Carla Kovach is an auto yes! author for me. Her #ginaharte series is FANTASTIC!
Her Hidden Shadow weaves a cold case from years ago into a recent double murder - friend of a friend of the victim. And I LOVED it! Adds creep factor - as well as highlights a victim's life after an attack.
Lauren's fiancé and best friend are murdered - when questioning Laruen's friend, Tiff, Gina learns she was a previous victim of this killer.
Tiff struggle with PTSD - symptoms manifested and impacting her physical health.
Will Gina help Tiff move on by catching this culprit? Will he kill again?

This is Book 14 of the Detective Gina Harte series but can be read as a standalone. Wow this was a gripping, fast paced, whirlwind page turner. Really well developed storyline that has so much going on that your head is in a spin trying to keep up. Gina Harte rocks as a character. There are some truly unlikely ones also. I like when an author writes a well developed, strong female character but also one that’s human an doesn’t come across as invincible. This read has it all from personal lives, past history, personal and professional relationships and of the course the police investigation and all that comes with that. I had my suspicions but boy does Kovach keep you hanging on and building the suspense and then you start second guessing yourself. I couldn’t actually read fast enough to get to the truth and for it all to come together. This is a class book series to sink your teeth into. Definitely recommend…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review #HerHiddenShadow

Lauren stumbles out of the taxi after a great night out with friends celebrating her engagement. The only thing missing was her best friend, Sienna, but she had fun anyway. Life is great and she couldn’t be happier to finally be engaged to Robbie. As she enters her small house all is dark and quiet, so she undresses and crawls into bed next to her fiance. But something isn’t right. He feels cold. And why can she feel something wet? She turns on the light to see the body of her best friend covered in blood. Why is Sienna in her bed? And what has happened to Robbie? Lauren’s scream pierces the air and as she picks up her phone to call the police she hears a thud from another room. The killer is still in the house…

Her Hidden Shadow is another first-class thriller from Carla Kovach. It had everything I’ve come to expect from one of her books and she pulled me in with her compelling characters, intriguing plots, and heart-stopping suspense. I like how she always tackles a deeper topic in her books, this time exploring the effects of trauma with honesty, sensitivity and compassion. Her stories are always hard to predict and I was on tenterhooks as she built up to the big reveal.

This is the fourteenth book in the Detective Gina Harte series and at this point Gina and her team feel like old friends. So despite the dark and difficult topics these books always feel like comfort reads to me. I’m emotionally attached to these characters, something Kovach uses to her advantage by adding in storylines featuring Gina and her team that threaten everything you think you know. It heightens the tension and makes it impossible to put the book down. And boy did she put me through it with this book, though I’ll not say more as I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

Action-packed, tense, addictive, and full of twists and turns, Carla Kovach has knocked it out of the park once again. I can’t wait for book fifteen!

This is the 14th story with Detective Gina Harte as the lead detective in a macabre murder case. It starts with a hen party and the nigh5 ends with a murder and a missing groom. This is a case that strikes close to home for Gina and she needs to keep the team together and catch a fiendish killer.
A fantastic read and I can’t wait for book 15.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An engagement hen party, fun with friends,
But a devastating way is how it ends.
Why is her best friend in her bed?
Who left her lying there, cold and dead?
Where is her fiancé - is he the killer?
What happens next makes this a chilling thriller.

Another case for Detective Gina Harte to investigate
With her team the killer they hope soon to locate.
But there are twists galore as the case unfolds
Including secrets from the past that need to be told!
A gripping page turner from beginning to end,
With shocking revelations to come from a friend.

Another great read full of suspense and mystery
As so much reminds Gina of her personal history.
The revelations, the team, the friendships and more
Make this a brilliant crime thriller you shouldn't ignore!
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Her Hidden Shadow’ by Carla Kovach.

This is Book 14 in Kovach’s popular series of police procedurals featuring D.I. Gina Harte. It is set in the fictional Midlands town of Cleevesford.

While the main focus is on the current case, some background is provided for readers new to the series or as reminders for returning ones. As such, the books work fine as standalones.

Coming home after a girls night out with a group of work friends, Lauren Cross is surprised to find her house in darkness as she had expected her fiancé, Robbie, to still be up. Rather tipsy she climbs into bed beside the apparently sleeping Robbie. Yet when she reaches out he seems cold. Switching on the light she sees with horror that she is sharing the bed with a lifeless body. It’s not Robbie lying there but her best friend Sienna! Cue screams. Elsewhere in the house an intruder listens…..

D.I. Gina Harte and her team are quickly on the scene. There are plenty of questions, including the whereabouts of Robbie. Gina identifies a link between this attack and one that took place four years ago in another Midlands town. That victim, Tiffany, is one of Lauren’s colleagues. Coincidence?

