My Thoughts: I’m not sure if people know this about me but I have a real soft spot for police procedural series, so this one was right up my alley.

I won’t lie I was a little nervous going into it because this is book 7 and it’s the first book of Ross’s that I’ve ever read, but I needn’t have worried because I loved this, the story was gripping and made me feel uncomfortable in the best way possible.

I loved Barton and his wife Holly, the banter between them was perfect and I found myself with a smile on my face whenever they were together in the page.

And the way he treated his team was like every single one of them mattered and was a valued member.

The main part of the story was so intricate that if you missed one part then the rest of it wouldn’t make sense, so many laters and so many characters that you had to unravel it slowly.

We get various perspectives throughout with I appreciated.. and 100% didn’t work out the culprit!

I will be going back and reading the rest of the series because I need more Barton.

Thanks Bolwood Books for this ARC. Woo hoo Barton is back. Great work in the 3 year history and reminding us of all the characters story lines. Superb story, still left guessing at times. Great read from start to finish. Bring on the next book pls

This is a thrilling addition to the DI Barton series, though it can be enjoyed as a standalone lie I did. This solid police procedural blends mystery, suspense, and character-driven drama, keeping readers hooked from the start. DI John Barton, returning to active duty after three years behind a desk, investigates two seemingly unrelated cases in the sleepy village of Castor: a near-fatal hit-and-run and the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl. As Barton and his team dig deeper, they uncover connections that lead to shocking twists and unexpected turns.

The novel offers a gripping plot that skillfully ties together multiple mysteries, with Greenwood's writing adding layers of tension and intrigue. The story explores themes of secrecy, hidden lives, and the dark side of suburban life. While the mystery unfolds with plenty of twists, including a connection to a "OnlyFans"-like website, it's the character interactions that really shine—especially the humor and camaraderie between Barton and his colleagues. This lightens the darker moments and makes the characters feel real and relatable.

Though some may find the long-running series intimidating when starting with this book, the central mystery is engaging, the ending satisfying, and The Village Killer is a page-turner from start to finish. I also liked the fact that I uncovered another author whose books I would like to read from the beginning of this series. So win-win.

This was the first book I have read in the series but it was fine as a stand-alone. Plenty going on all through it. Great backstory about lives of the detectives. Enough twists and turns to keep me guessing as it was hard to keep up with them all. Look forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

When I received THE VILLAGE KILLER, I did not realize it was part of an on-going series.

For the story itself, it's okay, but I think I would have had an easier time connecting with the characters if I had read the previous novels before reading THE VILLAGE KILLER.

I think DI Barton and the rest of the gang were interesting.

I enjoyed the holiday spin to it at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an e-copy of THE VILLAGE KILLER to review.

I rate THE VILLAGE KILLER three out of five stars.

A solid police procedural that, whilst not lighting any fires, kept me entertained throughout.
A good plot which answered all questions and tied up nicely.

Whenever this author brings out a new book, I am pretty keen to read it as soon as possible, and so it was with this book (although real life, work etc got in the way and I read it later than I had hoped).

DI Barton is back and he finds himself with a bit of a mystery. He is out from behind his desk for the first time in three years and he needs to figure out what the near hit-and-run of a woman in a sleepy village and a missing teenager have in common. Solid detective work is what is needed here, and not much is what it seems.

Twisty, intense story and one of those books that you just can't put down.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

DI Barton is asked to go back to active duty after a 3 year desk job, now he is DCI Barton. Does he still have what it takes for front line duty?A 14 year old has gone missing, a resident of quiet Castor village is nearly killed by a hit and run car, they just happen to live next to each other as Audrey is the child's mother who doesn't seem too concerned and Sandy is the car victim and best friends with Audrey. The neighbor who is 90 years old suddenly dies, is there a link. There are a few too many coincidences in a sleepy village like Castor where the residents are all rich and happen to have houses that are next to each other. As DCI Barton investigates there are too many coincidences to be ignored and finds that what goes on behind closed doors is not always what you'd expect...........

