DI Barton is back and has a slightly new role- that of acting DCI. There’s been some harassment of young girls and a woman has had a possible murder attempt, a car having driven right at her. A young girl has gone missing however her mother doesn't seem unduly concerned, saying good luck to anyone who has taken her. When the mother of the missing girl is found at the home of the attempted murder it looks like there could be a possible link or is it coincidence? Alternate chapters give the reader the village killers point of view and what he is planning. Can Barton sort out both his new team, the missing girl and the potential killer?

I love Ross’s books. Despite the subject matter they are a gripping easy read which very easily keeps the pages turning. There’s a warmth of character and I like Barton as he is a no nonsense, determined detective, keen to see justice served. This is one of a series but happily stands alone (I’ve loved all of the others). It's a twisty plot (easy to follow) and some great characters along the way both honest and not!. A compelling read I thoroughly enjoyed


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I was excited to read this Ross Greenwood crime novel as I always enjoy the way he writes. This is the 7th book in the DCI Barton series and this story has two distinctive threads. Firstly, someone is so obsessed with rich wife Sandy, that they will kill to prevent her leaving her home for good and secondly a missing teenage girl sucked into the lucrative world of online titillation on the lines of 'Only Fans'. As these two cases begin to overlap, things become very complicated for DCI Barton who has recently returned to major crimes to team up with his friend Zander. As a sub theme the author dwells a lot on the plight of offenders with neurodiverse conditions who fare badly in the criminal justice system. Greenwood's characters are well-defined, particularly the police officers whose private lives are heavily featured in the books. I enjoyed seeing where their stories had got to and how the softer side of Barton's character comes across in places, especially at the end. My only negative was a slight feeling of loose ends as the killer's motivation is never fully explained for all of their actions. However, this remains a good procedural crime novel. I would recommend Greenwood's books to fans of L J Ross and Elly Griffiths.

DI Barton is back! So happy to see the return of this detective. You can never go wrong with one of Ross Greenwood's books but DI Barton is by far my favourite of his series.

This is the seventh novel to feature DI Barton. For the past three years he's been "riding the desk" as they say. Now, his children have grown and with the support of his wife, he wants to return to more active policing before his career winds down. It just so happens his boss offers him a return to Major Crimes. Just the challenge he was looking for. He's worked with almost everyone here before and it feels good to return to a close knit team like this. Before he even gets settled in, he and his team are called to the village of Castor for the disappearance fo a young girl and a car accident. A woman was deliberately run off the road. Then a man is killed. Barton and the team must work flat out to discover the connections and stop a killer.

A well crafted book, with a likeable detective and team. Thank you the NetGalley, the author, and Boldwood Books for the eARC copy of this book. 5 out of 5 stars for me. Although you don't need to start at the beginning of the series, I do recommend checking out the other works in this series, and by this author.

This is only my second book by Ross Greenwood I've read so far, so far... as in the first in this series I read only a few days ago! And I am hooked, because I quite like both Barton and Zander for not being your typical male characters full of testosterone.

'The Village Killer... is closer than you think' according to the cover and of course I was glued to the e-reader for wanting to know who they really are. There were twists and turns, but not too much, nothing too far-fetched, and also not too gruesome.
And with nothing being easy in a black and white distinction it felt real enough which I appreciated as well. So with that I just bought the first book in the Ashley Knight series :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Wow. What a gripping read from this author. Barton is a great character and his team sound so nice. So many twists and turns.
Thankyyou netgalley

This is the seventh book in the Inspector Barton series, and it is another winner.

Barton is one of my favourite characters and it is good to see his return. After three years in a desk role Barton is about to decide on how he wishes to finish off his last working years to look like and what kind of role does he want. Soon a proposal is presented to him and after discussions with his beautiful and supportive wife he decides to return to major crimes and is extremely excited to get his teeth back into some complex work.

This role will really be the making of him as in this case it is obsession that will lead Barton to bring all his knowledge and experience to solving this crime, a theme that is well explored in this book. In this scenario a young girl has disappeared and then a woman run off a road, are the cases connected and if so, what has brought these two occurrences to the forefront. I always find with Mr Greenwoods books that I pick one up and the next thing I know I am at least halfway through it. Last night I had decided that I would just read a few more pages but now with bleary eyes at my desk this morning I am glad I stayed up and finished the book, a very engaging read with lots of twists and turns along with a satisfying ending.

I hope that Barton continues, he is such a great character that many readers have come to love, and I look forward to each new storyline with which we are presented. He is a truly authentic character and am sure there is still a lot he has to offer regarding future storylines.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

What a pleasure to meet Barton , his team and his lovely family again!!! The plot is compelling, as usual, and lets the reader guess. I love the ongoing light and friendly atmosphere among the team, in spite of the murders, and the wit flowing over the pages. I found it interesting to read about a realistic way of looking into criminality and the imperfections of the justice system, whatever the reasons. A great novel!

After three years behind a desk, Inspector John Barton wonders if he’s still got what it takes. An opportunity arises to return to Major Crimes, so he jumps at it, after all he’s been around the block a few times. When he and his team are called in to investigate an attempted murder which seems to be linked to the case of a missing child, Barton is immediately thrust back into the life of a detective early mornings, late nights and endless pressure to get to the truth. Then a man dies! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 1st Nov. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and wow I’m hooked!

This book was definitely a page turner and keeps you guessing right until the end; it had all the elements of a fantastic psychological thriller. It was addictive, chilling and I couldn’t put it down! The twists and turns kept me guessing who was guilty. I really liked Barton as a character for me as a character he was an all round top guy!

I stayed up until 2am on a weekday to find out what happened need I say more? The ending wow it was explosive and shocking!

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