Watch Over You by M.J. Ford is the 3rd DS Josie Masters novel and takes place in and around Oxford. DS Jo Masters has just returned early from her maternity leave and she immediately is called to a familiar address: an old friend and retired colleague has been murdered. This is only the beginning and more murders are committed: a drug dealer from a criminal family, a suburban couple killed in their home, an ex-social worker and more. It’s beginning to look like all of them may be linked to a young girl, is she a criminal master mind or is she an innocent bystander dragged along by the murderer? With all the murders piling up, Josie is desperately trying to manage her work life balance and continually finding herself an emotional wreck, crying just at the thought of baby Theo.
A wonderful read that keeps you hooked from the start. Hope there are more in this series to look forward to.

This is a police procedural that is based near Oxford
The characters are well developed and it is a fast paced read.
A good read

A good read and I enjoyed Josie's character. Good plot with lots of action. I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

DS Josie Master's - new mum to baby Theo - could not predict just how her first day back at work would go.

When her first day results in her attending a reported disturbance, which resulted in the death of her dear friend Harry, she could not begin to imagine the sequence of events that would follow.

An addictive read that was impossible to put down. Although this book is part of an ongoing series, I read this as a standalone novel.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a gripping and suspenseful read that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The story is full of twists and turns as Josie delves deeper into the investigation and uncovers shocking secrets about her past and the town she thought she knew.

Overall, if you are a fan of thrillers and suspenseful novels, "Watch Over You" by M.J. Ford sis a book worth checking out.

Perfect blend of suspense, grit and terror. Had not come across the work of M J Ford or the Josie Masters series before but look forward to reading more of his novels! Highly recommend

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc and ability to provide an honest review.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series, however it worked on its own for the most part. This is a pretty quick read though there were parts that were slow and could have been skipped. Either way, good story and characters and I enjoyed it.

Firstly, I didn't know this book was part of a series when requesting it so therefore I probably didn't enjoy it as much has I read the previous two first. I did find it a little slow to begin with and the pace was sporadic throughout and I admit I did feel it dragging at times.

DS Jo Masters (I had to chuckle at sharing her name with another DS Jo Masters previously from "The Bill") has just returned to work after six months maternity leave, despite having to surgically remove herself from 6 month old Theo to do so. She knows she will miss him but feels she is ready to return to work. She was wrong.

Her first day back she responds to an emergency call upon hearing over her radio about a disturbance at her friend and former policeman Harry Ferman. When she arrives, he is unresponsive and covered in blood from a head wound inflicted with a poker laying nearby. Who would do this to Harry? And did his message on her phone have anything to do with what lead someone to attack him? A search of the premises show a young blonde woman has been staying with him but Jo knew nothing of the arrangement. So where is the woman now? And did she have something to do with his attack?

Sadly Harry is pronounced dead shortly after paramedics arrive on scene despite her best efforts to keep him alive through CPR. This is now a murder enquiry and Jo's superior DCI Andy Carrick assigns her as SIO of the investigation.

As an aside, there had been a fatal shooting prior ro Jo's return and the whereabouts of a person of interest who fled the scene has been located in a Cotswold village a short distance away. Jo accompanies two of her colleagues, DS George "Dimi" Dimitriou and DC Alice Reeve, to the address where something far more sinister awaits them. The bodies of an affluent couple and prominent members of the village and local church, Dr and Mr Bailey, in the cellar of their home. A search of the premises shows the crime scene to have been in the master bedroom upstairs where signs of forced entry were visible. Not to mention the dead rodents in the summer house in the back garden who had subsequently died of an overdose of whatever illicit drug had been stored there.

Jo and her team narrow down the couple's two children, Greg and Megan Bailey, as two persons of interest and set to ascertaining their whereabouts. A photo of the blonde Megan shows the possibility that she may have been the young woman staying with Harry and in that case, she is just 16 years old. So what has she got to do with Harry and how is it linked the fatal shooting of Xan Do earlier in the week?

What then ensues is an investigation that leads to more questions and complexities that the team must work tirelessly to unravel. A shooting in a cafe and a car jacking lead them to their prime suspect...but just exactly who is he? And what does he want with Megan Bailey?

