Third book in the DI Louise Blackwell series. A good storyline with a lot of twists and turns. The storyline runs alongside the investigation into her brothers murder and her run ins with DCI Finch. Looking forward to the next one

DI Louise Blackwell has quickly become a favorite character on my reading list. She manages her personal tragedies while still maintaining excellent results at work. Matt Brolly writes several crime thrillers and does an excellent job with each, but I'm pretty sure Louise is my favorite.

Louise Blackwell is back on the job, but still reeling from the brutal murder of her brother and being double crossed by her former boss. She is assigned to a throw-away case -- sheep being slaughtered, but it quickly turns into something else. A young girl disappears and all clues are pointing to a connection between the sheep and the girl's disappearance.

This is the third in the series featuring Detective Blackwell. It's obvious that it would have been better to have read the first two before this one, but there are plenty of details given to make this one enjoyable even as a standalone. The action is swift, the emotions strong and realistic, the resolution satisfactory. I loved the setting -- Brolly's descriptions of the countryside and the caves surrounding Cheddar are beautiful and put the reader squarely in the middle of the action. I like the character of Louise Blackwell and will likely look for books 1 & 2 to fill in the blanks of her past. A quality, engrossing mystery.

The Gorge by Matt Brolly is the third in the series featuring DI Louise Blackwell and is excellent as were the previous novels. A man is brutally attacked after the death of three sheep which were slaughtered and then a young girl went missing. Also her brother's killing is being investigated. The book keeps the reader enthralled until the final pages. Would highly recommend this book and the previous ones to anyone who loves a good thriller!

As DI Blackwell struggles to juggle the changes in her family life, she can't quite let go of her brother's death and the lack of investigative results. Complicating her struggle, a brutal machete murder and missing child must take center stage. Every page seems to hide another secret in the mystery of Cheddar Gorge.

Louise Blackwell makes for an engaging protagonist, and the beautiful and atmospheric setting is an added bonus. In this her third outing, Louise is once again torn between her work and her familial responsibilities. She is sleep deprived, mistrustful, very lonely, and under pressure.

Once again, her nemesis on the force, DCI Tim Finch, makes Louise's life interesting - and not in a good way.

This plot featured a social outcast, a conflicted businessman with a penchant for drink, some unscrupulous property developers, an environmental commune, and some distressed and distraught parents.

The setting - Cheddar Gorge, a scenic location much loved by tourists, was almost a character unto itself. Jacob's Ladder, the cliff walks, the caves...

In case you haven't yet guessed, I enjoyed "The Gorge" and its predecessors, and I'm eager to read the next novel in the Louise Blackwell series which is called "The Mark". Highly recommended to all who enjoy police procedural crime fiction.

Great book, by an author I will read more of! Thrilling plot, great writing and brilliant characters. Highly recommend to others.

Brilliant addition to this series, I couldn’t put it down once I had started, Definitely worth reading.

The Gorge by Matt Brolly is the third book in the Detective Inspector Louise Blackwell set in and around Weston-super-Mare, Portishead and the small village of Cheddar. and what a brilliant read this was. I was gripped from the very first pages till the end. This book is full of great twists and turns throughout

I highly recommend this series I loved it

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

While I enjoyed the storyline, I will admit that not reading the first 2 books in the series put me at a slight disadvantage...but not so much that I could not enjoy the storyline. A good police procedural, set on the English coast. Good imagery of the surroundings so it almost became a mini tour of that part of the country without leaving home.

This is the third book in the series and although not as good as the first, it is still good. I like the different kinds of cases this series focuses on. I also like the on going feud between Louise and Finch and the anticipation of how it is going to play out. I sometimes find that Louise’s personal life over shadows the case they are solving. I like a ratio where the case is higher than personal life. I like the other side detectives and what they add to the story. While not as gruesome as some crime series, each book has a nice flow.

Third book in this series each book has drawn me in kept me reading late into the night.I really enjoy the authors style of writing his characters come alive.Looking forward to his next book.#netgalley #@0amazinuj

Another thrilling adventure with DI Louise Blackwell who is a crusader and possesses a dry wit. The writing was very atmospheric and I felt as if I were following in Louise’s shadow.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm loving this series: gripping plots, interesting characters, solid mystery.
I enjoyed it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

When I saw that NetGalley offered this third book in the series, I jumped at the chance to try a new detective series and, because my library didn't have them, ordered the first two books because I like to start at the beginning when getting to know a new character.

I really enjoyed #1 and did not enjoy #2 where the protagonist was far too whiny. Perhaps because in this one, she is far less whiny, I was feeling generous when rating it as 3 stars. It is more like a 2 3/4 star book for me.

