The Body in the Mist

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book pre-publication.
I have read most of Nick Louth's offerings but I can must say this is possibly the best book I have read, so far, this year !!! Absolutely cracking......the slightly off centre relatives of the main character DCI Craig Gillard are well constructed and completely believable. I am sure most people will recognise the traits of someone they know in this novel. And the twist at the end.....bet you didn't see that coming !
What more can I say except "READ THIS BOOK" - you won't be disappointed.

A hit and run victim means that DCI Craig Gillard and his wife head off to Devon to support his family when they are apparently involved in the accident, or was it? The local police deal with the case but much of the book concerns Gillard and his past/present relationships with what is clearly a dis-functional, eccentric and rather nasty set of relatives. Not to mention undertaking some investigation of his own. Plenty to get your teeth in to and well written as usual. The eventual court case is long with very good portrayal of the two sides by what one can only call 'smooth' and sharp lawyers. That was certainly compelling reading. The end definitely had a twist and opens things for a 4th, and certainly uncomfortable, instalment for Craig and Sam. I dropped a star because it suspends rather too much belief that a busy DCI could spend so much time on what was clearly a personal case - even more so than the Albanian trip in a previous book.. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic read. I cannot praise this book enough. If you love thrillers, then this is for you.
The story opens with the death of a hit and run victim in Devon and the car belongs to the Aunt of DCI Craig Gillard. This is the third novel featuring DCI Gillard and gets very personal. Involved in this story are his Aunt Trish and Uncle Philip along with sexual abuse, lies, great police procedural work. And the shocking ending, it makes me hope there is a another novel in there! Well done Nick Louth!
If you only read one book this year, make sure it is this one!!!!

Having read the first two Craig Gillard novels, I had really high expectations for this novel. I was not disappointed. Thoroughly enjoyed it. A much more personal tale for Gillard and his wife, with the introduction of Gillard errant family. A really excellent cold case who done it, or two, a current murder, and lots of whacky relatives. And Christmas, not forgetting, Christmas. What was there to not love about this book. It was great. Really looking forward to the next one, and hopefully more of Barbara and Trish. Great

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this mystery - classic, but with many twists and turns. The author did a great job of bringing atmospheric tension to the page. Not just the detail on the hardships involved in farming in an inhospitable climate, but the horrible things family can do to one another, and still expect to call in their dues when needed. And the non-sugarcoating of police work, and how difficult it can be to follow the right procedure, and hit dead ends. Although I find it hard to believe that DCI Gillard would be given the freedom he takes to follow his own private investigations, it's a great read.

Goodreads review here (direct link not possible): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2783900046

Nick Louth is really getting better - this is best book yet.
The story starts slowly, sedately, lulling you into thinking that you know the storyline, but you don’t.
As the story progresses shocking and unexpected revelations take it to a different and very dark level. This is dark coasts and moors and hills where nasty things happen in the farm woodsheds... And then there is the final page!
The novel is well crafted with logical, if shocking, outcomes that take the story into just what happens in these lonely places, where families have lived a hard scrapple life for many generations, and the neighbours are far away and likely to be feuding. The weather is stormy and dank and cold, and the sun is fleeting and miserly. Not the nice tourist image at all.

A body is discovered by a dog walker, when the police arrive they find a male with no identification, wallet, mobile phone or distinguishing marks. The search for the identity of the male and the vehicle leads the police to a stolen vehicle belonging to DCI Craig Gillard's aunt Barbara and when the police ask to question her he is asked for support. What follows is the story of DCI Craig Gillard's family history in all its gory details from paedophiles to murder and fraud.

An insight into DCI Craig Gillard's background and the deep rooted secrets that haunt him...

A very highly recommended read and another great instalment in this series

Craig Gillards two aunties and a deceased and their father make the Borgias family quite normal! An intriguing story of the past and present crimes of the family leaves the reader a little bewildered, nevertheless it keeps one fully occupied. With a surprising twist towards the end!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of The Body in the Mist, the third novel to feature DCI Craig Gillard of Surrey Police.

