I came late to this series--This is the 9th book and the first I've read. But I will be looking to go back and read the earlier books in the series after this one--it's fast paced, hard to put down, very readable.

In this entry, Detective Kate Hamblin goes to an indecent exposure call, only to have that complicated when the perpetrator is later found dead in a nearby barn. Throw in a famous crime writer--who seems to have her own set of secrets--and you have a fast-moving procedural!

Characters are all drawn and the storyline full of suspense. I would have liked to have read the previous entries before this one, but I think it was fine reading it a a standalone as well. I will definitely be looking up other books in this series and starting from book 1. This seems like a great series!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I really enjoyed this book and was on edge for most of the book! It had some twists I didn't see coming! I would definitely recommend this book!

This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. The constant action means there is never a dull moment
Good book! This book was filled with suspense, action, intrigue, and lots of good detective work!

Those was a solid police procedural with a good plot. It was well written but there was nothing to make it stand out.

This is the 9th outing in the Detective Kate Hamblin series, and a a very enjoyable read it is. Kate and her team are called out to a flasher incident in the rural countryside at the home of famous crime writer Tamara Callaghan. Scary as it is, Tamara is not keen on having the matter investigated even though other women have been targeted. Then, at a local book signing event, all Tamara's books are slashed. Once again she is less than forthcoming with Kate and her team. All this makes Kate very intrigued. The intrigue ramps up a notch when the flasher/slasher is found dead, hanging from the rafters in a barn with the words "sorry" written below. Something isn't quite right and now the questions start to pile up. Is it suicide or murder? and what does Tamara Callaghan have to do with it all?
An excellent police procedural. I had not read any of the previous in the series and found I could read this as a stand alone. I'll be looking forward to reading other books in the series.

I couldn't put The Stalker On The Levels down! Gripping from the first page to the last, plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing and a jaw dropping ending. Highly recommend.

A steady paced police procedural where you not only see things from the investigators viewpoint but also from the view of the stalker which effectively builds the plot. I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series but that does not spoil the enjoyment of this book.
DS Kate Lewis doesn't let things drop and keeps going after her man although she does have a tendency to be reckless and not keep her team informed.

This book is the latest in the series. I had not read any of the other books, and maybethat was why I was not particularly intrigued or caught by this book. It was predictable, a bit too slow and the people were not easily remembered.

This book was enthralling, and I enjoyed reading it. It was filled with suspense and intrigue. It left me the wondering who the stalker was and what he wanted from his intended victim. Those questions weren't answered until almost the end of the story. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

MEET DETECTIVE KATE HAMBLIN IN THIS BESTSELLING SERIES FROM A FORMER POLICE OFFICER.
Famous crime novelist Tamara Callaghan is on her patio late one night when a man appears from the woods.
He’s totally naked — apart from the hood over his head.
Tamara runs back inside and slams the patio door shut behind her. When she looks back, he’s pressed up against the glass.
Then, at a book signing, every copy of Tamara’s new novel is slashed to shreds. It’s clear someone is out to get her.
Detective Kate Hamblin is called in to investigate.
But things take a grisly turn when the flasher is found in an old converted barn nearby. The word ‘SORRY’ is scrawled on the floor beneath him.
Kate is not convinced it’s suicide.
The team might not only be dealing with a stalker on the Levels, but also a murderer . . .

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review. I also purchased my own copy as I loved it so much!

Famous crime novelist Tamara Callaghan discovers someone has a vendetta against her after every copy of her new novel is destroyed at a book signing, this follows after being the victim of an indecent exposure incident at her own home, when the flasher is later found hanging from a beam in a barn nearby she realises this vendetta is escalating. At this point Kate Hamblin steps up the hunt for her persecutor

This book keeps you guessing from the off

This is book number nine in the highly successful series featuring DS Kate Lewis (formerly Kate Hamblin before her marriage to DC Hayden Lewis, an overweight and slightly lazy public schoolboy type but who makes up for this with his sharp mind and unwavering devotion to her). New Acting DI Percival makes a very welcome and pleasant change after the abrasive dinosaur Ted Roscoe in CID but isn’t half as entertaining as the chauvinistic and bad-tempered previous DI! A clifftop fall in Pembrokeshire results in the death of a photographer. Accident or murder? At the start of this story the police at Highbridge station in the Somerset Levels are struggling to catch a naked hooded man who has been frightening women in the area. They have a likely suspect in mind but is he the same person stalking crime author Tamara Callaghan, destroying her books in a local bookshop and leaving a mysterious scrawled message for her. The woman craves privacy and insists she has no clue what it could be referring to but what secrets is she hiding from her past? Just who is the shady Mr Ed? Events turn much darker when the team’s prime suspect is found dead in suspicious circumstances. It looks like there is a second and far more dangerous stalker out there on the vast Somerset Levels but what is their plan and will the police catch this person before they reach their endgame?
All the way through the reader is privy to a lot more information about the stalker and what he is up to as the body count steadily rises. I like the way the author gives the reader an insight into what is going through their mind, and it's a terrific and engrossing read all the way to the end as the reader watches the detectives finally make the connections. Despite being a great copper, once again Kate is still a bit of a lone wolf and occasionally rushes in headfirst with no thought for herself, so it's a good job her husband is there at times to exact a more calming influence. Some of the characters like Hayden are certainly a bit eccentric (I do miss Roscoe) but this makes the books more fun and very distinctive, and together they all grow on the reader and compliment each other, forming a great team of detectives. Well written with a clever plot and a fast and furious dramatic ending, this book works fine as a stand-alone but it is definitely worth reading all the others in the series as they are all highly enjoyable. This series gets better with each new story and I am looking forward to the next one already! 5*

This is the first novel by David Hodges I have read. It won't be the last. I live in Somerset and love the location. I also love the structure of the novel, allowing us - the readers - to know things that the police investigating don't. At times it gets quite bold and brutal and I found myself turning the pages faster and faster.

