This is a bit of a slow burner but quickly escalated into a very satisfying read, cleverly plotted read. I liked Sean, he is an interesting character with lots going on at work and in his personal life. There was plenty of tension throughout but I didn't like the ending. I would recommend to lovers of crime thrillers. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, another great read. I have now read two books with DC Blake and have found them to be a great read. There is always something going on to keep you interested. I will definitely continue to read these books

My thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC.
I'm so glad I requested this book to review! Chris Simms isn't an author I've heard of before, but after reading this book I plan on remedying that. I have a weakness for police procedurals that take place in the U.K. I'm not quite sure why that is, but I do know that I love the banter. Also, they seem to accomplish much without having to shoot people. This book hit all the right spots for me, and I'll admit that at the beginning I was kind of amused at people getting killed and having their phones shoved down their throats. Yeah, I know. That's horrible, Lisa! I can't help it. I'm just one of those people who are getting terribly pissed off at being forced to listen to people's conversations. Anywho, I'd recommend this book.

DC Sean Blake, a rookie with the Serious Crime Unit, has an inauspicious first day. Included with a group of detectives, he is sent to pick up a murder suspect. Unfortunately, the suspect gets away leaving Blake's partner severely injured and Blake being blamed for not doing more to help his partner.

Now confined to a desk job, he is investigating for a string of murders that have no rhyme or reason. Women are being found dead in their homes, their cell phone rammed down their throat and in all but the first woman found, they also are found without their tongues.

The women seem to have willingly let the killer into their homes. There are no defensive cuts or bruises, no one has seen anyone come or go, there is no motive. Even the victims themselves have nothing in common ... old, young, blonde, brunette .. it seems that no womn is safe. Why were these women targeted?

Feeling like he doesn't quite belong, Blake nevertheless puts in the hours needed to pour through CCTV video, looking at telephone records, making endless phone calls. What he finds might be the lead everyone is looking for.

I really enjoy the character of Sean Blake. He's young, but so ambitious. He's been the carer of his mother for many years. She was a policewoman before an accident put her in a wheelchair. He loves his mom and doesn't resent having to take care of her ... BUT ... he also wishes she wouldn't interfere with everything he does .. or doesn't do. Watching their relationship is like peeking through a neighbor's window.

This is a terrific police procedural, convincingly depicting the activities of the Serious Crime Unit. The characters are credible, pacing is steady from the very first page to the explosive ending. I look forward to seeing more of DC Blake in the future.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime drama. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Loose Tongues is a fast-paced police procedural thriller that follows the story of a newly-qualified Detective Constable Sean Blake. Mostly told in Sean’s POV, we were able to follow the development of the investigation. Also, we get to know the young detective a little deeper and see how his mother’s condition affected him. We also get to witness the killings, the MO, and what motivates him as the narrative switches to that of the killer, in which case, the readers knows a lot more information about what’s happening than the police.

With well-developed and easy to identify with characters and an interesting plot, it makes for an entertaining and somewhat suspenseful read. Although predictable, I greatly enjoyed getting to know the characters and following the case’s progress. It may not be exceptional but the author certainly delivered an engaging story that’s worth your time. A solid start of a series and I’ll definitely watch out for the next case of DC Sean Blake.

Title was archived before I could review it sadly. Guess I will have to buy it if I would like to read it. I am new to the Galley and was not aware of the fact that the archival date meant that I could not access the title anymore. Too bad

'Loose Tongues' is the first book to feature newbie Detective Sean Blake of the Manchester Serious Crime Unit (SCU). Once again Chris Simms has created a thoroughly thrilling and entertaining read which has so many twisty surprises in store for the reader. He is adept at ratcheting up the tension throughout the book, and the concluding part is particularly exciting - there are some fantastic shocks in store!

The case is a difficult one to solve as all of the evidence is circumstantial but still the police focus on that one person, and although I have seen this happen many times on television programmes, I'm not sure whether this really reflects what actually happens in real police work. One of the aspects that intrigued me the most was that the whole way through the reader has more information at hand than the investigators, and the points of view - told primarily from Sean Blake's perspective but we also get to see from the unknown killers POV too - adds further interest to the storyline. I must also mention Sean's mother, a disabled character. We rarely see disability represented in books, and it appears to be even rarer in crime fiction, so I particularly appreciated this being a disability campaigner.

Overall, this is an engrossing and riveting read, and although some of the occurrences lacked believability and realism, I was able to overlook this as the writing was beautifully flowing and the story interesting. The ending laid the foundations for upcoming additions to the series, and I look forward to indulging in them when available.

