Cut The Threads

Robin plunges the reader straight into the action, no holds barred in this story of a rather gruesome murder. Who is the man and why has been so brutally attacked? A world of extortion and a boss no one knows the name of. Kidnapped girls, a dodgy solicitor and rackets left right and centre, Fortunately DS Marnie has a strong stomach and nothing will put her off tracking down the perpetrators. Short snappy chapters keep the pace moving and there is plenty going on right from the start. Characters with depth that you take to -or not as the case maybe, but so well written that you could see this as a TV drama. Robin has the knack of bringing a story to life and characters you can believe in. This is a rather gory tale in parts with twists along the way yet handled so well. Marnie has her own demons. Will she ever put them to rest? Another wonderfully told story from the master of crime stories, every one has a depth so lacking in many others. I look forward to the next Robin Roughley instalment with baited breath.
(rest of links on publication/blog tour day)

Cut the Threads by Robin Roughley was hard hitting, fast paced and explosive straight out of the gate. It was surprising because when I started the book I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but the more I read the more I got into it and enjoyed it.

Detective Marnie Hammond stars in this novel, the 2nd in the series. Also featured are nasty thuggish gangs, a kidnapping and a twisted solicitor. Marnie’s past haunts her, she struggles with flashbacks and this carries forward in how she handles the job. I hadn’t read the first book but I was still able to get the gist of Marnie’s past story and the horrific crimes that occurred. Because if this I would say that this book could be read as a stand-alone novel if like me you haven’t read the first book.

This is the first Robin Roughley book that I have read, and I really enjoyed it. There is a lot of swearing and liberal use of the “C” word all throughout this book, that didn’t bother me in the slightest, if anything it added to the menacing atmosphere, although I acknowledge some people might not like it.

I’m going to give this book 4 stars, I really did enjoy it and I am looking forward to the next one but it did take me a while to get into the book. For me the second half of the book was what kept me hooked, once “the woman” got involved in things I couldn’t put the book down I just had to know what was going to happen next.

This was a good solid second novel, bring on the third I am ready for Marnie’s next adventure!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloodhound Books for an advance copy of Cut the Threads, the second novel to feature DS Marnie Hammond.

The novel opens with gangster Tam Whitlow being dismembered alive by someone looking for information. When Marnie gets there with her boss, DCI Reese, they surmise it's gang related but as more bodies turn up they begin to suspect there's more to it. In the meantime soldier Tom Conway is home to look for his closest friend, John Hall and his daughter, Rowan, who have been missing for over a month.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cut the Threads which is more of a thriller than a police procedural as Marnie tears up the rule book in her hunt for John and Rowan. It makes for a tense, exciting read if violent, as the opening chapter proves, and full of bad language which, given the gangland setting is appropriate, but may not be for the faint hearted.

I have not read the previous novel in the series, Keep You Near, but I now have no need as the main elements are reprised in detail in this one because although Cut the Threads is a stand alone it has a thread which is definitely not cut and appears to run through these two novels and will be continued in the next as it's not fully resolved. Marnie joined the police to try and find out what happened to her sister when she was kidnapped in front of eleven year old Marnie's eyes sixteen years ago. Every novel adds a little to her knowledge but not enough to satisfy her. So, while the main plot is complete in the novel, Marnie's quest continues.

My jury is still out on Marnie. She is a good, smart detective, able to fathom out the motives behind the crimes she investigates fairly easily, but as soon as she gets a whiff of her sister, Abby, and the people involved in her abduction she turns into a cold blooded sociopath with vengeance on her mind. I can't envisage this split personality but perhaps that says more about me and my comfortable life than the deep hurt she feels.

I like the portrayal of the other characters from the gangsters with no loyalty and whose automatic response to adversity is violence to the inept DI Rogers and the extremely supportive DCI Reese.

Cut the Threads is a good, tense read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Cut The Threads is the second book in the DS Marnie Hammond series. I highly recommend reading Keep You Near prior to starting this one. There is a lot of background to do with Marnie and her missing sister that you would benefit from knowing before hand.

