This is a gripping and entertaining series, solid police procedural featuring Sophie Allen, a clever detective, and a cast of well plotted characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel even if it's not my favorite. It can be read as a stand-alone but reading the series in order will help to better understand the characters.
The surprising twists and the solution kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed his books, they have good characters, and the plot flows. It catches
my attention from the first pages, and builds to the end.
I recommend this book. Given book by Net Galley and Joffe.

This is a great read and even though I haven't read all of the other books in the series I still enjoyed it and I really like DCI Sophie Allen as a character and would like to get to know a bit more about her. The story is gripping and thrilling and the writing is flawless. I love the tension and mystery and love the writing style.

Even though at times it seemed a little slow it worked well and kept me reading. It is easy to read a s a stand-alone but I do want to read more in this series as I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Joffe Books, NetGalley, and the author for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

In this intallment of the series, DCI Sophie Allen is still recovering in hospital after the end of the last case. Her team, led by DI Barry Marsh, are investigating the goings on at an environmental engineering firm. First a staff member experiences a car-jacking that puts her in the hospital, a second staff member's house is broken into, and a third goes missing. Together the team, with help from Sophie in her wheelchair, hunt for the connections.

While this book is part of the Sophie Allen police procedural series it can easily be read as a stand-alone. There's a list of the cast of characters so those new to the series have a character cheat sheet. I've read several others in the series, really enjoy the characters, their development and the writing. This is not my favourite, but it's still an enjoyable read. I recommend checking it out.

Another gripping Sophie Allen book. Though for most of it Sophie is in hospital and then a wheelchair, she's still able to sort out the baddies when it's necessary. The question is whether Sophie is going to have to move to a different career due to never being able to walk properly again. This book showcases members of her team and could be the opening of a whole new series - you need to read it to find out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the the publisher Joffe books, I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and jmy own opinion.

First book I have read from this author.. It had plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Great characters. Enjoyed the style of writing.. All round great book. Look forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Heartless Crimes by Michael Hambling is a recommended procedural. Even though this is the thirteenth book in the DCI Sophie Allen series, it can be read as a standalone novel.

Three people who work at the same company, EcoFutures, need assistance from the police. Bryony O’Neil experiences an attempted car-jacking and ends up hospitalized. Justine Longford had someone break into her home, but it appears nothing was stolen. Finally Robin Pryor sets off along a clifftop path at Lyme Regis and never comes home. Later his body is found by the path. Detective Inspector Barry Marsh has to lead the team because Chief Superintendent Sophie is hospitalize and recovering from a vicious assault and Polly Weston is on another case.

This is my first Sophie Allen novel and it was easy to jump right into the story. There is also a list of the cast of characters at the beginning if readers need some extra help keeping characters straight. Sophie does end up playing a role in the investigation so she's somewhat involved in the case.

Heartless Crimes moves at a slow pace throughout the procedural. It does carefully follow clues, follow up on the information, and carefully question those involved. This makes it a good choice for those readers who enjoy procedurals. I like procedurals, but prefer those that move at a faster pace with surprising clues and building tension along the way. The actual case never really grabbed my complete attention. Thanks to Joffe Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

car-jacking, cooperation, crime-thriller, due-diligence, intense, investigations, law-enforcement, missing-persons, murder, procedural, read, series, stalking, suspense-fiction, teamwork, unputdownable*****

I missed a couple of installments so I feel that I can honestly say that this one can easily stand alone. There is an abundance of characters, but there is also a cast list at the beginning.
Chief Superintendent Sophie Allen of the Wessex Serious Crime Unit (Wescu) has a law degree and a master's in psychology but is so dedicated to police work that she twists the arms of her surgeons and rehab staff to allow her to get in on the case despite nearly losing a leg on her last case. The investigation is very busy but feels like a treadmill at times because of lack of actionable evidence.
Totally unputdownable!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Dec 12, 2024 #HeartlessCrimes by Michael Hambling #DetectiveSophieAllenBk13 @JoffeBooks #NetGalley #PoliceProcedural

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and Joffe Books for a copy in return for an honest review.

