Secret Crimes: DCI Sophie Allen Series, Book 3

I love how in this book, Sophie is portrayed as a very strong woman. But her weaknesses are also shown and almost revered. So many authors don't allow their main character to show a weak side. And Rae! I love the inclusion this author brings to his books. He took a risk, and I for one say he's winning with it. There is so much emotional and psychological twists and turns going on, its hard to see who done it. But in the end it all made sense. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

After reading the 1st book, which I found the main characters to be more than a little to good natured and complimentary towards each other, I decided to give the 2nd book a chance. The plot was decent but I tired of the constant use of last names, the politically correct themes but mostly tired of the ultra feminist attitude. Sorry, I know this will offend some but, if a woman dresses and acts like a prostitute, please know that is exactly how you will be treated. The running message through out this boom is regardless how a woman behaves (multiple sex partners, group sex, etc.) no one should judge her as being promiscuous. Please! Man or woman, regardless, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably IS a duck.

It is a "police methods" mystery set in coastal England. There are a lot of different characters, making it hard to keep straight, when you ARE reading it on the go. It isn't the first in the series and I haven't read that book so that, too, confused me at times. References to the main characters' experiences in the previous book which would explain why they were acting and relating as they did. I guessed the killer three quarters of the way through the book; the reason why would be a spoiler.I enjoyed the book enough to want to go back and read the first in the series. Would appeal to readers who like police procedurals.

I liked Sophie's appreciation of Rae's hard work and talents, despite her being a transvestite and Sophie's protection of her privacy. Sophie has a thorough understanding of the meaning of clues and knows how to assign tasks to get the perpetrator.

I enjoyed this book although a little long winged at times but over all it was a great book! Recommend

Nice read. Was good that the killed was not really brought into the story till close to the end of the book

have read all of this series and give it five stars

Only problem with the five "Crimes" books I've read is that I lack sleep because I can't stop reading them! PLEASE - more books. BRILLIANT!A South African fan!

Firstly, I very rarely write reviews on here unless the book has been very good or, in this case, appallingly bad.  After some 300 crime books now I can honestly say this is by far the worst.The top rated 5 star review states this is a 'police procedural' - absolute rubbish.  The only part that bears any resemblance to the police is the police caution which has very likely been copied and pasted.So here we go, a DCI running around like a headless chicken, interviewing everyone as no one else will ask the right questions.  DCIs are largely station based and leave the groundwork to the DCs and their D Sgts.  No sign of a DI?  No one, but no one enters a crime scene and starts touching bodies but the DCI does.  For goodness sake, you only have to watch 24 Hours in Police Custody to see what happens in reality especially as this author has absolutely zero knowledge of ANY police practice.  The 'interviews' with a suspect are beyond ridiculous - someone has been watching reruns of The Sweeney on daytime telly.  As another 1 star reviewer has explained, the DCI accuses a witness of being involved so he now becomes a suspect and separates him from his new girlfriend for her safety in all these safe houses that magically appear instantly.  By the end of the day she has invited said suspect and girlfriend to her home to have a meal with her family!!!  That was the final straw for me.  Or so I thought. That was until the new female DC, off duty, late at night, decides to drive for an hour and a half to revisit a flat using a key that she has no right to be keeping.  She is badly injured, has conveniently 'forgotten her mobile phone' (well of course she has, the author clearly suffering from writer's block) but manages, despite severe concussion to remember her DCIs mobile phone number (ludicrous nonsense) and using a landline, calls the DCI who is 90 minutes away.  This despite the local police station being just 5 minutes away together with a hospital and 999 is MUCH easier to remember than your brand new boss' number.  You could not make this up. As for returning to work covered in bandages and bruises.......The ultra predictable climax at the airport you would not dare to write it.  A Mickey Mouse police force trampling all over Heathrow?  Presumably all the regular police officers based there were having a day off and had put their guns away?  Oh dear oh dear.

I enjoy the cut and thrust of a good police procedural. The tempo in this series is what makes the stories so easy to read. The characters aren't as fully-developed and rounded as I would like. Even after three books that aspect doesn't seem to have been advanced. I can't fault the plots though, nor the mystery of whodunnit in this one. Sometimes the 'reveal' has been sign-posted so often in other thrillers that it's an anti-climax. Not on this occasion.I've read several books by another writer who had a traditionally-published career and had now been picked up by someone who encouraged them to 'refresh' the earlier titles for an assault on the kindle market. I don't know when 'Killer Blues' was originally written (now Secret Crimes 2016) but some aspects felt awry. When discussing the imminent closure of the Swanage police station it was stated that rural crime had been falling for years and modern policing was centering on the major conurbations. If only that were so in 2019 and although the new DC Rae Gregson is a welcome addition to the team, was this representative of the situation at the time. or has this been shoehorned into the story to reflect a hot news topic from late 2018 onwards? Sometimes it might be best to leave the stories as they were written and not tinker with the text to make a book more up-to-date. I

Another really good book in the DCI Sophie Allen series. This time with people from professions like banking, the army, a musician and a former police officer, who all get caught up in a double murder.It seems Sophie is a good DCI to work for, but she sometimes comes across as too much of a mother hen, making sure her team get enough rest and days off, and making them stop for lunch etc. In a really difficult and tense murder enquiry, would this really happen. There's also a lot of PC as well. Not sure if it's that prominent in the real police force.A very interesting and different plot, with plenty of action right the way through which certainly kept my attention. I did feel that more could have been made of the ending though, after the murderer was finally apprehended. We only got to find out out the why's and wherefore's at a BBQ in Sophie's back garden.I look forward to reading more about Dorset's finest in due course.

Having read the previous books I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately it was a disappointment,it felt like a lesson on political correctness,which made the plot suffer. While the matter is extremely important,it wasn't dealt with in a believable way,which lessened its message.

A really wonderful story. Very well scripted and teased out so the reader just has to keep going in order to get to the conclusion. Some writers let things slip, so you guess halfway through who the culprit is. Really brilliant