I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This was a very interesting British police procedural. DS Karen Hart is still somewhat shell shocked by the deaths of her husband and daughter in a car crash. She is now the investigator tasked with finding the perpetrator of a brutal murder in the woods near a peaceful community. As this murder case progresses, she is reassigned to a suspicious fire which burned in a nearby bar and grill. She feels strongly that the cases are related. The book keeps the reader's attention as new developments and surprises unfold.

Although this is the third novel in the series, the important characters are fully developed and the book can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Don't Turn Back by D.S. Butler is the third installment of a series focused on DS Karen Hart. I had previously enjoyed the second book of the series, but this one works fine as a standalone novel.

DS Karen Hart is still carrying the grief of losing her husband and daughter five years previously. When a grisly discovery is made, Hart finds herself at the centre of an investigation that rocks the small town of Canwick. As she begins to uncover some dark and shocking truths that lurk underneath the town's benign exterior, Hart is forced to confront her own ghosts in the process.

This is a well executed police procedural that will certainly keep you engaged throughout although, for me, this one didn't have quite the same wow factor of the second book, Where Secrets Lie. The focus is less on DS Hart's personal circumstances, and I did miss some of the in depth characterization . Nonetheless, a strong addition to the series, and I am excited to see that the door remains wide open for a continuation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, D. S. Butler, and Thomas & Mercer. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this work of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend D. S. Butler to friends and family. She writes a tight tale, British police procedurals based in Nettleham, and they are interesting and unique among their genre.

DS Karen Hart carries a heavy burden of grief as she makes it through the days and years after the death of her husband and daughter. She is tired of sympathy from friends, family, and co-workers, but she cannot accept that the accident that took her family was just that - an accident. She has learned, over time, to keep her suspicions to herself but this latest murder case is covering some of the same ground that she was working back then and brings the accident and the losses all too close to the surface again. When the clues from this new murder take them back to the Red Lion Inn, she finds she cannot separate her suspicions centered on Rod and Patricia Perry, suspects now, and then for the death of her family. It is something she has to try to cover, as her co-workers already think she is a bit daffy when it comes to that period of time. But where do you draw the line between fact and paranoia?

This is the first book I have read in the DS Karen Hart series and I really struggled to get into it, I did preserver to the end but I’m afraid it’s just not for me.

My reaction to Don't Turn Back is generally positive, but I hasten to add that the characters in the novel were not very likable. For whom was I supposed to root? The most likely candidate is the protagonist, Karen Hart, for whom the series is named. But I didn't particularly like her either. The fault may be mine,or perhaps the author needs to work on character development.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Read this straight through.
Love the Karen Hart character.
DS Hart is a detective in Lincolnshire. Her husband and daughter died in a car crash and she is still trying to come to terms with it.
She is called to attend the discovery of a body in nearby woods.
The man has been battered to death and they struggle to identify him.
A beer mat from a nearby pub with date and time on it is the only clue.
The story moves at a good pace and soon Karen is involved in people smuggling ring and police corruption.
This is a really enjoyable British crime novel with some good twists and turns and an exciting ending.
Well written characters and plot.
I have read the Jack Mackinnon books and can recommend both these series.

An excellent suspense-filled police procedural. Detective Karen Hart still has nightmares from losing her husband and daughter to an accident that she has always thought was no accident. As she tries to get back in the swing of investigating, she's thrown into a murder mystery and human trafficking cases that take her back to the case she was working on when her family was ripped from her life. When a suspect says to her, "You should have learned your lesson last time," she begins to wonder if the loss of her family is somehow related to these new cases. She seems to be thwarted in her investigations from all sides, and she's frustrated but determined. It's a great read with lots of guilty possibilities. Will she survive this precarious situation or end up losing her career as she pursues her hunches? Danger lurks in every shadow.

This just didn't have enough going on to keep my attention. I was stuck home in quarantine and kept reading hoping the ending would be a good twist, but nothing much happened. If I had known it ended so weakly I would have stopped way before the end.

4.5 Stars
This was a first for me with this author but will not be a last. I was taken on a ride and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We are with a woman who is a detective. She has recently endured the tragic loss of her husband and child in a car crash. This has thrust her into working none stop to block out everything else in her life.

This takes place in a village that seems perfect...charming etc....and maybe too perfect. Because with the discovery of this dead man...all the secrets of this village start to seep out.
Well Done.

Review of eBook

The discovery of a savagely beaten man’s body in the woodland sends shock-waves through the little village of Canwick. Detective Sergeant Karen Hart, still reeling from the deaths of her husband and young daughter some five years earlier, investigates and finds hints of a modern-day slavery ring. As the investigation forges ahead, witnesses begin to disappear and it soon becomes clear that there is a strong conspiracy working to hide the truth. Can Karen trust the information she’s given? And what will the truth reveal?

This, the third in the Karen Hart series, is a quick-read mystery that contains sufficient backstory to work well as a stand-alone for readers new to the series. There are plenty of twists and turns, but, at times, Karen seems far too caught up in the tragedy of the past, a plot point that serves to interrupt any suspense surrounding the story-lines involving the current murder investigation and the probe into a possible human slavery ring. Instead of being well-developed, some characters more closely resemble caricatures and astute readers will figure out everything early in the telling of the tale.

