A quick read.. Enough twists and suspense to hold your interest. This is the first in a detective series and I'll look for the next installment. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This is the first book in the DCI Alive Rossi series. I seem to be in the minority as the majority of reviews on Goodreads are 4 and above ! I found the storyline really slow , didn’t grip me at all. I also had to keep checking that this was the first in the series as the main character kept
Referring to the Madhatter in a way
That makes you think that there must’ve been an earlier book that told the history of the two characters. I normally love this authors books but this one was a great disappointment for me

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good mystery thriller novel. Love the cover.

A new series featuring a new detective Alice Rossi. Someone is playing deadly games, luring the detective back to the place where her husband died. A good read.

This was a brilliant book from start to finish, which I would highly recommend if people love a book that you just can’t leave down and want to finish it is so good. The story kept you intrigued the whole way though with you suspecting every character of being the killer. Lots of suspense , mystery and even a bit creepy at times. I just loved it.

This is the start of a new series for Helen H. Durrant, featuring DCI Alice Rossi. I've read and enjoyed several books by Helen H. Durrant over the years, so I was looking forward to seeing what this detective had to offer.

Alice Rossi has faced her nemesis only known as the Madhatter many times over the years, but she lets her guard down, thinking the other woman had finished whatever sick game she was playing, but that's not the case. The killer lures her to the quiet retreat, Still Waters, to play her twisted game yet again.

I love a serial killer thriller, so the synopsis immediately intrigued me.

Alice was an interesting character. Almost ready to retire, she's rattling around her childhood home, living for her job. She's also hiding pain from her past in the form of an abusive and controlling relationship with her dead husband. I wouldn't say she's as memorable as Helen Durrant's other detectives, like Rachel King or Calladine & Bayliss, but I would be interested in seeing where her story goes next.

The story started off strong, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. Yes, there were some surprises in there, but it didn't feel quite as satisfying as I usually find with Helen's books.

A solid police procedural and a good start to the series. I will be interested in seeing what's in store next for Alice and her team.

This is the first book in a new series by this author and features Detective Alice Rossi. The book opens at an exclusive lakeside retreat with a young man killed by a mystery woman who dismembers him and dumps the body parts. We soon realise that she is a serial killer. Alice is called in to investigate and it soon becomes clear that is the work of the Mad Hatter killer who Alice has been investigating for the last six years and who seems to have a personal vendetta against her. Alice finds that the killer is taunting her as she has connections with the lakeside retreat as it is where her husband lost his life in an accident. We discover that Alice has secrets of her own and that the Mad Hatter intends to make her one of her victims. This book is a gripping read and one I couldn’t put down and has an unexpected twist at the end. I look forward to the
next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

What I read I enjoyed but it disappeared from my shelf and I can't get it back so only able to review the first 25% of the book which I enjoyed. Only rating 2⭐ due to only reading 25% before loosing it

THE ASH LAKE MURDERS by Helen H. Durrant.
A female serial killer with a deadly agenda. The detective who must stop her. Luxury holiday lodges in the stunning Peak District. The game begins. Callum is lured to an isolated boathouse by an attractive older woman. When she gets him alone, she knocks him out with a single blow. As he wakes up, her voice comes out of the darkness, “You’re a sprat to catch a mackerel
A brilliant read. Great story and characters. Read in one sitting I do hope there is more to come. 5*.

This is another novel by Helen Durrant that is excellent and keeps the reader enthralled right to the final pages. It stars DCI Alice Rossi and is about a serial killer set in the Peak District at Still Waters. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any reader who loves a mystery thriller.

Perfect as always. I love Helen H Durrants works, they are quick easy reads but never let me down. I always recommend her books.

The first in a new detective series. Alice is the main character and she herself has a troubled past and is being stalked by the Mad Hatter, a female murderer . The plot is quite complex, though I had my suspicions quite early on about who the mad Hatter was, which proved to be true, there are a couple of twists in the book. Set in the borders of the Peak district and Manchester, the descriptions set the scene and the atmosphere well.
There are quite a lot of characters which took some concentration to sort out who was who, especially in the first couple of chapters.
All in all, a great read. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4683252392

I really enjoyed this and got a lot out of the book. It was easy to read and lots of twists and turns which is normal for this author.

