Kept me awake most of the night as I just had to finish it. A great read… grabbed my attention from the first page… with each new revelation, I just kept wanting to turn the pages…

This is already the third book in the Kember and Hayes series, and even though I haven't the previous two books yet, I still enjoyed this one, and will read more in the series. I really loved the investigative part of it, combined with a little romance. Entertaining until the end. Recommended.

If you liked Foyles War then you'll love these books, tales of. Detective Inspector at war using old fashioned detection skills with the help of one uniformed sergeant and a young criminal phycologist. These tales take you on a roller coaster ride through the Garden of England during one of the most crucial times in our history when we stood alone against the terror across the Channel. Well researched and written by Neil Daws.

The cover and description of the book drew me in! I found the narration beautiful and engaging - finished it in a few days! Now I'm going to recommend it to my friends. Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy!!
I just reviewed A Perfect Time to Murder by N. R. Daws. #APerfectTimetoMurder #NetGalley
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This is an interesting book, the third in the series following ATA pilot Lizzie Hayes and DI Jonathan Kember as they solve crimes in Kent during WW2.
This book is set against the background of a Kent Colliery - I wasn't aware until i read it that Kent even had collieries. A miner has died, but the question is whether it was due to a heart attack - or murder. The events take place during a snowy winter and see Hayes and Kember spending a lot of time cold and wet, staggering round the colliery buildings in the snow's evening half light. There are plenty of suspects - was it one of the men who shared the dormitory, the mine owner or his secretary - and plenty of confusion.
I kept reading all the way through to the end and appreciated NR Daws plotting and the way he kept me guessing. Definitely one to read for those who don't like their crime too cosy.

I have a little confession to make- yes yet another one. Although I have the first two books in the Kember and Hayes series on my ever increasing ‘to be read’ pile, I haven’t read one…….until now that is. The series takes place during the Second World War. When I was invited to take part in the blog tour for ‘A Perfect Time To Murder’, which is the third book in the series, I thought that I wouldn’t get a better opportunity to discover N. R. Daws’s work. Having enjoyed reading ‘A Perfect Time To Murder’ as much as I did, I am now rather cross at leaving it this long to discover how flipping fantastic the Kember and Hayes series really is. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘A Perfect Time To Murder’ but more about that in a bit.

As soon as I started reading, I realised two things – one being the fact that I knew I was going to become addicted to the story and the second being the fact that I would find it nigh on impossibly to put the book down. I was spot on on both counts. I started reading and basically forgot to stop. I had initially only intended to read a chapter or two but I became so wrapped up in the story, in the Second World War and in the lives of the different characters that I was still sat there reading several chapters and an hour or two later. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I loved the detective partnership of Kember and Hayes and I had to keep reading to see if they managed to solve the crime or not. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘A Perfect Time To Murder’ and I had to say goodbye to Kember and Hayes. I found ‘A Perfect Time To Murder’ to be a gripping read, which certainly kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat.

‘A Perfect Time To Murder’ is extremely well written and then some. The author certainly has the knack of grabbing the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story. N. R. Daws clearly cares about his characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which he describes them. He makes his characters seem just as real as you and I. By the time I got part way through the book I felt that I had made two friends in Kember and Hayes. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a steady pace throughout. This might sound a bit odd to some people but I actually loved the fact that coal mining formed part of the story as I am from a long line of miners. I loved the description of the role of the winding engineman as that is the exact role that my grandpa and my great grandpa had. I loved the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘A Perfect Time To Murder’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of N. R. Daws’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The story:
It is January 1941, and war is raging in Europe and beyond. But when colliery worker Christopher Morris dies of an apparent heart attack in his sleep, it seems to be a simple case of natural causes. However, with local police dissatisfied with both the medical verdict and the seemingly evasive response from the man’s boss and colleagues at a Kent colliery, DI Jonathan Kember is drafted in to investigate.

When Officer Lizzie Hayes, Air Transport Auxiliary at RAF Scotney, is grounded from flying following an accident, she once again joins Kember to bring her psychology training to bear on the investigation.

The pair immediately begin to ruffle feathers at Bekesbourne Colliery, and they seem to be getting closer to uncovering what has really happened. The answers seem to lie below ground, in the depths of the coal mine. But could Morris’ death really have been murder, and if so, will Kember and Hayes be able to uncover the killer and escape with their own lives?

