I love that this murder mystery was set in Ireland. I love that it read like a proper murder mystery, police investigation. I really enjoyed the strong female lead in DCS Frankie Sheenan. I haven't read the first two books in this series but after reading this book, I'd be happy to. This is the kind of murder investigation book I've felt like reading, it had twists and surprises, it was believable and it was easy to follow, I think some might find it a bit slow at times, but I think the pace worked for the story.
I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

This is the third book in the Frankie Sheehan series, but I haven’t read any of the others and this works fine as a standalone book.

DCS Frankie Sheehan and her trusted sidekick, Baz, investigate the disappearance of Debbie Nugent. Set in rural Ireland, the descriptions of the local scenery are definitely worth a mention, you can easily picture where the events would take place and the relevance of the other houses in relation to Debbie’s which helps to set the scene and events that follow.

This has a great plot. The answer to what happened to Debbie seems quite obvious to begin with, she must definitely be dead for a start and who did it? Most likely Frankie’s first thought, the daughter who has lived with the murder scene for so long… definitely suspicious! Sheehan is relentless with finding her supporting evidence, but, trusting her instincts, all is not what it seems.

Kieran does an excellent job of bringing us along with the thoughts of the investigators and the investigation with its various twists and turns. Nothing is obvious but not shocking either. This has a good solid plot that could easily be based in the real world instead of fiction.

The characters are strong and well developed. I particularly enjoyed the strong lead woman, Frankie. The book demonstrates how well Frankie handles being in a male-dominated police force which is interesting to see, she is intelligent and strong in her field but also kind and loyal. There are other secondary characters which are mostly just as well developed though a couple would have been nice to hear a little more about, especially towards the end.

I enjoyed the opening scenes the most…quite a different start to most books and quite shocking. A man enters a busy park in the middle of Dublin and shoots himself. There is no explanation for this, and it feels a bit remote until the thread is picked up and makes perfect sense towards the end of the book when you have almost forgotten about it even happening.

Overall a great book and I am looking forward to more in the series and finding some time to go back and read the two before!

There were some elements to this novel that I really enjoyed: the atmospheric descriptions of the Irish countryside, the suspense and the mystery the first pages brought.
However, I really could not get myself to 'like' any of the characters. I know this isn't essential to enjoy a novel but I really found it hard to relate to Frankie, especially.
While the story was gripping at some points, the overall plot seemed to drag and had a bit of a 'stop/start' feeling as the events unfolded. The big twist I was hoping for never really came and the ending left me feeling slightly disappointed.

Thank you to Quercus Books for sending me the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review!

This is the third book in the series, and even though I haven't read the first two, I think this works nicely enough as a standalone. The book was thrilling, well written, and I couldn't wait to see if the missing mother was found, and who the killer was. And wow, was that a surprise! Recommended.
TB

I enjoyed this book a lot, although there were other books before it in the series, I did not feel that not reading them impacted the flow of the story.

Brilliantly written and set at an agreeable pace, this story kept me guessing. I'd definitely recommend it.

This is an excellent police procedural. The mystery was addictive, the setting atmospheric, the dialogue tight and the plot twists excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it in a day. I can’t wait for the next book by Olive Kiernan to be out.

A strong plot development means that what you see as a relatively straightforward solution turns out unexpectedly to the reader to be something that you couldn't have anticipated. A study in how not just to accept the face value of any single testimony but to turn it over until the truth is shaken out. Making it stick provides the essence of this thoughtful and complete book.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
This is the third book in the Frankie Sheehan series and I have enjoyed reading each one of them. The characters improve with each book and we find out more about the murder team and what drives them all to seek justice for the victims. If Looks Could Kill was a very complicated and engrossing police drama, with many twists and turns throughout the storyline.
Highly recommended

