Great book - great story - great characters. What more can a reader ask for? Obviously I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to read more by Nick Louth.

A man's body is found in Devon a victim of a serious hit and run with no identification, mobile phone or labels on is clothing. . Craig Gillard and his wife Samantha are asked by his aunts Trisha and Barbara to visit them and also visit his uncle Philip at a nearby nursing home. The family's history starts to come out drawing Craig and Samantha into an investigation.
This book is well worth reading with lots of darkness and lies leading to deaths and a court case with both aunts ending up on trial . The ending is more surprising than you would expect. Great book.

I love a good crime book and for me The Body in the Mist was exactly that.

Detective Inspector Jan Talantire is called out to an unlit country lane where a body has been found lying face down in the ditch. When sealing off the crime scene she finds human remains further up the road by the phone box and smeared on the tarmac; indications of a hit and run. With no ID on the body and a disfigured face, trying to identify the victim becomes a laborious task. DSI Craig Gillard receives a call from his two aunts in Barnstable asking for help, the car involved in the hit and run belongs to Barbara, one of the sister. There unfolds a web of deceit, family secrets and a cold case that needs solving.

Whist this is the third book in the DSI Craig Gillard series it can be read as a stand alone novel. I was hooked from the beginning. With alternating chapters, a host of colourful characters and two murders needing to be solved it kept you guessing till the end. And what an ending!

On a personal level I loved the setting. Having lived in Surrey most of my life and then moving to the West Country I really appreciated all the references to both locations, it brought the book alive for me and added to my enjoyment. I could really see this as part of a television crime drama. I will be recommending this book to others as well as reading the previous books in the series. Thank you to NetGallery and Canelo for my copy of this book.

This is the third of Nick Louth’s DCI Craig Gillard crime stories - I gave the first two five stars, and this one is every bit as good. I seem to recall that in one or other of the previous books there was some reference to Craig’s dysfunctional or unconventional family - this book reveals some of the extraordinary characters, and these are at the heart of the story. Also the drama takes place in Devon, where Craig has no jurisdiction, which adds further interest. Ultimately the presumed perpetrators of the murder in the title get to court and we have an interesting chapter or two of the court proceedings and a judgement is made, but is this the end of the matter, or are there still surprises to come? A really good read - don’t miss it.

This is the third book in this series but is a good stand alone book .It is set in Barnstable Devon and starts with a particularly gruesome hit and run with a badly damaged body with no identification .DCI Gillard of the Surrey Police finds out that his Aunts may have a connection with this incident.We learn what a dysfunctional family Craig has with lots of hidden secrets .The descriptions of the characters are fabulous ,batty old Aunts and a dodgy Uncle ! A very enjoyable read with an ending that actually made me gasp !!! Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

#3 in the DCI Craig Gillard series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

This starts with a body being found in a ditch, on a misty morning… the victim of a hit and run….not far from DCI Gillards aunts homes……

Craig is travelling to Devon, with his wife Sam, to help his aunts, Trish and Barbara with some family troubles….

But he ends up unofficially investigating the hit and run, as the vehicle used belonged to one of his aunts……but the both have solid alibis…..just who ran down this unidentified man?

The story tells of the family’s background of abuse…dark and horrendous, the trauma of which has affected each of them very differently……..I found creepy Uncle Philip really disturbing, while he was sadly suffering with dementia, part of him was still sly and his guilt about ‘Emily’…..was another mystery for Craig to get involved in….that ultimately leads to a Peace Park in a shopping centre. (very reminiscent for me of Milton Keynes shopping centre with its oak tree), but can this case be put to rest ?

There is also a separate story about Barbara’s sheep being mauled by a large animal which she feels is a wolf…or is there something more sinister going on?

All these stories link nicely In this well plotted, unsettling thriller. Some brilliant twists and great characters with an emotional punch….the ending would have me packing my bags and running away as fast as my legs could carry me!…….Terrifying.

Thank you to Canelo, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook and this is my honest, unbiased review.

This was a great read. I’ve not read any Nick Louth books before, but will be in the future.
I loved how there were a few main characters, and all the stories were interwoven. The main characters weren’t particularly likeable, except Gillard and his wife Sam. The narrative was well written, and the storyline deep, but not so much that I got lost. It was a little darker than it started out which I enjoyed. There were a couple of very neat wrap ups at the end where I sighed a sigh of relief.
Overall, great book, I’ll recommend.

