I have read all of this series and I’m sad that this appears to be the last. As always, this is an intelligent and well written police procedural with a lead detective who, unusually, has a happy home life and a supportive superior officer. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and enjoyed the touches of Gillard’s brilliance such as checking the delivery van cameras. I didn’t read the chapters of the new series at the back of the book, as this author is so good that I would be tamping at the bit to read more. A fitting end to a great series and I’m looking forward to reading the new book from this talented author.

Craig has moved into a new house with wife Sam about to give birth any day now. There is therefore the excitement and worry about that, Sam having had miscarriages in the past, there is excitement and worry about the new home not having yet sold their old one and then a senior police officer from a different force is murdered. Craig's second in command, Claire, takes this one on and has hard choices to make when the evidence points to a fellow officer as the murderer. Another murder occurs and things get even more complicated. Dealing with abused women and their refuges, old issues, revenge, forensic-aware perpetrators all leads to the expected complex but well thought through story. The ending is suitable. The series has been good throughout and, at one level, it is a shame that this may well/almost certainly be the last. However it is a neat ending with a little throwback to a previous story and a good place and time for Craig to move on - not least to give Sam and, now, Gracie, the time they deserve. A bonus comprises the three chapters of a new detective series and seems to be heading up to be a good one. Maybe some of Craig's team can appear at times in this new one. We'll see. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

The ARC of this 12th book of Nick Louth‘s DCI Gillards cases was the first I ever read and it had me hooked throughout the fastpaced, twisty plot. It works well as a standalone but will unfortunately probably be the last of this series. The characters are well-described and the amount of police procedural just detailed enough not to become boring. I‘ll certainly read the other books in this series.

I highly recommend this series of books, featuring DCI Gillard. This is book 12 in the series, possibly the last but it is still an excellent read. I was hooked from the first page until the ending, with the topical plotting and the excellent characterisation. It's fast moving, with touches of humour and enough twists to keep the reader occupied. One of the best series in the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC, it was an easy 5*.

DCI Nick Gillard is on leave from his job. He has just moved into a new home with his pregnant wife Sam and their baby is due any day.
Meanwhile DI Claire Mulholland has been called to a neighbouring force to investigate the murder of a retired police sergeant Ken Stapleford.
Gillard is aware of a number is sexual assaults that have taken place in a park close to his new home. While on a walk there, Gillard is on the scene when a murder takes place and is attacked by the killer fleeing the scene.
Examination of the forensic evidence throws up a connection to the Stapleford case. How can two cases so different and so far apart be linked. As more evidence is unearthed more cases are linked. Gillard knows they need to join the dots and catch the killer before anyone else dies but as they chase the killer, is the killer chasing them?
This is an unputdownable novel, packed with great characters, tension and hold your breath moments.

Big thanks to both Canelo and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Body in Nightengale Park, by Nick Louth.

The Body in Nightengale Park is the twelfth in the DCI Craig Gillard series of books. It's the first book I've read by this author and I am happy to say I read it without feeling lost. I can therefore recommend it as a standalone. Sadly, The Body in Nightengale Park is the last book in the series. The expected publication date is August 17, 2023.

While working to find the Nightingale Park rapist, as well as the murderer of retired police sergeant Ken Stapleford, Gillard hears the screams of a man in the park one night and discovers the man's body, still warm and horribly mutilated. Although Gillard is supposed to be on leave, since his heavily pregnant wife is due to give birth any day, the pressure to solve these mysterious cases forces him back to work. From there, the twists and turns abound!

I was pulled in from the very beginning of the book and could not even BEGIN to imagine how this case (or these cases) could possibly be solved! I definitely recommend The Body in Nightengale Park.

GOOD NEWS, READERS! the author just signed an eight-book deal to write another crime series, following on from the DCI Gillard books. Count me in!!

This is the twelfth and final instalment in The Body in the series featuring Craig Gillard.

I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them

This one …in Nightingale Park…is a very fitting finale for one of our favourite detectives

Book 12 ends this series in a book that is hard to put down! DCI Craig Gillard is supposed to be on paternity leave, while his baby due any moment. But with part of his team sent out of the area on a murder, he ends up getting called back in when a celebrity going thru a heated divorce ends up dead. What seems like it may be a simple case, tied into the local rape cases, soon turns into a quagmire, as he and Caroline soon realize their cases are related. With his baby arriving, and constant updates on the cases, it's no wonder Craig is getting no sleep. As the team comes together t try to solve the crime, they realize there may be even more, and a member of the team is in danger. The roller coaster ending resolves the series and wraps it up for Gillard. It's an interesting, and some would say realistic way for it to end, and this stand alone book will definitely make you want to go back and read the whole series!

Another awesome suspense from Nick Louth, who has become one of my all time favorite authors. The characters are awesome, real with flaws and all. The plot had a lot of action, mystery, tons of guessing and some interesting twists. I could not put it down once I started. Highly recommend.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I hadn't read the rest of this series but after this, I most definitely will be! It did work well as a standalone and there was still enough background on the characters to get a good insight into who they are but I'd love to see how they've grown throughout the series and the others trials and tribulations they've come up against.

This was a complexity written police procedural and I loved how many twists and turns there were and how cleverly the links all connected. This definitely took a bit of thinking to keep up and it completely sucked me in front the very start. The plot is original and has a good pace throughout. I also loved the characters and they all seemed original and not just like a rehash of the typical down and out deadbeat maverick cop you read about over and over again.

I'm away to download the rest of the series! Highly recommended for fans of police procedural or thrillers

Links..
The twelfth in the DCI Craig Gillard series finds the DCI juggling life at home and now content when a case arises that gives him great cause for consternation. With a retired police officer found killed in his own home, Gillard is already concerned- when he himself is witness to another killing he realises that there may be links. Gillard is soon in a race against time to catch a killer. Another pacy, immersive instalment to the series with a plot populated by a credible and well drawn cast and a swiftly moving narrative.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot...instead I will recommend that you read this for yourself!

