Member Reviews

Set in Wiltshire, in the lockdown, the book centres on the disappearance of a young woman 21 years ago. She had been working on an archeological dig which was being televised. Now more than 20 years later, a bag with some of her possessions is found and Matt Lockyear and his partner Gemma Broad start looking into the events around the period that she was seen for the last.
The descriptions of places and people are fantastic here, both in the possible crime scenes and in Matt and Gemma's personal lives. Leading on from the last book, Matt is an expectant father and his mixed feelings about that are well portrayed and realistic. Gemma too seems to have problems in her personal life. The lockdown restrictions add to the complications of the investigation (how quickly we forget !) . The pace of the book is fairly moderate but there are certainly plenty of twists in the plot, many towards the end unexpected. The book kept my interest throughout and although I have read the previous episodes, it is ok as a stand alone. For background information on Matt and Gemma's personal lives, I would advise reading the books in order. This series is a must read for me now.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

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Its the third outing for DI Matt Lockyer and DC Gemma Broad. This time its the case of a missing girl, Nazma Kirmani, from 1999. Originally reported missing by her family, the hunt was abandoned when she walked into a police station in London claiming it had all been a mistake. But 21 years later and nothing has ever been heard from her. Now, a bag with her passport and other items has been pulled from the river close to where she was working as part of a group excavating a Bronze Age burial site in the grounds of Trusloe Hall, a minor stately home in Wiltshire.

It seems as though the investigating officers leapt to some racial assumptions (eg Nazma was escaping some arranged marriage, even though her father is a Christian and her stepmother is white) and were relieved when it seemed she had just run away from her family. But the closer Matt and Gemma look into things the more suspicious they seem. Everything centres around that archaeological dig and the people Nazma knew then.

I think this series has really got into its stride, although the necessity for Matt and Hedy's baby to develop normally means they are about to go into the November 2020 lock-down which all just seems a distant memory.

Although Matt still does a little too much navel-gazing for me, I can see progress in his relationship and it wasn't as pervasive as in the previous two books.

Really enjoyed this.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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A most enjoyable thriller with a good backstory too.
This can be read as a standalone but I shall now happily read the preceeding novels.
Whilst I did feel the middle 20% dragged a tad the rest more than made up for it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

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This series stands a cut above many other police procedurals, largely due to the excellence of the writing, the compelling plots and the well-drawn characters. Lockyer and Broad are an interesting and engaging pair of detectives and I particularly enjoyed diving deeper into their back stories in this book and seeing how their personal lives intertwined with the case. The mystery at the heart of the book was intriguing and though I had my suspicions about the guilty party, I couldn’t have guessed the full horror of what was going on. This series is getting better and better and I can’t wait to read book four.

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It’s always a pleasure to come across an established crime writer for the first time. This is the third outing for Kate Webb’s DI Lockyer Mysteries, but the first one I’ve read. Detective Inspector Matt Lockyer and Detective Constable Gemma Broad investigate the cold case of a young woman who disappeared twenty years earlier. The case has become live again because a bag of her belongings has washed up on the bank of the River Kennet near Marlborough, Wiltshire.
As one would expect from a seasoned writer (Kate Webb also writes bestselling historical novels as Katherine Webb), the writing is fluent and accomplished. The novel is ideal for fans of lengthy, involved police procedurals whose engaging detectives have fully realised and unusual backstories. To get the full experience of this protagonist’s story, it would be worth starting at book one. However, I didn’t lose any understanding by jumping in at book three. Although this works as a standalone, it sets up nicely for book four.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
On publication, I will post this review on my blog and on GoodReads.

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I enjoyed this book, which I thought I would, having read the first 2 in the series. The characters are really well written and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Can't wait for book 4!

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This was such a great book. I was hooked from the opening lines until the very last embers of the plot.. this is a murder mystery of being looked into 20 years after the death. The police let the family down the first time and Lockyer wants to make sure that this time the job is done right. So much is going on in the background with awkward neighbours, senile old ladies, a partner who has a complicated private life and fraud and theft left right and centre. The book ploughs on with twists and turns that I discovered along with the police and loved every minute of it. bring on the next book.

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Fast becoming one of my favourite police procedural series, Hollow Grave hits all the right notes- a clever twisty mystery, a continuance of the lives of regular characters and terrific writing.

You can read this without reading the others but my recommendation would be to go in order. However the author does a good job of making it accessible if you wish to dive right in.

I'm.a fan of the police duo at the heart of this series and I'm a fan of how clever all the mysteries are and Hollow Grave is no different. Intelligent plotting, page turning quality and unexpected moments. Can't ask for much more really.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for my copy of Hollow Grave by Kate Webb.
An enjoyable read. I hadn’t read the previous two in the series but I picked it up as I went along, and it worked fine as a standalone.
Will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.

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