This book is the sixth in the series which features DI Louise Blackwell. Although the story of her private life follows on from previous books, this book can also be read as a stand-alone thriller.
The main plot concerns the body of a young woman found in a shipping container. A video camera with a live feed was found in the compartment. This gruesome discovery leads to a race against time to save further victims.
This is a well-written, fast-paced novel which kept me turning the pages. The author skilfully ties up all the storylines into a dark, horrifying conclusion.
A highly recommended, gripping read.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an e- ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. This was a great story that was hard to put down, I really enjoyed it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of The Bridge, the sixth novel to feature DI Louise Blackwell of Avon and Somerset Police.

When a young woman is found dead in a small compartment of a shipping container Louise and the team wonder about illegal immigration, but the container is due for export and there are cameras in the compartment. This leads Louise to believe that there is a voyeuristic aspect to the death and that she may not be the only victim.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bridge, although I’m still uncertain about the relevance of the title, maybe I blinked and missed it. The novel is full of twists and turns with some unexpected sexual habits that I really don’t want to know more about and a rather strange explanation for events, that I can just about swallow, but not without a bad taste.

The novel is quite fast paced as Louise and her team quickly go from absolutely nothing in terms of clues to one breakthrough after another once they get started. It always amazes me what people will disclose to virtual strangers on the internet and chat rooms play a large part in the plot, pointing the team in the right direction. I found it a well developed novel with enough forward momentum to keep me turning the pages.

The narrative is split between Louise and another character (not the perpetrator) but I don’t want to issues spoilers so that character and their role in the lager narrative will have to remain a mystery for now.

Louise is pregnant in the novel so that intertwines with the investigation. I didn’t realise she is in her early forties and that adds a twist to the pregnancy along with several scares and her reluctance to tell anyone. Otherwise she runs a good investigation and gets her hands dirty following leads and conducting interviews.

The Bridge is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and although it’s number 6 in the series, I didn’t feel I needed to have read the previous books. It reads well as a stand-alone and is easy to follow the main plot lines. However, I just didn’t warm to many of the characters, so perhaps reading the first 5 would have helped develop that connection better.
The concept of the ‘murder’ seemed a little far fetched, but maybe that’s just my naive understanding of dark and depraved human behaviour!
Am also confused how the title The Bridge connects to the theme of the book (forgive me if it’s obvious!).
A good read but I may have to start at book 1 and review again.
3.5*

In this sixth episode in this series, DI Louise Blackwell has one of her most horrific cases yet to deal with. A young woman’s body has been found, emaciated and dehydrated in an enclosed space inside a shipping container at the Avonmouth docks in Bristol. She doesn’t appear to be an illegal migrant as the container wasn’t coming into the country but was due to be shipped overseas. Furthermore, there are video cameras set up to focus on her body. Someone, somewhere has been watching her slowly die.

Although the woman is soon identified as someone reported missing weeks ago, Louise and her team find few clues as to why she was in the container. Louise is three months pregnant and struggling with morning sickness, so is keen to wrap up the case, since she won’t be allowed to work in the field once she notifies her boss. Meanwhile, the wife of a missing man is receiving messages from someone who says he is watching her, but so far the police are not too concerned about her missing husband who took off after they argued.

This chilling and suspenseful murder mystery will introduce you to practices you’ve probably never heard of and to a psychotic, deranged, monster of a killer. The intriguing, action packed plot is guaranteed to be a page turner and Louise’s own personal dilemmas and relationships add complexity to her ongoing life as the investigation turns into a tension packed race against time.

Riveting And Suspenseful Criminal Fiction Thriller.
The body of a young woman is found in a shipping container in the Bristol docks, and she has been starved to death. There is a video camera found with a live feed trained on her from a hidden compartment and the police suspect that she was an illegal immigrant, and her death a tragic accident.
Detective Louise Blackwell is pregnant, and has a new horrifying case to deal with Can Louise and her team find out who is responsible before anyone else dies? The case overlaps with two missing persons, and a perverse group that seeks out small spaces and pays people to watch. This story deals with topics of human trafficking, abuse, and descriptions of the killer’s fetishes.
This book The Bridge" by Matt Brolly will keep readers on the edge of their seats. As the book is a quick-paced, and an action-packed story with engaging characters, a complex plot, and a race against time. I Really enjoyed this book, and it is a great read. I look forward to reading more books by Matt Brolly. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really like this series and the characters in it. Louise is such a believable protagonist, down to earth and determined with a strong sense of right and wrong. This enjoyable mystery ticks all the right boxes for me, great plot, a real sense of location and just the right balance of plot and the police characters private lives.

