I enjoyed the premise, as human trafficking is a serious global problem and I appreciate authors' efforts to draw attention to it. I didn't, however, enjoy the author's voice. She constantly overexplained and 'word-padded', invariably taking three paragraphs to say something that should take three sentences. I didn't find Karen to be a particularly engaging character, so it was hard to empathize with her. Overall, this isn't a book I can recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the chance to read the book.

Upon completion I learned that this is the third book in a series but having not read the previous two it actually can stand alone. DS Karen Hart works in a rural police station. She has lost her husband and daughter years ago to a horrific accident but clearly thinks it wasn’t an accident at all. Her partner/boss DI Scott Morgan also has a past. They work together to solve a murder, which expands to include trafficking of humans. Auxiliary characters help while others interfere with their investigation. Both Karen and Scott end with resolutions to their own problems while solving both cases. Many thanks to D S Thomas &Mercer, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this ARC of a soon to be published mystery.

The mystery begins with the

The mystery begins with the discovery of a man is found bludgeoned to death in a set of sparse woods near the village of Canwick. Canwick is a close-knit community and therefore is sent into shock. Enter Detective Karen Hart. Karen is certainly capable but still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter which occurred very near the same site. That’s tough no matter how great a detective one happens to be.

As dark secrets begin to manifest, Hart begins to suspect that a modern-day slavery ring has been hiding in plain sight among the villagers. The race is now on to find proof before the culprits slip Away. Intrigue builds when key witnesses start disappearing an it is obvious that there’s a deep-rooted conspiracy going on in this innocent little village where everyone knows everyone and some know more than they are letting on,

the storyline is one that is a bit different and I really liked that. It was the slow pace of the investigation that kept me from really enjoying the read. The pace was that of a real life style investigation. I wanted more action and twists to give my mind the oh wow ,I didn’t see that coming effect.

This was my first Detective Karen Hart adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I really enjoyed this book and will go back to read the previous two. This definitely can be read stand alone as it didn't feel like I was missing anything vital from the other books in the series. The author did a great job filling any gaps that might have made.
I wonder if there will be a 4th book as I would love this to continue.
I would highly recommend this author and this book.

D. S. Butler is a new author for me and as 'Don't Look Back' is the 3rd book in the series I was sceptical as to how easy it would be to work out the main character. As it turned out it was very easy to form an understanding. Good plot, with varying twists and turns, a very easy but engrossing read. I will be reading more from this author.

Don't Turn Back by D.S. Butler was a fabulous read that had me totally gripped from the start.

This is the third book in her series featuring DS Karen Hart, set in Lincolnshire. With a fantastic plot-line and brilliant characters, it was a superb and compelling tale that held me captive throughout. Although this book was very enjoyable as a standalone, in my view it would be beneficial to read the instalments of the series in order.

The battered body of a man is discovered in woodland that surrounds the stunning and picture-perfect village of Canwick, shocking the local residents. He had a pub beer mat in his pocket, with a note scribbled on it. Whilst checking out the Red Lion pub, DS Hart and her boss, DI Scott Morgan, uncover evidence that the victim was involved in a modern slavery ring. As the team investigates, they soon realise there may be a great deal more to the case than they originally imagined, including links to a fatal accident involving Karen’s husband and daughter five years ago.

With its fair share of twists and turns, Don't Turn Back is mostly told from an investigative point of view so the reader has the same level of information as the detectives throughout the course of the novel. With the swift pacing, there was no room for boredom or tedium, here. It's an impeccably crafted story, and beginning the narrative with seemingly isolated plot threads, then combining the two as the plot unravelled was cannily done by D.S. Butler. This gripping and highly entertaining police procedural should not be missed!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I am loving this series, it had me gripped throughout with lots of twists and kept me guessing till the end. I'm looking forward to reading more in the future.

Don't Turn Back is the third in D.S. Butler's Karen Hart series. Detective Sergeant Hart is called to help investigate the mysterious bludgeoning death of a foreign man who is believed to have entered the country illegally. Five years ago Hart's husband and daughter were killed in a car crash, and Hart has never stopped believing that the resulting investigation was a cover-up of some sort. After interviewing the owners of the Red Lion pub and discovering several men locked in the owners' garage, she gets a hint that the pub owners may be involved in human trafficking and that they may have knowledge of the deaths of her family members. This book is all over the place as Hart's mind links one discovery to another, forming conclusions without evidence to back them up. Conversations ramble. Everyone is a suspect. I finished the book, and while Butler did connect all the loose ends into a tidy, if unbelievable, package, I confess to being exhausted. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy of the book.

Mediocre police corruption story

Here we have a police corruption story centred on human trafficking. It's not gruesome as some other ones are, but it didn't engage my interest very strongly. The writing is often ponderous and the dialog stilted. I think that there are some gaping holes in the story.

It's a good enough beach or quarantine book but it is not one you will read twice.

Don’t Turn Back is a well written, well thought out story about a policewoman who stumbles onto a human trafficking scheme. Added to her case problems is a fear that those assigned to work with her could be on the take and her growing realization that those involved in the scheme could be responsible for the car crash that killed her husband and daughter years before. The only negative I found with the book is the repetitive discussions of the same material related to the case but I suppose if you had two groups working a crime while reporting to a third you would have a lot of those same discussions.

I hadn’t read the first two in this series. This book was ok, I found it a bit strange the guilty person would just turn himself in. I would have liked to know a bit more of Hart’s backgrounds d which could have made it a bit more interesting. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc!

