This is the third book in the Rachel Harte series, and I can honesty say, they just get better! Highly recommended, and I mean it.

Book 3 in the series and easily the best one yet.

The plot was full of twists to keep you guessing and at one point had me saying OMG out loud!

I was hooked from the first page and didn't want to put it down.

Already looking forward to the next one.

This is the third book in the series featuring Detective Rachel Hart and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t wait to read it after enjoying the first two books in the series. We meet up again with Rachel as she is struggling to cope, as six weeks previously her twin sister Ruth had run away from the psychiatric hospital she was staying in and Rachel imagines the worse any time a dead body turns up. She is called on to investigate the discovery of a body of a young woman Hannah. Hannah’s friend Abi went to look for her and found her body hanging from a tree. Suicide is the first thought but Rachel soon realises that she has been murdered. When a second body of a woman is found stabbed in the woods she fears that it could be her sister and that there may be a serial killer on the loose. Can Rachel track down the killer before he strikes again and will she find Ruth alive? This is a book that I couldn’t put down with so many twists and turns, red herrings and a completely mind blowing ending. This is a highly recommended series of books, don’t miss reading them.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The body of a young woman is found hanging by her best friend. At first it appears to be suicide, but then murder is suspected. Could her job as a shot girl in a night club be a link? Or her boyfriend who treated her roughly? DCI Rachel Hart begins her investigation but is troubled by her own sister's disappearance: can she keep her focus when another body is found...?
We know from the previous two books in the series (Little Girl Missing and What He Did) that Rachel has a lot of issues due to her past and the abuse her twin suffered. This subplot grows in prominence over the course of the book.
The final third of the book turns everything on its head, all that we had been expecting comes crashing down. My jaw literally dropped when the huge twist happened. I'll be honest and say that I didn't find it particularly credible but it was totally engrossing and I couldn't put it down!
The narrative is fast paced to keep the sense of urgency. I really enjoy J.G. Roberts' style of writing which brings focus to the police and victim yet doesn't dwell on the dark side of humanity despite the content: this light touch makes us identify with Rachel and her team.
The police procedure element of the plot feels realistic and there isn't graphic or grisly detail to describe the bodies. Why She Died is a great title for the book as the motive to the events in the book are crucial to making sense of what happens.
I think there is enough of Rachel's backstory in this book for it to work as a standalone novel but I would recommend reading the other two books in the series.
Why She Died is an entertaining police action and psychological thriller.

The Det. Rachel Hart's series is growing to be one of my absolute favorites. Why She Died is the third book in the series that see's Rachel solve yet another difficult case while dealing with emotional memories. Despite the obvious heartache, Rachel displays a balance in professionalism & her personal life. When things get too difficult, she shows very realistic & natural emotions & responses to events. I loved this the most about this book.

When beautiful and bright Hannah is late for their morning run, her best friend Abi thinks nothing of it. Hannah isn’t always that reliable – she’s probably just overslept. But as Abi runs through the woods, following the same route she always does, she is greeted by a horrifying sight: Hannah’s body, swaying in the breeze. Detective Rachel Hart is called to the scene. Hannah’s friends and family insist that she had everything to live for, and no one has a bad word to say about her. Then a second woman is found strangled in the same woods, and everything Rachel thought is thrown into doubt. Is there a serial killer at work? Rachel is determined to find answers before another life is lost – all the time unaware that the killer’s sights are focussed firmly on her. Can Rachel unravel the deadly game before she walks into a trap?

Rachel is one of the best cops in my fantasy cop list. I like the way she investigates & solves a crime. The tension in this book is definitely amped up compared to that last book & that makes this one absolutely unputdownable. As the main plot progresses, a second & more deadly sub-plot starts developing. Soon lines between the active case & another case close to Rachels' heart start disappearing. The book is twisty with suspenseful elements that make it so very compelling! I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Thank You, NetGalley, Bookouture & J. G. Roberts for an arc!

This is my first encounter with both the author and Detective Rachel Hart but that works just fine as there is enough back story threaded through the book to allow you to just dive on in. A woman’s body is found hanging in the woods with all the hallmarks of a suicide. Yet the picture painted of the victim Hannah is not that of a suicidal personality, its just the opposite she was outgoing and in training it climb Mount Everest. The discovery of her body was made by her best friend who was out looking for her on their usual morning run session. Then another body is found , is there a connection that Rachel needs to uncover before more women die. Woven in to the story is the fact that Rachel’s sister has been missing for weeks which adds even more stress to Rachel as she ploughs through the investigation. Can Rachel discover the truth behind the deaths before more women die or will the killer remain elusive. A tense police procedural novel that throws up red heatings, wrong turns and keeps the killers identity secret till the very end. A twisted ending that is both shocking and breath taking in its revelation of the culprit. This is a book that keeps you engaged and transfixed till the very end, delivering a satisfying read that will see you wanting to read more of the same.

