Andy Maslen's new series featuring 'Henry' Ford and Hannah Fellowed really excited me. This opening novel is a fabulous read. It works as a thriller ... As a police procedural ... And as a psychological thriller.
The characters are well-formed and engaging with lots of potential to develop further as the series progresses.
The plot is clever and intense. The hunt for a serial killer in Salisbury is fast-paced and blood permeates almost every page.
Crime writing at its very best.

I have read some of the Gabriel Wolfe series by this author, and Shallow Ground is a different pace to these previous reads. This book starts off with a murder of a mother and child, and the newly promoted Detective Inspector is given this case as his first major crime to solve.

I enjoyed the book, there are sufficient red herrings whilst reading to keep your mind tucking over whilst you try to suss out the villan. It was not fast paced as per some novels can be, and this is not a bad thing because I found that the story kept me hooked. The characters that were introduced had enough flaws to make them feel rounded and realistic, which helped me relate to them more.

Overall, a great read, and a solid start for a potential new detective series from the author. I would recommend to anyone who like British detective novels

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC for an honest review in return

A very typical suspense thriller. Nothing new in the storyline and characters were very generic. This book could have been way better with a fee more twists and turns

Detective Ford still blames himself for his wife’s death six years ago in a climbing accident. He struggles with his guilt as he raises his son, Sam, and tries to balance that relationship with the demands of his job. Newly promoted to Detective Inspector, his first case is a serial killer whose MO is exsanguination.

The plot is interesting and there is good character development, especially in his fellow team members. New CSI Hannah Fellowes, a highly trained and skilled investigator is particularly interesting as an Asperger’s savant. Fast paced and engrossing, I will add Andy Maslen to my must read mystery/police procedural authors.

This is advertised as the first of the Detective Ford book series. I hope there will be more.

This is the first book in the Detective Ford series. DI Ford is riddled with guilt over his wife's mountain climbing accident and now he is left to raise their son, Sam, on his own. DI Ford is called in to investigate the murder of a young nurse and her son in a small flat in Salisbury. Soon there are other bodies found and Ford comes to the conclusion that a serial killer who leaves the bodies drained of blood is involved. The suspects ended up between two people and I kept changing my mind between them. The ending was a surprise and the book proved to be a real page-turner. All the characters were well-fleshed out and I look forward to reading more about them in book 2. Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for a free copy for an honest review. Highly recommended.

This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first in the DI Ford series and I was not disappointed. DI Ford is assigned his first case. A woman is found in her flat, blood seeping through the floor to the flat below. As Ford and his team look for the killer, the body count keeps increasing. Jools is his right hand, Hannah is the new CSI and is blunt and too the point. I enjoyed all the characters in this story and look forward to #2. Thank you NetGalley, Andy Maslen and Amazon Publishing UK.

This was a hugely enjoyable book. I had not come across Andy Maslen previously so came into this with no preconceptions. I have, however, read plenty of police procedurals and found this to be a fabulous new addition to the genre - I hope it heralds the start of a new series; I would have no hesitation in reading further instalments.

As is standard in this type of book, the main protagonist (DI Ford) has a flaw. In this case, it is caused by an incident at the start of the book. I won't say here what it is, but readers will find out within the first two or three pages.

The plot follows Ford's team as they investigate a serial killer. The book is well plotted but as this is the start of the series, plot almost takes a back seat to characterisation. Maslen takes the opportunity to introduce all the members of his protagonist's team and does so very well, details of the relationships between each of the characters being filled in as the story progresses. Hannah, in particular, is an interesting character and I hope to see her well used in future books.

Maslen sets the novel in Salisbury - it would have been nice to have more made of the location - it's a beautiful place. Perhaps this will become more of a feature in future books in the series.

Overall, I am very pleased that I read this book and would have no hesitation in recommending to friends and family.

From the beginning of this flawlessly plotted police procedural to its chilling conclusion, Andy Maslen has written the first in a new series that will delight readers of Elizabeth George and Peter Robinson.

