Absolutely brilliant. This is my first book by the author but it definitely won’t be my last.
This is the second in the DI Laura Hart Anglesey Crime series and it works perfectly well as a stand alone as the subplot is well covered.
I read this book in one day. It’s an excellent multilayered thriller that is full of twists and turns with believable characters. An added bonus for me being an Irish person now living in North Wales I knew most of the locations, which definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the read.
I’m really looking forward to the next instalment in this series

Laura and her husband were police officers. He died whilst on duty and she had a the year leave of absence. Now she is back and teams up with Gareth, a potential partner, to solve a historic murder. Lots of twists and turns before we find out the return behind the alleged victim.
A great read. Captivating.

It’s DI Laura Hart’s first day with the Beaumaris CID. She’ll be working for DI Gareth Williams, head of the department and the first relationship she’s had since the death of her husband. As she fills out the requisite paperwork, Gareth comments “At least it’s quiet.” And Laura laughingly warns him that anytime you say that in a police station, something terrible happens. She’s right. Very right. A body is discovered near the ruins of a nearby Norman castle. Since the body was buried with a credit card and an Irish Guards pin, it should be easy to identify. But that identification leads to a complex trail of deception, violence and murder. As the publisher writes “Some secrets should stay buried for ever…”

In Too Deep is police procedural at its best! Simon McCleave has developed unforgettable, multi-layered characters. The plot is compelling and nuanced and the setting atmospheric. The subplot about the life of a soldier, moving from the past to present, is excellent. I can’t wait for the next in the Anglesey series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Simon McCleave for this ARC.

In Too Deep is the second novel in the Anglesey Laura Hart series and is just as heart stopping as the first. Laura has stepped back into a police role after the frightening kidnap of her son in the first book. Her first day back on the job gets off to a rocky start when a skeleton is found in a shallow grave - who is it and how long have they been there?

The narrative switches between events in the present day and right back to the early 90s, where we meet soldier John Kelly. As Laura and John's stories develop and intermingle, the action really picks up pace. Alongside this we also see the challenges Laura faces, in dealing withe death of her husband, raising two children and a potential new romance with a superior.

In Too Deep is an excellent installment in the series, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. Plus a major development in the underlying storyline that will leave you hankering for the next book!

This was a complex story and although I enjoyed it I had little interest in the conflicts between the IRA and the British Army. It wasn’t as good as the first in the series but it was an interesting read with lots of twists and turns. I do wish that Sam would stay dead though! Laura’s conversations with him really annoy me. The ending was a cliff-hanger and I’m looking forward to the next instalment. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this.

The second book to feature DI Laura Hart and what a cracking read. After reading the first book After The Dark Tide I knew I would like this series. A body is found but who is he and what is his real name????
Another real page turner which takes the reader on a journey to Belfast and Dublin, to the IRA and MI5. Another heart stopping, action packed trek through the mind of this very talented author and a budding romance. What's not to love. So highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

At times incredibly complex this is a great book with many interweaving threads centering around a skeleton discovered on Anglesey.
What starts as a strange tip off to an old gravesite soon becomes a detective embroiled in danger, MI5 and the Real IRA with events from the past catching up to people in the present in a tangled web of lies.
fantastic characters with lots of great backstory and a brilliantly thought out plot.

I think this is Simon McCleave’s best novel yet. It’s a slow starter, but once it gets going it’s a nail biting read. And the twist at the end! The personal interactions between Laura and Gareth add depth to this police procedural. The troubles in Northern Ireland are excellently portrayed. I highly recommend this book

This was an excellent story, which kept me guessing throughout, with a very clever twist. However, I found the writing style off-putting. Everything seems to need unnecessary explanation, e.g. "Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller", or "Luneberg Heath just south of Hamburg". By the time I got to HOLMES being " a nod to Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective character" I was losing the will to live.

