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DI Ray Drake #2
It Was Her
Do you want a thriller where nothing is as it seems?
Twenty years ago Tatia was adopted into a well-off home, where she seemed happy, settled. Then the youngest boy in the family dies in an accident, and she gets the blame.
Did she do it?
Tatia was cast out, away from her remaining adopted siblings Joel and Sarah. Now she yearns for a home to call her own. So when she see families going on holiday, leaving their beautiful homes empty, there seems no harm in living their lives while she is gone. But somehow, people keep ending up dead.
Did she kill them?
As bodies start to appear in supposedly safe neighbourhoods, DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley race to find the thinnest of links between the victims. But Drake's secret past is once more threatening to destroy everything.
Will they catch her?
Twenty years ago Tatia was adopted into a well-off home, where she seemed happy, settled. Then the youngest boy in the family dies in an accident, and she gets the blame.
Did she do it?
Tatia was cast out, away from her remaining adopted siblings Joel and Sarah. Now she yearns for a home to call her own. So when she see families going on holiday, leaving their beautiful homes empty, there seems no harm in living their lives while she is gone. But somehow, people keep ending up dead.
Did she kill them?
As bodies start to appear in supposedly safe neighbourhoods, DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley race to find the thinnest of links between the victims. But Drake's secret past is once more threatening to destroy everything.
Will they catch her?
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2018
24 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Mark Hill
6 books67 followersLibrarian Note: Also writes as M.K. Hill
I've been a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer.
But I write now, which is just as well, because I love writing. It's my dream job.
It's nice to see you here, thanks for clicking.
If you enjoyed His First Lie or It Was Her, do get in touch. There are oh-so-many ways to do it!
Contact me via my website: mkhill.uk
But wait, before you do any of that, make sure you buy my book. :)
I've been a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer.
But I write now, which is just as well, because I love writing. It's my dream job.
It's nice to see you here, thanks for clicking.
If you enjoyed His First Lie or It Was Her, do get in touch. There are oh-so-many ways to do it!
Contact me via my website: mkhill.uk
But wait, before you do any of that, make sure you buy my book. :)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 4, 2018
This is the second in the bleak, dark and atmospheric DI Ray Drake series set in London, and it is absolutely stunning, demonstrating that the author's outstanding debut was no fluke and he is a gifted storyteller. However, I would advise reading the first book prior to reading this as what happens here builds on what happened there. A well to do couple return home unexpectedly from holiday to find strangers in their home, and DI Drake and DS Flick Crowley are on the scene when their bludgeoned bodies are discovered. This is no isolated incident as more homeowners are found dead with the same MO. Tatia is desperately in search of security, stability and a family to belong to, but not just any family, the Bliss family in particular. The Bliss family, with their three children, Poppy, Joel and Will, rescue a child, Tatia, from a grim orphanage in Georgia, but the adoption process was a rather murky underhand affair.
Tatia was renamed Sarah, and she was over the moon to be part of the family until the day Will dies, falling off a cliff, splintering and damaging the Bliss family irrevocably. Sarah took the blame and to her horror was returned to the nightmare of her orphanage, but it is not clear what exactly occurred the day Will died. Tatia has returned with dreams of reuniting and belonging to her former siblings, and in the meantime, she tries to capture a glimpse of the life that could have been hers by breaking into wealthy homes, pretending for a few brief hours that this is her real life, all that was denied and taken away from her. Drake is living under the fear that his life is on the cusp of falling apart, terrified that Flick will reveal the truth of who he is and what he has done. Flick has covered up for Ray but she is not sure she can live with this, but she finds fun, respite and distraction in the form of a man she meets accidentally at her therapist's office, Sam Wylie, but who is he? There are others from Drake's past who intrude into the present, bringing with them menace and danger into his life.
Mark Hill writes a cracking yarn, gritty, compelling, and hypnotically mesmerising, and his prose and plotting are exceptional. His true gift is the characters he creates, those more sinned against than sinning, psychologically complex, and with levels of depth that ensure that you will read anything Hill writes. The tragic cards that life deals out means there are no happy endings as justice remains beyond the reach of those whose lives and futures are shattered. In this novel, Hill depicts a picture where evil prospers at the expense of good, often the real picture of what happens in our contemporary world. The central character of Drake is in a state of constant development as Ray fights to survive his past, connecting with who he really used to be to provide the inner resources for him to live. This is unmissable crime fiction, and I suspect it will make its way to our TV screens some time in the future, it would be such a shame if it did not. Simply superb and highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
Tatia was renamed Sarah, and she was over the moon to be part of the family until the day Will dies, falling off a cliff, splintering and damaging the Bliss family irrevocably. Sarah took the blame and to her horror was returned to the nightmare of her orphanage, but it is not clear what exactly occurred the day Will died. Tatia has returned with dreams of reuniting and belonging to her former siblings, and in the meantime, she tries to capture a glimpse of the life that could have been hers by breaking into wealthy homes, pretending for a few brief hours that this is her real life, all that was denied and taken away from her. Drake is living under the fear that his life is on the cusp of falling apart, terrified that Flick will reveal the truth of who he is and what he has done. Flick has covered up for Ray but she is not sure she can live with this, but she finds fun, respite and distraction in the form of a man she meets accidentally at her therapist's office, Sam Wylie, but who is he? There are others from Drake's past who intrude into the present, bringing with them menace and danger into his life.
Mark Hill writes a cracking yarn, gritty, compelling, and hypnotically mesmerising, and his prose and plotting are exceptional. His true gift is the characters he creates, those more sinned against than sinning, psychologically complex, and with levels of depth that ensure that you will read anything Hill writes. The tragic cards that life deals out means there are no happy endings as justice remains beyond the reach of those whose lives and futures are shattered. In this novel, Hill depicts a picture where evil prospers at the expense of good, often the real picture of what happens in our contemporary world. The central character of Drake is in a state of constant development as Ray fights to survive his past, connecting with who he really used to be to provide the inner resources for him to live. This is unmissable crime fiction, and I suspect it will make its way to our TV screens some time in the future, it would be such a shame if it did not. Simply superb and highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
May 5, 2018
DI Ray Drake #2.
Twenty years ago, Tatia was adopted to a well off home where she seemed happy and settled. Then the youngest boy dies in an accident, and Tatia gets the blame. Did she do it?
After being cast out by her adopted family, Tatia yearns for a home to call her own. She sees people going on holiday and while they are away, Tatia moves into their homes. It people keep dying. DI Ray Drake and his team are investigating a home where the owners are murdered. There is plenty of forensic evidence but the team struggle to find a motive. There are a few different stories going on within the book. Drake also has a secret, and the person sharing it with him might just be about to tell all. This is a very well written book. You do need to read the first book in this series before you read this one. It's called His First Lie. It was previously known as the Two O'Clock Boy.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group, UK and the author Mark Hill for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Twenty years ago, Tatia was adopted to a well off home where she seemed happy and settled. Then the youngest boy dies in an accident, and Tatia gets the blame. Did she do it?
After being cast out by her adopted family, Tatia yearns for a home to call her own. She sees people going on holiday and while they are away, Tatia moves into their homes. It people keep dying. DI Ray Drake and his team are investigating a home where the owners are murdered. There is plenty of forensic evidence but the team struggle to find a motive. There are a few different stories going on within the book. Drake also has a secret, and the person sharing it with him might just be about to tell all. This is a very well written book. You do need to read the first book in this series before you read this one. It's called His First Lie. It was previously known as the Two O'Clock Boy.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group, UK and the author Mark Hill for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2019
I was lucky to get a copy of this authors book that starts off his new series.
I then realised...hey, he’s the author that wrote The two O’clock boy that I’ve still got the proof copy of on my shelf.
I didn’t realise it was book 1, so then, ding ding.....I discovered I had book 2 on my kindle.
So guess what! I read this and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m only one YEAR late in reading this ! Yikes.
But again this plot and style of writing shows me the remarkable talent this author has in glueing me, yes, glueing me to his books.
If you’ve not discovered this author yet, try one of his books.
But start the beginning of his series
April 22, 2018
I got this book yesterday and it would have been finished yesterday too if it wasn’t for annoying stuff like work and people.
As it was I polished it off today because very like His First Lie (which I will always remember fondly as The Two O’Clock Boy) it has a beautifully emotional addictive layer to the writing which means honestly you just don’t want to put it down. So we enter once more into the murky world of Ray Drake and all his secrets, which are about to come back to bite him – at the same time bodies are turning up all over the place and another fractured family holds the key to the truth..