Maslen pulls the reader into the thriller with a prologue that introduces DI Ford as a sympathetic character on the worst day in his life. His wife Lou dies while the two are mountain climbing in a remote area. He blames himself. And six years later, a single father to their son, he still feels guilt.

His first case as a Detective Inspector is a complicated, gruesome one. A nurse and her three year old son are found murdered. Her blood has been drained and she is posed holding her son’s dead body. Within a week, there is another bloodless body. The press is now involved as is Dr. Hannah Fellowes, a new member of the forensics team. Hannah has a Ph.D, was a lecturer at Quantico and has Asperger’s. Ford suspects he knows the identity of the killer but he can’t prove it. Will he arrest him before more unrelated victims are murdered?

Shallow Ground has so many strengths. The characters leap off the page, especially those in Ford’s team. Action advances slowly and deliberately highlighting the painstaking work done by the investigators. I can’t wait for the next in the series. And the one after that. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Andy Maslen for this ARC.

Detective Ford #1

DI Ford is called in to investigate the murder of a young use and her sonin their flat in Salisbury. Ford senses that there is a serial killer at work. Ford's wife died in a climbing accident, an accident Ford felt he had been responsible for. He has a son, Sam. Ford has also got a new partner, Dr Hannah Fellowes who's a crime scene Investigator.

It's clear from the beginning that Ford is suffering with survivors guilt. The plotline is interesting and the main characters were likable. I was pulled in from the beginning of this steady paced book. The author has clearly researched the contents of the story. The body count kept rising so Ford and his team have to work fast to find out who's behind these killings. This is a great start to a new series.

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

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
Shallow Ground by Andy Maslen is the first book in a new police thriller series, Detective Ford is the newly appointed Detective Inspector in charge of his first murder case. There follows a series of gruesome murders where the blood is drained from the adult victims.
The storyline is a tense police thriller, where we are introduced to members of the police team, who all help to solve the case and we will meet them again in the next book in the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the next book in the new series by Andy Maslen.

Shallow Ground is the first book in a new police crime series by Andy Maslen and it is definitely a very promising start.

The main character is the recently promoted DI “Henry” Ford who is faced with a complex multiple murder investigation. Yes he has a back story but this only helps with the narrative of the book and isn’t overwhelming. The rest of the supporting cast are also well sketched out and help drive the storyline.

The pacing of the book is excellent and kept me turning the pages and I look forward to future instalments in this series

Definitely recommended

Shallow Ground is the first instalment in the Detective Inspector ”Henry" Ford series, set in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Newly-promoted DI Ford has just landed his very first murder case and you know what they say - you never forget your first - especially when it involves a ruthlessly efficient serial killer with a flair for the dramatic. It begins with the brutal and merciless killing of widowed nurse Angela Halpern and her 3 year old son, who was found cradled in her arms, in their small Salisbury flat. The gruesome discovery was reported when a downstairs neighbour witnessed blood dripping from the ceiling. She had been exsanguinated but her son had not and cryptic numbers scrawled in blood were left behind as some sort of message. With minimal clues or evidence to help out, Ford and his team come to the conclusion that this is unlikely to have been the murderers first kills and that it's possible they have a serial killer in their midst. Soon more murders follow with the same, unique modus operandi. The only piece of strong evidence connecting each of the slayings is that in every case the victim had recently visited the local food-bank.

Ford and his team, including Senior Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Dr Hannah Fellowes, are under immense pressure to get results within the week or his superiors will bring in a more experienced replacement. Can Ford save his reputation and bring the killing to an end in the process? This was a completely riveting and thoroughly enjoyable procedural from start to finish. Maslen sets the pace to quick fire and provides exciting developments and twisty-turny surprises aplenty, topping it off with a superb cast of characters. The short, snappy chapters also build the tension nicely. DI Ford is still very much mourning the loss of his wife, Lou, who fell to her death in a climbing accident at Pen-y-Holt Bay, Pembrokeshire, six years ago, leaving him to bring up their 15 year old son, Sam, as a single parent, whilst also juggling work responsibilities. Dr Fellowes is an intelligent CSI with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and expert in forensic psychology. She also has Asperger's and is high functioning, which makes her great at analytical tasks. A compulsive and entertaining read and a promising beginning to a new series. Highly recommended.

