This is the second book in the Detective Megan Thomas series and a very good read. Interesting characters and plot, centred around people smuggling in the West Country. It is fast paced, with plenty twists and excellent descriptions. A winner for Susan Wilkins and a book I would recommend to lovers of crime fiction. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another police procedural that had shades of a thriller with organized crime and trafficking along with a murder where at the center of whole rigmarole was Debbie, Detective Morgan’s sister.

Author Susan Wilkins placed her main character into a situation of helplessness where she was cast to the sidelines by her boss. Add to that was another criminal from her past as an undercover. Whew!! Morgan really had a fight on her hands to prove her sister’s innocence.

My second book by this author, I could feel Morgan’s pain in this high speed thriller with multiple plotlines all layered well. Emotions seeped through the words, causing me to get to the end at one go. Few twists peppered the book along with some blind alleys.

I am generally not fond of human trafficking, but I could get through this without stopping. The writing kept the story going smoothly until the last page. Megan and her team worked well with each other to solve the murder along with the other subplots. Overall, a good mystery. I enjoyed it.

Some thrillers pull you in emotionally with a crime relating to people, relationships, and betrayals, while others are about police corruption and criminal enterprises which pull you in with intricate details. Close To The Bone is a bit of both, but it’s mostly the latter.

It’s much bleaker in tone than most thrillers I’ve read recently with its focus on money laundering, people trafficking and organised crime. While there are elements of an unresolved mystery and character’s going through psychological torment, it’s not a crime drama that you will feel emotionally attached to. Instead, it’s an in-depth investigation that feels painfully relevant to many of today’s issues.

Keeping you engaged with a quick pace and tight plot, the book follows two stories which link together well. But I wouldn’t describe it as “edge of your seat suspense” as the cover suggests. It’s much more sophisticated than that. You can tell that Susan Wilkins is an experienced writer as she doesn’t bother with over-used thriller tropes. The suspense here is in the intelligently-researched police procedural process and the disappointment in how hard the story hits home.

Although the story isn’t particularly tense and lacks a bit of action at times, what gets under your nails is how true-to-life it feels. There are too many cases like this on the news at the minute where the human aspect is lost or forgotten, so it’s the rawness of the case that Megan is investigating that keeps you so interested.

But the trouble with a story like this is that you can’t sympathise with any of the characters because too few of them have good intentions. While there are many strong characters, it’s difficult to feel drawn to any of the people under investigation because they are all selfish and money-driven. The members of the Devon & Cornwall Police team are described well, but this second book does still feel like an introduction to most of them so it’s difficult to find someone to root for.

Megan herself, however, is really likeable. I love her straight-talking and no-nonsense approach. She’s a very relatable character who is undeniably good at her job. But her troubled past has obviously made her close up, so I feel like we’re only scratching on the surface with her character and that there’s a lot more to discover about her.

Although this is the second book it the series, it works incredibly well as a standalone book. It rounds up Megan’s past and current circumstances well and the connections are easy to follow. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything regarding any of the relationships, but I did want to know more about some of the characters in the closing chapters.

I enjoyed the slight hint of romance, which felt more like a mutual need to feel connected to someone than anything too romanticised, but I wanted just one more scene between Megan and Danny at the end. You could see that she is a very lonely person and that trusting somebody else was a big step for her to take, so I wanted Wilkins to leave things on a bit more of high with a hint at where their relationship will be going in a possible future instalment.

Most of all, I wanted to see inside Jim’s mindset a little more. He was obviously troubled and filled with anger, and there was obviously a balance being staged as to whether we should feel sorry for him because of his illness or dislike him because of his brutish actions and attitude. But I needed to see more of the torment going on in his mind to better understand his resentment of life. In the end, I just found him unlikeable which didn’t make me care about his actions enough.

Overall, Close To The Bone is a really well written and developed police investigation and I did really enjoy reading it, but I just wasn’t excited enough by it to give it a higher rating. Still, I’m intrigued by Megan and am certainly interested in reading the first book in the series to feel better connected to these characters.

Having very much enjoyed Buried Deep, the first in the DI Megan Thomas series, I was really looking forward to Close To The Bone and was not disappointed. Having worked as an undercover cop in the Met, Meg has now transferred to Devon in search of a quiet life but that was never going to happen. She now lives with her sister and family and things turn personal in a case very close to home. The characterisation is excellent and the picture of Devon is very evocative. I look forward to more.