Honestly for me the engagement with this novel and the previous one comes mostly in the form of the aforementioned Ray Drake – A detective with issues unlike any other, who is darkly dangerous and endlessly fascinating. His partner in crime, Flick, who now knows more about him than he would like, is also a really great character and the relationship between these two is cleverly captivating, I’m in it all the way with these two.
As for the mystery element here it is really great, we have several character arc’s which keep the story twisting and turning to it’s ultimate conclusion and it is utterly gripping all the way through. It’s slightly shivery to think that people might invade your property whilst you are off on your hols, but the consequences of coming back early are fatal for a few. The best thing about it is the depth of feeling Mark Hill gives to both character and action, not only of victims but of the suspects, this had a great past/present vibe that worked beautifully and kept things obscure and unknown. The best crime comes from the shades of grey, not always just good guys nor bad, but victims of their own circumstances at times – this is an area in fiction where Mark excels, it’s all there just below the surface.
Overall another brilliant brilliant read. It’s possible I like Mark’s books more than I like him 😉
Intelligent writing, divisive and deliciously troubled characters, a totally compelling story, It Was Her comes highly recommended from me.
As it was I polished it off today because very like His First Lie (which I will always remember fondly as The Two O’Clock Boy) it has a beautifully emotional addictive layer to the writing which means honestly you just don’t want to put it down. So we enter once more into the murky world of Ray Drake and all his secrets, which are about to come back to bite him – at the same time bodies are turning up all over the place and another fractured family holds the key to the truth..
Honestly for me the engagement with this novel and the previous one comes mostly in the form of the aforementioned Ray Drake – A detective with issues unlike any other, who is darkly dangerous and endlessly fascinating. His partner in crime, Flick, who now knows more about him than he would like, is also a really great character and the relationship between these two is cleverly captivating, I’m in it all the way with these two.
As for the mystery element here it is really great, we have several character arc’s which keep the story twisting and turning to it’s ultimate conclusion and it is utterly gripping all the way through. It’s slightly shivery to think that people might invade your property whilst you are off on your hols, but the consequences of coming back early are fatal for a few. The best thing about it is the depth of feeling Mark Hill gives to both character and action, not only of victims but of the suspects, this had a great past/present vibe that worked beautifully and kept things obscure and unknown. The best crime comes from the shades of grey, not always just good guys nor bad, but victims of their own circumstances at times – this is an area in fiction where Mark excels, it’s all there just below the surface.
Overall another brilliant brilliant read. It’s possible I like Mark’s books more than I like him 😉
Intelligent writing, divisive and deliciously troubled characters, a totally compelling story, It Was Her comes highly recommended from me.
June 9, 2018
With this page-turner you are in the hands of master of psychological suspense. You can see the strings of Hill’s manipulations of your responses from the start, but you easily submit to his machinery of suspense. We start with a flash of a troubled man’s memory (Joel) of losing his brother Will from a fall off a seaside cliff in England in his childhood 20 years before, then jump to a current tour of the flaky mind of a woman (Tatia) secretly trying on a rich woman’s clothes in her home while she is away, and then step into a third thread of a male-female detective duo (Flick and Ray) investigating the scene of a murder of a couple who returned home sooner than expected from a vacation. Hill gives us just enough information in each vignette and iteration in this tale to forge glimmers of people’s motivations and baggage from their past, and then ever so slowly different versions of the whole picture come into your focus.
That picture has to do with a dysfunctional family and the festering of buried secrets. Lots of fiction deals with the lingering impact of childhood trauma. Without revealing any details, I can say that a tragic accident is one interpretation to the sudden loss of the youngest brother off a cliff but that in their blurred memories of the antecedents to the death each of the three siblings there that day bears a sense of guilt over the loss. Joel has lived his life under frequent care of the mental health system and still is subject to psychotic breaks under stress. His adopted sister Tatia (renamed Sarah) was sent back to Ukraine where she came from by the suspicious parents, but now she has returned to recover a sense of family now that the rejecting parents are gone. For a long time we know little of how she survived, but she is skilled in manipulating her violent but simple boyfriend. A barrier to any bliss from the family reunion lies with the oldest sister, Poppy, who has turned her back on the past and is comfortable ensconced in a comfortable upper middle-class life.
Since Hill won’t dwell in the minds of the siblings enough to let us know if any are truly guilty of Will’s likely homicide, we come to count on Flick and Ray figuring things out and finding some kind connection of that past to the current murders that make one or more of the siblings suspects. But Flick is often sidetracked over a mystery with her own partner. She has learned that for some reason in the past he has taken the identity of another man, and she suspects he may have gone out of control in the violent conclusion of their last big case. Here is where I pay for missing the first one of the series. Regardless, the personal issues of our hero detectives took some away from my reading pleasure. Otherwise, I appreciated Flick’s quirky and obsessive style and her resilience and competence under pressure and danger. As with the twisted perpetrators in series by Jo Nesbo and by James Lee Burke, I came to bear some empathy for the guilty parties in this dark tale and some understanding of how the troubled past of the detectives can contribute to their insight in solving cases.
This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
That picture has to do with a dysfunctional family and the festering of buried secrets. Lots of fiction deals with the lingering impact of childhood trauma. Without revealing any details, I can say that a tragic accident is one interpretation to the sudden loss of the youngest brother off a cliff but that in their blurred memories of the antecedents to the death each of the three siblings there that day bears a sense of guilt over the loss. Joel has lived his life under frequent care of the mental health system and still is subject to psychotic breaks under stress. His adopted sister Tatia (renamed Sarah) was sent back to Ukraine where she came from by the suspicious parents, but now she has returned to recover a sense of family now that the rejecting parents are gone. For a long time we know little of how she survived, but she is skilled in manipulating her violent but simple boyfriend. A barrier to any bliss from the family reunion lies with the oldest sister, Poppy, who has turned her back on the past and is comfortable ensconced in a comfortable upper middle-class life.
Since Hill won’t dwell in the minds of the siblings enough to let us know if any are truly guilty of Will’s likely homicide, we come to count on Flick and Ray figuring things out and finding some kind connection of that past to the current murders that make one or more of the siblings suspects. But Flick is often sidetracked over a mystery with her own partner. She has learned that for some reason in the past he has taken the identity of another man, and she suspects he may have gone out of control in the violent conclusion of their last big case. Here is where I pay for missing the first one of the series. Regardless, the personal issues of our hero detectives took some away from my reading pleasure. Otherwise, I appreciated Flick’s quirky and obsessive style and her resilience and competence under pressure and danger. As with the twisted perpetrators in series by Jo Nesbo and by James Lee Burke, I came to bear some empathy for the guilty parties in this dark tale and some understanding of how the troubled past of the detectives can contribute to their insight in solving cases.
This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
June 1, 2018
Well hello, Mark Hill, sir. Pull up a chair and sit yourself down at my table of go-to authors!
When I was invited to join this blog tour, I figured it was the perfect kick up the backside to finally read the previous instalment, His First Lie. Which I did a mere two weeks ago and it blew my mind. At that point, I said to myself “self, this is an author to keep your eye on” so my expectations of It Was Her were sky high and boy, did Mark Hill deliver or what?!
Now I know quite a few people mention they’re tired of the main protagonist being flawed, damaged and carrying a lot of baggage. To those of you who feel that way, let me tell you, DI Ray Drake’s story is that and so much more. Highly unique and original and brilliant! So my advice to you is not to treat It Was Her as a stand-alone. Start with the first book, immerse yourself into the characters’ background. And then, clear your calendar, grab a copy of this book and be prepared to be completely bowled over.
I am struggling really hard to put into words why this book is so fantastic. It just stands out from the crowd in the way that this isn’t your typical murder investigation. It goes way deeper than that with utterly amazing character depth and development. I expect my crime thrillers to be full of tension, gore and gruesomeness. I do not expect them to make me feel sad, to make me root for someone who may not necessarily deserve it or wish for a happy ending.
As the tagline says, nothing is what it seems. At various moments, I thought I had things figured out only to be proven wrong. There was no way I was ever going to predict the outcome and without giving anything away, it hurt. My heart broke, it left me reeling and I almost threw my book across the room due to the unfairness of it all. And yet, this is also one of the reasons why I love this story so much. Life isn’t fair and not everything is always wrapped up nicely with a bow.
I realise I’ve not mentioned anything about the plot. To be honest, everything you need to know is right there in the book description. Suffice to say this is one compelling and thrilling ride. I raced through the pages as if my life depended on it and could not put this book down. An utterly fabulous addition to the series and I’m bursting with excitement to see what Mark Hill comes up with next. Highly recommended!