DI Jan Talantire of the Devon and Cornwall police is called out to Barnstaple to investigate a particularly gruesome hit and run but with the body too damaged for identification and nobody reporting a missing person who could match what she does know her investigation hardly gets off the ground. In the meantime DCI Craig Gillard is called to Barnstaple by his two aunts for a family emergency, the hit and run car belongs to his aunt Barbara.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Body in the Mist which is an excellent police procedural and a clever unravelling of family secrets, full of twists and turns. I must admit that the number of skeletons in the Antrobus (Gillard’s family) family cupboard pushed my credulity but it makes for great reading. I was hooked from start to finish, unwilling to put it down.

The novel is told from two points of view with Talantire’s covering the procedural elements of the novel while Gillard’s pursues his family secrets in an unofficial capacity. The novel switches between the two perspectives seamlessly offering the reader a broader view of events and two different interpretations of events. The pacing is good with regular reveals to keep the reader interested and whet the appetite for more. And boy, is there more with lots of twists, not least the final one. I enjoyed the planning that went in to the novel with so many disparate events and clues gradually coming together to make a cohesive, if not neat, solution.

I really like Craig Gillard as a protagonist. He is smart and dedicated but in this novel he is like a different man. His difficult family history and its dynamics make him prey to his aunts’ manipulation and leave him a shadow of his normal decisive self. It’s an interesting side to his personality. I also like Jan Talantire who has a great attitude. I would love to see more of her but, short of a transfer, I don’t see her making a repeat appearance.

The Body in the Mist is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
What a read! - an intriguing web - of family secrets, lies, murder, historical abuse and, quite frankly hatred!!!
DCI Craig Gillard is 'ordered' all over the place by his assertive diminutive Aunt Trisha, expecting him to get down to Devon to help out his batty Aunt Barbara (known for her propensity for alcohol). Her Ford Ranger pickup has been identified as the vehicle involved in a hit-and-run on a country road near Exmoor. However, her vehicle had been reported as missing that same day.
The male victim is unidentified - his face torn-off by the road surface, all labels cut from his clothing, and no sign of personal effects.
Local police team led by DI Jan Talantine have the case and they become convinced one or both sisters are lying.
Craig, with wife Sam, visit Trisha's brother, Philip, at his nursing home. He's suffering from dementia but can remember some historical events. Why is a girl called Emily so important to him and why does he think he'll be locked up?
Trisha's husband left her years ago but she strangely still keeps in touch with him and his new Thai family, having a photo-wall in her house showing holiday pictures with them. She's expecting her husband and his new family to visit at Christmas.
Between DI Talantine's investigation into the unidentified body and Craig's personal investigation into who Uncle Philip's Emily could be, appalling family secrets begin to emerge.
Set around Trisha's home in Barnstable, Devon, and Barbara's family farm home on the edge of Exmoor, the atmosphere is bleak, damp and windswept.
This story begins as a rather tight police-procedural with DI Talantire and her team. Merges into a troubling family relationship story for Craig Gillard carrying out his own personal investigation, and finishes as a Court Room Drama where the evidence is presented. Who really is guilty - and of what?
Lots of twists and turns and surprises - a complex, thrilling story, ending on a cliff-edge which, hopefully will continue.

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for the review copy. This is an unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want plot lines and spoilers please see the publishers blurb and other reviewers' reports.

It starts as a very good police procedural tale. The author portrays to processes and problems faced by the investigating DI with skill. Whilst I initially had a nagging thought that this was going to get in the way it doesn't.

The the first twist occurs when another police officer gets involved from a different perspective and the tale lifts off. I found throughout the book I was driven to turn the page without that sense of "Oh here comes a plot point!", just my need to see where the tale was going.
I have not read Nick Louth's previous works but I will be looking out for them. A thoroughly good read and I look forward to future volumes.
Five stars - I would have given six.

Things get personal when Craig’s family get involved and make for a interesting read. Unusual story, good character development and a fabulous ending

On Exmoor, a body is found, victim of a hit & run. No ID, no clues.

Craig Gillard is dragged down to Devon to sort out his less than straightforward family. Matters get worse when the car used in the hit and run is found to belong to one of his aunts

The Body in the Mist is the latest book by Nick Louth and it is definitely a page clicking book with many twists & turns that kept me fully entertained until the very end.

Yes you have to suspend some belief as there is no way the main character would have the time or the opportunity to undertake his own personal investigations but that is a minor quibble in what is a book that I recommend

Can two old ladies, either or both together, really have deliberately run down and killed a man in Exmoor. The more it's looked into the more strange things they seem to be capable of.

