This is book 8 of the series.
However, I didn’t like this one. It was very unbelievable. The ending wasn’t very good either. Not a great book

Great series, and great writing! Really enjoyable book by Nick Louth who is now a must read author!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Canelo Crime for approving me for an ARC of this book.

After being approved for the ARC I also found an audio version so gave that a listen on my commute to work. I enjoyed Marston York’s narration as well as his ability to voice the different characters.

I always look forward to the latest Craig Gillard book from Nick Louth. I find his writing so easy to absorb and quickly get swept up into the investigation. This book was no exception! Whilst this is book eight in the series you can read each one as a standalone, Nick Louth gives the reader enough information from previous books without rehashing over every storyline.

This was slightly different to his usual method of story telling. Normally the reader is following along with Craig trying to solve the crime from start to finish, this time Craig Gillard wasn’t the central focus. Instead the story flicked between two different timelines told months apart. Don’t worry Craig is still running the investigation and up to his usual tricks but as a reader I felt I was slightly ahead of him on this one.

The story unfolded differently to usual crime reads and it was refreshing to see things from a different angle. I felt that Julia was in a tricky position and could understand her predicament. This story highlighted the depths of blackmail and how far someone would go to protect their future. I have to admit that I loved Dezzy. Whilst she was a rascal I loved her candid attitude and determination to look after herself. The friendship she had struck up with Julia was unusual and very strained at points but I felt she had come the furthest in growing up.

As always Nick Louth has some shocking moments up his sleeve and I felt he left the most shocking for the end. Without spoiling it I found myself shouting no at the book because whilst I could see what was going to happen, I didn’t want to believe it. This crime read will have you gripped and wanting more, I look forward to reading the next instalment of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.
I have read all the Gillard books in this series and this by far is my least popular. The DCI rarely appears in the novel it is more about legal mechanisms and practices. Does he get his man/worman in the end.....I couldn't possibly say !

What I liked about this book was that it was different to the usual police procedural/murder mystery stories where one or more people are killed, police follow the clues, some twists later and maybe a bit of suspense and voilá - the perpetrator is caught and banged up. It didn’t work like that in this book which is why I don’t want to say much about the plot.

This one is more about karma, impossible choices and how far you would go to protect your future and how blackmail doesn’t always pay.

Police thriller focussing on particular on a young barrister who is defending a nasty criminal. Lots of twists and turns,a good read it a little unbelievable at times.

An excellent story with much more depth than first appears. This book can be read as a twisty fast paced thriller and is enjoyable at that level but look a bit deeper into its mirrored surface and find a story that explores the nature of good and evil. What makes a person good and how far down the road of bad behaviour does one travel before becoming unforgivably evil.

Conversely, if someone commits a truly horrific act can they ever work their way back to a normal life, do they even deserve the chance to try?

The deep sub-currents of this story have kept me pondering on the meaning of good and evil long after I finished reading.

The only reason I haven’t given it a full five stars is that it doesn’t feel as though it belongs as part of a series. In my opinion it would have worked better as a standalone story rather than being shoehorned into a series.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot - there are plenty of reviews like that out there already!

I've read several other books in the "Gillard" series, but this book works just fine as a standalone.
Unlike the other books I've read so far, Gillard takes something of a back seat (which is a bit unusual for a series IMHO).

Being honest, I did not enjoy this one as much as the previous novels unfortunately, as I didn't think that the plot was very believable on the whole.

I found myself unsympathetic to the main character (Julia), and could not really understand her actions - she could have chosen to take an entirely different (legal) path out of her dilemma. Julia was both weak and strong at the same time, and I found her overall a rather confusing and unpleasant person.

Destiny was an interesting character - I felt some sympathy towards her horrible experiences of life, but at the same time some of her actions were deplorable! The ending left me feeling rather sad, and overall I felt that justice wasn't done.

I'll happily read further novels by Nick Louth though, as I've enjoyed all the others I've read so far.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions my own.

