The fifth book in The Anglesey Murder series and DI Laura Hart seems incapable of staying out of trouble or danger! Still recovering from the dreadful outcome of the previous book Laura and fiancé/ boss DI Gareth Williams and their team at Beaumaris are investigating the disappearance of a 17 year old girl reported missing from her Aunt’s home. As always this is a fast paced read, short chapters and lots of action from the start.

Briefly, the murder of an inmate at HMP Tonsgrove on Anglesey adds to the teams workload. With the team split, looking into the two separate cases, little progress is made in either, with nobody prepared to talk at the prison and it’s now looking as if the girl may have been murdered. Laura has a plan to solve the prison murder but it entails high risk and puts her in serious danger.

Laura and her family and friends do seem to court disaster and you have to wonder at the likelihood of them being in the middle of trouble so often; but hey it’s fiction so anything goes! The storyline continues to keep us enthralled with great twists and turns and a shocking climax. As their wedding day approaches will Laura and Gareth still be standing? You’ll need to read it to find out. Great read.

How have I missed this author. Loved it from the opening page to the very end. This book just grips you. Laura and Gareth are both such endearing characters.

Love a good police procedural book and this one was just easy to read and I did not want to put it down.

Loveable characters as well as a brilliant storyline Settle in and enjoy 💜

This is the second book in this series I've read and the author gives enough background in each book for it not to matter too much whether you've read the previous ones. This is good, but it does make you wonder how much can happen to one particular family, as disaster after disaster are heaped on Laura, her husband, her boyfriend and her children.
In this book she goes under cover in a woman's prison to help her fiance solve a murder which happened 'inside', since neither the inmates nor the guards will talk to the police. Meanwhile another investigation is running into the disappearance of a young girl. The two cases initially have no connections but gradually the same names crop up and we find the two are indeed connected.
This is a fast paced book, with a lot happening and short easy to read chapters. The author keeps the pace going with something dramatic happening every few pages and the stories twist and turn. And that really is the problem I had with the book - there was too much happening and it all became a bit too unbelievable for me. I was also slightly narked when the author kept telling the reader what things like 'blues and twos' meant. I felt he was belittling the reader who either already knew or would be able to work it out.
Having said that however, it is still a readable story if you like fast paced police procedurals with a lot happening.
With thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an early copy in return for an honest review.

This story starts off with a bang we have a prisoner that is murdered and then a missing teen and a cop going into the prison undercover. Nothing is making sense to the cops until they find a connection among the cases and everything starts to unfold. This had such a great plot and even twists to it that I couldn’t stop reading and the twist didn’t stop either until the end. We also got to see how hard being a detective or cop can be on the family when the cop went undercover.

Dead in the Water by Simon McCleave is the fifth book in the excellent DI Ruth Hunter series and this series just gets better and better. Once you open you kindle/book and start to read it you will be hooked from the beginning till the very end. It's a great page turner.

Finally, DI Laura Hart and DI Gareth Williams relationship is now out in the open and they are making plans to marry.

A seventeen-year-old girl called Abby vanishes, from her aunt's and uncle's home overnight, where she has been living while her mother is at work out of the country, and DI Laura Hart knows that time is of the essence.

Then, an inmate at the local prison is murdered in her cell and suddenly Beaumaris CID is juggling two major investigations at the same time.

Now, the inmates are refusing to talk to the police, Laura, is forced to take drastic going undercover behind bars. With everyone under suspicion, Laura’s true identity must be kept a secret, meaning no one can protect her.

Will she be safe behind bars?.........

Now, locked in with a killer...............Tick Tock the clock is ticking! and time is running out for her.

Can Laura find a lead…........before she’s found out?

WoW this book is so good and I could not put it down.......Great page turner......

But, do DI Laura Hart and DI Gareth Williams finally make it down the aisle? You will need to read it to find out.

I highly recommend this series and you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Simon McCleave for this ARC.

A missing girl and a murdered inmate two investigations at the same time. This is an excellent addition to the Laura Hart series. Tha author handles the two investigations seemingly with ease. The main characters grow with each book. How will Simon top this. Thanks to Avon books and Netgalley for this review ARC.

I feel so invested in this series that it is amazing that we are only 5 books in. This is a testament to the engaging lead characters and how the author portrays their lives and how are impacted by their work, both inside the job and at home. I really enjoy the novels produced by this writer and look forward to reading more from him.

4 Stars from me

This book follows dual timelines, one inside a prison and one focussing on the hunt to locate a missing teenage girl. Seemingly unrelated they are both exciting and tense with a sense of jeopardy for all involved.

For missing 17 year old, Abby - there are lots of question marks. She lives with her aunt and uncle and for all intents and purposes disappeared without a trace. There are signs that she has not just run away and DI Laura Hart and the team question everything and everyone in their attempts to track her down - the question is, of course, did she even leave the house alive?

Meanwhile, in the other thread, Laura goes undercover in a local prison where she risks serious injury or certain death if discovered and I found this part of the story incredibly taut. In order to try and find out who murdered a prisoner in her cell, Laura literally risks her life with no chance of backup as not even the staff can be trusted with her identity meaning that she is frighteningly on her own in a jail full of angry, dangerous criminals, most of whom appear to be cop haters.

As the two threads begin to converge, this crime thriller really ramps up and heads fast into a satisfying conclusion. A great addition to the Anglesey crime series!

I was so excited to read this, book 5 in the Anglesey Series! Simon McCleave is a brilliant write, and having read and loved the rest of the series I just know I was going to love this one too.

This book once again starts as it means to go in, for those who haven't read the rest of the series there's a short recap of Laura's history before she came back to Anglesey, and then we're straight into the tension and drama, especially with the last book having been left on such a cliff hanger.