An enjoyable read which shows how you can't pick your relatives.

DCI Craig Gillard becomes involved in a case in Devon as its personal. His remaining family are involved and its not looking good!
A hit and run seems to have been carried out by his Aunt's car - but who was driving?. Why is his uncle obsessed with a girl called Emily and where is his other Aunt's husband and what is the connection to the hit and run victim?
This is a fast paced book which will keep you guessing to the end!!.

I remember reading an earlier book in this series, although I can't find a review.

I was drawn to this book by the setting on the fringes of Exmoor.

There are some very well crafted characters in this fast paced crime thriller.
Although many of the locations are fictitious, there are plenty of real locations which help to make this an enjoyable read. I like books which make good use of geographical regions to add to the reality.

The novel is an intriguing crime thriller, which has detective Craig Gillard drawn into a new patch as the result of crimes affecting a couple of his elderly relatives.

Author Nick Louth uses this to create a murder mystery involving a plethora of characters, in a book with more twists and turns than the maze at Hampton Court.

I liked the court room drama and the potential cliffhanger ending.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for a copy in exchange for this review.

A really gripping thriller. I haven't read any other books in this series, but will certainly look out for others. The plot twists were clever, but not too contrived, and the characters compelling. A great read, and difficult to put down!

The Body in the Mist is the third novel in the DCI Craig Gillard series, and although not my favourite so far, it is still a solid and thoroughly entertaining thriller. Each instalment reads perfectly as a standalone if you don't mind not being privy to all of Gillard's turbulent family history. What Louth does so well is to craft a captivating and highly readable story with a cast of three-dimensional characters all of whom come alive on the page, but none more so than main protagonist Craig.

I find it rather ironic that despite having one of the most challenging job descriptions that Gillard seems to run into more trouble at home with his overbearing family members who expect him to tend to them at the drop of a hat; they are seemingly unaware of the fact that he is a much needed, astute investigator at a time when they are in short supply. This creates a problematic existence for Gillard and Louth is certainly adept at depicting the struggle often inherent in day-to-day family life. A gripping and addictive addition to the series. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

# The Body In The Mist # Netgalley
I have been enjoying the series of Craig Gillard so obviously I thought book 3 would have been slightly better than the other 2. However it’s not, it’s definitely on par though. Which I was pleased to read Nick Louth Knows how to draw you right into his books, and actually makes you feel part of it. The rollercoaster twists running through the book, are brilliant. I am in some ways so glad this one book 3 isn’t better than the others, when that happens with some authors I just think sometimes they hold back a little. Where it’s really nice to know he gave the same dedication to his other books as he did with this book a definite must read

My thanks to Canelo for an eARC via NetGalley of Nick Louth’s ‘The Body in the Mist’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third in Louth’s D.C.I. Craig Gillard series of police procedurals. It opens on Exmoor where D.I. Jan Talantire is called to the site of a hit-and-run. The victim has no ID, no wallet, no phone and after being dragged along the road under the vehicle no face. Ick!

Meanwhile, Gillard travels with his wife, Sam, to Devon summoned there by his aunts on family business. Then the car involved in the accident is traced to one of his aunts. While he has to remain apart from the official police investigation, he does some digging and discovers layers of mystery linked to long hidden family secrets.

Although I hadn’t read the earlier books in the series this was no barrier as was enough background and no overt spoilers for the events in those books.

This was brilliant from start to finish with some great twists. There also was a legal component, which brought another dimension to the story and was quite fascinating.

Craig and Sam are well realised characters and it’s so refreshing to have a relationship that is loving and supportive. That may be because Sam is a civilian officer and had previously been a community support officer. Sam rightly bristles when Craig’s aunt Trish refers to her as having been a ‘hobby bobby’.

There was a great deal to appreciate and found it very hard to put down. I will certainly be looking forward to further books in this excellent series and plan to read his earlier books in the series.

This is a very good police procedural featuring DCI Craig Gillard. The story unravels a host of family secrets surrounding Craig and his two aunts. It is told from two points of view, Gillard's and Talantire who is investigating a hit and run. The vehicle involved belongs to Gillard's aunt but was she driving it at the time? The book is filled with twists and is fast paced with enough tension to satisfy any reader. I would recommend this book. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook and Amazon to follow.