When crime novelist Tamara Callaghan is frightened by a man wearing a mask covering his face and nothing else except a pair of shoes. Later at a book signing, every copy of her new book is slashed to shreds.

Detective Kate Hamblin, along with her team, including her husband, Detective Haydn Lewis. Their investigation leads them to an old barn where they find the body of the flasher... the word SORRY scrawled on the floor next to him.

Kate is not convinced it was suicide .....

Although 9th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. It's well written by an author who has a history of 30 years of police service, bringing a great deal of credibility to the plot. The author's character development and story line never disappoints. Kate is married to one of her team ... Hadyn Lewis. He loves to eat and he's overweight. He's rather sloppy, with usually tangled blonde hair and wears shabby clothes. She's just about given up on changing him, but he also has a highly intelligent, analytical brain that balances Kate's rather headstrong instincts. He's also loving, kind, would do anything for Kate. In spite of the multiple insults she throws at him, she does love him and they work well together. The mystery is nicely paced and maintains a high level of suspense from start to finish.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Stalker on the levels by David Hodges.
Detective Kate Hamblin Mystery Book 9.
Famous crime novelist Tamara Callaghan is on her patio late one night when a man appears from the woods.
He’s totally naked — apart from the hood over his head.
Tamara runs back inside and slams the patio door shut behind her. When she looks back, he’s pressed up against the glass.
Then, at a book signing, every copy of Tamara’s new novel is slashed to shreds. It’s clear someone is out to get her.
Detective Kate Hamblin is called in to investigate.
A really enjoyable read. Hooked from page one. Kate was my favourite character. I love this series. I do hope there is more to come. 5*.

Detective Kate Hamblin #9

Detective Kate Hamblin is called out to an indecent exposure incident at the home of famous crime novelist Tamara Callaghan. Then at a book signing, every copy of Tamara's novel is destroyed. It's clear someone has a personal vendetta against her. But things take a grisly turn when the flasher is eventually found hanging from a beam in an old converted barn nearby. The word "SORRY" is scrawled on the floor beneath hm.

The pace is steady in this twist filled read.DS Kate Hamblin is looking for a flasher, then a body is found in a barn. At first, the police thought it was a suicide, but not all is what it first looks like. The police think Tamara knows more than she is saying. I did enjoy this latest edition to the series. I was kept guessing for a while. It's well written and I had to keep reading to find out why the author wanted to be left alone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #DavidHodges for my ARC of #StalkerOnTheLevels in exchange for an honest review.

Something's odd about crime writer Tamara Callaghan- mostly that she doesn't want the police to investigate a man who exposed himself or who destroyed her books. But then she has to deal with them because the man is found hung. DS Kate Hamblin is convinced it isn't suicide (she's right) and she digs around in Tamara's secrets to find the truth. I'd not read any of the earlier novels and at times felt like I might be missing something but largely this worked as a standalone procedural. The language, especially the dialogue, is a tad stilted in spots. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read.

Streakers, stalkers, murder and mysterious writers keep DS Kate Lewis occupied in Somerset. The plot was ok and the writing kept me engaged. Sorry to say that the DI did not - she was yet another lone wolf who tended to go off without back-up and, mostly, escape by the skin of her teeth. She was extremely unpleasant and unprofessional towards her husband, a police constable and I do wonder how they managed to be put together in the same team, perhaps I should have read earlier stories in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Stalker on the Levels, the ninth novel to feature DS Kate Lewis, née Hamblin, of the Avon and Somerset Police.

Famous author Tamara Callaghan calls the police when a naked man chases her into her house, but refuses to give a statement. Then copies of her novel are destroyed at a local bookshop and the suspected flasher is found dead. Kate is convinced that the answer lies in the secretive Tamara’s past.

Stalker on the Levels is a plot driven procedural that didn’t overly appeal to me. I haven’t read many of the preceding novels, so I was puzzled at first by the series being billed as Kate Hamblin, but the protagonist is called Kate Lewis. Is it not a bit old fashioned that a professional woman would change her name on marriage? In fact, I think the whole novel has an old fashioned feel to it.

The plot is more than competent with a suitably deranged killer, a good bit of mystery about what Tamara is keeping secret, several tense action scenes and a determined protagonist. I can appreciate this, but it didn’t hold my attention due to the writing style. I really didn’t like much of the dialogue, which mostly consists of Kate being told not to do things and her being rude and belittling towards her husband, and I found the writing flat and, at times, repetitive. Simply, there is no fizz.

Kate is not a team player, tending to go off and do her own thing in the investigation. This is fine for readers who like a lone wolf, me, I just found her stupid and selfish.

Stalker on the Levels is a solid read, just not to my taste.