This British crime novel was a solid, enjoyable read. It took a little while for me to get into it, but once I was into it I read through it pretty quickly. It is told mainly from the perspective of a female police detective and then somewhat through her female partner (a politician), her female partner on the force, and a male writer who is trying to get an inside look into "the dark arts." A ritualistic murder starts off the story, which then winds around all the other characters and more.

One thing I particularly liked about the book is that there is not gratuitous violence. This very much reminded me of a story I'd watch on a British crime show, and maybe an older fashioned one (some that I watch these days are pretty hard core). I really don't care to read details about things like gore or torture, and appreciated that the book is plot-driven and character-driven (with also quite a lot of dialog), not seeing the need to go into excruciating details on the murders the way so many others do. It's a fairly PG book in general -- no sex and no cussing that I can think of either. I don't mind either way, but for those who are looking for a detective story without a hard R rating, this will be a good fit.

This is apparently the first in a new series by the author, who has done other series about other police detectives. I'd happily read more in the series, and may check out some of his other works.

I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Small Mercies is the first in a new series by Alex Walters set in England’s Peak District featuring DI Annie Delamere. It is an excellent start, evocative, well plotted, with interesting characters and three concurrent mysteries. A definite 5 star read.

While Annie and her fellow officer Gary take well needed time off to hike on the District moors, fellow hikers discover a body, The brutally mutilated, unidentified naked man looks to be the victim of a ritual murder. Soon after the investigation begins, another body, similarly treated, is found. At the same time, tabloid journalist Clive Bamford and his assistant Greg Warble start a new group, the ungainly named Conspiracy Theory Discussion Group. They plan to research various rejected ideas - JFK’s assasination, the moon landing, aliens, 9/11 - and Clive hopes to publish a book or earn speaking engagements as a result. Newcomers Charlie and Rowan propose the idea of studying the left hand path, a mysterious group that may be mysticists or satanists. At the same time, Annie’s partner Sheena Pearson, a Member of Parliament, is shot during a protest. She remains in danger.

These three plots swirl around each other, intersect and dance away again until the very end of this thriller where everything moves quickly to a totally unanticipated, breath-taking conclusion. I’m looking forward to the next in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley, Canelo and Alex Walters for this ARC.

We all love a new crime fiction series, don’t we? This is the first book in what looks to be a very promising one. We’re taken on a fast-paced investigation into a gruesome set of murders. The plot is complicated by the lead detective’s personal connection to a targeted campaign against her partner, who’s an MP. Adding intrigue throughout the book, we see a would-be writer / journalist get himself entangled in a strange and menacing group.

The storyline weaves all the seemingly unrelated threads together into a nail biting finale. I held my breath more than once, and couldn’t put the book down in case something terrible happened!

I enjoyed the intriguing themes in this book, and I liked the fast pace with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. I would like to have seen some more emotional depth with the characters, and do think this will grow as the series develops. There is a solid cast of characters, and the combination of police and political interests makes for plenty of scope for further great reads. I’m looking forward to re-joining Annie Delamere and the others in book 2!

Small Mercies is the first book in a new series by Alex Walters starring DI Annie Delamere.

The story is set in Derbyshire and has three main strands that are well drawn together at the end.

The book itself is an enjoyable read and a promising start to the series although I did find the ending rushed which was a slight disappointment

Overall this is a very good book and I look forward to reading more of this series in the future

This is the first book to feature DI Annie Delamere of Derbyshire Police and is set in the Peak District. It is a well written but rather slow paced story with several plots going on at the same time and told from several points of view. Annie is walking on the moors with Zoe, her DS, when they stumble across a body.I liked the characters although some were a bit shallow. Would I read another in the series? Probably, as I feel there is more to come from the characters. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
This is the start of a new detective series featuring DI Annie Delamere and DS Zoe Everett, set around Derbyshire, and I do love to catch the start of new series. However, I have to say that I found the greater part of the book somewhat 'pedestrian' with a lot of toing and froing concerning interviews and coincidences. It's not until towards the conclusion that any real action takes place and things become quite frenetic for a while as truths are revealed.
Walking in the Peak District Annie and Zoe come across a naked, mutilated, corpse of a young man. He's covered with occult-related tattoos and had had his throat slashed. The first of several victims - all young men who appear to have a benefactor who supplies them with good accommodation and jobs.
Annie's partner, MP Sheena Pearson is injured when she is shot at by a far-right extremist and things feel really personal when another body turns up in the garden of their home.
Is Sheena being targeted by some lunatic, or is Annie being warned-off her investigation?
When Sheena is targeted again, Annie realises there were very few people who knew her movements - does she have an informant within her team?

A good-enough read, with an almost humorous relationship between Annie and her mother - a retired police officer - who regularly lambasts the policing policies of the day. There's also a strange relationship with Zoe who develops anxieties around the crime scenes.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of Small Mercies, the first novel to feature DI Annie Delamere of the Derbyshire Police.

When Annie is out hiking with her friend DS Zoe Everett they find a nude, mutilated body. She is put in charge of the case and while busy with identifying the body her partner, MP Sheena Pearson is shot when confronting right wing agitators.

