My review is written with thanks to Noelle at Bookouture for inviting me to take part and for providing my copy of the book via Netgalley.
Melissa Sanderson has the perfect life: a lovely house, a doting husband and an adorable little girl. But when her husband, Darrel, returns from a night out and discovers that she has been brutally murdered, it's clear that not everything as is it seems. Detective Inspector (DI) Harte and her team are called to investigate. Can they find out what happened to Melissa?
I have read some thrillers where the author builds the scene and allows the reader to become comfortable with the characters and their lives before the plot sparks into life. Kovach is not one of these authors, and Her Final Hour is not one of those books. In the prologue, there is a rape and in the first chapter, the victim is found tied to a chair having been assaulted and murdered. Kovach dives straight in at the deep end, and from there, the tension is relentless. Her Final Hour has plenty of violence and gore, so it is not for the faint hearted, but I loved that Kovach does not shy away from the gruesome aspects of police work.
At the beginning of the book, there is a dedication to people suffering with mental health issues. As someone who suffers with mental health issues, I appreciated this, and the reason for its inclusion becomes clear as the novel progresses. In Her Final Hour, Kovach explores many themes, including misogyny, sexual violence, domestic violence and PTSD. These are not pleasant subjects to read (and I imagine write) about, but it is important to acknowledge that they happen, and I felt so angry on the victims' behalf that I had to read on to find out if justice would be served.
Having enjoyed ​The Next Girl​, ​I was pleased to see that DI Gina Harte has made a return to our shelves. In Her Final Hour, I felt that the characters on her team developed more than Gina herself, but I still admired her determination and passion for her work (even if she did take it to the extreme at times). I am confident that she still has a lot more to give, an I look forward to reading more as the series continues.

Gina Harte is returning to work after a break up with her supervisor and is immediately faced with a terrifying homicide. She questions her abilities and her supervisor's motivations behind placing her in charge. But of course Harte is relentless in her pursuit of the person responsible for the crime, and the next crime whose relatedness seems shaky. I do not feel like I am giving a spoiler, but during the course of the investigation, Harte is attacked, but continues to carry forth hunting down the killer. This bothered me. It is not Ms. Kovach's fault but I am tired of female main characters who are supposedly strong women becoming victims in their own story. If Harte were male would this have happened? I am struggling trying to think of a single male detective that has been attacked in any of my readings. Other than my big issue with this scenario, I did enjoy continuing to get to know Detective Harte and look forward to her future cases.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc.

I kept feeling a weird sense of deja vu while reading this book. I know it's been a long while since The Stepford Wives (Ira Levin) but.... Maybe that interfered with my enjoyment of the book. The story was okay, but felt unnecessarily long to me with all the digressions into the characters' past hurts and traumas and the endless feeling of their repetitiousness.

I had a tough time connecting to the characters as well. Maybe some of that was due to my issues with the story.
I found it difficult to reconcile their pasts with their present effectiveness.

Overall 2.5 stars rounded up.

This is the second in the Detective Gins Hart series. The first one was explosive but this one is WOW!!!!!!!
I devoured this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. I avidlyturned the pages of this book and delved into the depravity. The dramatic climax left me speechless.
This book took me on a rollercoaster, my heart was racing and my blood was pumping. It is true what they say You Never Know What Goes On Behind Closed Doors.
The premise of this book is men are kings and women are subservient. Now put a group of likeminded men together and let their depraved imaginations run wild all to the detriment of the female race.
It is an excellent read, gritty, horrific and one of the best domestic noir/ psychological thrillers I have ever read. Can't wait foe the next in this exhilarating series.
I would like to thank the author Carla Kovach, Bookouture and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

After reading the first in this series The Next Girl, I was so excited to receive a copy of Her Final Hour. I wasn’t disappointed.
After having a well-deserved mini break away and not even unpacked her bags, Detective Gina Harte gets a phone call that there has been a murder. Wife and Mother Melissa Sanderson is found tied to a chair and strangled with blue cord of washing line and with her child Mia screaming uncontrollable upstairs. Melissa had the perfect life. She has a lovely home with husband Darrell. But all is not as it seems. Their marriage is struggling. Darrel is playing away and Melissa drinks. Darrell seems innocent of murder but, Melissa’s lover is in the frame for her murder.
Detective Gina is made Senior Investigating Officer of the case. But, as she investigates we slowly learn some of the history of the victims involves experiencing physical abuse, rape and sexual discrimination, brings back memories for Gina of her abusive relationship with her late husband Terry to cope with but also the ending with her relationship with her boss Briggs. She is finding it hard. But, with her stubborn attitude and strong determination she doesn’t stop until she finds the killer.
Wow like the first book in the series I loved this especially the strong will of Gina. Whatever happened to her, she carried on regardless. She didn’t stop until she caught the killer. The storyline was intriguing it kept me wanting more and I didn’t want it to stop. It was quite sinister in parts too. I can’t wait to hear more from this series. Will Gina ever get her own happy ending?
Thank you Bookoutre and NetGalley for a copy off this book.