I have read others by this author, but I didn't think this was one of the better ones. Not a bad read, there was not a lot of action until a third into the book. The plot was ok but a little contrived, I was not keen on the main detective (DI Barton) and some of the descriptions are a bit too drawn out. The book could have been shorter by getting to the point earlier. Why was nobody concerned about the disappearance of the 14 year old? Why were clues not followed up. There were a couple of twists and although I had my suspicions, the perpetrator was in some ways unexpected. Not a bad book, but not great either in my opinion.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

John doesn't want to admit that his time in a 'normal' job has been boring- he's enjoyed spending time with his wife and kids, but now the kids are almost grown and don't want to hang out with dad, and his wife is well aware of his boredom. So when an opportunity pops up to get his feet wet, by helping out his former team, he can't help but to leap back in. But first he has to review everything the team has done, to see if they've missed anything, before he can help them to see where they can ferret out new leads. This roller coaster read will keep you guessing ! It's a perfect intro to the series, if you haven't read any of the books, and it will get you ready to go back and read the rest of the series!

Join John Barton as he takes a role at major crimes . His team is called to investigate an attempted murder and a missing child .
It's an addictive read .

The Village Killer is the seventh installment in the DI Barton, mystery thriller collection by Ross Greenwood. The book starts with Sandy jogging through her love Hill Village, and being watched by some unknown person, right before they try to run her down in a car. next, we see DI John Barton, talking to his boss, who tells him that DI Sarah Fox is going to London for a year and John should fill her position. This intrigues complacent John, who is at loose ends career wise. this is how John returns to his team, his best friend Xander, and finds his self investigating the problems happening in Love Hill. A 14-year-old is missing and when John and Xander, show up to Sandy’s lavish home to investigate the attempted murder on her Xander is surprised to see the missing girls mom at Sandy‘s house only to learn she is Sandy‘s best friend Audrey but if they think this is shocking, they haven’t seen anything yet. before this case is over 14-year-old Poppy will return as if nothing happened. DI Barton will have more than one murder to solve and look for a perpetrator from the past. I just want to say these stories are so addicting and compelling and not to mention they have some very funny moments. When Xander and John are walking in the gym to play tennis and Xander says “people are shocked,” and John asks “ why?” and Xander says “because people aren’t used to seeing a good looking black man bring his pet bear to play tennis.” I almost fell off the bed laughing. I am laughing now as I write this. DI Barton is such a great guy. He is a good husband detective friend etc I just love him. I love his relationship with Holly, Xander, the coriner, just everyone. It is so hard to put the book down when I start one of these novels, but they’re so long, I have to, but while waiting to get back to it all I do is think about the book, the funny things that are said and of course wonder who did what and why.#NetGalley,#RossGreenwood, #DIBarton, #TheVillageKiller,

The Village Killer by Ross Greenwood is book seven in the DI Barton series and wow was it good!! If you like crime thrillers, mysteries, multiple POV’s, different cases, multiple crimes, suspense, and police procedural stories then you will love this book.

DI John Barton has been at a desk job for 3 years wanting to give his family a break from his dangerous job. When he is given the chance to get back to Major Crimes, after discussing it with his wife, he accepts.
He is given two cases that are in the news; a teenage girl who has gone missing and a woman walking on the side walk is almost killed by a driver, could they be connected…I don’t know. This tiny English village where his case takes him as it turns out is full of secrets

Greenwood did an amazing job with this story. The storyline and plot were amazing, I love the clues that are left throughout the story. I love how he takes you with him as Barton and his team solve this case. The characters become real as you get into the story, you relate to them even the ones you hate. I love a good thriller that is full of suspense, twists, and turns. I like that the story doesn’t just follow one case or storyline, it follows different ones, and just when you think you’ve figured it out…you haven’t. We also get a story from the killers POV. You have to read this book you will be hooked and want to go back to read the first 6 books like me. Thank you to Boldwood Book, NetGalley, and Ross Greenwood for letting me read this story in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

This book was a really good read I would recommend reading it . I hope there is a follow up book . It was hard to put down with eNding to no who the killer is .

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Village Killer' by Ross Greenwood.

This is the third book I have read by this author. It is also the seventh book in 'The DI Barton Series' but can be read as a standalone

Well, well, well Wow!!! Yet another absolute cracker of a book from this amazing author!!! This book sucked me straight in from beginning to the explosive ending. It was very well written with excellent evocative descriptions which put me straight into the storyline. The blog and the cover suited the book perfectly.

