Well wow and wow again this was a magnificent read that I absolutely loved and the best thing is it’s just the start of a looks to be a brilliant new series.
Although this is an excellent police procedural it also had a damn good back story going on and I’m so desperate to know more about Gabe and Juliet the two main characters especially after the cliff edge ending that took me totally by surprise. Wonderfully well written I also loved the humour of the read , I enjoyed the way the story was set out with emails , police reports, text message etc I thought that worked really well and kept the flow of the book. But the the best thing was that I didn’t guess the perpetrator I thought I had but was woefully wrong and for me a person who reads a lot of crime novels that is the mark of a 5 star read.
So massive thanks to Anna Britton it was a hell of a great read girl !
My thanks also to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my approval to read and review this book.

This is the first book in a new female Detective Team - DS Gabe Martin and DCI Juliet Stern. They have been working together for approx. 8 months when the story begins. They are tasked with investigating the death of a young girl in the woods of a family estate owned by the Dulworth Family - Dad, Timothy, and Sons - Terence and Leonard. The groundskeeper. Karl Biss calls in the death to the police. The story is told using various forms - emails, texts, phone calls and in different characters. I felt the team dynamic between Gabe and Juliet was well thought out. Overall, the plot is full of twists and turns that it will lead the reader off in other directions. I felt the ending was surprising as I hadn't thought it would be that character. Of course, no spoilers from me, lol! I hope there will be a second book. I will be recommending this to other readers.

I enjoyed this book (despite the grammatical errors and the occasional missing word)! I loved the way the story flowed and that it included texts messages, email, police documentation, etc.

I’ve always been a fan of mysteries and thrillers but I’ve never read a book that touched on police procedures as much as this one did. I was totally engaged and liked getting into the weeds with the detectives.

What I thought I had figured out mid-book turned itself upside down by the end.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book.

This book could use another round of editing Its not a bad story by any means but there is a lot of repitition thats unnessesary and it made the book feel really slow. Also some scènes could be scrapped or joined together to make the story flow better. This story and author have a lot of potential tho so i'm excited to see more of their work.

Shot in the Dark by Anna Britton is the first book in the new detective series featuring a female detective partnership.

The story opens with a young woman running for her life, and then gunshots break the silence. The next morning, the body of seventeen-year-old student Melanie Pirt is found.

DS Gabe Martin is more than ready to take the lead on her first murder case. Determined to prove herself to the cold and mysterious DI Juliet Stern, Gabe can’t afford any distractions. Because while Gabe and Juliet have few leads, there are plenty of suspects. And every one of them is lying.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I did like the two detectives, and the story was good. The story format included emails, texts, articles, etc., was a bit odd and felt a little disjointed while trying to read the book. The story, however, is a good police procedural.

I may check out more books by this author so I can gauge if I like the writing style. I would give this a 3.5 (rounded to 4) out of 5 stars.

#ShotintheDark #NetGalley @BrittonBookGeek

A cracking read. Had everything you could ever want with a police procedural. A complete gripping storyline with fantastic twists
Excellent

DS Gabe Martin and DI Juliet Stern are tasked with investigating a murder where there are many suspects, all with motives and where everyone is lying or hiding something while trying to juggle it with their personal lives.
The book is a police procedural where we are finding clues and trying to fit them together. Sometimes the personal experiences of our protagonists interfere with the professional affecting their judgment and that adds another layer to the story. The theme of the messages has subtracted a little agility to the plot but gives it an original touch.
The ending is heart stopping and leaves you wanting to know more and waiting for the next book.
All in all an attractive read for fans of the genre.

This is the best police procedural I have read in years. It's complex, and gripping, and believable and intensely chilling. I could hardly turn the pages fast enough to discover what happened next.
The characterisation is absolutely razor-sharp. Whilst this is the first time I have met DS Gabe Martin and DI Juliet Stern I feel like I know them intimately. And Gabe has a very special way of narrating events in the case. She may struggle to understand her partner's foibles, and cover any perceived weakness of herself, but this added depths of realism, and layer upon layer of empathy.
I loved the bad guys; the clever and complex plot; and the naughty cliffhanger ending that came out of nowhere.
More please!!!

DS Gabe Martin and DI Juliet Stern are called out to a shooting on a private family estate, owned by the Dunlow family.
Melanie, the teenager was shot three times in the back, and found in the morning by the groundskeeper.

Gabe is convinced that Timothy Dunlow is responsible for the killing, and that all of the family are lying and hiding what they know.

The Groundskeeper, Karl, who has a very sad past, packs up and disappears. Despite this, Gabe does not suspect him of the killing.

But someone is out to get the family, but who?

I really did not like the way this was written. I found it confusing with text messages from unknown to unknown persons interspersed with chapters, and in-house police emails as well. In my opinion, the way this was done did not add to the story.

Very little was explained, Juliet's broken relationship with her husband and her reluctance to see her children... some explanation would have been welcome.
She came over as cold and distant, unfriendly to a point, detached - but dedicated to her job.
The other murder, of a seven year old girl seemed unnecessary in this book, it had nothing to do with Gabe and Juliet, apart from Gabe's throwaway remark about where the child's parents could be hiding out. I don't know why this even featured in the book. A subplot that had nothing to do with the main plot.

The whole investigation seemed repetitive, and Gabe's gut feelings were totally wrong. She chased after people she didn't like instead of following the evidence.

I hated the ending. Utterly ridiculous. Again, nothing explained, and no perpertrator seen.

I was not at all impressed by the book, the writing, the story.

2/5 stars from me.

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

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, revenge, murder, great who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!