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<p>You can always rely on Olivia Kiernan to deliver a cracking crime novel, and If Looks Could Kill definitely didn’t disappoint.</p>
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<p>DSC Frankie Sheehan was back, her trusted sidekick Baz by her side as they investigated the disappearance of Debbie Nugent. Kiernan took us away from the bright lights of Dublin to rural Ireland, to Wicklow, a town where everyone knew everyone business or so you thought.</p>
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<p>You loved the contrast in policing styles as Sheehan and her team swept in to the quiet, low tech, slowness of a rural police station. It’s Sargent Alex Gordon happy to tag along, to get involved, the crime seemingly straightforward, almost locked away. But this is a Kiernan novel, simple and straightforward not something you would associate with her. </p>
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<p>She threw questions at Sheehan, little seeds of doubt, as we were submerged into a dangerous web of gang crime, and opposing family factions.</p>
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<p>What was the connection, where was Kiernan taking Sheehan and us, the reader?</p>
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<p>You were never quite sure who was telling the truth, where the leaks were, and there was the faint tang of corruption that didn’t seem to go away.</p>
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<p>Sheehan was like a dog with a bone, relentless, determined in her need to discover the truth. You loved her intelligence, her ability to read people to put the varying clues and strands together, to put herself on the line, even if that meant failure.</p>
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<p>Kiernan pulled us along, moved us into Sheehan’s headspace as you moved in step with the investigation, the fear tangible, as the need for answers hastened your reading. You read as the various characters manoeuvred themselves into position, the need to protect others and ultimately themselves. I loved the interplay between Sheehan and Sargent Alex Gordon, the cat and mouse games she played with the various players, as she placed herself in imminent danger.</p>
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<p>The latter parts had you on the edge of your seat, Sheehans nerves pulled as tight as string as she did what she did so well, going out on a limb, willing to take a risk.</p>
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<p>Kiernan’s narrative was as brilliant as ever infused with intelligence, the plot lines never over done, but based in reality, the use of poetic licence done with great skill.</p>
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<p>I always feel hugely satisfied after reading Kiernan’s novel and Kiernan should feel equally satisfied and happy that this reader thoroughly enjoyed If Looks Could Kill and cannot wait for the next instalment.</p>
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This is the first book I have read in the Frankie Sheehan series, but this had no impact on my enjoyment of the book. Frankie and Baz are called out to investigate a crime scene in the Wicklow mountains. Debbie Nugent has been reported missing but the evidence at the scene suggests that she is likely to have met her death based on the amount of blood. There is not body, and on to add to confusion her daughter Margot has been in the house for the last few days and didn’t report anything to the police. As the plot develops Margot seems like a prime suspect, but Frankie can’t help but have an uneasy feeling about this case and with the help of Baz and her colleagues proceeds to uncover some unsettling truths. I particularly enjoyed this Irish Noir book, and backdrop of the Irish countryside and the range of characters living there added to the suspense. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys police procedurals with a strong female lead, I would like to thank Olivia Kieran, Quercus books and NetGalley for this ARC

If Looks Could Kill is the third book in the DCS Frankie Sheehan series. I haven’t read the previous 2 books but this read well as a stand alone.
The book begins with a man walking into a park and shooting himself dead in front of horrified bystanders. No further mention of this is made until much later in the book.
Frankie is called in to investigate a missing person case, that of Debbie Nugent, a fifty something mother of two adult daughters, Kristen who lives in France, and Margot, who lives with Debbie.
It becomes apparent early on that Debbie has most likely been murdered, after a gruesome discovery in her house, and Margot seems to be the most likely culprit, as it emerges that she knew her mum was missing days before she reported this to the police.
The loose ends tied up quite nicely, I didn’t find If Looks Could Kill the fastest paced book, but well written and plotted. To be recommended.
As always, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy.

A man goes into a park in Dublin & shoots himself. This is the way the story starts but no explanation is given & we move on to Wicklow. The front room of the cottage is the scene that screams of violence but no victim. No-one seems to know where Debbie Nugent, (the lady who lives there) has got to. One daughter has just returned from France but the other lives with her. Frankie Sheehan is both suspicious and perplexed by the situation. Along with Baz, her sidekick they attempt to find answers. This is not their patch so finding out how the land lies takes some time. Their investigations take them down some very dark roads & they are soon wondering who they can trust.