When I was invited to join this blog tour, I figured it was the perfect kick up the backside to finally read the previous instalment, His First Lie. Which I did a mere two weeks ago and it blew my mind. At that point, I said to myself “self, this is an author to keep your eye on” so my expectations of It Was Her were sky high and boy, did Mark Hill deliver or what?!
Now I know quite a few people mention they’re tired of the main protagonist being flawed, damaged and carrying a lot of baggage. To those of you who feel that way, let me tell you, DI Ray Drake’s story is that and so much more. Highly unique and original and brilliant! So my advice to you is not to treat It Was Her as a stand-alone. Start with the first book, immerse yourself into the characters’ background. And then, clear your calendar, grab a copy of this book and be prepared to be completely bowled over.
I am struggling really hard to put into words why this book is so fantastic. It just stands out from the crowd in the way that this isn’t your typical murder investigation. It goes way deeper than that with utterly amazing character depth and development. I expect my crime thrillers to be full of tension, gore and gruesomeness. I do not expect them to make me feel sad, to make me root for someone who may not necessarily deserve it or wish for a happy ending.
As the tagline says, nothing is what it seems. At various moments, I thought I had things figured out only to be proven wrong. There was no way I was ever going to predict the outcome and without giving anything away, it hurt. My heart broke, it left me reeling and I almost threw my book across the room due to the unfairness of it all. And yet, this is also one of the reasons why I love this story so much. Life isn’t fair and not everything is always wrapped up nicely with a bow.
I realise I’ve not mentioned anything about the plot. To be honest, everything you need to know is right there in the book description. Suffice to say this is one compelling and thrilling ride. I raced through the pages as if my life depended on it and could not put this book down. An utterly fabulous addition to the series and I’m bursting with excitement to see what Mark Hill comes up with next. Highly recommended!
March 5, 2019
I really enjoyed, even though I hadnt read the first book (his first lie), It was easy to slip into. the characters were all diverse and worked well with this fastpaced thriller . A huge thumbs up👍👍👍
April 30, 2018
If you like crime thrillers with a twist then this is for you. Nobody is what they seem in this story and I enjoyed that element - particularly DI Drake, who has a mysterious and murky past that is only hinted at in this story. I hadn't realised this was book 2 of a series and although it works fine as a stand-alone, I think the DI's story would have more meaning if you'd read the first one (which I've got to do now!)
The story centres around a series of murders - normal people murdered by intruders, which to be honest is a tad gruesome. I liked the fact that we're not over-burdened with police procedure and the story canters along at a good speed.
I did guess who the perp was, but I never could have guessed the ending. I had to read it twice to get my head round it. Wow!!!
Thanks to the publisher and the authors for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
The story centres around a series of murders - normal people murdered by intruders, which to be honest is a tad gruesome. I liked the fact that we're not over-burdened with police procedure and the story canters along at a good speed.
I did guess who the perp was, but I never could have guessed the ending. I had to read it twice to get my head round it. Wow!!!
Thanks to the publisher and the authors for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
July 18, 2024
A nice book, all in all a good thriller. This book is the second instalment in the series band I’ve read this book as a standalone, and I didn’t feel like I’ve missed something from the previous part. The story and the plot are well constructed, the beginning was a bit dragged, but as the plot thickened, it went directly from a ‘I’m not interested’ to a ‘page turner’.
The way the author has portrayed human emotions, and the way an abandoned child thinks, has been so raw and pure. The way a mental struggle of a kid, being sent back to orphanage, and the want of family, is so well described. The way the thought process, the facial expressions of the characters have been explained is so revealing.
Everything was so good, but the ending has left me somewhat unsettled, maybe not so satisfactory. All the mistakes committed by Poppy have been left, and in the ending she has not faced any kind of charges, but only got whatever she has wished for. Just the thought that after whatever she has committed, she may have got the lifestyle she wished for, but the loneliness would definitely haunt her till the end.
The climax part, where Joel remembers everything, has given me jitters, the part when I was reading the memories of Joel, and the conversation between him and Tatia, was so breath taking. The lines where Joel starts singing the rhyme, and he just hugs Tatia and falls off the cliff, truly gave me goosebumps. The thought that Tatia has finally reunited with her family in death, leaving out Poppy, has somewhat gave me some kind of mental peace.
From the start of the book, Tatia has been portrayed as a person, who has a disturbed personality, and is someone who is very cruel, but as the story progressed, her love for her family, her big heart, where she forgives Poppy, in spite of knowing whatever she did, the way her character developed into someone very pure, has been so satisfying.😇
Coming to my rating : out of 5 stars
Title : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ enticing
Cover :⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good
Character development :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️nicely done
Writing style :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ awesome
Originality :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ don’t have enough words to explain
Overall :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All in all this was a great book, definitely going to my recommended books section
The way the author has portrayed human emotions, and the way an abandoned child thinks, has been so raw and pure. The way a mental struggle of a kid, being sent back to orphanage, and the want of family, is so well described. The way the thought process, the facial expressions of the characters have been explained is so revealing.
Everything was so good, but the ending has left me somewhat unsettled, maybe not so satisfactory. All the mistakes committed by Poppy have been left, and in the ending she has not faced any kind of charges, but only got whatever she has wished for. Just the thought that after whatever she has committed, she may have got the lifestyle she wished for, but the loneliness would definitely haunt her till the end.
The climax part, where Joel remembers everything, has given me jitters, the part when I was reading the memories of Joel, and the conversation between him and Tatia, was so breath taking. The lines where Joel starts singing the rhyme, and he just hugs Tatia and falls off the cliff, truly gave me goosebumps. The thought that Tatia has finally reunited with her family in death, leaving out Poppy, has somewhat gave me some kind of mental peace.
From the start of the book, Tatia has been portrayed as a person, who has a disturbed personality, and is someone who is very cruel, but as the story progressed, her love for her family, her big heart, where she forgives Poppy, in spite of knowing whatever she did, the way her character developed into someone very pure, has been so satisfying.😇
Coming to my rating : out of 5 stars
Title : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ enticing
Cover :⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good
Character development :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️nicely done
Writing style :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ awesome
Originality :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ don’t have enough words to explain
Overall :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All in all this was a great book, definitely going to my recommended books section
May 13, 2018
*4.5 ✨
The second installment of the mystery series featuring DI Drake. This one takes place months often the first one and Drake is concerned that Flick will tell the secret about him that could destroy is career. Flick is battling with herself whether or not she believes with what she saw or not and whether she should say something. While these internal battles are going on, murders begin piling up. Homeowners are getting murdered while they were supposed to be gone. Something happened twenty years ago that will set forth a series of unfortunate events. Both of these will come to a satisfying conclusion. Once again, I really enjoyed the mystery and the characters. I’m curious to see how Drake changes and what will happen when his lives merge together. I think Mark Hill is a great storyteller and I will be eagerly waiting for the third book.
**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The second installment of the mystery series featuring DI Drake. This one takes place months often the first one and Drake is concerned that Flick will tell the secret about him that could destroy is career. Flick is battling with herself whether or not she believes with what she saw or not and whether she should say something. While these internal battles are going on, murders begin piling up. Homeowners are getting murdered while they were supposed to be gone. Something happened twenty years ago that will set forth a series of unfortunate events. Both of these will come to a satisfying conclusion. Once again, I really enjoyed the mystery and the characters. I’m curious to see how Drake changes and what will happen when his lives merge together. I think Mark Hill is a great storyteller and I will be eagerly waiting for the third book.
**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 19, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley, Mark Hill & Little, Brown Book Group UK for my arc of It Was Her.
This is the second novel in the Ray Drake series which began with The Two O'Clock Boy now renamed His First Lie. I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I had high expectations for book two.
I have very mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand I found it very difficult to put down, it was enthralling, interesting, and gripping. But on the other hand i found it very frustrating.
Ok, so I'll break it down. The storyline centres on the characters of Joel, Poppy & Tatia. As children Tatia was adopted illegally from a terrible orphanage in Eastern Europe & brought into the family of Joel, Poppy & Will. In a terrible accident Will died and Tatia was sent back to the orphanage. Years later when we join the story Joel has some sort of illness where he doesn't sleep and is back with Tatia. Poppy has a perfect life with her husband, big house and little boy.
Meanwhile, Drake and his colleague Flick are investigating a series of break ins gone wrong in which the families who live in the homes are murdered. Soon a link appears between the two stories. As a spin off of the two main plots, Drake has somehow ended up involved in a dodgy situation relating to his past.