Another episode in the series with Louise Blackwell . Although part of a series, it reads fine as a stand alone. Louise is in the first weeks of pregnancy when a body is found in a shipping container. Examination of the container reveals that the victim was observed via live stream camera. Fairly soon, the victim is identified, a young woman from Yorkshire who was in a flat share in London.
There are several strands to this plot and chapters are narrated by different characters. When a married couple also go missing, first him, then her, this does not immediately seem related. However as we find out more, there is a connection. There is a race against time as the investigation progresses and the hope is that the victims will be found on time. Will the clues be solved and the crimes be pieced together. Louise as also a couple of scares about her pregnancy.
I like the characters in this team. The crimes are weel thought out and though they are not pleasant, the story is believable .
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The body of a young woman is found in a shipping container in the Bristol docs. The police suspect that she was an illegal immigrant, and her death a tragic accident. Two key pieces of evidence scupper this theory, and give DI Louise Blackwell a case beyond any she could have imagined. The evidence - the shipping container was to be sent out of the country, it was not coming in. The other - a video camera with live feed was recording the young woman from a hidden compartment. Somebody watched the woman painfully starve to death. DI Blackwell has only recently discovered she is a few weeks pregnant, and is struggling with the turmoil of the impact it will have on her career, her life, and decisions to be made around it. So when she is plunged into this case she has to fight morning sickness, and try to keep her mind sharp and focused, and figure out who killed this girl.

Shutting down and searching the docs gives up few clues. However, other leads uncover a series of live feeds showing other trapped women, some of whom are still alive. There is a race against time to track down the killer, and figure out their motive, so that they can find the women before it is too late.

This is the sixth book in the Detective Louise Blackwell series, and my first introduction to the series. What an introduction! While I feel there are some nuances in the relationships, and in DI Blackwell’s complexities I am missing by not having read the previous books, I was not suffering in this book for it. Blackwell is a complex character, with so much going on, yet is still determined to solve this case, despite it all. This story dealt with topics we have seen in books before - human trafficking, abuse, but then absolutely threw in a curve ball with descriptions of the killer's fetishes. I found my skin crawling at times with the torture being inflicted upon the victims, and was almost shouting at the detective to figure it all out. As the investigation progressed I found myself saying, just one more chapter, just one more! It is one of the darker police dramas I have read in a while. I will be adding the previous books in the series onto my TBR list for sure, and will be keeping an eye out for what happens next to DI Blackwell.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

The Bridge by Matt Brolly is Book 6 of Detective Louise Blackwell. I must say this was my first book and I didn't feel that I missed a lot as the book concentrates on investigation more than the personal life of detectives. This book will keep you on the tip of your seat. The story grabbed me straight away from the first chapter and didn't let my interest go til the epilogue! This was intense!
What I loved the most, I learned new things - I never even heard about things that are investigated in this book! I could not imagine something like this exist!
This book will show how messed up the human brain can be! At the same time, we could see again how childhood traumas can wake the evil side of the person.
A young woman is found dead in a shipping container. Detective Louise Blackwell is called to investigate it. There are more questions than answers. Things get more complicated when the police found a hidden live video camera. Louise is positive there could be more victims so she requests to check all the shipping containers in the docks.
Parallel to this Louise deals with her personal circumstances - she is pregnant but she doesn't want to tell this to anyone.
The investigation is complicated and had the right amount of intrigue and mystery to keep me turning the pages.
I absolutely loved this book and for sure will add the previous 5 to my TBR pile!
Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this advance copy!
#TheBridge #NetGalley #AmazonPublishingUK

The body of a young woman is found in a shipping container. What follows is the police investigation into her death and with it the discovery of a circle of darkness. Captivating read.

The sixth volume in this entertaining series, brings a wiser and much changed Louise Blackwell into a horrific case. A woman is found in a shipping container, She appears to have died of dehydration so this is obviously a human trafficking case, right? Well, things are not that easy, the ship was leaving England, and no one smuggles themselves out of the country. There is also a camera watching the remains. This case involves a large number of suspects, but the victim is already dead so it appears that there is no rush. Wrong again! A woman finds her husband missing and no one believes that he left unwillingly. Since the man is presumably still alive, the suspense grows. If this is related, how long until this disappearance comes to Louise’s attention and how is she going to find him before he dies? Then, another twist adds even more tension. I really enjoyed the relationships among the recurring characters. They’ve all changed with time and previous events. Louise’s personal life has also moved in a surprising direction, facing a late-life pregnancy with her ex-colleague and now boyfriend Thomas. This novel is propulsive and suspenseful.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#
Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer!

What a fantastic book in the DI Blackwell series (you can very much read it as a standalone) from Matt Brolly. The main characters are back again and kind of glad to see less family stuff in this book compared to the previous ones, so it concentrates more on the main storylines. The book features two main storylines initially which eventually join together to more forward in one direction. I was hooked from the off, with this storyline and you wanted to keep on reading to see what happened next, my sign of a good book! Highly recommended!!!

I absolutely love Matt Brolly and I have read all of his other books in this series and they just keep getting better and darker each and every time. We are joining Louise Blackwell yet again on another outing in the aftermath of his previous book.

For those that are reading this before reading his other work. There is plenty of hints and allusions as to what happened so you are not left behind.

