Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book. I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

“things are rarely what they seem when you start scratching away at the surface”

Why She Died a thriller which is hailed to be ‘unputdownable’ and to some extent, I agree. I did find that it was quite slow to start with, but it nevertheless picked up. The two overlapping storylines complicated things for me and I felt a little lost and confused. I think my lack of passion for this book is because it is the third book following Detective Rachel Hart and I’ve yet to read the previous novels. Maybe if I read the previous novels in the series, I would have more background information and Why She Died would be more enjoyable for me. I did dislike the ending as it just wasn’t credible enough for me. Why She Died was just not a book for me.

*2 stars*

Throughly enjoyed this third installment of the Rachel Hart series by J.G. Roberts. A suspenseful police procedural from start to finish, the book had all the drama, intrigue, and mystery you could want. It was a long, interesting and entertaining book with many enjoyable hours of reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley #whyshedied

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This was my first Detective Rachel Hart book, but it definitely won't be my last!

When Hannah is late for their morning run, her best friend Abi feels that she might have just overslept. She never in her wildest dreams expects to find Hannah's body hanging from a tree in the woods along their routine route..

Detective Rachel is called to the scene and as she investigates she discovers that it was a murder rather than suicide. Rachel starts investigating and the list of suspects seem long. But when a second woman's body is found in the same woods, she begins to wonder if there a serial killer at play or if there is another angle which she is missing.

All the characters are good and it keeps you guessing till the end with lots of twists. Would certainly recommend this book to anyone who likes detective stories.

This is my first book by this author hence I could not get the back story clearly. In the view point of a thriller, this is a well written book with good twists. But the psychological aspects are unbelievable and I couldn't get a grasp of it. All the children affected would have received a complete psychological evaluation and follow up all those years before. So their behaviour in the present is unreasonable, maybe if one person not coming out of it, would have been believable, but not all three. The main story is sidelined and the byline is given prominence towards the end.3 stars

Why She Died is the latest book in the Detective Rachel Hart series by J G Roberts and it is an enjoyable police procedural.

The book starts relatively slowly but soon picks up the pace with the pages turning more rapidly the further you get into the book.

There is a lot of backstory involved in this book and reading it as a stand-alone would not be as enjoyable compared to having read books 1 and 2

The other small quibble is the use of full and rank names especially in dialogue. It just doesn’t flow and doesn’t feel realistic. That aside this is a good book

This is the third book in the Detective Rachel Hart series and left me slightly disappointed. It was a fast read but a bit too detailed in the hour by hour account of a murder investigation. It was well written, with some interesting characters but they were all just a bit too nice! I was disappointed with the ending as it lacked credibility. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

What a fantastic book this was, love the series and Rachel Hart, so well written by this author, a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turn. All the characters were good and it held my interest throughout and what a great and original ending I just can't speak highly enough of this book and a very worthy five stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book and I look forward to number 4.

Loved this book! I couldn’t put it down! It’s a good follow up to the second book. Though it can be read by its self. This is a fast paced book I’m that I throughly enjoyed!

As I have just read this one back to back with the second book, I have to say it’s the me of the best books I’ve read.

It follows on nicely after book 2, but can be read as a stand-alone novel if you wish. However, if you do read them in order, you get to know more about Rachel and her team and the background to it all.

It starts off with Abi going for her morning run and finding her best friend hanging from a tree. The story rapidly moves on and there are loads of surprises in store, but I’m not going to add any spoilers.

Just remember not is all what it seems!!

I think Julia has written three brilliant books in a short space of time, they are well written, the characters are likeable and the stories gripping. I just wondered why Rachel doesn’t seem to have “a boss upstairs” who gives her grief like most of these police stories.

Thank you to Julia, the publishers and netgalley for the ARC.

The third book to feature Detective Rachel Hart and boy what a read. Full of suspects, misdirection and a great twist at the end. Just what I would expect from a top notch crime thriller. Rachel Hart is called into a death , when she arrives at the scene she finds a young woman hanging from a tree and Rachel knows her. Secrets, lies and revenge and in my opinion the best in the series so far. A well deserved five stars and so Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC.

Abi loves being Hannah's best friend, she makes everything fun, even getting up at stupid o'clock to go for an early morning run to help her friend get fit for her proposed Everest climb. Unusually one morning Hannah doesn't answer her door in the student dorm and five minutes into her solitary run Abi finds out why.

Detective Inspector Rachel Hart is finding life tough. Six weeks earlier her twin sister Ruth had run away from the residential home she had been living in and ever since any dead body leaves her panicking. The body Abi found isn't Ruth but Rachel's relief is short lived because Hannah was a daughter, a girlfriend, and work colleague, and the distress of everyone they speak to is palpable.