This is the third in the series & I don't know how I missed out on the earlier ones as they would have given me some background but it really didn't matter as this was an engaging puzzling police procedural that I really enjoyed. I may have missed the earlier books, but I'll be looking out for the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I very much enjoyed the first two in the DCS Frankie Sheehan series by Liv Kiernan, Too Close to Breathe and The Killer In Me, so am really pleased to see the character reappear in If Looks Could Kill.

In her third case, Frankie leads an investigation into the disappearance of Debbie Nugent, a woman who lives in a rural area, and whose home shows obvious signs of violence. There’s no body to be found though, and the behaviour of her two adult daughters is frankly baffling – one of them has clearly been living in the house with a bloody crime scene. In order to solve the crime Frankie has to lead a team of her own detectives and local Gardaí to investigate Debbie’s past and uncover long held secrets.

It’s great to see a strong female lead in a police procedural that’s both intelligent but fallible, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I hadn’t read the previous 2 in the series but I shall now and will look forward to the next. I was impressed with the constant twists and turns and the psychological studies of the main suspects of the murder that dominates the book. Many separate incidents are linked and tied up throughout the narrative and characters you least expect to be devious actually turn out to be despicably evil!

A well written crime thriller with no soppy romantic interests for the female police protagonist (Yay!) I’ll give this 4.5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

If Looks Could Kill is an intense and gripping page-turner that captivates you from the first line and holds you, hooked until the final word.

Excellent book. Very believable characters that I immediately empathised with. A fascinating plot that meant I couldn’t put this book down until I finished it!! Highly recommended

This is the third book in the Frankie Sheehan series, about a female senior Dublin police detective. Although I hadn’t read previous books in the series, I think this stands pretty well alone; Frankie is called to a small town outside Dublin to investigate the disappearance of Debbie Nugent, ordinarily not a case she would look into… except the sheer volume of blood found at the scene make it unlikely Debbie has survived.

As Frankie digs deeper into the case, uncovering inconsistencies in witness statements and discovering Debbie’s past may have influenced her fate, she begins to realise the case is far more than it appears on the surface. Organised crime figures may have had parts to play, and then it transpires that crooked cops are involved, covering up past secrets and current crimes they need to keep buried.

Anything with police protagonists is a tough sell at the moment, but this does it really well; Frankie plays by the rules. She never thinks wistfully that it would be so much easier if she was allowed to take shortcuts; she just does her job with excellent police work, and when it comes to light that fellow officers are crooked, she dedicates herself to cleaning up.

One thing I really liked about Frankie was her complete disinterest in romance. She starts off the book having a sexual encounter (off page) with another police officer she meets for the first time at a social event, and she is just utterly disinterested in pursuing a romantic relationship with him. It’s not even on her radar. And she’s completely unbothered about the fact that she’s single. She doesn’t regret it for a moment; she even mildly pities colleagues who are struggling to balance their work lives and personal relationships. It’s absolutely refreshing to read a female protagonist who is unashamed of their own sexuality and also not interested in romance - and a dead giveaway that this is by a female author. Male authors just don’t seem to be able to resist giving their female protagonists Complicated Feelings that honestly, some professional women actually don’t have. They choose their career and they’re not conflicted about it at all, and it was genuinely great to read that portrayed so well here.

The only issues I really had were with the pacing of the story; it starts off incredibly slowly and then sort of rushes to a conclusion, and there were a few threads which didn’t really seem to get tied off. With that said, I thought it was very well done as a police procedural, and I particularly liked Frankie as a protagonist. I’ll give it four stars.

