I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘A Cry In The Night’, the fifteenth in the DI Jessica Daniel series written by Kerry Wilkinson, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Just after midnight 14-year-old Samuel is woken by the voices of two men just outside his bedroom door. They’ve broken into their flat and are demanding to know where his mother Evie has her money. When Samuel is found cradling his mother’s dead body DI Jessica Daniel is called in to investigate and although Samuel gives her a good description of the men he’s blind and can only see through the sound waves made by clicking his tongue. The crime seems motiveless as Evie is just an ordinary mother and doesn’t have much in the way of money or possessions, so what reason did the men have for breaking in?

‘A Cry In The Night’ is an enjoyable and easy-to-read thriller featuring Jessica and her sidekick Archie Davey who adds to the story by doing the unexpected. Although the plot is serious, there are snippets of humour threaded throughout and I especially like the description of what a pigeon leaves behind on Jessica’s car! There are the threads of several crimes interwoven with the main plot that come together at the end, tying up the loose ends and giving a reason for the attack on Evie. I think Kerry Wilkinson’s brought a nice touch to the story by giving a cameo role to Andrew Hunter, a detective from another of his series, who in turn leaves us with a cliffhanger on the final page. I’m more than happy to recommend this thriller but there has to be another in the series as I need to know what happens in Jessica’s private life.

From the first page this novel takes you in hand and doesn’t let go. A very different investigation with the only witness a blind teen who uses sonar-like ability to ‘see’. Interesting from beginning to end
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me this arc

You know it’s a successful series when an author is up to book 15. And I’ve enjoyed every one of the prior 14.

This time around, Jessica is investigating the murder of a woman where the only witness is the woman’s blind son. The son has the unique ability to “see” through echolocation, which works along the same means as sonar. Before we know it, there is another murder which may or may not be related as the murderers seems to have been looking for something in each residence.

I’ve missed Wilkinson’s sense of humor! And his ability to paint a scene or a person with just a few brush strokes. “Shaun Viceroy was almost a cartoon caricature of a Scotsman. Barely comprehensible and with a shock of ginger hair, he was a kilt and a set of bagpipes away from featuring on a box of porridge oats. When he spoke, it felt like they were on an international phone call with a short delay as Jessica took a moment to work out what he had said.”

Wilkinson’s stories always move at a fast pace and keep the readers guessing. I was surprised that Jessica wasn’t jumping to some of the same conclusions I was (which did turn out to be correct). But there were still so many play outs I didn’t see coming. Great ending! And another cliffhanger to leave us dangling.

My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of A Cry in the Night, the fifteenth novel to feature DI Jessica Daniel of the Manchester Police.

When fourteen year old Samuel wakes up he hears intruders and finds two men threatening his mum, Evie. Then he hears a bump and soon realises that Evie is dead. Samuel didn’t see the men because he is blind but he can tell that one man walked with a limp. This is enough to set Jessica searching and what she discovers is a much wider crime spree.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Cry in the Night which is a solid police procedural with amusing dialogue. The novel is told mostly from Jessica’s point so the reader gets to live the investigation with her and her sardonic take on events. I like this approach as it leaves the reader room for speculation and to be surprised by certain turns of event. I found myself glued to the pages, wondering what would be coming next. I also like the broad sweep of the crime with one development leading to another line of enquiry and further crimes and yet the author keeps it tight with all roads eventually leading back to Evie and her murder. It’s smart and clever but never confusing.

Despite there being some serious wrongdoing the novel has a light tone, mostly due to the, at times, humorous dialogue. It can’t be described as cosy as this dialogue is often robust and not for the coy but it has a real ring of authenticity to it, reflecting the genuine friendship and camaraderie among people doing a tough job. I love it as it seems so natural and everyday.

A Cry in the Night is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another gripping read by Kerry Wilkinson. Jessica and Archie are investigating several cases and they are full of twists. Just when you think you have a handle on what is going on you are spun in a different direction. The character of Samuel was fascinating and I wish we had seen a little more of him. The last few chapters will have you on the edge of your seat with some shocking revelations. That cliffhanger ending had me yelling at the book. I can't wait to get the next one!

Once again I was so thrilled to receive this as an ARC. I adore Jessica, she’s thoroughly human and has faults like we all do, but she gets the job done. I’ve read all her books from the first one, and Andrew Hunters series too. I like the way they cross over.