A really good fast paced thriller. There is a lot to the plot and some great characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Detective Morgan Thomas #2

Detective Morgan Thomas's sister, Debbie has been brought in for questioning. She's the main suspect in a people trafficking ring and for the murder of Greg Porter. Debbie had worked for Greg. She had also found his body and reported it to the police.

As the story progresses, it also uncovers: police corruption, people trafficking and organised crime. The story follows two enquiries which are eventually linked together. I was hooked from the beginning. I did guess who the perpetrator was but that doesn't spoil a book for me. Morgan is a flawed character and I prefer that to the characters all being straight laced. We also learn more of her backstory. The pace is fast and the characters were well rounded.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author Susan Wilkins for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is turning into a good series. Two separate cases which become one,lots of twists for our feisty detective. Fast paced and exciting.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Close to the Bone, the second novel to feature DS Megan Thomas of the Devon Police.

When local businessman Greg Porter is bludgeoned to death Megan’s sister, Debbie, quickly becomes the prime suspect. Sidelined to liaise with the NCA on a different matter Megan can only watch helplessly as her sister is pursued.

I thoroughly enjoyed Close to the Bone which is a great police procedural with a bit of everything thrown in. It is mostly told from Megan’s point of view, allowing the reader to evaluate the facts and speculate alongside her. I’ll admit to guessing the perpetrator’s identity early on but this did not help me get anywhere near the motive or guess at what caused it or what would ensue. I was gripped from start to finish. It is a tightly plotted novel with nothing wasted and where every action has a later consequence. I am in awe of the author’s ability to see what becomes a complicated plot so clearly and lucidly.

As I said there is a bit of everything with both family and professional tension for Megan, a tragic backstory for Greg Porter’s family and some very contemporary crimes. There is even a hint of romance. There is never a dull moment.

I like Megan Thomas as a capable woman with a past. In some senses she is relatable, being divorced, single and in her 40s. She lives with her sister’s family and leads a solitary life with not much in it except swimming and her job. Many of us have been that lonely person. This is due, in the main, to the more unrelatable fact that she has PTSD due to an undercover operation that went wrong. Lonely does not mean quiet and unfeeling as she has quite a temper when she gets going and I cheered her on every time.

Close to the Bone is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Susan Wilkins is a new author for me and have to say I absolutely devoured Close to the Bone. From the first page it’s gripping, thrilling and draws you straight in. Although this is the second book in the Detective Megan Thomas series, you can easily read it without having read the first as it does re-visit some items from the first book. It’s a great plot with a couple of murders, family issues and some surprise confessions that I found impossible to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

When the bludgeoned body of local businessman Greg Porter is found at the apartments he was developing, the case becomes personal for DS Megan Thomas. Her sister, Debbie, had been working for Porter as a cleaner and she was not expecting to find herself so embroiled in a murder investigation. Megan faces a huge dilemma: which should she put first - family or her job?

Close to the Bone is the second in the Megan Thomas series and while I definitely enjoyed the first, Buried Deep, this one is even better. You do not need to have read the previous book as there are no spoilers in this one, but I feel that by doing so, I had acquired a good understanding of what makes Megan tick and a knowledge of her backstory is definitely beneficial.

We discover quite early on that the murdered man is not exactly a paragon of virtue and as the book develops, we realise that there are many people who may have wanted him dead. Due to the connection her sister has with the case, Megan is sidelined and is, instead, asked to work with the National Crime Agency as part of their investigation into human trafficking. With events that have been going on recently, this is a very topical plot and really brings home the plight of these people who are preyed upon by unscrupulous traffickers, their only 'crime' being to want a better life for their families.

Megan is showing herself to be a very competent detective, but events from her past are clearly affecting her mental well-being and preventing her from moving further up the promotional ladder. One name from her previous post keeps getting mentioned and I wonder if this is a person who we may meet in a forthcoming book.

This is turning into a very promising series with great plots and a range of believable characters. I'm already looking forward to seeing what Susan Wilkins gives us next!

Close To The Bone is the second book in the Detective Megan Thomas series by British author, Susan Wilkins. Summer in Devon is a busy time for the Major Investigations Team. DS Megan Thomas is assigned as liaison to the National Crime Authority investigating people smuggling while her boss gives the murder of a property developer to the newest DI on the team, the recently-returned-to-duty Jim Collins. An old-school cop, Megan decides: racist, sexist and technology-averse.

