Merciless

A big thank you to Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books and to Netgalley for issuing me with my review copy of the book and for inviting me to participate on the blog tour!

Bloodhound Books really know how to pick addictive thrillers and this is probably one of the best I have read.

I couldn't read fast enough as I tried to guess where the story was going. Although this is the second in the series featuring DI Kate Fletcher, I didn't feel like I was missing too much on any essential information although I have purchased the first book as I enjoyed this one so much!

We follow Kate and her colleagues as they try to investigate a body that has been discovered in the local canal. With no idea on who this woman is, they certainly have their work cut out as they try to identify her. There is also the slightly more straightforward case involving a mercy killing. Or is it? As more and more discrepancies come to light, we learn things aren't quite what they seem...

We read about both investigations in alternate chapters and the author is certainly a master at leaving you on a knife's edge! When we learn how the cases are linked, the penny finally dropped for me and the storyline ramped up some more. Some of the storyline is very unpleasant to read but it definitely added to the plot and made you understand the actions of some of the characters. Heleyne Hammersley writes so well that you do feel a certain amount of sympathy for some characters which is hard given the situation.

I haven't read anything else by the author so she is a new name to me but I will definitely be reading more as I thoroughly enjoyed Merciless. I really warmed to Kate and can't wait to go back and read the first in the series!

An excellent written story with a gripping plot - what more can you ask for!

4 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

DC Sam Cooper is an officer in the CID. She finds a body partially in a bin bag in the locks near her narrowboat. DI Kate Fletcher attends the scene. The woman has no identification. The pathologist will have to do a post mortem to learn the cause of death and see if he can get an ID.

While still at the scene, Kate receives a call from her DCI. There is a woman confessing to the murder of her father and she is at the station asking specifically for Kate. When she interviews the woman Caroline Lambert, Kate learns that her father Dennis had liver cancer and was in a great deal of pain and discomfort. She didn’t actually deliver the drugs to him, but left them in reach of his bedside and then left the house. He apparently took them himself.

The neighbor woman, who intimates that she had a “relationship” with Dennis Lambert, claims that Caroline didn’t come around for years and suddenly showed up a few weeks earlier. She claims that Caroline obviously murdered him. Of course, she doesn’t know that Caroline has already confessed.

The story is interspersed with letters to Caroline from an unknown person with the initial “J.” They are very informative and set up background information beautifully. From this information and other tidbits, we learn that Caroline is a liar and conniver. There are also flashbacks showing just exactly what happened to Dennis Lambert.

Kate attends the post mortems of the unidentified woman and Mr. Lambert. The woman’s death was due to a blow to the head; possibly with a brick. Dennis Lambert certainly had liver cancer, but not to the degree that her was terminal – yet. The results of his toxicology tests may ascertain more. DC Hollis, Kate’s right-hand officer and go-to favorite, comes up with the idea to interview the hospital staff to determine if there was anything off that they saw in the relationship between Dennis and Caroline.

A young man named Ethan Cox comes into the police station. He thinks that the dead man is his mother. Her name was Maddie Cox. She worked as a clinical nurse specialist in an oncology ward. Ethan has a photograph and Kate sees that it is the woman from the locks. The police begin to investigate Maddie’s life and work.

They begin to see a connection between the two cases. Further investigation shows that they are indeed connected. There is a race to the conclusion and things get pretty exciting with the missing Caroline showing up once again.

This is a good book. It is my first Heleyne Hammersley novel, and it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look for others of her books. I like the way Kate’s team gets along. They work well together and make a good group of people. I like Kate’s management style. She is relatively easy going, but can put her foot down when she needs to. The book faltered in places, which is why I gave it only four stars. But, all in all a very good effort. Well done, Ms. Hammersley and keep writing.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read, enjoy and review.