This book was great, right up until about 90% of the way through when I realised there wasn't enough book left to bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion. I don't think it will be a spoiler to say that I felt frustrated that Joel's illness was ever explained that felt like a massive hole in the story, while I understood that it was lack of sleep that made him ill there was absolutely no explanation as to why he could no longer sleep or why he had collapsed at work earlier in the story. This was really frustrating for me.
I felt there were a few other minor plot holes too that I found quite frustrating. It felt like it went so well for the first 2/3 of the book but after that the ending felt really rushed. For that reason it loses one star.
Meanwhile, Drake and his colleague Flick are investigating a series of break ins gone wrong in which the families who live in the homes are murdered. Soon a link appears between the two stories. As a spin off of the two main plots, Drake has somehow ended up involved in a dodgy situation relating to his past.
This book was great, right up until about 90% of the way through when I realised there wasn't enough book left to bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion. I don't think it will be a spoiler to say that I felt frustrated that Joel's illness was ever explained that felt like a massive hole in the story, while I understood that it was lack of sleep that made him ill there was absolutely no explanation as to why he could no longer sleep or why he had collapsed at work earlier in the story. This was really frustrating for me.
I felt there were a few other minor plot holes too that I found quite frustrating. It felt like it went so well for the first 2/3 of the book but after that the ending felt really rushed. For that reason it loses one star.
May 25, 2018
Mark Hill is an author I’ve only just discovered but he is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
The author is very good at creating very intriguing, fascinating stories which are very fast paced and near impossible to put down. He creates some very freaky, messed up children’s characters which seem so realitic that you feel like they could actually exist. I found myself racing through the pages as I desperately wanted to discover what was going to happen next.
I enjoyed the main partnership between DI Drake and Flick. They seem to compliment each other when working together and trust each other despite events that occurred in the previous book. I still wasn’t sure if I trusted Drake as he still seemed a bit dodgy at times. I did also feel sorry for him though and wanted the case to be solved so he could gain respect again.
The twist when it came was quite surprising and had me racing back through the pages. I love it when this happens as I read so many books that I can often guess bit I did guess wrong with this book.
It Was Her is the second in the DI Ray Drake series but it can easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know about the previous book is mentioned.
Thanks so much to Millie Seaward and Little Brown for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you like dark, addictive, edge-of-your-seat thrillers you’ll love this book.
The author is very good at creating very intriguing, fascinating stories which are very fast paced and near impossible to put down. He creates some very freaky, messed up children’s characters which seem so realitic that you feel like they could actually exist. I found myself racing through the pages as I desperately wanted to discover what was going to happen next.
I enjoyed the main partnership between DI Drake and Flick. They seem to compliment each other when working together and trust each other despite events that occurred in the previous book. I still wasn’t sure if I trusted Drake as he still seemed a bit dodgy at times. I did also feel sorry for him though and wanted the case to be solved so he could gain respect again.
The twist when it came was quite surprising and had me racing back through the pages. I love it when this happens as I read so many books that I can often guess bit I did guess wrong with this book.
It Was Her is the second in the DI Ray Drake series but it can easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know about the previous book is mentioned.
Thanks so much to Millie Seaward and Little Brown for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you like dark, addictive, edge-of-your-seat thrillers you’ll love this book.
December 10, 2018
Ich weiß nicht, ob ich das Buch mögen soll...gut geschrieben, aber so richtig spannend war es nicht
August 1, 2019
Lässt einen dritten Band erahnen.
October 15, 2021
A good page turner of a thriller. Some very complex and intriguing characters both in the police force and outside of it.
May 31, 2018
I was really looking forward to being reacquainted with DI Drake and DS Flick Crowley, having enjoyed His First Lie as much as I did. But before we go any further, a word to the wise. There's something really quite special and different about this series and some things, although expertly explained and recapped by the author, work so much better if you read them first hand. You get that spine-tingling shock factor, that unexpected 'WOW' moment that you just can't get via a recap. I may get in trouble for saying this but PLEASE read His First Lie first. It'll give you goosebumps and you'll learn exactly who you are dealing with in Ray Drake. Now don't get me wrong, Hill has done a terrific job of giving new readers an overview of what happened to Ray as a child but no matter how expert the writing, this is one series that you should experience, from the beginning, yourself.
I'll climb down off of my soapbox now (more of a biscuit tin really...) and get on with reviewing It Was Her! DI Ray Drake is a troubled man. DS Flick Crowley is dealing with her own demons which are all due to Drake, her boss and his troubled past. I found Flick hard to like in the first book. It Was Her has completely changed my opinion. They're an odd couple, but I really like them. There's a wonderful sense of impending doom about the two of them; the knowledge that if either of them says the wrong thing, confides in the wrong person then life could drastically change for both. They're bound together by secrets, whether they like it or not.
One of the things I'm growing to love about reading a Mark Hill novel is his flair for writing interesting, well-developed characters. Although this book is all about DI Drake his supporting cast are solid, believable characters who all contribute to the storyline. Hill has, however, outdone himself with the toxic Bliss family. Tatia is the 'adopted' (although not through the normal, legal channels) middle sister of the family. Poppy is the older sister, Joel is the younger brother and Will died at a young age when he fell from a clifftop whilst on holiday with his family. Tatia was blamed for the 'accident' and sent home to an orphanage in Georgia and a life of poverty, abuse and degradation. The scars run deep and all Tatia wants is a beautiful home of her own and her family reunited. So much so that breaking and entering doesn't seem that big-a-deal. But then the owners of the properties start dying in violent circumstances and Tatia becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Did she do it? Only DI Drake and DS Crowley can discover the truth...
Every so often throughout the story, there are flashbacks to x number of days or weeks after Will fell from the cliff. These chapters give the reader a great insight into the workings of the Bliss family and how events have turned out the way they have. I'm afraid I did my usual and tried to work out whodunit before it was revealed. I did guess the perpetrator but oh my gosh, that ending was NOT expected!
Would I recommend this book? I would but do start with His First Lie as it gives you the necessary background. DI Drake is a fascinating and complex character and it helps to understand his experience and his motivations before reading It Was Her. Deliciously dark characters, a poisonous middle-class family and a detective inspector with more to hide than most! Another thoroughly enjoyable read from Mark Hill.
Four out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an ARC of It Was Her. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
I'll climb down off of my soapbox now (more of a biscuit tin really...) and get on with reviewing It Was Her! DI Ray Drake is a troubled man. DS Flick Crowley is dealing with her own demons which are all due to Drake, her boss and his troubled past. I found Flick hard to like in the first book. It Was Her has completely changed my opinion. They're an odd couple, but I really like them. There's a wonderful sense of impending doom about the two of them; the knowledge that if either of them says the wrong thing, confides in the wrong person then life could drastically change for both. They're bound together by secrets, whether they like it or not.
One of the things I'm growing to love about reading a Mark Hill novel is his flair for writing interesting, well-developed characters. Although this book is all about DI Drake his supporting cast are solid, believable characters who all contribute to the storyline. Hill has, however, outdone himself with the toxic Bliss family. Tatia is the 'adopted' (although not through the normal, legal channels) middle sister of the family. Poppy is the older sister, Joel is the younger brother and Will died at a young age when he fell from a clifftop whilst on holiday with his family. Tatia was blamed for the 'accident' and sent home to an orphanage in Georgia and a life of poverty, abuse and degradation. The scars run deep and all Tatia wants is a beautiful home of her own and her family reunited. So much so that breaking and entering doesn't seem that big-a-deal. But then the owners of the properties start dying in violent circumstances and Tatia becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Did she do it? Only DI Drake and DS Crowley can discover the truth...
Every so often throughout the story, there are flashbacks to x number of days or weeks after Will fell from the cliff. These chapters give the reader a great insight into the workings of the Bliss family and how events have turned out the way they have. I'm afraid I did my usual and tried to work out whodunit before it was revealed. I did guess the perpetrator but oh my gosh, that ending was NOT expected!
Would I recommend this book? I would but do start with His First Lie as it gives you the necessary background. DI Drake is a fascinating and complex character and it helps to understand his experience and his motivations before reading It Was Her. Deliciously dark characters, a poisonous middle-class family and a detective inspector with more to hide than most! Another thoroughly enjoyable read from Mark Hill.
Four out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an ARC of It Was Her. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
May 3, 2018
I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of It Was Her, the second novel to feature DI Ray Drake of the Met.
Ray and the team are called in to investigate a home invasion where the home owners are murdered. With plenty of forensic evidence but no names to go with it the team struggle to find a motive, especially when they discover that it is not an isolated incident. In the meantime Ray's past is coming back to haunt him again.