When suspicion lands on someone close to Gina, Detective Superintendent Sullivan is brought in from Hereford to oversee the case. Sullivan had been Gina’s D.I. when she was a trainee and had made her life miserable. Sullivan continues to delight in taking every opportunity to put Gina down as they race against time to identify the killer.

Having read most of the books in this series I am always confident in Carla Kovach’s ability to craft the kind of police procedural that grabs my attention from the opening and keeps me completely engaged until the final scene. ‘Her Hidden Shadow’ continued this trend with plenty of twists along the way. I found it an excellent addition to the series.

Are you a fellow police procedural reader? Have you read this author’s series? Why not? I feel like she doesn’t get the same hype as some of her contemporaries, but her books are just as enjoyable. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

There is a great balance between work and their personal life for the Gina Harte and her team. This case is personal for them and I think that always helps to create extra tension and suspense. As usual in this series, I fell a little bit for the red herrings before finally figuring it all out right before the reveal. I read this in a day because I needed to know what happened. This is one of the series that I wait forever, it seems, for a new book, binge it in a day and then am back to waiting for a new book. The story is layered and kept moving along. If you don’t want to believe me about this series, look at all the five star reviews for this and all her other books.

While I mention the series, and this is book 14, all of the books can be read as a stand alone. But you will get more out of the personal lives and growth of the team when reading as a series. This would make for your perfect weekend reading. If you pick it up, let me know what you think.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping book

wow such a powerful storyline that keeps you gripped right to the end

so many red herrings with stalking and murder abound

but its harte and her team under stress when one of their own is accused of murder and as someone else comes in to take over the investigation things start to get tougher for gina...

brilliant edition to a wonderful series

Gina Harte book 14.

Lauren has had a fantastic night out with friends celebrating her engagement to live of her life Robbie. Getting home she is very, very drunk and climbs into bed. Cuddling up to Robbie she realised something is very, very wrong. The body is cold and the bed is soaking wet. And it's not Robbie. It's her best friend Sienna. So where is he?

Reaching for her phone she realises it's not where she left it. And then she hears someone in her house. Is she going to be next?

Gina Harte and her team face a race against time to find the killer and Lauren is horrified that Robbie is their prime suspect. Then another body is found. What is going on?

This series just gets better and better. I was hooked from the very first page. I absolutely flew through this as I couldn't put it down. Loved it.

Another banger from Author Carla Kovach! The Detective Harte series is just phenomenal. You really can't go wrong when you pick up a book from this series. They all work together or as stand alone books.

This time Gina is back with an old flame and they are figuring out their newly rekindled relationship. Meanwhile, a series of murders happens and Gina's work partner seems to be a suspect. To make matters worse, an old work nemesis from Gina's past is put in charge of the investigation, meaning Gina is no longer lead and answers to someone else. She will have to put everything she has into proving her partner is innocent.

The current murders seem somehow linked to past assaults, but the assaults have gone unsolved. Somehow there has to be a link to all the victims and Gina needs to figure it out and fast.

There was a weird subplot about eco-activism thrown in to this plot that was irrelevant and boring. I see what the author was trying to do, but find that taking it out completely wouldn't have changed the story much.

The twists and turns kept coming up until the end. An intriguing mystery novel. Another 5 star read!

Click here to see all my reviews on Carla Kovach books-----> Kovach Books

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me an advanced copy to read and review. "Her Hidden Shadow" is available now in the U.S. so get your copy now!

Happy Reading!

This is the best this series has been in awhile. We get a lot more of the case and less of the personal life drama that has been overplayed. It almost felt like a new series and I loved it! I enjoyed the twists and the best part of all was the way things played out with an old foe. Gina's character was at the top of her game. It makes me excited for the next book.

I read every book by Carla Kovach and was excited about this new DI Gina Harte installment! The plot is very well written, as usual, and I’m glad the story is more focused on the case than on Gina’s life.
I switched from suspect to suspect without being sure about anyone due to all the clever plot twists. This book definitely kept me up past my bedtime, I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, Carla Kovach and Bookouture for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Her Hidden Shadow is my first read from the author and I did enjoy it, but most of all the first part were better cause I did figure out who the killer was early.
It was intense at the beginning but halfway through I lost my interest a little bit.

Happy to have read it and notice an author that I haven't read anything from before.

Her Hidden Shadow is book 14 in the Detective Gina Harte series and this series just gets better and better! If you've never read a Carla Kovach book I highly recommend you start with this one. You can read Her Hidden Shadow as a standalone book even though it's a series as you're given the background information that you need. Her Hidden Shadow kept me on edge throughout and checking my locks periodically.