A clever murder mystery with a genuine list of characters all possible to be the guilty party.
Police characters aren’t the normal “know it all” who solve puzzles by being clever these are faulty people
Highly recommendable

This is an intricately interwoven series of plots. In detective stories,the police usually have dysfunctional personal lives but here the family history is used to good effect. The warring sisters,the damaged brother are all well drawn. The fact that the damaged family is related to a senior detective is clever and adds suspense to the story. New facts keep emerging to add to the suspense. The reader also has to take a decision at the end. Has the right person been convicted? Is the unexpected suicide note telling the truth? Who knows? Let the reader decide. This is a very good and well crafted story.

Had never read this author before but was very impressed. Amazing book.. Fast paced complex story well worth a read
Have already bought another 2 of his books based on this

This book is the third in the series
This book is an excellent police procedural thriller with many twists and turns.
I was hooked from start to finish and didn’t want to put it down

A who was it wrapped up in a clever who did it murder mystery. DCI Hilliard is back facing his aging family all of whom have something murky to hide.

Muriel Hinkley was walking her dog when she found the body on a quiet country lane, just south of Exmoor. She didn’t recognise him - no one would for a long time as it was obvious that he’d been the victim of a hit-and-run. He had no face - most of it was smeared on the road and when D I Jan Talantire came to look at the body she realised that there was absolutely nothing on him which would allow for identification. All the labels had been cut out of his clothes and there was no wallet and no phone. He was Mister Nobody.

It was not the same for the car involved in the hit and run though. Barbara Arbuthnott reported it stolen from the care home where she was visiting her brother. She and her sister had been playing Monopoly with him (despite his dementia he always won) and when she went outside the car was gone. It was soon found though and she drove it home, annoyed only that it had obviously killed a badger. It was Auntie Trish who rang DCI Craig Gillard to tell him that her sister, Craig’s Auntie Barbara was involved in a hit and run. Would he mind coming to Devon to sort it out?

Such is the magic of rank that people think that you can sort problems out - make them go away - even when they’re not in your jurisdiction and you have no reason to intervene. The problem was that Gillard had always been at the mercy of his aunts. There was a lot of history in the Arbuthnott family of which Gillard’s wife, Sam, was unaware. And so they set of for what would be the first of many visits to Devon and which would involve murder, child pornography and conspiracy.

I’ve yet again broken my rule of not joining established police-procedural series when I don’t know what went on before. Yet again I’m glad that I did.. I was worried at first - Jan Talantire seemed a little wooden, but I warmed to her and the rest of the characters came off the page fully clothed and ready to play their parts. And they had an excellent plot to work to. It’s a slow burn, but totally compelling as I got closer to the end I really couldn’t turn the (digital) pages quickly enough. It’s the first Craig Gillard that I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last and I’d like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

This had been a really interesting book; full of twists and surprises that will leave any reader astonished!
This is the first book I’ve read of this series and in the beginning I was a little bit lost, but I catch quickly the characters and the plot. The story is twisted and original per se, can you imagine that you are a detective and you’ve discovered that your aunt’s car has been used in a hit and run? That’s the situation DCI Craig Gillard will have to deal. There will be a lot of dark family secrets to discover which will make you want to hide under your duvet!
The characters on this book are twisted and with a lot of dark humour; I don’t want to make any spoilers, but this book has made me think that I have a really sweet family compared to this case! Really be prepared!
I really liked how the case was completely solved, leaving all the questions answered and without any doubt of the killer motive. But not only the case but how the jury decides the outcome of the case! I would like to see this in more books, because even if they catch the killer you never know if they go to prison or not!
This will be a great read for any mystery lover; full of twists and family problems that will make you keep reading till the last page!

A great read. Loved the character developments, especially DCI Gillard's relatives! Fantastic twists. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Police procedural thriller taking place in Devon - quite good

Craig Gillard and his wife, Sam, spend time down in Devon with his dysfunctional aunts and uncle, following a hit-and-run in which a man dies. With the local detective inspector, they uncover all sorts of ill-doing: rape, child abuse, fraud, murder ... The plot moves along at a healthy pace and the characters are well-developed, most of which are quite shady. The last part is the court case which culminates in conviction of some of the guilty parties. It's all a bit sinister and even depressing. Not brilliant but a reasonable story, read over a couple of days. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this one after reading the previous book in a day, this took nearly a week.
It was a bit 'Midsomer Murders' for me. Tongue in cheek with rather too much dialogue and angst.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nick Louth and Canelo for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The body of a man is found on a quiet Exmoor Lane, seemingly the victim of a hit and run. With no clues to his identity and a severely damaged face, the police are finding it impossible to identify the deceased. Meanwhile, DCI Craig Gillard is called away to Devon on family business and finds himself embroiled in the case when the car involved in the hit and run is traced back to his aunt. As he digs deeper, Craig starts to uncover long-hidden family secrets which will have serious repercussions for his whole family…

There are dysfunctional families and then there is Craig Gillard’s family! Summoned to help his aunt when she is linked to the hit and run, he soon finds that there is much more to her story than meets the eye. I admired Craig’s integrity when he found himself in an extremely difficult position, even if the local police force were not initially enamoured with his desire to help. Craig’s family are not likeable at all and it was satisfying to see the stance he took when trying to uncover the truth.

