Once again, I was thrilled to be offered this book as an ARC by the publishers, having read all the others, but felt it didn’t seem to flow very well, and in parts was a tad boring, as there was very little “live” action to get my teeth into. Maybe it’s just me, but the other eight books prior were brilliant.

It seemed that this book was all about Gillard, and his poor wife didn’t feature much, except she was feeling better after her traumatic events of the previous year. The old witch of an aunt is back, and why he puts up with her shenanigans is beyond me. I’d have refused to have anything to do with her, family or not!

Basically, it’s a book about fraud, and sheer greed from corporations and contractors. I was a bit muddled, but it did come clear in the end!

My thanks to Nick, the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is another well written book in the Matt Gillard series. It is character led, but this in no way takes away from the plot. The fraud amongst the water company employees seems only too real, as does the cost saving measures of the big company. Very good sense of place in the small village, where everyone knows everybody’s secrets.

The Body Beneath the Willows is the latest book in the DCI Craig Gillard series by Nick Louth.

This series of police procedurals returned to form in the previous book after a slight lull however the latest book whilst an ok read is definitely over complicated and too convoluted in parts. For long term readers of the series The Body Beneath the Willows sees the return of a character who I had hoped was gone for good as the arc previously involving them definitely distracted from the main storylines, however, this character has a very small part in proceedings.

So overall an average read.

Another brilliant book from Nick Louth. DCI Craig Gillard and his team are faced with a murder that seems impossible to solve. A thrilling instalment in this fantastic series.

The body of a man is found near to an Anglo-Saxon burial site but his dental fillings show that this is not an ancient burial. DCI Craig Gillard is tasked with solving the case but identification of the body is proving difficult. Everything seems to point towards it belonging to Ozzy Blanchard, a man who disappeared some months ago and was working for the same company that have now uncovered the body. When it is revealed that metal lodged in the neck is part of an Anglo-Saxon dagger, Gillard is perplexed. Just who is the body beneath the willows?

This is the ninth book in the series but can be read as a standalone if you have not read any of the previous books. There are some references to events in previous books but nothing that would spoil your enjoyment should you go back and read the rest.

This is, at times, quite a complex plot with a lot happening as, in addition to the murder, there are sub-plots involving some of the characters that we meet along the way. Thanks to the skilled writing of the author, however, the story is easy to follow and keeps you engaged throughout. There are a few surprises that long-time readers of the series will enjoy and some hints as to potential events in future books.

This is the first book I have read that mentions the Covid pandemic and I liked the way that Nick Louth handled this, referring to it but not making it a major part of the story. This definitely gave an added sense of realism to the book and I will be interested to read if other authors manage to do this as well in their books.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book.

When digging for new water/sewer lines near an old Anglo-Saxon burial site, a body is found, badly damaged by the digger. At first the police think it is possibly the body of a missing man whose car had crashed in mysterious circumstances. When a piece of metal is found in the man’s neck, it turns out to be part of an ancient dagger, and the evidence shows it is not the person that they first thought. DCI Craig Gillard must solve several mysteries, as the investigation seems to link a local crime family to corporate fraud, the missing person, and even the mysterious, unknown dead man.

This was an interesting mystery with plenty of intrigue, along with the usual trying to get the truth out of all the suspects and surrounding cast of characters. As usual, the facts are gathered and the case is resolved.

I have grown more and more interested in the Craig Gillard series as the characters develop. The police procedural mystery is well plotted and has various strands in the story telling. I particularly enjoyed the ending which was a bit different to my expectations..

When it’s your first week using the digger at a local water company building site unearthing a dead body isn't something you are planning to add to your work experiences! Called in to investigate DCI Craig Gillard views the condition of the remains, and knows nothing connected to this case is going to be easy even though he thinks he knows the identity of the corpse.

With the unexpected appearance of two people from Craig's past he knows he will be watching his back the entire time as the case gets more complicated by the day. His team work tirelessly as they hunt for missing people, and deal with small village secrets alongside the restrictions of everyday life.

This is a very enjoyable book with the author providing an investigation which is gradually teased out as the familiar protagonists sift through a variety of clues and juggle their private lives alongside in an engaging and flowing manner. There are a few complicated issues which introduced a new character with an interesting background who, I have a feeling, will reappear in a future storyline. My only disappointment was that Book 9 didn't follow straight on from the cliffhanger in the previous installment but hopefully that will be addressed very soon!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an excellent addition to one of my favourite series which I really enjoyed.