Many thanks to Severn House Publishers for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I would like to say those police thrillers not my thing or thrillers in general, but I find myself going and requesting them from Severn house( so thank you Netggaly and Severn House for this Arc opportunity); They know how to pick suspenseful ones. So in this book, we follow Dc Sean Blake a new detective that started working on chilling murders case. Slowly the story unfolds and we follow the detectives and the killer. Well, I would like to say twisted murders well done. I really enjoyed that the murders were weird and actually the way the killer approached his victims was cunning. One thing that bothered me was that the writer was switching person to person and it was taking me a while to actually connect that was someone else, but after a few chapters I got used the style and was more careful when reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and how it panned out. Obviously, want to talk about it more, but don't want to give spoilers.

Also, want to add that the note of the writer was funny, saying to people not to email him about the timings with the police and that it's just a novel. Loved that part!

Well, here comes my usual question:
Do I suggest for all of you to read this book?

Yes, especially if you are a fan of police thrillers or thrillers in general. Also, it would have made a good tv show just saying.

One of my favourite authors. I've read all seven books in the DI Jon Spicer series and the two books devoted to Iona Khan. This is a departure - detective constable Sean Blake has just been moved to a DC and transferred to Serious Crimes unit. He lives at home with his mother. She was a uniformed police sergeant until she was hit by a car in the line of duty and left partially paralysed. Sean was 10 years old at the time and became her carer. He didn't have friends of his own age, the only friends he made were fellow carers. Barnados would arrange for them to have a much needed holiday away. He keeps in touch with them on Social Media. He rarely goes out to a Pub or nightclub.
There has been a murder and they have a suspect, but during an arrest operation, it goes wrong. You are aware of a man who has problems with women and is plotting his revenge. A good police procedural as well as social comment. You are rooting for Sean to succeed. Very much keeps you on the edge of your seat as you follow the story. Highly recommended I enjoyed it very much. See my full review on Euro-Crime website.

Nicely done procedural set in Manchester with an intriguing protagonist in Sean. The actual murder mystery- women found in their homes with their cellphones shoved down past their partially carved off tongues- was almost less interesting to me (although it's twisty) than Sean's relationships. This is your classic tortured detective- except that this is the first time I've read one where the detective is a carer for his mom, a disabled former police officer. The politics within the Serious Crime Unit were also intriguing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was my first book by Simms and I'm going to look for his work again.

This is a good, well paced, police procedural with an unusual premise of women being murdered, all with mobile phones forced down their throats.
The lead character / policeman is new to his role and who has an overbearing mother (who used to be in the police and was badly injured whilst working) who adds to his stress.

I found it very slow in parts but worth sticking with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 *

The debut book for a new series starring DC Sean Blake

DC Sean Blake is thrown into the deep end on his first day in the Serious Crimes Unit with the Greater Manchester Police. He becomes involved in a series of brutal and sadistic killings and also, inadvertently, manages to turn into the office pariah through no fault of his own.

His home life is extensively described. Living with his ex-copper mother who is now permanently in a wheelchair following a hit-and-run, he feels that he is hemmed in. The claustrophobic element of this and the confirmation of a nagging feeling that his mother had something to do with his promotion to DC continues to chip away at his own self-esteem.

The characters are well-portrayed in this book and the plot moves with pace. I did, however, have some misgivings about the frequency of the acts committed by the central perpetrator. I do not think that so many would have been committed in such a relatively short time.

Notwithstanding, Chris Simms has written a good opening novel for what would seem to be a new character for this series.

Sméagol

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Simms has written an engrossing thriller that keeps you turning pages until the end. Look forward to more from this author.

My tongue is wagging after finishing this book. A procedural with complex, well-developed characters, Loose Tongues is really addictive. Dead women appear in the Great Manchester area with their cell phones stuck in their mouths and missing their tongue. Now, most of all might have wanted to do that to an obnoxious patron in a restaurant but who could be doing it for real? The detectives investigating this case hit the ground running. Sean is a newbie. His Mom was a copper once, but retired due to an injury that left her in a wheelchair. Sean is very, very likable. He is young and should be hanging out at bars and, instead, he is taking care of his Mom and working very hard to become a good police officer. Like everywhere in life, some of his coworkers are nice people who want to help, and some are jerks. And his Mom… like all moms, she means well, even if sometimes she is a little overbearing. She was my least favorite character. I understood her actions and motivations, but she was a little smothering. The killer is not a nice guy either, but he is not cartoonishly bad and, in a way, he has a point. The victims are (mostly) such horrible people that, if the bad guy wasn’t so much worse, it would not have been hard to sympathize. So, in short, this novel has it all: a solid plot and good characters, what’s not to like.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Severn House!

I can’t start my review without pointing out how bloody CREEPY the cover of this book is. A whole plethora of things went through my mind when I saw it. *shivers* – LOVE IT! Right then, let’s get started!

Set in Manchester, the reader is faced with guilt, anger, power, revenge, resentment, control, vulnerability, family dynamics, the need to prove onself, rejection, fear of failure and the search for justice/the truth.

