Bad Terms is the third in the Annie Delamere series. I haven't read the previous two books, but feel this one reads nicely enough as a standalone. The story was well written, and kept me entertained throughout. I do still suggest you read the previous two just to make sure you don't miss anything. This is really worth your time and effort.

Bad Terms is the third Annie Delamere police procedural by Alex Walters. Released 24th Feb 2022 by Canelo, it's 304 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

This series had managed to fly under my radar for until this, the third book. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing and plotting, and definitely will be on the lookout for future releases from this talented author. The story here is quite intricate and I needed to flip back in the book a couple times to check earlier developments; definitely a read which requires the reader's attention. It was slightly hampered for me as well, because I was reading it as a standalone. The main protagonist's mother was in the detective corps as an AC, and not always inside the boundaries, and that figures in this story as well. Although not strictly necessary, I would recommend picking up the earlier books in the series for the backstory. 

Although not at all derivative, in a lot of good ways, this style of this book reminded me of McGown's excellent Lloyd & Hill procedurals, with a dash of Booth's Cooper & Fry books. There are currently 3 books available in this series, making it a good candidate for a weekend binge read. 

Four stars. Definitely one for fans of British procedurals. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Bad Terms
by Alex Walters

5 stars

An engaging murder mystery with many twists along the way. The author pulls together multiple stories into one coherent story that hooks the reader from the first page.

This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#BadTerms #NetGalley

A.M.A,Z.I.N.G!

This has shot straight to the top list of all time favourite books this year!!! I absolutely LOVE a thriller set within a school especially a private school and this was no exception.

The setting was everything it needed to be. A big 'posh' elite school full of pretentious students and staff.

I didn't actually realise that this was book #3 in the Detective Annie Delamere series and in all honesty I don't think it impacted the read at all, it was definitely easy enough to read as a stand alone but obviously like any book series I would recommend reading all books in order for any backstory etc.

In this outstanding plot DI Delamere is tasked with investigating the case of a decades old skeleton found buried in a construction site in a local village of Meresham. At the same time as this case is underway a tragic accident/suicide happens at the local elite boarding school - Lady Elizabeth Brennan School for Girls.

Somehow these cases are linked and its DI Delamere's job to find that connection with the help of her brilliant team.

There are some dark themes woven throughout the storyline including child abuse, murder and bullying but each is relevant to the storyline and handled with sensitivity and written brilliantly.

I loved the writing style and it really evoked the feelings from each individual character. The novel is fast paced, punchy and full of twists and turns and I absolutely LOVE the way that the author is so direct with their writing, no words are wasted.

Twisty, multi layered and unputdownable... what more can you ask for?

Huge 5*

Huge thanks to netgalley and Canelo for the ARC.

I could not stay interested in this book at all. I will admit that I did not read the first two as I did not realize this was a series so that may have some part to it. This story follows a detective Annie as she investigates mysterious deaths that happened at a prestigious girls boarding school. While this happens another body was found from years ago while renovations were occurring on a near by building. We follow Annie as she tries to figure out what happened and how everything was related.
Like I said I just had a hard time following this book it felt like I was constantly wondering where and at what time I am following. I also just did t care much about the characters and this is my own fault as I feel like there was character development I missed from the first two books. I feel like this book would be something a lot of people would enjoy but personally I felt it was very similar to other thrillers that I have read and this one did not stand up to those. I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Does Melanie, from Lady Elizabeth Brennan School for Girls, look like she fell from the roof? Is it by accident or murder? DI Annie Delamere is going to investigate if the death of Melanie is connected to the school.
Thanks, Netgalley for this book.

Another complex and gripping mystery featuring DI Annie Delamere . I thoroughly enjoyed the story that kept me guessing and hooked till the end.
Good character and plot development, a solid mystery full of twists.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Skeletons very seldom stay buried. At sometime they get unearthed by accident invariably. In this small village
when during a routine building excavation a skeleton is unearthed and DNA indicates that it is a school girl who
went missing decades ago, the search starts for not just the murderer but the facts of the case and for the
people who were integral to the investigation at the time. Not easy considering that neighbours, even the parents
of the girl have moved away and have to be tracked down.