We are lead on an investigation into a missing person case, but nothing about this is ordinary. These kidnappers have a different motive all together.

I was gripped throughout this book, left guessing and urming and arhing thinking I've got the plot right and I hadn't because you end up with another twist and turn. Right until the end. This book pulls you along with every single turning page. I had the "one more chapter" feeling and before I knew it. I had completed the book in a days read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this one

I often struggle with British police procedural but this one had myle captivated from the start. I loved the premise and that it combines two really current and relevant topics, the light of immigrants being trafficked into the country and the depravity that can exist remotely/ online.

The characters were well written and not the stereotypical "cops". They were really well written and fleshed out. I haven't read the rest if the series but I'm assuming for those who have, these guys are like old friends by now

The plot moved forward constantly but there was also enough description to make some vivid scenes.

I can't wait to start the series and see what I've missed

The books in this series get better and better and in many ways darker and darker. We join Louise Blackwell on another outing in the aftermath of the previous book, for those who haven't read any of the others there are plenty of allusions to what has happened before so you don't feel left behind. That said I am sure that having read this one you will want to go back and indulge yourself. Here we have an investigation into missing persons but its not your everyday kidnapping the perpetrators here have very different motives. Until very near to the end I couldn't see the ultimate solution so was gripped throughout. Matt Brolly writes with a real sense of pace, the storyline drags you along with it, leaving you with that 'just one more chapter' feeling. He weaves the story of the home life of the main detective well and introduces some serious topics into the story. I must admit I had never heard of claustrophilia before - intrigued, well read the story to find out more. Can't wait for the next in the series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy this series of books and was excited to read this latest one. It did not disappoint, had my gripped till the end. Definitely worth reading

The riveting and suspenseful criminal fiction thriller "The Bridge" by Matt Brolly will keep readers on the tip of their seats. Brolly is a quick-paced, action-packed story with engaging characters, a complex plot, and a race against time.

The plot centres on DI Louise Blackwell as she looks into a string of horrifying murders that have a sombre connection to her own background. Blackwell becomes caught up in a bizarre game of cat and mouse with a relentless and crafty killer as the death toll grows and the strain increases. Brolly expertly combines suspense, elements of the police procedural, and psychological depth to provide a gripping and engaging reading experience.

Character development in "The Bridge" by Matt Brolly is one of the show's strong points. The heroine, DI Louise Blackwell, is a tenacious and strong woman who carries the burden of her own previous trauma. The supporting cast, which includes other detectives and the relatives of the victims, gives the narrative depth and reality. The character interactions and dynamics offer emotional depth and a sense of urgency, further enhancing the story.

Sharp and captivating, Brolly's writing has a talent for creating tension and delivering unexpected turns. As you peel back the layers of the complex plot, the unrelenting tempo advances them, the writer has meticulous attention to detail and the thoroughly studied police procedural components that give the novel legitimacy and provide an immersive experience for the readers.

"The Bridge" also explores the darker facets of the human psyche by tackling subjects like obsession, retaliation, and the hazy distinctions between justice and vigilantism. By delving into the killer's and the protagonist's psychological drives, creating a cat-and-mouse game that keeps readers guessing up until the big reveal. It is a suspenseful and compelling thriller, where some narrative points have been explored deeper. Any little flaws are made up for by the quick pacing, well-developed characters, and expert suspense and psychological depth merging.

Fans of the genre will enjoy "The Bridge," an engrossing and suspenseful criminal fiction thriller. It is a book that will keep you engaged from start to finish if you're seeking for a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled crime thriller with psychological depth.

The Bridge was a good solid British police procedural combined with the right amount of the main character’s personal life. Like the first book in the series, The Crossing, DI Louise Blackwell is basically starting a new phase of her life. The difference is now her personal life is happier than it’s been in a long time and she is newly pregnant. She is well respected at work, although she feels there might be a new coolness between her and her usually supportive boss.

The case Louise is tasked with solving in this book is truly horrific but the author handles it well. He keeps the police professional but manages to show at the same time that they are people who genuinely care about the victims. Complications with her pregnancy, along with the fact she has yet to inform her coworkers about it, add to Louise’s difficulties with the case.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is an excellent addition to the authors DI Louise Blackwood series and a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Here DI Blackwood and her team investigate when a body is found in a shipping container. I thought the book got off to a great start and I was drawn into the story straightaway. The writing is engaging and certainly held my interest throughout. I loved the separate threads, mostly because I had no idea where the plot line was going or how everything would tie up. This, for me, was one of those moreish reads I kept returning to whenever I could. There is a bit more here about Louise's personal and home life which I liked, although this doesn't takes anything away from what is a very good book with an all too believable plot. It has everything I like - great writing, likeable characters, plenty of suspense and mystery to keep me entertained. If you like police procedurals and have not read any books by Matt Brolly I would recommend this although you're best to start at the beginning if you're new to this author. Loved this book.