This book is definitely a page turner, keeping you guessing until the very end, with so many of twists and turns. I will definitely read more by this author in future! Recommended.

Action packed and thrilling from start to finish. Couldn't put it down and read it in one evening. Another cracking read from the author!

Crime fiction readers will be familiar with this type of storytelling, one in which you have to suspend disbelief. Great suspense, great characters… so great that I wish there were more books in this series. I will picking up some of the author's other works.


Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and J J Holland for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first time reading that author.

A really good intense read.
Well written, fast paced, interesting and captivating.
I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a different book than I originally thought from the cover and the blurb. It’s actually quite a thriller from an author I’m not familiar with at all. Full of action and twists and turns with a great protagonist.

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Oosh! In High Places is the working embodiment of the adage "don't judge a book by its cover" as it looks like any other thriller, but I am beyond impressed with how much it gripped me. A retelling of the story surrounding Beowulf, this is a highly accomplished, entertaining action-packed thriller debut from prolific writer Jane Holland. There are the requisite twists, turns and misdirection to keep you guessing, and although the story very much strays into the beyond the realms of possibility territory if you can just suspend your disbelief and go with the flow you are richly rewarded with a compelling tale from a renowned writer.

The Dartmoor setting adds to the atmosphere making the tension unbearable at times and protagonist Aubrey Savage is a powerhouse character who tends to subvert the usual traits we see in crime fiction heroes and heroines so that was most refreshing. I am absolutely hoping that this becomes a series as I feel it could be one to follow. I certainly enjoyed it immensely either way, but hopefully, we haven't seen the last of Aubrey.

Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

In High Places
by J J Holland

Paperback
Published April 18th 2019 by Quercus


Goodreads synopsis:
Ever since the death of his wife, Lina, in a Kabul bombing, Aubrey Savage has been determined to fulfill his promise to her: to find out what happened to her brother, Jarrah, a disavowed MI5 agent who has been missing for two years.

An ex-SAS officer, Savage is used to noticing the small things. So when he offers a lift to a terrified runaway bride on the moors, he knows there's more to her story than meets the eye.

But when she is snatched away immediately, leaving behind a holdall and a Glock that he recognizes to be that of an MI5 agent, he is thrust into a deadly world of corruption, and a threat that's all too close to home...


***

4.5 Stars

The concept of this starts out simple enough. Guy in camper finds girl in a car on the side of the road out of gas and wearing a wedding dress. That is where the simplicity ends. Aubrey Savage, yes, that is a guy’s name, is the guy in the camper. He is a former SAS officer and an Earl of some kind looking for the brother of his dead wife who has been missing for two years.

The beginning was good. I was hooked. The middle to later beginning section had me a bit baffled, I got lost for a hot minute. Then I found my way and I was back into the action. There are some great characters in here. A gay woman vicar, Kim (in the Roman Catholic Church - a vicar is a representative or deputy of a bishop.) and his lawyer, Faith. Loved those guys, er.. girls.

I really don’t want to give too much away because this is a really interesting plot that I think you have to let unfold gradually with no spoilers to really enjoy. I will give you this… the girl that Aubrey finds in the little parking area off the road, Dani, she is mysterious abducted or left, he isn’t sure which. But being a former SAS officer, he finds that he must investigate. And boy, does he quickly find himself in hot water.

I just thought this was a great book. Great suspense, great characters… so great that I wish there were more books in this series.

I was a bit disappointed in the part after the climax of the story. Most of the characters just sort of fade into the woodwork. Faith goes away angry and probably won’t talk to Aubrey for two years, Dani and the girls barely acknowledge his part in the whole situation. But Kim does have a great little talk with Aubrey which seems to make up for all of that lack I felt. I totally need another book with these characters.