The NCA work is stimulating, and Daniel Ingram’s flirtation adds interest, but Megan is soon distracted by the interrogation of her younger sister, Debbie, as the prime murder suspect. Debbie found the body, worked for the victim, and her movements are in question, but she vehemently denies killing Greg Porter. Is she telling the truth? Also niggling at Megan’s thoughts is the recent release of a local criminal who has formed an association while in prison with the man who is responsible for her PTSD diagnosis. Could he know she is in Devon?

Once again, Wilkins gives the reader a fast-paced, tightly-plotted tale filled with believable characters and natural dialogue, and augmented by some excellent twists and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. As well as a novel method of human trafficking, the second instalment of Megan Thomas features domestic violence. Another dose of brilliant crime fiction. More please!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture

This was a great second entry in the Megan Thomas series. Although this is not the main theme of the book, Megan's never seems to completely be able to leave her past behind, and feels threatened once again. There are lots of twists and turns in this mystery, a bit of romance for Megan, and family drama make for a good read.

Megan Thomas is a DS in Devon and Cornwall police, living with her sister Debbie and her family. Megan has left her job in London and a failed marriage.
Megan is briefed about the discovery of a dead body in a luxury flat, only later does she find out that her sister found the body. Megan is asked to join an NCA investigation into people smuggling.
The story follows the two enquiries which become linked along the way.
Suspicion falls on different people for the murder, including Megan’s sister and the dead man’s family - including Greg Porter‘s wife.
Megan has a romantic involvement with one of the NCA team which brings the story some much needed relief from the police investigations.
This is a well written story, especially with the relationships between all the main characters.
Very current themes with smuggling across the English Channel.
An enjoyable read. Would definitely read more by Susan Wilkins.

First time reading a book by this author. In close to the bone Megan is a detective who’s sister is accused of the murder of her boss Greg in his luxury flats. The story develops and highlights police corruption, organised crime, people smuggling, which all interlinks with the murder of Greg. This is the second book in the Megan Thomas series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. An interesting read, the only negative is that I figured out who murdered Greg quite early on in the story, so was not so much of a surprise when it came to being revealed.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Close To The Bone' by Susan Wilkins

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 8th September 2020

This is the second book that I have read by this author. It is also the second book in the 'Detective Megan Thomas' series. I read the first book in this series 'Buried Deep' and loved it so am looking forward to continuing the series. Although this is the second book in the series it can be read as a standalone with any references to previous cases being explained to the reader in as much detail needed.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful colourful cover, intriguing blurb and by the fact that I have already read one book by Susan Wilkins (the first one in this series) which I loved and said then that I wanted to read more of her books. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 65 chapters and an epilogue which are short in length so ideal to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Megan. The way it is written made me feel like I was floating above them watching everything that was going on. I enjoy books written in third person and from different perspectives as you can see more of what is going on and get the bigger picture.

This book is based in Devon. I always seem to connect with books based in the UK more because I live in Wales and sometimes I have visited places mentioned meaning I can picture them much better. The fact that I have visited Devon is even better!!

Well, another success by Susan Wilkins!! I really enjoyed the storyline and there was plenty going on to keep me busy to say the least!! It was very well written which kept me submerged and turning the pages over and over!! Lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing throughout. I can't say I was completely shocked by who did one of the things but then I've read loads of crime and it is getting harder to keep me guessing. However it also wasn't obvious, hopefully that makes sense!

I absolutely loved meeting all the characters as well discovering some new ones. I really felt sorry for Megan on several occasions and really hope she finds the happiness she deserves. I really liked how (most of) the team really gelled together and watching how their relationships have grown throughout the first book until the end of this one. I am really looking forward to reading about them all again. The only downfall was that sometimes I got confused when one character was being referred to by first names in some scenes and surnames in others. However, I did manage to work it out pretty quickly.

Excellent descriptions throughout making me really see what was going on and putting me right in the storyline alongside the characters.

Overall an action packed crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Genres covered include Mystery, Suspense, Detective fiction, Adventure fiction and Police procedural.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of other books by Susan Wilkins.

343 pages.

