Thank you so much to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Holy moly anyone that’s into mystery and thriller novels definitely needs to read this. I read this entire book in about 8 hours and it was so good. I’m so excited that this is going to be a series because I need more!

20 years ago a girl named Sophie never made it home from school and two boys were convicted of raping and murdering her. Now in present day the past seems to be repeating itself, a girl named Shannon hasn’t made it home from school and she bears a striking resemblance to Sophie. DI Jessie Blake is called to work on the case but can she put her own past behind her and focus fully on finding the missing girl?

I will admit in the beginning I was a little overwhelmed because a lot of the characters were introduced all at once and I got confused until I read further into the book and established who everyone was. Once I got past that I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough (sorry to my poor Kindle). I loved all the twists and turns of this book and how you were never ready for what was going to happen next. I loved all the characters and how the book kept touching on people from the past and then you find out how tied in they are to the present. And believe me when I tell you, you will not be ready for the ending and finding out what actually happened to Shannon and how the people in her family and community really are.

I’m so excited to read the rest of this series and I’m so glad I get to read more about the character Jessie Blake. I would love to read more about her past that was touched on and teased in this book.

"Shannon's disappearance gave him the chills. It was an echo of the Sophie Nicoll case from twenty years ago. Teenage girl. Didn't come home from school."

DI Jessie Blake and her partner, DC Dylan Logan, of the Perthshire Police are sent to Inverlochty on the Scottish Borders to investigate the apparent murder of 15-year-old Shannon Ross, daughter of Jason and Louise. The town is full of secrets and, little do the residents know, but the place is also harboring a killer. As the police investigate, question suspects, and try to figure out what happened to Shannon, some long buried hatred simmers to the surface and erupts in some violent encounters between the characters.

The narrative is a bit disjointed and confusing as it flips back and forth in time and shifts in point of view, but eventually all becomes clear as the truth is revealed. I regret that I didn't become fully engaged with the story or the characters so not sure if I'll continue the series or not. The reader learns that Jessie Blake has some personal issues that are only hinted at in this book that will probably be explored further in the next, given the ending here. I can't say that this was suspenseful and there weren't any twists or surprises as the plot was quite predictable. I was disappointed in the outcomes for some of the characters and the conclusion was quite pat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Reading the blurb I was really looking forward to reading this book.

Unfortunately, for me, it didn't live up to expectation.

There were too many characters introduced at the start and I had to keep going back to find out who was connected to who.

The chapters seemed a bit clunky and they didn't flow very well. It felt as if info about Jessie was just stuck on to make the chapters longer.

Although the story could have been a good one I just feel it was all too predictable.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in return for a truthful review.

I have just this second finished this book and I had to come straight on here and try to formulate some sort of coherent review….erm that is not happening! I went into this book with an open mind, not re-reading the blurb or any reviews and MY GOD it paid off!!

Now there are a LOT of characters thrown at you in the beginning and it will take a chapter to get used to everyone and how they are all linked. But I loved it! It meant I had a huge pool of suspects and intrigue to go with it and I loved it! The story was not just told from a Detective or killer’s voice but everyone! However, until you got used to this, it was not always clear which year we were in, in each new chapter, until you had started to read it.

Right this second, there is nothing I can fault about this book. This book is so character driven, that it made me fly through it! I quite enjoy that you don’t get to know the ins and outs of each of the characters straight away and that they all lead the story.

You are getting insights to their lives, but only fleeting because each chapter and chapter break is a different character’s viewpoint as we witness how they are dealing individually to the case of the missing girl Shannon Ross. Everyone had a voice and it really did drive this story.

With so many characters in this book, there is so much going on in the book and I think this helped progress the story and enable me to fly through it. I did not get bored with hearing the same voice.

Not only that but we are taken back to 1996, where a girl Sophie Nicholls was brutally raped and murdered by 2 boys Daniel and Jack. I was forever trying to figure out how the stories were linked. When I did, it was the who I did not guess! Especially with red herrings that got thrown my way!!

I did guess who had killed Shannon, but it did not matter, as the events that were covered in the two week period the case covered meant more. Watching how one single act destroyed so many lives and uncovered so many secrets. Making you question how well do you know someone.

