Combine a good sprinkling of mystery, menace, abuse, gossip, drama and justice and you end up with Her Secret Past by Kerry Watts.

Having read the second book in this series (Her Missing Child) but not the first one (Heartlands), I had great expectations and I am pleased to say that I found Her Secret Past completely intriguing and compelling!

Reclusive married couple Malcolm and Jean Angus are very happy living in their cosy farmhouse, in a small town in Perthshire, Scotland. They don't have many visitors but one dark, bitter night Jean sees movement outside... Later, their cold and bloodied bodies are discovered and Detective Jessie Blake and her colleague DC Dylan Logan are called in to investigate.

With its rapid pace, abundant twists, and a cast of engaging characters, this was a stellar addition to an already thrilling series. The number of characters to get to grips with was large, but they all had a place and a role to play and were relevant to the story. Abuse in all forms, mental illness and alcoholism were the essence of the characters, dictating how everything played out. There was so much happening but with its short, snappy chapters and clear outline, it was an easy story to follow. Cleverly crafted, the mystery deepened with every chapter and I didn’t know who to trust or what was going to happen next.

Her Secret Past can be read as a standalone but you will want to read books one and two anyway, as this is such a fantastic series! It's well-written and entertaining, and I revelled in seeing Jessie grow into her role; the reader learns more about her traumatic backstory and her volatile relationship with her ex-husband, Dan. Both Jessie and Dylan are both thoroughly likeable characters and I cannot wait to see what Kerry Watts has in store for them in book four. I have no hesitation in recommending Her Secret Past to fans of the genre.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley. This is the third book in the Detective Blake series but each one can be read as a standalone.

In this book, we follow Jessie Blake as she tries to uncover the truth in the murder of the Angus'. Jessie is an easy character to root for. You can tell she has a dark past before it's even revealed. She is a determined and hard-working detective. We find out more about her past in this instalment and I hope that even more will be revealed in the next book.

Another favourite character of mine is Jessie's partner Dylan. Dylan is a good man, he's an excellent father and a hard-working detective.

The story itself had lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing all the way through. As well as uncovering the murderer this book also deals with lots of other issues domestic abuse, sexual abuse and mental health. Kerry deals with these issues in a sensitive way while still showing the seriousness of these.

Kerry had me gripped from the prologue to the epilogue and I cannot wait to return to the world of Jessie Blake!

Thirty years ago an elderly couple were battered to death in their own kitchen. Their young fourteen year old grand daughter & her much older boyfriend are found to be guilty.

Fast forward to present day. Detective Jessie Blake is called out at Christmas. Another elderly couple are dead in their kitchen. They have been shot. When the police arrive their grandson is calmly sitting at the table eating a turkey sandwich. However there is no forensic evidence tying him to the shooting.

This proves to be a puzzling case for Jessie & her team. I am really enjoying this series & am already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Her Secret Past by Kerry Watts this is the third book in the Detective Jessie Blake series and I have just loved it. It's full of twists and turns Plus, a great stand alone book but I would recommend you read the first two books, you find out more about the relationship between Jessie and Dylan.

Set in Perthshire, Scotland. Detective Jessie Blake her partner Detective Dylan Logan, are called to a murder where an elderly couple Malcolm and Jean Angus are found murdered in their farmhouse. They have been shot dead. Jessie and colleague Detective Dylan Logan are put in charge of the investigation. When they both enter the farmhouse, they find the elderly's couple grandson Gordon sitting next to his grandfathers body without a care in the world!

Did Gordon murder his grand parents? and why?

It seems to be a closed case where the grandson murdered his grandparents.

However, When Jess and Dylan start to investigate the murder's of Malcolm and Jean Angus and start to search their property they learn about a dispute they are having with their local landowner Rachel Ferguson.
They are both shocked in what they find when looking into Rachel 's past - she is not the person people think she is! Rachel has a previous murder conviction just made her Jessie’s prime suspect.

Detective Jessie Blake's own past comes back to haunt her when her abusive ex-husband begins to interfere in her new life and needs to find the strength to deal with him as well.

I highly recommend this Book and the two other books within this brilliant series. An excellent read!

Big Thank you to Kerry Watts the author, Bookouture the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I had always thought that author Kerry Watts wrote a police procedural with a heart. But this book was more than that. It was brilliant, a complete thriller, which compelled me to read the book from beginning to end in a single sitting.

Never had I read a book so fast in this year. Two sets of murders one which occurred in 1990 and the other in the present time where all the victims were an elderly couple. Detective Jessie was called to investigate with her partner Dylan.

My third book by this author, and this was my absolute favorite. I found my heart pounding, my brain telling me to read faster and faster until all that remained was my race to the end. This was fast paced, gave me a swift adrenaline kick. The words chosen knew how to evoke the right emotion.

