My thanks to Netgalley for my copy of The Body Under the Bridge, the first book by Nick Louth that I have read. It was everything I look for in a psychologically thrilling police drama; it was a real page turner.

The plot is compelling and complex but you never lose track of what is going on. The main characters, ie the police force are all interesting and believable.

So many twists and turns but towards the end the reader is fully aware of the outcome but that is not a disappointing feature, it merely shows how embroiled you have become.

A fantastic read and I will be on the look out for further works by Nick Louth.

Oh dear, this is book five and my first in the Gillard series so I have some fun catching up to do! All must be stand alone novels, as other then the number in the title, I found the story and characters easy to read and appreciate in this British crime story. With plenty of red herrings/ throwaway clues I was riveted right to the end. Would like to see the female cops a little more challenging and more developed - perhaps in one of the previous ones I now need to track down.

The latest Craig Gillard procedural starts as a missing person case before developing into a murder investigation in which the perpetrators are skilled at misdirecting the police. Initially found the story good yet easy enough to put down in favor of some other diversion. It took me a few tries to get into it. As the plot got more complicated and started involving higher personal stakes for Gillard, it became easier to ignore other temptations like Netflix. By the end, as the procedural became more thriller-like, I was delaying more fundamental tasks like making breakfast and starting work. (Good thing the commute during this shutdown takes just a few seconds.). This was the second Gillard novel I've read, and I look forward to reading more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

If you like the reassurance of a new read that is written within a well-tested framework but still manages to entertain and grip then Nick Louth’s ‘The Body under the Bridge’, the 5th DCI Gillard crime novel, is for you.
For me this series is like a venture through the Agatha Christie novels – if asked I could tell you the probable framework but the differing details of each of these books provide the thrill of a well-written crime that I can’t wait to try and solve. However, I must add for new readers that Louth includes rather more gory details of the deaths than does Christie.
As with the others in the series I really enjoyed this but not quite as much, so I am hovering between awarding it 4 and 5 stars.
Thank you to Canelo Books and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Suspected Routine Case Turns Deadly....
DCI Craig Gillard book five where a suspected routine missing persons investigation becomes more involved than the detective could ever have imagined. Well written thriller, an involved main plot with plenty of side threads, twists and turns along the way.

This is the second book I have read in these series and I enjoyed this one very much- I haven’t read them in order sadly but I will be looking to fill in the gaps! Enjoyable and exciting story - recommended

I'm just working my way through this series so will put a proper review on when i have read up to date.

This 5th installment in the DCI Craig Gillard crime thriller series is the best yet -- and I've read them all. There is so much going on in the Surrey Police with a complicated case that starts slowly and then builds to an incredible climax with lots of suspense and tension until the chilling conclusion.

The story begins with a missing woman -- a 25-year-old German-born student at London's Royal College of Music goes missing and doesn't show up for a scheduled performance. Gillard is a bit irritated as the woman hadn't even been missing for 24 hours. He then discovers that she's the daughter of Germany's Minister of Justice and suddenly the case is high profile and they throw all available resources into the search. But, there are problems tracing Beatrice Ulbricht's last known locations and even such a large team can't figure out what happened. But the investigation really turns bizarre when the body of a 15-year-old girl turns up in a car found floating in a flooded river -- the shocker is that it turns out to be someone who had been missing for 37 years! How can this even be possible? The crazy stuff just keeps happening and everyone is working on trying to figure out what is going on. There's so much more that I can't say because -- NO SPOILERS.

You'll just have to read this one! Such a complicated police procedural that requires so much work and involves so many different experts in various criminology fields. I really enjoyed the methodical approach and the details needed for the Surrey Police et al to solve this. The characters are well known to me from reading the previous books and they have grown on me over time. Gillard is the protagonist but others on the team have significant roles as well. The writing is excellent and this was a hard one to put down. I'm looking forward to the next installment due out later this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I am sure you would be OK to read this as a standalone, but I feel that you'd appreciate it more if you had all the background from the previous books.

Great book. Very nice characters and very well written. Have read other books in this series and they never disappoint. Will look out for more and would definitely recommend to anyone.

Fifth in this tense exciting series.The latest book drew me right in multi layered always well written characters that come alive a story that weaves a web in the readers mind..Highly recommend each book in this series,#netgalley#canelo

Another fantastic book in the Craig Gillard series. Normally I am not a lover of books with multiple storylines running through them but it worked in this book and helped build the suspense of the book overall. Great characters, a great storyline and a book I'd highly recommend to read!

Having read several books by Nick Louth, including a couple from this, the DCI Craig Gillard series, I am looking forward to this, the fifth book.

After a slightly slow build up, suddenly the story had me gripped towards the end of the third chapter. From then onwards I really enjoyed the fast pace of this carefully crafted police procedural novel.

There are plenty of superb characters in the book, both criminal, incidental and on the police investigation team.

It is difficult to say much about the story lines for fear of spoiling the plot for the reader. I will settle for saying it involves a missing person, a criminal with a good knowledge of police methods.

The novel is set in the southern suburbs of London, in Surrey. Many of the locations are real, which gives the book a sense of geographical significance, which is enhanced by some interesting fictitious places.

There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot and the tension builds to a dramatic conclusion.

I rate this book as 5 stars. It is one of the best crime thrillers which I have read so far this year.

Once again I give my thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for this review.