About 65% into the book, my heart broke. As a mum it makes you worry and it makes you want to hold that little person so much closer to you (despite their meltdowns!) and wrap them up in cotton wool. My eyes misted over, as there was so much raw sadness at this point in the book.

Not going to lie, I do not think I have picked my jaw up off the ground yet and I did use the words OMFG a few times! I need the second book….like right now….seriously!! Can this be arranged! You can not leave me hanging like this!! It is cruel!

I really can not wait to get to know Jessie in the next books, as we begin to learn more about her. She is focussed and determined and I love that and she was portrayed in what I thought was a realistic way with her own secrets of course.

I found the writing by Ms Watts so addictive and she had me hook, line and sinker (sorry poor joke! When you read the book you will know why!). I found it completely fast paced and action packed, never knowing what might happen next! I felt everyone’s reactions were portrayed in a way that you could envisage it happening! It was a roller coaster of a ride and a brave move to that paid off by giving everyone their own voice.

Told you this review does not make much sense doh!

I have to say the author made me work hard in the beginning. It means that I needed all my concentration because there were a lot of characters and it took some time to place them in the story. Once I had given them their rightful place in my mind I was really sucked into the book.

The author takes us from the past to the present and back again. To me both storylines were equally fascinating but sometimes I had the feeling there was a little leap and I did not always quite understand how we went from A to B.

I really enjoyed the book and I did not have the faintest idea who the culprit was. I am looking forward to the sequel. DI Blake piqued my interest. There is more to her than the eye can see and that adds to the reading pleasure.

A good begining to a new series that is worth following. 4 stars.

Thank you, Kerry Watts, Bookouture and Netgalley.

This is the first book in a new series featuring Detective Jessie Blake .

20 years ago a young girl went missing on her way home from school, sadly a few days later her body was discovered in a shallow grave, two teenage boys were found guilty of her murder and rape.

Jessie has recently transferred to Scotland from London for reasons as yet unknown, but she obviously has a secret we are not yet privy to.

She gets her first case as investigating officer when she is called to the highland villge of Inverlochty. A 15 yr old girl has gone missing, her body eventually turns up in the river but she did not drown.
The murder enquiries reveal that there is more than Jessie hiding a secret past.

I found the book rather disjointed, the flash back and forwards got merged and to me it seemed there were so many characters it was not always clear what they added to the main storyline.

I am interested enough to read the next instalment and discover more about Jessies dark secret.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this as an ARC

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Heartlands’, the first in Kerry Watts’ DI Jessie Blake series.

When 15-year old Shannon goes missing on her way home from school in Inverlochty in the Scottish Highlands, DI Jessie Blake is part of the investigating team. She has only recently relocated from London and clearly has a troubled past that is teased and presumably will be developed in later books.

In a series of flashbacks we learn of the case of teenager Sophie Nicoll, who in 1996 was raped and murdered by two 15-year old boys. When her body was discovered in a shallow grave they were apprehended and convicted. The relevance of this murder and its connection to Shannon’s disappearance is slowly revealed.

The opening of this novel was rather confused as so many characters were introduced in a very short period that I found my head spinning. After a while this settled down (or I just assimilated them) as the story took off.

For the most part this was an enjoyable police procedural though again during the climax so much started happening all at once that it felt overwhelming. Then after a frantic group of chapters the conclusion felt a bit anticlimactic though there was a teaser at the end for the next book. I also was confused about the relevance of the Morag McIvor legend. I kept waiting for more.

Overall I felt that the character of DI Jessie Blake and the series had potential. The narrative also raised some interesting questions about the nature of guilt, forgiveness, and rehabilitation. I likely will look out for future books.

If I take the book apart then this has a good arc of a lost teen and a murder mystery at its core. A disappearing child similar to what happened 20 years ago calls DI Jessie Blake and Dylan to investigate. Dual timelines give it another intriguing layer.

There were few things that caught my eye in this book. The story was set in Scotland, I liked the new locale. The main character, the lead detective Jesse Blake had been written with an intriguing detail by Author Kerry Watts. Jessie was quite a complex character, and her interactions with her colleague Dylan showed a growing bond. And she had her own personal backstory which was hinted at.

