Not all secrets are meant to come out…

Back in 1994 on Halloween, Kelly Doherty disappeared while out trick or treating, she was just eight years old. Three days after she's discovered in Creggan Reservoir by two of her school friends. Twenty five years later Ingrid Devlin, who was just ten at the time, remembers it well, Ingrid is now a journalist and is doing an anniversary story to mark Kelly's death, but someone in the town of Derry doesn't want her digging around, which makes Ingrid even more determined to uncover what really happened that night.

Ask No Questions is an intense and compelling read, with a well crafted plot, it's short chapters are narrated mainly by Ingrid, a very ballsy journalist, hell bent on uncovering the truth of what happened 25 years earlier. I admired Ingrid's determination, whilst having no regard for her own safety. The story spans across two timelines, with the author spinning a web of secrets and lies, drawing the reader in from the off. I changed my mind many times as to who was responsible for this terrible crime, but nothing prepared me for that conclusion. I've loved all Claire Allen's thrillers so far and this was no exception, I look forward to hopefully seeing more of Ingrid in future storylines.

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I have read a good few of Claire's books and enjoyed them but this one is outstanding. Grips you from the start. You think the plot is going to go one way then there is a twist and so on. I thought i had it solved midway through but proved wrong. It would be a great book to read around Halloween.

A very gripping read and what a sad story of how lives could have been so different but for one foolish action. Was disappointed a bit at the end, wanted to know more of how relationships turned out.

I've read all of Claire's books to date and love her writing and ability to bring you along for the journey. Her characters are engaging and I just want to keep reading and not put the book down. I can't wait for her next one.

I saw a friend’s review for this and thought it sounded really good - and so it was! Set in Northern Ireland in 2019 with flashbacks to 1994 it tells a tragic tale of the death of a young girl and the ripples that such a tragedy can send right through a community... and through time itself. In 1994 eight year old Kelly Doherty was out with her friends trick or treating at Halloween. Somehow she got separated from them and was found dead 3 days later by ten old twins Declan and Niall Heaney. A local man Jamesy Harte was convicted of the murder and served 18 years in prison.

Ten year old Ingrid Devlin was also out and about that night. In the present day she is a reporter with The Chronicle at Derry and is asked to do a puff piece for the 25th anniversary of the death of young Kelly. Her editor, Ryan Murray, doesn’t want any controversy or the parents of the dead girl being bothered with invasive questions. But Ingrid wants to do this properly. In any case, there may be another book deal in the offing so she figures she’ll ask away and then decide what to share with her boss later.

But it’s not long before Ingrid gets a not very subtle warning. And that’s only the beginning. She has also been talking to both Declan and Niall Heaney and she is starting to think that people are hiding things from her. Somebody doesn’t want the old coals raked over. With an escalating sense of danger can Ingrid solve the puzzle before she, too, is muzzled?

So all that stuff was pretty standard whodunnit, although very well done. What made the book shine for me was the way the author described the life sucking grief the parents were going through. We’ve all read scenes of grief but this time I really had the feels. It was like she really got into the heads of her characters. There was also the anger. And the fear. All the emotions were so sharp and well defined. When Ingrid was having a panic attack it was pitch perfect - I should know, I’ve had them too.

So what really happened that night? That’s a good question. Our unreliable narrators were, well, unreliable and with some unexpected twists thrown in it is not easy to guess the outcome of this one. It wasn’t creepy per se but as it proceeded I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable about pretty much everything and even yelled to my iPad - “no, don’t go there with him”. This book should appeal to those who like a taut thriller and a little bit of fear! Many thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Claire Allan for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own. 4.5 stars rounded down.