Another excellent book in the Frankie Sheehan series .The story starts with a suicide in a park in Dublin and then Frankie and her team investigate a missing woman and find a gory crime scene but no body ,from then on the story is fast paced full of secrets and lies and corruption ,this is a real crime thriller .Frankie and Bas are likeable characters I very much enjoy this series and look forward to the next book in the series .

When hope is eternal but is lacking…

I have to admit at the onset that this is my first ever Blog Tour review. It is exciting. It is daunting. It is even more daunting as this book is the third in the series and I have not read the previous two.

Third installment of Frankie Sheehan opens at the point when so much has happened in DCS Sheehan life. Whatever happened in the first two stories impacted on her, changed her, made her vary, jaded and taught her to suspiciously tread waters everywhere and anywhere.

If Looks Could Kill starts with the suicide in the park. Out of place. Out of order. Out of character. This incident sets mood for the whole novel. Everything that happens from then on is out of place, order and character for its characters.

If Looks Could Kill is a dark story with no cozy sofas and soft lighting. The colours are cold. The sounds are low and thundering. The feeling is apprehensive and suspicious.

The twists and turns in the story, even though slow to take place, are very unexpected, deep and disheartening. Readers learn what Sheehan learnt long time ago – not to trust first impressions, look deep and expect the worst.

A happy end to whodunit? I do not think so. The problems are so deep. The web is so intricate. The evil is so ingrained. No hope. No light. No conviction. And a big question as to who the bad guys are.

If Looks Could Kill was not an easy read, emotionally. However, the book reads well, smoothly and quickly. I hope I can find time to read previous installments to get better understanding of the main charaters (somtimes it was difficult to keep up with who is who and why they are behaving a certain way). But the story itseld, dynamic of the narration, characters, plot are interesting, suspensful, catching and kept my interest to the very end.

This book will be of interest to crime fiction fans and to those who, like myself, travel through books. Dublin and surrounds, environment and people are drawn pretty good, I think.

In Dublin, a man walks into a park with a blue holdall one lunch time, he had hoped it would be busier but this will have to do. He picks his spot, stops and gets the gun from the holdall. A woman notices but before she can react, he points the gun at his temple and pulls the trigger.

End of March, DCS Frankie Sheehan spotted a report of a missing woman only just reported at Wicklow. Her name is Debbie Nugent, mum of two daughters, one still living at home. When they arrive at her home, there is a bloody crime scene. A search of the area is arranged but they advise it may be a body they find with that amount of blood loss.

Margot advised she hadn’t seen her mother for three days and reported her missing when they got back from the airport after picking her sister Kristen up. Her mum had gone off to Dublin on Wednesday and Margot had stayed with her boyfriend David for a couple of nights.

Kristen has come to visit her mum. Frankie is interested to know when the arrangements were made and when she told her sister that she was arriving at the airport. David had agreed to pick her up from the airport with her sister on the Friday evening. Was this true?

The blood found on the carpet in the living room was well dried, but it could be tested. When the test came back it said it was at least two weeks old therefore this put Margot in the frame and meant her mum had been dead nearer ten days. Pictures were appearing on a friends social media account, showing Margot enjoying herself on the day she reported her mum missing. When they questioned the friend, apparently they had been out before then as well. All this did not look good for Margot.

They get enough out of Margot to take her to trial but Frankie is still not happy. Something is still not right. She orders a full investigation into Debbie Nugent’s life and she gets a tip off about the man who committed suicide in the park….

When she shows Debbie’s Uncle where her body was found and he walks away with his bodyguard, she is left alone. She finally gets back to her car in the darkness. As she drives down the hill, bright car headlights dazzle her from behind, getting close, trying to drive her off the road. Then a final bump, a twisting grinding noise. Frankie is thrown forward, covered in glass and bump, she falls back in her seat.

Is someone out to kill her now? How far will this killer go? Is knowledge dangerous?

This was absolutely fantastic. Really well written and an excellent plot. I totally enjoyed this story and thought this was a great book. I managed to read it in a day as I got in to it straight away, it was unputdownable. Best one of the series so far for me.

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