This is the first book in a new series set in Ireland. It is a new to me author that I can’t wait to read more of. Jesse Boyle is being taunted by a serial killer who has just killed her partner.

I always end up loving the book when the author puts together a great team to solve the crime and this book fits the bill. The plot is well thought out and it is smartly written. The team doesn’t always make the right decision, but that flaw brought intensity to the chase to find the killer.

What a fantastic, well-written detective thriller! This book grabbed me from the opening chapter and I did not want to stop listening to the book. Jessie is a very detail-oriented, strong, likeable criminal behaviourist who gets thrown into a missing person case with detective Seamus and genealogist Terry, two people she has never met, and the three end up working very well together and make a great team. Together they track the missing woman's final known whereabouts and work to solve her kidnapper's identity. The details they uncover along the way are fascinating and quite involved and my brain was so happy working through all the scenarios with the trio. Near the end of the book I was scared and sitting on the edge of my seat while I waited for the killer to be revealed and caught.

I see this book is the first in a series and I am thrilled to hear this and look forward to reading book two with these characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I finally stumbled upon the first book in a series, a thriller one at that because they tend to be awfully long so you could imagine how excited I was.

It started a bit slow but as it delved deeper, it got better, more gripping, with the help of short characters which end on cliffhangers.

I loved the Narrator and her accent, she certainly kept me focused instead of zoning out over and over again, and I absolutely loved the mentioning of Irish myths, because who doesn't love myths, right?

My only complaint is that it got a wee bit slow in some parts.

This is my first book by @shanewritesbooks and it certainly won't be the last!

Thank you @netgalley & @bookouture for this audio arc in exchange for an honest review

A good story, I thought that it was thought our really well, I will definitely look out for this author again.
The story had depth and I liked the historical flashbacks which explained the complexity of the relationship between some of the main characters.
I did struggle with the way the narrator read, and it put me off a little bit.

I really struggled to get into this one and I'm not sure why. I liked the plot and the setting and the narrator was good, I think just a little slow moving. Still, I thought it was well written so I would definitely try more from this author.

A good solid detective novel which I enjoyed immensely. The plot is clever and includes content on Irish legends, which gave unique interest to the story. I had a suspicion from early on who was behind the crimes, so I found it a little predictable when I was right (I'm used to being wrong with mystery novels). The epilogue indicates how this series is going to progress and gives us a brief insight into the content of the next book, which I am very much looking forward to reading.

Many thanks to NetGallery and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to have a copy of this worthy read

This book is very complex. There are
Many characters and lots of threads to the story. It flicks back and forth and you have to concentrate so you don’t loose the plot. There is a very clever thread running through the mystery of many deaths, the characters are likeable and readers will enjoy the relationships which are developed along the way. The ending is swift, and satisfying however there is definitely an opening for another book.
I listened to this as an audio book, the narrator did a fantastic job of keeping the characters defined and so the story flowed well.

Dnf
I was hoping this was a serial killer/detective story but it evolved into a history story of ancient violence and waring alliances. Started to get boring about the 3rd chapter.

Revised review:
I persevered.....note to the author....the beginning was very interesting for a serial killer reader....but then you bogged down the story with a bunch of historical rock stuff that got me so bored I stopped reading. But a few days later I started again and it did get better.
The characters are great and likeable. The action scenes were very moving and exciting. But the story would drag between those scenes. Sooo many suspects that I couldn't remember who they were and what they did. So much so...that I wasnt sure who the killer was except for his name.
Im not sure I will continue with this series.
Regarding the audio...the accents were fun but the men's voices were child like...certainly not menacing. Especially the monster in the end...I picture a little pixie on steroids.
I like the characters and their back stories but story was unnecessarily confusingly.

I loved this book and will be looking out for further books in the series
Slightly confusing is this book seems to have 2 names my copy via Netgalley downloaded as "Dancing with the Dead" same cover just a different title so I nearly missed leaving a review
I have also seen other reviews for my title under "Bring her Home" on Amazon so very confusing but that aside this is a detective series I could easily get into.

