This is an absolutely brilliant Police Procedural book .Right from the beginning with the shooting of a young Architect in his office through the head the pace doesn't stop .The story starts off in leafy Surrey but takes us to scary Albania. DCI Gillard flies to Albania in search of answers and finds a very scary Mafia type gang who are hell bent on revenge with another gang .There are lots of thrills ,intense moments shocks and a cliff hanging ending .I would give this book 10 stars if I could.This is the second in the DCI Gillard series I haven't read the first book but I am definitely going to now and can't wait for the next book in the series to be out .Many thanks to the Publisher ,The Author and NetGalley for the review copy in return for an honest review.

This book was just brilliant, I genuinely couldn’t put it down! The intricacies of the Albanian Mafia wouldn’t necessrily be my thing, but this was fascinating and full of twists and turns. It gripped me from the word go and I enjoyed the way the book was split into two, the first part being set in the UK and the second in Albania. This is my first Nick Louth book but I will definitely search out his other novels.

Many thanks for my ARC. This starts out as a standard police procedural then becomes about Albanian 'blood' wars. The identity of the killer is faintly unbelievable and the book reads like it's been written to propose a film, rather than a good read. Well written plot wise, but rather 2 dimensional characters. I'm sorry, it just ended up being something other than the book I hoped it would be.

Brilliant story kept me hooked from the first to the very last page touching on the vendettas of immigrant communities and their sense of honour, justice and life.

Thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner.
Fast paced , starting in Surrey and taking us to Albania. Edifying as well as atmospheric. Highly recommend and thank you Netgalley & Carnelo for the opportunity of reading a novel by this author. Won’t hesitate to read another.

This is book 2 in the DCI Gillard series. A solid police procedural, it opens with the shooting of a young architect in his office. The murder bears all the hallmarks of a professional hit - 2 hollow point bullets fired through the window of an office building in a busy street at 8 in the morning.
Gillard's investigation discovers that the victim, Peter Young, is a refugee from the 1998/99 war in Kosovo. As one of Gillard's detective team says: "Who'd want to kill an architect?" Even more puzzling is that the killer seems to have used the upper deck of a double-decker bus as his platform for the shooting.
As they try to figure out why Peter Young was murdered, the body of a young man is found on a beach on the Lincolnshire coast. The victim is unidentified but he has a strange brand burned into his neck. This leads Gillard's team to discover that Albanian gangsters may be involved in both killings.
There's a bit of humour mixed into the story by the author Nick Louth, as one of the main characters is named Sophie Lund (Sofie Gråbøl was the actress who played the lead character - police detective Sarah Lund - in the Danish TV series "The Killing"). Sophie Lund's husband is called Dag and "Dag" is the name of the lead in the Norwegian TV comedy of the same name.

The police investigation is set out in great detail and I felt that this slowed down the action more than a little as did a domestic dispute between Sophie Lund and her "posh" neighbour and details of that neighbour's relationship with Gillard's female boss.
The story continues with the murder investigation taking something of a back seat as Sophie Lund's children are kidnapped. It transpires that the children were adopted and were born in Albania, reinforcing the idea that Albanian criminals are involved with a possible blood feud being at the heart of both the kidnapping and the killings.

All in all this is a decent mystery thriller, although I felt I would have benefited from reading "The Body In The Marsh", the first in the DCI Gillard series. For fans of detailed police procedurals, this book is a must.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Canelo for the chance to read this book in return for an unbiased review.

When an architect is executed in his office the police are clueless as to who and why anyone would would want to kill this seemingly innocent man. When the murder is then linked to the abduction of two adopted Albanian orphans and a mysterious body discovered on a beach, the investigation takes a sinister turn as they are all linked to the Albanian mafia..

Utterly engrossing. One to be read in a single setting.

This book didn't grab me at first, it took a while, then it just got better and better. In some ways it is a police procedural, but I learned a lot about Albania and their mafia too. There were a few irritating, clunky bits of writing, such as a cliff hanger sentence at the end of several chapters, but in the end these could not detract from a breath taking finale. I will certainly look out for more books by Nick Louth.

Simply put -- this is a great police procedural, the second in a new series by Nick Louth. Set in Surrey and featuring DCI Craig Gillard, the crime thriller is complex and absorbing and very hard to put down!

A young architect is murdered in his office one morning and Gillard gets the nod to lead the investigation. The few leads soon dry up and, though it looks like a professional assassination, the detectives can't figure out why anyone would want to kill the husband and father. Until they discover that he came to the UK as an orphan seeking asylum... In what comes to be a related case, a body is found on the shore of a remote beach. And, to complicate an already complicated situation, the two adopted children of a local woman are kidnapped leading Gillard deep into the not-so-hidden blood wars of the Albanian Mafia. NO SPOILERS.