There are a lot of characters to get your head around in this book but thankfully, the author has realised this and opened with a cast of characters list.
The plot seems slow paced, but I guess murder enquiries take time. Evidence is collected and yet it is still confusing at times. Nothing seems to be of much relevance to begin with.

However, since nothing seems to be as it is first presented, the reader starts to ask questions and this begins their own investigation. I was constantly asking myself, "but why would they say or do that?" Questions that I found myself intrigued to find the answers to.
Two murders, a potential murderer, and yet the detectives sit and wait for more information to come in. We are told the evidence is circumstantial, but is it really? My mind was wondering "what if?" most of the time.
At times a confusing plot, with no real excitement building and a very slow delivery. I wanted more from it, and I think it could have been far more dramatic.
On the whole, it was enjoyable but it could have been more exciting.

I’m a fan of this series and this is another cracking read. Realistic characters and an absorbing plot makes this an enthralling addition to this series. Recommended.

I have read all of the books in this series and have enjoyed them.
Sophie is still recovering in hospital after being attacked in last book so the rest of the team are having to take over in her absence while sophie is in hospital frustrated but determined to get back to work. Feisty as ever a good read. Thank you for advanced copy.

This is the latest in the DCI Sophie Allen books, however, it reads perfectly well as a standalone. I have read a couple out of the series but not all of them.
Sophie Allen is in hospital recovering from a brutal attack, Polly Weston her deputy is away on another case so it is left to Barry Marsh and the rest of the team to investigate a number of strange incidents connected to a local firm. When one of the firms project managers is missing Barry start to get an uneasy feeling and soon the case turns to murder.
An interesting story with a few unexpected twists, well written.

The scene and tone at the beginning of this book sets it's for the whole book. The characters were amazing. So many twists. A well written book

The opening to this book is just brilliant. It’s sets the scene And the tone of the rest of the book. There is friendship and colleagues who all have their own stories to tell and their own problems that they are dealing with. One instant turns into two and then there’s a murder and things continue to spiral from there. The clues as to what is happening are in the book so whilst the mystery isn’t obvious, what is discovered and solved at the end of the book doesn’t come as too much as a surprise and makes sense. The unpicking of alibis and finding out of real truths is fun to read and whilst a little bit far-fetched, this is a great plot.

This is a very good read in the Detective Sophie Allen series but can easily be read on it's own. Sophie is still in hospital recovering from an attack and DI Barry has his hands full investigating a murder. The plotting is believable, with very relatable characters and good dynamics, although I thought the pace just dragged a bit in the middle of the book. A good, solid crime thriller. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Great series!
Great storyline with plenty going on.
Well written characters.
Wonderful writing from this talented author.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This is #13 in the Detective Sophie Allen series but can easily be read as a standalone.

I love the Sophie Allen series and have read all of them, so I was looking forward to this next episode.

The book begins with Chief Superintendent Sophie recovering in hospital after a particularly vicious assault. This means she’s on sick leave and is undergoing various therapies to help her get full mobility back. In her absence, DI Barry is leading the team and they’re looking at two strange incidents in Lyme Regis. One is a break-in where things have been moved around but nothing taken, and the other is a scary car-jacking attempt. The two victims work for the same company and are in the same team. The team is then called out to a murder and they discover that the dead man also worked in the same team as the two women targeted in the break-in and car-jacking. There’s something very odd going on, and I was totally immersed in the storyline which had many twists and turns.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I’d highly recommend this book it was suspenseful which had many twists and twists that kept me glued to my kindle!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
I have just about read every book in this series and unfortunately it was my least favorite one. That said, it was likeable, as usual, because of the characters. It's like re-connecting with family you haven't seen for some time.
Sophie is still in hospital recuperating, but comes out towards the end and is contemplating her future. Jackie is doing really well in her new job. Barry has taken Sophie's place for the moment and is acing it. The mystery itself wasn't interesting to me, but all in all I still enjoyed the book.

I am really enjoying the Sophie Allen series by Michael Hambling. It was suspenseful, thrilling and had plenty of action. I liked the story it kept my interest all the way through and there were some plot twists that kept me guessing. You can read this as a stand alone novel but I recommend starting at the beginning of the series as there is a lot of back information that would help understand the dynamics and relationships in the book. Highly recommend it’s a cracker of a read.