I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Another great read, and I love the development of Beth's character from the previous one. It deals with some dark issues but is sensitively handled. Can't wait for the next one!

Second book in the series.

Really loved the characters in this book and it was a gripping read from start to finish.

Graham Smith knows how to draw us in and get us hooked.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

With thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for a free ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Another great book from graham
Smith. I like the pairing of brown and o’dowfd. Thrilling to read nice twist at the end well done

An amazing story that I enjoyed reading. I could not put this down once I had turned the first page.
Great characters that you cannot help but engage with and a brilliant plot.
A must read for book lovers.

When responding to an assignment to a murder case turns into a serial murder who has already killed three women, our detective vows to stop the killer. As the second book in this series we are already familiar with the core characters and the back story that keeps them moving forward. Graham Smith continues to keep the reader guessing while giving us enough clues along the way. I've now read two books in the series and am looking forward to the third.

This is the second book in the series.
This book was more compelling than the previous book.
A gripping crime book which will have you on the edge of your seat

Following the discovery of the naked body of an elderly woman Beth finds links to three other murders in the last few years. Following the clues and with dogged determination, Beth and her colleagues in the FMIT dig through clues and evidence in the hope of tracking the killer. And Carlisle's handsome mayor looks like he might not be as squeaky clean as everyone thought....



Throughout the book are occasional diary entries from an unknown author and I loved the mystery behind that - trying to guess each time whose diary it was. I failed miserably!



I love Beth, she's a marvel. I just love how her brain works - the way she seems to see things differently from her colleagues, often enabling the team to move forward with the case. And she is so determined and dedicated - her sense of justice and desire to do the right thing mean she just keeps going. And she often feels guilty when she does take a break. That said, I was delighted to see a nice wee storyline develop for her, and look forward to seeing where that goes.



The rest of the FMIT are brilliant characters too. I love that the boss O'Dowd is another strong woman. The small moments of light relief with Unthank are welcome in a dark story like this one, but I thought my heart might break for Thompson.



As with The Silent Dead, The Lake District itself plays a huge part in the story, almost a character in itself. Beautiful scenery but often desolate places proving ideal for body dumps. I occasionally found myself shivering when reading.



The descriptions of the murders themselves don't necessarily make for easy reading, but are handled with delicacy. There are many suspects and lots of dead ends, and I was kept guessing right to the end.



The pacing and tension was just right - we're thrown head first into the investigation, and I enjoyed uncovering the truth along with the team. It's an original and beautifully written story. And it left me wanting more.

This is the second book featuring Detective Beth Young, and just having finished book one, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one!! And once again I was not disappointed. I am honestly starting to love Beth as a character and the way she investigates and catches the criminals. This was a very gripping book, and I couldn't wait to finish it. Please tell me there will be a third one.

Brilliant Lake District thriller. Really enjoyed and have found a new author to look out for! I would highly recommend this book

OMG amazing!! Wow... I sure did love this novel. The story line is one for the ages! You will immediately be drawn into this story. The characters are intense which is perfect for this thriller. Go ahead and read this book!

Oh bloomin’ eck!!!! Graham Smith’s new novel is not an easy read at all. Of course a novel containing descriptions of rape wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, be easy for folk to swallow! I will admit that I disliked the fact that I am indeed a female whilst reading this, but only because the theme got right under my skin for various personal reasons.

You cannot fault the authors knowledge of suspense at all – Graham Smith delivered the bones of the storyline brilliantly and in a way that will definitely make readers sit up and take notice. Now whether that would be helped due to the amount of shocking scenes covered in the storyline, I can only say yes due to my own thoughts of the book as everyone is different.

Detective Beth Young is back again and, whilst I thought her sass was endearing in the previous book (please note that ‘A body in the Lakes’ is the second book in the series), I struggled to gel with her outlook this time around. She was good at her job, don’t get me wrong, but geez she had such an arrogance vibe about her this time round. It actually made me dislike her a bit at times which was a shame.