This book is 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

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This is book #2 in the Detective Megan Thomas series. Whilst it is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone book. Having read the first book, I already knew a little bit about Megan. She is now working with the Devon & Cornwall Police following 5 years working with the Metropolitan Police as an undercover officer. The undercover work left Megan with some psychological problems to which she sees a counsellor, and in this book it’s obvious that Megan is still suffering, although personally I think she deals with it all much better than what she did in the first book! In this instalment, Megan finds herself unwillingly working on two cases – the murder of a local businessman and the case of people smuggling. When her sister, Debbie finds herself as suspect number one in the murder case, Megan has to take a step back and let someone else run the case. Is her sister innocent, and how can she prove it?

This book was a great read! I loved the last book, but enjoyed this one so much more! I really like Megan’s character and connected with her much more in this book. She is obviously still carrying round a lot of baggage from her past, but I felt this was pushed to the side-lines a little bit whilst we got on with the business of finding out who was the murderer. For me, this was fine and I really enjoyed seeing Megan as the clever detective she really is! The storyline was fast paced and captured my attention from the very beginning, and I have to admit that I struggled to put this book down, grabbing five minutes here and there just to finish it! The plot line twisted and turned and I couldn’t work out where it was all going until it happened! The characters were a mixed bunch, with some likeable characters and then the not so likeable as well. There were also a handful of ones, which I couldn’t quite work out, with Jim Collins and Ted Jennings being the notable two – I just couldn’t decide where their loyalties lay and this made their characters so much more interesting!! It was great to see a hint of a relationship for Megan also and would love to see her with a happy ending! I do fear though that she may have too many demons for that to be able to happen – perhaps I could be proved wrong!

I’m really interested to see what happens in future books of this series. Megan’s character has developed so much just over the course of 2 books, just imagine what she would be like in book 3 or 4! Don’t get me wrong, she’s in no way a perfect police officer, but she does her best and her morals are high – what more could you ask for!! There has been so much squeezed into this book that you just wouldn’t think it was possible. We have family problems, personal issues, past cases, current cases, murders, people trafficking, workplace relationships, marital abuse…the list goes on! Whilst that may sound like too much to take in, it really isn’t and the whole storyline works so well!! This is definitely the better book out of the two so far, and I’m really keen to find out what happens next for Detective Megan Thomas! Fantastic read, would definitely recommend!

When I read the first book of the series I fell in love with the characters, both professionally and personally. I live the way they work and the family dynamic that Megan is set up in.

When I saw book 2 I had to grab it as soon as possible. This book was not exception. I really enjoyed the storyline and the references to Megan's past.

Im looking forward to book 3 already and seeing how Megan develops in both capacities and learning more about her time as an undercover police officer

When Detective Megan Thomas's sister is brought in for questioning it becomes apparent she is their main suspect in a people trafficking ring and the murder of a man found in his flat

Can she prove her sister innocent or does she not know her sister at all !!!

Close to the Bone: Detective Megan Thomas by Susan Wilkins is an addictive book and had me reading well into the night. The main character, Megan, has her flaws and ghosts, but I liked her as a character due to her determination. I liked the setting, and the book had solid characters. A lot was going on in the book, and you had to pay attention to keep things straight, but the story had good twists and turns.

A solid story I would recommend.

#ClosetotheBone #NetGalley

Greg Porter is a local businessman, entrepreneur, and token family man. He is also a ladies man so everyone who is anyone especially if they're female is on his radar as he makes sure he is at his sophisticated best around them. If you didn't fit that criteria you didn't exist unless you too could provide him with something.

Meanwhile DS Megan Thomas's sister, Debbie, is working three jobs, while husband, Mark, has taken a job hundreds of miles away to help make ends meet. Working as Greg Porter's cleaner at his new block of executive apartments doesn't pay much and he's been treating Debbie as his lackey, she runs errands, collects things for him and is still expected to finish her actual job on time. Suggesting she deserves more money only ends up in an argument and then he's found dead.

When I finished the previous book I wasn't sure Megan could sustain a series. How wrong I was. This is a very good read which I thoroughly enjoyed. DS Thomas is never going to win cop of the year, she has too many ghosts in her past for that, but she is sympathetic, determined and gradually getting better at working in a team! The complex investigations she becomes involved in were fascinating and horrific while the cast of protagonists and antagonists worked well together. It is very good.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author's work or read the first book both are definitely worth reading.