Another great Detective Louise Blackwell novel by Matt Brolly.
As someone based in Weston, this detective series is so interesting and knowing the locations mentioned makes it feel even more real.
I loved the focus on the cult and the pagans in this book and overall found the whole mystery super gripping.

While exploring caves near Weston-Super-Mare, a seaside town in Britain, two men stumble upon what they believe to be human remains. Forensic analysis confirms their suspicion, identifying the remains as those of Hugo Latchford, a young boy who vanished a decade earlier. At the time of his disappearance, Hugo was living with foster parents while his biological parents were involved with a quasi-religious group known as The Verdant Circle (VC), which also had ties to environmental activism. The locals had grown suspicious of the group's activities and beliefs.

DI Louise Blackwell, recently returned from maternity leave, is assigned to lead the investigation alongside her new assistant, Miles Boothroyd. Together, they unravel clues related to the missing child, all while the VC prepares for its upcoming Summer Solstice celebration.

This novel is the seventh installment in the DI Louise Blackwell series, capable of being enjoyed as a stand-alone work, thanks to the author's frequent references to previous cases. Interestingly, although the author is male, he predominantly writes from Louise’s perspective, revealing her internal struggle as a new mother grappling with the demands of leaving her young son and stepdaughter in daycare. Committed to her role as a detective, Louise faces doubts about applying for a soon-to-be-vacant Chief Inspector position.

The story is gritty and contains chilling moments, particularly concerning themes of child endangerment, making certain passages challenging to read. The characters are complex, engaging with significant political and societal issues. The audiobook version is well narrated and maintains a brisk pace throughout. Recommended for fans of crime fiction and police procedurals.

I really enjoyed this book. It started off a bit slow but hang in there DCI Blackwell took all of my attention. The storyline is unique and i couldnt stop listening. I absolutely loved the reader Danielle Cohen was a perfect match completely captivating my attention. I highly recommend giving this one a shot. Im already looking into Matt Brollys other audiobooks.

The Solstice is the seventh book in the DI louise Blackwell series, and although the reader who has read the books in order will understand more about Louise's character, it is not necessary to have read any of the previous books to easily follow the story. Louise is returning to work after a maternity leave and is immediately thrown into a case involving a child's bones, found in a nearby cave. The bones turn out to belong to a boy that went missing ten years ago. The boy's parents were involved in a local somewhat mysterious cult, which depending on your point of view was either a new-age commune or a dangerous pagan community practicing ancient rituals.

Brolly manages to keep the pace of the book really flowing by dropping new clues and revelations, as well as an underlying feeling of urgency. Louis is torn between doing her best on the case and having to leave the baby in care for the first time. Some of the trials that are mentioned that she faces as a working parent will feel familiar to many in that situation, but the difference is that the case Louise is working on is life or death! Another child has been kidnapped and Louise is afraid he will be sacrificed in a gruesome ceremony on the upcoming solstice if she and her crew can't find him in time and find the perpetrator who killed the boy ten years ago.

The dramatic scenery played a role in this story and was certainly used to forward the plot a couple of times. I really enjoyed reading another installment of DI Blackwell's adventures, and look forward to the next.

I listened to the audio of this book and the narrator Danielle Cohen's voice fit the story and kept me properly engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley, Matt Brolly and Brilliance Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️
Book 7 of this series and can be read as a stand-alone. The narrator was Danielle Cohen and she did a good job.
DI Louise Blackwell is leading the investigation after returning to duty from maternity leave and they’ve found skeletal remains of a child and an active cult community near by.
It was a mysterious, creepy novel that I found entertaining.
Thanks Brilliance Audio via NetGalley.

I love this series so was very happy to listen to the latest book. Louise Blackwell is now a mum but ready to go back to work after maternity leave, but is struggling with the demands of her job and looking after the children, especially when, on her first day back, she has to investigate after the bones of a young boy are discovered and his death is linked to a cult. Did I say that I love thrillers involving cults?? Well, this is pretty much the perfect book for me! The chilling prologue hooked me in and didn't let go. The storyline is quite dark but very believable, and unfolds at a good pace with plenty of red herrings. I really liked Louise's new partner, Miles, and look forward to meeting him again in future books.

I enjoyed the narration by Danielle Cohen, who has narrated all the earlier books in the series too, and her use of different voices allowed me to easily work out which character was speaking.

This is the first Matt Brolly book I have read so the characters were new to me even though it's book 7 in a series.

The premise was interesting, bones found in a cave and potentially linked to human sacrifice by cult members in an organisation where changing names was common. There follows misdirection, red herrings and strange goings on.
Louise is the main character, a DI who is learning to balance family life with a job that doesn't follow office hours and a childminder who is not thrilled about that. I didn't really get a connection with any of the characters.

The narrator was good at doing enough voices to distinguish between characters but I personally didn't think the voice of Louise fit the character and really disliked the voice of Gerard in particular.

It was a decent holiday listen and I would read other books by this author but maybe not this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the DRC.

Over the years I have seen many positive reviews of author Matt Brolly's books, this is my first taste of them, it is the 7th in his DI Louise Blackwell series, which I listened to on audio. It is narrated by Danielle Cohen, who was fine, there is masses of drama, suspense and tension in what is a chilling thriller with a macabre and horrifying storyline. Having given birth to son, Jack, a torn Louise is returning from maternity leave, wondering desperately if she is doing the right thing. Matters are made no easier as she finds herself leading a terrifying case that is to test her to her very limits, working with a DC Miles Boothroyd, a work partner she is mentoring.

Pot holers are exploring caves that give up a nightmare secret when they discover the 10 year old bones of a dead child, which after some digging the police identify as those of Hugo Latchford. He had been given up by parents who were part of a sinister eco-activist group and cult that insists their members give up their worldly possessions and homes, a group under surveillance by another part of the police force, an investigation headed by DI Pepperstone. Hugo had disappeared whilst under the care of foster parents, but Louise is keen to find his actual parents. With rumours of sacrifices at the solstice, and the discovery of Hugo's bones, a cult member and mother, Fiona, becomes increasingly uneasy with her rising fears for her son.

As another long ago child victim comes to light and as solstice nears, Louise races against time to save the life of the next child victim. This entails a guilt ridden Louise missing spending time with her children, and despite the support of husband Thomas, she is forced to rely on her parents to handle her responsibilities. This leaves her wondering if she should give up work, could a promotion to DCI potentially be the answer? I enjoyed this police procedural, it was dark and intense, and held my attention throughout. I can recommend this, the book and the audio, to fans of the series and those who like the crime and mystery genre. Many thanks to Brilliance Publishing for an ALC.

I love a good cult thriller, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Premise - DI Louise Blackwell returns to work from maternity leave and oh boy is her first case back a doozy! Potholers uncover the bones of Hugo Latchford, a young boy who went missing a decade ago. His parents belonged to a cult operating under the guise of an environmental activism group and everything points to some sort of creepy cult explanation for the boy’s grisly end…

Well-paced and gripping, I couldn’t put this down! I don’t always love detective stories - sometimes they can feel too detached from the crime - but here there was no emotional remove at all. Brolly sustains immediacy throughout the story, weaving the past timeline seamlessly in with the present investigation. Loved it!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Danielle Cohen. As always, Cohen did a brilliant job with the narration, making distinguishing between characters easy and keeping the tension in her read without ever veering into melodrama. I really enjoyed the different character voices and personas she came up with, all based on true-to-text interpretations. Highly recommend!

Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.