A brilliant introduction to a new series featuring detectives Leo and Chan. I loved the atmospheric setting for this book and found it very chilling. Great characters and a fast paced read.

I liked the detectives in this book a lot and would love to read another book about them in the future. I liked the mystery - about a girl who went missing in a festival in the Yorkshire Dales and was found decades later - but it didn't quite reach perfect for me. Still, a good start to this series

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Cath Staincliffe’s The Fells is a masterful blend of suspense and emotional depth, set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales. This first installment in the Detectives Donovan & Young series introduces us to a gripping mystery that spans decades, weaving together the lives of its characters with intricate precision.

The story begins in the summer of 1997, when twenty-year-old Vicky Mott disappears from her remote cottage, leaving behind a cryptic note. Fast forward to 2019, and a skeleton is discovered in the caves beneath the fells, reigniting the cold case. 

Detective Leo Donovan is a seasoned veteran with a compassionate heart, struggling with personal demons and physical ailments. His partner, Detective Shan Young, is a rising star, balancing her career with the challenges of impending motherhood. 

The Yorkshire Dales serve as a character in their own right. 

The Fells explores themes of loss, justice, and the passage of time. It delves into the emotional toll of unresolved cases on both the victims’ families and the detectives who pursue them. 

Staincliffe’s writing is both engaging and evocative. She skillfully balances the procedural aspects of the investigation with the personal stories of her characters, creating a narrative that is as emotionally resonant as it is thrilling. 

The Fells is a compelling start to what promises to be an outstanding series. Cath Staincliffe has crafted a story that is both a page-turner and a poignant exploration of human resilience.

Really enjoyed this mystery of a cold case from the past …I liked the detectives and their stories, and the conclusion was unexpected. Very nicely written.

This had a good story and interesting characters, but I found the pacing slow so it was hard to stay engaged. It was worth reading to the end though as it was a good conclusion. I would definitely check out the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for a chance to read and review this book.

“The Fells” by Cath Staincliffe is available now in paperback and on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

Yorkshire Dales, Summer 1997. Vicky Mott slips out the door of her remote cottage, and into the pale dawn light. She scrawls a note for her friends.

Gone to see the sunrise. V xxx

That’s the last anyone ever hears from twenty-year-old music lover Vicky.

Another victim of the Fellside Strangler?

That would make Vicky the fourth young woman to lose her life this summer. Snatched by a mysterious killer who stalks the fells . . .

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Some great characters are introduced and with a well constructed layered mystery. Although the idea of 1997 being so long ago did make me feel very old.

My thanks to Joffe publishers and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Fells” for an honest review.

I really enjoy Cath Staincliffe’s style of writing, and I was a a fan of her previous books.
This new pairing of detectives Leo and Shan has gripped me straightaway.I think the book is a good combination of crime solving and character development.
Hopefully there will be many more in this series to come !

In 1997, Vicky Mott and her friends went to a music festival in the Yorkshire Dales only for Vicky to disappear without a trace. Other women were found murdered in the same area, victims of The Fellside Strangler - was Vicky another victim? Then in 2019, a skeleton is discovered in a cave beneath the fells. Vicky has finally been found. Detectives Leo Donovan and Shan Young have the task of finding out what happened in Vicky's last hours and it mightn't be the open and shut case they envisage...

Cath Staincliffe is an author I enjoy reading (The Silence Between Breaths is a book that has always stayed with me) and The Fells is another winner. The first in a new series, the story is told from the perspectives of four of the characters: Leo and Shan (the detectives), Vicky and her mother, Elizabeth. This gives a real insight into the case both in the present and the past. I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in 1997 as we watch the fate of Vicky slowly unfold and we discover exactly how she died.

In Leo and Shan, the author has created two strong, likeable characters who I am definitely looking forward to reading more about. Both have their own issues to contend with and I am sure we have not read the last of this. Leo, in particular, has a particularly challenging subplot involving his son and it will be interesting to see how this develops in future books.