My thoughts:
“A Perfect Time to Murder” is the third book in the Kember & Hayes Mystery series by NR Daws, and the first I’ve read. Set during World War II, DI Kember of Kent County Constabulary (formerly Scotland Yard) has made something of a name for himself solving some tricky cases in the previous books.

Officer Lizzie Hayes and the women pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary conduct vital war work delivering aircraft around the country. But with bad weather causing Lizzie to crash land, she is grounded while an investigation into her competence is conducted. Interestingly, Lizzie has psychology training, making her the perfect partner to assist DI Kember investigate what appears to be some sort of cover-up at a Kent coal mine. But are the boss and colleagues of the dead man covering up negligence or murder?

I really enjoyed the pairing of Kember and Hayes, and Lizzie in particular was a very likeable and interesting character, fighting for her place in a man’s world, first at RAF Scotney and then in the male-dominated world of mining. Her psychological skills are the perfect match for Kember’s investigative ones. It’s also clear from early in the book that the pair harbour more than professional feelings for each other!

There are a number of potential suspects in the case, with the dead man being fairly universally disliked. Colliery owner Clifford Burnley is particular unpleasant, and seems set to be as unhelpful as possible. And the other miners working with the victim are no better, and Kember and Hayes uncover plenty of motives for wanting the Morris dead, from adultery to cheating at cards, which leaves the reader guessing until the end about what’s really happened.

Overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable historical murder mystery, perfect for fans of Foyle’s War. Although the third in the series, I was easily able to pick up and enjoy it, and felt like I quickly got to know the great team of Kember and Hayes (and I’ll definitely now be going back to books 1 and 2!). Highly recommended, and hopefully there’s more to come from this great series soon!

The third book in the Kember and Hayes Mystery series. I had the pleasure to read the previous books so was quite looking forward to catching up with Kember and Hayes.

Set during World War 2, in Coventry we see them investigating a murder case. Lizzie Hayes, an ATA pilot has been grounded and decides to join Kember on his hunt for a killer. She has psychology skills that help to determine who is lying during interviews. But as the story unfolds, its a race against time to attempt to catch a killer before they kill again.


An entertaining read that has characters I could get invested in easily. Everyone was described to a point of making them realistic. This level of quality runs throughout the series. Along with a plot that's full of twists and turns. This book is a good addition to the series.

It's a fast paced story that once it grips you doesn't let go easily. I can attest to that as I had to tear myself away from it to feed the family. I definitely enjoyed my time with Kember and Hayes!
Thanks to DLM Book Tours , the author and ng.

I'm a bit conflicted about this one.
I found the story fascinating at the beginning - a female protagonist with OCD who uses her talents as a criminal psychologist, world war 2 setting in the mines of Kent, the women's air transport auxiliary based on historical fact - these were all very much down my lane.
Unfortunately, despite the multiple exciting moments of arson and murder the story dragged and felt repetitive. I confess I skimmed through much of the last quarter. The problem may have been that they were snowed in in a mine in the dark and everything looked and sounded the same after a while...

I read it on my friend's recommendation and loved it! Without a doubt, this book has become one of my favourites. I'm going to read the author's other books. highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for oppurtunity!

An exciting, gripping and thrilling story that had lots of physical and psychological twists and turns. Set in World War Two, in the city of Coventry, which was heavily bombed during the war, the main characters investigate a suspected murder. The investigation leads to the detective, Kember, and his girlfriend and colleague, Lizzie, being the hunted as they fight for survival, while trying to unmask a killer.
The plot reveals lots of information about the inner workings of a mine and the miners who work below ground, whilst covering the issues of injustice, unfairness and inequality. The treatment received by Lizzie also highlighted how bad discrimination against women was during the war years as men resented women in the work place!
The conclusion provided a double, unexpected twist in the plot. However, as Kember and Lizzie part, the reader is left in limbo, but also, perhaps, keen to find out what happened next!
I have enjoyed reading and reviewing this crime fiction novel for NetGalley.

