Police procedurals aren’t always my jam but I loved this because it wasn’t as much about the procedure as it was about the story. I loved the characters and couldn’t put this one down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Canelo and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

3.5 rounded up because it's markedly better than her debut

Writing: as Saweetie said: that's my type! | Plot: interesting | Ending: meh

SYNOPSIS

DS Ally Fields is hella pregnant and tryna solve a potential arson that may have ties to a similar event six years ago.

MY OPINION

If you have problems with ready-to-pop pregnant policewomen working then don't bother picking this up. I don't mind it because these diapers ain't gonna pay for themselves, and I'm not using a single hour of my maternity leave unless that babies hanging halfway out my Pucci. Anyways. Moving on.

Unfortunately I DNFed Amanda Cassidy's first debut because it was a lil too Stacey Willingham for me. By that I mean, too many similies and adjectives used to describe mundane people or places. This time around, the prose was much tighter. It was giving me Louisa Scarr and S.E. Lynes. If you enjoy a more traditional syntax, again, pass on this. This is the type of writing that I often see as 'disjointed' or 'awkward.'

DS Ally Fields is certainly a complex character, and I applaud Cassidy for digging deep here. One of my biggest gripes about DD Warren is that Lisa Gardner never took the time to explain why she wakes up every morning and chooses violence. However, Cassidy does take her sweet ass time building a tragic af backstory for Fields and how her traumatic upbringing manifests in her personal relationships today. I don't want to give any spoilies, but Fields personal life is what the youths call 'a hot mess.' And while Fields is refreshingly self-aware of her behaviour, she, like many others IRL, struggles to take the actions necessary to break the cycle. Tbh Cassidy's skills really shone best when delving into Fields' sad past. She was writing some BANGER lines.

The good news is if you're someone who doesn't really like when police procedurals get caught up in procedure, this book will work for you. There's little procedural elements here other than interviewing suspects. No post-mortems, no watching CCTV, etc. Just waddling about asking 2 or 3 questions and then waddling to the next location. It kinda felt like some 'steps' were skipped and Fields intentionally didn't ask specific questions so the story could be drawn out. IMO the policing aspects were the weakest and the emotional touchy feely stuff was the strongest.

I'm unsure if Cassidy intends to continue this series because things were relatively wrapped up at the end, but I'd def be down for a second book. I didn't care for the resolution of one of the personal storylines, but that's just a me thing because I have a fidget spinner for a heart. If you're looking for something with low-key Louisa Scarr or S.E. Lynes vibes, go on and grab yourself a copy.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: well-written, great job with Fields' character, interesting case, some great emotional one-liners, BIG improvement from her debut

Cons: repetitiveness (esp about Clarke's superhuman ability of making small talk), random use of full government names (Clarke vs Casey Clarke), policing elements were a lil questionable (although I did see in her author's note, she did her research)

Ally is heavily pregnant with her bosses baby when he sends her to investigate a fire in her hometown. She does not want to go back there, to face her past, to face the heartbreak of her childhood.
Ally feels that she is not worthy of receiving love, and accepts the abuse that is dished out to her.

There was a fire a few years before that claimed the life of a baby. A member of the Garda is the link between the fires, being first on the scene. But the mother of the baby insists that he did not die, that he had been taken before the fire started.

Ally is determined to solve both the cases before her baby makes an appearance.

A very dark police procedural, bringing up much hurt from the past for the detectives investigating the case.
There are twists and turns, and heartbreaking memories.
I really enjoyed this, and liked the fact that Ally finally realised that she is worthy of love and affection. I wish more women would realise they do not need a man in their lives to be happy, and they don't have to take the abuse.
The author has managed to write a story that many will be able to identify with. And shown that women are stronger than they think they are.
The two main characters would be well suited to each other, in my opinion, and I wouldn't mind seeing a relationship develop, even if they don't work cases together.

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

I was expecting more of a suspense novel, but I ended up with a police procedural. This was not the book for me.

3.5 stars

An incredibly readable book, that I flew through in a few hours.
It hits on a lot of things I've read before, so no big surprises, but it does them well.
Ally is an interesting character, a ton of baggage, relationship problems and full of self doubt... there's enough to sort out there, without two possibly linked crimes.
The crime solving was solid, for me, no eye rolling at impossible things happening (which happens TOO often)

A lot of positives for this one.

A devastating fire.

A grieving mother.

A picture-perfect village full of dark secrets.

And now, a son who has seemingly come back from the dead.

Nothing is as it seems in the deceptively picturesque setting of Amanda Cassidy's second novel. And it takes a detective who's had to return to the hometown she left behind a long time ago, to somehow put all the pieces together.

I was really impressed with Amanda Cassidy's debut novel Breaking, some nuances of which still linger with me months after reading the book (and reading a number of other books in between!) So I was keen to take a look at what she had come up with next.

Cassidy already demonstrated her ability to deliver multiple twists very effectively with her first book, and she does an equally good job of maintaining the element of surprise in her second offering.

Nancy is haunted by the events of one fateful night, and how things might have turned out very differently, if she had only acted a little sooner - instead, a devastating fire extracted a terrible price. But hindsight is 20/20 and regrets are not worth the breath we spend expressing them. The real question is what to do about the strange events unfolding now...

Cassidy's writing has a depth that is impressive, and she brings characters vividly to life in the reader's mind. Unlike many books in this genre, she gifts the reader wonderful writing as well as a gripping plot. This is a talent any discerning reader will want to keep an eye on!

What an awesome book! This twisty mystery will mesmerize you ! Two fires, many years apart but with clear connections.
DI Ally Fields is called to the case by her boss - a man she is seeing secretly. This is only one of the many secrets that Amanda Cassidy has skillfully woven throughout the story. DI works with her novice investigator to begin to unwind the threads that connect more than one potential murder and the connection of one of their own Guarda.

Every character is intriguing, and it is hard to point a finger at first to the correct guilty parties. Cassidy reels us in as she begins to reveal more and more about Ally's own life and the choices she has made. Honestly, I hope to see more of the detective duo. I found them incredibly sympathetic and interesting and very easy to root for! I would love to hear what happens next for Ally.

If you like twisty procedurals, Irish mysteries and small towns or just want a new heroine to root for, The Returned is for you!
#Canelo #TheReturned #AmandaCassidy

This true crime story revolves around Sharon Fuller, the Colorado minister’s wife who went through kleenex, discarding them when she was finished with them. Her first husband appears to have escaped unscathed, but her second died from a mysterious fall. The third is found burned almost beyond recognition, with bullet holes in his head. It’s only after this latest death and another life insurance payout that the police begin to investigate and the truth about this seemingly normal woman comes to light. Evil comes in all forms