The Flood (A Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller Book 1) by G.N. Smith

Still haunted by the historic murder of her parents, PC Fiona MacLeish has been told by Police Scotland that she must take a break from the demands of a busy force. So she’s returned to her remote childhood home in the Borders, where she grew up with her aunt. A place where nobody even knows she’s in the police force. But when a terrifying storm cuts the small farming community off, and the bloodied body of one of her aunt’s neighbors is found, she realizes the very place she has gone to find peace may be far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined.

The premise sounded promising, but some parts of the book were too descriptive and didn't feel relevant to the story (i.e., locations or buildings, which always pulls me out of the story).

I did like how the author used the weather as a sort of "character" and how the weather threatened the characters.

The killer was developed well, and it was clear why and didn't seem convoluted.

I liked the main character. I would recommend this book, and I would read more by this author.

#TheFlood #NetGalley @bookouture

With thanks to Netgalley Bookouture and the author for an advanced copy of this to review and give an honest opinion. Fiona McLeish is a police officer on leave to recuperate when a huge storm blows in. There follows a night of murder mayhem and doubts. I was gripped by this story within the first few pages. It is full of twists and turns and the excitement level is through the roof. I couldn't put this book down and wanted to zoom to the end to find out who did it and if the victims were actually dead. But I stuck with it as the story was well told and I wanted to savour every word and sentence. Highly recommend this book and can't wait to read The Island which is book 2.

The Flood is book one in the Fiona MacLeish crime thriller series by G.N. Smith.
I really enjoyed this debut.
This was a fantastic read that had me hooked from the first page.
The plot grabbed me straight away . There were some surprise twists and a great ending.
I’m excited to start book two The Island.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This wasn't for me. I liked the premise but omg, there are so many unnecessary words and details. You know when someone is trying to drag a sentence out to fit a 400 word count?! That was this book. It repeats a lot of details strangely enough and just gives information or really unnecessary things. Some things, just assume the reader will be able to work out for themselves maybe? We don't need it spelled out every single motion the characters take. So yeah, I was really frustrated and skimmed a lot of it. The premise was fine but the wiring style wasn't for me.

Give me a dead body in a remote part of Scotland, and I'm onboard! I was intrigued by the premise of this debut novel, and it didn't disappoint. There was a little more fluff than necessary, but the plot twists and turns, while predictable, still set up an enjoyable story. If you enjoy these procedurals set in remote areas, you will like this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

As far as debuts go this was good, not what I was expecting, more of a locked room kinda book, however still an intriguing read.

3.5*
Set in a rural location in Scotland, Storm Odin wreaks havoc on the village residents. With no way out due to the flooding and a murderer on the loose, can Fiona work out who the killer is before they kill again?

This thriller was a little slow for me and felt repetitive in places. I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters either.
The author did a good job of setting the scene though, and I didn’t guess who the killer was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.

Oh, my expectations for this book were high, but sadly, it fell short of delivering a compelling experience. Throughout the narrative, I couldn't help but notice an overwhelming sense of repetition, with every movement seemingly recorded in painstaking detail. The constant reiteration of Fiona's reason for joining the police force became particularly exasperating, almost driving me to the brink of frustration.

Regrettably, most of the characters presented in the story came across as unlikable and displayed a level of immaturity reminiscent of children's behavior. This aspect further hindered my enjoyment of the book.

As a fan of police procedurals, I found this particular one lacking in substance. The excessive fluff and padding throughout the plot were quite off-putting, and I couldn't help but feel that the book could have been significantly improved by trimming at least a third of its content to eliminate the repetition.

I want to extend my gratitude to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. While my experience with the book wasn't as fulfilling as I had hoped, I appreciate the chance to explore new literary works and share my candid thoughts. #TheFlood #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! I can not wait to read the next one! I read this book in one day. It had me on the edge of my seat and didn't want to put it down. I had to know what happened!! I would definitely recommend this book.

People are dying during the worst storm and flooding in years. Can Fiona solve the mystery and capture the murderer.

Fiona macleish is on a break and is stranded on an island in the middle of a storm which is flooding everything. She unfortuntely comes across several victims and sets out to solve the mystery.
I read this book hoping something would jump out at me and drag me into story however it did not. Found it quite gossipy some of characters difficult to like. However I liked the location of the story and some of the dialogue of the characters.
Thankyou for advanced copy.