That aside, Graham Smith’s red herrings left me reeling until the very last page, and kept me on the edge of my seat due to fear and being held hostage.

A Body in the Lakes is a well written thriller. Great plot and characters. The author is new to me and I anticipate reading more of his books. Suspense and thriller fans do not want to miss this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. This is an unbiased review.

I described Graham Smith’s previous book The Silent Dead as exquisite and this sequel does not disappoint at all!
We pick up a new case for DC Beth Young and her colleagues when a woman is found murdered and violated. The team quickly establish a link with 3 previous murders that had not been solved.
However, the perpetrator has gone to great lengths to incriminate the mayor in this latest murder. Derek Forster is a man who is charming and powerful and Beth is convinced that he must have made some dangerous enemies. She grows close to him as he offers to set up a charity to support rape victims.
As well as the police procedure and the mayor’s viewpoint, we also see the perspectives of the killer and his next victim which makes both sides of the plot more human and ramps up the anticipation.
There is a big twist at the end, just as the team think the case is concluded but I won’t give away details and spoil the surprise!
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t as graphic as the last book although the clinical detail of the injuries is unpleaseant but, as with the previous book, it is factual rather than gratuitous.
Beth continues to develop as a police officer and negotiate her relationships with her senior colleagues. She is a fab character, passionate and dedicated. She is also driven to find the men who injured her with a bottle and destroyed her modelling career. In this book she finds one of them…

This is the first book I’ve read although it is book two in a series you can read it as a stand-alone. I enjoyed it so I’ll definitely be reading book one very soon. DC Beth Young has just started in FMIT when she gets a case about an old lady brutally raped and murdered. It seems that the murderer has dropped his credit card by the body but this isn’t going to be the open and shut case it first seems. This is a gripping read with lots of twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed this book and will look forward to more books about Beth Young.

Detective Beth Young is only young but due to her lateral thinking, dogged determination and utter fearlessness, she is making a name for herself.

A series of murders takes place on Beth's patch and she goes to work, despite unwanted and wanted attention from two different men distracting her and the lack of a complete team at work. There are lots of twists and turns in this book and the guy who is raping and murdering women is a sick puppy, that's for sure, but there is something Beth and her team are missing.......

If you are a fan of really good police procedurals, this is definitely a series to get stuck into. I read the first book as well and was very happy to read this one too. More of Beth Young please :)

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

A BODY IN THE LAKES in the second installment in the DC Beth Young series, though this is the first book by this author that I have read. I have not heard of Graham Smith nor this series before I came across this book on NetGalley and I have to say that I was not disappointed in my choice.

Set in the beautiful Cumbrian Lake District in northern England, the contrast between its picturesque surroundings and the abhorrent crimes committed within its midst brings a uniqueness to this series in that it is not set in the busy cities but the pristine countryside and chocolate box villages. But don't let its picturesque landscape fool you. Within its midst is a killer so disturbed you won't look at English villages in the same way again. Midsomer has nothing on the Lake District of this series, let me tell you!

When the naked body of an elderly woman is found dumped in the Lake Ullswater area, the elite Force Major Investigation Team (FMIT) are tasked with finding the killer responsible. At first glance, it appears an open and shut case with everything pointing toward the mayor. However, not one to leave stones unturned, DC Beth Young is known for her lateral thinking and soon makes the connection between three other women killed in similar circumstances - and all within the Cumbrian borders. The ages and types of women all differ but one thing remains the same - the modus operandi of the sadistic killer, who rapes and murders these women before discarding them once his lust is satiated.

Beth's investigation takes her through various avenues whilst simultaneously working alongside the mayor in his new idea to head a charity in which he wants Beth's input. But does he want more than just her input? I have to say, I didn't like the mayor. I found him to be predatory in nature and if he wasn't guilty of this crime, he is most certainly guilty of something.