This is a thriller, not really gory or anything. Suitable for most audiences. Just well-done.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It’s a good book, full of action
But the blurb about the book makes you believe the book is about finding Savage’s brother in law Jarrah, when in actually it’s not... it’s starts out that way, but then suddenly turn in a different direction and you forget the reason he showed up at Peter’s house. It’s a good read if you’re looking for an action filled book, but I was left feeling disappointed. I guess I have to wait till the next book to find out what happened to Jarrah, if we ever find out

This is the debut novel by J.J. Holland (who writes under many other names such as Jane Holland, Beth Good, Elizabeth Moss and so on) but this is the first under her new pseudonym!
This book is certainly going to come out with a bang. It is a modern retelling of Beowulf which is an Old English poem and is the oldest surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon literature. In High Places centres around an ex-SAS officer, Aubrey Savage, who is on a mission to keep a promise to his late wife and bring down a small town cult in the process.
The author is an Old English fanatic, and this is apparent throughout the book where she has several quotes and references in Old English. This really resonated with me based on my academic history. I really enjoyed reading them and understanding them!
When speaking to the author about the idea behind this book, she has said that it is a homage to the Jack Reacher and Western genres that she grew up with. It did feel very much like a Jack Reacher story, and when I told my husband (who has read all the Jack Reacher books) that it was about an ex-military guy who was hunting down an old friend and stopping to save random women he met by the side of the road. He said, “that sounds like a Jack Reacher story!” He’s going to give the book a go so it will be interesting to see his take on the book.
J.J. Holland really loved writing this book, and this is really evident throughout. It is very well written, and although the story does progress quite slowly, it has many moments of excitement that keeps you turning the page to find out what was happening and how Savage would get himself out of the myriad of situations he keeps finding himself in.
A word of warning, however, if you have enjoyed the author's books under any of her other pen names, then this is nothing like those and is an entirely different genre. This is an action thriller with a male protagonist. I had read many of her psychological thrillers which are all female centred, and it took a while to get my head around the fact that this had a completely different feel to it. So don’t be disappointed, read this as a completely stand-alone book although hopefully, it does well enough to become a series with more adventures from Audrey Savage!

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

In High Places is the first book by J J Holland that I have read and it is a well paced and enjoyable thriller.

The plot is slightly outlandish but kept me interested throughout with the main character definitely one with both a back story and scope for development.

Hopefully this book will be the start of a new series and one that I will look forward to

Exciting and fast paced read. Interesting subject. Was easy to read and kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next

This is a variation on the trope of the stranger entering a remote and isolated community living in fear, harbouring secrets, murder, and other nefarious happenings, much in the style of the Jack Reacher books and the old Clint Eastwood movies. This is set in Dartmoor and Devon, and our protagonist is Aubrey Savage, a recent widower who lost his wife, Lina, in a Kabul bombing in Afghanistan. He is ex-SAS and viscount, a minor member of the British aristocracy, with a family who owns a Oxfordshire estate. He is still grieving for Lina, to whom he made a promise to find out what happened to her brother, Jarrah, a disaffected member of the security forces, whose last known whereabouts are in Dartmoor, and meeting an old university friend, Peter Rowlands. Aubrey is estranged from his father, who never approved of Lina, or Jarrah, who caused havoc in the family.

Aubrey lives out of his camper van, and stops to help a terrified woman, Danni, escaping her wedding, giving her lift. He has no idea that this going to derail his life, when Danni is abducted from him, leaving behind a holdall with a Glock gun, usually standard issue in the intelligence agencies. Peter denies that Jarrah ever visited him, and Aubrey becomes aware of Reverend Barton, heading a local cult, living in a fortress, protected by Russian and local thugs. The Green Chapel cult preys on women struggling to conceive, claiming that the Reverend can cure them and ensure they become pregnant. Aubrey cannot help getting involved, wanting to rescue Danni and other women, helped by his old friend, Faith, his lawyer. Aubrey finds himself framed for murders, but determined to free the locals from the villainous Reverend Barton. With all the odds against him, Aubrey is helped by a couple of locals and the kick ass vicar, Kim, to bring down the Reverend.

