While I did enjoy this story ,it's differently a book that you have to read the rest of the series before this one's to get to know the characters and understand them .

Her Dark Heart is the fifth book in the Detective Gina Hart series. This time Gina and her team are anxiously looking for a missing mother of three. Because time is of the essence, Detective Hart is determined to press forward as quickly as possible, while at the same time dealing with family members who are obviously hiding information about the missing woman. When a murder occurs followed by the report of another missing person, the case becomes even more sinister and more baffling.

Carla Kovach has produced another well-written police procedural that is both entertaining and interesting. The story is fast-paced and suspenseful and the plot, which could be uncomfortable for some readers, is well-conceived. Overall, I liked this book, but I found myself not very invested in the characters. Many are fairly unlikable and I found some of the detective’s behavior a little off-putting. I feel that too much time was spent on Gina’s personal demons and guilt and it seemed pretty unnecessary. I really wanted to get back to the investigation and not be bogged down with her personal issues that made her look quite unprofessional and almost unstable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Fantastic thriller - I love the Gina Harte character, strong, and not completely likeable yet compelling as a detective.

This is the fifth book in a series.
The plot of this book was good but the execution was poor.
I like the main character but she hasn’t developed at all over the series.
A disappointment.

Another great read in the Gina Harte series and Carla Kovach never fails to disappoint. Full of the usual tension and with good twists to keep you guessing. I also enjoy the personal elements with Gina too alongside the cases. Can't wait for the next one!

A brilliant cracker of a story which made me a fugitive, hiding from everyone until I finished the book.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Booktouture, and the author via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating of 3.75

Susan Wheeler is late picking her son Rory up from nursery. That's okay, she's probably just hit traffic, or been held up with a job. Until she doesn't come home at all. Susan Wheeler a book-keeper, mother of three, currently going through a divorce, is missing. Her sister thinks that she's just run off again like she did when she was a teenager, her mother is beside herself with worry stating that she wouldn't leave her children like that. When the hours turn into days, even Clare begins to worry and when mother Mary stumbles across Susan's diary, the final entry lead the police to a body. Now Detective Inspector Gina Harte has to wonder, is Susan missing because she is in danger? Or is she on the run as a suspect?

I don't mind a good detective story. Crime isn't my first pick in the genre pool, but I do tend to enjoy them from time to time. I read some reviews stating that you didn't necessarily had to have read the previous installments in the series in order to be able to catch up to where this one was, so while I normally try not to request books that are part of a series, and not the first book, I figured I'd give this one a go. It didn't disappoint either.

I do feel that having not read the previous books in the series that I was missing some stuff. I also feel that I might have had more of an emotional connection to DI Gina Harte had I read the previous books, but it didn't entirely take away from the story for me. It did irk me a little bit because there is constant references to past situations that Gina has gone through, and while it's explained well enough that I know what's going on, I just didn't really care that much. I feel that this is something that would come with having been with the characters from the beginning, I wasn't as emotionally invested in the personal issues that Gina was trying to work through and was just eager for things to get back to the story and disappearance of Susan Wheeler.

The story was well written and there were many twists and turns that kept me guessing. I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong!! This is the first crime/detective/mystery story in a while that had me totally fooled. I didn't even have the why part of the story worked out. Not until Kovach was ready to reveal it, so that was fantastic.

The mystery itself was incredibly gripping and I really got the feeling of a cold, dreary winter from Kovach's writing. The narration is written from third person, however, some chapters here and there are written from the culprit's first person point of view, which I found a little bit distracting at first, jumping between POVs, but I feel like in the end, it really worked for the story to be written this way. Kovach is definitely adept at her craft.

If you want a good detective/thriller/crime novel where the women are at the forefront, give this series a go. I know that I'm definitely keen to head back to book one of the series and see where it all began.

Trigger Warnings: Domestic abuse, sexual abuse.

A well-written police procedural book. This is the 5th in the series, and unfortunately, I haven't read the rest. I now need to go back to the beginning and read more about Detective Gina Harte. A great series. Recommended.

I really love the Gina Harte series and this one really help us understand Gina and her buried trauma, which informs many of her (sometimes poor) decisions. Susan's family was incredibly iiritating, though. but good writing, good suspense.

This is the fifth book of the DI Gina Harte series. I'd read all the previous books and this one is my favourite! Carla Kovach writes pretty cruel murders and this one is no exception, but I like the intensity throughout the story and I always love the ending, it comes satisfaction every time! I'd been having a bit of disappointment in previous books with Gina's mental state, however, one of the reasons this becomes my favourite is I started to see a change in her and I'm pretty happy about it! I can't wait to read Gina's next investigation and find out how Gina's handling her frame of mind.