I thoroughly enjoyed It Was Her which is a tense, multi stranded thriller with several interesting plot lines. The novel is told mainly from two perspectives, Ray and DS Flick Crowley cover the investigation and Joel Bliss and Tatia, with interjections from Joel's sister Poppy, cover the home invasions and their tangled familial history. The timeline is mostly current but there are flashbacks to a Bliss family tragedy. This could be a real mess as it switches point of view and timeline but surprisingly, as it's not my favourite format, it becomes quite compulsive as the reader tries to untangle the lies, half truths and subjective opinions on what has happened. I was gripped, desperate to know what was coming next. Again surprisingly, as police procedurals are my favourite reading matter, the investigation is not nearly as interesting as Tatia's history, perhaps because her viewpoint puts the reader ahead of it at almost every turn.
Ray Drake, as befits a fictional detective, has a past, nothing like the usual heavy drinking and broken relationships, which is fully explored in the previous novel, His First Lie (which I read under the title The Two O'Clock Boy). I think that reading the novels in order will benefit the reader greatly in understanding his current predicament, the threat of exposure and how he handles it, which, if I understand the cliffhanger at the end correctly, will become a running theme in this series. I'm not sure how much this adds to the novel or how much it distracts from the main narrative.
It Was Her is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
Ray and the team are called in to investigate a home invasion where the home owners are murdered. With plenty of forensic evidence but no names to go with it the team struggle to find a motive, especially when they discover that it is not an isolated incident. In the meantime Ray's past is coming back to haunt him again.
I thoroughly enjoyed It Was Her which is a tense, multi stranded thriller with several interesting plot lines. The novel is told mainly from two perspectives, Ray and DS Flick Crowley cover the investigation and Joel Bliss and Tatia, with interjections from Joel's sister Poppy, cover the home invasions and their tangled familial history. The timeline is mostly current but there are flashbacks to a Bliss family tragedy. This could be a real mess as it switches point of view and timeline but surprisingly, as it's not my favourite format, it becomes quite compulsive as the reader tries to untangle the lies, half truths and subjective opinions on what has happened. I was gripped, desperate to know what was coming next. Again surprisingly, as police procedurals are my favourite reading matter, the investigation is not nearly as interesting as Tatia's history, perhaps because her viewpoint puts the reader ahead of it at almost every turn.
Ray Drake, as befits a fictional detective, has a past, nothing like the usual heavy drinking and broken relationships, which is fully explored in the previous novel, His First Lie (which I read under the title The Two O'Clock Boy). I think that reading the novels in order will benefit the reader greatly in understanding his current predicament, the threat of exposure and how he handles it, which, if I understand the cliffhanger at the end correctly, will become a running theme in this series. I'm not sure how much this adds to the novel or how much it distracts from the main narrative.
It Was Her is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
November 11, 2018
This is the second in the DI Ray Drake series set in London, although locations in BookTrail terms are fairly vague and don't add to the story.
The first in the series is The Two OClock Boy and this should be read before this one althoughwise there are bits and pieces you're not going to get and it does enhance your reading of the book in many other ways.
There's two good issues here - an adoptive child seemingly accused of murdering her brother - and the question of how it must feel like to come home from holiday and find people in your house. Two unconnected issues brilliantly woven into a gripping plot.
happens here builds on what happened there. A well to do couple return home unexpectedly from holiday to find strangers in their home, and DI Drake and DS Flick Crowley are on the scene when their bludgeoned bodies are discovered. This is no isolated incident as more homeowners are found dead with the same MO. Tatia is desperately in search of security, stability and a family to belong to, but not just any family, the Bliss family in particular. The Bliss family, with their three children, Poppy, Joel and Will, rescue a child, Tatia, from a grim orphanage in Georgia, but the adoption process was a rather murky underhand affair.
Tatia, the adoptive girl in the story has been renamed Sarah,and has been a full part of the household for years now until that dreadful day. Nothing is as it seems though and as the plot unravels, so too do any preconceptions I had.
At the same time, there's just as much drama with the police than in the rest of the novel - Drake is terrified that Flick will reveal the truth of who he is and what he has done. Flick has other things on her mind however - in the form of a man she meets accidentally at her therapist's office, Sam Wylie. You just know that's not going to end well.
What does end well is this book - this is a great second in the series and the writing is top notch. Some dark characters in this one. Gritty. Deeply complex characters and a portrayal of good and evil. What happens when evil wins out?
Complex and gripping in equal measure
The first in the series is The Two OClock Boy and this should be read before this one althoughwise there are bits and pieces you're not going to get and it does enhance your reading of the book in many other ways.
There's two good issues here - an adoptive child seemingly accused of murdering her brother - and the question of how it must feel like to come home from holiday and find people in your house. Two unconnected issues brilliantly woven into a gripping plot.
happens here builds on what happened there. A well to do couple return home unexpectedly from holiday to find strangers in their home, and DI Drake and DS Flick Crowley are on the scene when their bludgeoned bodies are discovered. This is no isolated incident as more homeowners are found dead with the same MO. Tatia is desperately in search of security, stability and a family to belong to, but not just any family, the Bliss family in particular. The Bliss family, with their three children, Poppy, Joel and Will, rescue a child, Tatia, from a grim orphanage in Georgia, but the adoption process was a rather murky underhand affair.
Tatia, the adoptive girl in the story has been renamed Sarah,and has been a full part of the household for years now until that dreadful day. Nothing is as it seems though and as the plot unravels, so too do any preconceptions I had.
At the same time, there's just as much drama with the police than in the rest of the novel - Drake is terrified that Flick will reveal the truth of who he is and what he has done. Flick has other things on her mind however - in the form of a man she meets accidentally at her therapist's office, Sam Wylie. You just know that's not going to end well.
What does end well is this book - this is a great second in the series and the writing is top notch. Some dark characters in this one. Gritty. Deeply complex characters and a portrayal of good and evil. What happens when evil wins out?
Complex and gripping in equal measure
May 25, 2018
Yet again, Mark Hill has written a gripping crime thriller. I loved His First Lie (originally called Two O'Clock Boy), so was excited to read It Was Her, which is the next book in the DI Ray Drake series.
It Was Her focuses on dysfunctional families (okay, let's call them EXTREMELY dysfunctional families) and toxic relationships. It's filled with unreliable characters with distorted memories, hidden secrets and disturbing pasts.
This book is VERY dark and VERY twisted, with an air of mystery throughout, not just with the main plot, but also with the lead character Ray Drake. He's a complicated character to understand (conflicted, moody and damaged), and I can't say too much without revealing spoilers. To know more about his background, and his strained relationship with DS Flick Crowley, you should really read His First Lie before this book.
Mark Hill's writing is a pleasure to read, as it was in His First Lie too, with realistic dialogue and chilling descriptions of gruesome murders. With both books, I've found myself sympathising with some dubious characters, proving that not everything in life is clearcut and there's a definite grey area between 'good' and 'evil'. Can people really atone for the past?
It Was Her certainly kept me on my toes, trying to figure it all out (who was really to blame for events in the present and in the past?) and also left me wanting more (in a good way). Bring on the next book in the DI Ray Drake series!
Highly recommended!
It Was Her focuses on dysfunctional families (okay, let's call them EXTREMELY dysfunctional families) and toxic relationships. It's filled with unreliable characters with distorted memories, hidden secrets and disturbing pasts.
This book is VERY dark and VERY twisted, with an air of mystery throughout, not just with the main plot, but also with the lead character Ray Drake. He's a complicated character to understand (conflicted, moody and damaged), and I can't say too much without revealing spoilers. To know more about his background, and his strained relationship with DS Flick Crowley, you should really read His First Lie before this book.
Mark Hill's writing is a pleasure to read, as it was in His First Lie too, with realistic dialogue and chilling descriptions of gruesome murders. With both books, I've found myself sympathising with some dubious characters, proving that not everything in life is clearcut and there's a definite grey area between 'good' and 'evil'. Can people really atone for the past?
It Was Her certainly kept me on my toes, trying to figure it all out (who was really to blame for events in the present and in the past?) and also left me wanting more (in a good way). Bring on the next book in the DI Ray Drake series!
Highly recommended!
April 30, 2018
After reading his first book, His First Lie, I couldn't wait to read his next book, It Was Her. It did not dissappoint and was well worth the wait.