The Body Beneath the Willows is a fun read. It is a story about murder, fraud, deceit, kidnapping, detective work and embezzlement. The main character is DCI Craig Gillard. The story has an interesting group of characters that add spice to the story. It starts out with Ozzie Blanchard coming home early to the surprise of his wife Angela. He starts packing his car with boxes and leaves. He is the new project manager at Aqua Water Company. When he gets to his girlfriend's house he finds that there is a trap and drives away being chased. He ends up in a crash. It is discovered that he is not in the car. Detectove Gillard is called to the town of Rissington Common as a body has been discovered while construction is being down by the water. So much starts to happen that it would be unfair to the reader to tell all. It does come to an exciting conclusion, I really enjoyed this book and so will the readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo Crime for this ARC.

9th in the Gillard series but not the best. Gillard's character is developing well though and there are major changes in detecting and investigation thanks to Covid rules - these work well. The murders are convoluted - modern one but with an Anglo Saxon twist not to mention fraud big time. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I never repeat the blurb. I was disappointed with this latest offering as I'd thoroughly enjoyed its predeccesors. The plot was slow, convoluted and I only really persisted as I felt I ought to. Not sure if I'll take up the next one.

3.5 stars rounded up.

While this was far from my favourite book in the series it was a pleasingly convoluted mystery. The pace was a bit slower than usual but the complexity was very high.

At the small community of Rissingdon Common some works are being done along the river to mitigate the runoff of refuse and sewerage into the river during heavy rain. An excavator digs up a body. It is clear that the body, a male, is of modern origin although he could have been dead anywhere between 3 months and 5 years. At first police believe the victim to be Ozzy Blanchard, an employee of the water company, who disappeared 6 months ago. His vehicle was found upside down but empty in the river not far from the body recently discovered.

There is also some suspicion of fraud at the water management company, Aqua Western. There were a lot of threads being pulled but none of them lead anywhere significant. It became clear that the 3 Willow family women and the 3 Trickett family men were in it up to their eyeballs but proving anything was going to be a nightmare.

The the CFO of Aqua is kidnapped and suddenly the fraud case becomes more significant. It also becomes apparent that their original dead body was probably killed in Dove Cottage where the vicar now resides. A private detective is also involved but we don’t know who he is working for and the fraud squad has information that DCI Craig Gillard’s murder could well do with. Covid was also written into the story although it wasn’t a major character.

The book was not quite as messy as I have made it sound but there were probably more elements than usual for one of Nick Louth’s crime thrillers and the reader does need to pay attention. In the next book we can look forward to a new Detective Chief Superintendent, Stella Anderson, with whom Gillard had a fling when they were both trainees. That should be interesting! Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo Crime for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

The Body Beneath the Willows follows DCI Gillard as he works a case involving a body found in an Anglo-Saxon burial site. However, the body is not centuries old and is thought to be Ozzy Blanchard. Blanchard is a contractor working at this burial site which was a rather controversial dig. Blanchard’s company vehicle was found crashed nearby as well. However, the case isn’t as open/shut as the police would hope. Investigation of the body uncovers a metal shard lodged in the victims neck. Many questions arise and the book takes you on a wild ride that keeps you guessing until the end. I thought this book was very well paced, and I loved how they incorporated a Covid world that we live in right now without making it the focal point of the story. Overall, this was a solid book and my first DCI Gillard read. I love that it can be a stand alone although there were some small aspects that would have been easier to understand had I read the series in order.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for this copy. Publication date is January 27, 2022.

A cracker of a book which although is the fourth in an excellent series can be read as a standalone
Louth has a great way of writing and has created a character, in Gillard, that I find myself comparing to Lewis from the Morse spin-off series. That is a good thing. A fictional cop who is good at his job, happily married, no real vices, and easy to engage with. For me this makes a refreshing change from the line of literary cops who all have flaws.
The story itself fits nicely into the way of the world today.
Louth embraces the pandemic and writes it into the story. The frustrations of reduced Police staffing due to isolation, and working remotely. The worries as the country starts to come out of a lockdown and people start to mingle again.
All this makes for a very realistic setting, for a very realistic Police Officer, to investigate a very realistic crime.