Don’t Turn Back by D.S. Butler is the third in the Detective Karen Hart series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Amazon Publishing UK, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

  

Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DS Karen Hart lost her husband Josh and her daughter Tilly in a car accident. Years later, she struggles to move on, living in the same large house, afraid to move lest her memories of them weaken. She pours her energy into her work. Hart, who relies heavily on her instincts and hunches, has a new boss, DI Scott Morgan, who takes a very logical/fact-based approach to the job (and his life), leaving little room for emotional thoughts. Hart is trying to keep her own emotions in line, while also trying to keep her constables reigned in. DC Sophie Jones is fairly new, ambitious, and prone to mistakes. DC Rick Cooper is a talkative, more experienced man, but dealing with an aging mother. The two constables are constantly bickering.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

The body of a man is found in an area popular with dog walkers.  A beer mat from a local pub is in his pocket.  When Karen and her partner investigate the pub, they find three men living in the garage, in poor conditions.  Karen has had a run-in with the owners of the pub before, and their attitude is still obnoxious.  Karen is sure they have found an illegal slavery ring, but the men won't talk.

When the powers that be separate the two cases, Karen finds herself struggling to get information that will definitively link them.  She is sure the dead man is linked to the pub.  When they start to look into a haulage firm that regularly visited the pub after hours, another police team from Thames Valley are called in to assist, as they already have an on-going investigation into the owner.  Unfortunately, the pair that arrive are Scott's old boss, and his arrogant DC.  Karen and her team struggle to work with these officers, who quickly step in and take over.

Meanwhile, the case is bringing back memories of the accident that claimed the lives of Karen's husband and child.  Again, she thinks there was a police cover-up.  The case is also bringing back bad memories to Scott, whose old partner is determined to remind him and everyone else why Scott left Thames Valley.

 My Opinions:  

Although these books are an easy and entertaining read, I found this one really long.  It wasn't boring, but some parts did drag. This story could be read on its own, but reading the books in order definitely has advantages.

I am really enjoying the characters, and although we don't learn a lot new about any of them, what we do learn is surprising.  When the topic of police corruption came up, I realized that it was going to be difficult to figure out who to trust, as there are a lot of characters, and a few red herrings.  That was well done.

Even though my mind wandered off occasionally, it was a good book, and I will definitely be looking for the next in the series.

This is another in the Karen Shaw series, a criminal investigator in the UK. The story centers on a car accident that kills her husband and daughter before the events of the book take place, and are at the center of a conspiracy that extends into the police force. As Shaw uncovers more wrongdoing, we are drawn into the story and into the inner workings of her mind and her conflict between being a good cop and doing the right thing and being frustrated with building the case for her to seek justice. It is a great read with some interesting characters and conflicts. I highly recommend this book and want to dive into the author's earlier works.

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t just a whodunit Murder mystery or police procedural, there were personal elements involved and everything combined to make it a great story. I only found out after I read it that this was the third in a series but yet it was good as a stand alone. Now of course I will have to backtrack and read the first two.

“Don’t Look Back” by D.S. Butler -a review. I was gifted this book by #netgalley for a unbiased and honest review.
If you like Police Mysteries this book is definitely the book for you! Full of mystery and suspense and even some police corruption! 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Detective Karen Hart is still reeling from the death of her husband and daughter that happened five years earlier. Convinced that there was a cover up, she is unable to let it go. When a man is found murdered in the woods, Karen is brought back to five years when she was investigating the local bar the Red Lion. Something that the owner says about her not learning her lesson last time continues to nag at Karen. As the body count increases the likelihood of corruption seems more feasible. Hang on tight to find out who Karen can trust and who is being paid off to help the crooks get away with murder and human slavery.

A New Murder Revives Memories of Old Crimes

A man is bludgeoned to death in a wooded area near the village of Canfield. Before he’s killed he scrabbles in the ground to hid a ledger. In his pocket is found a beer mat from the Red Lion Pub. None of the clues target a suspect, but DS Karen Hart and he boss DI Scott Morgan have had suspicions about the Red Lion before.

When they arrive to question the proprietors, they discover several men living in the garage. The facilities are almost non-existent which leads the investigators to question whether the proprietors are running a human trafficking ring.

This is the third book in the series. While it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, exposure to the previous books will flesh out the motives in this novel. It is much easier to understand Karen’s motivations when you read that the last time she had a case involving the Red Lion her husband and daughter were killed in an automobile accident.

The narrative is written in the third person, but the major characters all have chapters for their points of view. This gives us a view into why DS Hart is so focused on finding the answers when the Red Lion becomes a focus of the investigation and why DI Morgan tries to keep to himself.

This is a well written police procedural. I liked the psychological aspects. The author gives you a window into understanding what drives the investigators as well as the finding the clues to the new crime.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Don't turn back will give you insights into cop corruption and brave officers who stand up for justice. The characters were intriguing . Lots of twist that keep you thinking.

This is the first book I've read from D.S. Butler and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The story had enough meat to it to keep me entertained till the end. Some clues were very obvious and some creep up on you like a thief in the night!

I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Amazon PublishingUK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first book by D.S. Butler and yes, therefore my first book in the DS Karen Hart series, even though this is the third book. But I enjoyed it very much! I plan on going back and reading the first two books so I know more on the back story about Karen's husband and child. Without reading the first two, I feel like the author gave me enough info to keep me interested. And now, I want to read the next book since the secrets are only just beginning!

The investigation of a man found beaten to death leads DS Karen Hart back to suspects who have unpleasant memories for her. She investigated them for human trafficking right before her world was upended by the death of her husband and daughter in a car accident. Now paired with DI Scott Morgan, who has his own

The third in the series, this is the first Karen Hart novel I have read. I enjoyed it. Fast paced, with tight writing and likable protagonists, fans of British police procedurals will enjoy this story.