Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

When I saw the title of this book , ' The Third Breath' I was wondering about how the title could work in a book. As usual, Malcolm takes us under his wing and slowly but thoroughly reveals all. I felt as though the story unravelled itself at a brilliant pace, not too slowly so as you lose concentration, and not too quickly so you miss bits.
I read this over a very hectic week and I could pick it up and immerse myself straight away.
I did love the FUBAR acronym 😂😂😂😂, I will try to use this.

Thanks to NetGalley, Malcolm Hollingdrake and Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read and review this cleverly written book.

This was my first introduction to both Malcolm Hollingdrake and DCI Cyril Bennett but I have a feeling it won't be my last experience with either of them. I was completely drawn in by the unique plot and despite reading lots of crime/police thrillers, I haven't come across a series of crimes like this before - top marks for creativity and imagination in coming up with something both compelling and not run-of-the-mill. Enjoyed the dual narrative between Cyril and the killer and the killer's identity being left hanging until very late on. A very well written and captivating crime thriller.

Two bodies discovered in cars with their doors ajar. No obvious cause of death and both victims relatively fit and healthy. DCI Cyril Bennett returns from leave following his father’s death to lead the investigation. The team struggle to find connections between the victims and are taunted by the killer and by the coincidences that keep cropping up.

This is a really great series by Malcolm Hollingdrake which I really enjoy reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bloodhound Books and Malcolm Hollingdrake for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books and the author, Malcolm Hollingdrake, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Third Breath in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
What a ripping good read. The author grabs your attention from the beginning and takes you on a rollercoaster ride to the end. The storyline was well written and the characters were engaging.
Well worth a read. 3.5 stars.

Can you believe it, this awesomely written series already have a book 7! The writing just gets better and comes highly recommended.

This was a book that held you in suspense whilst reading it, A body found in a car in the car park, had they been murdered? Ruled not suspicious. Another body, similar to the first, DCI Bennett is on the case. The book is very well written and the story flows, it's hard to put down, now is the wait for the next one!

I hadn’t read any of this series before, but was instantly drawn to DCI Cyril Bennet and warmed to his great team. Bennett and partner David Owen are seemingly incongruous partners – but it works! What I most loved is the completely different MO for murder from any I’d come across before – and I do love an unusual method of killing! I found the science behind it intriguing, and quite frightening. There are so many mysteries in this, the seventh in the series – and strange connections between names, places and history. I enjoyed all the strands that were woven in, as well as all the references to Victorian times. Are these connections coincidence? Or is the warped mind of the killer just highly intelligent? Bennet has an interesting, lateral way of thinking, while his partner, the lovable Owen, is clumsy, funny and apparently full of contradictions. The Third Breath reads fine as a standalone and I certainly didn’t feel I was missing anything from not having read the first six. It was quick, well-written and highly enjoyable.

BENNETT IS BACK! WOW! We made it to book seven in the series. Amazing… Could this be the toughest case yet? I am seriously loving this series and you can find all my reviews for each book by searching on my blog for them. A brilliant series.

Back to the dream team. Back home… Cyril is contending with what could possibly be the cleverest killer out there yet? However, there are far too many conincidences appearing for his liking… Leaving no traces of himself and no dark, disturbing killings how is he killing these people? Do they all have something in common? A real puzzler.

I actually learnt quite a lot from this book that I didn’t actually know. Very clever indeed, but with Bennett on your case you’re bound to be caught some how. He is one clever man with a brilliant team behind him to help.

I actually managed to read this book within a day as I have been waiting and looking forward to reading this book for a while. I can always count on Malcolm to write a belter of a book that will whisk me away to Bennett and his team. He has not let me down yet! The Third Breath reads perfectly as a standalone. A real page turner that you will want to devour in one sitting. I awarded a well deserved four stars and I hope for possibly… a book 8? Please.

I really felt in seventh heaven as soon as I opened this book. I have loved the six that came before it and have to say this is one of my favourites. My heart really went out to D.C.I. Bennett as he was facing inner torments in his personal life that I feel he still has a little way to go with yet. In his absence, D.S. Owen has been at the helm with the death of a local Harrogate man ruled as natural causes but gut instinct tells him differently. When a second similar death occurs Bennett returns to complete this awesome duo and he puts his trust in Owen in finding out what the hell is happening.
I loved this story line, which was like a Chinese puzzle for the team, how were the victims being killed, who is doing this and why? Yes they had the bodies but no idea of the cause of death. This was going to be one tough case to crack. Bennett and Owen are my Batman and Robin on my detective scale, on paper they shouldn’t work but they do, total opposites but halves that make a whole. I really couldn’t imagine a better pairing. April has also worked with them for a while. After the tragic loss of one of the team a little while ago, April is finally being accepted for her own worth rather than as a replacement. Where Bennett is logical, Owen is the gut instinct and she is more the brains and technical digger.
In this story I was privy to be in this weirdo’s head and whoa, this was a mixed up mind to poke inside! Not that I knew who the killer was. Talk about sending shivers through me, I was cringing so much just thinking how easy we trust people, oh boy, my heart was in my mouth. This was tense, it was insane and it was genius. There was a brilliant build up throughout the book and just loved the ending.
The research by the author is just outstanding again, he is a perfectionist with his story lines and very unusual methods of killing. Extremely original and totally gripping, these books are classy with humour in perfect balance!