There seems to be no reason for Hannah to have died; popular, determined and beautiful she was an unlikely victim. But, as the investigation progresses, Rachel and her team find they have too many rather than too few suspects and then everything changes.

Having read the previous two books in this series I was excited to read this and I wasn't disappointed. Once again the plotline was detailed and complex with the familiar characters all in place to continue their own stories which give extra depth to all three installments of this trilogy.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this series or wants a good British crime novel to read.

Having read the other books in this series I was looking forward to reading this. I wasn’t disappointed, it was just as good as the previous 2. Good storyline that gripped me from the beginning with plenty of twists and turns and I certainly didn’t guess the culprit. Likeable characters and it flowed well so I read it in a day. Look forward to the next instalment.

A new author for me...and I was not disappointed.
DCI Karen Hart is back to work after a short time off after her twin sister goes missing.
Her first case back involves a 20 year old university student who is found hanging in the woods by her friend. However further investigation indicates this is murder. A second murder looks like a serial killer is on the loose.

Karen has had a traumatic childhood which she doesn't share with many. However when she goes missing during this investigation, her team strive to find not only the serial killer but also what has happened to Karen.

I absolutely loved this book, full of twists and turns that I never predicted and had me reading the same page twice in disbelief. Highly recommend and look forward to more books by this author.

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have to say I loved this book the plot twists and well written characters got me hooked from the beginning. I have not read any of the previous books but will certainly be reading them.

Firstly I want to extend my thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book. I was thrilled when my request was approved to read this book.

Whilst I enjoyed this book it was very clear to me that I needed to have read the previous two books to be completely absorbed in this one.

There were references to the back story of the main character, Rachel, which went some way to understanding her total lack of control during the investigation. Unlike other series however I really felt this book could’ve given you a bit more on these details rather than just trickle relevant elements throughout. Without a dedicated section to quickly bring you up to date i struggled to connect with the main character and her team of investigators. I felt like I was expected to know who everyone was and their individual relationship with Rachel and this, coupled with trying to figure out ‘who dunnit’ made reading a bit slow.

I did however enjoy the story. It was a bit over scripted in certain scenes and the twists were a little predictable. But it’s clear to me that the author has an understanding of police procedures and that kept the story feeling true.

All in all I did enjoy this book and it was a good read. But my lack of star rating is largely down to my entering the story late and not feeling like I was able to keep up.

Brilliant outstanding police thirller that grips you till the end amazing characters amazing story all and all brilliant read.

A gripping, twisty thriller which kept me guessing throughout. It's part of a series but can be easily read as a standalone. It had a good flow and intriguing characters.

The third installment in the Detective Rachel Hart series and getting more fast paced as the series has progressed

Called to investigate after a young woman has been found hanging from a tree it soon becomes apparent this is not suicide and somebody has taken this girls life, Will their be another vixtim ?

I've read many detective novels i and I would rate this book in my top 10 kept me guessing from start to finish with a great twist at the end.Would certainly recommend this author to anyone who likes detective stories.

Title: Why She Died
Author: J. G Roberts
Pages: 271
Rating: 4/5

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read this advanced reader copy.

Synopsis:

Abi and Hannah are due to meet for their usual morning run, but this time, Hannah is a no show. Abi decides to run their usual route in case she went ahead without her but stumbles upon a horrifying sight, she finds her friend’s lifeless body hanging from a tree. Detective Rachel heart is called to the scene, at first, she believes this is a sad case of suicide, but things are not what they seem and there a few people who have reason for wanting Hannah dead. As second body is soon found, and Rachel must find out who is doing this and quick before another life is lost, unaware that she is the focus in this deadly game.

Review:

Releasing 29th May 2020, Why She Died is the third book in the Detective Rachel Heart series, as I had not read the others I was worried as to whether I would get into this book and fully understand but it is safe to say this book is great as a stand alone too and was a very thrilling read indeed.
It was the description of the book that initially hooked me in along with the promising reviews, I was eager to get stuck in and I wasn’t disappointed. The prologue started with a bank and captivated me straight away, the book then didn’t let go until the end.

The jump in character perspectives were easy to follow and didn’t disrupt the flow of the book. It had you questioning who you could really trust and as the plot thickened the characters became different to what they seemed at first. I felt all the characters were interesting and I wanted to get to know all their background stories.

I had my suspects throughout the book but I liked the fact that I struggled to actually predict and call what would happen. This made the book more enjoyable and kept you on the edge of your seat. The nicer characters had my suspicions because they were too nice and then clever little clues were hidden in the story, making it all come together nicely. I felt like I was doing the detective work alongside Rachel.
Throughout the story we were hit with twist after twist, truly keeping you on your toes and despite some twists being guessed, they were still brilliant to read. I devoured this book in one sitting, it was a thrilling read that was difficult to put back down.