I was drawn to request this book because of the cover--I've visited the Uffington White Horse in person and intrigued to see what story was being woven about it. Jess Bridges is a fresh new detective face....impulsive, dogged, and downright curious, she gets involved in cases and can't let go. This time she goes undercover in a "cult" near the Uffington White Horse to find a missing daughter. Instead, she stumble across a murder investigation led by DI Leo George, someone whom she would like to know better. Great fun and full of unexpected twists.

Thanks to HaperCollins UK for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.

The infamous white horse near Uffington is the location where a dead body is discovered which has ritualistic elements to it. Who is this woman and what is she doing there? Who is responsible for the murder?

A secret commune is located in the valley below the white horse. Jess Bridges goes undercover to investigate the strange goings-on which appear to be happening within the cult and gets caught up in a bizarre and sinister world. Inspector Leo George conducts his side of the investigation and encounters dark secrets.

Gripping twists and subplots are enjoyable but the characters didn't engage me...felt no connection whatsoever. Likeable characters aren't necessary for me in a story but I need to feel something. However, there is definitely a lot to like such as the writing style, plot and pacing.

Mystery readers seeking something different with some spiritualism may find this to be their wheelhouse.

Some may find the language offensive.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The second book in a series featuring Jess Bridges and Leo George, a wannabe PI and a police detective respectively. If you haven’t read the first book, there are considerable spoilers in this one – I’d recommend starting at the beginning.
In basic terms, the plot revolves around a missing person and a mysterious death in rural Oxfordshire, and Jess and Leo’s investigations into each. There is a lot to like in this book – the plot is well thought through if a little far-fetched in places, the protagonists are generally likeable, and the antagonists on the whole not entirely evil people – more rounded and complete than you will find in a lot of similar novels.
However, there were also some negatives that I noticed; mainly the occasional jarring parenthetical authorial interventions which snap the reader right out of the character’s point of view (nothing major, but enough to be noticeable). Additionally, I wasn’t convinced that the timelines quite hung together correctly at a couple of points. Thirdly, the book is written from multiple viewpoints, partly in the first person and partly in the third – whilst I realise this is not unusual in this genre, I don’t think it quite worked here. Finally, other reviewers have mentioned the humour in the book – I don’t agree, the attempts at humour didn’t quite work for me.
All that being said, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it was easy to read, and would fit snugly on the cosy mystery shelf. Jess is lovely if scatty and headstrong, Leo doesn’t seem to have the pre-requisite character flaw that all leading police officers have to have in series these days; and the other characters are sympathetic on the whole. I will definitely be reading more by this writer – I’m already looking forward to the next in the series.
Four stars – get rid of those author’s interjections and it would win five stars from me. Give it a go (but not until you’ve read the first one!)

A Ceremonial Killing....?
The second in the Jess Bridges mystery series. When a body is discovered on the White Horse carving there are rumours of a ceremonial killing and a cult. DI Leo George isn’t convinced until he discovers the whereabouts of his friend Jess. Very enjoyable with a likeable protagonist in Jess and a colourful cast of supporting characters. A solid, character driven mystery laced with humour and a worthy entry in the series.

The ingredients are promising. In an attractive part of southern England an unknown beautiful blonde is found stone dead. No ordinary booze fueled lover's tiff gone wrong, the victim was splayed on the back of an ancient white horse carved out by some pesky pagans three thousand years ago..
Inspector Leo George of the local constabulary has precious little to go on as the victim is not known locally and the jolly lady pathologist cannot shed much light other other than saying the victim had the most immaculate teeth. and had been stabbed in the chest.
The pieces of the jigsaw emerge gradually throughput the book with the customary mis-steps and twists and turns. The presence of a local cult headed up by the rather spooky 'Father Oak' adds to the piquancy of the rural idyll.
Some of the cute village complete with lady vicar is reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but Leo George is more or a Morse like character. The female protagonist, Jessica Bridges, is something else again. She sniffs out missing persons for a livingwhich is a very useful adjunct for a book of this kind.
The author won me over. The major characters are credible enough and quite of the wonky minor characters are eccentric and make for good reading. I liked the pacing of the book and its wit. There is a very funny reference to a Dalek from Dr Who, but I will not spoil the moment. An accomplished and entertaining whodunnit.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an advance copy of this book.
Fledgling Oxford PI Jess Bridges accompanies her writer friend to the Frankfurt book fair as moral support/drinking companion. . She’s approached by another writer and offered an eye watering sum of money to find a young woman whose last known whereabouts were in a group home near the ancient landmark Uffington White Horse. Is it a commune or a cult?
A young woman’s body is found and Jess needs to work with her old sparring partner DI Leo George to solve the twin mysteries.
There are secrets galore in the local community, a surfeit of women who look suspiciously alike, budding romance, and danger.
It fair gallops along and despite my initial scepticism (it really is a lot of money to offer an untrained stranger to find a loved one, some of the characters are pretty caricatured and the significance of the setting seemed too contrived for me, but they are features rather than bugs for a lot of readers) I warmed to Jess and Leo themselves and wanted them to succeed.

I’m curious to go back to the first in this series to see how the pairing started.

I’m new to this prolific writer’s work, which is across an astonishing range of styles.

Very quickly made my mind up I was going to like this one, likeable characters, good plot and lots of action. I instantly took to the character Jess Bridges, she is quirky, funny and lots of fun. Together with the other two main characters Michael and Detective Inspector Leo George they make an excellent base for what I am sure will be a popular series. I was only a short way into the novel and had already purchased another couple of books by the same author which shows how much I enjoyed the writing.

A dead body is found laid out like a ceremonial killing on the famous White Horse on the Downs near Uffington Castle. Detective Inspector Leo George suspects the young female victim may have been a member of the Children of the White Horse, a secretive valley commune, but none of the cult members are talking. Jess Bridges is working independently trying to locate a missing young woman who she suspects may have joined the cult commune. In an effort to hunt her down Jess works her way into the cult undercover to try and persuade her to leave.
This is a good read that promises to be an enjoyable series.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read the first book in this series but found it wasn't necessary. Quirky characters, an intriguing plot and a really good sense of humour in the face of a unique case make this a solid read.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
This is the second book in the Jess Bridges series and this book is as quirky and entertaining as the first book. I particularly enjoyed reading about Jess’s interaction with Michael, whom she now views as a friend and Leo, Detective Inspector Leo George .
The storylines are entertaining and imaginative and the characters are always quirky and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed reading White Horse by Joss Stirling.
Highly recommended

This is book two of this series and it was just as good as the first one.

The same characters are back and with just as much depth as they had in the first one. The settings are described so you can picture them in your mind as the story goes on.

The suspense and mystery kept me interested from start to finish.