While the plot was somewhat gritty and at times graphic, there was a part of me that found it all a little reminiscent of Morse with the mention of the various places around Oxford that continually popped up Colin Dexter's novels of the irascible detective. Woodstock, St Aldates, Banbury, Wolvercote, Jericho as well as the Radcliffe Infirmary. But there, the similarity ends of course as this was a crime on a whole different level than the cosy-type of academia murders that frequented Morse. This was more gung-ho.

I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked WATCH OVER ME or not. The pace was a little slow and despite picking up, it did taper off again here and there. The procedural story, as well as that following Josie's personal life, was interspersed with the preceding thoughts and actions of someone called James. But who he is and what his involvement becomes clearer as the story progresses. I admit to figuring out who he was somewhat early but exactly why was a puzzle that slowly unravelled. And for me, it kind of ended up a bit of an anti climax. The final chapters were spent in a pursuit that ended with nothing really unexpected by its conclusion.

WATCH OVER ME was a gripping read to an extent and I enjoyed Jo's gallows humour at the beginning with the child services visit. But having not read the other two books to appreciate the series more, I doubt I will revisit.

I would like to thank #MJFord, #Netgalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #WatchOverYou in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots ofntwists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

I wasn't aware of this book being part of a series, but i will definitely look up the previous ones! Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read it, a great thriller!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A gritty police procedural with a relatable female detective, A well-written book with great characters, and a great plot. Recommended.

This is the third of the DS Josie Masters stories.
This time, Jo has returned to work six months after the birth of her son Theo. She’s nervous about being back and also has reservations about leaving Theo at nursery.
Jo is called to the house of her old friend Harry Ferman, who has been murdered in horrific circumstances - masking her own emotion, she sets out to find out what has happened.
She discovers there has been a young woman living with Harry but she’s disappeared, leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake.
This was an excellent book, just like the others and I’m looking forward to the next one.

This is the third book in a series and as I had really enjoyed the first two books I was keen to read this one and I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed it. This novel follows DS Josie Masters as she attends a murder scene and discovers the deceased is a former colleague of hers. As she looks around the house she realises her friend must have had someone staying with him and now the police urgently need to find this person. And this is only the beginning, Josie needs to work fast to find the killer before they strike again. I found this novel really hard to put down. I loved that we follow Josie as she gets back to work following the birth of her baby, and we also follow the killer but we’re still trying to join the dots along with Josie and her team. This is fast-paced, gripping read and I recommend it! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

I love a good murder story and if you do then this is a really good story that will keep you turning the pages long after you’ve wanted to turn the lights out! Set in Oxford with strong characters and an interesting story it’s a 4/5.

I thoroughly enjoyed Watch over You which is a good read with an interesting plot and a high body count. The plot is well conceived with a series of random killings defying the obvious solution and eventually being linked to a deeper motive.

Book source ~ NetGalley

DS Josie Masters of the Thames Valley Police Department is back and this time she’s hunting down a killer who murdered her friend. All in the line of duty of course. She’s not a vigilante.

We’ve got ourselves a serial killer in this one and Josie and her team are trying to track him down before more people die. They can’t figure out his pattern and it’s frustrating. For them. Not for the reader because we know who the killer is. The problem we have is, connecting the dots. And for a long time I couldn’t figure out what the connection was. Then Josie and company started putting the pieces together and the AHA moment came. It’s a great investigation!

I’ve read one other Josie Masters book, the one right before this one. I still haven’t gotten around to reading the 1st one though I intend to at some point. I like the characters and the world. Joise has a bit of a mess going on in her personal life, so it’s interesting to see how she handles the pressure of work and home. The plot hinges more on good detective work than forensics though that is included, 21st century and all that. It’s just a great mystery and chase to catch the bad guy. Bonus that it’s in England so I get to see a bit more of how police procedure works outside of the States. If you’re looking for a twisty-turny police procedural then don’t pass this one up.

Book 3 in the series, wherein DI Jo Masters had to juggle work and being a first time mum. Add to that was a murder of an old colleague. Body count rose and she knew that she had to work fast.
My first book by this author, I found the beginning slow so I skipped those parts and concentrated mainly on the investigation. A few red herrings kept the plot interesting. I was not too fond of the violent scenes but overall, the book was good in this genre.

I enjoyed this police procedural - very good plot and interesting characters, particularly the strong females. The story has plenty of twists and I liked it a lot. i haven't read any of the others in the series but will look out for this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was good to see the relationships of the characters, and also the stresses of a new mother trying to do her best. It was also well written with empathy.