Hannah wakes up late. She usually goes for her run with her best friend Abi. She decides she can catch her along their regular route, instead she comes across the horrible sight of Abi hanging from a tree. At first it looks like suicide although Hannah finds that very hard to believe. Abi was popular, super confident, super ambitious & focused- she would not have taken her own life. The post-mortum shows that Hannah is correct. This was murder. When detective Rachel Hart comes to look closer at Abi's life it seems that she wasn't as popular as she seemed. When another body is found close by there are concerns that the team may be up against a serial killer.

This is the third in a good police procedural series. It could be read as a stand alone, but it really would be best as part of the series. It was a fast paced story with interesting characters. I'm already looking forward to the next one in the series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book

Abi starts her morning run without her usual partner Hannah, hoping to catch up with her part way round. Unfortunately she does - Hannah is hanging, dead. However, when DI Rachel Hart starts to investigate the murder, the picture of Hannah's perfect life starts to unravel and a number of potential suspects emerge. However, there is much more to Hannah's death than Rachel at first suspected, and her own peace of mind will be affected by what happens.

The book certainly kept my attention - indeed there almost seemed to be too many plots and trails in one story. Pacy and interesting, the reader keeps choosing culprits and then discarding them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a really good read. It starts off quickly with college student Abi finding the body of her friend Hannah while running in the woods. The rest of the book focuses on figuring out what happened and also how it ties to other murders. This is a police procedural, with the investigation being led by Rachel Hart, and the reader gets some good information about Rachel's backstory as well. This is the 3rd book in the series but I don't recall having read the others and it works as a standalone.

While there was a lot going on in this book and a lot of different characters, I got enough information to keep all the storylines straight and felt that the book moved at a fast pace. I often find that the personal stories of the detectives detract from the primary mystery, but I liked the Rachel backstory and didn't find it distracting. There are a few times where I had to suspend my disbelief a bit, or I wish I had a little more background info to understand where Rachel was coming from, but those were few and far between.

The best part of the book for me was the twist when you figure out who the villain is. I finally got there a little bit before it was exposed, but had been going in an entirely different direction (and actually vacillating between a multiple different ideas) before that. I usually am able to sniff out the culprit pretty early but this surprised me, and gave me enough information that I understood the person's motives instead of feeling like it had come completely from left field.

Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it for readers of the mystery and police procedural genres. I may go back and pick up the earlier books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this murder mystery book which was filled with intrigue, suspense and suspicion.

Hannah, Abi, Chloe and Lucie are all studying at Reading University and currently residing in the Halls of Residence for their final year. Chloe started working as a shot girl at Velvet to make some extra money so Hannah persuaded Abi to do the same. Hannah wanted the extra money to fund her Mount Everest trip. The girls’ boyfriends weren’t keen though but Hannah and Abi weren’t listening to them and were doing their training runs early every morning.

It was Abi that found Hannah, hanging from the branch. DCI Rachel Hart and DI Graham Wilson take a look at the scene and interview Hannah’s relatives and friends. When it was mentioned that they were looking at possible suicide, they all said she had too much to live for and was full of life, she would never take her own life. When the postmortem results came in, it was murder. She was strangled then hung from the tree. Whoever done it, must have had some strength. The other interesting thing was that she was still dressed in her work clothes from Velvet so hadn’t even made it home from the club. There was a lot of cash in the bumbag under her hoodie, untouched.

When Rachel brings the team together for a briefing, she starts listing everything on the whiteboard behind her i.e, suspects, motive, cause of death. They request CCTV from Velvet and it appears Hannah was the best shot girl. Saturday night, they question the staff. Sunday morning there is a second body but it was badly decomposed so Rachel thinks it could be her sister who has disappeared and has a melt down but goes back to work. She thinks there could be a serial killer at work so chases up the CCTV. They see a runner coming out of the carpark and Hannah’s body by her car. Just what is going on? Where are her keys for the car? Rachel has left early and gone to Tim’s but the next day she doesn’t show for work. Graham is puzzling over her text, she doesn’t usually say ‘hi’. Is she ok? Why is she not answering her phone?

This is a really well thought out and well planned book. It is the first time I have read this author and I will look at reading the other books in the series.

This is the third in the Rachel Hart series.I had not read the first two and this one did stand on its own. I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was great and Rachel has an interesting back story. I look forward to going back and reading the first two books in the series.

I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

And she's back having read the whole series so far i was eager to catch up with DI Hart and as suspected book three is another smashing edition to an already super series!
Rachel is a great character and it's great to see the world in terms of her personal and professional life.
The book is filled with secrets revenge and tensions aplenty has you hooked from beginning to end another great read.