As always, Cath Staincliffe's writing feels real and, at times, I felt as though I was transported back to the music scene of 1997. The characters are well-written and the plot is perfectly paced. The ending was not what I expected and this was something I appreciated. I will be looking out for book 2 when it is published.

A skeleton is found in a cave - Detectives Leo and Shan are called to the scene to investigate. It’s 2019 and the skeleton is thought to have been from over twenty years ago.
Vicky Mott went missing in 1997 when she was at a festival with her friends. Her body was never found and her mum Elizabeth has never given up hope that Vicky is alive.

The story is told from the perspectives of Vicky, Elizabeth, Leo and Shan. I really liked the way the book was split like this. Leon and Shan both have things going on in their private lives that could easily distract them from the investigation but they both work hard to not let this happen.

A great cold case murder story that kept me guessing all the way through. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is book one in a new series!

Our second book today also has a historic case, that resurfaces thanks to discovery of a skeleton in a cave. Is it the missing girl? How can it be, when she wasn't last seen in that area? Or was that her last sighting? Leo and Shun have to dig deep into the past to try to get the involved parties to let go of previous notions/beliefs/and secrets to tell them the truth, to see is Vicky left on her own, or was taken from the rental house she was at, and was their foul play in her death? Another twisty novel, this one will keep you rapidly turning pages to see what really happened to Vicky and who was involved! Don't miss this new series!

I've realised I really love reading novels set local to me. There's a joy in knowing the places, having been there or on my list of 'to see' places. And from this point of view, The Fells didn't disappoint. A strong start: lovely descriptions of the Dales, the youthful joy of young adults embarking on long awaited adventures. The introduction of the detectives, with their personal stories slowly being built... But then all that build-up started to fizzle...the story itself starts to get lost amid countless annoying societal commentary that rubbed me the wrong way; too many side stories about the main characters and their personal life, all leading to a rather anticlimactic ending.

The Fells introduces us to a terrific new police duo, the unlikely pairing of Donovan and Young, who worked so well together that I found I didn't want to stop reading about them. There was so much more to the book than just the crime and the solving of this cold case which makes me eager to read the next book in the series. How long do we have to wait for that!?

A new detective team and one with great promise. Set in the Yorkshire Dales and descriptions are spot on, even if, as the author admits, geographically astray at times. Two time frames which come together well. 1997 a group of students attend a music festival and one goes missing. Other girls have done the same and been found dead, a man was convicted. Leo was a young detective at the time and was never satisfied with the case. Moving to 2019, he is now a senior detective with a new young colleague - we've moved with the times and she has a wife, is pregnant and is of part Asian background. The two characters are very well written, feel real and I like the way that their professional relationship is developing. A skeleton is found in a caving system and the complexity begins. On top of this there is nasty racial bigotry in the local town from white supremacists and Leo's layabout son seems to be involved to some degree or other. Each chapter is narrated by a different character and I was a bit concerned as this does not always work for me. However, the story lead seamlessly from one character to another and it did work very well. The ending to the police work was satisfactory but there were still family not really cliff, but hangers anyway. 4.5* rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

The Fells is a wonderfully written police procedural and British thriller that felt like it could’ve been written about an actual cold case. It starts in 1997 when Vicky goes missing in the Yorkshire Dales. People eventually assume that she was the fourth victim of a serial killer dubbed the Fellside Strangler, even though her remains were never found.

In 2019 she is finally found deep in a little-explored cave system and two detectives, that are very different in many ways doggedly work the case together. But increasingly the more they dig through twists and turns, the less they seem to really know. Was Vicky really a victim of the Fellside Strangler? Was it someone that Vicky knew or was it something else?

The novel does such a great job of putting the reader in the setting with vivid descriptions. We get such a clear view of the place and people involved and all the elements are so well thought out.

I was intrigued at how the book gives us a point of view from Vicky in 1997 and also from the detectives working her case so many years later.

