An excellent police procedural written with authentic details and realistic characters. Maddie Ives is a flawed, but easy to empathise, detective sergeant, she is dedicated, and a little maverick. She understands the importance of rules and regulations, but sometimes the end justifies the means in her opinion.

The suspense driven plot has subtle sub-plots that are integral to the main theme of the story. The beginning is shocking, and it takes you off on a tangent, looking for a certain type of criminal.

As it progresses the theme of domestic violence is explored in painstaking but sensitive detail. You empathise with Grace and want her to find the strength to escape. Again this theme is believable and gives you a good sense of what it’s like to be a police detective in these circumstances.

A powerful twist in the story, turns it in an entirely different way, as the links between events and people are apparent and the sense of urgency increases. Action scenes are important to this story, but there is a good balance of detection and emotion too.

The team dynamic is compelling. Particularly between Detective Inspector Harry Blaker and Detective Sergeant Maddie Ives and this makes you want to see what happens next. This reads well as a standalone, I haven’t read the first book in the series, but if you can do.

Just when you think the surprises are over, another is revealed, something that hopefully will be explored in the next book in the series.

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

More and more stories of domestic abuse are coming to light and make very uncomfortable reading but women or indeed sometimes men must speak up. Whether true life or fictional the subject will not go away and people can be educated to the options and help available if they can only take the first step to stop it. This is a thought provoking read.

4-5 creepy, thrilling stars! This book was very, very disturbing and brought lots of chills, thrills, and lots of loud gasps. A must read for those who love those dark, brutal psychological thrillers! Will certainly grab you in a choke hold, and leave you breathless when you finish!
Will use in a challenge and recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

Sorry first one I’ve read by this author but I wasn’t impressed, fair enough it wasn’t they typical wife beater story , but it was too confusing with too many stories going on . Not for me I’m afraid

A joy of reviewing on netgalley is reading popular authors that normally you wouldn’t read. This is a really fast-paced thriller, rather brutal though, that keeps you involved through the stunning ending. I would certainly read another of his novels.

Another great book from Charlie Gallagher.
This one had my heart racing in places, hoping the main character Grace would not get caught doing what she wasn't supposed to. I didn't want to stop reading, just so I knew what happened next.

Grace is in a very controlled relationship with Craig, who is a woman's worst nightmare for a partner. He tortures her, bashes her and rapes her. But she is fighting to keep her life, with some background help, in secret.
Maddie Ives, the detective who has given her an option to help her get out, she becomes involved in a car bombing case, which links to Grace, but in a roundabout way. This story is is intertwined with 3 or 4 directions, coming back to Grace in the end. Fascinating how this story seems all so be separate issues, but all linking in the end. Terrific reading.

Another highly recommended book. Charlie's writing style and knowledge of his storyline is fantastic. I will look forward to reading many more books from this author.

A very riveting read even if the subject matter is very dark, would recommend to all fans of Charlie Gallaghers novels

I have been a massive fan of Charlie’s since reading End Game back in July 2017 and this book is another step into the dark and twisted world of Charlie’s head.

The book starts of with a warning by the author, stating it delves into the world of domestic abuse and the statistics surrounding this, so you know it isn’t going to be a happy book. This is a very dark book, but brings domestic abuse into the main stream and shows what affect it has on people, not only the victim but those around them as well.

As always with Charlie’s books this one starts with a bang and explosion, this time in the Roundhill Tunnels and from there the book carries on at an exhilarating rate, never slowing down for two minutes.

I love the way the Charlie mixes real life places with fictional ones and gives things a slight twist. It also helps that his books are set in and around the Folkestone/Canterbury area where I live so can visualise the places easily and it makes the books much more familiar and engaging.

The story follows Maddie Ives as she has to investigate domestic crime cases along with a petty burglar, with a couple of side plots along the way, mainly the bombing of the cars in the Roundhill Tunnel and people blackmailing a businessman.

Throughout the book I spent the time trying to find the link between the storylines as well as being horrified by the domestic abuse case, although this story line is done in such a way that the reader can learn how to read the signs from real life victims and also to help victims know they are not alone and how to go about getting help themselves.

I really liked the way the story all fitted together at the end and allowed the reader to realise all the little clues that were left along the way.

