This was my first novel by G. N. Smith. This read like an Agatha Christy novel. We follow Fiona during a storm that forces local residents to take shelter together and ride out the storm. We know a murder takes place and I loved trying to solve it in real
Time with Fiona. Some parts where hard to understand as I’m not to familiar with the language of the setting- Scotland.

The first in a new crime series centered around PC Fiona MacLeish. A storm is raging when Fiona finds the body of one of her aunt's neighbors. There clearly is a killer on the loose and the storm is making them bolder.

This was ok for me as a crime debut. I didn't really connect with Fiona, so it wasn't my favorite. I also think the writing was trying too hard. It felt forced at times. I would give the next Fiona book a try because sometimes the second one can really dial in the ideas from the first.

I finished reading The Flood and have been thinking about what I wanted to say in my review. The storyline is intriguing featuring a horrible flood and people getting murdered. Police Officer, Fiona MacLeish, is first on the scene with no help to be had because of the severe flooding going on in the remote area.
The story did pull me in as I read on. Even though I thought there were so many long sections of just dialogue with so many repetitive statements.
The Flood did keep me reading on to the end. There is so much suspense going on, it is hard to stop reading.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I want to see if the writing stays as repetitive.
Overall, a nice start to a new series by G.N. Smith.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Flood, the first novel to feature PC Fiona MacLeish of Police Scotland.

Fiona is staying with her aunt in the Borders when the valley starts to flood. As she checks on the neighbours she finds George’s body, strangled to death and his wife missing. With the community cut off she soon realises that she is mingling with a killer, who may strike again at any time.

I have mixed feelings about The Flood and have decided on four stars for the excitement and tension of the second half. It is a very visual novel with plenty of detailed descriptions of the characters grappling with the storm and the damage it has caused. This is completely lost on me as I have no visualisation ability whatsoever and while I can get the tension and end result I cannot picture how they do it. As a result I spent a lot of the novel reading the incomprehensible. It has put me off reading the follow up, The Island, which also seems to take place in bad weather. This is a purely personal issue, so I think that most readers will appreciate the circumstances and the solutions the characters find, along with the accompanying graphic descriptions.

As I said the novel is crackling with tension as the storm wreaks havoc, more characters disappear and Fiona struggles with trying to catch a murderer, although her constant guessing from little knowledge is wearing and a touch repetitive. Still, she makes progress and is eventually able to identify the killer. There are few hints about the motive before the denouement, so it is difficult to guess in advance, especially with most of the characters at each other’s throat.

I like Fiona, who seems to be a smart, sensible woman with a level head. The same can’t be said for the other female characters and I felt the whiff of misogyny in their depictions. It was unpleasant reading.

The Flood is not for me, but it is a tense read that most readers will enjoy.

The story takes place one night as a horrendous storm causes a flood and cuts off the Borders, Scotland.

PC Fiona MacLeish is trying to get her aunt out of the house, while her aunt finishes up, Fiona goes to check on the neighbours and is shocked to find her neighbour dead and his wife missing.

With the floods getting worse through the night, the group of house owners have to get to higher ground. Fiona starts to find bodies in the area, who is killing bee neighbours and friends? It has to be one of the group she is with.

This is an enjoyable and cosy read. Not overly fast paced but a few twists to keep my attention.

Overall a good read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book soon.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great start to the series. It is a fast paced story line which is easy to follow with many twists . I look forward to reading more in this series

Set in the Scottish Borders, The Flood is a steady paced read with an interesting plot, the first to feature officer Fiona MacLeish. I did find it a bit slow at times but the characterisation was good. Confined in a lonely farmhouse, cut off due to rising flood waters, Fiona is trapped with a killer, her aunt and her farming neighbours. A couple of twists kept me interested until the end , overall it's an easy read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This was an absolute corker of a book, an old-style whodunnit in a believable setting. I was very excited to get to read this, as I was not familiar with this author's books and this is book number 1 in the series - yay!

Fiona is visiting her aunt Mary, a woman who brought her up after her parents were murdered when she was a teenager. Unfortunately, what is supposed to be a break to rest up, ends up being a fight for life, with a twist. The valley where her aunt lives floods and so they find themselves in a large house on higher ground with the neighbours, all of whom seem to have secrets of one sort or another. And then the body count begins......

Oh, and did I mention that Fiona happens to be a police officer?

Ah, the tension of all of these disparate people in one place, the wind screaming past the house, the water rising.....I can picture it all.

Very well crafted novel and I can't wait to read the next book in the series! Absolutely loved the cover art too, btw.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, I don't know where to start. Fiona was supposed to be off duty but now she's trapped by a flood with neighbours and one of them is a murderer ! Throughout the book, I could sense the adrenaline building up with the danger of the flood AND of the murderer. It was a really enjoyable book and even before I finished it, I already wanted to read the second in the series.

The Flood (A Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller Book 1)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my early copy to read and review.