This was really a suspenseful read, from the very beginning by one of my new favorite authors. I have read all the books in the Gina Harte series, and even though this one does read easy enough as a standalone, why would you not treat yourself to the others in the series? Just do it!
I love the way that Gina tries to solve a case of a disappearing mother, while still dealing with a lot of heartache in her personal life. This was really an entertaining book, really worth your time and effort. Recommended.
TB

This is the fifth book in the series featuring DI Gina Harte. I think it could be read as a standalone as the mystery is what is foregrounded here, not the personal lives of the detectives so much. Any back story you need is explained.

In this installment, DI Harte and her team are investigating the disappearance of a young woman after her child is left waiting for her at nursery school one evening. Her family and her last recorded movements come under intense scrutiny as the police race against time to find her.

I've read a few of the other books in this series and this one is good but not my favourite. I thought it was a bit too focused on a small number of characters and I did see some of the solution coming as there were few other options. It's a solid and engaging police procedural but, for me, lacked some of the pace and tension of the other novels.

Great read. Love Gina harte and this Has been my favourite so far. Very tightly plotted with just enough clues. I didn't see the denouement coming and was gripped throughout

I am such an avid fan of Carla and this series. Gina is just a kick ass detective and I can't help but root for her, no matter what situations she's in.

My only disappointment though.......when the book ends!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book

Wow! Susan, a mother of 3 disappears and the search begins. Did she run away on her own or did something happen to her. As events unfold and you get drawn into the investigation you are on the edge of your seat. This book really had me guessing and the pages just flew by!

Thank you NetGalley, Carla Kovach and Bookouture for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

"Her Dark Heart" along with others in the Detective Gina Harte series can be read as a standalone but I don't think people will enjoy this book as much if they don't have more of the back story. I will say I couldn't guess who the kidnapper was so that kept this story interesting. Unfortunately, just like with the previous book in this series I felt it dragged. This series just really isn't for me. It was a decent read but not one I would recommend right away to friends.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Her Dark Heart is a superb addition to the Gina Harte series. I found this book to be the best in the series until now! I've always loved strong female characters and Gina is a smart, strong cop. This book has her thrown in a vicious and dark case that hits too close to home in more ways than one. It's gripping and keeps you turning those pages till that shocking ending.

Susan Wheeler is a devoted mother to three. So when she doesn't turn up to pick little Rory from daycare, her mother Mary is worried. mary knows Susan has been finding things hard recently but knows Susan loves her kids – she’d never leave them. Mary soon discovers Susan's diary from her childhood and cannot make sense of the dark writings and drawings her little wrote down so many years ago, just after she returned after running away from home. Susan's always been the more challenging of her two daughters leading Mary to devote more attention to Susan, leaving Clare to feel bitter resentment. Continuing the resentment well into their adulthood, Clare writes off Susan's latest disappearance as a stunt. Temporarily taking in the kids, Susan's violent ex-husband keeps leaving the kids to go on mysterious meetings leaving their eldest daughter to take care of her siblings. Soon the body of a recent client of Susan is discovered in a local park leaving the police wondering whether Susan has vanished because she is a victim. Or because she is a suspect…

I found both the plot and characters to be great in this book. We get a glimpse of Gina's relationship with her mother in this one. With a great storyline, this book is a page-turner for sure. The ending was unexpected & great too. I absolutely loved the dialogues in this one!

Thank You NetGalley, Bookouture & Carla Kovach for an arc!

This is the fifth book in the series featuring DI Gina Harte but can be easily read as a stand-alone, Gina is called out to investigate the case of Susan, a missing mum of three children who is in the middle of divorcing her husband Ryan. Her mum is very worried as she is convinced that something is wrong as Susan would never have left her children,, Susan’s sister, Clare, isn’t convinced as she believes that Susan has always been attention seeking and has run away before as a teenager. When Gina finds Susan’s diary she realises that she has been hiding a secret from her childhood.and when the body of a man is found she doesn’t know whether Susan was responsible. This was a fascinating story told from different points of view with plenty of twists and turns, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read all the previous books in this series and have loved every one, so I had high hopes for this one. Once again Carla did not disappoint! This book had me gripped from the first page - and I didn't guess who was involved. When it was all revealed I was shocked! Already I can't wait for another one so I hope this wasn't the final one in the series!

When Susan doesn’t turn up to pick Rory up from nursery. Susan’s mother reports it to the police but all the rest of the family think she has run away again which she did as a teenager
People who Susan knew go missing
Why has Susan gone missing and why is the last person Susan met turned up dead.
Is Susan in trouble or did she kill him .
Thanks NetGalley