The main thing that really stood out to me in this novel, were the frequent references to Covid. Face masks, social distancing, isolation etc. all referenced. I wonder what people will think when they read this thirty years down the line.

A decent enough murder mystery, which I did find got a little convoluted in the later stages. Some interesting characters though, a good addition to the DCI Gillard series and well worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the opportunity to review. I have read all the books in the Craig Gillard series and find them all well written and go at a good pace. While this is not my favourite in this series I still enjoyed it and was eager to read another chapter. Look forward to the next instalment

The Body Beneath the Willows is the ninth book in the DCI Craig Gillard series set in Surrey, England.
I’ve read them all in order, but they do work fine as stand-alone mysteries. This one was not my favourite, lacking the suspense and ingenious twists of some of the earlier books, but it’s still a solid police procedural with a hero who continues to grow on me after a rocky start.

Gillard is called in when a badly decomposed body is dug up by waterworks contractors, and the evidence suggests it’s that of a manager working on the controversial project, who disappeared six month earlier after crashing his car. The team are short-staffed because of Covid, and a face from Gillard’s past adds a troubling dimension to the investigation. The mystery deepens when the cause of death is found to be a neck wound from an ancient dagger, drawing the interest of excitable archeologists. Local families seem reluctant to talk, others just want to complain about the water company’s mismanagement, and a suspicious character is spotted lurking at the scene. Can Craig solve the case before someone else gets killed?

This is my second read in a row to be set firmly in the middle of the pandemic, which makes a refreshing change, as many authors seem determined to keep their series in a Covid-free world that now verges on fantasy. While some will be bothered by mentions of mask-wearing, fist or elbow-bumping, and colleagues self-isolating, this is the reality we now live in, and I fully respect the decision to keep the series current, and have the team dealing with the same pressures that everyone now has to cope with. I also like the diverse range of murders that Gillard gets to investigate - this one had a fraud sub-plot that felt real even if it was perhaps less exciting than gangsters, spies & deranged psychopaths.

There are ongoing storylines from the previous books, like Craig’s malicious aunt Trish, and the relationships with his team, that add depth to the series but won’t confuse or spoil anyone new to the author. I loved that Craig acknowledges and regrets his past womanising and now shows nothing but respect for his female colleagues, even as an increasing number of them now outrank him. There were also positive developments in the relationship with his wife Sam, but that don’t get in the way of the plot. The reveal wasn’t any great surprise, but at least it all made sense and didn’t rely on gimmicks or improbable coincidence - it certainly doesn’t feel like the author has run out of ideas, as can happen with some established series, so I look forward to the next one. 3.5 rounded up for good writing and well-rounded characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC; I am posting this honest review voluntarily. The Body Beneath the Willows is published on January 27th.

The Body Beneath the Willows has DCI Craig Gillard with a big complex case on his hands when a corpse is revealed in an Anglo Saxon burial site. Identification is difficult due to the type of decay but is definitely modern apart from part of an Anglo Saxon dagger being found in its neck.
There is so much going on here with many twists, turns and surprising discoveries. A water firm is allowing pollution of a small hamlet, fraud investigations, kidnapping and a missing person are all interconnected.
Fast paced with a cast of multiple suspects. A good plot line that keeps you guessing and turning those pages.
Gillard’s team continues to work well together despite Covid having an impact on staffing etc.
Not so much of Gillard personal life (he’s to busy to have one!) but a hated character, well I hate her, reappears.
I enjoyed this book, as usual with this author it was extremely entertaining and informative. But basically a really excellent whodunnit’
I await the next book eagerly, especially with the twist at the end for Gillard, I feel life is not going to get any easier for him in the workplace.
My thanks to net galley and publisher Canelo for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This was a particularly interesting addition to the Craig Gillard series. I like that it really focused on the criminal elements of the plot and not his homelife (which had bogged down the last one.) It makes you want to read the next one.

A fan of Nick Louth and this novel continues to impress..Another in the Craig Gillard series two different crimes become strangely connected, lots of red herrings taking the reader in different directions culminating in a rather unusual end a good read.