In the previous book I didn’t really like the character of Maddie, but throughout this one I started to get to know her better and my feelings for her softened quite a bit, so much so that I am really looking forward to more books about her in the future.

Overall this is a brilliant, if harrowing, read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

This book was full of twists and turns and kept me up late reading! The end was suspenseful and satisfying. I did have trouble with the timeline when Sally came into the story; it just seemed implausible. Aside from that and some editing issues, it was great. I must note that I read an ARC copy from Netgalley, so those issues may be resolved.

Three different crimes coming together as one big case of manipulation make for a good suspenseful thriller, but more interesting than the real crime and it's solution is the description of domestic abuse, of the despair making victims ready to do whatever to come free and at the same time an easy target for manipulation.
The love story was probably just a follow up to the first book in the series. In my opinion it didn't add to this story.

Certainly not for the faint-hearted, a graphic description of domestic violence at it's worsed but still a very compelling read, It really got me all fired up but anxious for Grace at the same time. Amazing how it all comes together but I can't really say any more without spoilers.

This is a new author for me so wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised as I thought the book was really good. It gripped me.from the first page with its fast paced storyline, so much so I read the whole book in a day. It was quite graphic in places with the injuries that Grace sustained from domestic abuse but unfortunately it happens all too often in today's society. The only downside for me was.realising this is book two in the series so I will look to read the first book now. I love it when I find a great new author. I would recommend this book to people who like this genre.

I can’t believe that I have never come across this author before and was so disappointed to learn that this was the second book in the series featuring Detective Maddie Ives and I had missed out on the first book. I must admit though , that I nearly gave up on it as I really didn’t like the graphic description of the domestic abuse, but so pleased that I stayed with it as the storyline was brilliant. There are three investigations going in at the same time. Firstly the book opens with bombs under cars going off in a tunnel. Secondly, Maddie has arrested a teenage boy for stealing war medals but he seems to be scared and hiding something. Thirdly there is Grace who is the victim of horrific domestic abuse. You wonder how these three cases can be linked but Charlie Gallagher does an excellent job of drawng them together to bring this book to a dramatic conclusion . I will definitely be reading the first book in this series and can’t wait for book number three. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had a triple-whammy of reasons not to request this book - the red coat cover, the abusive partner plot line, and the fact it’s not the first in the series and I don’t have time to catch up, but somehow the reviews must’ve convinced me - the dangers of browsing NetGalley after a few wines, I guess. I can’t decide whether I’m glad I did: is it a well told police procedural with an accelerating pace? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Not really. There is a warning at the beginning that this contains brutal violence, but once one has committed to a review it seemed too late to pull out.

DS Maddie Ives has moved to Kent and is doing a mix of undercover work to take down a burglary ring, and trying to help victims of domestic violence. A woman she has encountered several times before, Grace Hughes, is an obvious victim, but refuses to admit it. When a series of car bombs explode in a tunnel, the force’s resources are stretched, and Maddie and her newly returned colleague Harry Blaker, don’t have time to be summoned to assist a wealthy businessman who’s being blackmailed or a teenage thief who is suddenly petrified of being released. How are these cases connected and how far will she go to protect the innocent?

I now regret not reading the first book in this series, as I would’ve probably had a much better sense of Maddie’s background, even though they are separate stories. I don’t think I’ll be buying it though, or anything else from this author, as the level of graphic violence described here was too much for me. There is a fine line between showing how evil a perpetrator is, and gratuitously prolonged scenes of abuse and suffering, and this one crossed it for me.

I also didn’t get much of a sense of Maddie’s personality, and again this may have been better fleshed out in the previous book. She has a complicated love life, a disrespect for the rules and authority, and a willingness to take risks, but beyond that we get very little. I liked Harry’s character and wonder if he would’ve made the better protagonist for this series. There are some good side characters like Vince the strongman - someone’s review mentioned he dies, which had me worried, but he’s fine at the end.

The plot took a while to get going and then veered in an unexpected direction, and while I appreciate unpredictability, felt the links between the cases were all a bit convenient and that a fair bit was left unexplained. I’m really struggling with a rating here was I want to give it 3.5 and have to round up or down. I’m going for 4 stars despite my reservations, for good writing and a conventional third person past style.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review. He Will Kill You is available now.

