I have read all of Nick’s books. I am really enjoying this series featuring Jan Talantire a DI. This story seems cut and dried from the start but Jan believes there’s more to it. Through in Special Branch, the Russians, dodgy microchips and a mad dowager marchioness and we have a cracking story! Looking forward to the next one!

This is the third book in the ingeniously inventive DI Jan Talantire series, set in Devon, about a tenacious detective and her loyal team. I beta read this for the author, then reread the final version, and was once more amazed by his ability to come up with head-scratching whydunnits while also addressing topical societal issues - in this case sexism & predatory misogyny within the police.

Jan is called to the scene of fatality where a jogger has fallen off a cliff in a storm while retrieving her elderly mother’s hat - but if it was an accident, why are all the witnesses lying to her? Meanwhile her complaint against her former lover and senior officer gets complicated when he turns the tables on her.

I had read and enjoyed all twelve of the author’s previous series, and am always slightly conflicted when they stop writing about characters you’ve come to like to start a new one, but I’m actually liking Jan Talantire more and more with every book. This was a brilliant mystery with various subplots and red herrings to leave me wondering what on earth was going on. I don’t know Devon at all but there’s just enough description to make me want to visit it someday.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC. The Dark Edge is published on April 24th.

The Dark Edge is the third instalment in this police procedural series, set in Devon. When a runner falls off a cliff to her death, the big question is, was the fall accidental or was she pushed? There is no obvious evidence that she was pushed, but DI Jan Talantire's detective intuition tells her that this was no accident.

Some of the twists were superb and really took me by surprise. I am really enjoying getting to know Jan better as this series progresses. She is a tough nut to crack in some ways, but will always do the right thing and her determination is admirable.

I didn't find the storyline of this case quite as gripping as the first two, but the ongoing investigation that involves Jan personally made up for that in spades and is impacting her and her team more and more. I can't wait for justice to be served, hopefully on a big, fancy platter!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Nick Louth and Canelo for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A brilliantly gripping police procedural - detective Jan Talantire is drawn into an investigation after a woman falls to her death on her morning run. The victim turns out to be a ‘spook’ and Jan is trying to ascertain if her death is related to her job or her family life given that she was found dead after she took her elderly mother out from her nursing home that same morning. Brilliantly plotted storyline which also delves into Jan’s personal life and a harassment case involving a high ranking officer. This is my first of the Jan Talantire books but I’ll certainly be going back to read the preceding stories now! Highly recommended. Thanks to the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Set in my hometown of beautiful Devon this thriller is a good read.

Joanne Dexter has fallen to death in what looks like an accident. Joanne has a job with the Government which is top secret so it looks like she might have been murdered.

This book is brilliantly written It is intense and I liked that it reads like a true story.

It is a detective thriller and it has a lot of twists. I thought something was going to happen then I was taken down a different route which i liked.

It is a pacy read and I enjoyed my reading time

When Joanne Dexter falls to her death from a cliff in Devon, it initially looks like and accident.
So why has DI Jan Tallentire been asked to investigate?
It soon becomes clear that there was more to Joanne than many thought. She worked for the government in a highly secret department. So, could someone have wanted her dead.
As Jan digs deeper into Joanne’s life the pool of suspects only becomes larger while the motive becomes ever harder to find. It seems that every turn leads to a dead end, but Jan is certain that Joanne didn’t fall, all she needs to do is prove it.
This is a clever well written story with more twists and turns than a Devon country road. DI Jan Tallentire is quicky becoming one of my favourite characters.

This is the third book in this awesome series, but honestly a reader would have no trouble reading this as a stand alone.
DI Jan Talantire is on the scene where a woman apparently fell to her death, while her elderly mother was waiting in the woods for her. All seems to be direct and while tragic, does not appear to be criminal. But the pieces just don't add up, and Jan is left with a lot of questions, and not too many answers. Jan is determined to uncover the events of that fateful day, and give closure to the family.
I love all Nick Louth books, and this one did not disappoint. Lots of twists and turns, old secrets, and strange character connections. A great suspense story- highly recommend the book and series.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Dark Edge by Nick Louth is an excellent thriller.
 