The author Kerry, adds quite a bit of black northern humour to the book, and he does make me chuckle.

This story revolves around a lady who dies at home after a break in and the only witness is her blind son. I would have liked Samuel to meet the professor who advised Jessica and for him to get some recognition into his way of “seeing”. It was a very interesting theory.

There appears to be no reason why Evie was broken into, and the story moves across the Pennines to Yorkshire.

It finally comes to a gripping end with another cliff hanger, let’s hope there is book 16 so we can find out more.

My thanks to the publishers, Netgalley and Kerry for the ARC., can’t wait for the next one.

Wow, is this already the 15th Jessica Daniel book? She is feeling like my sister already, I know everything about her. This was really a well written book, thrilling from beginning to end, can't wait for the next one!
Highly recommended.

Just so you guys know I have not read the other titles in this amazing series. But, I will be getting on that soon because this one was great. Although there were a few things that came up from other books. I didn't feel to lost overall in this story. This was a great story about being blind doesn't mean that you can't see. This was a great blend of mystery and thriller and more. The pacing was well done and the story is fully fleshed out. Pretty much everything that you really need gets wrapped up in this one. The small tidbits that don't I am guessing will be taken care of in the following title number 16.

A police thriller which moves quickly along. For a long time we struggle ,with the detectives to find a motive for the crimes. Interesting bullet between the main detectives.

After finally warming up to detective investigator Jessica Daniel in the 2018 "Eye for an Eye" series entry, I must say that after reading this one I've cooled off again. I'm not sure why, except that Jessica seems to be more of an "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" kind of person than I'd like her to be.

No, that doesn't mean this book isn't good - I enjoyed it thoroughly, as I have the others I've read. And for sure I love a feisty female character, and Jessica certainly is that; but sometimes she seems to go astray with little regard for the consequences (though maybe, if the ending here is any indication, she may need to start reining herself in).

The main story has an interesting twist - one that prompted me to learn more; 14-year-old Samuel is blind, but that doesn't prevent him from "seeing" his way around amazingly well. He does that by "echolocation" - using sound (generated by clicking his tongue that bounces off objects much like sonar). He lives with his mother in a simple flat in Manchester, England, and it is there that Jessica gets involved. A couple of nasty men (or so Samuel says) broke in and as a result, his mother was killed. Samuel can describe both men by his sound clues, but he has no names nor did he actually see the two. So with few clues - including a motive - Jessica and her partner Archie set out to head up the investigation.

The neighbors aren't much help; they've all moved out months earlier. The only clue Jessica's search of the flat turns up is that somehow, some way, Samuel's mother seems to have been getting under-the-table revenue. As all this progresses, Jessica gets hints that all may not be well in her department - but clues as to what might be going on are even more scarce than in the case of Samuel's mother's death.

Everything pretty much gets resolved by the end of this book except that last bit, which I'm sure will carry over to the next one - and I'm looking forward to it. I must also commend the author for coming up with some new-to-me British words and phrases - hard to do in part because I read so many books set in the U.K. and have the great pleasure of having a daughter-in-law (and her brother) who were born in London. Beans on toast? Check. Crisps? Check. Poppadum? What the heck?

No, I won't tell you - go look it up for yourself, just as you'll have to read this book to flesh out the rest of the story. My opinion? Thumbs up! Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy to read and review.

I've enjoyed this series for quite a while, but admit this one isn't my favorite. A Cry in the Night lets you know pretty early that something is wrong on Jessica Daniel's team. You know how when a character you like does something untoward, it can be either easily accepted or cause uneasiness? Jessica offers 10 pounds to a snitch to let her know when her suspect turns up, and 10 more when he does. Why did that make me so uneasy? Because Wilkinson intends exactly that--to create a sense of disquietude.

From description: "Samuel is fourteen years old. He lives with his mother in a Manchester flat, goes to school, plays on his computer, reads books and likes the same things that most other teenagers do.

He’s also blind.

And he’s the only witness when his mother is attacked in their own home late one night."