Nothing excites me more than a new series and this one kicks off with an almighty BOOM! 💥 A fast-paced, tautly written, and extremely intriguing plot kept me glued to the pages. There was great character development and I loved how we learn more as the story goes on. But there is still so much more to learn, so I am seriously looking forward to where this series leads in the future. Although it is told mainly from DC Blake’s perspective, we also get to see things through the eyes of the killer on occassion and this added to the suspense as the reader often knew more than the police did! When done well, this really adds to a story in my opinion, and Mr Simms nailed it! The tension built up at a perfect pace until the revelations and conclusions were made and again, that added to the overall enjoyment of the read for me.

DC Sean Blake is a fabulous character, slightly overshadowed by his mother who seems to want to carry on her previously successful career with the police through her son. Blake is a newbie and after an incident which shocks his colleagues, he is pretty much left on his own …well, sort of! So not only does he have to prove himself at work, he also has issues at home with his mother … and this leads to drastic measures… but you’ll have to read the book to find out more. I found Blake to be a very likeable and realistic character. I’d definitely like to come across him again in future books!

Although there were many great characters I could easily ramble on about, I really just want to mention the killer. The reader knows early on who this is, I have to say I was completely fascinated by the killers motivation and really enjoyed the scenes where we learn a bit more. Part of me actually empathised (I know, right!?🙈) with the killer, but I think many people would 🤣 However, I am not sure I would kill someone … well, who knows… *kidding*

Would I recommend this book? Hell yeah, I would – of that there can be no doubt! This was a fantastically written storyline, with highly relateable characters and some OMG-moments that seriously kept me wanting more! Definitely worth grabbing a copy of Loose Tongues – aptly named by the way – and I hope to see more of DC Blake in the future!

Chris Simms has done it again. Loose Tongues is the first in the series about DC Sean Blake. DC Blake has started his first day in the Serious Crimes Dept and he is sent out to arrest a man who has been strangling women and placing their phones in their mouths. Mr. Simms does not disappoint the reader. This novel is packed with suspense and will have you rooting for the good guys. The characters make this book even more enjoyable and you hope that you will learn more about them. I now have a new favorite author and cannot wait for another in this series. You will have trouble putting this one down.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

5+++ stars ⭐️ out 5

First in a thrilling new series featuring DC Sean Blake. New to the Serious Crimes Unit, Blake and his colleagues race to solve a rash of gruesome murders. Heart pounding action throughout and a variety of characters we’d like to get to know better.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
DC Sean Blake's first day on the job is not an easy one. He has joined the Serious Crime Unit, but is feeling like a fish out of water. His mother used to be a policewoman, but ended up in a wheelchair after a serious car accident. Sean has been her carer ever since, not exactly giving him a normal upbringing and his people skills are not up to par. I liked him a lot, feeling sorry for him because he really has no private life and his mum tends to interfere too much with his work. His one escape is logging onto the Snowdonia Wolf Sanctuary, where he has 'adopted' one of the wolves...I thought that was a terrific touch in the book.
He and policewoman Magda, originally from Romania, share the feeling of being outside and looking in, and slowly form a camaraderie, which I found quite enjoyable
The case the SCU is tasked with is a particularly tough one: someone is killing women, asphyxiating them and stuffing their cellphones down their throats and taking their tongues.
Manchester is afraid and the police are under great pressure to solve this case and lock up the perpetrator.
The story features chapters that show us the killer's point of view, and he's obviously mad, but the violent scenes are not overly graphic, which was a relief.
The ending was a bit predictable, but still had an element of surprise.
It's an enjoyable book, well written with believable characters, I even liked Sean's mum, who can be irritating, but her heart's in the right place. Hopefully this is the first in a series, because I would like to meet these characters again.

I was lucky to be allowed to review this book, and am I pleased I was.. I have read many of Chris Simms previous novels but this is the first of the Sean Blake of the Manchester Police Serious Crime Unit I have read.

Sean is on his first day in the job when he is sent out to help apprehend the prime suspect in a series of brutal murders where young women are suffocated in their own home and their phone stuffed down their throat..
Loose Tongues is a fast and pacey page turner and you are kept engrossed from the beginning. Sean Blake the Central Police Office is facing his first day in CID and all doesn't go well for him. .It's refreshing to read about his normal if difficult home life too. As for the crime I think many of us could identify with the perpetrator if not his action.. The fact that this was told from the perspective of an inexperienced junior detective rather than a DI/DCI is a refreshing change,.. When the motive and MO for the murders was revealed, it was one that I had not seen before. The ending seemed to pave the way for future books in this series and I will be keen to read them if any more materialise.. As for the crime I think many of us could identify with the perpetrator.

I was lucky enough to be given an advanced readers copy of Loose Tongues by Chris Simms to read in return for my opinion.
I am so glad I did not pass on the chance to review this book. The storyline was well thought out and fast paced. I really enjoyed it. As a thriller, it promised a lot from the description , then delivered within the pages.
Thankyou to NetGalley, Severne House and Chris Simms for the opportunity to read this novel. I would definitely recommend this book.