No Questions’ is THE book I have been waiting for! Not only was the storyline extremely fast paced, it was also full of suspense and intrigue as I tried to work out what the hell was going on. In the simplest of terms, ‘Ask No Questions’ is an absolute mind-funk of a novel which, ironically enough, made me want to ask questions constantly. When each situation began to unfold I tried to piece everything together, attempting to come up with a name as to who was involved. Just when I had a name and a motive in mind, the entire plot changed tactic and everything was up in the air. Nobody was safe. Nothing was certain. There were a lot of characters with a ‘do not trust’ sign stuck to their heads and, because I was invested in each character throughout the book, I became quite shocked when a character who I believed to be trustworthy, ended up being ‘one to watch’.

From the very first page, ‘Ask No Questions’ held me hostage. My level of excitement for the novel itself was through the roof, I was eager to turn to the next page to find out what was going to happen next. Who was going to come out from the woodwork. Who might end up dead.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I absolutely LOVED Lisa Hartley’s novel. All I can say (once again), is how ‘Ask No Questions’ became THE book I have been waiting for. THE storyline I wanted to sink my teeth into and never let go. Being shocked by every turn of events the moment I turned the page. Lisa Hartley has written a phenomenal, intense, spine tingling and addictive read, I am already beyond excited about the next book in the series. ‘Ask No Questions’ ticked every single box for me, and then some.

For once the tag line at the end of the blurb is bang on; this book really will keep you guessing, and you will absolutely love that it does.

Thanks Canelo!

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book to read and review. i enjoyed this book...a fast paced story that keeps you hanging on for what comes next

Caelen Small is an undercover operator with the met police, the best they have. As she fights for justice, she comes across corruption, lies and murders. This a very well written book, full of surprises and has great characterisation. If you like action, thrillers and police corruption, this book is for you. As for that ending! Many thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I have reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.