Ingrid is a journalist for the local newspaper, The Chronicle. She is asked to do an article on a case that shocked the local community 25 years ago, the murder of little Kelly Doherty. Ingrid remembers the incident well, she was only 2 years older then Kelly at the time and remembers the terror that swept the community at the time. Local man Jamsey Harte was convicted of Kelly's murder and served 17 years in prison but Jamsey has always claimed he was innocent and is renewing his push to clear his name.
Ingrid wants to do an article on that aspect of the case but her editor ,Ryan Murray, tells her in no uncertain terms to stay away from Jamsey and to only cover the anniversary and not stir things up.
Ingrid has never been very good at doing as she is told and meets with Jamsey to hear his side of the story with a view to writing a true crime book on the case. Unfortunately someone seems to know who Ingrid is meeting and they set out to scare her off the story. Not easily scared Ingrid begins to think that maybe there is some truth in Jamesy's story, if there wasn't why would someone go to such lengths to put her off but who is it and how far will they go to hide the truth.

Ingrid is covering a 25 year old murder that happened in her town when she was a child. The murderer is free and she wants to write a book about his innocence claims but there is pain and terror every way she turns. Will Ingrid ever uncover the truth?
What a gripping read! I was hooked from start to finish and enjoyed every second of this read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Great twists, shocking ending!

The tragic death of eight year old Kelly Doherty is about to reach the 25th anniversary. Ingrid and her classmates carry the affects every day.

1994 in Derry, Ireland a young girl goes missing Halloween night. Children no longer allowed to play in the neighborhood, free to roam - parents strictly telling their kids to come home right after school.
Twins Declan and Niall are restless - they head into the woods to their fort to let go of some energy. They trail the reservoir- and stumble upon Kelly's body.
The 25th anniversary is looming - journalist Ingrid wants to write a story, about her neighbor Kelly, her parents. Her editor insists she keep it short- but Ingrid wants to talk to convicted killer, Jamesy, who is still crying his innocence.
As Ingrid attempts to write her story, she becomes a target- her car window smashed, her apartment broken into. What really happened to Kelly?

I've read all of Claire Allan's books so far and have loved every single one of them. With Ask No Questions the writing was, as I've come to expect, excellent, engaging, and pulled me in from the start. This story has a very creepy undertone and the atmosphere is set up perfectly.

The story begins on Halloween night 25 years previous when 8-year-old Kelly Doherty went missing only for her body to be found days later by two of her classmates. Someone was convicted for the murder and life went on. Now the perpetrator has been released and is protesting his innocence and journalist Ingrid Devlin has been tasked with writing Kelly's story to coincide with her anniversary. Ingrid was a child herself when Kelly disappeared and she is determined to uncover what really happened. It seems that someone doesn't want her too and as she delves deeper she discovers that the Doherty family are not all that they seem.

The timeline transitions effortlessly between October 31st, 1994 and October 2019 and the suspense had me on edge more times than I can count. The plot twists were superb and I didn't see them coming. This is a fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, atmospheric story that is sure to keep even the most avid crime reader guessing right to the end.

Ingrid returns to the town she once grew up in. She is there to write an anniversary piece on the death of Kelly Doherty, her school friend who was murdered 25 years ago. The man who was charged with Kelly’s murder is now out of prison and still protesting his innocence.

As Ingrid starts to reacquaint herself with the case and those who played a part in it, she unwittingly stirs up trouble. Somebody wants to scare her and put an end to her questioning..

I have read and loved all of Claire’s previous books. They are always gripping and fast-paced, this one however didn’t have the same pull for me. Whilst I enjoyed the story, I didn’t find that I was compelled to read it and rather rushed the end just to finish it.

Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. I found Ingrid unlikable and unrealistic in how she responded to situations she found herself in.
On the positive side it’s an easy book to read and o hadn’t guessed the ending which is always good.

This is a book about ‘righting a wrong’
25 years ago 8 year old Kelly was murdered, the culprit was caught and put away but now on the anniversary and also with his freedom he is starting to once again protest his innocence
Journo Ingrid kinda has a feeling he is telling the truth and starts to look into the story and the main players and realises,as her home and car are attacked, she is onto something, as she digs deeper what she finds out is bad, really bad and puts her life and others in danger
Claire Allan writes great books and this is no exception, told by various characters it is easy to follow and although a heart wrenching story is also a book to ‘lose yourself in’, which for all of us is a bonus at the moment, as you are led past and present through the case/story and find out what really happened to Kelly
Not much else to say other than a really good involving read