This is my first read of Nick Louth's DCI Craig Gillard of the Surrey Police series, it is the third addition, and is mostly set in and around Barnstaple and Exmoor National Park in Devon. Gillard has a troubled family background, one which he has scarcely breathed a word about to his wife, Sam. I suspect most of us have some experience and insights of a personal nature when it comes to the term 'dysfunctional family' but not many of us have the full horror that is Gillard's lot when it comes to family. Louth provides some skilled characterisation for when it comes to Aunt Trish, Auntie Barbara (Barbaric Bab), Uncle Philip (Podge) suffering from dementia and in a care home, and Gillard's dead grandfather, they are not two dimensional people, but more rounded with elements of good traits after growing up in a family with a history of alarming abuse. Gillard's family have no compunction about calling on him, loudly and insistently, when they feel they need his help, which is why he and Sam are making their way to Devon.

DI Jan Talantire and Barnstaple police have discovered a body in a quiet lane in Exmoor, a hit and run victim, with no phone, wallet or ID, with the labels from his clothing missing, and after being pushed along the road, he has little in the way of a recognisable face. However, the police find the vehicle that has run him over and it belongs to Aunt Barbara, a farmer struggling to survive in a tough financial environment. She has reported it stolen, but it has turned up near by and the police view her as a possible suspect. Barbara is a tough cookie, strong and volatile, remarkable when you think she is over seventy years old, and she has a number of potential alibis as she claims the vehicle was taken from the car park of the care home where she and Trish were visiting Philip, playing Monopoly at the relevant time. Gillard soon finds immersed in horror story after horror story when it comes to his family, a family with a huge closet full of secrets and mysteries, not to mention an upcoming court trial, whilst DI Talantire and Barnstaple police struggle to identify their hit and run victim.

Louth excels when it comes to depicting problematic family dynamics and a Gillard at the beck and call of a family that is not above engaging in machinations that make his life unbearable and difficult. In comparison, his working professional life as a determined and able police officer is a piece of cake. It is Louth's characterisation that shines, for example, Barbara is a person who makes an indelible impact, someone it will take you a long time to forget as indeed is Trish, and I really feel for Gifford when it comes to where Trish ends up at the close of the novel. And quite frankly, I really would not want to meet the lascivious, demented Philip either, especially after his behaviour with Sam. I really enjoyed reading this, my introduction to the series, it is compulsive and gripping, and I really empathised with Gillard, we can choose our friends but family, that's a whole different ball game, we are stuck with them. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

I like Nick Louth as an author and this book did not disappoint. I particularly liked the interrelationships between DCI Craig Gillard who is drawn into this story through his sadly dysfunctional family and his professionalism as a detective. I thought this was done very well. The story is very dependent on the different members of this family and I thought their characterisation was excellent. I could not put the book down. I enjoyed the twists and turns as the story developed and enjoyed the trial at the end which I thought was well done. Highly recommend.

An exciting, gritty crime thriller. This is the third in the DCI Craig Gillard series, but the first one I have read. I loved it. It's fast paced with plenty of twists and a so unexpected ending. Scary stuff.

The Body in the Mist for me is a difficult book to review. I found it immensely readable and a great crime mystery. The court case at the end was brilliant with the arguments from the prosecution and defence barristers so clever, in fact spellbinding and articulate.
The main characters DCI Craig Gillard and his wife are well constructed and as with the previous books in this series their relationship remains solid, loving and supportive.
Craig involves himself in an investigation into a hit and run, the victim is killed beyond graphic recognition with not one shred of information on him as a means of identifying him, as it is Craig’s two aunts who have become suspects due to the vehicle involved belong to one of them he initially has gone to support them. We learn of his childhood with this family which makes the man he is today all the more remarkable.
Why is this book difficult to review........because I absolutely loathed his family, they were awful characters and I couldn’t understand how he could be so patient with them, a sign of great writing when you’re mentally booing at them and becoming so involved in the story.
And that ending! Mr Louth make it your priority in the next book to rid us of her/him (no spoilers) with a bang!
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This is the first Nick Louth novel I have read, it won't however be the last. It took me a few pages to get into but then I was hooked. There was nothing to hint at what happened in the previous two DCI Gillard outings so there were no spoilers. If there is a fourth instalment though, the ending here may be hard to disguise.