Lauren is out celebrating her engagement to Robbie with her girlfriends. They're having a fantastic night and the drinks are flowing. Robbie, Lauren's fiance', is at home as he wanted her to have fun with her friends. Robbie had already arranged for a taxi to drive them to the party and to drive Lauren and 2 of her friends home. Lauren was sad that her best friend, Sienna, hadn't been able to make it. However, she was excited that they were getting together tomorrow for a spa day.

When Lauren arrives home she's very drunk.. She's so drunk that the taxi driver had to wake her and help her out of the car. She ended up pushing him and yelling at him to get off of her, but she wasn't aware of how bad off she was. She took off her heels and stumbled towards the door. As she finally got the key in the lock, the taxi pulls away. Lauren goes in and everything is dark. No lights are on and when she calls out for Robbie there's no response. She heads upstairs to their bedroom and sees he's already in bed under the covers. She drops her dress and is so tired that she crawls into bed. As she goes to snuggle with Robbie, her hand touches something wet. She quickly pulls away, turns on the lamp, and sees that the person beside her is not Robbie! Sienna is lying in her bed with blood flowing out of her onto the sheets. Sienna is dead and she's in Lauren and Robbie's bed!

Lauren screams and calls for Robbie again, but he's not there! Where is Robbie and why is Sienna in their bed? Who is that standing and watching Lauren? Who killed Sienna and why? Lauren calls 911 and waits for the police and paramedics to arrive. A night that was supposed to be a celebration has suddenly turned into a nightmare! Is Lauren in danger? As DI Harte and her team arrive they can't figure out where Robbie could be. His car is in the driveway and that's the only car they own. The police come to the conclusion that Robbie and Sienna were having an affair and something went wrong. Robbie is now the prime suspect in Sienna's murder. Did Robbie kill Sienna? Did he really love Lauren? Where is Robbie?

As the detectives investigate this case there is someone going around strangling women with a scarf. The attacker is using things from his past crimes. Who could be doing this? Will DI Harte and her team catch him before he kills again? Some of his victims have been lucky and lived to tell, but no one can identify the attacker as he wears a ski mask. The victims are terrified that their attacker will come back. They're terrified and find it hard to leave their house. When one of DI Harte's team is implicated in the investigation he is arrested for Sienna's murder. Did he really do it? DI Harte thinks not, but the woman in charge, has no interest in what Gina thinks. She trained Gina years ago and has held a grudge against her ever since. Will Gina be able to work the investigation with Sullivan watching and questioning her every move?

The suspense builds and builds until you just can't put Her Hidden Shadow down! There are several twists along the way and you'll have a great time trying to figure out the killer! I rate Her Hidden Shadow 5 stars with my highest recommendation. The book is available now so don't wait! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of Her Hidden Shadow in exchange for a fair review. #HerHiddenShadow

DI Gina Harte is back with a bang and a case that hits close to home both personally and professionally. When she is called to the home of Lauren Cross. Who has just returned from a night out celebrating her engagement to find her best friend Sienna in her bed strangled and stabbed and her fiancee Robbie Shields missing.

And Lauren just like Gina and her team believe Robbie Shields is the killer.

But as Gina and an out of sorts Jacob start to dig. They learn there are plenty of others with motive, and when they interview a friend who was supposed to be on the night out with Lauren they make a shocking discovery.

Which leaves Gina to believe there is somebody out there strangling woman and it's not Robbie Shields.

But who?

And when the case is taken over by an old foe and a member of the team accused Gina realises she's going to have to go it alone if she's to find the real killer and save her colleague and close knit team.

And even though I had an idea early on who was involved. I still couldn't read this story fast enough. As I had to find out if I was right and I loved how it all came together. Not to mention how far out on a limb Gina went to save not only her colleague and team, but the victims too. And honestly, I think this is one of the best Gina Harte stories I've ever read and I'd happily recommend it to others.

Another brilliant book in this great crime series.
This book gets off to a flying start with an attack on a woman alone at night in her home.
We then see Lauren return from a night out to find a dead body in her bed - so this is not one to read home alone.
Another body is soon found and Gina and the team have their hands full trying to find the killer.
With events taking a turn for the worse, outside forces are called in to take over the investigation and it’s not someone Gina gets on with.
There’s lots going on in this book and it’s a gripping fast paced crime thriller.
I highly recommend this series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Gina goes the extra mile for this case and gets into hot water with an old nemesis. However her team vouches for her and sends the enemy packing. I think that was my favorite scene.
The sleuthing and detective work was good as well. I clued on one suspect fairly early but Kovach made me work for the final reveal and how one character, master victim, becomes the main manipulator.
Gina’s own family may still be in shambles but her team accepts her as she is and I hope she spends more time with them.