This is an absolutely fantastic page turning addition to this addictive series by the extremely talented Ross. Ross's fantastic evocative writing skills really bring the story to life. I loved the location of the sleepy village of Castor where Ross ensures the reader can see and feel everything that is going on around them while turning the pages of this gripping page turner! When I seen this book was written by Ross I didn't even bother looking at the synopsis until after I read it as after the first and second book in this amazing series I already knew I just had to read this book when it came out!!! I absolutely LOVED the first two books and I must admit I am always wary when I love a book so much and have my doubts that the second and further books could be just as good but I am pleased (for once) that I was proven completely wrong (don't tell my partner!) by Ross and he had managed to make an ever more amazing read although I have no idea how that was possible!! In this gripping storyline DI John Barton is approaching 50 has been giving himself and his family a break from his constant work by spending the past 3 years behind his desk. That is until Major Crimes presents an opportunity with 2 cases. A woman is targeted by a driver when she is walking on the sidewalk and a teenage girl goes missing. What starts as two unrelated cases start to get more complicated as they may be closer than what John first thought and when the girl turns up as if nothing as happened things become even stranger. When people start turning up dead and there is a link to a website with similarities to 'Only Fans' John is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. Can he discover the truth and find the killer before it is too late? How many deaths will there be before the killer is caught? Grab your copy of this absolutely gripping must read to find out for yourself now and I can guarantee that you will not regret it!! I can also guarantee that if you have never read any books by this incredible author before that this will get you hooked!! With a storyline that is addictive and filled with suspense, tension, mystery, murder, crime, suspense, twists and everything you could ask for in a fantastic page turner!! I loved all the twists and turns and throughout it kept me guessing what was going on and who was doing what. I would NEVER have guessed at the ending so a MASSIVE WELL DONE to Ross. I have read many thrillers and it's getting harder and harder for me to be surprised so great job there. I loved the storyline and just loved everything about it. It was all done perfectly!! An absolutely addictive page turner that kept my heart in my throat on the edge of the seat and absolutely absorbed me. The fact there were so many different red herrings, twists, shocks and possibilities that all would have worked perfectly I could not put this book down!!! I was so invested in the storyline that I was up until 2am!! I would LOVE to see this turned into a movie!!! I cannot wait to get stuck in to the next book in this absolutely addictive series!!

WARNING ⚠ DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS THIS BOOK IS ADDICTIVE!!!!

Although this is the seventh book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without reading the previous books. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

The characters were fantastic, solid and completely believable and I loved meeting John and his team again. They have very quickly become fast favourites of mine and like friends that I look forward to meet in each new book and miss in between. I absolutely loved getting to know him more in this book as well as his team and seeing how each of his team members worked individually and together. Some of their interactions had me laughing out loud, along with many interactions between characters. I find it is important in any police procedural or murder to have some laughter between to lighten up the atmosphere and Ross did an ABSOLUTELY fantastic job doing this!! John is an intriguing and complex character and I have enjoyed meeting him again and getting to know more about him and cannot wait to meet him again!!! There was a great eclectic mix of characters from good to bad which always helps to liven the storyline up. They all had such different and strong personalities and all suited the storyline perfectly.. There were such a mix of personalities and its hard really to say too much about any of them without giving too much away!!! Regardless of whether you liked, loved or disliked any of the characters they all work perfectly together to bring this story to life. I cannot wait to meet John and more characters in the next book in this series!!

CONGRATULATIONS ROSS ON YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE PAGE TURNER!!!! A FANTASTIC ADDITION TO THIS AMAZING SERIES!! THIS IS THE EXACT REASON YOU ARE IN MY TOP 5 MALE AUTHORS LIST!!! HERE'S TO YOUR NEXT SUCCESS AND THE NEXT AMAZING BOOK IN THIS EPIC SERIES 🥂

Overall a compelling, addictive, gritty and fantastic page turning addition in an explosive series!!