A great read. This story has lots of suspense and twists . The first chapters seem to involve totally unconnected characters, little by little the fragments start to come together and the whole picture is revealed. Slow moving at first, it became a page turner as it went on. On the whole fairly believable sometimes a little gory (you do get that with murders though) and quite inventive crimes.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4162946470

A fast paced story, full of twists and turns and surprises.
Excellent plot, good characters and an entertaining plot.
Gripping and well written.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Book 8 in the 'Body' Series and Nick Louth one of my fave authors. Julia Mcgann is a barrister for a violent drug enforcer, when things began to go wrong for her. Her handbag is stolen, house broken into and she has to deal with an homeless girl who suddenly turns up on her doorstep. But this is no ordinary girl. 3 months later DCI Craig Gillard is investigating the death of a head master who has been decapitated. The story soon intertwines and Julia life soon spirals out of control. A brilliant novel.

Wow. Unexpected ending here...
And what twists in the story.
This storyline builds menace and shows just how far people will go to protect themselves.
The writing is crisp, well structured, without errors and extremely readable.
The best in this series yet.

This is book 8 in the Craig Gillard series but can be read as a stand alone. it's different from other police procedurals as it focuses on a young barrister and the choices she has to face defending a violent criminal. The characterisation is excellent and it has an interesting plot, albeit a bit unbelievable, as well as having plenty tension. I would recommend this fast paced read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I love reading this series, this books has many twists and turns and keeps you reading more. I'm looking forward to reading the next book

Junior barrister Julia McGann finds herself representing Terrence Bonner, a drug gang enforcer. What could potentially be a case to put her firmly on the map soon turns into a nightmare when her house is broken into and a young homeless girl turns up on her doorstep with an interesting tale to tell. Some time later, DCI Craig Gillard is investigating the brutal murder of a local headteacher. With little to act upon, there is one curious piece of evidence – a pair of gloves that appear to have been used in both the murder and the break in at Julia’s house.

The Body on the Moor is the eighth book in the Craig Gillard series and what a cracker it is! This is a bit different from the others in that Craig takes more of a back seat than he has in the previous books, much of this one focusing on barrister, Julia. I really liked this move as it was something I was not expecting and definitely kept me on my toes throughout!

It is not a spoiler to say that, due to the gloves connection, we know that the two storylines must converge at some point and I found myself trying to work out how. I hoped that this would not be some coincidental event like can often happen in crime fiction but I knew that this would not be the case with Nick Louth’s writing. What we find is a well-constructed plot which drip feeds you information so that you slowly see the big picture. There were several ‘Aha!’ moments where I began to realise where the plot was going.

Just when I thought I couldn’t like this book any more, we are hit with an ending that truly made me gasp. This twist was not something I expected and was a very fitting way to end the book. Again, Nick Louth has whetted my appetite for the next book in the series!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo Crime for the electronic copy.

This is Book #8 in the DCI Craig Gallard series and I've read most of the previous ones, however, this one doesn't feature Craig, or his wife, as heavily as others - it has a main character, on which the plot turns, in Julia McGann - a junior barrister who, after the NCA had rounded-up a major drug gang, is assigned to defend the enforcer, Terrence Bonner..
Whilst preparing for the trial Julia is convinced she has an intruder on her property, she also loses her bag which results in a burglary at her home followed by a visit from a girl who had obviously been sleeping in her garden shed - but who knew her name and occupation. Destiny Flynn worms her way into Julia's home, telling her that her life is at risk should anyone know her whereabouts after absconding from a children's home.

Three months on from the NCA operation Craig is called to a murder where the victim is a local headmaster who had been decapitated in his car on his own driveway - only - his head is missing. Gradually his extra-curricular affairs begin to surface alongside detailed forensic analysis which tied the gloves worn by the killer were also worn in the burglary at Julia's house. What's the link between the two?

Then there's an extremely gruesome discovery......