This story sees the team investigating the murder of a prisoner at the Island's women's prison, at the same time as a disappearance of a local teenager. The events unfold more quickly in the second half with high speed chases, which SImon always does brilliantly, and plenty of suspense and drama. It will keep you gripped.

I love seeing Welsh words and phrases in Simon's books too. I love that he's bringing people's attention to our beautiful part of the world, and it's brilliantly woven into the mystery of the stories, creating dramatic tension with the beauty of the area. This series is based in my home town and I'm always excited to see what nuggets of info he finds out about the local area. His knowledge and facts are well researched, and I love reading new bits of info despite having lived here most of my life!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books Uk, and Simon McCleave for an advance copy in return for an open and honest review.

Dead in the Water by Simon McCleave is another well plotted and exciting mystery. An entertaining and gripping mystery, great setting and well developed characters.
Fast paced and exciting this is a police procedural full of thrills and exciting twists.

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

This story has a breathtaking start. The story then moves on six months with only a few flashbacks to its adrenaline-fueled start. Whilst what follows is an absorbing and immersive police procedural, there are still unanswered questions about this series' overriding mystery. That said, this is a good story with a missing teenager and the death of a prisoner to investigate. I am not a fan of prison-set stories, but this one was nicely linked to the other story and perpetuated a menacing ethos. It's a fast-paced read. I like the characters, the intensity and the investigation team dynamic.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I love all of Simon McCleave books and was exited to pick up again with DI Laura Hart.
This story focuses on two investigations. One a missing teenage girl and one the murder of a women in prison. The POV’s from detectives working on either case let us follow both cases.
DI Hart ends up going undercover in the prison when no one is speaking putting herself in danger. Can she and the team work out who the murderer is before the inmates find out she is a Police officer? Can the team find out what has happened to the teenage girl before she comes to any harm.

As always I enjoyed the realism included in the little details from the author and with this book there were references to real life cases which I found interesting.

The book as well as focusing on the crimes the team investigate also looks at their private lives, in particular the relationship between Laura and Gareth Williams.
Although it is part of a series, there is enough of a recap for someone to follow if reading as a standalone. However, I would recommend reading the previous books as they are great too.

Looking forward to the next instalment.

Oh I did so enjoy this book for all its twists and turns. Also the interrelationships of all the characters added to the enjoyment. I really do not want to say more - other than give yourself a treat and buy Dead in the Water, I cannot imagine you will not enjoy it and have a hard time putting it down.

The only other comment is that I find it difficult, almost impossible, to come to terms with "the cop under cover" aspect as I cannot imagine, given the circumstances in the story, that it would be allowed to happen in real life.

The action starts straight away in Dead in the Water when we find DI Laura Hart abducted at gunpoint by former friend Pete. Following directly on from the last book in the series, Laura has uncovered too much about Pete's corruption, and now she must face the consequences.

There's no let up in the action either once Laura makes her escape. With a murdered prison inmate and a missing teenage girl, the Beaumaris police team have their work cut out. I loved the way that the action switched between the two storylines, always leaving you wanting more!

Dead in the Water is a great addition to the series, it's fast paced and keeps you guessing right to the end.

Anglesey #5

When a seventeen-year-old girl vanishes from her home overnight, DI Laura Hart knows that time is of the essence. Then an inmate at the local prison is murdered in her cell, and suddenly Beaumaris CID is juggling two major investigations.
with inmates refusing to talk to the police, Laura is forced to take drastic action, going undercover behind bars. With everyone under suspicion, Laura's true identity must be kept secret, meaning no one can protect her. Locked in with a killer, it's a race against time - can Laura find a lead.... before she's found out?

Two crimes are being investigated - the first being the investigation into the disappearance of seventeen-year-old Abby White, who lived with her aunt and uncle while her mother was working out of the country. The second was the murder of an inmate at the local women's prison.

I quite like this police procedural series. There's lots going on, even the preparation of Laura and Gareth's upcoming wedding. The two cases are eventually linked together. The plot is complex, it's descriptively written, and has a fast pace in this twisted read. The characters are well-developed and likeable. My attention was held through this gripping read.

Published 29th June 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #SimonMcCleave for my ARC of #DeadInTheWater in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in this series that I have read and I didn’t need prior knowledge to follow the plot or pick up the back story.

While I found it an enjoyable read I did think it was all wrapped up too simplistically.

Overall a pleasant read.

"Dead in the Water" is the fifth instalment in the series. Having read only one of the earlier books, I found both to be enjoyable and accessible as standalone novels. However, I would suggest reading the series in sequence for the best experience. This book captivated me with its fast pace and numerous twists, making it impossible to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

This is the 5th book in this series about DI Laura Hart and it’s a great read. Read it in one sitting, the pages flow together and the untangling of the criminal mystery gets you engrossed.

Laura is on a missing girl case, she was at home and disappeared in the middle of the night. The story opens up a web of lies and hidden truths. I love reading about Laura’s account on the investigation and it’s all very realistic. A great crime mystery 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Simon McCleave continues his Anglesey detectives series in a new story about a missing girl, who is presumed dead. This story involves undercover police work, drug lords and gang families both in jail and out of jail. This is well written and fast paced. You find yourself leaping through the pages to uncover what happens next.
If you’ve not read any of the Anglesey detectives then don’t worry, this book also works as a standalone, but refers to the odd past case. This doesn’t affect the storyline though.
All In All this is a great detective story set in Anglesey and uses lots of wee Welsh words too- both place names and a couple of others.

Another good story from this writer in the interesting detective series. Written in a style that makes you feel involved in the plot. A good read.