This was a cracking read. I hadn’t read any of this writers work before, and I do love a good crime book. I did pick the ending though fairly early on, but sometimes I’m more attuned to plots than others.
The lace was good, storyline was strong and when I first started to read it, thought I was on book 2. But the storyline expanded and as it thickened, the characters development did too.
Really enjoyable, I’ll definitely read the next one.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy and bring able to review.

Very good solid thriller!

4,5 Stars

The book opens with a very frightening incident to every parent: two little girls go missing from their school, potentially kidnapped.
Luckily, the reader only follows the work of the police force - and don't get an insight into the fate of Emily and Sian. I can barely stomach such stories, and don't want to 'experience' them too closely.

But as I said, we accompany Detective Karen Hart and her colleagues trying to solve the case by following several leads. To me their course of action seemed quite real. The writing style was straight forward - clean and cut to the chase. Just the way I like it.

At the end several loose ends were tied up. That was a bit too much, too unreal. But I very much enjoyed the rest of the book.

police procedural in its genre andcwhikst an easy read wasn’t quite the page turner i was expecting.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A really good start to a new series. I loved the character of Karen Hart and the detail in the book. Told from a police point of view rather than the missing girls. The story line was excellent, I loved the Lincolnshire setting and the writing was very detailed. I only have one complaint and that is, I thought the ending was a bit rushed. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

This is everything that a psychological thriller/mystery should be! The plot moved fast and kept me wanting more. I am definitely going to read more from this author!

I enjoyed this mystery. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The characters were well thought out and written. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Ten year old Emily Dean and her best friend Sian Gibson disappear from their primary school in Heighington. DS Hart and her team are tasked to investigate but she is already on alert as nineteen year old Amy Fisher disappeared from a nearby farm, owned by Nigel Palmer, eighteen months previously.

Hart is sure that the two crimes are linked and that the Palmer family are involved but her boss DI Scott Morgan is not convinced. Is she seeing links where there are none, just like after the accident when she lost her family?

This is the first in the DS Hart series and the first book I’ve read by DS Butler. It was a well written police procedural with a good cast of characters and plenty of suspects which captures the shear terror of a child going missing.

DS Hart is an interesting character. She relies on her gut and really goes beyond the call of duty to help victims. Throughout the book she really struggles to keep it together and rein in her temper which considering she lost her family, including her young daughter I found understandable. Then we have DI Scott who is a bit of a mystery, relying on evidence, seems a little cold and remote too. I’m hoping in the next book we get to really dig into his character a bit more.

There’s also the junior members of the team, DC Rick Cooper and Sophie Jones. Sophie is the more junior of the two but is very ambitious and has a tendency to where her emotions on her sleeve. Then there’s Rick who’s a self confessed ladies man and a bit of a charmer but he has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know. They both play off each nicely and their competitiveness added a nice bit of conflict.

I have to be honest while I did enjoy the book, I just didn’t quite get that urgency to find out the who, what and why behind the crime which I usually get with this type of novel. Of course that is probably down to me as I read a book recently with a fairly similar storyline.

Overall Bring Them Home is a solid start to a series that I look forward to reading more of and a must for fans of police procedurals.

This book was a bit of an unusual read because it was purely from the points of view of the police investigating the disappearance of these two little girls.

DS Hart and her team try and figure out what has happened to two little girls who go missing after they leave school a bit early one day. There are suspects galore, parents who have secret lives and the dynamics between the police team are still getting established. I quite like reading a series from the beginning and I am looking forward to reading books by this author, and books in this series in particular. I thought the characterisations were well done and the storyline flowed.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

I have really enjoyed reading this book,Every mother's nightmare two little girls go missing and Detective Karen Hart is called in to investigate.The search is on but karen has a feeling that this case is connected to a case of a missing girl eighteen months ago which is still unsolved.Karen has a hunch but her bosses are reluctant to let her go down that path again so the search continues and plenty are questioned.If you want to know what happens then read the book.well worth 5*