The premise was interesting and, as always, I love getting to know the geology of England when reading stories set there. In that sense, this one was fairly intriguing and the mystery really had me barreling along for much of the book. So, intriguing mystery - check; nice setting - check. I must say I didn't care much for the protagonist's character development. Far too much second guessing of her self and lack of confidence.

The other mystery that got mixed in with the gorge killings, was a continuation of Book #2, a very personal murder that Louise has a passionate interest in but cannot investigate officially. The nasty cop who sold her out in Book #1 continues to plague her and she spends a lot of time imagining her young niece as grown up in horrible situations both here & in #2.

Overall, I find there is far too much repetition in Louise's thoughts and ruminations and I wish she were a more interesting, nuanced character. But, if you like mysteries, it's a decent enough plot that will keep you going until the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of The Gorge, in exchange for an honest review. I may very well continue reading this series in hopes of some growth and change for Detective Blackwell.

The Gorge by Matt Brolly is third in the DI Louise Blackwell series. The DI’s brother was murdered in the second instalment and detection continues in this story as well as a whole other series of crimes. DI Blackwell is assigned to the investigation of the death of wild sheep found in the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, UK. Their throats have been slashed and the crime soon leads to crimes against humans. A man is accosted on the trail and is injured by an unknown assailant and police think this may be related to the wild sheep. A young girl then disappears on the same trail, without a trace, leaving the DI and her people completely at a loss to solve these crimes. Who is this culprit? How is he managing to avoid detection? Will there be more serious crimes around the gorge? The murder of DI Blackwell’s brother is an important part of this mystery but I found it made the plot confusing, with a whole other series of offences occurring simultaneously. This led to numerous characters who were at times difficult to keep track of. The DI appeared to be so busy that she almost never slept, making her job seem unrealistic. If you like plenty of action with your mysteries, The Gorge is for you. Highly recommended. Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is the first book by Matt Brolly that I have read and, although it is part of a series, it stands alone as an excellent British police procedural.

There are several cases that are being investigated. Sheep were brutally slaughtered, an innocent bystander was attacked and children were abducted. Are these cases related? In addition to all of this, DI Louise Blackwell is trying to find the person who murdered her brother.

The action is set in the picturesque area around Cheddar, England. The descriptions of the famous gorge, its hills, and limestone caves are very well drawn.

The Gorge is the third instalment in the Detective Inspector Louise Blackwell series, set in and around Weston-super-Mare, Portishead and the small village of Cheddar. DI Blackwell has been on enforced leave for 5 months following the murder of her brother, Paul and a near-death experience involving her escape from a fire. She has been supporting her parents who are now looking after her niece, Emily and has just returned to work at Weston CID. Her first case back involves investigating the slaughtering of sheep in the Mendip Hills. As an experienced detective, she knows that killers often slay animals before escalating to more serious crimes, so is horrified when a man is attacked with a machete. When a young girl is kidnapped a few days later the police don’t know whether her disappearance is linked to the previous attacks.

This is a riveting and compulsive police procedural with enough drama and intensity to keep you gripped through to the end. I like Louise's character and she felt three-dimensional and very convincing. She's intelligent, has a great sense of humour, fights for what is right and inspires loyalty in her co-workers.

The personal lives of the characters, particularly Louise's and Emily's, are a fair chunk of Matt Brolly's tale, and his writing flows enjoyably making this a book I devoured easily. Whilst The Gorge is a police procedural it is also an examination of relationships. The novel is mainly told from Louise's point of view with brief sections from the mind of a criminal. The author also explores the atmospheric setting in interesting detail giving a real sense of place. Captivating, nailbiting and emotive.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Gorge is the third book in the Louise Blackwell series by Matt Brolly, but it was my first introduction to him. There was enough background for this to work as a standalone for me, but I think it would have been better to have read the rest of the series in order. I know I will definitely be reading the rest of his books as soon as possible. As this volume begins, DI Blackwell is returning to her job after a lengthy break following her brother's death, and is assigned a case involving the slaughter of some sheep... but as usual in life, nothing is as it seems.

If you like police procedurals and British detectives, you should enjoy this series. Brolly is very good at setting a scene, and the story is realistic and very well written, with a defined resolution (no cliff-hangers here).

I am grateful to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read The Gorge in return for my honest opinions.

This is the third in the DI Louise Blackwell series; it is the first I have read. Louise has just returned to duty after the still unsolved murder of her brother. Her first case, much to her chagrin, is the slaughter of some wild sheep. Soon this case mushrooms into something far more dangerous. As lead officer on the case, she balances it with her investigation into her brother’s death, something she knows she shouldn’t be doing and something which just might get her into trouble.

Louise is a strong female character and this book is a fast engrossing read. Fans of British police procedurals will enjoy The Gorge. An added bonus is the vivid description of the Cheddar countryside, its gorge and caves, and the surrounding Mendip Hills.