A great crime novel! The connections were done very well and I loved the characters. The plot was well executed and I am looking forward to read more from this author

Sam Cooper, a detective who lives on the waterfront, finds a female body on the waterfront. She calls Kate, her next in charge to report this. Kate does arrive but is soon called to hear the confession of murder from Caroline Lambert. Caroline admits to leaving morphine and whisky on her cancer-ridden father's tray. After visiting the scene of this "crime", Kate is dragged into Brenda's house. Brenda tells Kate how she has known the family for over 20 years and Caroline all of a sudden shows up - that she killed her father. And did Caroline's mother really commit suicide. Brenda is in her 70's and a bit sketchy.
7 weeks ago; Caroline receives letter from her sister (?) explaining how awful her dad is and she will know the right thing to do. Caroline, indeed, lets herself into her father's home - but only to gather things to bring for him at the hospital. Her dad, Dennis, is not a friendly sort.
Maddie meets a nurse at the hospital and they go out for drink. After plying Maddie with alcohol, Carolyn finds out that the nurse is deeply in debt. She bribes Maddie with $15,000 to get morphine and tranquilizers. Maddie becomes essential for more drugs to dose her dad and Caroline takes advantage of this debt.
The police, meanwhile, are putting the pieces together. Is this truly a mercy killing? Yes, dad dies, and guess what? Caroline does a "runner"' The police find her abandoned car and a letter inside says "Find Jeanette".
Everything begins to unravel when the police find Jeanette's best friend from many years ago, Julie Wilkerson.
A surprising conclusion to the well written and thought out story! Recommend! Many thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for this opportunity!!!

This is the second book to feature DI Kate Fletcher. Don't worry if you haven't read the first book in the series as it reads well as a stand alone


The story flicks between past, well to a matter of weeks leading up to, and present day. We get to see Kate in the present day trying to solve the identity of a body as well as dealing with a lady called Caroline who has handed herself in for the murder of her father.


The weeks leading up to the present we get to know Caroline better and see her relationship with her dad. There is obviously something from Caroline's past that is troubling her and I was intrigued to know more.


I like how the author weaves the story so that we get to see all sides. It draws you in and holds you there. Kate is a character that I had a lot of respect for and I liked the way she works and that she has a certain amount of compassion.


Merciless is a really intriguing read that is packed full of suspense. It certainly kept me on my toes and each chapter left me wanting more making it an impossible book to put down. Definitely a series that seems to be going from strength to strength.

DI Kate Fletcher is in the middle of a crime scene where a woman’s body has been found in a frozen canal when she gets word that a woman is at the police station and will speak only to Kate. Caroline Lambert confesses to leaving pills next to her husband’s bed side and then leaving the room. Dying from liver cancer, the man was in agony, and Caroline admits she left the pills there for him to end his life. Meanwhile, the woman in the canal remains unidentified until a man steps forward, believing the woman to be his mother, an oncology nurse. As Kate investigates, she is able to see that the two crimes are connected. Told through both Kate and Caroline’s perspectives, this is a mystery with strong character development and details

I enjoyed this book! I didn't realize it was the 2nd in a series when I requested it. However, with the exception of a couple of references to the past of the main character, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. This could be read as a stand alone, but I am looking forward to reading the next in the series. Thank you #netgalley and #bloodhoundbooks for the eARC.

Early in the morning Detective Inspector Kate Fletcher is on her early morning run down by the canal when she comes across a woman's body floating in the water. Back at the station a woman has confessed to killing her father and will only speak to Kate.
The woman is the daughter of a stage 4 liver cancer patient and she has been looking after him. Kate now has two cases and her gut is telling her that they are connected but HOW.? When she delves deeper she discovers that it all leads back to when Caroline was a child. If Caroline hated her father with a vengeance, why did she come back to look after him?
This book was easy to read and I soon became enthralled with the story. It was a very good read. This author is one to look out for.
I would like to thank the author Heleyne Hammersley, Bloodhound books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Two bodies, one apparently an accidental fall, the other a mercy killing of late stage cancer patient.
But all is not as it seems. Follow DI Kate Fletcher as she investigates. Could there be a connection?
Heleyne Hammersley has created a full cast of interesting and believable characters mixed with a storyline full of twists and turns.
Who is “J”?
#merciless#netgalley

Merciless is the second book in the author's DI Kate Fletcher police series set in Doncaster and whilst it does not quite reach the heights of the first book it is still a well written and interesting story

The book is more of a how and why rather than a who dunnit as it tells a large part of the story from the viewpoint of the perpetrator rather than the police team. This is something which I don't prefer in a crime novel as I like to read a story from the detection point of view. This is though a minor quibble and more a personal preference.