I have really enjoyed this book. It's well written and well planned with an interesting group of detectives. I found myself connecting with their personal lives, and that made the book special for me. They weren't just cardboard detectives. They had depth and interesting backgrounds. Two ten-year-old girls, Sian and Emily, go missing in a tight-knit village. in Lincolnshire. I couldn't help thinking the title of the book was a dead giveaway which may have detracted slightly from the suspense and been a little predictable, but I had to find out the outcome which proved to be hair-raising. There were a lot of twists and turns on the way. Well-meaning villagers sent the team on wild goose chases. The case also opened old wounds revealing some well-hidden secrets and an old unsolved case. At one point it concerned me that DS Karen Hart may have been over-eager to lock up a suspect on the flimsiest of evidence. She's a hunch-detective whereas her Boss is a by-the-book type. The Amy Fisher disappearance eighteen months earlier which was unsolved seemed to obscure her judgement. It was intriguing to dip into Karen's earlier tragedies and her coping mechanisms as well as Rick's home problems. A race-against-time ending where Karen shows her plucky approach in the knowledge that time is crucial. When you get down to the nitty-gritty of the past it all falls into place and no stone is left unturned. Goodness me, it all goes on in these villages!!!! Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I'm so glad I requested this book from NetGalley.

This book was wonderful. It catches you from the first chapter and keeps you interested throughout the whole book.

DS Karen Hart is a detective that has a weight on her shoulders due to losing not one but two people in her life. She investigates the mystery of the two missing children but a past case still bothers her. Karen is one of my new favorite detectives.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the plot. It was gripping the whole way through and well written. I hope that this is the start of a really good series. I feel that I am just getting to know the characters and their lives and I would like to know more about them.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I do so love storylines involving kidnappings. There's always this delightful race against the clock to find the victims alive. Tick, tock.

The story starts out exciting enough. Two ten year old girls go missing from school. From the beginning, it's clear this will be one frustrating investigation. There are no witnesses, no clues and detectives don't know where to start looking for Emily and her friend Sian. But DS Hart has a suspect in sight early on. Is she distracted by a previously unsolved case though?

Bring Me Home is the first instalment in a brand-new series, featuring Detective Karen Hart. I liked the fact that she isn't a DI but a DS because, let's face it, there's a lot of those around. While a DI might sometimes get away with breaking the rules, DS Hart doesn't get that opportunity very often, although she gives it a good go, as her boss is always nearby and he's a stickler for the rules.

Now, as you know, I read a lot of crime fiction and I'm fully aware of the fact that it's becoming increasingly harder for an author to come up with something new that will either shock or surprise me. So although I thought Bring Them Home wasn't badly written, it felt a little too much like things that have been done before.

Throughout the story, these characters never really convinced me. On top of that, I found the author tried too hard to dazzle the reader with red herrings and dead ends but deep down, I always felt there was only ever going to be one way the story would end and thus, the conclusion wasn't unexpected at all.

All in all, a straightforward mystery but to be honest, there are far more better ones out there to sink your teeth into. For me, this ended up being a quick but, sadly, forgettable read.

I truly enjoy getting in on the ground floor when it comes to finding a new crime fiction series. Both the series and the author are new to me, but I'm sure I'll be following both.

DS Karen Hart is a character with character. She comes with flaws and issues, but always tries to do what's right. She's lost her husband and daughter in an auto accident and returns to work to find a new supervisor, DI Scott Logan. They are as different as apples and oranges. She trusts her gut feeling and he's a stickler for proof, evidence. The only gut feeling he trusts is the one when he's hungry.

Logan and Hart are investigating the disappearance of 2 young girls from school. They left school early one day, hopped the fence and went into the woods. They haven't been seen since. This hits close to home for Hart. A year ago, a teenage girl disappeared. She suspects who took the girl, but without proof her hands are tied.

While her supervisors think she's obsessing over the girl never found, she 'knows' she should rein in her anger, but she can't afford to get sidetracked ... there are still two little girls missing.

There are plenty of suspects to look at. What Logan and Hart find is that almost everyone comes across as secretive, with secrets they aren't willing to see the light of day. Logan and Hart, along with the others on their team are going to have to sift through the lies to finally get at the truth.

I enjoy the interaction between Logan and Hart, despite their differences, they get along well, with each bending a little to accommodate the other. I'm looking forward to finding the story behind the story ... to see where Logan, especially, came from and what makes him tick.

Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing UK / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley / Simon Leonard for the advanced digital copy of this suspenseful crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I enjoyed the book and was desperate for the 2 girls to be found. It was a good read, yet I am not sure I actually liked the main character, I genuinely didn’t put my finger on why. She somehow just seemed to lack something. It literally felt like most run of the mill books for my liking. It’s full of twists and she hell bent on trying to solve a crime that’s linked to the two girls, 18 months previous. I am not saying it’s not a good book, and without giving anything away I can’t say I personally found it gripping. On the plus not a bad book. I wouldn’t say don’t bother far from it give it ago. This is only my personal opinion. I would be very interested to read his next book

DS Karen Hart #1

Two young girls disappear from their primary school in the village of Heighington. The village is put on high alert - and not for the first time.