A woman is found murdered in her home. The woman was a wife and mother, and the murder scene doesn't add up with the life the woman appeared to be living. Detective Gina Harte is assigned the case, and soon realizes there is more to the case than originally thought.

Her Final Hour is the second book in the Detective Gina Harte series by Carla Kovach. I have not read the first book in this series, but this one was easily read as a standalone.

This book opens with a prologue of a woman being sexually assaulted in 1993, then the current story starts with a woman's murder in 2018. Her Final Hour is told with multiple viewpoints, so the reader is aware of not only Gina's investigation, but also those involved with the crimes. This works fine for the story, and it's nice to get points of views from both sides. There is an extensive cast of characters, and plenty happening to keep the reader engaged with the story.

Gina is smart and tough. She has a difficult past that involves a lot of abuse, so she relates to the victims of the crimes she investigates on a personal level. She's also stronger for surviving her past and making something with her life.

A dark and twisty mystery. Good for fans of crime fiction, especially for those who enjoy books with strong female detectives.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You only have to be a good woman. Simple, no?

Sometimes a story has to build up to a crescendo. Sometimes it starts in the middle of the action. This book can be categorized in the second group. Straight from the beginning you have to buckle up and there is never a lull. I was so immersed that I had to finish the book in one go.

It was cruel, gripping, fluently written and fast-paced. Everything a thriller needs to be.

I, unfortuntely, did not read the first book, but this one can easily be read as a standalone.

So, after reading this book the author leaves me no choice. I have to add her to my list of favourites.

Thank you, Carla Kovach, Bookouture and Netgalley.

DI Gina Harte has just returned home to Cleevesford from a short holiday spent with her daughter and granddaughter when she gets called to work. A murder. A 35-year-old wife and mother, Melissa Sanderson, was beaten and strangled to death in her own kitchen. Harte is made Senior Investifating Officer (which thrills her as it will be her first time and a huge step in her career) and she and her team begin to gather and follow the few clues and leads that will soon spiral into quite the case. There's no shortage of motives and suspects -- could it be Melissa's own husband who found her body and called police when he came home after a night out at the pub? Or is it Melissa's secret lover? Then there's the personal attack on Gina Harte herself. And yet another victim. In all 3 cases, there are some links and similarities. Gina and her fellow detectives are frustrated and stalled at every turn in this complex crime investigation. Painstaking attention to detail and chasing down people who may or may not be involved is going to take some doing.

I enjoyed this fast-paced police procedural, the second in the series. I like Gina Harte's character and she is working on achieving some personal growth with issues in her own life while still staying focused on her job. The personalities of the other members of the team are becoming more solid but there is still a long way to go before they become more than one-dimensional as the focus is mainly on Gina. It seems that in many books like this that the female detectives are messed up and have difficulty with relationships and I hope that Gina can break out of that mold. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Thank you to netgalley and Bookoutre for my ARC of Her Final Hour. I am new to the series, but was able to dive into Detective Gina Harte’s story fairly easily. This was thanks to the great writing by Carla Kovach. As a police procedural and mystery, Detective Harte and her team are called in to investigate the death of a woman in her own home, the murder, most unpleasant. As murders tend to be. With a vast cast of motley characters we’re just not sure which one was responsible. Keeping you guessing with great pacing, flashbacks and non stop action this is a series to follow. I expect more great stories coming from the author and look forward to reviewing her other works.

Great book. Suspens throughout. Hated every man involved. Could’ve put it down. Love DI Harte and look forward to the next one. Stepford wives indeed

AFter I read the first Gina Harte book, I was interested in seeing how she evolved as a character. In this book, we go more into her as a person, her past, and her present, so I was pleased by discovering more about her. The storyline, though, for this book, was simply not for me. The whole notion of the "Stepford Wives" thing has been done to death and most of the male characters in this book were simply horrible with no redeeming values at all.
I do look forward to the next Harte story, though, because I find Gina Harte a great female character to read.