9/10
5 Stars

It’s fair to say I struggled with this book. Normally I will read a book in a couple of sessions but I felt it really hard to keep picking this up.
Admittedly the story improved in the second part of the book. None of the characters were particularly likeable but I do think Jamesy could have grown on you but his role was never developed enough.
I wouldn’t say it’s an awful book but there could have been more character development that would have held the reader.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a brilliant twisty tale and had me reading well past my bedtime. I LOVED it!
We meet Ingrid as a 10 year old, living in Northern Ireland, in Derry, amidst the small community of Creggan, reeling from events where a younger girl in the neighbourhood, Kelly Doherty, out trick or treating one Halloween night, comes to an unpleasant end. The community is shocked and no-one can play out.
25 years later Ingrid is a reporter for The Chronicle and is investigating recent claims that Jamesy Harte, convicted of Kelly's murder, is actually innocent. Her investigations soon put Ingrid in danger as she interviews Jamesy and the twin brothers Declan and Niall Heaney, who found Kelly's body, about events from a quarter of a century ago.
The memories stirred up agitate people as another anniversary of Kelly's death looms. There are clearly truths that are buried, lies that are still being perpetuated and people who are guilty who have made innocent people suffer. The question is, is Ingrid brave enough to go against newspaper boss and sometimes-lover Ryan Murray, to ask questions that no-one has asked before to cover the potential miscarriage of justice claims?
I liked Ingrid a lot, for her pluckiness and determination to continue and I admired her bravery as I would simply have backed off when threatened. Ingrid is definitely spooked and comes to realise that someone doesn't want her to uncover the truth. Who can she trust? She has personal experience of that time, having lived where it happened and so I suppose her interest is just as much about coming to terms with the past as it is about being a good journalist.
There is suspicion and doubt, tension and lots of references to the trauma behind losing a daughter and finding a peer dead. I loved the emotional depth, the differences in the perspectives of the characters and the fact that in the end we do get to know exactly what happened.
It is a tragic story, with more than one victim, but written in a way to entertain as you would expect thrillers to do. It is also about our collective responsibility to protect those more vulnerable than ourselves and to have the courage to speak out when wrongs are being committed behind closed doors.
Will Ingrid be in time to stop those who bully and hold all the power from continuing to hound the innocent and escape detection?
Read 'Ask No Questions' to find out. I can recommend the book as an enjoyable way to spend a few hours and highly recommend Claire Allan as an author.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books and Claire Allan for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for my honest review. This is my second book my Claire Allan and it's every bit as entertaining as the first. The story has a very tight plot full of believable broken characters written with care and depth of feeling, something that can be hard to find in a psychological thriller. Being from Ireland myself, this story was made all the more real as I was able to imagine the places, atmosphere and feeling in the book, right down to the heavy tar of the pot of tea made in the garish cafe in Portstewart. It's a pacy book that kept me wanting more. I started this book yesterday evening and stayed awake late into the night to finish it. Genuinely unputdownable.

Oh wow! I loved Claire Allen’s previous thrillers, but this one is definitely the best one yet.

The whole book feels so real. The setting and characters add such authenticity to a superb and dark plot. I liked Ingrid as a character, even though I sometimes wished I could just warn her to take a step back and not put herself in danger! I found the whole journalistic process quite fascinating, and also her moral dilemma, in wanting to report the news, but also feeling guilty that she might be overstepping the mark at times.

The plot progresses at quite a fast pace, with so many twists and turns, and with the build up of tension all the time. I found myself unable to put this book down, turning pages late into the night. I was torn between wanting to find out what would happen at the end, and not wanting the book to be over.

I would love if we could meet Ingrid again in a future book, I really hope there might be a potential series in this.

A tightly plotted, sinister and sometimes shocking book that’s not afraid of dark and gritty content. This will have you totally riveted. Absolutely superb.

I've enjoyed Claire Allan's psychological thrillers in the past so I couldn't resist accepting the invite to read her newest title Ask No Questions... I've been looking forward to dive into this story, and I ended up having an excellent time with this psychological thriller. Fans of the genre will be delighted with this story that is part crime, part journalism, part drama and 100% effective.