Mark Hill has a rather elegant style of writing. When he describes a room you can practically feel the breeze he describes or hear the blinds hitting the sill of a window because of a loud old wall ac. I have always hated when writers over describe (The apple looked luscious and ripe like an old whore with red gums and the white pith like her hair.), but Mark does it right, and other writers could learn from him. You know you will reread his books again and again not just for the wonderful writing, but also for his ability to tell a great story
He brings each character to life, each with their own backstory. There are quite a few carried over from his first book, His First Lie, and I loved seeing them back again.
I also loved the minor characters, Douglas and Bailey. I thought of them as Freddy and Stuart in the tv series Vicious. And I particularly loved the little bomb that was dropped at that chapter's oh my ending.
There are several stories going on within the book and the author connects them all so skillfully. So many devious plots. Which makes me wonder how he comes up with them? Mark Hill looks like such a nice man. It's like he's that nice neighbor who always loans you his tools and never complains when you don't return them. But later you find out when you're carted away by police that they've been used in a crime.
If you haven't read his first book, do so. Myself, I cannot wait for more DI Ray Drake. And why this hasn't been made into a tv series yet, I don't know.
Book courtesy of #NetGalley
Mark Hill has a rather elegant style of writing. When he describes a room you can practically feel the breeze he describes or hear the blinds hitting the sill of a window because of a loud old wall ac. I have always hated when writers over describe (The apple looked luscious and ripe like an old whore with red gums and the white pith like her hair.), but Mark does it right, and other writers could learn from him. You know you will reread his books again and again not just for the wonderful writing, but also for his ability to tell a great story
He brings each character to life, each with their own backstory. There are quite a few carried over from his first book, His First Lie, and I loved seeing them back again.
I also loved the minor characters, Douglas and Bailey. I thought of them as Freddy and Stuart in the tv series Vicious. And I particularly loved the little bomb that was dropped at that chapter's oh my ending.
There are several stories going on within the book and the author connects them all so skillfully. So many devious plots. Which makes me wonder how he comes up with them? Mark Hill looks like such a nice man. It's like he's that nice neighbor who always loans you his tools and never complains when you don't return them. But later you find out when you're carted away by police that they've been used in a crime.
If you haven't read his first book, do so. Myself, I cannot wait for more DI Ray Drake. And why this hasn't been made into a tv series yet, I don't know.
Book courtesy of #NetGalley
April 23, 2018
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Ray and Flick are back on the case of murdered homeowners in a brutal way. There's the issue of Flick having witnessed Ray's in involvement in their last case. Ray is left wondering if Flick will bring him down as she knows his past. Can they work together to solve the case?
This in my opinion was better than the first one but I think this was down to knowing the characters. Can't wait for book 3!
Ray and Flick are back on the case of murdered homeowners in a brutal way. There's the issue of Flick having witnessed Ray's in involvement in their last case. Ray is left wondering if Flick will bring him down as she knows his past. Can they work together to solve the case?
This in my opinion was better than the first one but I think this was down to knowing the characters. Can't wait for book 3!
May 2, 2018
I came to this book unfamiliar with the one that proceeded it. While there was some back story between Ray and Flick that I missed, Hill wrote this novel as a separate work and so, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
Homeowners are murdered and the team is set to investigate the case. Tensions are high, issues around trust drives a portion of the plot.
It’s twisty and turn-y and a lot of fun to read!
Thank you to netgalley and publisher for ARC in exchange for honest take.
Homeowners are murdered and the team is set to investigate the case. Tensions are high, issues around trust drives a portion of the plot.
It’s twisty and turn-y and a lot of fun to read!
Thank you to netgalley and publisher for ARC in exchange for honest take.
October 19, 2018
In case you missed it, I was quite a fan of Mark Hill's debut novel His First Lie (previously titled The two O'Clock Boy). I loved the character of Ray Drake and the whole premise of that first novel, a delicious blend of mystery, murder and deep rooted secrets with a protagonist a little on the dark, damaged and moody side, just the way I like them. When I heard that its follow up, It Was Her, was available on Netgalley I was straight on it, ignoring all my other plans in order to read it. The question was, could this second book capture that same level of interest? Did it have the killer hook like the first book which kept me reading into the wee hours and had me all bleary eyed and barely coherent at work?
Why yes, Yes it did. Now clearly, with Ray's past being revealed in book one, this takes on an entirely different tone and for that very reason I would recommend that you read that book first as It Was Her contains significant spoilers for its predecessor which will ruin the reading experience if done the other way around. That said, if you do pick this one up first then you will know what is going on as there is enough recap for the uninitiated and the main bulk of the story, that of Tatia and her family, is very much a self contained story. Family secrets abound in this one and the twist in this tale, much like book one, is to separate fact from fiction - to determine the true cause of the evil within the book. Just where and with whom does the true fault lie.
The central theme then? Well our protagonist, Ray Drake, is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A couple, just freshly returned from a wonderful holiday, struck down in their home in an apparent home invasion. He is back working alongside Flick Crowley, both having recovered from injuries sustained in the previous investigation, but with their partnership, their friendship, changed irrevocably, adding a delightful layer of mistrust and uncertainty to the pairing. Can they overcome their differences in order to work together to solve the murders? Only time, and around about 400 fabulous pages, will tell.
Now this is a very complex story and not only are we faced with the murders in the present day, but also segments which take up back into Tatia's past, memories from her adoptive bother Joel. Joel is a fragile and damaged young man but we don't know quite why, what it is that has happened that has affected him so badly. Compare the both of them to their other sister, Sarah, and you have quite an unusual family dynamic. Troubled and disturbing, it certainly captured the imagination and the way in which the three interact, the trepidation they feel when finally reunited set me, as a reader, on edge. You know this is a situation where anything can happen and given the level of violence which has already occurred, I was waiting with bated breath to see where it may lead.
The main story is tense, thrilling, dark and twisted but oh ... I do love Ray Drake. There is something about him, a darker, more dangerous side than the one he shows his colleagues, which just makes him a perfect hero for me. It is on full display throughout this book, the uncertainty of his position leading to his darker side taking control on more than one occasion. And with good cause it appears as not only does he have to worry about the breakdown in his friendship with Flick, but it now appears someone else is on his case too.
I love the way in which Mark Hill played the situation between Flick and Ray. Flick is a highly principled officer but her loyalty to Ray leaves her truly conflicted by what she knows. It makes for some great scenes between the two, conflict but also acceptance. I like that Flick gets to let her hair down a bit with a fellow 'patient' from her therapist, but from the very beginning I was struck with an overwhelming feeling of 'what the heck are you thinking Flick', and if, when, you read the book, then I think you'll know why,
And then those dying chapters, where everything is brought to a head. Tense action, an emotional confrontation and scenes which will bring the team right to the very edge, quite literally as it happens. When the full story is revealed I wasn't completely blindsided, not like I had been in book one, but it was a very fitting end, skilfully played. And that very last scene. The threat, the promise. The agonising bloody wait for book three.
I'll cope.
Just.
Dark, tense, twisted and totally satisfying. Nice one Mr Hill. More please.
Why yes, Yes it did. Now clearly, with Ray's past being revealed in book one, this takes on an entirely different tone and for that very reason I would recommend that you read that book first as It Was Her contains significant spoilers for its predecessor which will ruin the reading experience if done the other way around. That said, if you do pick this one up first then you will know what is going on as there is enough recap for the uninitiated and the main bulk of the story, that of Tatia and her family, is very much a self contained story. Family secrets abound in this one and the twist in this tale, much like book one, is to separate fact from fiction - to determine the true cause of the evil within the book. Just where and with whom does the true fault lie.
The central theme then? Well our protagonist, Ray Drake, is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A couple, just freshly returned from a wonderful holiday, struck down in their home in an apparent home invasion. He is back working alongside Flick Crowley, both having recovered from injuries sustained in the previous investigation, but with their partnership, their friendship, changed irrevocably, adding a delightful layer of mistrust and uncertainty to the pairing. Can they overcome their differences in order to work together to solve the murders? Only time, and around about 400 fabulous pages, will tell.
Now this is a very complex story and not only are we faced with the murders in the present day, but also segments which take up back into Tatia's past, memories from her adoptive bother Joel. Joel is a fragile and damaged young man but we don't know quite why, what it is that has happened that has affected him so badly. Compare the both of them to their other sister, Sarah, and you have quite an unusual family dynamic. Troubled and disturbing, it certainly captured the imagination and the way in which the three interact, the trepidation they feel when finally reunited set me, as a reader, on edge. You know this is a situation where anything can happen and given the level of violence which has already occurred, I was waiting with bated breath to see where it may lead.