It is hard not to feel sympathy for Craig as, slowly, more and more secrets are revealed about his family, none of them positive. It is a wonder he is as normal as he is as we discover the crimes and misdemeanors that have been taking place in his family for decades. One of these crimes, a cold case which Craig decides to investigate, was my favourite part of the plot and I was very pleased with its outcome. I felt really sorry for Craig’s wife who supports him throughout the book, not knowing what secrets he, himself, is hiding.

Sometimes you read a book and start to visualise what it would look like on TV and this was definitely the case for me with The Body in the Mist. This book really does have everything – a modern-day police investigation, a cold case, heinous family secrets and a criminal trial – and I could quite easily see this as a mini-series. I, for one, would be gripped!

Although this is the third in the series, it can be read as a standalone so it is not essential to have read the previous two. I have read the previous book, The Body on the Shore, and whilst I really enjoyed that one, The Body in the Mist really is something special. Just when I thought the book had reached its conclusion, the twist at the end truly made me gasp – it will be interesting to see what happens in book 4 as a result of this revelation!

If you haven’t read any of this series yet, you won’t go far wrong by starting with The Body in the Mist. One of my favourite reads of the year so far.

There is a very dark start to this crime thriller, a body is found on a road in Exmoor, seemingly the victim of a hit and run, but the injuries make identification tortuous. DCI Gillard finds that a family member may have connections to the incident. What follows is an in-depth look at Gillard’s family and the revelation of long-hidden family secrets that put him in an unenviable position.

This chapter in his life, we meet part of his family, they are not what they first appear to be, and the hidden personality traits that are eventually exposed are written convincingly.

His wife is an important character in this story, and her trust and support, despite her own fears and misgivings, help him to keep a perspective on the situation, as he faces up to, and accepts the dark side of his family.

The plot is varied, with a murder, a cold case to solve and a court case that makes compelling reading. ‘A Body in the Mist’, is a dark, driven, dramatic crime thriller, which puts the protagonist through the mill but demonstrates his strength and integrity.

I received a copy of this book from Canelo via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is becoming a pretty good series. Whilst The Body in the Mist can be read as a stand-alone book quite easily it is actually the 3rd in the DCI Craig Gillard Series by Nick Louth. What a story!

Craig is called back to Devon to sort out some family business. He has two aunts both a bit odd who seem to insist on his help much against his own better judgement he, rather reluctantly, agrees to take a look. His uncle is in a wheelchair and is in a nursing home with the onset of dementia. While there on top of everything else Craig gets embroiled in an investigation into a hit and run. One of his aunts owns the car identified as the vehicle involved but both aunts have a solid alibi. The police are at a loss especially as they cannot identify the victim, have no witnesses and no real leads.

In this book we delve into Craigs family and it’s recent history which is quite dark and learn some sad and rather appalling things. It’s good to see how Craig and co. are developing as characters in this very good series. Craig has his doubts about a lot of things to do with his aunts, he’s not very keen on them, and as we read on it becomes clear and understandable as to why this is. Nevertheless, despite any misgivings, Craig is drawn back to Devon and into helping them out. There are some strange goings on at his aunts farm, then there’s something odd at his other aunts house and what they reveal about his aunts, uncle and, long dead, grandfather is awful – it’s not, perhaps, a family you’d want to be a part of either – still what happens is tragic. Craig is on the side of the law so he will always try to get justice done.

This is a well written, well paced book which has some nice twists and an interesting standpoint with Craig, the main character and a DCI, not actually the investigating officer as the crime takes place out of his jurisdiction. It’s a fascinating angle and a well plotted storyline.

Unlike many books were the end comes when the ‘baddie’ is caught, or not, here we are taken through to the court case and given a glimpse of what happens on the legal side. You get a little insight into how things work and I wonder if you would agree with what happens especially because of what we know from the rest of the story!

Just when Craig, indeed, me and perhaps many other readers think all is sorted and he’s free of his family – and what a family – there’s a rather creepy twist that makes you wonder and look forward to what might happen in the next DCI Gillard book!

If you’ve not read any of the series I would certainly recommend them and should you give them a whirl hope you, too, will enjoy them.

With many thanks to Ellie at Canelo for the invitation to Spotlight review #TheBodyInTheMist and to Canelo via NetGalley for an eCopy of this book.