Three and a half stars for me with this book. I have not read this author before and I will definitely read the earlier books in the series to get a better feel for the characters and their back stories. The story went from the perspective of the police to that of the perpetrator in shorter bursts as the story headed to its conclusion which increased the tension. Well told and well paced.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Malcolm Hollingdrake/Bloodhound Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

'The Third Breath' is the seventh book to feature DCI Cyril Bennett and DS David Owen in this critically acclaimed and bestselling series, set in the spa town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

DCI Bennett has decided to attend his fathers funeral when the body of David Stephens is found in his car. The death has been ruled as a death by natural causes but DS Owen, who has been left in charge whilst Cyril is away on compassionate leave, is not happy with the verdict and wants to investigate the death further to satisfy his gut instinct that something is not right about the whole incident. It takes another death in similar cirumstances to confirm Owen's instincts, and Bennett then begins to trust that his colleague is indeed onto something. The killer leaves no evidence behind so tracing him is likely to be a complex and lengthy mission. Will they be able to identify and locate this devious and highly intelligent killer before he strikes again?

This is a gripping tale which is written well and paced perfectly. I was pretty engrossed rather quickly and particularly appreciated the discussion of scientific stuff which certainly sets this book apart from the rest of the crime genre. The only other books I know that do this is the amazing CSI Eddie Collins series by Andrew Barrett. The perspectives were also pretty interesting, especially the point-of-view of the unidentified killer, I can't remember the last time I read a crime novel that includes the killers POV but it works incredibly well and kept the story fresh and interesting. The other POV is that of DCI Bennett, which talks about his fathers death as well as the case. I must admit that I loved the effortlessness of the prose as it made the story very readable with everyrthing flowing beautifully chapter-to-chapter, and I had quite a bit of trouble putting it down due to this.

Main protagonist Cyril is one of my favourite police investigators in the genre at the moment and his relationship with David Owen is wonderfully contrasting. The fact that they're polar opposites works extremely well - Cyril has impeccable manners, is intelligent and has an eye for the ladies. David, on the other hand, is naive and untidy but keen. They are definitely chalk and cheese but this is what makes them such a formidable team! I really would recommend reading the previous books before embarking on this one as some of the content references past events, which would be rather perplexing to those joining this series with this book. My only slight criticism is that the denouement left a lot to be desired and I felt some of the questions I had collected in my mind throughout the book were left unanswered. However, this didn't affect my overall enjoyment.

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

This is book number 7 in the D.I. Bennett series, it could be read as a standalone but for background information then I recommend you read the other books first.

It is a well written and well researched, unique crime thriller that I totally recommend.

When did we get to book 7 in this series? DCI Bennett and his team are investigating a series of murders. A strange MO in this one and such a great plot! I love the character development of Owen and April and there are some great twists in the story. I would recommend this book and author. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviewed on Goodreads and Facebook with Amazon to follow.

This is the seventh outing for DCI Bennett and his team and I was so looking forward to reading it. It is not in the same calibre as his others. Bodies are found dead in their cars. No trauma to the bodies, no signs of a struggle and the only findings from the PM conclude possible asphyxiation but how?
I must admit that the method of killing was ingenious but as for the reasons I am so confused. The reasons they gave wre unbelievable and I was getting frustrated. I found it very hard to finish this book. Definitely not on par with his others.
I would like to thank the author Malcolm Hollingdrake, Bloodhound books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Once again the author delivers a story that keeps you guessing right until the end . Gripping and breathtaking ,in my opinion it's the best in the series yet

This is the seventh book in the DCI Bennett series. I have read and loved all of them. As usual the suspense and twists and had me reading late into the night.. It was a really enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more about DCI Cyril Bennett soon.

Yet another superbly written book in the DCI Cyril Bennett series. Bennett is attending his fathers funeral , meanwhile a murder investigation is under way by his DS John Owen after the discovery of a body in a car. . I floundered slightly with the technical, scientific material and description, albeit being explained well. Great detective work as usual by Bennett and his team as they try to solve the case.. Learning more of the personal side to Bennetts character is enjoyable.. Not a fast paced thrillers such but a very well plotted book. A brilliant series.

The Third Breath is the seventh book in the DCI Bennet series. It doesn't seem like two minutes ago since I started the first book. In those seven books, I have seen the authors confidence grow and flourish. Bennett and Owen have come on in leaps and bounds for me and I really enjoy the comfortable banter between the two.

My heart went out to Bennett, having to deal with the death of his father. It's not something that he has fully come to terms with and luckily for him he has a juicy case to investigate.

The case that Bennett and his team are working on is a strange one to say the least. From the first murder I could never have envisioned what a dark and twisted path the author was going to take me on and I loved every minute of it.

I can't go into too much detail as I wouldn't want to spoil it for other readers but this has to be one of the most unusual cases as well as how the murderer goes about killing his victims. It makes for an intriguing and fascinating read.

The Third Breath is a gripping page turner of a read. I would go as far as to say that it is my new personal favourite in the series. It ticked so many boxes and I love that even though this is the seventh book in the series, the author never fails to shock and surprise me. A very clever crime novel.

An interesting read, the story floated around a lot and this added to the mystery, but it all fell into place at the end. Not sure if I really enjoyed the ending, but the reading journey was fascinating and page turning.