The main story is tense, thrilling, dark and twisted but oh ... I do love Ray Drake. There is something about him, a darker, more dangerous side than the one he shows his colleagues, which just makes him a perfect hero for me. It is on full display throughout this book, the uncertainty of his position leading to his darker side taking control on more than one occasion. And with good cause it appears as not only does he have to worry about the breakdown in his friendship with Flick, but it now appears someone else is on his case too.
I love the way in which Mark Hill played the situation between Flick and Ray. Flick is a highly principled officer but her loyalty to Ray leaves her truly conflicted by what she knows. It makes for some great scenes between the two, conflict but also acceptance. I like that Flick gets to let her hair down a bit with a fellow 'patient' from her therapist, but from the very beginning I was struck with an overwhelming feeling of 'what the heck are you thinking Flick', and if, when, you read the book, then I think you'll know why,
And then those dying chapters, where everything is brought to a head. Tense action, an emotional confrontation and scenes which will bring the team right to the very edge, quite literally as it happens. When the full story is revealed I wasn't completely blindsided, not like I had been in book one, but it was a very fitting end, skilfully played. And that very last scene. The threat, the promise. The agonising bloody wait for book three.
I'll cope.
Just.
Dark, tense, twisted and totally satisfying. Nice one Mr Hill. More please.
March 5, 2020
May be 2.5 stars... This story has a good plot. DI Drake is an intelligent police officer but seems to have a personality disorder or a mental crisis of his own. What makes it more interesting is that he has to solve the case of series of murders.
The book had potential to be deeper and to be more. I didnt understand why Flick liked Wylie... Or the basis for a sudden intimacy and I didn't understand Wylie's interest in Drake. They were quite loose... The book also ended in the most bizarre way. Poppy just waltz away and Drake with his mental issues continues without any help? I just didn't feel the book gave enough.
The book had potential to be deeper and to be more. I didnt understand why Flick liked Wylie... Or the basis for a sudden intimacy and I didn't understand Wylie's interest in Drake. They were quite loose... The book also ended in the most bizarre way. Poppy just waltz away and Drake with his mental issues continues without any help? I just didn't feel the book gave enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2018
Ray Drake is one of my favorite detectives. This man has so much depth, you just want to keep reading more about him!
Again, Mark Hill did a superb job with this story. His writing style is very engaging and the book is full of tense moments. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller and has the time to finish it in one go. Because trust me, you will not want to put this down
Again, Mark Hill did a superb job with this story. His writing style is very engaging and the book is full of tense moments. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller and has the time to finish it in one go. Because trust me, you will not want to put this down
April 30, 2018
Please, do yourself a favour and pop along to the first in this series, His First Lie (aka The Two O'Clock Boy) and read that before you start this one. I know it's always best practice to do this with a series anyway, even if the main stories are self contained, but as DI Ray Drake is a bit more of a complex character than most, I personally think you'll have a much better time reading this book if you have read the first. Oh and it's brilliant so, why not?!
Since the events that transpired in his first outing, Ray has been living on borrowed time. His secret is out and the person sharing it with him could be on the verge of telling all. Even considering the repercussions to their own professional life, the burden is weighing heavily. But, with this sword of Damocles hanging over his head, Ray still has a job to do. A couple has been murdered in their own home. Initial thoughts are that they interrupted a burglary in progress and were collateral damage. A key piece of evidence is uncovered which leads to another body and soon a connection is made. Here's where the book strays from the norm as we know who the perpetrators are, so the book becomes more about the means and ways to catch them, as well as peeling back the layers to figure out the reasons why. Layers that go back in time, to the death of a child, an accident that has consequences for all involved. Can Ray put his personal demons aside enough to get to the truth of the case in front of him and bring justice to all?
I really loved The Two O'Clock Boy when I read it (sorry, His First Lie, although to be honest I prefer the original title, sorry again) and was itching to reconnect with Ray and find out what happens next for him. It did end up in my top five of 2017 and well deserved that place amongst the 300 odd other books I read last year. One of the things I loved about that was the way the author set the atmosphere of each scene without having to resort to unnecessary over-description. As a reader you really get sucked in to whatever was going on - feeling more like you are an actual first hand observer rather than just a remote viewer. He really draws you in to everything going on, and believe me, there is a lot going on here. Not just the main crime being investigated, and the past spark that set it all off, but there is also a side-story revolving around Ray's big secret and the ways and means that certain people are employing to uncover it and expose him. This in itself has been very cleverly woven in to the main story rather than plonked in disjointedly so it all flows along very well with no jagged edges.
The other thing that the author does very well is selling his wounded characters. He manages to spin cause and effect and have you sympathising with the more dubious characters rather than everything being black and white; good or bad. I really love it when an author challenges me this way, especially when they give me food for thought and I end up spending a while after reading a book still thinking about certain things.
All in all this highly anticipated book completely met every expectation I had. Definitely a main contender for top 5 again this year. It really did tick every box for me, so much so that I am actually craving more... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Since the events that transpired in his first outing, Ray has been living on borrowed time. His secret is out and the person sharing it with him could be on the verge of telling all. Even considering the repercussions to their own professional life, the burden is weighing heavily. But, with this sword of Damocles hanging over his head, Ray still has a job to do. A couple has been murdered in their own home. Initial thoughts are that they interrupted a burglary in progress and were collateral damage. A key piece of evidence is uncovered which leads to another body and soon a connection is made. Here's where the book strays from the norm as we know who the perpetrators are, so the book becomes more about the means and ways to catch them, as well as peeling back the layers to figure out the reasons why. Layers that go back in time, to the death of a child, an accident that has consequences for all involved. Can Ray put his personal demons aside enough to get to the truth of the case in front of him and bring justice to all?
I really loved The Two O'Clock Boy when I read it (sorry, His First Lie, although to be honest I prefer the original title, sorry again) and was itching to reconnect with Ray and find out what happens next for him. It did end up in my top five of 2017 and well deserved that place amongst the 300 odd other books I read last year. One of the things I loved about that was the way the author set the atmosphere of each scene without having to resort to unnecessary over-description. As a reader you really get sucked in to whatever was going on - feeling more like you are an actual first hand observer rather than just a remote viewer. He really draws you in to everything going on, and believe me, there is a lot going on here. Not just the main crime being investigated, and the past spark that set it all off, but there is also a side-story revolving around Ray's big secret and the ways and means that certain people are employing to uncover it and expose him. This in itself has been very cleverly woven in to the main story rather than plonked in disjointedly so it all flows along very well with no jagged edges.
The other thing that the author does very well is selling his wounded characters. He manages to spin cause and effect and have you sympathising with the more dubious characters rather than everything being black and white; good or bad. I really love it when an author challenges me this way, especially when they give me food for thought and I end up spending a while after reading a book still thinking about certain things.
All in all this highly anticipated book completely met every expectation I had. Definitely a main contender for top 5 again this year. It really did tick every box for me, so much so that I am actually craving more... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
May 30, 2018
Hill is an exceptionally great writer, misleading the reader countless times and distorting the truth. I especially like his character of DI Ray Drake as he isn’t your typical detective; as the anti-hero of the novel, Drake’s character is both mysterious and frustrating. I felt conflicted whether or not I should trust him, knowing what I do about his past. This made me connect with Flick’s character instantly. I was already fond of her in His First Lie but warmed to her more after she lets her vulnerabilities show.
I have to say, after reading a lot of crime books over the years, I think I have a pretty good inkling as to how the plot is going to go; who was guilty, who murdered who, etc. BUT NOT THIS BOOK. I wrote down every possibility I could think of, trying to figure out why people kept ending up dead- but Hill, I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! The events are so shocking and relentless, I had trouble putting this book down. I read it everywhere! On the train, at uni, at my local Starbucks (little anecdote: I recommended this book to the lovely barista after they asked me what I was reading- they loved my description of It Was Her, so much so they ordered it in front of me!… and she gave me a free slice of cake- I owe that to you Mark Hill!)
This psychological thriller is as frustrating as it is exciting. As soon as Flick and Drake are closing in on the facts, the air is snatched from beneath them, causing them to go back to the drawing board. This added a lot of tension to the novel; I was desperate to find out the truth!
In the past, I have been sceptical about books featuring a main character who has a legal career, such as a detective, as it sometimes limits the human factor in the book- but not Mark Hill. His story is full of depth which concentrates on the characters and their most intimate fears. I couldn’t get enough of Drake’s good/bad character in His First Lie, which made me want to get my hands on a copy of It Was Her even more! And let me tell you, it had a lot to live up to- I was not disappointed! Hill really excelled himself!