The Flood by G. N Smith

PC Fiona MacLeish is away from work and staying in the borders . Her aunt lives in a remote area when days of heavy rain brings a bad flood. She helps her aunt make her property as safe as possible . Her aunt then urged her to alert her nearest neighbours , except when she gets there something has happened not related to the flood.
This is the authors first book and whilst I enjoyed it , I didn't take to some of the characters ( the ones you are supposed to like )
The plot and storyline was gripping.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, and Bookoutune and the author G.n.smith for an early copy of her book.


This is a new author, PC Fiona Macliesh goes to stay with her aunt in the borders.when a storm arrives trying to get out of the area helping a neighbours she discovers a body he was murdered,there was no sign of his wife.this is a slow read pefer fast paced books..and found this book repetitive an okay read needed more twists and turns.

This book will be reviewed on Amazon and goodreads.

This is #1 in the PC Fiona MacLeish series, and I’m looking forward to the next instalment already.

Fiona’s parents were brutally murdered when she was a teenager and, try as she might, she’s still haunted by it. Her bosses think she needs a break from a very busy area so she goes back to her remote childhood village in the Borders, and where her aunt still lives. Nobody there knows that she’s a police officer.

There’s a major storm with flooding, and Fiona and her aunt have to move important things to higher places, then pack a few essentials and move to somewhere safer. With roads blocked by fallen trees and high flood waters, the only place to go is a nearby farmhouse, with other people. But what nobody except her aunt knows is that when Fiona went to check on neighbours, she found George murdered and his wife missing. Will they really be safe in that farmhouse?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

To say I wanted more would be an understatement. This was a delicious page turner right from the start. Everytime I had to put it down, it was all I could think about. I did end up finishing way past my bedtime, just so I would be able to sleep. If you love a quick, immersive thriller, than this is definitely for you!

PC Fiona MacLeish is on a break in a remote area in the Borders, where her Aunt lives. No one knows she is in the police force.
The community is cut off by a massive storm and the area starts flooding.
Fiona and her aunt pack essentials and Fiona checks up on the elderly neighbours, only to find that the man has been murdered and his wife is missing.
The road to civilisation is blocked by a landslide and they have to take shelter on a farm with other people. Only Fiona and her aunt know that one of them is a murderer.
Fiona has to deduce which one.

Oh my word! I was expecting so much more from this book!
But it is repetitive and it felt like every movement was recorded in the story. If I had to read just one more time why Fiona joined the police force I would have screamed.
Most of the characters are unlikeable, and acted like children.

Not my most favourite police procedural. Too much fluff and padding for me. The book could have been cut by a third at least without the repitition.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "The Flood" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is book 1 in what I believe is a fantastic new series. The writing style had me hooked from page one and the description of the weather, the scenery was so vivid that I felt as if I was standing there with Fiona MacLeish watching everything unfold.

The setting is Scales Valley just as Storm Odin hits Scotland. The valley is low-lying and between Odin and the snow melt, the river is quickly rising and the homes in the valley are in immediate danger of flooding. Fiona is visiting her Aunt - her only family when they realize they need to evacuate. Fiona rushes over to George and Isla Edwards home because she is worried that the elderly couple might need help and their home is the lowest lying in the valley. What Fiona finds there can only be described as gruesome. Who would kill and lovely old man and where is Isla?

As Fiona and her Aunt try to drive to safety they are blocked by downed trees and a landslide. They decide that it would be safer to stay at the home of William and Elsie because the farmer has the highest land in the valley. With one road in and out of the valley everyone is trapped, no rescue party is on the way and the safest thing to so is taking refuge at the farmhouse. Everyone starts blaming the farmer and each other over all sorts of grievances. Fiona is vigilant to see if anyone gives themselves away as having killed George. She says nothing at first to see if she can catch the killer unawares.

As other bodies are located everyone is suspect. Fiona spends a lot of the story trying to figure out who the killer is and what their motive would be for each killing. Sometimes she stretches her theory to fit the facts and she fixates on everything that people say as a possible motive.

The story has a 'locked room' feel because everyone is trapped together not only in the farmhouse but in the valley. Knowing that one of them is a killer adds to the tension in the book. I would definitely give more than 5 stars if it was possible. I'm eagerly awaiting more stories for Fiona in the future.

Fiona MacLeish solves mysteries. Murder and mayhem follow her. The characters are likable and keep the story moving quickly. This talented author has written a cannot put down novel. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the talented author. Fiona has taken a break from work. A mandatory break. That does not stop her. This crime thriller is a page turner.