Michael Hambling

When a young woman is found stabbed to death on a footpath along the seafront in Swanage, DCI Sophie Allen is put in charge of the investigation. Set in Dorset in the UK, this is the first book in a crime series featuring Detective Allen. Happily married with two teenage daughters, Sophie Allen's family life is different to a lot of other detectives you find in crime fiction. But then again, she is totally fixated on getting the job done and manages her team with an iron hand just like show more plenty of other detectives out there in crime fiction land. I neither hated her nor did I particularly like her. She was just a bit bland for my taste.
The storyline was pretty interesting, but will appeal more to readers who enjoy well-researched crime procedurals rather than suspenseful detective thrillers. The activities of the police team were described in painstaking detail and entire conversations were provided leading to some repetitiveness. It is obvious that the author did a lot of research on domestic violence and psychopathic behavior. Anybody interested in these topics will find a solid basis of knowledge here. It was a bit of a slow burner for me. Because it was advertised as 'gripping' and 'full of suspense' and compared to Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott etc. it didn't turn out as I had expected it.
The author did a great job creating characters that felt totally believable, and the entire storyline was meticulously plotted and felt incredibly authentic. Kudos for that. Anybody who enjoys detailed, credible British police procedurals with mainly clean language and little explicit violence or gore will probably really like this. I enjoyed reading it, but it lacked tension and memorable characters and thus didn't grip me enough to give it more than 3 stars.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

car-jacking, cooperation, crime-thriller, due-diligence, intense, investigations, law-enforcement, missing-persons, murder, procedural, read, series, stalking, suspense-fiction, teamwork, unputdownable*****

I missed a couple of installments so I feel that I can honestly say that this one can easily stand alone. There is an abundance of characters, but there is also a cast list at the beginning.
Chief Superintendent Sophie Allen of the Wessex Serious Crime Unit (Wescu) has a law degree and a show more master's in psychology but is so dedicated to police work that she twists the arms of her surgeons and rehab staff to allow her to get in on the case despite nearly losing a leg on her last case. The investigation is very busy but feels like a treadmill at times because of lack of actionable evidence.
Totally unputdownable!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Dec 12, 2024 #HeartlessCrimes by Michael Hambling #DetectiveSophieAllenBk13 @JoffeBooks #NetGalley #PoliceProcedural show less

Heartless Crimes by Michael Hambling is a recommended procedural. Even though this is the thirteenth book in the DCI Sophie Allen series, it can be read as a standalone novel.

Three people who work at the same company, EcoFutures, need assistance from the police. Bryony O’Neil experiences an attempted car-jacking and ends up hospitalized. Justine Longford had someone break into her home, but it appears nothing was stolen. Finally Robin Pryor sets off along a clifftop path at Lyme Regis and show more never comes home. Later his body is found by the path. Detective Inspector Barry Marsh has to lead the team because Chief Superintendent Sophie is hospitalize and recovering from a vicious assault and Polly Weston is on another case.

This is my first Sophie Allen novel and it was easy to jump right into the story. There is also a list of the cast of characters at the beginning if readers need some extra help keeping characters straight. Sophie does end up playing a role in the investigation so she's somewhat involved in the case.

Heartless Crimes moves at a slow pace throughout the procedural. It does carefully follow clues, follow up on the information, and carefully question those involved. This makes it a good choice for those readers who enjoy procedurals. I like procedurals, but prefer those that move at a faster pace with surprising clues and building tension along the way. The actual case never really grabbed my complete attention.

Thanks to Joffe Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/11/heartless-crimes.html show less

I am glad I stuck with this series as each book has gotten better, with this one being the best so far. I like Sophie as she is a pleasant and competent senior police detective without too much turmoil in her private life. Her husband and children so seem to be somewhat unworried about her line of work, but there were some hints in this book that they are concerned abou ther. She is becoming more human with each story as we have gotten to know more about her past and her home life.

During a show more weekend blue's festival at the seaside town of Swanage the body of a woman is found on the beach. She had been attending the festival with a girlfriend but had spent the night with a man in their hotel room. Police soon discover that the victim, Sarah Sheldon,had some secrets and was a bit of a swinger often having sex with more than one partner at a time. Sarah and her friend, Rosemary, had met a couple of men on the Friday night, but while Sarah and Derek were hot and heavy, Rosemary was not keen on the other man, Brian. She ended up spending the night with an old aquaintance, Ed and his daughter in their apartment. A few days later Derek's body is found at the base of some cliffs and Brian has not been located. Another anomaly is that the hotel where the women were staying had a booking for a John Renton, and after staying the Friday night he, too, was unaccounted for. Every piece of evidence turned up, added another twist and question to this case.

The characters in this case are not very likeable. Everyone seems to have secrets, be a bit surly and does not want to answer questions. Rosemary and Ed, while seeming to be innocent, have suspicions thrown on them by the police as well. Rae Greyson, is a new member of Sophie's team. She is a transgender woman and I did like the way this was handled by the author. Rae turns out to be an excellent detective who shows a lot of initiative and drive. This police procedural was well done. I like that Sophie does not worry about who finds the information or where it came from if it helps to solve the crime. She does not hog the limelight and easily hands out praise to her co-workers. There was not a lot of suspense, it was more of a mystery with a lot of drama. This crime was solved by good old fashioned police work, not luck. I continue to listen to the audio version of this series and am enjoying the narration with each addition to the series. show less