The opening scene gave DI Jan Tallantire a connection to the victim without it being too personal.
The plot moves along at a steady pace and frequently sends you into an unexpected direction. I very much enjoyed
the conflict between Tallantire and her superiors in pursuing the case and the interaction between the investigation team.
 
A nice little twist right at the end as well, I really hope there is more to come in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The third book in this excellent police series featuring Jan Talantire. A woman falls to her death from a cliff whilst out running. Is it just an accident or is there more to it than that? As with the previous books in the series, the emphasis is on the process of the investigation and it is a riveting read. The plot is suitably complex and twisty. I really enjoyed this and the series just seems to get better and better.

* 3.5 star Comfort Food *

This is the third instalment of Nick Louth’s Jan Talantire series, and the first book I’ve read by the author. I found it to be an easy read, not boring, not groundbreaking. A classic police procedural.

The main mystery involves the death of Joanne Dexter, who fell off a cliff while running in stormy weather. Was it an accident or was she pushed? As Jan collects more evidence, she begins to lean towards the “no accident” theory. There are several red herrings, including the fact that Joanne worked for GCHQ, a UK intelligence agency, and one of their projects had recently been disrupted. Was Joanne killed as part of a spy confrontation or was it more personal?

As we follow Jan’s POV almost exclusively, we watch her unravel the clues. About the 60% point, she (and we) “know” who is most likely responsible, but <i>why</i> it was done isn’t divulged until the around the 80% mark, and <i>how</i> it was done is a mystery until near the end.

There is a secondary plot in this story, revolving around a sexual harassment complaint that Jan has filed against a Senior Commander named Brent West that obviously started in an earlier book in the series and is continuing to play out here. Also, several members of her team are mentioned, although the only ones who stood out for me were PC Bronwen Owen, who appears to be her right-hand assistant, and PC Primrose Chen, a shy new technician.

The only thing that even mildly disturbed me in the story was the fact that Jan seemed more like a man in her approach to sexual activities. Yes, she’s 35 and we would expect her to have sexual liaisons, but somehow I felt that her approach was more in keeping with the male point of view.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I spent some time pondering whether to move my 3.5 rating up or down. It’s not a cozy, but it doesn’t break new ground either. I do plan to read another one in the series—#2 in the series went on sale in Canada for 99 cents and I just bought it. I finally decided to give it four stars based strictly on my personal enjoyment. It’s nice “comfort food” for a police procedural junkie like me.

Thanks to Canelo for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

Just loved everything about this book.
Wonderfully written characters in an area of the country i know very well.
Plenty of twists and turns that kept me reading late into the night.
I look forward to the next one.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

After reading The Dark Edge by Nick Louth, I cannot wait for the next edition of the DI Jan Talantire series! This book was impossible to put down for me. I needed to know what happened next, at every step.

There were a few plot lines and investigations that went on that all felt so real and so possible that I kept saying to myself, “Well, that tracks”. From the allegations of workplace sexual harassment to the meddlesome Special Branch presence once something even tangentially looked like it might have something to potentially implicate national security…whether or not it even ended up actually being anything. Even the online dating experience that Talantire experienced felt so relevant that it made me giggle and also cringe at the different aspects of it.

I just adored being part of that world set along the Devon coast. When DI Talantire was called to respond to a potential suicide, it started the main plot line that was just so engrossing and real. I loved it.

Even the last line of the epilogue was cheeky and so on-brand with DI Talantire. It is what makes me just so excited to have found a new series to devour.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Canelo for this fabulous ARC!!

DI Jan Talantire is investigating a death of a woman that joined Jan on a run. Joanna apparently fell off a cliff to her death.
Jan's gut instinct tells her differently. She is convinced that the woman was murdered.

This is the first book I have read by Nick Louth. Unfortunately, it is the third book in a series, and I had no idea of the background of the detective and her team.
So, I was floundering with all of the characters.
However, the plot is intricate, and the police work solid....even though Jan is counting on her gut instinct to prove that this is a murder case and not an accident.
I would like to catch up on the lives of the characters by reading the previous two books.
Well written and well plotted.