This is the 12th book in the DCI Craig Gillard series - and I'm sad to discover that it is probably the last! Although you don't need to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this (there's enough background information about the characters), this book sees a return of some "persons of interest" from one of the earlier novels (The Body on the Moor), so you might want to read that one first.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this latest book, and as usual, was not disappointed. The plot is well thought out, drawing together several seemingly unconnected high-profile crimes and cases, which made for an interesting and dramatic read. Against the backdrop of these crimes, DCI Gillard's wife is literally about to give birth any time...adding to the pressure on Craig and the team to get results.

Without giving anything away, the book ends on a note of uncertainty - but I suspect that we will not see any further books in this series. I've enjoyed the whole series, but all good things come to an end as they say...

Recommended if you like twisty police procedurals with believable characters.

As a bonus, the book includes a taster of a new book in a different series by Nick Louth, and having read the taster I'm now looking forward to the rest of the novel.

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

Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this eARC.

I found this story to be an excellent entry. / addition to an awesome series! The only negative was reading that this is the last entry in this particular series.

If you love quality police procedures engaging storylines, give this author a read; Personally, I Am glad to have discovered this engaging writer and I will be watching for more from him.

until next time...

The Body in Nightingale Park is the twelfth and (probably) final book in the excellent DI/DCI Craig Gillard series, set in Surrey. I’ve read them all in order, which is helpful if like me you enjoy series for the ongoing character evolution and inter-relationships, but not necessary, as each book is a stand-alone mystery. This one does however bring back certain characters from Book 8, The Body on the Moor, so it’s preferable to have at least read that one first. I beta-read this for the author a few months ago, then reread an ARC copy via NetGalley, and was happy to note certain minor changes that have tightened up the plot and increased the suspense factor.

Craig and his heavily pregnant wife Sam have just moved into a new house in a smart part of Guildford, and he is looking forward to some much needed leave, when he learns that a revered retired police sergeant has been stabbed to death in his Brighton home while watching a football match. Then a jogger is killed in the park near Craig’s home, following a series of violent assaults, and he is himself attacked by the fleeing suspect. When an inexplicable forensic link between the cases emerges, Craig is unable to resist the pressure to return to work, but with Sam about to give birth and his team spread across the country, will this case be the one to break him?

This was another well plotted police procedural, with a topical issue in the UK front and centre - no spoilers! I liked how the female members of Gillard’s team are taking over, especially Clare, and how Rainy and her backstory are developed. There are nuggets of humour and the writing flows smoothly.
I have mixed feelings about this series ending, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the varied and unpredictably twisty mysteries that Gillard and his team have unlocked. I do however feel that some authors keep their heroes going too long - how many serial killers can one police team encounter - so respect the decision to wrap things up here, even if I’m sad about aspects of the ending, and a bit disappointed that certain characters’ arcs are left unresolved. The three chapters of Louth’s new series opener included at the end are an appropriate consolation prize, and I look forward to reading the rest of it.

I have read the last 5 or 6 in the DCI Gillard series and they are always a good read.
This novel does not disappoint, various members of the predominantly female team, working on seemingly unconnected cases.
Before long, it becomes apparent that there are links and it is fascinating to see how the plot unravels, eventually reaching a gripping conclusion.
Nick Louth has put together a pacy thriller with a really well-constructed plot. Interesting to follow the well known members of the team with a few new
faces thrown in.
My only small quibble is that yet again, here is a crime novel that directly impacts the life of one of the officers, you never hear about such occurrences in real life and yet
It pops up in about a third of all crime novels that I read.
I understand that this is the last in the DCI Gillard series. Whilst I will miss reading these novels, I look forward to seeing what this excellent author produces next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Craig Gillard is trying to enjoy leave, waiting for his daughter to be born, but is pulled back into work when a high profile businessman is murdered. Despite needing all hands on deck, his team is split when a retired policeman is murdered in his home. He loses another member of his team, Rainy McIntosh, when her ex his killed in a hit-and-run accident. I believe this may be th last entry in this series, but if so, Louth has hit one out of the park here. Highly recommended.

A great detective series, One of the best out there. Is this the last in the series? Maybe maybe not and I hope we will see more of DCI Gillard.
Excellent story. Lots of action and twists and turns. Well worth reading.

Looking forward to more from Nick Louth
Many thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC and opportunity to enjoy this wonderful book

This is my absolute favourite detective series, each book just gets better and better. The stories within are so intricate and well researched. The 12th book in the series sees Craig investigating 4 brutal attacks in which 3 of the victims died. All of this going on while Sam is due to give birth to his first child. As always this book had me on the edge of my seat and I read it within 24 hours. The book includes the timely discussion around domestic violence and and the response of the police to this. There were some really heartbreaking moments within it. I’m really hoping that this ain’t the last book in the series seeing as at the end there was a sample of a new book series written by Nick. Please don’t let this be the end!

I have read all the books in this series so was looking forward to reading the next instalment. I wasn’t disappointed. Gillard is a hands on policeman so much so that he is attacked by a perpetrator early on in this story. There is a subplot regarding Gillard’s home life - new house, new baby. The themes in the story are around domestic violence, revenge and sisterhood. The ending is slightly surprising but leaves the series open to a new direction for Gillard. Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for a pre publication ebook.

The twelfth and final installment in the excellent series featuring DCI Craig Gillard. This book has a fabulously convoluted plot, with multiple crimes being investigated. It's fast paced and well-written and very entertaining.
I'm now looking forward to reading Nick Louth's new series.