This is an action packed read, with plenty of suspense and tension as Aubrey faces setback after setback. Crime fiction readers will be familiar with this type of storytelling, one in which you have to suspend disbelief, but this is a cracking yarn set in the atmospheric Dartmoor location. You have damsels in distress and a string of baddies, all the requisite cast of characters required in this type of genre. For me, the standout character is the surprisingly feisty Kim, willing to get her hands dirty and put herself in the midst of the mayhem and danger, toting her shotgun and willing to use it. This is an entertaining read, with a likeable central character in Aubrey Savage, who I assume will have other outings. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

Can Aubrey keep his promise? Take a ride through this dark suspense story to find out. If you are thinking about it well don’t hesitate. You will not want to put this book down. A little slow ar times, but very well written.

Can you keep a promise? Aubrey Savage promised his wife that he would find her brother Jarrah and after her death he has tried his hardest but he seems to have disappeared. Savage blames himself for Lina death, he should have been more careful but who knew that a bomb was in the vehicle. He has been travelling in his camper van and he knows that he needs to go and see his old university buddy Peter maybe he knows something. But his journey takes a surprising turn when he picks up a young woman on the side of the road. He knows that she isn't been honest about everything but before he can find out more she is kidnapped. Dani is running she knows that she just has to get away but her escape is cut short when she is taken again and she fears that this time she will lose her life. She wishes that she could have taken Savage more but it was too dangerous.
Savage has no idea what is going on and when he looks in her bag that she left behind he finds a gun one that the government agency uses could this be a clue to Jarrah visit?
Savage needs to get to Peter's place he needs answers. He can't believe that the man is front of him is Peter, he is untidy and who knows when last he had a bath. He knows that Peter is hiding something but he won't say a word. And when they get into a fight with some men from Green Chapel, Savage knows who took Dani and he will do whatever he can to find her. But things get complicated when he is arrested for murder he just knows that this has to do with Green Chapel and the man that runs it. Reverend Barton isn't a man of God he is running a business and he will make sure that everyone that isn't from the area stays out.
Savage knows that he needs to get into the compound before something happens to Dani and does a bold move he just walks in and takes a young woman that she about to be raped. Savage thinks that he knows what is going on but he really has no idea. Can he trust his lawyer Faith to help him find the answers that he needs he knows that he shouldn't put her in danger but he needs her
Savage knows that time is running out and now that Peter is dead things are getting out of hand. Can he trust the group of people that he has assembled will they be able to get the women out? Is Faith, Rose & Dani still alive? Where is Jarrah now dead or still alive somewhere?
A great read full of action, twists & turns. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

I can now understand why the talented Jane Holland has yet another pen name, as this is very different to her normal thrillers. In fact I'm not entirely sure what I thought of it.

However I did find myself incredibly caught up with the action, it gave me a disturbed night's sleep, and I found I kept thinking about the book. I was also utterly gripped whenever I was reading it.

But yet its not the sort of story I would tend to look for, and only read it as I knew I could trust the author's writing and I was curious. I'm still convinced books with ex-SAS officers, and all manner of violence from the main protagonist aren't really for me.

That being said I was rooting for Aubrey Savage the whole way through and was hoping he would get answers about his missing friend, and his protection of women in a situation that is so far removed to most people's realities was very interesting to read.

Everything that was going on at the Green Chapel was very disturbing and there and the arrogance of the main criminal mastermind was shocking.

I loved all of Aubrey's theories, and how he was able to get people onside to help him, and his background was rather surprising too.

If you like your books quite dark, definitely dastardly and full of action then this is definitely the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read! There’s no reviews of this yet online so I went in completely blind and oh my goodness, what a ride it was! At least twice I said to myself, “this could be a movie one day”. At times I felt as though I was reading two separate books because of the two separate storylines but they weaved together so nicely in the end. I hope there’s a sequel. I need to read more about Aubrey Savage!!!