At the same time an accident at an elite school in the vicinity also becomes suspicious on further investigation
and the Detectives on the case are being pushed to solve the present case rather than the older one. There are big
names involved and finally one name comes up in both cases. Added to this is that there is always a reference to
Detective Annie's mother who was herself a Chief Detective on the Force. Annie knows her mother's dealings were not
always straight and she is worried what the investigations are going to throw up.

This was a bit complicated to unravel. The stories were different and you needed to be on the ball to follow it.
It was nevertheless an interesting detective story.

In the hot summer of 1976 Jayne was bullied by girls from the local boarding school. No-one knew what had happened to her but now a body has been found whilst an extension was being built. At the same school Detective Annie Delamare's partner Sheena, is visiting to take part in a discussion group with a group of VIth formers when a body is discovered. It is one of the VIth form girls & it soon appears she didn't fall from a window. How come someone who was terrified of heights ended up coming off a roof. Annie's team look into both deaths. The investigation throws up a lot of questions & in finding the answers Annie finds that her retired, high up police officer, old girl mother might be more of a hindrance than a help!

How did I miss the first two in this series? This was a fantastic police procedural with interesting characters & a plot that keeps you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. I may have missed the first two books but I'll definitely be looking out for book four

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

I really liked this book; it has some good characters and believable dialogue making the writing flow and holding interest. This is #3 in the series with DI Annie Delamere and set in the Peak District.

Forty-six years ago 16yr-old Jayne Arnold is bullied by a group of girls whilst on her way home from school. She never made it home and she remains a missing persons case to the present day.
Now, builders excavating foundations for an extension to a house in the village of Meresham, uncover human remains in previously-dug foundations from the 1970s. Could this be the missing Jayne Arnold?

Annie's partner, Sheena is at the Lady Elizabeth Brennan School for Girls, awaiting to speak to some sixth-formers, when a commotion heralds the death of Melanie Donnelly; it looks like she fell from the roof - is it an accident, or murder? Melanie was a politics student and interested in journalism. As Annie and her team investigate they get to know that Melanie was writing an article about historical and present-day funding donations to the school - could she have uncovered something which led to her death?

When someone else connected to the school, and Annie's investigation into Melanie's death and the Meresham Bones enquiry, is found murdered, the team dig deeper into the past until they bring that past into the present.

Meanwhile, Margaret, Annie's mother, and retired Chief Superintendent, knows her past is catching up with her and only she can do something about it.
What's the connection between the school, the house where Jayne's remains were found, a series of murders and Annie's mother?
Well you'll just have to read it to find out!

I loved the characters in Annie's team and all their interactions. I really disliked Annie's mother - so selfish. My only criticism would be I felt the passages detailing poor Andy Metcalfe's trawl through old files and court records a little too lengthy.

Now I really want to know what happens next....please!

A really good read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read from this author. I do now intend to go back and read more in the series.
I love the way the author writes-straight to the point-no wasted words. Lots of characters to keep a track of.

A great story, great characters, told well. Recommended.

Bad terms by Alex Walters.
Detective Annie Delamere Book 3.
When a skeleton is unearthed at a building site in the village of Meresham, the police immediately link the case to a notorious missing persons investigation. Jayne Arnold was sixteen when she disappeared in the long, hot summer of 1976, and has not been seen since.Soon after the bones are found, a tragic accident occurs at an elite boarding school nearby. The young victim fell to her death from the roof of a building. Digging into the girl’s background links her to an attempted expose of donations from unsavoury individuals. When further deaths follow, does it suggest a cover up is underway? Who stood to lose most from the truth coming out? And how do recent crimes link to events from more than 45 years ago? DI Annie Delamere and her team are tasked to answer these questions, but her own mother may stand between Annie and the truth
A very good read with good characters. I did like Annie's character. 4*.