The narrative is fast-paced with action as well as a focus on the various methods used by the police and Gillard's team to track down the suspects, recover the children, and figure out the motivations for the murders. The descriptions and detail are meticulous and is focused mainly on police activity with only a little about their personal lives. I can see a lot of potential for this great series and can't wait for #3. I was riveted by the backstory of the Albanians and their vendettas between families -- all interesting and new information for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for providing this e-book ARC for me to read and review. I highly recommend this series and am eager to see what case Gillard is tasked with next.

DCI Gillard is the first on the scene. An architect has been shot, he was shot in the head while sitting at his. The bullet travelled through his window in his office and he was on the third floor. This looks like a professional hit.
On the Lancashire coast a body of a man has been found on the beach. He has been shot through the head, his hands have been tied behind his back and there is a strange burn on the back of his neck. Again this looks professional. DCI Gillard and his team have very little to go on.
Are these two deaths connected and what is the strange burn????
This is a really good thriller, very easy to read, fast paced and the ending was explosive.
Nothing is more important than FAMILY.!!!!!
I would like to thank the author Nick Louth, Canelo and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

A police case that takes DCI Craig Gillard to many parts of England and then across Europe to Albania. It first starts with a shooting of a young architect in London then the abduction of two adopted children in Surrey and an execution of a young man in Lancashire. When DCI Gillard's team try to put the clues together all ends lead to Albania which after quite an adventure there in leads to a surprising ending. Not wishing to give too much away this book is a great read that is above the norm of detective stories. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book for the most part but was a bit incredulous at times. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested and I would definitely read another book by this author.. I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

It has to be 5*, I knew when I started the book that nothing was going to get in the way of a readathon. It starts with the execution style murder of a young family man who everyone seemed to love and respect. DCI Craig Gillard is brought in to investigate but it is not an easy crime to solve and it leads to connections to the Albanian Mafia and family feuds where extreme violence and murder seems to be the only answer. It is a very fast and furious book with lots of far reaching consequences. I loved it and will definitely be reading more from this author

A slow paced, quite 'heavy' read but thoroughly enjoyable with very unexpected developments throughout. Action takes place around the UK and abroad in an unusual setting where the law does not bear any resemblance to what we understand, Can easily be read as a one off despite other books in the series.

This story begins with the shooting dead of a young architect. A body is then found in Lincolnshire and two children are abducted. What is the connection? DCI Gillard needs answers and quickly.
This is a fast moving book and even DCI Gillard's own life is in danger. It moves between the UK and Albania and the gangs which will stop at nothing for revenge.
This twists and turns and the ending will surprise you!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of The Body on the Shore, the second novel to feature DCI Craig Gillard of the Surrey police.

Gillard is tasked with investigating the shooting of architect Peter Young. As one of the team observes an architect is a most unusual, if not unique, victim but as they investigate they quickly discover that Peter Young's past is shrouded in mystery and offering few clues. In the meantime Gillard is fielding increasingly frantic calls from Sophie Lund whose house and family are being targeted in a series of bizarre events. Then another body is found shot to death on a remote Lincolnshire beach with enough similarities to Peter Young's death to warrant further investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Body on the Shore which is an exhilarating, high octane thriller with hardly a dull moment and some very good, unexpected twists. It kept me up late as I just had to finish it one sitting. I'm unsure of how plausible it is but I found that I didn't care as I was so caught up in the action and adrenalin rush of the read. It just seems to move from one incident to the next with it all making warped sense within the plotline until an amazing conclusion which is audacious and outrageous while still making sense. The whole plot is unusual and clever so hats off to Mr Louth and his imagination.

Gillard is a much more settled character in this novel. He is now married to the understanding Sam so he has the time and frame of mind to apply himself diligently to his cases, all under the watchful eye of Chief Constable, Alison Rigby, with whom he has an uneasy relationship. He goes above and beyond to solve his case, putting himself in danger. It's exciting stuff.

The Body on the Shore is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Starts out ok and then descends into a strange world of Albanian Mafia - it is I am sure well researched and the dark menace of organised crime pervades the book. I am not entirely sure it hangs together as a piece. The constant carping in the UK section about the police chief's sexuality and another reference to the sexuality of another character - its a bit off , I would like to think that policing in the UK is really not interested.

Something of a curates egg this book - its good in parts. I may read another by the author to see how it develops

Adventurous and mysterious. This book is very immersive and is heavy on the world building. Enjoyed reading this and I imagine this to be a great hit.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.
I loved this police procedural set on the Lancashire Coast . It’s a twist mystery that will keep you guessing till the end.