Set in a fictional part of Devon outside Barnstaple there was just enough description to enable the plot to take centre stage whilst still being able to picture the area where the main action happened.

I imagine that DCI Craig Gillard isn't easily intimidated in the usual course of his day, introduce his two aunts into the equation however and he is annoyed to find himself as helpless as a child! Driving to and from Devon in awful weather multiple times doesn't help his temperament and all his good intentions about keeping his distance come to naught.

With his wife, Sam, he is called down to his childhood holiday home when his aunt's car is used in a fatal hit and run.  How this incident leaches its way into his past and that of his extended family takes over almost all of his off-duty life and, as the story evolves, so does his realisation that his own secrets are going to come to the surface.

The storyline went further than a lot of crime novels and held my attention right to the end. The denouement was so brilliantly in keeping with the undercurrent running through the whole story that it took it to a different level and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author or very well thought out crime writing.

This is becoming a pretty good series. Whilst The Body in the Mist can be read as a stand-alone book quite easily it is actually the 3rd in the DCI Craig Gillard Series by Nick Louth. What a story!

Craig is called back to Devon to sort out some family business. He has two aunts both a bit odd who seem to insist on his help much against his own better judgement he, rather reluctantly, agrees to take a look. His uncle is in a wheelchair and is in a nursing home with the onset of dementia. While there on top of everything else Craig gets embroiled in an investigation into a hit and run. One of his aunts owns the car identified as the vehicle involved but both aunts have a solid alibi. The police are at a loss especially as they cannot identify the victim, have no witnesses and no real leads.

In this book we delve into Craigs family and it’s recent history which is quite dark and learn some sad and rather appalling things. It’s good to see how Craig and co. are developing as characters in this very good series. Craig has his doubts about a lot of things to do with his aunts, he’s not very keen on them, and as we read on it becomes clear and understandable as to why this is. Nevertheless, despite any misgivings, Craig is drawn back to Devon and into helping them out. There are some strange goings on at his aunts farm, then there’s something odd at his other aunts house and what they reveal about his aunts, uncle and, long dead, grandfather is awful – it’s not, perhaps, a family you’d want to be a part of either – still what happens is tragic. Craig is on the side of the law so he will always try to get justice done.

This is a well written, well paced book which has some nice twists and an interesting standpoint with Craig, the main character and a DCI, not actually the investigating officer as the crime takes place out of his jurisdiction. It’s a fascinating angle and a well plotted storyline.

Unlike many books were the end comes when the ‘baddie’ is caught, or not, here we are taken through to the court case and given a glimpse of what happens on the legal side. You get a little insight into how things work and I wonder if you would agree with what happens especially because of what we know from the rest of the story!

Just when Craig, indeed, me and perhaps many other readers think all is sorted and he’s free of his family – and what a family – there’s a rather creepy twist that makes you wonder and look forward to what might happen in the next DCI Gillard book!

If you’ve not read any of the series I would certainly recommend them and should you give them a whirl hope you, too, will enjoy them.

With many thanks to Ellie at Canelo for the invitation to Spotlight review #TheBodyInTheMist and to Canelo via NetGalley for an eCopy of this book.

A compelling non contrived thriller with a fast paced plot and beautiful setting. Love this series
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

There is a very dark start to this crime thriller, a body is found on a road in Exmoor, seemingly the victim of a hit and run, but the injuries make identification tortuous. DCI Gillard finds that a family member may have connections to the incident. What follows is an in-depth look at Gillard’s family and the revelation of long-hidden family secrets that put him in an unenviable position.

This chapter in his life, we meet part of his family, they are not what they first appear to be, and the hidden personality traits that are eventually exposed are written convincingly.

His wife is an important character in this story, and her trust and support, despite her own fears and misgivings, help him to keep a perspective on the situation, as he faces up to, and accepts the dark side of his family.

The plot is varied, with a murder, a cold case to solve and a court case that makes compelling reading. ‘A Body in the Mist’, is a dark, driven, dramatic crime thriller, which puts the protagonist through the mill but demonstrates his strength and integrity.

I received a copy of this book from Canelo via NetGalley in return for an honest review.