The story not only had the investigation, it brought Jessie's past life hurtling down like a bag of coal where her abusive husband was back. I liked the intense need I had to know about that mini-story. The writing was so different from the rest of her books, a good different. The way the author linked all her subplots were great to read.

The characters were varied, and each felt as if they were hiding something from me. I was stuck to my kindle; I don't think I looked up even for a moment. Nothing could distract me from this book. It was like opening a surprise gift and loving what was in it. Fantastic breakfast read, the best way to break a reading slump.

A fast paced thriller about Detective Inspector Jessie Blake, She is trying to solve the murder of an elderly couple. There were a few unexpected twist. The plot was great and I loved the ending. This book can be read as a standalone.

Brilliant. There are so many secrets and lies in this story. Jessie and Dylan need to find the truth. This is a really well written story with believable characters which had me hooked from the start.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Her Secret Past is the third book in the Detective Inspector Jessie Blake series set in scenic Perthshire, Scotland. When elderly couple Malcolm and Jean Angus are shot to death in their remote Perthshire home Jessie and colleague DC Dylan Logan are immediately called to the scene of the crime to investigate. When they enter the property they are both bemused to discover the couple's grandson Gordon who is plonked right next to his grandfather's body seemingly without a care in the world. After getting the general lowdown, a possible suspect, the Angus’s next-door neighbour Rachel Ferguson, seems like she might have motive given she was witnessed having a heated argument recently with the murdered pair over land and we all know money is up there in terms of a reason to kill. However, Jessie is wise to see the bigger picture and that all may not necessarily as it initially appears.

With its rapid pace, excitement, drama, ample twists and turns, and a cast of engaging characters, this is a stellar addition to an already thrilling series. It's quite a complex, convoluted read with many different plot threads, multiple points of view and a series of flashbacks to the 1990s which link the past and present yarns. Unlike many books with a lot going on this actually works. You certainly need your wits about you, though it does just about stay on the right side of manageable. It's well written and entertaining, and I enjoyed seeing Jessie grow into her role; we learn more about her harrowing backstory and her tumultuous relationship with her ex-husband, Dan. There's even a new love interest in Benito. I don't typically enjoy books that end on a cliffhanger but it is done well here and is so deliciously violent that I found I didn't mind as much as I usually would have. Recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

Incredible. Again.

I'd previously read "Her missing child" and loved the relationship we have as the reader with DI Jessie Blake so I was excited to see a new instalment by Kerry Watts on Netgalley.

"Her Secret Past" follows DI Jessie Blake and admittedly ALOT of characters, (none the less I wasn't confused by the amount of character storylines in this book.- But just felt there was a few too many people.)

On a dark winter night, the bodies of Malcolm and Jean Angus lie cold and still in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Detective Jessie Blake is called in to find out what happened to the reclusive pair.

So now we trail down a road of crime thriller chilling twisty turns, and "who done it's". The story comes together very well as with all Kerry Watts' thrillers, it's not drawn out for too long and it's an easy enough storyline to follow, with just the right amount of suspense to keep you page turning! I love again we follow her personal life as a side story..... And I personally can't wait for the next installment in the Jessie Blake series to find out what will happen!!!

5 Stars from me!

⭐⭐⭐1/2

"It hardly seemed real now that they were carrying out their plan. The plan that would free them. Free from judgement "

What made the 14 year old Alice and the 19 year old David kill her grandparents? What impact will this brutal act have on her life?

Exactly 29 years later an elderly couple is shot dead in their home. Who would have done this and why? How can their grandson sit next to his dead grandfather eating a turkey sandwich as if nothing has happened? Quickly evidence start pointing towards the neighbour Rachel Ferguson aka Alice Connor. What is the significance of the date? Is Rachel guilty or is someone trying to frame her.....

This was again one of those books where I really liked the storyline but I had some problems with the execution. It jumped around a bit too much at times and I think some scenes could have been padded a bit more. I did figure out what was happening quite soon but in the end I found it an enjoyable and fast read.

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sins of the past come back to bite her? 😞 Good plot, lots of threads to follow👍

4-4.5🌟stars
This is a real murder mystery because the obvious suspect for the double murder is just a bit TOO obvious! Rachel just can't escape her secret past, not even with a protective husband and a new identity. Her poor, elderly neighbors who get a fatal Christmas surprise! Why?!🤔

I really like the manner in which author Kerry Watts keeps the mystery alive with a collection of suspicious characters, especially creepily emotionless 😶Gordon. She also keeps building the tension with further attacks and misadventures. I do wish that the story would have had more of a Scottish atmosphere. I felt that the bulk of the action could have been set just about anywhere and the Scottish setting was a key reason for my selection of this book to read.