The story has a number of twists and turns and kept me page turning from the beginning to end.

Hopefully there will be further books in this series which I look forward to reading

This is another great book with DI Kate Fletcher.
A body is found floating in the canal and with no ID it takes a while to confirm who she is.
Kate is called back to the station as a woman has admitted to killing her father but will only speak to her.
Caroline seems very cold and detached to Kate but she takes her statement and then releases her pending further investigations.
More and more information comes to light and the team find themselves deeper and deeper into something none of them can quite grasp.
This is a gripping read and I loved the last few chapters especially as they really pulled you into the story.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

i cannot praise this book enough! a real page turner with likeable characters. a fantastic example of a brilliant police procedural storyline.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Publication Day! Merciless is book two in the DI Kate Fletcher series. I have done it again! Read book two before book one HOWEVER, I have book one so I can go back and read it at some point. Merciless reads well as a standalone.

I must admit Caroline has to be one of the most clever, twisted and nasty characters I’ve ever had to endure during a book! I found Merciless and easy, fast paced read that I just had to devour… Two different cases but are they linked? It’s not always a conincidence! A cleverly written story, which will have the reader hooked! A real page turner. An unexpected dark outcome!

My first experience of Heleyne Hemmersley's work, but it won't be my last - I've already downloaded the first in series as the second is so very good.

DI Kate Fletcher finds herself with an unexpected death on her hands when a body is found floating in the canal. With no identification, she has enough on her plate but then has to deal with a confession to assisted suicide. As that seems quite straightforward, Kate doesn't predict it taking up much time for her team and concentrates instead on trying to work out the identity of the deceased. However, it appears all is not as simple as first thought and - as strange as it sounds - Kate begins to wonder if there is a connection between both cases.

This is a fantastic crime thriller, an excellent police procedural and one where the investigation details are incredibly authentic and really work the reader's brain cells. It's a book which I have been completely invested in, and I loved everything about it. The characters are true-to-life; the investigation team are all individuals with differing personalities which is touched upon but not allowed to dominate the story. The writing flows beautifully, the plot is captivating and I really appreciate that, although this is the second in series, there is no constant harking back to the first one. This truly is a stand-alone read and, for me, it is worth nothing less than a full five stars! If you are a reader who enjoys a really great British police procedural, then this is one I strongly recommend.

My thanks to publishers Bloodhound Books for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

A cracking one sitting read, Merciless is a book that moves along swiftly, with a deft skill and style ensuring you won't want to put down.

Merciless is the second book to feature Hammersley's protagonist DI Kate Fletcher, but don't let that bother you, you can read it as a standalone with ease, I haven't read the first book (although I will be downloading it now) and I didn't have any issues at all with picking this book up.

It's written in switching narratives between Fletcher and Caroline, the woman who confessed to assisting her father's suicide, in slightly different time frames.  Fletcher in the present day, as she investigates both Caroline and the body in the canal, Caroline in the months leading up to the death of her father.

Fletcher is a compassionate character keenly attuned to her team members and eager to discover the truth behind the mysteries before her.  Caroline is awful, devious and manipulative.  She is a character you will automatically dislike, yet at the same time you won't be able to help yourself from empathising with her situation, even though you won't want too.

If you want an intriguing read, that will add a dash of thrilling suspense to your lazy Sunday afternoon, this is the book for you.

Merciless is the first book by Heleyne Hammersley which I have read and it is a corker. Although I haven’t read the previous book in the DI Kate Fletcher series, I felt that Merciless worked very well as a standalone, so don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous book, although like me, I’m sure you’ll want to once you’ve finished. Heleyne takes us on a tense ride as she explores two, seemingly unrelated crimes and the way in which she pulled them both together is what made this novel a really exciting read.