I enjoyed reading about Detectives Leo Donovan and Shan Young. I thought the character work was layered, complimentary and interesting. It was especially compelling because they felt like real people and not merely predictable boilerplate characters. I also enjoyed their interactions and seeing them develop together as the story unfolded.

I don’t think you could ask for much more from a book. This one has an intriguing premise, carefully drawn realistic characters, and enough twists and turns to keep you engaged.

If you like cold case, thrillers and police procedural-type books then you should definitely consider putting The Fells on your reading list!

Really excellent police procedural introducing us to two new detectives: Leo, with his aches and pains and his way wood son; and his rookie partner Shan, pregnant and feeling her way in a sexist and racist institution. After remains of a body is found deep within a cave system they realise the case is far from cold. Vicky went missing during a festival. Was it a serial killer, a local or one of her friends? The joy of this novel is in the writing and the characters. Looking forward to more.

I enjoyed this book especially as the crime it focussed on was a cold case from 1997, I always find cold cases really intriguing!

Vicky Mott goes missing in 1997, staying at a cottage with her friends to go to a festival. It was thought at the time she was another victim of the Fellside strangler but when her skeleton is discovered nearly 20 years later the evidence Detectives Donovan and Young start to uncover start to case doubt on this theory.
I liked the two main characters and enjoyed seeing their working relationship develop, I am hoping it is the start of a series as I would be interested in reading more about them. Both have their own things going on at home but not necessarily the stereotypical detectives lives which made a refreshing change.

The story being told through each of the main detectives as well as Vicky’s POV from 1997 worked really well and helped the plot to unfold.

Overall an enjoyable read.

Highly recommended! This story was well written., and the plot was well thought out. It was not easily predictable, which I enjoyed. There were many facets of this myster that came together nicely to reveal the truth. I found the evidence that was gathered unique and realistic in a way that I have not seen done before in other books. It kept me guessing, but I could easily follow the logic and path throughout.

It is a dual timeline story: 1997 when Vicki Mott, attending a festival with friends, goes missing. She does not return from an early morning walk to watch the sunrise; and 2019 when Detective Leo Donovan and his new partner Detective Shan Young are on hand when Vicki's remains are finally brought to light 22 years later. Once Vicki's tomb was discovered, the story really took off, in my opinion. I also felt it was a nice touch that we got to know, without a shadow of a doubt, what truly happened by witnessing Vicki's side of the story.

This was my first read by Cath Staincliffe, and I daresay will not be my last! This author wove a compelling and believable mystery. I enjoyed the characters and related easily with Vicki, Elizabeth (her mother), Donovan, and Young. There were other characters that could have been developed a bit more, but it was definitely enough to carry the story on to it's conclusion. I enjoyed the path this story took.

If you like mysteries set in England, give this one a try! I am interested to see Detectives Donovan and Young develop. I haven't read a detective series in awhile, but I think I might just need to continue to follow this one!

**Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher Joffe Books, and the author for the advanced copy received for my honest review**

THE FELLS by Cath Staincliffe.
Detectives Donovan & Young Book 1.
This was a good start to a new series. A really good read. I did like the cover and blurb. Great story and characters. I did like Detective Leo Donovan and Detective Shan Young and how they were with each other. The only thing I didn't like was that it kept going back and forwards. Twisty. Did not see that coming. I am looking forward to the next book. 4*.

In 2019 a skeleton is discovered in a twisty network of caves beneath the fells in the Yorkshire Dales. Detectives Leo Donovan and Shan Young believe the skeleton belongs to 20-year-old Vicky Mott who disappeared in 1997 while attending a music festival in the area.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is top-notch, the characters are very real and the setting is so captivating. The story is told from the points of view of different characters, including Vicky who tells the story of what happened to her in 1997. Although I was hoping for a different ending I still give this book 4.5 stars rounded up. Any time I read a book in less than a week, it's a definite winner for me. Much as I liked the two detectives in this book I'm hesitant to start yet another series but I'll probably do it anyway.

My sincere thanks to Joffe Books via Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: May 9, 2024