I absolutely loved Keep You Near. It is very rare that I would give all the stars for the first book in a series due to their usually being a lot of background and getting to know the main character but it had me gripped from the off. I did wonder if Cut The Threads could meet the expectations I had for it. I am very pleased it not only met them but smashed them into tiny pieces!

This is one dark and gritty read with a fair bit of violence in it. It is very much needed though to show what it is like in the criminal world of which Jimmy Rae is involved in. There was plenty of OMG and jaw dropping moments at some scenes which both horrified yet thrilled me. 

Tom's character really made for some emotional reading. To start with I wasn't too sure about him but the further into the story I got, I had such admiration of which I don't think I was the only one. 

Cut The Threads is one thrilling roller coaster ride of a read. The author had me very much kept in the dark as to who was behind the killings and boy, when it all starts to come to light, I could hardly contain myself. A crime read that starts off with a bang and just gets better and better until the mind blowing finale!

This is the second book in the DS Marnie Hammond series and the action starts in the first chapter and it doesn`t stop.
When the torso of a local hard man, Tam Whitlow, is found, the first port of call for Marnie and DCI Reece`s team is Jimmy Rae, his boss.
On the surface Rae appears to be a legitimate buisinessman however closer investigation reveals he is a gangster making money from drugs, prostitution and extortion.
When Tam`s missing body parts are flung through Rae`s window the question is who had him killed, is it a rival gang or someone else?
A missing father and daughter case, John and Rowan Hall starts to look like its connected and when Rowan`s godfather Tom Conway takes matters into his own hands the action really hots up.
This is an exciting sometimes brutal crime thriller that I couldn`t put down. The body count rises quickly and as the list of suspects shortens the person responsible is finally revealed.
A person bent on revenge! A person with links to Marnie`s past story which is why I would recommend reading the first book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloodhound books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC, a book worthy of 5* in my eyes.

This review is written with thanks to Bloodhound Books and Netgalley for my copy of Cut The Threads.
When some boys find the body of a local gangster, Tam Whitlow, in an abandoned building, it seems as though his killing could be gang related. Tam worked for the infamous, Jimmy Rae, but it looks like there is someone new on the scene who wishes to make their presence felt. Meanwhile, John Hall and his daughter, Rowan, are missing, and his friend, Tom Conway will stop at nothing to find out what has happened to them. It is the job of DS Marnie Hammond and her team to find out if these cases are connected. Will they find the murderer before it is too late?
I enjoyed my first introduction to DS Marnie Hammond in Keep You Near, and with the sense that Marnie has unfinished business at the end of the first novel, I was looking forward to being reacquainted with her. Her encounters on her previous case are still haunting her, and the vivid descriptions of her nightmares helped me to see what she was going through, sympathising with her and understanding her determination to discover what happened to Tam Whitlow and John Hall.
There are parts of Cut The Threads that are not for the faint hearted! However, I enjoyed the gory elements of the novel. I found that whilst it was violent in places, this helped to build the tension and intrigue as the body count rises, and I was rooting for Marnie and her team to work out what was happening.
Towards the beginning of Cut The Threads, it took me some time to work out how all the characters, and the two interlocking cases were connected to each other. However, this became much clearer as the novel progressed, and I enjoyed the clever development of the plot. There is a twist at the end of Cut The Threads, which took me by surprise, and leaves the series open so that Marnie's character can continue to grow in future.

This book is so full of twists and turns it makes you think you are gonna get book sick. The characters, story line, and the writing style are superb. I was not sure if I liked it at first, but this book grabbed you from the first paragraph and does not let go. This book was very hard for me to put it down from start to finish.

The characters were very well written and you never really knew if the "good" guy was actually a "bad" guy or if the "bad" guy was the "good" guy. Robin Roughley is very good at keeping you in suspense of which side the characters are on. He knows how to create flawed characters along with really bad characters while keeping the humanity in all of them.