The first thing that stands out is the setting in Northern Ireland, which really shines through in both the writing style (tone) and the different descriptions of the setting. It shows that the author is from Northern Ireland herself and as a language geek I always love seeing local phrases as well as local culture used. Ask No Questions is partly set in the past: 1994 to be exact, the year of the gruesome murder of a little girl. Most of the story is actually set 25 years after, with only a few flashbacks to the past, but the events of 1994 will be all important to the present storyline. Apart from the flashbacks, we also have two different POVs. The story switches back and forth between Ingrid and Declan as we slowly learn more about the past and see present events taking place. I personally preferred Ingrid's POV over Declan's, but I can't deny that his POV is key to the plot.

I really liked the plot itself as well. The 25 year anniversary of the murder, the journalism angle, the stalking, the threats, the possible false imprisonment, the hints at the past... There are so many different angles included that you will find yourself to be entertained until the very last page. True, I did guess part of the final reveals, but as a whole I found the ending to be satisfying enough. The development of the suspense and building up of tension is more than solid and once this story has drawn you in it will be hard to stop reading... The engaging writing style is part of the charm.

As for the characters... Ingrid's character was interesting enough and I liked the journalism angle, although I do have to say that I'm never a fan of the whole cheating element. I don't think this element would actually have been necessary here? As for Declan... His character isn't exactly likeable, but his POV is very important to the plot and the fact that he discovered the body of the poor girl back then with his brother makes him a fascinating character to study. Just imagine finding something like that as a ten-year-old; how would that affect you as a person?

As a whole, Ask No Questions turned out to be an excellent psychological thriller that is packed with suspense, a horrid crime and an evergrowing tension as you keep turning those pages. If you enjoy the genre, I can definitely recommed her books in general!

This is the second book I’ve read by author Claire Allan and just like the first, Ask No Questions is every bit as good and entertaining. She really knows how to write thrillers that keep you reading and at some points leave you with that edge of your seat feeling of anticipation. This story centers around Ingrid Devlin who is a young journalist who works for the local paper known as The Chronicle. She is told to write a 25 year anniversary piece on the murder of her childhood friend Kelly who was found dead and floating in the local reservoir. This is when things start to get very interesting. Her car gets vandalized twice along with her apartment. Someone doesn’t want her to uncover what really happened all those years ago and exonerate the man who was wrongfully charged. I thought I had the story all figured out, who the real killer was but was I ever wrong! It’s a great storyline because all through reading, you feel distrust for almost every character. It isn’t until this twist at the end, that leaves you shocked and surprised , that you learn the real truth. This is another great book from this author and I’m excited to read what she pens in the future. I’d like to thank Ellie Pilcher, Marketing Manager at Avon Books, a part of HarperCollins Publishers for the invite and NetGalley for the arc to read, review and enjoy. I recommend that you Ask No Questions and run and grab yourself a copy on release day because it’s really that good! I give this a 5 star rating.

I received this arc through net galley and I couldn’t wait to read it,
The murder of an eight year old girl twenty five years ago is the focus of this story
We find out who killed her and why, after a few scary incidents to the reporter trying to find out the truth.

A fast paced book I couldn’t put down and I stayed up well past bedtime to finish it.

I would highly recommend this

A superb psychological murder mystery set in Derry.

Twins Niall and Declan find the body of missing eight-year-old Kelly Doherty, a girl they went to school with. The story then moves to the present day with the central character, Ingrid Devlin, seemingly having doubts about the guilt of the man sentenced for the crime - all as the 25th anniversary of Kelly's death on Halloween is just around the corner.

Ingrid (who has appeared in previous books by this author) is a writer and journalist and also a fellow pupil at the school with the twins. She starts to look closely at the case with some violent consequences, but no more spoilers from me. I will say that I could have shaken her at times for being so stubborn - who doesn't change locks on their doors after someone has broken in?

Well written with a believable ending that I didn't see coming.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read and review.