But a few things niggled me, there were many, many subplots for each character, and there were just too many characters. Some of them were similar sounding like Jessie and Cassie, two of them were named Dan. The initial quarter had all this shoved down my throat in a confusing manner without it unfolding smoothly and gradually. I was overwhelmed and confused nearly wanted to give up. I couldn't keep any character straight initially. I plugged on because of the disappearing teen plot.

The story became interesting only when the investigation started from nearly the mid half, and it was quite an enjoyable ride then. All my love for this book was for keeping me guessing about the murderer.

As already said before, while this story had really good potential, it fizzled out right at the beginning which was not a promising sign, yet I trudged ahead. Going by the dark & beautiful cover and the description I picked up this book having high hopes only to have them dashed in just the third chapter. Way too many characters, with each one having their own thing going. Each chapter/sub-plot shifts abruptly to the next unrelated sub-plot which frankly was very off-putting.
And because there are so many characters, it keeps shuffling from one persons POV to the other without really focusing on any of them. I expected to get to know DI Jessie Blake better, what makes her tick, but well, maybe in the next book?!
Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture & Kerry Watts for an arc.

Heartlands is the first book in the DI Jessie Blake series based in Perthshire, and although there was much potential I found it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped. My primary issue was that the plot was very convoluted and over-complicated; sometimes less is more. There are two separate storylines that the author hints at being related to one another in some way, but actually, they aren't at all relevant to one another. It's probably a good time to say that I am a huge fan of challenging, complex plotting, but even this was too confusing for me. It also felt a lot like some of the plot was setting up for future books which was of course more than a little off-putting.

Rather than choosing a few key issues to cover in the book Watts' makes the mistake of covering many different topics in little depth when it would've been so much more satisfying for readers had she carried out a deeper exploration of just some of them. There are also far too many characters, most of them unnecessary too. I likely will try book two in the hope that it is a little less busy as it's clear the author has some interesting ideas and the potential to produce a great police procedural.

Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

What a brilliant start to a series, I loved the story and the characters and it's set in the Scottish Highlands, what more can you ask for. I highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed.

This truly amazing book was set in the lovely Scottish highlands and it was a great read, very descriptive. So much so, you felt part of the story. The story flowed and had me hooked, I found it hard to put the book down and it was one I had to read in one go.

Twenty years ago, a young school girl went missing on her way home from school, a few days later her body was discovered in a shallow grave and 2 young teenagers were prosecuted and found guilty of the crime.The Judge promised they would never would be free.

Two decades later, a young school girl goes missing in the Scottish Highlands, its Detective Jessie Blake's first case after moving up there from London. When there is a body found in the river on the outskirts of a little village called Inverlochty, Jessie finds she is not the only person with something to hide.

This is a fairly fast paced book but an absolute cracker and I totally enjoyed it. Will be looking for more from this author and more from Detective Jessie Blake in the future

Heartlands is the first outing for Detective Inspector (DI) Jessie Blake. From the first few chapters, it is clear that she is going to be an interesting character with many different facets to her life, although I felt the novel does focus more on the case that Jessie is investigating and the way in which the revelations that come out of it affect the victim's family and the people living in her village. These relationships are really well observed and i could really feel the pain that Shannon's family and friends were experiencing.

The novel is set over two different timelines - the mid 1990s and the present day.  This worked well for me, although personally i was more interested in the first investigation. It is not immediately clear how the two plots are linked, but I was definitely intrigued and wanted to find out  more.

I must admit that it took me some time to get into Heartlands as the community is so tight knit and there are so many characters that it did take me a while to get to grips with who was who and how everyone was connected. However, the number of characters does mean that there are several suspects and I found it a very tense ride to get some answers.

The novel ends on a cliffhanger for Jessie so I shall wait with baited breath to see what happens next!

Heartlands is book one in a brand new series following detective Jessie Blake and her work partner Dylan. They work together well and have a great relationship in their first case of this series.