Having read all of the Gina Harte books whenever they are available, this one was again very fun and entertaining! I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys thrillers!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Her Hidden Shadow, the fourteenth novel to feature DI Gina Harte, set in the fictional Staffordshire town of Cleevesford.

Lauren Cross returns from a night out and crawls into bed, only the cold body lying there is not, as she expects, her fiancé, Robbie, it is her best friend, Sienna. She hears someone at the bedroom door and starts screaming.

I thoroughly enjoyed Her Hidden Shadow, something I haven’t said about the past few novels in the series. I was in two minds about dragging myself through another sad tale of woe from the vaults of Gina’s mind, but, thankfully, this novel is all about the case and any woe to be had she vanquishes with her smart mind and sense of right. To be honest it is heartwarming to see her stand up for herself and what she believes in and I hope that this is the beginning of a new, improved Gina.

The plot is excellent. There are several twists and turns and while some of it is guessable it’s the crowning details that take the reader by surprise. I was glued to the pages, desperate to know what was coming next. I had an inkling of the murderer’s identity, but no idea of motive and I will confess to getting caught up in the author’s misdirection at times. The big issue in the novel is Sienna’s secrets and, boy, does she have some crackers. My jaw kept dropping as they are revealed, so they’re probably not entirely plausible, but they certainly make for good reading.

Gina is in a good place in her life. The romance with her boss, DCI Briggs is back on and makes her happy, but obviously that can’t last. For reasons I’m not going to specify her old nemesis Superintendent Sullivan arrives to take over the case. She’s a nasty woman who has it in for Gina, but not for too long when she’s proved wrong on all fronts. I enjoyed their final confrontation so much I’m going to re-read it before moving on.

Her Hidden Shadow is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Her perfect night out just became her worst nightmare…

Lauren is on a night out with her friends to celebrate her engagement. She returns home, kicks off her shoes and climbs into bed sidling up to her sleeping fiance. She finds his leg is stone cold and there's a sticky patch by her head. When she turns on the lamp she is shocked to discover not Robbie in bed beside her but her best friend Sienna...and she's dead! Lauren screams and calls 999 in hysterics.

DI Gina Harte is called to the scene in the early hours and is shocked by the appearance of her DS, Jacob Driscoll. He looks like he'd eaten a bad kebab and upon stepping into the crime scene, he had to be excused before being sick. Something was amiss with her DS but she'd speak to him later. For now her focus was on the murder of Sienna and the hysterical Lauren in the back of the ambulance. She'd been out celebrating her engagement with friends. So why wasn't Sienna amongst them if she was her best friend. And if she thought she was climbing into bed with her fiance, where was the said fiance now?

It isn't long before the team discover that Sienna had been stalked by a visiting colleague. They had lived together for a short time but she left when he became too controlling. Their focus were on him and that of Lauren's missing fiance Robbie.

And then in questioning one of Lauren's friends who was also supposed to be with them that night but called off sick, it seemed that there is a link between Sienna's murder and an historical attack on friend Tiffany four years before.

Then just as the team are gathering information to question their lead suspect, new information comes to light that throws everything they thought they knew out the window. And two new members join them from Hereford to oversee the investigation. A Detective Superintendent Sullivan, who had been a thorn in Gina's side when she was a trainee DC, and a DI Collier. Gina was no longer running this investigation and Sullivan was out to bring her down with relish. But can Gina solve the murders before it's too late?

This 14th outing with Gina Harte and her team is just as thrilling as all the previous ones. Though it is a series, it can easily be read as a standalone as you don't really miss anything otherwise, except for maybe character development and their backstories. I admit to forgetting what happened to Jennifer with the hit and run from a previous book and I still can't recall it. But she is a minor character that we don't really see and is only mentioned from time to time.

I did easily work out half of the twist but I must say I was surprised by the other half of it. Hats off to you Ms Kovach for pulling that one off.

The tension is ramped up a notch in this installment but it comes at a cost...and one I hate to see in series and is often why I don't read many series. The in-house politics and discord amongst the ranks is something I loathe. That's why I love this series so much because Gina's team all work well together without that angst. But bringing in two outsiders who want nothing but to set a cat amongst the pigeons and watch the fallout just makes my skin crawl. The inclusion of Sullivan and Collier didn't have to be so horrible but it was, and I felt it ruined what would otherwise have been a 5 star read. The rest of the story itself was second to none and I loved it.

Overall, a compelling read that is edge of your seat and page turning and another outstanding addition to the series. I can't wait to see what's next for Gina and her team.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerHiddenShadow in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.