Anglesey Series #2

Two months since ex-police negotiator Laura Hart was forced back into action after the kidnap of her son, she has rejoined the force as a DI. When a skeleton is found in a crumbling castle ruin near the seaside town of Beaumaris, Anglesey, she can't wait to prove herself by solving the case. The victim is identified as Jamie McCann. The only thing anyone seems to know about him is that he disappeared without trace twenty years ago. When Laura's investigation leads her to MI5 and the real IRA, she knows she's on the trail of something truly explosive.

I have not read the first book in this series, The Dark Tide, but the book did read well as a standalone. This story has two timelines, the present day is set in Anglesey and the past in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s. This well written book has an intriguing plotline and plenty of twists to keep us guessing. The characters are well rounded and relatable. It has also been well researched. This is quite a tense thriller. We are left with a cliffhanger that sets us up nicely for book three.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #simonMcCleave for my ARC of #InTooDeep in exchange for an honest review.

In Too Deep by Simon McCleave
Publication date - 5th January 2023
Publisher - Avon
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It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Simon’s work and he was the first author who reached out to me as a blogger and I will be forever grateful for that. However, that doesn’t mean I’m biased when I review his books and when I say that he writes some of the best police procedurals coming out at the moment and he nails those female characters it's completely true!
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This is the second in this series which centres around DI Laura Hart. She recently moved back to Wales after the death of her husband, who was killed in action during a police raid. She is raising two children and her youngest Jake was recently kidnapped (read book 1 for this great story!) and this in a strange way reminded her how much she loved being a police officer. This book opens on her first day returning to work and when her boss, and tentative new lover, curses the team by using the a word - quiet - they are thrown into a complex case when remains are found at a local castle. They aren’t sure of the age of the bones but when part of a debit card and a badge relating to the army is found with them they realise they must be related to a more recent death. Soon MI5 and the army are involved and when events link back to the real IRA Laura knows they will need to really delve into the man’s history to find out the truth!
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Although this is the second book in the series you can certainly pick this up and read it as a stand-alone. All references to narratives that I can see threading these books together are explained enough that the reader knows what is going on. But since there has only been one book before this I do recommend reading the first one, firstly because it’s fantastic and secondly you get to be involved in the series from the start! I love when that happens.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this tense thriller and I personally loved the story. That might be down to relating to the murder victim as my father let’s say shared a lot of life events with him. I even had to ask him once if he was Solider F! I think Simon was able to negotiate a tricky subject with aplomb - it came across as well researched and nuanced on the subject. For many it seems a distant part of history but for others it was their life and still is in some ways. History is still holding to many secrets when it comes to the Troubles and this story managed to convey what one aspect of it would have felt like to people like the victim.
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The development of Laura’s character was a delight to read. She seems happier now she has returned to work and is visualising Sam alot less which is showing she is more content. The background to Sam’s death was explored in more depth and Sam and her ex colleague Pete manage to find out some more information when it comes to his death. Don’t know if I trust Pete - I think he might turn out to be dodgy.
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Once again the sense of location was brilliantly portrayed. Anglesey is more than just a backdrop it’s also a character and one that is greatly loved by the author. That comes across in his writing, his love of nature and also of the history of the place he calls home. It makes me want to pay a visit! Maybe I will finally complete that degree from Bangor and go on a wee adventure.
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Roll on book three! Let me know if you pick this one up.

Having initially been sent the first story in the DI Laura Hart series I finally found the second tale. It was worth the effort as this twisty dark tale of a body found in a shallow grave appears to be an ex soldier with an impeccable service record. The action moves between Wales in the present and Ireland in the late 80’s. Laura’s private life with her involvement in a relationship with a co DI and her children also in the tale. Her investigation into the circumstances of her husband’s murder in the first tale is a sub plot to the main story. There’s more murders , a string of suspects all cleverly building to the shock twist in the tale. There’s even time at the end to set the scene for the next episode!