DI Kate Fletcher is called to a scene where the body of a woman has been pulled from a canal. As the investigation into the young woman’s death gets underway, Kate is called back to the station where another young woman has just confessed to the murder of her father. The two cases are both very different. As both investigations progress, Heleyne takes us back in time as we explore what went on in her character’s lives, which ultimately leads to the events which take place in the present day.

The tension in this book never lets up. It is a very quick read and it took me only a day to finish it. As we get to know the background of the story, I really wanted to know how and if the two cases were going to collide. There are some really well developed characters in this book and I liked that Heleyne gave them a real psychological depth; I had this feeling particularly with Caroline. There are definitely some characters that will get under your skin and I also thought it was interesting how Heleyne played with the feelings of the reader towards them. There were times when my opinions of the characters at the centre of the novel kept changing and this is what made the book a really engrossing read.

DI Kate Fletcher is certainly an exciting addition to the crime fiction world and I’m looking forward to finding out more about her. This was a really enjoyable novel from Helen Hammersley. Thank you to Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books for inviting me to take part in the tour and for providing me with a copy of the book to read via Netgalley.

DI Kate Fletcher is baaacccckkkkk! And boy did she make an entrance! It didn't take me long at all to devour the second instalment in the 'Kate Fletcher' series, what with the incredibly intense plot and the high energy situations which Kate Fletcher and her team came across.

With a murder confession on their hands which was intent on raising several eyebrows, it doesn't take too long for Kate Fletcher and her team to find themselves tangled in a spider's web, when they realise that there is a lot more to that 'confession' than they first thought.

'Merciless' is a story that switches between past events and the 'now'. Even though us readers have more insight to the truth than Kate Fletcher does, Heleyne Hammersley has ensured that her readers are still kept in the dark regarding the pieces of information that will really allow faeces to hit the fan.

I have to say that, even though I had roughly worked out what I had thought had happened, it didn't stop me from enjoying the storyline as, whilst I had become aware of the minor details, the true grit and shocking moments were kept under lock and key until the very last knocking. 

'Merciless' kept my attention from start to finish, raising my heart rate with every turn of the page. I thought that the tension in the book was fantastically written, and the addition of the author drip feeding her readers shocking information was very, very clever.

I cannot fault this book at all! I know I have been vague with my review, but 'Merciless' is the type of book which the less you know about beforehand, the more blunt your reactions will be. 

A cracking, fast paced read which kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through.

This is the second book in the Kate Fletcher series but it can easily be read as a stand alone. There are a lot of police procedurals out there but I found this to be one of the more realistic ones. The story held my interest and I liked the characters. I'm looking forward to reading the first in the series now.

This is the second book in the Kate Fletcher series but my first, it stands very well on its own so don’t worry about jumping in. I was really taken with how this book was set out. The first death was that of a young woman found in the local canal lock. This soon moved from a simple drowning to that of murder and then there was the confession of a middle-aged woman stating that she had killed her terminally ill father by aiding his suicide. This of course should have been an open and shut case but it just doesn’t sit right with Fletcher after meeting the ever so cool Caroline, the daughter of the cancer victim. A few questions and a little digging soon give cause for concern and a double work load!
You have a head start on the investigating team pretty early on in the story as you soon know who has done what, the thing you don’t know is why. The chapters switch between Fletcher and her team in the investigations and of course Caroline. Caroline has many sides to her as you will find out when the story dips into the past, both recent and much further back. Other people’s re-call of the family makes for shocking reading.
I really loved how the information was fed to me about Caroline’s past and care that she administered to her father as both became more shocking as the story progresses. This in turn played with my own moral compass. A super story line, plausible, intriguing and very much a need to know what had happened in the past. A lot I did guess but it is the horror of reading it that makes your worst nightmares real!
I am left wanting to know more about what makes Fletcher tick. Hope to find out a little more as the series builds.