I quite liked Small Mercies which is a competent police procedural with a high octane finale. The novel is told from various points of view so it is initially a bit confusing trying to work out where all the characters fit in. By the end it is all clear but all the switching about didn’t really hold my attention. In fact, I found it quite boring until all the action at the end which I found gripping, if not overly plausible. The plot is fairly plodding as Annie struggles to get traction in what becomes a multiple murder enquiry and consists of interviews with friends and relatives of the one person they can identify. There is no spark to this which is a shame as the manner of death suggests there should be.

The novel has its moments, an exciting denouement, a good plot premise and the odd dash of humour in the dialogue but the journey is rather slow for my taste. I think part of this is due to the flat characterisation. There is an unexplained reaction from Zoe to the investigation but otherwise they just jog along doing the necessary.

Small Mercies is a solid read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a walk on the moors leads to the discovery of a body...cut up with certain symbols carved into his body

zoe and anne are the two officers that take over the investigation into the murder but what is the link between that murder and the attempted shooting of anne partner, if there is one...

an interesting read that kept me reading till the end...believable characters, i like the two officer zoe and anne and cant wait to read more of this series...

I really like this British police procedural. I found it fast paced and engaging. I loved the setting in the Peak District.

A new detective series so I was very excited to get stuck in. Not an edge of your seat thriller but saying that a good police thriller. I found some parts of the plot unbelievable and I thought the ending was rushed. All in all an okay read. Will I read more of this series? The jury is still out. Almost four stars.
Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for the ARC.

Interesting police procedural, intense and intriguing. Being the first book that I have read by Alex Walters, I was impressed with the writing.
Another author added to my must reads. The story was captivating and plot was intense, a enjoyable read .
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley #smallmercies

First encounter with D I Annie Delamere and her sidekick D S Zoe, Everett interesting story line based in and around the Derbyshire Peak District. Lots of twists and turns and although the crime was solved felt that there were a few questions left unanswered.

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I like British and Norwegian police procedurals, and this book fitted in that genre quite handily. It starts with friends out for a hike, when a body is found. The twist is that the two women on that hike are police officers, DI Annie Delamere and DS Zoe Pearson. However, being first on the scene doesn’t help in the solving of the mystery.

In addition to that investigation, Annie’s partner, MP Sheena Pearson, is wounded by a gunshot as the police break up a protest outside her office. Even though Annie is not involved in that investigation, she is distracted by her attempts to keep her partner safe.

There is also a secondary storyline, as A conspiracy theorist, Clive, is invited to write a book about a cult. As he meets with the leader, he finds it difficult to understand what they are all about.

Eventually, the storylines meet up (as expected) with a dramatic conclusion, where the ‘good girls’ (in this case) win out. The book is well-written, with the usual investigative storyline, that brings the characters to life in a thrilling way.

A new detective series is always an exciting prospect so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this book via Netgalley. The two main detectives Annie and Zoe are a good mix, and I am assuming that as the series continues we will get to know them more as it felt like we were scraping the surface in this book. The murder storyline was interesting, and whilst perhaps not an 'edge of your seat' and 'twist and turn' type of book it was a good solid murder tale.

Police thriller,ritualistic murders and a random shooting,which turn out to be linked.Didn't find it very believable

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Di Annie Delamare and DS Zoe Everett come across a body while out for a walk. It has some interesting tattoos...

Meanwhile, someone is taking a pot shot at local MP Sheena Pearson, which turns into being targeted by extremists.

More bodies, and more problems for Annie

844 kb

3 and 1 / 2 stars

DI Annie Delamere and DS Zoe Everett are out for a hike on the moors when they come across a young man who was murdered and mutilated. Annie and Zoe catch the case and set out to discover who committed the murder.

So begins an interesting tale of murder and mayhem as Annie and Zoe investigate the case. Also going on at the same time is a parallel investigation into attempts on Annie's partner, MP Sheena Pearson's, life.

This is a rather convoluted tale. We have several plots working at the same time. In one, a man who styles himself a journalist and researcher begins to look into a self-styled religious group on the far right side of politics. Another is the attacks on Sheena and finally, of course, are the murder(s). It is well written and plotted. The events logically follow one another. The book is a fast read and easy to understand. Some of the characters were a little difficult to understand. Perhaps they were too shallow. It's almost as if the author was trying to put too much into too little a space. All in all, I liked the book and will certainly look into reading the next in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Canelo for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for the advanced copy , When a horribly mutilated body is found in the Peak District it appears that this could be a one off , has the young male died of natural causes whilst out hiking and been attacked by the wildlife or is this something more sinister, when more bodies are discovered with the same mutilations it falls to DI Anne Delamere and DS Zoe Everett to find this vicious killer

A must read that keeps you turning the pages

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for the eARC.
DI Annie Delamere and DS Zoe Everett find the horribly mutilated body of a naked young male while on a pleasure hike in the Peak District. More bodies with the same MO follow.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the two women who work extremely hard to find the perpetrator(s). The intense investigation comes to an thrilling end, although I found the revelations a little over the top. Maybe I'm naive, but I found the group responsible for the crimes, and their motives, unbelievable. This is why I chose a 4 star rating rather than a 5.