Laura Hart is an ex police officer. Trained in the field of negotiating in hostage situations Laura left theforce when she saw her husband blown up whilst negotiating his release. It has
not been determined how the leak happened and questions remain unanswered. Laura now runs
professional courses for negotiators, looking after her two children and having long
conversations withher dead husband who pops up all the time, very much there in the physical
sense at least toLaura. This was the quirky part of the story but I just say its unusual,
not that it cant happen.

in the midst of this, a sting operation gets under way tracking three drug dealers who are using
Anglessey beach as a drop off point. What follows is every policeman's nightmare. A school
trip to the outlying islands for six year olds begins a hostage situation with one reckless,
dangerous lunatic and two others following his orders. When the detective in charge realises
he is out ofhis depth,he calls on Laura who has the skills to handle the situation. What
changes Laura mind to accept the case is when she realises that the child takenhostage along
with the teacher is none other than her own son.

This is a tense read with a lot of detail about the conflicts between the IRA and the British
Army. It added another strand to the story.

This is the second book in the series, I have not read the first book Dark Tide but it did not impair my enjoyment as any relevant information is shared in this book.
The story is told in two timelines, present day Anglesey and Northern Ireland's past. Initially I found the change of timelines disruptive but as the book progressed this became less of an issue.
It is an effective police procedural with enough twists and turns to keep the reader thoroughly engaged.
The only element I slightly struggled with was with Laura's emotions. They were described well but she is both traumatised and grief stricken at the death of her husband, to the extent that she is still having conversations with him, and yet also moving on with a new relationship.

In Too Deep by Simon McCleave is the second instalment featuring ex-Police Negotiator Laura Hart who has now rejoined the police as a DI and she has to hit the ground running when a body is found in some old ruins with links to the IRA.
This is a fast paced rollercoaster of a read and in typical Simon Mcleave fashion he has left it open for a third installment and i can't wait.

What a start to Laura Harts first day back on the job a body found leads to lots of twists and turns in this second book in this new series. Love the interaction between Laura and her dead husband. An excellent new series.
I received this book from Avon books and Netgalley for a review.

We first met DI Laura Hart in the gripping and suspense packed ‘The Dark Tide’ where her eleven year old son Jake was taken hostage during a school trip by a gang of drug dealers. At the time Laura and her children, Jake and eighteen year old Rosie had been living on the island of Anglesey for three years since Sam her policeman husband was killed in the line of duty in a warehouse explosion. Suffering from PTSD from witnessing his death, Laura left the police force and started a successful business but, after being involved in Jake’s rescue decided she was ready to re-join the police force.

On Laura’s first day back on the job with Beaumaris CID, a body is found in a shallow grave in the ruins of a castle. Clues on the body point to the body being that of an Irish ex-soldier who went missing twenty years ago, but untangling his background and past history in Ireland and why someone would want to kill him proves to be a difficult and convoluted job.

The novel is well written with an interesting plot and the characters are very relatable. Laura is still visited by her husband Sam’s ghost who gives her advice and support. Her fledgling romantic relationship for her new boss, DI Gareth Williams hits a serious bump in the road, but with so much in common they are clearly meant to be together.

Laura’s search for who was behind the plot that killed her husband is also making some headway with the novel ending on a cliffhanger in that regard, so we’re left waiting keenly for the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of, In Too Deep, by Simon McCleave, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Di Laura is back on the case after a few personal problems. This book goes back and forth between Belfast in 1998, and present time. A very interesting thriller, to read.

This was a fascinating murder, mystery story. Lots of twists and turns and false leads. A good cast of characters that seemed very real and a great conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

DI Laura Hart has to hit the ground running when she starts her new job with Beaumaris CID on Anglesey.
Historic and current day murders mean life on the island is anything but quiet.
The story is told in dual timelines between “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland and current day Anglesey.
The book had a slow start and I found it a little confusing at first, but once it gathered pace I was hooked. It was complex and interesting with plenty of twists. Great ending means I'm waiting eagerly for the next book!
One criticism was the many explanations of criminal terminology and acronyms. This really breaks up the flow when you're reading. These days I think most people know these,  but if not they can always looks them up!