*3 stars!!

Bad Terms is the 3rd book in the Detective Annie Delamere series. In this instalment skeletal remains are found buried in a houses foundations by builders and the police are quick to link the remains with a teenage girls disappearance some 45 years ago. Soon after the discovery is made a girl at a private all girls boarding school is found dead and questions soon arise about whether her death was an accident or murder. As the cases go on another murder occurs and DI Annie Delamere begins to wonder if the murder of the school girl Jayne from 45 years ago has anything to do with the current events taking place.

I would like to point out that I haven't read the first two books in the series only this one. I did really like the story. I felt like Samantha's part in the book could have been expanded a bit more to add some drama in and maybe show flashbacks of her and Melanie I think that would have really added to the story a lot more and that would have had the potential to show how passionate Melanie was instead of us hearing it second hand from others. I liked how Annie and Zoe interacted with one another and really liked Andy so hopefully we'll see more of these characters in future books. I certainly didn't like Annie's mother and after everything she still lied to save her own hide but I am curious to see what happens with her in the next instalment.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Publishers for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.*

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (there will be reviews like that out there already if that's what you are looking for!).

This is apparently the third book in the DI Annie Delamere series. I did not realise this when I chose this book, but to be honest it worked just fine as a standalone as there is plenty of background information about the recurring characters. That said, I now feel that I would like to read the earlier novels as well.

I enjoyed this novel, and stayed up late to finish it. There are some dark themes in this story - bullying, murder, and child abuse being the obvious ones, along with the sad themes of dementia and loneliness. The past comes back to haunt the present, and it's clear that someone is intent on righting past wrongs (the old adage "two wrongs don't make a right" sprang to mind several times though!).

The writing is excellent, and evokes the feelings of the characters and their various relationships very well. I liked the fact that it was set in the Peak District as I'm familiar with that area, which added realism to the story for me.

I will definitely read more by this author.

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

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on child abuse, hepephilia, sexual assault of minors, & others.

In this third instalment of the Detective Annie Delamere series the reader is introduced to what appears to be a reoccurring cast of characters & though I have not read the other two (2) books in this series, I did not find myself having much trouble diving head-first into this book. I will advise that had I read the first two books I most certainly would have been able to appreciate the characters with greater depth. Regardless of that, Walters seamlessly reveals the characters in their full-forms within this story so that if you, like myself, chose this book on a whim for its enticing synopsis, you would not be left in the cold wondering about the unknowns within the plot.

That being said, this book revolves around a multitude of characters. If you are not in the mindset to read at length about main characters & their counter-parts; chapters which begin with annoying tertiary characters whom you might wish to graze over, then perhaps hold-off on reading this story until such a time as you can give it its due diligence. I personally was in a place to appreciate the majority of the characters that we meet. That is not to say that should you dislike a character you are bound to dislike a story. However, in this instalment Annie’s mother (whose name I want to say is Margaret, but who so throughly annoyed me I cannot rightfully remember), plays a very large role in the crime, & the author grants her ‘screen time’ to allow the reader to appreciate her fully for what she is; a narcissistic bully who would rather have seen a young girl brutally abused while unconscious rather than admit that she is the villain in this story.

Overall, this book was extremely well written. There being an array of characters did not take away from the distinct voices & perspectives they held over the premise & dialogues which moved the plot forward. This book read as a what I expect a real scene would play-out as; there are multiple people who have toes dipped into the crime at play & all those distinguished, professionals are of importance to the advancement of the conclusion, though it might seem sometimes tedious to have to wait until the end, as they do in real life, to get to the part where the beginning is revealed to those who have worked though the body, nearing the end.