The plot was interesting. A while back I read a couple of books by Andreas Pfluger in which his main character is blind and uses echolocation. Fourteen-year-old Samuel also uses echolocation and is able to tell the police that there were two assailants, one taller than theother, and that one moved with a limp. He also is able to "recognize" people by the same method, which startles Jessica. She is both impressed and disbelieving and investigates this phenomenon to see how much trust to put into Samuel's abilities.

A second plot thread is both connected and separate. The underlying awkward tension, however, has to do with a threat to Jessica, not a physical one, but a threat nonetheless.

The conclusion leads to a continuing arc for the next book. The cases are solved, but the apprehension about Jessica's situation will most likely be the main narrative structure for the next novel. I really don't like worrying about my favorite characters. :/

NetGalley/Bookouture
Police Procedural. Jan. 15, 2020. Print length: 347 pages.

When Samuel wakes up in the middle of the night to strange noises, he finds two men with his mother who are asking her where the money is. When things go wrong and his mother is killed, Samuel finds himself asking Jessica Daniel's to find the killers. The only thing Jessica has to go on is the word of Samuel and he's blind. Jessica, as always, is determined to the point of going against the rules/regulations to find answers. Another solid entry in this series! We are on book 15 now and Jessica is still a character that I love to read about and follow. The mysteries are always good, Jessica is always getting into trouble, and the stories are never dull. With every ending of these books there are cliffhangers, ones that have you screaming to Kerry Wilkinson, "why do you do this to me?!". Can't wait for book 16 to find out what comes next.


*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

It was a good read.

Jessica is call to investigate a woman murder we learn her name is Evie and the only witness is the woman son Samuel who is blind and he uses clicking sound waves using his tongue in order to see.

As digs deeper she learns something about Evie that doesn't add up also she investigating a homeless man death also something seems not right with the owners of where Evie lives because it seems people moving out left and right there are a lot of twist and turns that leave you guessing.

14 year old Samuel is woken up by noises in the night. He gets up to investigate and witnesses his mother being attacked in their home. Next day, Jessica comes to take his statement and is shocked by what he delivers. For someone who is blind, he certainly has a lot to tell her, most of which pretty unbelievable on first hearing. But she takes it all on board and, going back to her team, starts the investigation in earnest. But it soon transpires that this incident is just the tip of a rather nasty iceberg as every lead they follow just opens up more interest and intrigue in other directions. On a more personal note, Jessica's personal life gets more interesting both at home and she even goes on a date! Back at work she also puts a call into someone who readers of this and other of the author's series will recognise (yay!) but it soon transpires that all is not at all as rosy in her life as she thought because there is someone close to her keeping a secret. One that has the potential to blow her world up.
I love this series. I've been with it right from the stare when I got my first Kindle eight years ago when it was initially self-published. I've also read pretty much every other adult book the author has written along the way. And I have loved them all. I've said it before but the way that the author writes, his characters, his plots, his banter and his no nonsense attitude to getting on with things without superfluous waffle all which leave me wholly satisfied at the end just really gels with me as a reader. That and including the best observations ever just makes me hanker for each and every new book, devouring each as soon as I get my mitts on them. Only waiting til I have cleared my schedule before diving in as I know when I start one I will be powerless to put it aside for anything short of an emergency! This was no exception to the level of quality I have come to expect and, to be honest, rely on. Yes he has a nasty habit of leaving you hanging at the end - series arc, not really a cliffhanger as such - and this book left me fearing for what is to follow. My only hope is that the next in series will not be long in coming cos I can't wait for the fallout...
All in all a cracking addition to both a great series and an already very impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time, be it a Jessica, an Andrew or a stand alone - I'm ready and waiting.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I love Kerry Wilkinson’s style of writing and this Jessica Daniel series. I have read the whole series and enjoyed every one and this is no exception. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me engrossed with an unlikely hero in a blind boy who can ‘see’ with using the sound waves of his clicking with his mouth. An unusual storyline but makes for very good reading. Bring on the next book.

Detective Jessica Daniel has just caught a murder case where her only witness is the victim’s teenage son, who just happens to be blind. While most of her colleagues don’t believe Samuel can help them find the killer, Jessica knows the boy has an incredible sense of sound. She believes he has the ability to help solve the crime. His story of what he heard that night points Jessica to a town where she finds another body and is able to link the two murders. I like that Wilkinson used a blind teen as her witness and capitalized on the strengths the young man had