I know this is a novel, but really some of the antics which Julia and her friend Rachel get up to are, well, too farcical for belief. This, for me, doesn't have a satisfactory ending - although obviously this might lead into the next book, which - by the way - I do hope Craig plays more of a major part in.

A little disappointed, though will still read the next one.

The latest in the Craig Gillard series, but in this one the DCI takes a bit of a back seat.
The story is told with the Barrister Julia McGann taking the centre stage.
As Louth investigates the murder of a headmaster who is found beheaded in his car, McGann takes the case of a notorious crime boss.
The story is written split time and the death of the headmaster comes some time after McGann takes the case.
The two stories move towards each other, as the timeline shortens, until the final few chapters where they merge spectacularly
A great story with a stunning climax.

The Body on the Moor is the eighth book in the excellent DCI Craig Gillard series set in Surrey, England. As with all series, you get more out of them by reading in order, but these all work well as stand-alones, and this one more than most, as the focus is not on Gillard, but instead it features a new character, struggling barrister Julia McGann. I’d go so far as to recommend that if you haven’t read this author before, you could easily start with this one, because you can safely then go back and read the others without being spoiled (well apart from as to whether certain minor characters survive, that is.) This one is less of a police procedural, and more of an
exploration of the shades of grey between good and evil, with Gillard in the background as an observer.

Julia is facing the biggest case of her rather disappointing career, defending a coarse violent gangster arrested on multiple charges, including murder. She thinks this will finally gain her the respect of her firm, and some much-needed income, but things soon start going wrong for her and she is forced to make some dreadful choices. Adam Heath was the arrogant headmaster of an in demand school, with a sleazy personal history, but who could hate him enough to kill him?
Gillard is involved in both cases, but how do they connect?

In a sea of formulaic police thrillers, this was a clever unpredictable mystery which reveals just enough with every turn to make you think you know what’s going on, only to twist the plot again. Julia was brilliantly drawn, torn between the demands of her position and her delicate middle-class sensibilities. I liked the evolution of the relationship with Dezzy but am not going to say any more as you really need to avoid spoilers for the full impact of this one, but will just suggest rereading the prologue after you get to the end. For Gillard fans, don’t worry, he still plays an important role, just not the lead, and his team also play their parts perfectly (especially my favourite character of this series, Rainy.) 4.5 rounded up for managing to surprise me once again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC. I am posting this review voluntarily.
The Body on the Moor is published today.

The Body on the Moor is the eighth instalment in the DCI Craig Gillard Crime Thrillers series. Junior barrister Julia McGann is like most junior members of the legal profession; she is everything from the errand girl to the one who gets all of the caseloads labelled as tedious and therefore unwanted by colleagues and superiors. This time, however, she has been handed an interesting but rather terrifying brief on a vicious and notorious gangster who is well known for doing more than just throwing his weight around. It isn't really any wonder she was landed with the case as the guy isn't someone you would enjoy spending any amount of time defending or talking to; he's intimidating and scary, and that's just for starters. Representing him could make or break Julia’s legal career, but she soon realises that it's unlikely she will win the case given her client's penchant for crime and illegality.

There's also the small matter of the evidence against him and she finds herself in financial difficulty leading her to make some really poor decisions that end up placing her life in danger. Her life begins to spiral and she has no idea what she can do to stop it. Will she live to tell the tale? Elsewhere, DCI Gillard is currently investigating the gruesome discovery of the body of a horrifically murdered local school headteacher. What is it that connects the arrested crime kingpin, the offed headmaster, the anxious barrister and a homeless teenage girl? This is a compelling and absorbing addition to the series in which a gritty and baffling case ensues. It's well written, moves apace and provides plenty of palpable tension and devilish twists in the tale to keep you feverishly depleting the page count. An adrenaline-pumping, action-packed yarn that gives you hours of entertainment and a few shocks along the way.

A good read, with an interesting story line and will certainly keep an eye on this author as he is one I had not read previously.