After trying to track down a serial killer Jessie Boyle, a criminal behaviour analyst, working for The Met Jessie and realises she made a mistake when her partner William Briggs is brutally murdered by the killer known as Uruz

Grief has Jessie leaving the Met and heading back home to Ireland lying low Jess doesn't tell anyone she is back in Ireland so is surprised when Dawn Wilson, the Police Commissioner for Ireland knocks on her hotel room door and ask Jess to help her with a case , Jess refuses but owes Dawn a favour big time from the time they were university together and Dawn calls in the favour on a kidnap case.
Jessie is paired with a detective and a genealogist and tech wizard.
They have until the eve of Samhain (Halloween) 12 days to rescue the kidnap victim so the clock is ticking.
This is an incredibly dangerous case taking the trio into the heart of Irish gangland, Dodgy finance and a whole network of serial killers.
Not wanting to give you any more spoilers as this book is fast paced and action packed and well worth a read/listen
I wait for the next instalment with eager anticipation!

I haven’t read anything by Dunphy previously so wasn’t sure what to expect. During the first couple of chapters I wasn’t sure what to expect, expected it to be just another thriller. But I was wrong. This book is SO GOOD. Just wow. I read so many crime thrillers and majority of the time I have an idea about how it’ll end or who the killer might be. However, this book, just wow! What a surprise! I didn’t know how it would end, who was the mastermind criminal. Really well written. And I love that the writer let us get to know the characters so that the reader can feel something for them. I can’t wait for another book in this series to come out. I really liked Jessie, Shamus and Terri and hope to see them tackle more crime together!

A really interesting storyline that pulls the listener in from the start and keeps a tight grip on them until the very end.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration, good pace and a voice that added to rather than distracted from the storytelling.
I listened to this over three days, which shows how it held my interest (although I have been know you binge a full audiobook in a full day). I love starting new series of crime dramas and getting to know the main characters, which were interesting and fully formed in this book.
Uncertain as to why the title was changed, as I would probably be more drawn towards the first as it is less mundane and more interesting, although obviously Bring Her Home is perhaps more easily related to the storyline.
A great listen and I will definitely look out for further books in the series.

Bring Her Home was such a fantastic read, I can't say enough good things about it! Set in Ireland, the story starts with the abduction of a high profile politician's daughter and the race against time to find her. With very few leads and only a sinister video to go on, Criminal Behaviourist Jessie Boyle is brought in to help Detective Seamus Keneally, with the two of them aided by Genealogist, Terri Keogh. The investigation sends the team down a murky rabbit hole of serial killers, criminal gangs, Irish Folklore and mythology. This story is everything I love about a really good crime drama - the perfect combination of menacing characters, not knowing who to trust and the absolute best chemistry between the main characters. The book is well written and perfectly paced, it is by far my favourite book of the year and I can't wait for the next installment. I have to add that the audiobook narration was spectacular, Shelley Atkinson is so good.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to the second in the series as, for me, the characters were the best part of the story. I especially liked Terrie and Seamus. The story was a little slow in places and I didn’t like the negative way in which Benson was described (in terms of his medical conditions). He was obviously a dubious character, but the negative physical description wasn’t needed. However, as I said, I did enjoy the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

My thanks to Bookouture Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Bring Her Home’ by S.A. Dunphy in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is narrated by Shelley Atkinson with a running time of 9 hours, 22 minutes at 1x speed.

This is the first in a series of Irish police procedurals featuring criminal behavioural specialist Jessie Boyle and Detective Seamus Keneally.

There’s nothing quite as exciting for a crime fiction enthusiast as to be presented with the first book in a new series. Add to the mix a dangerous serial killer and elements of folk horror and you can count on me being a very happy bunny. As for the plot, just a taster in order to avoid spoilers.

In a small town on Ireland’s west coast, Penelope O’Dwyer disappears while walking a short distance from a restaurant to her hotel. A few days later a tape is received by the police in which her masked kidnapper provides ‘proof of life’ and advises that she will be ritually murdered on the eve of Samhain. He promises that following this there will be many more murders. With less than two weeks before that date, the police have no leads.

Then imprisoned murderer Frederick Morgan offers vital information connecting the case to a series of historic murders but he will only speak to one person: criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle. …

This was a sterling police procedural and I loved the elements of mythology and folklore woven throughout the story. Boyle and Keneally had great chemistry and I enjoyed their banter. I also liked the quotes from serial killers at the beginning of each of the novel’s parts.

With respect to the audiobook, I appreciated Shelley Atkinson’s soft Irish lilt and her smooth delivery kept me hooked from start to finish. I had recently enjoyed her narration of another Irish crime thriller.