This was a solid police procedural and I enjoyed it. I have read the other books in this series and think that this book could easily be read as a standalone although it is always good to read books in a series in order to get a more in-depth knowledge of the main characters.

Rachel Hart is called to the suicide of beautiful girl Hannah....but is it really suicide? As Rachel and her team investigate and nice girl Hannah has a few little quirks that most people didn't know about, the case gets more complicated. This isn't helped by the fact that Rachel is still missing her twin sister Ruth. Rachel has a new man in her life though and for the first time in a very long time, she is feeling supported and loved which is helping her with the case but her life gets complicated very quickly.

Little does Rachel know that the past is about to come and flatten her again......

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is the third novel starring Rachel Hart and her team. When a young woman is found by her best friend hanging from a tree the investigation begins. Rachel is also searching for her missing twin as well as trying to run the investigation.
Rachel is also seeking support from her partner Tim but he is dealing with a busy career as well.
I enjoyed this novel and the characters and it was an easy read. You will definitely get more out of the story if you’ve read the previous novels.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#WhySheDied #NetGalley

This gripping thriller was voiced from the perspectives of DCI Rachel Hart, DI Graham Wilson, Hannah's best friend Abi and had the odd chapter that was voiced from the perspective of Rachel's boyfriend Tim. I really liked how, in a world were there are numerous detectives with their own personal issues and backstories, the author had given Rachel a backstory that was unique and not one that I remember being used before. I thought Rachel was a really likeable character,she was a good boss,who treated her team members fairly and with respect, she often struggled with her decisions when it came to giving tasks to her team especially Graham Wilson, someone who I also thought was a very likeable character. I actually liked all the team members, they each had their unique personality traits,I liked how the story of their investigation into the murders wasn't bogged down by interdepartmental politics,backstabbing and interfering top ranked officers who constantly tried to undermine Rachel. As well as leading a murder investigation, Rachel was also having to deal with her worries and fears about the whereabouts of her missing twin sister Ruth, worries that were only intensified after the discovery of the second body.Due to the case,she was also struggling to spend quality time with her boyfriend Tim, something that I was quite pleased about. Maybe I read far too many thrillers but from the moment that I encountered him in the story, there was just something about him that I didn't like. Was he the nice guy that he appeared to be or was he hiding his true nature behind a cleverly constructed mask? There was various suspects for Hannah's murder,some likeable,some not so likeable but who did kill her and why?

Despite this being the third book in the series,it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. It was wonderfully written, the characters were realistic and the story was packed full of twists and turns,built in intensity and held my attention throughout. The story kept the reader guessing and frantically turning the pages. I enjoyed this book so much that I am definitely going to have to get my hands on the previous two titles in this series and I look forward to reading more of Rachel Hart's investigations in the future.

Hannah is found hanging from a tree in the woods along a running path. First thought to be a suicide, the medical examiner rules it a homicide. There are strangulation marks under the noose.

Detective Rachel Hart and her team are called to investigate. She has barely begun when another woman is found strangled in the same woods.

As the investigation centers around family, friends, co-workers, Hart is surprised at the number of people who did not like Hannah ... and most all have reasons to want her dead.

Then a second woman is found strangled in the same woods, and everything Rachel thought is thrown into doubt. Is there a serial killer at work?

Third in this trilogy, it is easily read as a stand alone. It's well-written with a solid plot. There are many suspects / people of interest to watch. Characters are deftly drawn ... warts and all. I really enjoy the balance of professional and personal in Hart's life. There are twists and turns and the ending is stupendous ... never saw it coming!

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

“To stop the killer, you need to know…”

Okay! This is going to be one of those subjective reviews, which really are so difficult to write, as every person takes a different journey when reading a book, which is what makes the experience so wonderful. I do need to come clean and say that I haven’t read either of the first two books in this series, so I was hoping that Why She Died would work for me as a stand alone crime thriller. Whilst there was enough of the backstory included, so that I didn’t feel left out of anything, I do nonetheless believe that I would have benefited hugely by getting to know the characters a little better, before passing judgment on them and potentially being disingenuous with my observations and comments about them. But that’s just a personal perspective and for me, this definitely works fine as a self-contained story or a one-off peek into DCI Rachel Hart’s world.

It is clear from the vast volume of books I have read in this genre, that all fictional detectives appear to carry huge amounts of personal and emotional baggage, which they often struggle to keep separate from their investigations and in this series DCI Rachel Hart, is clearly no exception. Knowing some of the details of her emotional crisis and that she has only recently returned to work, it would seem to me that she is far from ready to take on the routine trauma which by default comes with her job, and she should maybe have taken more time to rest and recover her strength and focus. She is clearly running so highly on adrenaline, that all of her colleagues, although they have every sympathy with her situation, are struggling to cope with her tempestuous mood swings and the terse way she communicates with them. All of which doesn’t make for a team working cooperatively or cohesively well together and who are constantly treading on eggshells, rather than having the free flowing exchanges of ideas and information they would obviously benefit from.