At first I was a little bit overwhelmed with the amount of characters in this story but I soon got to know each and every character. The story is looking into the disappearance of a teenage girl named Shannon. The story flicks back to a previous, similar case throughout which could link to this present case. There’s a clever link… But it may not be answer. The story makes you suspect several characters.

Brilliantly written story which is fast paced. The ending is bound to shock you, a jaw dropper of an outcome. One I would not see coming in a million miles, a nasty twist! Unexpected. I am looking forward to see what will happen next in this series. A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend.

This is a great start to a new series.
Jessie has moved to Inverlochty to forget her past and is soon involved in a case where a teenage girl has gone missing.
There are other chapters set in the nineties which tell the story of the repercussions following the death of another teenage girl.
The story does jump around a bit but it’s pretty easy to follow.
I’d have liked to know about about Jessie’s past but hopefully that will come in the next book.
The story slowly unwinds and when the truth comes to light, the people of Inverlochty are in shock.
This is a gripping crime thriller.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the first book in the Detective Jessie Blake series, and the first book that I have read by this author. Now working with Perthshire Police in Scotland after moving up from London, Detective Inspector Jessie Blake is put on the case of a missing schoolgirl who has vanished from a small town in the Highlands. Is this case linked to the case of a schoolgirl who was raped and murdered some twenty years before in similar circumstances?

I do love a new detective series, and the blurb for this book sounded fantastic! I liked the character of Jessie Blake. She was a really interesting character and there’s obviously much more to Jessie’s back story than meets the eye! She is also a tenacious detective, strong willed and persistent in her manner of investigating and, although difficult moving from one end of the country to another, Jessie has proved herself worthy of her title and role! I also loved her relationship with the other members of the team and look forward to future books to see if she continues to run her team as well!

The storyline was interesting and held my attention. The opening chapter, some twenty years previously, was particularly harrowing and set the scene for the rest of the book. The book did have its moments where the pace slowed up in parts, but then it picked up again just as quickly, capturing my interest again. There are a lot of characters and I have to admit, it does take some concentration and perseverance to try and remember them all at the beginning, but the book moves on you find it much easier to remember who is who!

For a debut novel, I thought it was great! The story was full of tension and suspense, and there was enough twists and turns within it to keep me wondering! Whilst some may see the number of characters confusing at times, it did provide the storyline with a fabulous array of suspects, keeping me guessing for a lot longer than I would normally. Jessie’s storyline was also left open perfectly for the next book where hopefully we will get to find out a lot more about her! I would definitely recommend this one and can’t wait for book #2!

Heartlands by Kerry Watts is the first in the Detective Jessie Blake series and I was disappointed. The potential is huge; the reality is, there are way too many characters to keep up with, the dialogue is disjointed, jumping all over the place and the characters are wooden and featureless. The book started with an horrific murder and twenty years later another young woman vanished from Inverlochty in the Scottish Highlands. Detective Jessie Blake, with her own secrets, is tasked with investigating Shannon Ross’ disappearance. It’s her first case since leaving London and already she feels the pressure.

It was difficult to keep the storyline in order and it’s a shame the editing wasn’t tighter to tidy it up. I’ll look at the second in the series when it’s released and make a decision then as to whether to continue.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was a cracking book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Funny as I’ve just read another one set right up in northern Scotland and it must be the mountains and fresh air, as the author mentions the size of the people up there too!

This book fluctuates from the past to the present with the murder of a young girl by two teenage boys (James Bulger sprang to mind) and then some years later another girl gets killed. I knew from the beginning who was who and was not a bit surprised when it was revealed.

I liked the setting, the characters and the story. The twist at the end was good too. I’m hoping there are more in the series.

My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC.

Shannon's case- her disappearance- mirrors the disappearance and murder of Sophie twenty years ago. Detective Jessie Blake, newly working with the Perthshire Police, discovers that there are lots and lots of secrets in the small town of Inverlochty. You'll know who murdered Sophie right up front but where is that person now? And who is that person now? And Jessie has her own secrets. There's too much going on here. Too many secrets and lies and not enough strong characterization. This would have benefited from another detached edit and revisions. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. A rare pass from me.

This one was just ok for me. I found that it was a little slow and had to may characters and seem to drag to the end