Even though this is the second book in the series (Keep You Near is the first) There is enough back story that you can read this one with out issues. Though it may make you want to go back and read the first one. I know I just bought it to read. Look for a review on that one in the future.

If you like crime novels that can get grizzly and quite a bit bloody. Robin Roughley goes into quite detailed about the gruesome deeds that happen to the characters. It is well written and well worth the read in my opinion.

As soon as I saw the blurb for this book and that it was the latest from this author, I knew that it was definitely going to be a book for me - and when I saw the cover I knew that as soon as it arrived on my Kindle I would want to get started!

The characters, plot, pace setting, everything worked for me and I really enjoyed it and didn't want to put the book down. I am already a fan of this author's works and this is another excellent release from him. Very well written, held my attention and didn't let me go until the very end.

A massive five stars from me for this one - highly recommended!!

Cut the Threads is the second book in the Marnie Hammond series, First of all I have to say I freaking love the cover. I have waited a year for this book, having read Keep you Near and loving it. But then I spotted this cover and it made me want to read it more. I am happy to report that Robin doesn't disappoint and brings us one hell of an engaging, gritty, hard hitting read that is superbly written....grabbing me from the very first page. I am a sucker for a griping prologue and this one is brilliant I knew then, that I was in for a treat.

We follow the story of Marnie and her team in an investigation which they believe could be gang related after the remains of local hard man Tam Whitlow are found tied to a chair in a dilapidated building. OMG what a start to the story.

Cut the threads is one hell of a fast paced read which I read in one afternoon, I couldn't put it down. With scenes that will that are shocking and gruesome. This isn't for the faint hearted. I loved the whole gangster story line and fans of grit lit are seriously going to love this book.

DS Marnie is a brilliant character and we get to know more of her. But for those of you that haven't read the first book in the series this can be read has a standalone. The author gives us plenty of back ground information. Although this is a series to good not to miss,you can grab your copy of Keep You Near from amazon which is currently free right now.

So all in all Cut the Threads ticked all the boxes for me which I highly recommend giving it 5 stars.

Thank you to Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound for a copy and for inviting me to take take part in this fab tour.

Cut The Threads is the second book in the DS Marnie Hammond series. Events in this book directly relate to the first one in the series so I do feel you should read “Keep You Near” first as there’s quite a bit of background you’d be missing out on otherwise.

In this one though, there’s a whole cast of rather despicable characters who seem to be vying for the “worst bad guy award”. With some gruesome murders (think machete), fights, grooming and prostitution, it’s easy to find yourself completely engrossed in the world of gangs and criminal kingpin Jimmy Rae. But Jimmy’s empire is falling apart at the seams as it seems someone else has rolled into town who’s pulling the strings but who and why?

Meanwhile Tom Conway is looking for his oldest friend John, who’s gone missing with his young daughter. Being ex-army, Tom is most definitely on a mission and he’s utterly ruthless in his quest to find the truth. Despite maybe not going about things the right way, I couldn’t help but sympathise with him.

DS Marnie Hammond remains as fierce and determined as ever. She’s not afraid to break the rules from to time if she thinks this may lead to a breakthrough but more than anything, she wants to know what happened to her sister. It’s why she joined the force in the first place after all. But is teaming up with a killer taking things a step too far?

There are various threads running through this story, which may or may not be connected in some way. I enjoyed the variety in characters. Some you root for, some you’d quite happily take a machete to yourself. Cut The Threads is tense and suspenseful and a thrilling addition to the series. It kept me guessing until the end and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for Marnie next.

Whoa! The opening scene in the latest Marnie Hammond series just makes you curl your toes and pull your head back into your shoulders a little. It is gruesome, it is an introduction to a new and vile reign of terror and it is just bloody awesome!

This is the second book in the series and although it could be read as a stand alone I would say to you read, Keep you Near, the first book in the series, to really get under the skin and into the mind of Marnie Hammond and what makes her tick. Marnie is a gutsy little fire cracker of a dedicated DS but she also has a personal agenda that eats away at her living a normal life.