This is the second Kerry Watts mystery I've read. I enjoy her writing style and the stories she tells. So many people with secrets, including the heroine detective with her history of abuse and a man she can't seem to escape!😲

Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

This was the first entry in the Jessie Blake series that I read, but I soon purchased the first two to complete my introduction to this excellent police procedural. DCI is a complex character with hints of her past troubled marriage as a secondary theme through the first three entries in the series. In this case, Jessie needs to find if there is a between two sets of double murder, even though they are years apart.

Another great book in the Jessie Blake series.
Jessie and Dylan are called out to a remote farmhouse where a couple have been found murdered. Their son is in shock but soon turns to the bottle, so is not much help with the investigation.
Suspicion is placed with the neighbour, Rachel, who has had a difficult life and soon the evidence points her way. However, Jessie’s gut feeling is that it’s not that simple.
Dan is still trying to get back in to Jessie’s life, but the abuse she suffered when she was with him makes her try to avoid him at all costs. But he doesn’t seem to be getting the message.
This is a great crime thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages and I look forward to reading more of this series.
It could be read as a stand alone book but you’re missing out on the other books.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Although this is the third book in the Detective Jessie Blake series, this is the first that I have read. I have to admit I really enjoyed it as a stand-alone but I definitely feel that I want to go and read the first two and any future books as I don’t want to miss out.

The opening of this book is a real shocker and one that you won’t forget. We then fast forward to the present day where the bodies of an elderly couple are discovered in their remote farmhouse. Are the two events connected ?

Detective Jessie Blake and her partner Dylan are brought in to investigate the murders of Malcolm and Jean Angus. Who would have a reason to kill the elderly couple ? During their investigation they discover there could be a link to a past murder.

There is lots more than murder and police procedures to this book as it touches on so much more. A great stand-alone book but I’m sure a definite must for all that have read the previous books in the series, I will be adding these to my list !!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I don't think I have read a book by this author that I did not enjoy and this book while starting out pretty gruesome, is no exception. This is the third book in the Detective Jessica Blake series, but I do not feel like you would need to read the other to enjoy this book; it would be good as a stand alone book. Jessica Blake is at it again, and this time, the case is a hard one to solve and it may leave her in more danger that she thinks.

Alice Connor committed a terrible offence when she was a teen, she, with the assistance of David, her much older boyfriend, bludgeoned her grandparents to death for the crime of not allowing her to date said older guy. Now in the present day, Alice, is has a new identity, Rachel and her neighbours, Malcolm and Jean Angus, an elderly couple who disagreed with her proposed usage of land have been murdered. Adding to this, is the grandson of the Anguses, who is found by Jessica Blake sitting next to the dead body of his grandfather eating lunch; and a very suspicious cast of characters. We read the book in past and present, with Alice at the time of the murder and Rachel now. I kept wondering if Alice/Rachel was this cunning temptress or if she was a misunderstood woman with a dark past. The cast of characters all seemed guilty to me; I suspected all of them of different things throughout the book and was correct way less than I am proud of, but that is a sign of a good book. Lots of twists and turns and it constantly kept me guessing, with a satisfying ending,

Although this is the third of the series I was able to follow it and read it without reading the first two books. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters. .it essentially reminded me of Nancy Drew but much darker and for adults. Thank you for the ARC.

Yet another great instalment in the Detective Jessie Blake series. This book had such an intriguing and shocking plot. An elderly couple are murdered in their farmhouse and Jessie Blake is in charge of the investigation. There are so many possible suspects I couldn't put it the book down until I knew the outcome.. It's one of those thrilling reads when you think you have it all worked out , but then discover you are completely wrong. A 5 star read!

Her Secret Past is an excellent police procedural thriller that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last.

There are a number of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout the book.

The characters are well formed and the backstory was told in a way which added to the overall storyline

Definitely recommended

Excellent read. I love this series. Jessie and Dylan back doing what they do best. Interesting plot that keeps those pages turning. I read this in less than a day, a book you genuinely won’t want to put down. The main plot is great but oh the development of the sub plots and the characters
Cracking stuff!

DI Jessie Blake is back. I absolutely love this series. A double murder, what is the connection between another double murder years ago? This book had me hooked from the first page, so many twists and turns in this story. It lead me down so many wrong paths. Jessie and her team are just not dealing with the double murder, her ex husband is back in town. I read this book in one sitting and finally turned the last in the wee hours. Tapping my kindle faster and faster I just had to know the truth. An original storyline which had me gripped infact another crime thriller par excellence from this author. A MUST READ, highly recommended and I can't wait to read more.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.