Did not finish

Part of the official description of this book is that Melissa Sanderson is the perfect wife and mother, which should have raised some red flags, but calling a character’s life perfect at the beginning is so overused, I glossed right over it.

The book’s dedication, urging people with depression, anxiety, and addiction not to give up was positive for me. Always good to hear words like this.

However, in the first chapter I imagined the comments I might get back from my editor if this were my book: too many rhetorical questions, too much “telling”, infodump, repetition. All this while the perfect character is being murdered.

Very sorry to leave a negative review. For me, the story was lost in the clunky writing.

Still not sure about this l was at a disadvantage because l hadn’t read Book 1 but apart from that l felt there were lots of characters and the reason behind the crimes was a little weak and contrived just can’t believe their values would survive in today’s world.

I'd not read the first in this series so joined with some already established characters, but that didn't diminish the enjoyment of this sinister mystery. It would have had five stars had it not been for the every so slightly unrealistic premise which lay behind the plot and the seeming indestructibility of the chief protagonist. Good stuff.

Her Final Hour is book 2 in the Detective Gina Harte series and I am happy to report that it is just as twisty and dark but enjoyable as the first book which I absolutely loved. Gina is a strong, determined and at times extremely stubborn character.... love her... let there be more like her.

Gina returns home from a short break to be called to the scene of a murdered woman... Melissa is found bound to a chair and straggled. From the outside it appears that she had the perfect life but looks can be deceiving. The more that this case it investigated the darker it becomes. There are some rather nasty characters in this book but that just makes it better. Gina won't give up until the murderer is found and justice is served... putting her own life in danger.

With a gorgeous cover this is a book... and series not to be missed. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This is book 2 in the Gina Harte series and I am really enjoying the character development. It was slow to start off but quickly exploded with murder, rape and lies. The plot was quite compulsive and I really did not see the twist at the end. My thanks to Net Galley for my copy. An author to follow. Reviewed on Goodreads and Facebook with Amazon to follow on publication day.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is the second in the series of DI Gina Harte. I was worried that the author wouldn't be able to match the first but I am happy to say she surpassed my expectations.

DI Harte returns from her mini vacation to be instantly called to a murder scene. A young mother has been found by her husband bound to a chair and strangled whilst their toddler daughter is crying in her bedroom. As Gina investigates it seems all is not as it appears, the marriage is not made of dreams.

There are a whole host of unlikable and downright cold and nasty characters in this book but that all adds to the drama and tension. I love the dynamics of Gina and her team including her boss. Gina is also a particularly admirable strong female lead after the battles she has endured in her family life. Hopefully no 3 in the series won't be too long.

I’m loving Gina Harte, what a wonderful
character has been created here. Great plot too. I love a good police procedural and this is really good. I’m going to be looking out for more.

I am a huge fan of detective series books, where you can really familiarise yourself with the characters and combine this with a fantastic storyline. This book did not disappoint!

This is the second book in the Gina Harte detective series and this certainly lived up to the gripping plot with twists and turns which were found in the first book. The characters are believeable and credible and the storyline kept you gripped throughout.

I couldn’t put this book down and certainly can’t wait for the third instalment if this fantastic series!

I couldn't wait to start this book. After reading book one I knew to expect a high standard of reading and a story that was going to grip you. I wasn't disappointed.
Melissa Sanderson seems to be the lady that has it all, the perfect life. We always say though, you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Living with her husband Darrell and their beautiful baby girl Mia. Life is about to change in this lovely cul-de-sac.
Detective Gina Harte has just arrived back from a holiday, she's not even had time to get changed before she's back working. Working a murder case that is not only confusing but brutal.
There are a number of characters in this book that I really didn't like. ( I don't think I was supposed to like them) You have the feeling of knowing what is going to happen, yet there is nothing you can do. This book was brilliantly written, and I'm concerned should I write any of what went on in the story, it would give away to many spoilers, and I don't want to be doing that.
What I can say is this book grips you, it keeps you going, keeps you wanting and needing more. It has you holding your breath, the suspense is wonderfully done.
Getting to know Gina Harte just that little bit more is good, I can see a lot more good coming from this character, and I for one certainly can't wait for the next instalment.