In this, the fifth in the excellent DCI Craig Gillard series, he once again tackles a complex case and is challenged by a very clever serial killer who has it in for poor Craig. It starts with the disappearance of a violinist on a train journey into Waterloo station, but the solving of this mystery is only the beginning, there is so much more to come.

It is great that Nick Louth maintains his standard of storytelling, I particularly like the detail he goes into and that he imparts the complexity of a major investigation with so many specialists involved supporting the central team. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

This review is from a complimentary copy provided by the publishers, but is my genuine opinion, not influenced by their generosity!

Another excellent novel by Nick Louth, this is the fifth novel featuring DCI Craig Gillard and his team and they just get better and better. I am already waiting with baited breath for the next episode to appear. This novel begins with Craig attending the funeral of one of his colleagues who lost his life in the line of duty at the end of the last novel when he is called away urgently by the Chief Constable. On his arrival at police headquarters he is informed that a female musician has disappeared, initially he thinks that she is an adult and may be with a boyfriend, he is then informed that she is in fact the daughter of a high ranking German politician and that it may be a kidnap scenario. My thanks to Canelo the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel before it is released to the general public.

The fifth and latest book in the DCI Craig Gillard series finds Craig heading up a missing person case. A missing person! Not DCI Gillard’s usual sort of case but on direct orders from his boss he has no choice.

The missing person turns out to be Beatrice Ulbricht daughter of the German Minister of Justice. Resources are being thrown at the case when Gillard realises that they have been mislead, quite cleverly, by the kidnapper and have wasted valuable time.

There is also a smaller investigation happening within his team on a stolen vehicle. One that caused much amusement because of the home security footage!

Craig is, as usual, working hard on the investigation which means long hours especially when they have to practically start all over again!

Heavy rain, flooding and an incident at a bridge which Craig and Sam get caught up in add two bodies to the investigation.

Messages are being sent to Craig and it looks as though there’s something personal, taunting his ability and then Sam, his wife, is taken! Craig is removed from the case as SIO. There’s a new SIO and a special unit brought in.

This doesn’t stop Craig from some investigation. Then his colleague DI Perry find out that his wife is having an affair. He’s taken some personal time and is tracking his wife’s lover when his daughter, supposedly staying with a friend, has gone missing.

There are so many threads to this story each dangled tantalising before us that it is impossible not to be making guesses at what is happening and who is responsible.

This is a gripping book and Nick Louth masterfully brings together all the twists and turns in this complex and engaging story into a stunning conclusion.

Previous reviews: Body in the Mist | Body in the Marsh | The Body Under the Bridge

Thanks

With thanks to Sophie at Canelo for the invite to read and to Canelo via NetGalley for an eCopy of The Body under the Bridge by Nick Louth. These are purely my own thoughts, for which I have received no payment.

I loved this book. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to review it. I had never read any of this series of books by Nick Louth, I think this is the 5th in the series, but I now want to read the rest of them. It is quick paced, easy to read, lots of different elements to it which end up being linked. The story begins with the puzzling disappearance of a talented young German musician who simply just vanishes into thin air. It hooks you in and you cannot help but want to keep on reading. I like the character of Craig Gillard, the main detective in the book, he is sympathetic and a nicely rounded individual. The puzzle is linked to Gillard's past but I don't want to give anymore away. It is refreshing to read a different type of police procedural that hasn't got a grizzly policeman at its core with a multitude of personal problems. Like I said earlier, I now want to discover the rest of this series and cannot wait to read them.

I've read a couple of the other books in this series and I was looking forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. The Body Under the Bridge is action packed, fast paced and with lots of twists and turns. There's also several threads that gets woven together nicely. I also really like the author's writing style. I would highly recommend the book (and the rest of the series).

Wow - this book certainly lived up to the hype. When I read The Body in the Snow I ended by saying that I couldn't wait for the next Nick Louth! Well this one was worth waiting for; his plots are remarkable _ how does he think them up? The action and story lines are fast moving and clever. So I end with the same line - I can't wait until his next one - bring it on!

My thanks to Canelo for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Body Under the Bridge’ by Nick Louth in exchange for an honest review.

This is the fifth in Louth’s DCI Craig Gillard series of police procedurals. I previously read the third in the series, ‘The Body in the Mist’ last May though somehow missed Book 4, ‘The Body in the Snow’. I was able to ignore references to recent events and expect that I will read it in the near future.

This was a fascinating case. It begins with what appears to be a routine disappearance. A gifted music student, who had been travelling back to London the previous day from Surrey, had failed to turn up for a recital. Gillard isn’t sure why he’s involved until it is revealed that the young woman’s father is the German Minister of Justice. The Home Secretary is following the case closely. So naturally everyone is on high alert.

When CCTV covering the station and on the train seems to indicate that she boarded the train but somewhere on route vanished. It appears that they have a real locked room (or carriage) mystery. Yet, this is just the start of an extremely twisty case. No further plot details to avoid spoilers though yes a bridge is involved.

This was astonishingly good. Even with a considerable number of characters and strands to the case, it proved quite easy for me to follow. I did note that there was a slight continuity issue concerning the fate of a minor character, though that may have been corrected for the finished edition.

This was a totally addictive read that ramped up the suspense in the final chapters and had me perched on the edge of my seat frantically swiping the ebook pages.

There was an intriguing preview included of Book 6, ‘The Body on the Island’. It is currently due to be published in October 2020. I can hardly wait!

I love Nick Louth's DCI Gillared. This latest DCI Gillard thriller is a fast and totally gripping tale. Will he, won't he get there in time!