January 1941. ATA Pilot Lizzie Hayes has been temporarily grounded due to a crash landing. With time on her hands and discovering that DI Jonathan Kember has been sent to Canterbury and the Bekesbourne Colliery due to the suspicious death of Christopher Morris, she decides to join him. With her psychology skills she is able to help Kember determine who is lying in their interviews. Can they catch the killer before they kill again.
An entertaining and well-written wartime mystery with its likeable main characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Solid Entry..
A solid entry into the Kember and Hayes mystery series where the dilemma this time is underground rather than overhead. The death of a coal miner raises suspicions for Kember - whilst Hayes, with her skills in forensic psychology, assists the investigation. Underground the action turns drastic when power goes out and the duo may be trapped. Aside from a blossoming relationship, will they manage to escape and, if so, will they be any closer to catching a potential killer? Another intriguing mystery with a well crafted cast of characters and a convincing sense of time and place.

I do not usually read books that are about wars. But this book really was very interesting. A group of men are mining and one of them dies. They suspect carbon monoxide poisoning from the mines but upon closer inspection they realize that the miner has been murdered. Will they find out who the murdered is before it is too late.

This book is part of a series, but I had no problems following the story reading this book out of context, which I always enjoy, and beginning the novel it made me want to go back and read the other books in the series. I did not like that the main character is a modern feminist dropped into the 40's as if she is somehow just more in touch than everyone in the time period. While I enjoy strong female leads in books I do not enjoy judging a previous time period by the standards of today. There was some exciting action, and the story moved along at a good pace.
**Some spoilers**
The book was well written, and definitely drew you into the story not wanting to put it down, but then at the end after finding all the clues and all the motives, suddenly not a bit of it matters and the wrap up is based on a motive and event that was never brought up and never discovered, but somehow the modern feminist detective/pilot is also psychic and knew it when no one else did. If that was going to be the wrap up, there should have been clues throughout the story.

**review will be added to "reading lately" post on booklistqueen.com

A Perfect Time to Murder by N.R. Daws

It is January 1941 and Det Inspector Kember has been called to investigate a suspicious death at a coal mine in Kent. Air Force pilot, Lizzie Hayes is grounded and follows Kember to help. Kember applies his logical detective training while Hayes applies her forensic psychology training. (The psychology is highly dubious, but it makes for a good story, so we’ll forgive it.)
Almost all the staff at the mine has cause to kill the victim. Navigating a coal mine/colliery in the snow, during a war with blackouts and surrounded by possible killers puts Kember and Hays at risk and they make several narrow escapes before help arrives.
As a whodunit, A Perfect Time to Murder rather fails because it breaks some of the rules. The reader isn’t given all the clues and without them, there was no way to work out who the killer was before the grand reveal at the end of the book. Agatha Christie would not approve! But as a light piece of historical fiction, set in a quaint setting and time, it works fine. The characters are interesting and agreeable and the plot ticks along at an easy pace. The writing is accurate and so the entire book is a comfortable winter read.

I have not read any books by the author before, however I enjoyed the novel's war time setting and historical links. The plot was interesting and kept you guessing, it did not have the gore that some other novels in this genre include. I would recommend this to lovers of crime thrillers, at points the storyline was slower but still enjoyable for a lighter read.

An interesting historical detective story with compelling characters and a fast-paced plot.
Would recommend

Thank you to N. R. Daws, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the arc of this book.

A Perfect Time to Murder by N. R. Daws.
3 A Kember and Hayes Mystery.
January 1941. The Luftwaffe continues its assault on Britain from the sky, but ATA pilot Lizzie Hayes is grounded after a crash. Itching to be of use, she hears that DI Kember is investigating the death of a coal miner in Kent and sees her chance to help. They discover the miner died from carbon monoxide poisoning but Kember instinctively suspects foul play. Was it an accident, or murder?Armed with her forensic psychology skills, Lizzie helps Kember interview the other miners, and it soon becomes apparent that nearly everyone had a motive for murder. Despite heavy snowfall threatening to cut off the mine, Kember and Hayes are certain the best clues will be found in the depths of the pit itself, and demand that the men—all suspects—lower them into the dark tunnels…When the power goes out and they find themselves trapped, they must confront not only their blossoming feelings for each other but also the prospect that they may never see daylight again. And, even if they do, will they be any closer to finding the killer?
Really good read. A great series. 4*.