PC Fiona MacLeish is on enforced leave from Police Scotland following a death of a colleague. She returns to her Aunt Mary's in Scales Valley, approx 2.5 miles from the town of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Whilst there, there is a massive storm - Storm Odin, which threatens the homes of the quiet, sleepy hamlet with the winds and rain making the river swell and spill over the banks. Fiona decides to check on the elderly neighbours nearby and finds an incident that she wasn't expecting. Fiona and Aunt Mary try to leave the valley but are stopped by a fallen tree. They return and they are offered safety at a farm that is higher up. From there, the plot twists and turns with an ending that I was surprised with. I highly recommend you read this book.

Atmospheric and tense, this first in the series of Fiona MacLeish had me hooked from the off and didn't let go until the final paragraph.

#NoSpoilers but the author has created a fabulous environment, great characters and some canny twists and turns. A fabulous read.

Highly recommend.

Fiona MacLeish is on leave from Police Scotland. Returning to her Aunt’s home where she grew up Fiona is hoping to get the rest she badly needs. However, a massive storm is approaching the Scales Valley and the nearby river is ready to breach its banks. Fiona and her Aunt Mary pack up to leave but before they go Fiona goes to check on elderly neighbours.
Finding a body Fiona decides to leave with Aunt Mary and get help. But the storm has other ideas, roads are blocked, the valley is flooding fast and Fiona and her Aunt must seek refuge at the highest building in the valley. Arriving at the farmhouse they find the valley’s other occupants already there and Fiona quickly realises they are trapped with a murderer.
As the storm rages outside Fiona will need to call on all her skills if they are to survive the night.
This is clever and well plotted with twists and turns throughout.

Large quantities of melting snow... Torrential rain... Strong winds... A flood... and a dead body. This is what it all starts with. Not an ideal situation especially when you are stuck in a small valley with a few people and one of them is a killer. Questions are who is responsible and maybe even more important are they going to kill again and who are in their sights?

Fiona has her work cut out for her. Who can she trust apart from her aunt? She is forced to look over her shoulder constantly whilst battling the elements. 

Little by little she pieces together every snippet of information she has and unmasks the culprit. 

In times of need people who don't always see eye to eye are forced to work together in order to protect themselves against the threat of mother nature. For the killer this gave them the perfect opportunity to put their plan into action...

Fiona is a strong person, mentally as well as physically and giving up is not in her dictionary. She will do everything and more she can to help others even if it means she has to risk her own life. She does not see herself as a hero. She is just simply doing her ob.

For me it was maybe a bit too slow paced, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. The second book in the series is the next on my list. I am looking forward to find out what Fiona will have to deal with this time. 

This book is a promising start to a new series. 4 stars

Thank you

The Flood is the first in a new series from G N Smith featuring a young police officer Fiona MacLeish and is a type of locked room Murder mystery with a twist.

I have read and enjoyed the author’s previous police procedural and with the story outline or blurb I was looking forward to The Flood.

Unfortunately and whilst the storyline was good the writing was over “wordy” with too much religion and what felt like padding via overuse of description.

Saying that I will give the next book in the series a go

Really enjoyed this book. The plot was easy to follow and flowed well. Loved the strong female main character and there wasn't an overload of other characters which I find can often happen in thrillers.
A great page turning thriller with unexpected twists. I'll definitely be adding book 2 to my TBR!

Wow! That just about sums it up right there! Twist, turns, suspense, THRILLER! I loved how much this book made me hold on with both hands! One chapter after another! This was fantastic! I was pumped that it said "Book 1" ! I cant wait to read more in this Series!!!

A new author for me and what a cracking read. Set in rural Scotland and storm Odin is raging and there is a killer ontheloose. The people in this area are trapped and one of them is a killer but Who??? It is up to Fona a police Scotand constable to work out who the killer is before they strike again. Atmospheric, packed with action, tension and suspense and kept me guessing. I predict this is one author to watch and I can't wait to read more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

Fiona McLeish is on leave recuperating when a huge thunderstorm blows in. The night follows with murders and mayhem. It did not take me long to get hooked by this story once I started reading it. The story is fascinating and full of twists and turns. This book was excellent and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series, The Island.

The premise of this book was exciting. A closed room mystery but the room is an entire valley. Rising flood waters trap the characters with a murderer in an increasingly perilous situation. The protagonist was also original since although a police officer she wasn’t a detective. Her development throughout was interesting and I can see her being fleshed out further as the series continues.
I wasn’t comfortable with the portrayal of the helplessness of some of the other female characters which seemed outdated. Too much detail on the mechanics of the tasks the men and Fiona all had to perform to survive slowed the pace down but overall I enjoyed this book.
I look forward to seeing how Fiona MacLeish develops.

I see potential for Fiona in the future, but I felt like this book was standing still and it kept repeating things too much. Definitely not a bad read, but I would have liked it to move a bit faster. The setting is interesting. There's a flood and people are being murdered. It has to be someone Fiona and her aunt are trapped with the murderer, but who is it?