I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Then She Ran, a police procedural featuring George Elms of the Langthorne police.

Jenny doesn't understand why her boyfriend, Joe, is hustling her out their hotel room and into the car, nor why they are being shot at but she does understand his command to run so she does and keeps going. With most of Langthorne's finest occupied with this incident it is left to George Elms to investigate the fatal shooting of Janice Wingmore during a botched robbery at her isolated farm.

Wow, what a high octane, exhilarating read. I thoroughly enjoyed Then She Ran and was so glued to the pages I read it in one sitting. The novel is told alternately by Jenny and George as both try to work out what is going on in their separate situations, George with his case and Jenny with why someone would want to kill her. The plotting is excellent as Mr Gallagher gradually brings the two cases together in several unexpected and devious ways - the twists involved are clever and unforeseeable. Most of the action surrounds Jenny as she fights for her life whereas George's case is more information based.

I really enjoy Mr Gallagher's writing which is a mixture of procedure and pulse pounding action. This novel is no different with plenty of guns and car chases on the one hand and George tearing up the rule book to get a result on the other. It is violent and probably overdone but the basic motives behind the crimes are realistic and believable.

George Elms is burying himself in work because his private life is not going well. As a result he is a bit of a workaholic and very probably an absolute pain to his colleagues in his quest for justice. He is manipulative and fights dirty to get the information he needs as in his mind nobody else's priorities take precedence over his. Team player? Definitely not. This makes him sound like a ghastly character but, in fact, he's very likeable with his overriding concern for the victims.

Then She Ran is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Jenny Harris is woken by her boyfriend in the early morning hours, panic stricken, he tells her to grab their baby, they have to leave NOW! He ushers her where she sees the men who are coming after them. She sees her boyfriend killed in front of her .. his last word to her was RUN!

So Jenny ran .. and ran ... and the men are still after her. She has presence of mind to get her baby to safety. And then she runs some more. A kind gentleman offers to help her ... she sees him murdered in front of her. Jenny keeps running. Anyone who seems to help her in any way winds up dead. Who are these people and why do they want her dead?

Detective George Elms is investigating a separate crime. Someone has murdered an elderly woman in the doorway of her own home. Her husband of 62 years doesn't remember much ..only someone wanting the money. What money?

Well written, this is a fast-paced, breath-taking crime thriller. THEN SHE RAN is 5th in the Langthorne Police Series but is easily read as a stand-alone. The characters are credible and finely drawn. Elms is a very good detective, his mind constantly working on whatever case is before him. In this one, his personal life gets in the way of his usual clear thinking ... and he makes mistakes.

I highly recommend this book, and the series, to anyone who likes crime fiction.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the advanced copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Then She Ran is a U. K. crime thriller written by author Charlie Gallagher. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the advance copy.