Merciless follows the story of Caroline who has returned home to care for her dad who is dying from liver cancer. She walks into a police station one day and says that her father has killed himself, she has helped him and she would like to talk to DI Kate Fletcher about the murder. Kate is already dealing with a case as the body of a woman was found in a canal that morning but a phone call from her boss has her hot footing it back to the police station. Are the two cases connected and if so, how?

Told via a combination of the investigation into the case in and flashing back to the recent past beginning with Caroline’s reappearance in her father’s life Heleyne Hammerstein builds a compelling tale of murder, family loyalty and desperation. I really like a book with a clever narrative structure and in the case of Merciless it worked perfectly as we know what has happened we just need to know why.

Kate is brilliant protagonist, she is quick-witted, astute, kind, brave and compassionate and I really, really liked her. I loved that this was a book about a female DI who did her job and did it well, she is thorough and competent and leads the investigations with assurity and calmness. It was also incredibly refreshing to read about a woman in this role without having every part of her private life interspersed within the story and affecting her job. She is well-respected and succesful as a DI and I really enjoyed getting to know this strong, succesful and admirable woman.

Merciless is the second in the Kate Fletcher series of books but can be read as a standalone. This was the first book I had read in the series and I really enjoyed it. It has some difficult and upsetting subject matter at times and goes to some uncomfortable places but it is very sensitively handled. I thought Caroline’s sections and the slow unfurling of tension as the pieces of the jigsaw came together was wonderfully written. Caroline is a complicated woman and I really wanted to know as much as possible about her – she is so interesting and her life and motivations are compelling.

This is a real page-turner of a book. The plot is clever, the writing is excellent and I thought the characterisation was spot on – Heleyne Hammersely writes wonderfully complex women and doesn’t shy away from the darkness within. Excellent.

Having enjoyed the first book in the series l had high hopes for this book and Kate Fletcher delivered for me, yes l guessed the killer but that’s nothing new, storyline very plausible and characters evoked empathy, hope there will be more in the series

I really enjoyed the first book in the series so I was delighted to see that the follow up had been released, now I have read it, whilst yes, this is the second book in the series, I think that this one would be fine to read as a stand alone!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story - I thought that the plot was great and was immediately thrown in to the plot. I loved the characters and the writing style was superb - spot on for this genre and I was completely hooked. I thought that Kate was a great character and I have really enjoyed seeing her develop and I love her interaction with the rest of her team.

Four stars from me - a really enjoyable story!!

What a page turner this book was. Every character was well drawn and believable. Plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. But for me, the best part was the fact it was a well written story with excellent prose and realistic language. Two seemingly random murders are solved by thorough police work and the application of intellect. Nobody is trying to stab their colleague in the back and then clamber over their dead body in a misguided attempt to get to the top of the pile. A genuinely unputdownable page turner, which I highly recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. After reading Closer to Home, the first to feature DI Kate Fletcher, I was thrilled to read Merciless as an ARC. This is a real page-turner of a book., with a clever, excellently written plot packed full of suspense. This series really is fantastic, I am hoping there will be more about DI Fletcher and her team - soon!
I would like to thank the author Heleyne Hammersley, Bloodhound books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book - I loved it.

Book 2 of the DI Fletcher series picks up after some time from Book 1 (Closer to Home), and as Kate, and the team are settling in. Kate has returned from 20 years away in 'the big city' and as she settles in post divorce, she finds herself reminded of her childhood at every turn. As Kate works to discover if the death is a mercy killing or not, she uncovers coincidence after coincidence making her think 2 seemingly separate deaths might just be related. But are there more? How deep goes the web of deceit? How long will we hold grudges and bring them to fruit? This is a fast read (I read it in 1 sitting), and perfect for vacation reading!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books and Heleyne Hammersley for the opportunity to read Merciless in exchange for an honest review.
I was gripped from the start. There is plenty of suspense to satisfy crime thriller fans. The storyline was well thought out and fast paced with a few twists thrown in for good measure. I also thought the main characters were engaging and relatable.