Overall, ‘Bring Her Home’ was dark and compelling. It ticked all my boxes with respect to a police procedural. It was well written with strong characterisations and plenty of room to expand on their individual arcs.

I was slightly perplexed about the change of title from ‘Dancing with the Dead’, though it may have been thought best by those who make these decisions to downplay the folk horror/mythological elements and opt for a more mundane title.

On a personal note, an awareness of the unseen, including respect for fairy mounds, cairns, standing stones and local mythology is very much part of the psyche of the Irish people and so including these aspects increased my appreciation of this novel.

Definitely a strong start for this series and I will be eagerly awaiting the next case for Boyle and Keneally.

I got pulled into this story right away by both the Irish accented narrator and the unraveling of the mystery. Penny is not who everyone, including her very powerful and connected father, thought she was. But, why was she taken? A long-overdue favor is called in to bring Jessie Boyle out of a self-inflicted hiatus to help find the missing girl, before the looming Halloween deadline.

I loved the narrator and I love the plot and couldn't wait to finish this audiobook. The story was crafted really well and didn't drag on the way some too-long tales do.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes a good mystery with a side of Irish narration. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next book in the series.

DNF @ 80%

I considered DNFing this one plenty of times throughout and finally couldn't do it anymore.

This book follows an investigation for a missing woman who is the daughter of an ex government official in Ireland. This concept intrigued me, and I was hoping it would be similar to The Chestnut Man. However, too many plot lines became included.

The book dabbles in ancient irish history/religion. The detectives believe the kidnapper is a copycat of some kind of fairytale/religious story. I truly had no interest in this story line and was completely turned off. It made the investigation impossible to follow.

Conversations between detectives felt disjointed and unnatural. There was overly descriptive segments. Unnecessary romantic asides. Just overall not for me.

A big shout out to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review the audiobook. I normally do not gravitate to series books, but decided to give the new author a try. I was not totally disappointed. There were a few places in the novel which I felt were slow going. Overall, it was a 3.5 star rating.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I really enjoyed the narrator and their using different accents for the characters. This book is the first in a new series. Although to be honest it didn’t feel like the first. I had to check multiple times because it felt like the story was picking up from another book. (This is my first book by this author I’m not sure the characters aren’t from his other series)

Even with that issue, I enjoyed the twists of this book. The book also deals with Irish folklore that I thought really gave the book a different interesting twist.

All it took was a comparison to Tana French to pique my interest in S. A. Dunphy’s new series. This police procedural takes the time to give us the background on all of the main characters. We learn about each of the investigators, the victim, the police commissioner, a criminal with information about the case and even the serial killer himself.
Jessie Boyle is a criminal behaviorist and the senior member of the team. Recently resigned from her post with the London police, she is brought into an Irish investigation of the missing daughter of an important politician. Detective Seamus Keneally is almost young enough to be her son. And Terri Keongh, younger still, is an historian, genealogist and computer technician. This is a great team and it was fun to watch them come together. I’m glad the ending made it clear there will be a second book coming.
The story is fast paced with healthy doses of Irish history and mythology. Yes, I was pretty sure from early on who was behind all of the crimes and I was right. But that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the book and how it all played out. Dunphy does a good job setting locations and I found it easy to envision the story.
I listened to this and the narrator, Shelley Atkinson, did a great job.
My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture Audio for an advance copy of this book.

Bring Her Home is the first book in a brand new crime series featuring Jessie Boyle and Seamus Keneally which is set in Ireland.

The story has a shocking and chilling start and it was a great taster of what I could look forward to with this book. It makes for a dark and tense read that I struggled to put down. In between chapters there is almost like an introduction to different characters which was great to find out more about them and I loved these as it kept it separate from the actual storyline and it had me wholly invested in wanting to know more and keep reading.

Jessie and Seamus work well together along with Terri who is a whizz with all the tech stuff. I can't wait to see them in action again as things will never be dull that's for sure! Not sure how the author will top the case in this one though as it seriously gave me the creeps with the old myths. The closer to the ending I got, the more on edge I was and I was scared to turn the pages to see how it was all going to end. There was definitely plenty of heart stopping moments and I am already eagerly counting down the days until book 2 is out!

I loved the narrator on the audio version. With it being set in Ireland, the narrator's soft Irish accent, fitted perfectly to the story. Her voice was easy to listen to and i found myself shutting off to everything else. The perfect voice to go with this book.