By this I mean, Walters reveals the antagonists to the reader in the opening pages of the book. What we were waiting for was confirmation that the people who beat this poor child to a pulp did in fact either leave her for dead or lugged her unconscious body into a nearby pit,…& for what? Because Margaret (or whatever her name is) was a total piece of shit? You beat someone up because you’re a lousy person? How absurdly pathetic. I emphasize my feelings here within the introductory reveal because when the book nears its end, one of the main antagonists does not see justice prevail. They continue on living their lives in the state of mind that they held throughout the previous decades until such a time as they are called to court, & it is brutally saddening to read about.

I would wager to say that there is never any rhyme nor reason why someone is bullied. Many, if not all, of us have experienced it in some form or another. However, what sets this story apart is that the group of girls who sought after Jayne during her walk home left her with men whom they knew to be child abusers. We can say that only one of these people held more knowledge than the others that these men were who she suspected them to be but, kids are not dumb; young people do pick-up on the rotten core of people like the villains in this story & to know that this was the fate that befell this poor child is truly sickening.

This leads me to wonder how I might review a book which did a stellar job at leaving an overall lingering horror in my mind. It’s horrific to know that Jayne was simply trying to make her way home, that she was simply trying to make it through an existence which saw her become the victim of taunting & torment for reasons so out of this world ridiculous. That she lay in an in-between state of consciousness while this group of girls walked off the property & left her with actual monsters, is something I cannot stop going over in my mind. I’m sure you’ve read stories in which you wish you could step into the pages & swipe the character out of harms way because no one on this green earth deserves what you know befalls this person. How horrible it is to have to break in between a read to audible swear out of frustration because there is nothing that can be done to prevent what is to happen. Then, how dirty & filthy this book does highlight the real world as being because as much as it is devastating to read about this fictional world, these things happen to those in the non-fiction realm as well. I suppose that is the marker of success behind a good writer. They ensure you are secure in this universe wherein a make belief story ensues only for you to seek shelter in a world where you know there is no foresight to escape some of the nightmarish things that were written.

I would read some of Walters other books because his writing was truly encapsulating & his characters were indeed full-fleshed out beings living actively in the world in which this story took place. I would say that this book might benefit from not having the beginning revealed in such a way as to render me feeling a bit restless for the antagonists to be revealed. I also found some of the chapters a bit long; the long winded background information about the main child abuser was a bit excessive in my opinion but, some others might not find it so & overall, it did add to the story (i.e. it wasn’t some left field information that would never be spoken of again). Unfortunately, due to many of the chapters feeling excessively long & my desire to get to the final reveal hampered by the return to various perspectives & multiple investigations, I was left with a bit of a less enthused opinion overall.

This is a good book; it’s sad & it’s disturbing & filled with disgusting characters. But, it’s honest & eloquent in its crafting of a tale of unsuspecting victims who await final repose in a world that is filled with monsters behind every turn.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo Publishing & Alex Walters for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

#BadTerms #NetGalley

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review.
So this is book 3 of a series, but don't let that put you off if you like me haven't read the first two books, it's perfectly enjoyable to read as a standalone. If you love who-done it crimes books then this is one for you.

Very much enjoyed this book and would absolutely read the others in the series. Full of twists and turns and kept me guessing til the end which is always a good sign! Thank you

A forty-six year old murder of a school girl followed by a suspicious death of another school girl in present times has detective Annie Delamere and her team scratching their heads. A good read with lots of twists.

Could the deaths of two young women, 45 years apart, be related? When bones are found at a construction site and soon after, a young girl plunges to her death at a nearby exclusive boarding school, DI Annie Delamere and her team see two separate, time consuming cases. But as coincidences and bodies pile up, she realizes that one case may help solve the other.

Although Bad Terms is the third in an excellent series, it can be read as a standalone thriller. Strong female characters, especially Annie, Sienna and Zoe, a compelling, multi-layered plot and boarding school life combine to make this a 5 star read.

Thank you NetGalley, Camelot and Alex Walters for this ARC.

A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Would definitely read her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.