I really liked Beth. She is passionate, determined, analytical, intuitive and not afraid to speak her mind. I didn't find her to be like the way most women lead detectives are portrayed in books, which is a refreshing change. And I like that she was not someone who stepped on and over others to get a result. Her working relationship with her boss, DI O'Dowd was one of mutual respect and though we don't see a lot of O'Dowd, her presence is felt. We do see a little of the other members of the team - Thompson and Unthank, with the former's wife suffering from early onset dementia which takes a huge toll on their colleague. There are moments in which they enjoy a friendly banter of "gallows humour" to which we are privy. I must admit, I had a little chuckle at the reference to "Justin" as the killer.

A BODY IN THE LAKES is an unsettling read in some ways but an intriguing and compelling thriller. I had no idea who the killer was, although I did have a suspect in mind purely because of his position in the story and nothing at all to do with evidence! When the killer is revealed, it is then a race against time for Beth and a local police officer to find him and his latest victim before it is too late. Then just when you think it is all over, there is another sting in the tail to round off the complete story.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed A BODY IN THE LAKES and while it is the second in the series it can be read as a standalone...though I will be endeavouring to read the first book sometime in the near future. I'm guessing the first book may provide a little more background into Beth, but you can get by with enough in this book to read on its own. Having said that, I will be eagerly awaiting Graham Smith's third installment featuring Beth Young. The more disturbing, the better!

I would like to thank #GrahamSmith, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this deliciously disturbing ARC of #ABodyInTheLakes in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I liked Detective Beth Young when I learned through the course of this book that Aerosmith's 'Don't want to miss a thing' is how she feels about her job. Apart from her impeccable taste in music Beth is a young, suave, intelligent and passionate police officer who believes in righting the wrongs. Having suffered through an injustice herself, she knows and empathises with the victims she comes across which makes her the best. Also she loves her spreadsheets. This is something I can't stop thinking about having being in the habit of obsessing over spreadsheets myself!
A body in the lakes is a compelling thriller. It's a step up from the previous in the series - Death in the lakes which I didn't really find as engaging as the new sequel. I love all the characters in this book and I like how the author slow teases us into getting inside the head of Beth Young. She's not perfect, and not your run-of-the-mill protagonist but that's what makes her so damn interesting! I love the countryside depictions in this series. It's always refreshing to read about a beautiful place(although it may be fiction). Its always entertaining to see her blurt out random words when she's trying to order her high-speed thoughts. I think I'm starting to like Beth. I can't wait to see what happens next and where the next case will take her!
Thanks to Netgalley, Graham Smith & Bookouture for an arc!

We’re back with DC Beth Young in this second book of a new series. After having the main characters “fleshed out” in the first book it was great to get stuck straight in with the FMIT (force major investigation team) in A Body In The Lakes.

A woman’s body is found by the shores of Ullswater Lake and someone is trying to pin her death on a prominent member of the community. With a little nudge in the right direction Beth Young soon spots a link to three cold cases. The team is under immense pressure once this information becomes public and all eyes are on Beth.

I was gripped by this book and had no idea who the killer was, as usual the author led me down the garden path and I was left feeling guilty for who I initially suspected. This is how much I’m drawn into Mr Smith’s worlds!

I hope Beth Young and her team have a long future ahead of them and I look forward to the next in the series.

A welcome return to the life and trials of Detective Beth Young. This time we find her not only trying to solve a current murder but also 3 cold cases. The author has gifted Beth with the ability to connect seemingly random thoughts and clues and give them meaning. Add the beauty of the Lake District and we are given a visual book that allows you to be transported to those lakes from the comfort of your sofa. Beth is becoming a real treat of a main character and one that I find enjoying reading about. I especially love the reference to the type of music you drive to being a big reflection of your mood at the time. ,I'm sure I am not the only reader that can relate to that. This is a perfect sign of how a writer knows how to make his books resonate and engage with his readers.
A book you wont want to put down, a thrilling, page turning crime novel. It keeps you guessing right to the end. It lets you believe you know who did it then delivers a cracking end game. The author knows we want a great crime novel with great characters and he delivers that yet again. Lucky for the reader that we meet Beth early on in her career so we will get more stories of her. A character that will grow stronger and more confident of her capabilities the more we meet her and engage with her.