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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Under a Silent Moon - Blog Tour Review

Under a Silent MoonAbout Under a Silent Moon

Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (February 24, 2015) Two women share a grisly fate in the first entry of this exciting new British crime series—a blend of literary suspense and page-turning thriller that introduces the formidable Detective Chief Inspector Louisa Smith—from the New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Haynes, "the most exciting thing to happen to crime fiction in a long time" (Sophie Hannah, author of Kind of Cruel). In the crisp, early hours of an autumn morning, the police are called to investigate two deaths. The first is a suspected murder at a farm on the outskirts of a small village. A beautiful young woman has been found dead, her cottage drenched with blood. The second is a reported suicide at a nearby quarry. A car with a woman's body inside has been found at the bottom of the pit. As DCI Louisa Smith and her team gather evidence over the course of the next six days, they discover a shocking link between the two cases and the two deaths—a bond that sealed these women's terrible fates one cold night, under a silent moon. In this compelling new detective series, Elizabeth Haynes interweaves fictional primary source materials—police reports, phone messages, interviews—and multiple character viewpoints to create a sexy, edgy, and compulsively readable tale of murder, mystery, and unsettling suspense. Add to Goodreads badge
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My Review:

This was my first book by Elizabeth Haynes but it definitely won't be my last.  From the first page I was pulled in and the pacing didn't let up.  I loved DCI Louisa "Lou" Smith.  She was tough but compassionate and capable but also very human.  Plus, anyone who exists primarily on KitKat bars and coffee is pretty great!  The mystery itself is intriguing and it was very easy to keep the large cast and all the different threads straight.  Haynes mixes in transcripts of reports and witness statements in the story itself which I hadn't come across before.  It took me a chapter or two to get used to it but once I did I really enjoyed it.  It was a quick way to get the information to the reader without having to have characters discuss it.  I also enjoyed that the chapters were divided by day and that the breaks within the chapter were headed with a time code.  It gave a sense of urgency to the reading and I really felt caught up within the investigation.  I didn't care for Andy Hamilton but I don't think I really was supposed too.  I didn't love the sex or romantic relationships between some of the characters where it wasn't related to the murder but that's purely personal.  This is the first in a new series and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of Lou.

About Elizabeth HaynesElizabeth Haynes

Elizabeth Haynes is a police intelligence analyst, a civilian role that involves determining patterns in offending and criminal behavior. Dark Tide is her second novel; rights to her first, Into the Darkest Corner, have been sold in twenty-five territories. Haynes lives in England in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son. Visit her at elizabeth-haynes.com, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

44 comments:

  1. I have a big, big weakness for British thrillers but I'd never heard about this author before, so thanks very much for sharing, your review makes me want to read it !

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    1. Oh thank you! I have a weakness for British mysteries and this was really great! I hope you enjoy it!

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  2. I haven't read anything by Elizabeth Haynes either and this sounds great. Great review, Katherine!

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    1. I think you would like this one Jan. It's darker but it kind of has a Crombie feel - especially her later ones.

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  3. I love the sound of this one. When I'm ready for a new series, I'll have to remember it.

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    1. I really enjoyed this one! I hope you get a chance to try it.

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  4. She is one of my favourite authors, I would recommend reading Into the Darkest Corner, that is my favourite, though I would recommend all her others.

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    1. I'm definitely looking forward to read more of Haynes. I'll definitely have to look for Darkest Corner.

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  5. I will look for this author as I do like British writers and especially those who are crime fiction writers.

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    1. I really enjoyed this one. I really like British crime fiction and this was really good.

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  6. I read and reviewed this one back in January. I was very pleased with it as well and, yes, I cannot wait for book #2. Oh, and like Lindsay, I'd also recommend INTO THE DARKEST CORNER. It was really affecting, for me anyway.

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    1. I will definitely be looking for Into the Darkest Corner. I enjoyed this book and I loved Haynes writing.

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  7. You have me sold on this author! I am loving the old DCI Banks series by Peter Robinson (I have read 6 or 7 out of 19 in the series) and this sounds right up the same alley. So glad you reviewed this one. I am going to Goodreads and adding it to my To Read list right now.

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    1. I really need to read Robinson's mysteries. They've been on my TBR forever but I just haven't gotten to them. There's a sexual element that surprised me but it was really good. Hope you enjoy it!

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  8. I've got a library copy of this one that I am now moving up to the top of the pile based on your review. Like you, this will be my first time reading this author.

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    1. It's a pretty quick read even though it's fairly dark. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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  9. Good British crime thrillers leave me weak in the knees, especially with a woman sleuth. Thanks for the heads up on this one. I'm downloading to Kindle this afternoon.

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    1. I hope you enjoy it! I can't resist a British crime series and thrown in a good woman detective and I'm definitely in!

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  10. I love British crime novels so this is going on the TBR pile wishlist. :)

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    1. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I can't resist British crime novels either.

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  11. I love British mystery, but how close to the dark/thriller line does this one go? Because the writing sounds terrific and your review really has me intrigued!

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    1. I'd say it's slightly darker than Deborah Crombie's newer books with a bit more sex. A page turner but not nightmare inducing. I didn't have any problem reading it right before bed.

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    2. Thanks! I'll have to think about it, then.

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  12. I love Elizabeth Haynes, so I'm glad you enjoyed this book of hers! Thanks for being on the tour!

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    1. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to discover a new to me author! I really enjoyed this one.

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  13. This sounds excellent. I want to read this one.

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  14. Oh I love that she includes procedural deets like documents and transcripts..I so need to read this! Love that the heroine eats chocolate and drinks coffee!

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    1. I ended up loving the documents in there. It was such a great way to get information. And yeah how can you not love someone who lives off chocolate and coffe? I definitely related to her!

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  15. I really need one of those that keeps going strong and kicks off right at the start. I've read some very nice books lately but they've all been very slow burning.

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    1. I agree! I've been reading lots of good books less but this really grabbed me.

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  16. I absolutely loved her debut novel 'Into the Darkest Corner' - it very nearly made me OCD after reading it! I've been meaning to read the rest of her work ever since, must get it up on my TBR list.

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    1. Now I'm dying to read Into the Darkest Corner! Definitely need to add it to my TBR!

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  17. This sounds like a good read - I'll have to keep my eye out for it.

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  18. I already had her book - Human Remains - on my t-b-r list. Now I will add this one. Thanks.

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    1. I'll have to look for Human Remains! I'm looking forward to reading more of Haynes' work!

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  19. Adding this to my wishlist. :)

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  20. Oh, good! I'm glad you liked it. I have it in my TBR stack to read soon. Yeah, I could survive on KitKats and coffee as well.

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    1. I lived off of snickers in college so I definitely identified with Lou's KitKats!

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  21. I have this book, which I downloaded after reading and loving the author's book Into the Darkest Corner. Now I'm moving this one up on my list! Thanks!

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  22. I really enjoyed this one as well and am really looking forward to the next book in the series! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it as well :) Great review!

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  23. I am so glad you enjoyed this one too. I really like Lou and look forward to spending more time with her in Behind Closed Doors.

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