#TheVillageKiller #DIBarton #RossGreenwood #greenwoodross #BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers #theboldbookclub #BookAndTonic #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources

@RossGreenwood @greenwoodross @BoldwoodBooks @BoldwoodBloggers @theboldbookclub @BookAndTonic @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources

Book 7 in the DI Barton series is a refreshing blend of police-procedural suspense and lighthearted moments that will resonate with many crime fiction lovers.

Acting DCI Barton hits the ground running as he returns to Major Crimes, encountering two unconnected crimes converging unexpectedly in a seemingly ordinary English community that is anything but typical. Barton is a multi-dimensional character one can relate to with his hands-on approach to investigation and his concern for the emotional well-being of his squad. This balance of empathy and assertiveness makes him a refreshing protagonist in a genre that can often lean toward the archetypal lone-wolf detective. I also loved Barton’s close bond with his family and friends which adds to his authenticity and charm.

Greenwood’s ability to sustain suspense is commendable. He effectively uses well-paced clues and red herrings to keep you on your toes. His skillful pacing sets him apart, and he knows precisely when to insert humor into the plot or when to delve deeper into suspenseful twists.

This engaging police procedural is a must for anyone who loves character-driven mysteries. The twists and turns are skillfully executed, and the characters are complex.

Thank you to Mr. Greenwood for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I know a series has to come to an end but 7 of 7 is not what I wanted to see. The series has been brilliant and number seven really does deliver. Barton is back in the thick of things, after three years behind a desk he is raring to get stuck in and do what he does best. Brilliant storyline, fast paced edge of your seat and very gripping.

Even though I started on the fourth book, I absolutely love this series and couldn't wait to reconnect with DI Barton and the team.

The Village Killer is a pacey police procedural, immediately throwing you headlong into the plot and the race is on to catch the killer at large in Castor.

It's narrated from multiple POV including that of the killer and has multiple twists to keep you guessing the identity of the killer.

Great solid characters, a plot to die for, and a thoroughly enjoyable and addictive read.

I have read and loved the Norfolk Murders series and thought I’d venture into new territory with the well- established DI Barton series (although I am aware that this is Book 7 in the series), slightly apprehensive having really enjoyed that series, how this one would compare. This series delivered the same high quality plot and narrative.

Firstly I enjoyed ‘meeting’ the investigative team and getting to know the dynamics/ background behind each character. Each character, previously well-established in the series, are well-developed and the team spirit resounded clearly.

The unknown narrator of the ‘village killer’ is unnerving and sets the atmosphere and pace really well, starting with some tense action.

Secondly, reading a book set in the city where you (& the author) live, in a village you know, is quite unsettling, although really helps being able to place events! Ross depicts the settings clearly and accurately.

The characters are many and varied but always both rich and authentic, if not always likeable. The plot twists and turns and leads the reader on a journey to get to the truth, with many suspects along the way.

I particularly enjoyed reading about realistic situations we might all face: teenagers with attitude, social media, work pressures, people adjusting to parenthood whilst trying to juggle their jobs.

The investigation itself felt like a real police case, relying on both time and test results, nothing being solved instantly.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable read, fast paced, thrilling. And now I have to go back and read the 6 earlier books!

The Village Killer by Ross Greenwood is essentially a police procedural. Inspector Barton has been behind a desk for three years. While it has done wonders with his wife and children, he misses being in the thick of things. Now he is being offered a chance to return to the field. Before he answers he consults his wife and she, in her infinite wisdom, knows he’s missed the job and readily agrees. The kids are older now and she is more set. So, he happily returns and immediately sends one of his officers, the lead, actually, to take a week off. He and his partner have had twins and it is obvious he is exhausted. Funny things are happening. Are they related? A woman reports being nearly run down in front of her house, a missing fourteen-year-old girl, then an old man dies. All in the same rich neighborhood.

DCI John Barton is a smart man. He reads people well. He trusts his subordinates. He is a good boss. It is an interesting situation. The investigative chapters are interspersed with the musing of the killer. Makes it interesting, but gives no clues. It is a consuming mystery with wrong turns taken at every step. The things they discover are amazing. The friend of Henry, the older man killed, is beyond helpful. Is that a clue? Interesting read.

I was invited to read The Village Killer by Boldwood Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BoldwoodBooks #RossGreenwood #TheVillageKiller