Detective Karen Hart is called in to investigate the disappearance of two young schoolgirls. This is the second case of girls going missing within an eighteen month time period, except Amy Fisher was a young woman who still has not been found. Karen Hart also has to confront her own loss as she pulls out all stops to prevent what happened to her, happen to other families.

I have previously read a couple of D.S. Butler's books and enjoyed them, so I honestly don't know why I stopped. I enjoyed Bring Them Home, a book that has some twists but it's basically straightforward. Karen Hart just wants to bring the girls home safe after failing to find a young woman eighteen months previously. We get some background information on some of the main characters which I always find helpful as it builds up the character. The story has a good pace and it's also easy to follow. I never guessed who was behind the kidnapping and I was surprised at who it was. I look forward to reading the next book in this new series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author D.S. Butler for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two children leave school early and disappear. The only witness is another child and he doesn’t really see anything. The police start searching but to no avail and as is usual concentrate on family members.

DS Karen Hart is the lead investigator under the supervision of DI Morgan and “helped” by DC Sophie and DC Rick who each has their problems.

Sophie is really annoying and is pouting and huffing. Not at all what you expect of a police officer in the CID. She should have stayed on patrol until she grew up. Rick will rather be accused as a drunk than admit to family problems. Both are extremely unlikely to be of much help in the investigation.

Karen has plenty of her own faults mainly that she doesn’t follow directives of her superiors but is always off on her own personal tangent. Not a very likable person and seems prone to wallow in her righteousness.

Unfortunately all of the above made what could have been a great book just so so. I won’t be recommending the book and give it 2 stars.

I found this a tense police procedural. Two young girls go missing from the same small village that a nineteen year old vanished from over a year before. Usually if someone abducts people they choose ones of the same age group - two ten year olds are very different from a nineteen year old, but one of the detectives is obsessed with the earlier abduction and spends her time trying to link them. One of the constables has a sick mother and is slowly sinking under the stress of looking after her, with the help of his sister.

So all in all I found it a page turner. Good cast of characters, everyone is very human. Would they have any more success with the girls than last time, it's a race to try and find them.

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I can't believe this is the first book I have read by D.S Butler, I am annoyed I did not discover her books earlier. Judging from Bring Them Home I think I have discovered a new go to author.

Bring Them Home Is the first book in the DS Karen Heart series. Four years earlier Karen`s husband and daughter Tilly had died in a car accident. After the accident she was grief stricken and blamed her fellow officers of a conspiracy. Karen still misses her family but Is close friends with Margaret her next door neighbour who is always happy to help Karen if she needs it

Ten year old best friends Sian Gibson and Emily Dean crept out of school early because Emily was going for her first pony riding lesson.. The girls went over the school fence to meet Emily`s friend, a tall thin stranger. The school called the police when they discovered Sian and Emily had left school. Karen and her team hoped the girls would return home but when they did not Karen and her new boss D.I Scott Morgan knew they were in a race against time.

Sian and Emily`s school backed on to the land of the Palmer`s. Eighteen months earlier a young woman disappeared after renting out one of their out houses. Karen suspected the owner Nigel Palmer of being responsible but never found any evidence. She was instantly suspicious when Nigel`s son Jasper found one of Sian`s gloves on a fence. Scott told Karen she was biased against the Palmers and to look for other suspects but she knew something wasn't right about that family.

I knew I would enjoy this book from the first page. The story went at a far pace and there were plenty of suspects who could of kidnapped the girls. I also enjoyed reading about the officers home life.

I liked DC Rick Cooper who had a reputation as a ladies man who went on hot dates every night. However in real life he helped care for his mother with dementia.. His sister was unable to cope, and wanted their mother to go into a care home. Rick disagreed and wanted his mother to stay at home. I initially did not like his colleague Sophie who was overly keen and tried to point score over Rick. I saw a nicer side when she went to Rick`s with his lost mobile and tried to get him help.

This was a great start to the Karen Hear series and I hope there will be more books to come. In the next book I would like to find out more and Scott and why he moved to Lincolnshire.

I enjoyed reading this book which is the first in a series featuring DS Karen Heart. It is not dissimilar to other police procedural/ crime thrillers but that's why I enjoyed it. It is well written and the story is easy to follow. There's plenty of background information on the main characters, I look forward to the follow up.