Rather than moving the story forward, the possibility of long-standing corruption within the police department seems to serve only as a convenient explanation for previous events and is certain to be hugely off-putting for many readers.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley
#DontTurnBack #NetGalley

Don't Turn Back is the third in Butler's Detective Karen Hart series. While I probably would've had a better understanding of Karen Hart's background and character if I had read the first two in the series, this also works well as a stand-alone novel. When Karen Hart is called to a murder, she revisits the case that she was working on at the time her husband and daughter died in a car accident. The new case digs up feelings from her past.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, and the characters are well developed with just enough background. I loved getting to know Detective Karen Hart and her team. The book was written from multiple viewpoints, which really gave the reader a full picture of the case they were working on. This was my first D.S. Butler novel, but it certainly won't be my last.

Incredibly boring. I couldn’t find anything interesting in this modern-day slavery ring to finish the book.

5 ⭐️
arc provided by netgalley.
So when I requested this arc I didn’t notice it was a series but I was able to read and understand everything, because the author explained the previous things that happened and I really enjoyed that. What can I say?? I fell in love with D. S. writing, with the investigation and the direction the story went, I got stuck in the story since the beginning and loved every second of it. Really glad I got to read this book and met D.S, I’m totally gonna read her other books!

I've received each book in this series from Netgalley since book one. It just continues to get better and better. Hope to see this series continue.

Thanks NetGalley for this advanced copy! This was the first book I have read from this author. It was fast paced and just the type of thriller I am in to.

This was my first experience with DS Karen Hart and I was not disappointed. It is not necessary to read the first two installments to enjoy this novel. The author does a great job of painting the backstory.

The premise of this novel is a murder. The man is bludgeoned to death and also may be tied to human trafficking. DS Hart is investigating this while still being haunted (who wouldn't be) by the accidental deaths of her husband and daughter that happened 5 years ago. The pacing of this novel is wonderful and keeps you guessing.

I look forward to finding out what happens next!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and D.S. Butler for providing me with this ARC.

Still reeling from the end of the book!
Still trying to wrap my head around the implications from the last case of Detective Hart. Intense reading from the very first chapter, the drama and action held me hostage until the last page. One of the most interesting and intriguing crime fiction series out right now, it is definitely worthy of your time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book .
#netgalley #dontturnback

I found this book overall a pleasant read. The case was an interesting twist on the typical murder mystery. I found some of the characters to be a bit irritating, I would have preferred for more chapters be from the perspective of the main male detective. The end intrigued me to read the next.

I would give it a 3.5 stars

Don’t Turn Back, @dsbutlerauthor gets 5 * from me. Just love this Detective Karen Hart series. And book three has left me wanting more!

This is book three. Don’t Turn Back can stand alone, however you’ll get a more in-depth appreciation of what’s going on if you read books one and two. D S Butler has ingeniously scattered seeds here and there in her previous books that come together as you read this book.

As I mentioned in my review of #wheresecretslie Detective Karen Hart doesn’t let anything go and if you read the previous two books you’ll see what I mean when you read #dontturnback.

It starts well ‘He was going to die tonight. But that didn’t slow him down. His death might have been inevitable, but a primitive urge to flee kept his legs moving as he stumbled up the mist-cloaked escarpment.’

‘Terrified, he turned to face the snapping jaws and heard the cold laugh of victory – the sound of a man who’d caught his prey.’

The story has two separate cases moving along side by side, one about human trafficking and the other a murder..... with a connection to the Red Lion Pub. Karen has history with Patricia and Rod Perry, the owners of the pub, and when Patricia hissed ‘You should have learned your lesson last time.’ Karen was knocked off balance and needed to understand why she had said this... Karen Hart is haunted by the loss of her husband and daughter.

Full of twists and turns and Butler writes in great detail.

‘The man had no morals. No qualms about killing. He’d kill again given the chance. xxxxxxxx injuries, his smashed face and skull, had made it clear his killer was a man out of control. The cool, conceited way he delivered his lines told her this was rehearsed.’

‘Stay calm. Screaming at him won’t help.’ ‘She wanted answers so badly. Needed them. But had it really come to this? Relying on this man for answers? He was a psychopath. There was no remorse for what he’d done, no empathy for his victims.’

‘She felt the familiar tug of her old obsession – the uncertainty, the paranoia – but it was different this time. Now, she wasn’t working alone. She looked up and handed Morgan one of the forensic reports. He smiled as he took it from her. ‘It might take a while, but we’ll get answers.’ Karen returned his smile and raised her glass. ‘Yes. This time, we will.’

I don’t want to say much more, not into spoilers, just buy the book and enjoy!

A door is left open to more books in the series. Here’s to book four of the 🕵️‍♀️ Karen Hart series! 💃💃💃

A man is found bludgeoned to death in woodland by the village of Canwick, and the close-knit community is sent into shock. Detective Karen Hart, still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter nearby, is brought in to investigate the horrific murder.
It soon becomes clear that dark secrets lie behind Canwick’s unspoiled appearance. When Hart begins to suspect that a modern-day slavery ring has been hiding in plain sight among the villagers, she faces a race to find proof before the culprits slip from her grasp. But when key witnesses start disappearing, it’s obvious that there’s a deep-rooted conspiracy to keep prying eyes away from the truth.
This is the third book in the series & can be read on its own. I haven’t read the earlier books but after being totally caught up in this book I’ll certainly be reading them now. A fast paced story, well defined characters all made for a read that I was loathe to put down & I read it in two sittings. There are plenty of twists, turns & red herrings also some revelations that had me gasping & made the pages fly by. I liked that it was written from the point of view of the investigators so I was able to see if I could work out the solution before the team
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read