Detective Inspector Jemina Huxley is having problems with fertility and possibly her marriage while also investigating a body dump site in Revenge.

Called to investigate a body buried on a rural farming estate, Jemina has many personal issues to overcome. She can’t get pregnant. Her partner is a disheveled new father, who constantly complains about his new baby’s interruptions into his married life. When more bodies are uncovered in the same location, the police know that there is a serial killer in their midst. But what could be the motive? And why were none of the victims reported missing?

The suspects were well-characterized and the mystery was difficult to figure out. Jemina had flaws like most people but seemed very genuine. Overall, Revenge is a good solid British police procedural. 4 stars!

Thanks to Sapere Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A new author for me and the start of a new series. After reading the blurb for this book I was really looking forward to this one, I am glad to say that I was far from disappointed. A suspense full police procedural which had me gripped from the first to the last page. DI Jemma Huxley is the main character, a complex lady with quite a few issues. Jemma has to put her personal issues aside as she has just landed the biggest case of her career. A vicious serial killer, incest, domestic abuse and infertility. This book has the lot!!!!! I honestly had no idea who the killer was until they were revealed. A real page turner which had me tapping my kindle faster and faster I HAD TO KNOW!!!!!! So looking forward to reading about DI Jemma Huxley and learning about what makes her tick. Personally I think that this is the start of another gripping and addictive series. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Sepere Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

A good, solid detective story. Set in England the police have to unravel a set of gruesome murders after bodies are found in the woods of a local country pile. Who are the victims? Why are they buried there? The family have a lot of secrets. The police characters who I presume will be part of a series are well sketched out and interesting with a variety of personalities on the team. I look forward to reading more of this series.

A wealthy local discovers several bodies hidden in a shallow grave. DI Jemima Huxley and her team must make the connections to the victims and the property before the mysterious killer strikes again in this intense procedural.

I quite enjoyed reading this one. I enjoy a procedural both on page and on screen and found this one to be a refreshing break from the thrillers that bounce back and forth in narration. (I love those too, but sometimes it's nice to read from one POV the entire time) Jemima was a well written character and her struggles with infertility were strikingly written.
The mystery in itself was predictable, but as I've said before, I don't find it to be a problem in mysteries. It was well written but it did feel a bit unbelievable. Families as wealthy as the Tremaines would be gossiped about to no end and the secrets they harbored would have probably been well discussed in their village.

In short, it's a good procedural, it follows the female detective with a personal problem trope, but the writing was good enough and the mystery interesting enough that I read the majority of it in one sitting. I'll definitely be watching for more in this series.

*I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my review.

DI Huxley and her team are called out when a body is found partially buried in shallow grave in a privately woodland. When two more bodies are found in the same location, suspicion falls on the owners of the woodland area.

Huxley is going to have to tread through quicksand to get to the truth. Many potential suspects all have secrets that they will do anything to prevent them coming to light.

What links these brutal murders? Why were they not all reported missing?

Amid this very intense investigation, Huxley is dealing with her own personal problems. The question becomes .. can she get herself under control long enough to solve this crime?

The story premise is a good one. The mystery/crime is well written. I did not particularly like DI Huxley. She comes across as a woman trying too hard to prove that she's good at her job. Although married, she doesn't seem to like men in general. A new member of her team is reputed to be a ladies man. Huxley has never worked with him before, but 'assume' the reputation and she berates him at every opportunity. She's just not a likeable character. The rest of the team lend a bit of credibility in showing police procedure.

Many thanks to the author / Sapere Books /Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for an advance copy of Revenge, the first novel to feature DI Jemima Huxley of the Cardiff police.

When a buried body is unearthed in the woods of the local stately home DI Jemima Huxley is put in charge of the investigation. When more bodies are discovered it becomes apparent that she’s hunting a serial killer.

I enjoyed Revenge which is a tale full of twists and turns before an incredible denouement. The novel opens with the unnamed killer about to bury a body and my first thought was oh no, not another novel exploring his psyche as I hate them (poor psychology and nothing ever new) but thankfully that was the last of that until his final interview. It is told in the third person from Jemima’s point of view which is good in that it gives the reader something to get their teeth into but bad because Jemima is such an unappealing character. Nevertheless I found the novel compelling and absorbing so was always impatient to get back to it to see what was coming next.

The novel is, however, all about Jemima and her inability to conceive. She is obsessive about it, to the extent of walking a room containing either a pregnant woman or one with a small child and it gets old very quickly for a crime fiction reader. I would have screamed if it had been mentioned one more time. If this is supposed to make her an interesting character it fails badly as this, her mood swings and another mental health issue make her unconvincing as a senior police officer. She is a woman teetering on the edge of a meltdown and the emphasis on it detracts from what could have been a very good read. I feel that the author has the balance wrong.

What the hell is this supposed to be?

The writing style is like a child’s. Jemima does this and she thinks about this and then she does this. It just does not flow. I lost interest quickly despite the amazing synopsis.