This is a great start to a new series.
DI Ford is called out to a bloody crime scene where a mother and her child have been murdered.
It seems she was hit over the head and then the blood drained from her body - but why?
Ford is introduced to a new CSI and soon she’s helping him with the case and building a profile of the killer. Hannah has a head for detail which comes in very handy during the investigation.
Soon more victims are found and DI Ford and the team need to step up the investigation to catch the killer.
This is a gripping read that had me well and truly hooked.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

An awesome police procedural with a very interesting plot and great likeable characters. A fantastic start to a new series with plenty of action, lots of suspense, and several twists. Quite the page turner and one that I would highly recommend.

This is a good solid read although a bit slow to start. DI Ford is leading the investigation into a series of murders. A high profile suspect is in the frame but can Ford trust his instincts? I liked the character of Ford, a single parent with a teenage son, and the CSI team. The setting is beautiful, Wiltshire, and the book is well written. I enjoyed the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

The book opens with Ford and his wife, Lou, climbing. Ford grabs a loose rock, breaks Lou's leg, leading to her tragic death.
Years later, Ford still suffers survivor's guilt while raising their now teenage son. Balancing his job, single parenthood and stress.
A killer is draining his victims of their blood and writing numerical messages with their blood. Ford delves into the mind of the killer - what feeds this need?
Hannah has left her job with the FBI, joining the Salisbury CSI unit. Together, Ford and Hannah dig through evidence, desperate for a profile.
This is a great start to a new series. I loved the characters- realistic, likeable. I want to know more.
Some areas dragged; I found myself skimming occasionally.

I decided to read Andy Maslen's Shallow Ground because of its Salisbury, England, setting. I couldn't remember reading a police procedural set there before. The setting didn't figure much in the story, but what did was the characters. The opening scene which shows readers how Ford's wife died is chilling and emotionally draining without going overboard graphically. Will Ford's overwhelming sense of guilt ever fade? Should it ever fade? Perhaps subsequent books will tell us.

There's a running (lame) joke about Ford's first name, but after a more famous one with Inspector Morse, this doesn't spark any jollity in me. He's trying to raise his fifteen-year-old son, Sam, the best way he knows how, and that's not easy. Not only is Sam at "that age," Sam is also deeply wounded by his mother's death-- and the fact that Ford spends a lot more time on the job than he does with his son.

To Ford and Sam add two more interesting characters, Ford's second-in-command, Jools, and the new crime scene investigator, Dr. Hannah Fellowes. I look forward to learning more about all four of these characters in subsequent books. For me, the weak link is the plot. Although I did find the serial killer to be interesting, the route taken to his capture needed to be streamlined. There was too much of the "red herring" suspect. I also found Ford's tendency to rely more on his gut than he does on the evidence to be annoying. You can't throw 'em in the slammer without proof, Ford. Learn how to focus on getting the evidence that proves your gut without throwing all your superiors into conniptions, please.

All in all, an interesting beginning to a new series. With such a strong cast, I look forward to Ford's next case.

Yes!!! New author and Oh my.........what fantastic book Shallow Ground by Andy Maslen was.
I was hooked from the very first few pages and before I knew the birds were singing outside my window. I only opened this book on my kindle last night and finished it in 1 sitting. I don't usually do this, but this book had everything, Murderers with lots of blood, etc, and with great new characters especially learning about them throughout this new book which made a brilliant new Police procedural crime book.
To me this makes a great start to a new series with two main characters DI Henry Ford and Dr Hannah Fellowes which worked well together.

What more do you want in a book!?

A fantastic start to a new series!!

I highly recommend this new book by Andy Masten and will be reading more books by him.

Can I go to bed now? lol

Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley UK for the free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great book full of suspense and a great new series from a great author whose books are very enjoyable

A well written crime thriller. A cast of many interesting characters and the start of a new series. Newly promoted DI Ford is given a case with very little in the way of evidence. He also has a dark secret or does he? A good workout for the grey matter and kept me well entertained. Will look forward to reading more of this authors work. Almost four stars.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.