What an absolutely brilliant story! I gasped allowed, shook my head and tutted to myself all the way through! Just when you think it’s all unravelling the tale takes an unexpected turn and you are once again left at the mercy of the author’s imagination as to where this could be heading!
Really enjoyed this fast paced page Turner!

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book even though I did not finish this book.

Having read most of the books in this series it was good to go back to the beginning and meet Jo properly in what is a very twisted and at times dark read.

Wow, can I just take a moment to wrap my head around what just happened? Hold My Hand by M.J. Ford was full of surprises and the end was even a tad mind-blowing.

Hold My Hand started out as a really quick read for me and the end went fast as well, but I found the majority of the pacing to be on the slower side. That's what ultimately brought the rating down a bit for me, but overall this is a book that is more than deserving of the 4 stars I'm giving it. There is definitely disturbing content but for the most part it's not too descriptive, so those of you that don't like gory or anything too detailed should be fine.

I really love a good detective novel which is exactly what I got with Hold My Hand. I was also a big fan of Josie and I liked the tie in of her becoming a copper and being involved in the same case she was involved in as a child. Things really came full circle and I enjoyed how the author tied everything together.

Final Thought: There were so many things I never saw coming and Hold My Hand definitely kept me on my toes. If you like crime and detective fiction, especially set in England, this would be a perfect book to check out. Even the parts that were slower didn't slow down my reading much and I was done in under 4.5 hours. It was basically unputdownable, and a book I will be highly recommending to my crime/detective fiction lovers out there. I can't wait to read more of Ford's novels!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

As a mum this story of a missing child is chilling - with a fast paced story, lots of surprises and some great characters.... I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review :-)

Quirky and thrilling. Decent writing style and different to what I was expecting which is always a nice surprise.

Hold My Hand by M.J. Ford
When Josie was 8 yrs old she witnessed the abduction of Dylan by a clown at the fair. Thirty years later she works as a detective at the Avon & Summerset Police Station. The abduction has always haunted her. Now another child has gone missing. Josie is pulled into the case when a body of a child is found. Are the two cases connected? Could it possibly be Dylan?

Hold My Hand kept my interest until the end. The characters were well written with a couple twists I never saw coming. Th ending ony opinion was unsatisfying and a bit rushed.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. It was very well written and the characters were well thought out.

Great book! Josephine, Josie and now as an adult Jo is the main character in this story. As a child she witnesses a boy go missing from a carnival. The boy is never found. 30 years later working as a cop she ends up on his case and the case of another missing child. Just to complicate the story a bit more her ex is also a cop and also on the case, so that leads to some interesting encounters. Furthermore with the kidnappings taking place in or near her old home time she goes back there, stays with her brother and meets other people from her past.

The book is fast moving, but not so fast that you don't get to know the characters. There are twists and turns and suspense. I had definitely not seen the ending coming! That's for sure.

Wow this book was brilliant, it drew me in from the start and I read it in two sittings. The characters were well drawn and very believable and I am looking forward to following Detective Jo Masters' story in future books.

I give this book a rating of 4 stars. This book had me in the beginning. I found it seemed kind of long throughout the middle but it picked up in the last bit of it again and I couldn’t put it down. There was quite a few twists and turns. It kept me guessing until the very end.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this fantastic read. I just loved the book, and couldn't put it down.
This is a debut novel by MJ Ford, and if this book is anything to judge by, we are in for some thrilling, enthralling and captivating reads.
In this book Josie is a police official, and the discovery of some old bones has a very personal connection for her, as she was witness to the poor boy's disappearance some 30 years later. This personal involvement made the book for me a better and thrilling read, and it engaged me on a deeper level in some way. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and can't wait to read the next one. Highly recommended.

Hold My Hand by M.J. Ford
Publisher: Avon Books UK

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Avon Books UK for the ebook ARC of Hold My Hand by M.J. Ford in exchange for an honest review.

How long do you hunt for the missing?

When a young Josie Masters sees a boy wearing a red football shirt, Dylan Jones, being taken by a clown at a carnival, she tries to alert the crowds. But it’s too late.. Dylan has disappeared.

30 years later, Josie is working as a police officer in Bath. The remains of a child with a torn red football shirt have been found. Is it the boy she saw vanish with the clown all those years ago? Or is it someone else altogether?

And then another child disappears….

I give this book a rating of 4 stars. This book had me in the beginning. I found it seemed kind of long throughout the middle but it picked up in the last bit of it again and I couldn’t put it down. There was quite a few twists and turns. It kept me guessing until the very end.

Today I am pleased to be in M J Ford's blog tour to celebrate the publication of 'Hold My Hand'.
I really enjoyed this book, it was something different from my usual choice. It is a police procedural novel which follows Josie Masters as she tries to piece together a crime she saw thirty years previously following the discovery of a young boys body. The story is told from her voice and I really enjoyed this style of writing.
The book does feature a difficult topic however it is sensitively approached and it is an addictive read. I really found it to be a book that built in intensity and the ending was fantastic. M J Ford is an author that I will be following and am eagerly awaiting their second release.

Clown is shorthand for creepy as far as I'm concerned, so I was already predisposed to have my spine chilled by this book. And it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic but creepy read i loved the story it was hard to read at times as it was a touchy subject and brought me to tears at times although i thought the ending was really strange and sad i found it a really creepy and heartbreaking ending

This is a brilliant five star modern thriller. 30 years ago an 8 year old boy goes missing. He is taken by a clown, at a funfair, as witnessed by Josie a young girl. Josie becomes a policewoman and when the body of a young boy is found, she is involved in the case. Another boy is taken! Are the crimes linked? Read on!

For some reason, I delayed reading this book but I really shouldn't have - it was excellent, well written and thoroughly enjoyable. Recommended.

Creepy, chilling - I really enjoyed it! When do you stop looking for the lost? Excellent questions raised.

Missing children, clowns, this book is slightly creepy. Fantastic book. Kept me guessing right to the end. Would definitely read another by the author.