Set in Kirkhead, a fictional place in Lancashire, the balance of power among the big boys is being well and truly pushed to the limits but the ‘calling card’ is pure violence and as yet unsigned. Jimmy Rae is not a man to tangle with but the people closest to him and some of his employees are diminishing pretty quickly but he has no idea who could want or even dare to take over his territory.

Tom Conway, a real mystery man, also arrives in Kirkhead to look into the disappearance of his best buddy John Hall and his young teenage daughter Rowan. Now be it right or be it wrong Tom became a favourite character of mine and I am sure of many other readers. He is a ass kicking machine that has nothing to lose and won’t stop until he finds John and Rowan no matter which side of the law he works from.

Robin Roughley always works with a multitude of characters that are so distinctive they remain individuals that you remember. He plays with your mind and emotions, at times letting you the reader know what is happening to certain characters while others are desperately trying to find them. It leaves me willing them on knowing that time is running out and I find myself reading at break neck speeds as if that can make a difference to saving someone.

There are some very unusual bonds formed in this story, a mutual need to get a job done. This is turning out to be a real cracking series where Marnie is being pushed to unbelievable limits that just left me totally numb. Just utterly Brilliant!

Thank you firstly to Net Galley and Bloodhound books for the chance to read this book. All I can say is wow, wow , wow. A brilliant fast paced book - I will not describe what it is about as you can read that in the description of the novel. This is the first book that I have read of this author but it certainly wont be the last. If you like your crime gruesome and violent look no further !!! I have no hesitation in recommending this 2nd book in the series and as other reviewers have said you don't really have to have read the first one but I for one will be going for that one next (but that's just the way I am !!) Enjoy.

4☆ Gripping, Dangerous, Thrilling

Cut The Threads is the second book in the series. Although this can be read as a standalone I wouldn't advise it.
I didn't read the first book and I have to admit I felt a bit lost at times. Although I did still enjoy the book.

There are plenty of stories weaved into this book to delve into.
The opening scene is a brutal murder and beheading. Whom we come to find out is a serious player in the criminal underground world alongside king pin Jimmy Rae.
Why Tam has been brutally murdered we are yet to find out.

It's here we meet DS Marnie Hammond she arrives at the crime scene determined to find out who killed Tam.
Marine appears to have alot of demons from her past although I think reading the first book would of told me more. As she is an interesting character.
She's fiesty, bold, strong and isn't affraid to bend the rules to get results. I really liked her detective skills.

Jimmy Rae is top king pin. He runs all the drugs and prostitution however it appears his empire is about to be threatened. But by Who? Can Jimmy keep his throne.
Jimmy is not a man to be messed with. He is extremely ruthless and acts first thinks after. He is out for revenge! Beware!

Alongside this story we meet Tom. Tom's Best friend & Daughter has mysteriously disappeared. Although Tom hasn't seen John and his daughter Rowan for a while there is always some contact. Tom is becoming increasingly worried so he sets out to find his best friend and daughter.

I really did enjoy Cut the threads. It was gripping, dangerous, thrilling, a variety of characters, perfectly placed twists, kept me guessing.
I also want to mention I LOVE the Cover!
It's so eye catching it drew me in!

My only concern was I did get lost at times with the amount of characters and sometimes getting lost within the stories. I found I did have to refresh back. For this reason alone I gave 4 stars.

I do recommend Cut The Threads but I think it would be wise to read the books in order. Just so you get the full benefit of the characters.
Which is what I'm going to do as the first book looks amazing too!
Definetly an Author I'm adding to my list.

This is the 2nd book in the Marnie Hammond series. I have to admit that I haven't read the first book but I think it worked well as a stand alone book and I don't feel as though I missed out by not reading the previous book, although part of me wishes that I had read them in order.

There is very much a gangster feel to the book as the novel opens with gangster Tam Whitlow being killed in a pretty gruesome way. DS Marnie Hammond is then pulled in to investigate.

The book is very much a tense thriller with some violence thrown in. I really did enjoy this book and look forward to reading more in this series in the future.