Another series to get really addicted to.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

The Ash Lake Murders by Helen H. Durrant is the first in the new Detective Alice Rossi Series and I loved it. I was hooked within the first few pages and ended up reading this new book byHelen in two sittings. This book had some great twists and turns throughout with a super ending - I didn't see that coming!

I highly recommend this latest book by Helen and all her other books. They have had me gripped from start to finish. Excellent book.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author Helen H Durrant for my ARC of The Ash Lake Murders in exchange for an honest review

The story and writing is as I expect from Helen Durrant - excellent. DCI Alice Rossi, nearing retirement but not looking forward to it, is tasked with catching a serial killer determined as being female which is unusual in itself. Bits of bodies are recovered and along with them are "clues". Forensic evidence is missing so someone knows the system. There is background to Alice and the serial killer though. Well plotted and keeps you wondering although I did guess the first part of the denouement but certainly not the second. Look forward to more of this character. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Helen Durrant never disappoints! Another gripping crime story with a new detective lead and a suitably complex story to unravel. If you enjoy this genre you will love this author.

I always look forward to Helen Durrant books but am not quite sure about this one. I did enjoy the storyline but am hoping that the character of Alice Rossi will develop further as the series progresses. I would like to have known more about the backstory.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffre Books for giving me the chance to read this book and give my unbiased opinion.

The Ash Lake Murders is the first book in the series featuring Detective Alice Rossi. While I was reading it there were plenty of references to the past and I felt as if this might be a series which I picked up in the middle, but I was wrong. The book explains refers to the past but is later explained which made things that I questioned more clear.

A serial murderer "the Mad Hatter" has reached out to taunt DCI Alice Rossi. The obsessed killer wants to play a mental "game" with Alice, where the Mad Hatter wins by getting rid of her once and for all.

I am a new fan of the author. I really enjoyed this one as well as the others I have read. I couldn't stop reading this psychological thriller between these adversaries. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland reference (Alice and the Mad Hatter) and started to guess the Mad Hatter's identity which was fun since the females were all about the same age.

This was a real suspenseful thriller that I enjoyed from the beginning to end.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Helen H Durrant never puts a foot wrong and she is at her mesmerizing best with her chilling new thriller, The Ash Lake Murders.

When an attractive woman lures twenty-four year old Callum to an isolated boathouse, the young man thinks that he’s going to have an experience he will never forget. Only little does he realise that this occasion is going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons! The older woman knocks Callum out with a single blow and as he comes out of the darkness he hears her uttering a chilling message that leaves him in doubt that his life is in danger.

Still Waters is a close-knit community of wealthy retirees surrounded by breath-taking natural beauty. It is a most unlikely setting for violence, however, Callum’s mother is convinced that something terrible has happened to her son. With the police not taking her concerns seriously, Callum’s mother doesn’t know which way to turn. But when a dead body is found floating in the lake surrounding Still Waters, the police realise that they’ve been too hasty in dismissing the concerns of Callum’s family.

When someone tweets: Come out to play one last time, Alice. Still Waters run deep. DCI Alice Rossi is called in to investigate. Where is Callum? Can she solve this case before more bodies are found? Or will she end up the killer’s next victim?

If it’s got Helen H Durrant’s name on the front cover, readers know that they are in for a nail-biting and heart-pounding thriller where the shocks comes thick and fast and the action never stops and that is certainly the case for The Ash Lake Murders. Introducing a terrific new detective readers are going to love, The Ash Lake Murders is a dark, terrifying and addictive thriller I couldn’t read fast enough.

As always, Helen H Durrant keeps her readers on the edge of their seats desperate to find out what is going to happen next and in The Ash Lake Murders, she has penned another devour in a single sitting thriller that readers will struggle to put down.

The story is so unpredictable and tense full of suspense and mystery, I loved it.
I found myself second guessing all the way through. Extraordinary. Outstanding… absolutely amazing… just wow!… this book is exquisite.