My above observations meant that the narrative and dialogue between the detectives investigating the cases, wasn’t very consistent and sometimes seemed unnecessarily stilted and formal, compared to that which either appears in other such recent novels I have read, or which happens in many television adaptations. It would have been good to witness some spontaneous interaction between them, as they all seem to be searching for a sense of purpose and belonging, so it was very difficult to assess their individual personalities and to judge which amongst them could be developed in any future books in the series. At times it was almost akin in tone to reading a classic crime thriller from several decades ago.

As for the potential suspects and victims, there were a profusion of characters all vying for a piece of the action, non of whom were particularly agreeable or likeable, all with their own agendas and motives for committing murder. The storyline also had plenty of pace and at times there was almost too much happening and too many people in the frame, to be able to come to any conclusions about potential suspects and motives. It was great for keeping me on my toes, but also caused quite a lot of confusion, as my suspect list became longer and longer until almost everyone was on it somewhere, only to be removed or change places with someone else, as yet another twist and turn happened in the plot!

What began as one scene of crime, it soon became apparent, had developed into two separate cases, with completely independent motives, which whilst not intrinsically connected, became linked in the most terrible and inhumane of ways, by the one person who was missing from my list and whom no-one would have suspected, except for the person closest to them, who missed all the signs completely, but which were very obvious with hindsight. This only further reduced my ability to connect with her and my expectations of her professional capabilities drastically. One other person had worked out who this most troubled and abhorrent of suspects was, but they had mysteriously disappeared.

The murder I came close to solving, but that was not until quite a long way into the story and even then I wasn’t too certain, after all the mis-directions. Revenge however, is a much more tricky emotion to spot and unravel and I had to be confronted by the suspect and have things partially explained to me, until I reached that ‘lightbulb’ moment! The end game then took yet another unscheduled turn, as this is revenge with an unexpected twist, before reaching that long searched for satisfactory conclusion. Maybe now, Rachel and Ruth can look forward to a more positive future and Rachel in particular can concentrate on strengthening the bond with her team, ready for their next case.

My overall rating of the book is 4 out of 5, however that is based on my own personal enjoyment and intrigue value of the storyline, which did have me on the edge of my seat a couple of times, turning the pages faster and faster until the crimes were all uncovered and solved! I do feel that in the cold light of day, 3 out of 5 would probably be a fairer assessment, if I were to base my review solely on the quality of the character defining and storyline building.

But Hey! after all, my enjoyment of the reading experience is all that really matters, so 4 it is!

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for letting me take part in this tour. I really enjoyed the two previous books in this series so I was very excited to see what happens next. While this is the third in the series you can read them as standalones. I would, however, recommend reading the whole series as they are such good stories and each one gets better and better.

This story is twofold. We have the case oh Hannah Longcross as well as the more personal story of DCI Hart. The case of Hannah Longcross is a rather twisty one. There were lots of red herrings in this case. I thought I had the case all figured out and then it turned out I was completely wrong! The personal story is very interesting but I won't say much on this one as I don't want to spoil it but it is a very good story.

Julia did an excellent job of weaving the two stories together. The pace was good and flicked between the two stories in a way that kept you hooked and wanting to know what happens with both stories. If you love a book full of twists, turns, lies and revenge then this is a book for you.

My Rating:

3.5

Favorite Quote:

Quicker than a heartbeat, Lucie grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back and had him pressed up against the wall. Phil was stunned into silence. ‘The first rule of combat, Phil, is to know your opponent. I might look like a fragile little Bible-thumper, but when I’m not singing in the choir or going to church services, I do martial arts so I can deal with idiots like you,’ she said, forcing his arm further up his back to press home her advantage.


My Review:

The premise and storylines were well-conceived, smartly paced, well-plotted, and twisty. The identities of the guilty parties were not at all ones I had suspected, and I love it when that happens. However, I had an issue with the variability of the writing which at times seemed as if written by two different people at dissimilar levels of skill development due to the quality being noticeably jagged and uneven in emotional depth and at the most crucial of times felt oddly flat and one-dimensional. Although, it may just be that I’ve recently been spoiled by an exceptionally superb lineup of extraordinary scribes that would make even Hemingway pale in comparison.

I really enjoyed this new Rachel Hart book. The story is exciting and I love Rachel and her team and her relationship with her twin sister Ruth who in this story is missing and as Rachel tries to solve her latest case she is also worrying that something bad has happened to her sister. Great story great characters what more do you need!