He Will Kill You, the second book in this series, was much like the first one…captivating, intense, and fast paced. The author, a London detective himself, engaged the reader with various crimes such as burglary, domestic violence (extremely descriptive), internet fraud, and terrorism. Detective Sergeant Maddie Ives and DI Harry Blaker once again united to fight crime and seek justice. Grace’s storyline, violently abused by her partner, was difficult to read yet you didn’t want this storyline to be interrupted (sort of like a commercial break) because you wanted to see what came next and hoped for the best. Always wanting to see what happened next made this story a quick but captivating read. It was an extremely well written story with twists and turns along the way.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy crime drama.

I am so pleased that I discovered this author and his books just keep getting better with each publication. The subject of domestic violence is very hard to read and I really wanted to kill the abuser. The combination of Maddie and Harry works really well and the writing is excellent. The reader will quickly become engrossed in the story and I highly recommend this book and the author. It's an easy 5* from me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

Grace is in a violent relationship Her partner locks her to a vice when he is out Grace plans to escape as she knows she will die if she stays and die if her husband finds her trying to escape.
Detective Maddie Ives works with a specialist team aiming to support women moving to a safer place. As part of this Maddie has been to Grace’s house and advised her to keep a diary plus to take pictures of her bruises as evidence.
Meanwhile Maddie is busy with work relationships, cases plus issues around her personal relationship. Unknown to Maddie Grace has not told her the full extent of her abusive life.
I felt this was a well written crime drama. Its easy to see how the author could write this as he is a serving Police detective himself The characters appear well rounded and interesting. Its edge of the seat type book that had me gripped throughout.
Would recommend with a note that it will not be suitable for everyone as there is extreme physical and mental abuse very graphically laid out.

WoW......Very Clever!!!!!

He Will Kill You by Charlie Gallagher was a very Clever and gritty book I have read in a while. Talk about Having me hooked from the first few pages and just wanted more. Before I knew it I heard the Birds singing at dawn!!!!

What a Brilliant book!

This is the second book of DS Maddie Ives and her team series. I found it better than the first book..........But be warned Its VERY Graphic with Extreme mental and physical abuse throughout that will leave you cold and can be very hard to read.
It has so many twists and turns it will have you saying OMG out aloud.
Plus................What a Brilliant Ending to this Book! **WoW**

I would Highly recommend This book.....One of His best so far. Plus, looking forward for the third book in DS Maddie Ives Series

My thanks to Joffe Publishers and Charlie Gallagher for the ARC

Review on Amazon UK and Good reads. etc

This book just wasn't for me and I didn't finish it. Nevertheless, I'm giving it 3 stars because I could see that it would appeal strongly to some people as a realistic slice of police life. Personally, I felt as if I didn't have all the information I needed to understand the characters (a book before this that I haven't read?) and the different threads just seemed too unconnected. I'm sure they came together in the end but there just wasn't enough of a handle on the plot to hold my attention until that happened.

OMG edge of your seat read. This is the first book I've read by Charlie Gallagher and it won't be the last. Excellent writing. Detective Maddie Ives is handling some burglary cases while other forces are handling bombs going off in cars. She has her prime perp. But he suddenly wants to confess to everything and is in fear of his life why? Normally he is arrogant and walks away with his attorney quickly. Maddie is also working with helping domestic violence victims get out and get help. She meets Grace who she fears is in dire straights. Hoping to help her she gives her advice and offers help to deaf ears. Grace is too afraid to leave. However, she is planning. Will she live long enough to make her plan work? Will her plan backfire? Mr. Gallagher pulls you in with a realistic view of a horrible fact some women are facing everyday. Detective Maddie has her hands full with all that's happening at the precinct, a man she could be in love with popping in and out of her life and and trying to help Grace get away from Craig. Grace can't own a phone, is not allowed to grocery shop can't see her own father or have visitors. and must indure unspeakable treatment and pain. She is writing it down and taking pictures as Maddie requested but she can hardly walk, how can she make her plan work? Heart pounding at times. You can't pull away you must know what happens next. Thank you NetGalley and Mr Ggallagher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I will be going to get book 1 straight away!