Series: Detective Beth Young #2
Published by Bookouture on March 15, 2019
Pages: 366
Amazon UK
Goodreads
Also by this author: The Silent Dead
The woman’s limbs were so thin; the skin on her arms as translucent as tracing paper. Around her neck lay a faint string of purple bruises. In one so frail, darker, angrier marks might be expected but Beth knew the bruising would have stopped the moment her heart stopped beating.
When a walker finds the body of a woman by the shores of Ullswater Lake, the police are put on high alert. Felicia Evans was known to be a tough character, but who would have strangled her?
Detective Beth Young quickly spots the links to three cold cases. Three women strangled and discarded in the stunning, wild hills of the Lake District.
As Beth begins tracking down witnesses, the team receives an anonymous letter claiming the charming mayor of Carlisle is behind the murders. There’s pressure from the top to clear his name. But Beth is determined to find the truth no matter whose feathers she ruffles in the process.
Beth knows the clock is ticking. The killer is hunting again. And it’s down to her to find who’s responsible before another woman becomes his prey…
Today I welcome back Graham Smith and his Detective Beth Young series, with the second book, “A Body in the Lakes”. Today I have the pleasure of closing the fab tour with Sharon @ Chapter in my life, Emma @ StarCrossed Reviews and Kaisha @ The Writing Garnet.
✮ My Review ✮
So I have a feeling I may not be very popular when I say this but I am not a fan of DC Beth Young. However, I do admire her. I find her attitude with only just passing probation a little “cock-sure” and at times you forget O’Dowd is actually the one in charge. But, she is ‘quirky’, her brain is wired differently and she achieves the results that she and the team need. And I do love her love of spreadsheets. However, part of me does wonder sometimes are we meant to like her at times?
Despite my thoughts on Beth, I loved the story and the police procedural aspect of the book. Beth is the driving force of the team, where it seems the team are all having their personal issues, she pushes the investigation forward and connects the dots way before I could. Just as you think you know where the story is going, Mr Smith is a little bit tricksy and adds something bittersweet to the story.
The opening chapter has your head spinning with shock with the gruesome discovery and from then on it is relentless. There is always something happening, from solving the murder, discovering cold cases, setting up a charity, I mean it left me breathless with so much packed into this book.
In intermitting chapters, you have Beth leading the way, but you have unknown diary entries and the sinister voice of the rapist/murderer and his next potential victim. All adding to the suspense as it left me scratching my head wondering how all three would link together.
I flicked between reading this and listening to the audiobook and the narrator was awesome. I found I was flying through the audiobook a lot quicker than when I was reading it, that is a credit to the narrator as well as the story.
Mr Smith has that knack of drawing you into Beth’s world and fully devouring you whole. Then when he ends the book, he leaves with you a kicker, so much so I didn’t realise at first it was the end of the book!!
I am looking forward to the next book because I am interested to see how Beth grows within the team and what happens next and what closure/outcome is to come following the ending!!
Until next time xxx
So let us recap so far on the tour! Be sure to click on the blog names to read more!
Booking Good Read says
I am invested in this series at this point and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes. I couldn’t stop reading A Body In the Lakes, thanks to Graham’s writing. There was a great pace to this book and a few red herrings, which I always enjoy from this type of story.
Hooked from Page one says
This is developing into an exciting crime series that I am certainly keen to follow, and it is interesting to see Beth grow. Beth is a character who stands out among her team, she has caught the attention of the press in this latest book, and she seems like a breath of fresh air to the media and the public. She is sharp, intelligent and tenacious. She certainly catches the eye of the mayor who becomes involved in the case when his name crops up as a possible suspect.
Sinfully Wicked Book Review says
The story starts out with a body found at the lake and quickly picks up speed right from the start. There are a couple of plots playing out at once that really tie in nicely together. What I like most about Graham Smith is he is not afraid to take risks and always adds some element to his stories that are so original and out of the box. Smith also throws you off the scent as to who the killer might be and throws in a lot of “maybes” into the mix making the determination of the real killer so much harder to guess. To be honest, I found the story really disturbing especially with the unique twist Smith throws in. A Body in the Lakes can be read as a standalone, so if you missed the first book you can definitely pick up right here although I would suggest starting from the beginning so you can get the background of Beth right from the beginning.
Portable Magic says
First things first, A Body In The Lakes is not for the faint hearted.The descriptions of the crimes in this novel are particularly graphic and this may not suit some people. Personally, I felt that the explicit nature of Smith’s writing helped to paint the Lakeland Killer as the monster he was, thus increasing the tension from the beginning as I was rooting for Beth and her team to find the killer, particularly at times when events appeared to conspire against them.
Rae Reads says
The setting is one of the wonderful things about this story as Graham Smith easily sets the scene and describes a beautiful place but then adds in a heavy sense of darkness by having a body discovered. The story moves pretty smoothly but very quickly becomes quite a frustrating case for Beth and her colleagues. I think that the short and snappy chapters really helped to keep the momentum going. You also get a little insight into the killer as you hear from their perspective on occasion. Which easily helps to give a chilling edge to the story as you wonder what they will do next!
Novel Deelights says
Goodness gracious me, this was quite the unsettling read. Particularly if you’re a woman. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I spent half the time with my legs firmly crossed, considering never leaving the safety of my house again!
Be sure to enjoy other fab reviews by Stardust Book Reviews, My Chestnut Reading Tree, I love reading, UK, Chocolate ‘n’ Waffles, A Knight’s Read, Nigel Adams Bookworm, LoopyLouLaura, Ginger Book Geek, Bibliophile Book Club, Seans Book Reviews, All Things Bookie, Simply Suze Reviews, B for Bookreview and By the Letter Reviews.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Rae Reads says
Fab review and thank you for the mention ?
Zoé says
Of course lovely you are very welcome! And thanks ❤️❤️