The mystery surrounding the murders in this book is full of twists and is very intriguing in a twisted way. That's where the good end. The characters are unlikable and self involved. The main character is beyond obsessed with her infertility. The cutting is also made into a major plot point. These two things overshadow the entire book and often make you forget this is supposed to be a murder mystery. The fact that the character has these issues is one thing, however, it's a bit much to expect the reader to suspend belief and accept this is someone who can be a detective and hold the job with no one questioning their actions. I had high Hope's for this one and was disappointed by the over development of the character. I will not be continuing the series.

A great start to a new series. It made me want to keep reading. Jemima is a flawed character and the self harming was a little too graphic for me. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. Well written. Would definitely read her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

A well-written detective thriller starring a new DI - Jemima Huxley. There is quite a lot about her own personal life especially dealing with her infertility and self-harming as a result; whilst the book starts off with us thinking she has a supportive husband he becomes less so as we go along and more like the misogynists with whom she has to deal at work. She's definitely the almost lone female and certainly lone senior female. The detecting relates to bodies of young females, horribly and graphically mutilated, turning up in woodland of the local big estate. The owners and their employees are an odd bunch and none is very likeable. We enter into the world of psychopaths, incestuous relationships, abuse and family secrets with some red herrings but all intertwined. I'm of mixed feelings - she is clearly a strong character in order to have got where she in a male dominated world but seems to be going rapidly to pieces with her fertility problems. Why doesn't she, and husband, seek professional help? That aside the detecting was a good story and I look forward to more, just less of her personal issues. Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A police procedural told in a suspenseful way, keeping the reader guessing till the end. The details were a bit gory. The DI character was unstable and self harming. The infertility was made out to be a big issue that spoils the marriage, that could have been dealt in a better way like taking professional help.

Oh what a tangled web......wait! Wrong classical reference. When the police start uncovering dead bodies on the acreage of the wealthiest family in the area, DI Jemima Huxley has to put her personal issues aside to figure out what is going on. As the first book in a new series, a lot of time is spent on character background building. For DI Huxley, this includes issues with infertility, which of course meant that everyone around her seemed to be pregnant or have a newborn. This seemed to be a bit too much along with Huxley's constant obsessing on it. I hope this doesn't carry through so strongly to the rest of the series. Otherwise, it was a very interesting case and I enjoyed reading how the DI figured out who did it.

Trigger warnings for incest, domestic abuse, self-harm and infertility

Revenge is a dark thriller and in addition to crime/murder, it tackles subjects like incest, self harm, domestic abuse and infertility. It is the first book in the new DI Jemima Huxley series and it is a promising start. Sometimes it experiences the challenges of the first novel in a series with too many characters and a lot of backstory to set-up, but the mystery woven throughout is well done, engaging and kept my interest.

I also loved the links to mythology that were incorporated throughout the plot.

I will definitely read more in the series.


Thank you to #netgalley and Sapere Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

DI Jemima Huxley is a complex and interesting character. She is struggling with her infertility when she is investigating a series of murders. This book is dark and has a very unusual and clever plot centred around incest, self harm and domestic abuse. The author has created some interesting characters and the writing was very good. I look forward to reading the follow up to this new series.

A good, interesting and involving story. A detective inspector with problems - fertility ones in this case. In fact fertility is the underlying theme of this book. A good introduction to a new Welsh Inspector. Jemima Huxley

Loved it - looking forward to more in the series.

I read a free advance review copy. This review is voluntary, honest and my own.

It’s a pity D I Jemima Huxley’s private life is covered in so much detail it detracts from what was a very good story line. A strange ending to the story which suggests that there may be a sequel.

Revenge is the first book in a new series by Gaynor Torrance starting DI Jemima Huxley and it is a promising start to the series.

The book is reasonably enjoyable although I felt that there were one or two too many characters and the main character's behaviour throughout the book raised the odd eyebrow.

The main storyline was good although the ending felt a bit rushed.

Overall plenty of scope for future book and recommended

I loved reading this book,it had me gripped from the first page. I was not expecting the fat pave of the book but it is easy to follow and the characters are believable. I am looking forward to the next book

I enjoyed most of this book. It is a standard police procedural, with a likeable lead character in Jemima. I did not particularly like the passages where Jemima self harmed, and this seemed to be described in unnecessary detail. By the end of the book her relationship with her husband seemed to fade away unsatisfactorily, perhaps leaving the way open to another novel in a series? The vast majority of the book is very good, but some parts seemed unrealistic and not completely thought through, so only four stars.

Wow....I did not see the ending that this book brought.
Jemma is a female detective in a male dominated CID department. She longs to start a family with no success and takes solace in self harm to help her cope.
Multiple bodies are found within the extensive grounds of a large home. The link appears to be a women's refuge. The story uncovers some dark secrets held within the family living on the estate. The family is disjointed and are hiding secrets from each other. The grisly ending draws together all of These relationships and go a small way to explain the actions of the characters.
Brilliant book although I didn't really understand the epilogue.
Would definetly recommend