The other characters in the novel were also intriguing, especially Tatia- but don’t worry, no spoilers! You’ll have to find out how she, like a few others, fit into the puzzle for yourself! Who is telling the truth, and who is lying? That’s for you to discover…
I believe that, although this is the second instalment of the DI Drake books, it works as a stand alone novel. Of course, some details are revealed in the second book about the first in order to carry on with the story, but I feel as if this doesn’t spoil His First Lie.
Recommendation
I would highly recommend for those who enjoy crime thrillers with addictive plots and exhilarating characters. It Was Her has a gripping narrative, strong characters, and a plot to die for- literally! This novel is sure to get your blood-pumping; the tension is sometimes so unbearable, you’ll find yourself frightened that your heart will burst through your rib cage! I would say that if you like having goose-bumps whilst reading, or that feeling of looking over your shoulder, this book is definitely for you!
I have to say, after reading a lot of crime books over the years, I think I have a pretty good inkling as to how the plot is going to go; who was guilty, who murdered who, etc. BUT NOT THIS BOOK. I wrote down every possibility I could think of, trying to figure out why people kept ending up dead- but Hill, I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! The events are so shocking and relentless, I had trouble putting this book down. I read it everywhere! On the train, at uni, at my local Starbucks (little anecdote: I recommended this book to the lovely barista after they asked me what I was reading- they loved my description of It Was Her, so much so they ordered it in front of me!… and she gave me a free slice of cake- I owe that to you Mark Hill!)
This psychological thriller is as frustrating as it is exciting. As soon as Flick and Drake are closing in on the facts, the air is snatched from beneath them, causing them to go back to the drawing board. This added a lot of tension to the novel; I was desperate to find out the truth!
In the past, I have been sceptical about books featuring a main character who has a legal career, such as a detective, as it sometimes limits the human factor in the book- but not Mark Hill. His story is full of depth which concentrates on the characters and their most intimate fears. I couldn’t get enough of Drake’s good/bad character in His First Lie, which made me want to get my hands on a copy of It Was Her even more! And let me tell you, it had a lot to live up to- I was not disappointed! Hill really excelled himself!
The other characters in the novel were also intriguing, especially Tatia- but don’t worry, no spoilers! You’ll have to find out how she, like a few others, fit into the puzzle for yourself! Who is telling the truth, and who is lying? That’s for you to discover…
I believe that, although this is the second instalment of the DI Drake books, it works as a stand alone novel. Of course, some details are revealed in the second book about the first in order to carry on with the story, but I feel as if this doesn’t spoil His First Lie.
Recommendation
I would highly recommend for those who enjoy crime thrillers with addictive plots and exhilarating characters. It Was Her has a gripping narrative, strong characters, and a plot to die for- literally! This novel is sure to get your blood-pumping; the tension is sometimes so unbearable, you’ll find yourself frightened that your heart will burst through your rib cage! I would say that if you like having goose-bumps whilst reading, or that feeling of looking over your shoulder, this book is definitely for you!
July 9, 2018
It Was Her is Mark Hill’s second book, a sequel to His First Lie (originally titled The Two O’Clock Boy). I reviewed Mark’s first book under its original tile (see my review here: https://bit.ly/2KGGYig
His First Lie introduced us to his DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley and in particular Drake’s dark and twisted past. It Was Her picks up soon after the events of that novel and the two are still coming to turns with all that has happened. Unfortunately, they don’t have time to process those events and all they’ve been through because London is beset by a series of brutal killings – someone breaking into the homes of the well to do and slaughtering the occupants. Drake and his team are tasked with cracking the case and thus Drake and Crowley’s antagonism has to be put on hold. This isn’t helped by Crowley’s new love interest who seems a little too interested in Drake.
In the UK at least, crime fiction is the most successful literally genre at the moment. Whereas literature as a whole struggle for readers, crime sells. The problem with however is that bookshelves groan under the weight of crime novels and new titles come out all the time. If a writer wants to make their mark, they need to somehow elevate themselves from the crowd. One way to do that is to offer something unique.
Without divulging spoilers to either of Mark’s novels, they both revolve around issues of adoption and foster care, the abuses that can occur. So far this is Mark’s USP and it has worked well, both books offering compelling and emotionally impactful stories. His characters are well rounded and fascinating. The cop with a troubled past and issues to grapple with can either be a convention or a cliché, depending how well the author writes it. Mark does the former and Drake feels fresh.
It will be interesting to see whether Mark sticks with the adoption/care theme in future outings (though of course, Drake’s past means it will always be there to some extent) or whether he will branch into other territory now that his characters are established. He could either. There’s certainly territory to be mined in Drake’s past, indeed a subplot in It Was Her focuses on this and is clearly unresolved. Will that continue as a subplot in book three or move to centre stage?
It Was Her is a really good novel, straddling territory between the popular psychological thriller sub-genre and that of a noir police procedural. Mark is a talent to be watched and I look forward to reading his next novel.
His First Lie introduced us to his DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley and in particular Drake’s dark and twisted past. It Was Her picks up soon after the events of that novel and the two are still coming to turns with all that has happened. Unfortunately, they don’t have time to process those events and all they’ve been through because London is beset by a series of brutal killings – someone breaking into the homes of the well to do and slaughtering the occupants. Drake and his team are tasked with cracking the case and thus Drake and Crowley’s antagonism has to be put on hold. This isn’t helped by Crowley’s new love interest who seems a little too interested in Drake.
In the UK at least, crime fiction is the most successful literally genre at the moment. Whereas literature as a whole struggle for readers, crime sells. The problem with however is that bookshelves groan under the weight of crime novels and new titles come out all the time. If a writer wants to make their mark, they need to somehow elevate themselves from the crowd. One way to do that is to offer something unique.
Without divulging spoilers to either of Mark’s novels, they both revolve around issues of adoption and foster care, the abuses that can occur. So far this is Mark’s USP and it has worked well, both books offering compelling and emotionally impactful stories. His characters are well rounded and fascinating. The cop with a troubled past and issues to grapple with can either be a convention or a cliché, depending how well the author writes it. Mark does the former and Drake feels fresh.
It will be interesting to see whether Mark sticks with the adoption/care theme in future outings (though of course, Drake’s past means it will always be there to some extent) or whether he will branch into other territory now that his characters are established. He could either. There’s certainly territory to be mined in Drake’s past, indeed a subplot in It Was Her focuses on this and is clearly unresolved. Will that continue as a subplot in book three or move to centre stage?
It Was Her is a really good novel, straddling territory between the popular psychological thriller sub-genre and that of a noir police procedural. Mark is a talent to be watched and I look forward to reading his next novel.
May 23, 2018
All of my reviews can be found at: https://hookedfrompageoneblog.wordpre...
When I read Mark Hill’s debut His First Lie (previously titled Two O’clock Boy) I thought it was one of the best debuts that I had recently read and it had one of the most compelling openings lines. So I was really excited to read his second book, It Was Her and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Mark knows how to get the attention of his readers with captivating plots and characters.
DI Ray Drake and his colleague DS Flick Crowley are still reeling from the events which took place at the end of the previous book. Ray is clutching onto his career which is threatening to pull apart at the seams after his secret was discovered. But he soon finds himself embroiled in a murder case when a couple, who have recently returned from holiday, are found dead in their home. And soon more bodies are found. It appears that the killer is targeting people in the safety of their own homes and Ray and his team fear that more bodies will be discovered. And what has the case got to do with the death of a young boy twenty years earlier?
Mark Hill’s books are for you if you like your crime fiction dark and full of surprising revelations. What makes It Was Her really interesting is the relationship between Ray and his colleague, Flick. Unlike the rest of their team, Flick knows Ray’s secret and so there is tension simmering around them all the time as Flick is unsure if she should come clean about what she knows, which could potentially destroy both of their careers.
The mystery at the heart of the book was really compelling. The characters that are central to this part of the plot were fascinating to explore and I really liked the depth that Mark gave them in his writing. There are some really well written scenes where I could feel the tension, and I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. Creating tense scenes is certainly one of Mark’s strongest writing skills.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the second book in the DI Ray Drake series and it has left me eagerly awaiting the third.
When I read Mark Hill’s debut His First Lie (previously titled Two O’clock Boy) I thought it was one of the best debuts that I had recently read and it had one of the most compelling openings lines. So I was really excited to read his second book, It Was Her and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Mark knows how to get the attention of his readers with captivating plots and characters.
DI Ray Drake and his colleague DS Flick Crowley are still reeling from the events which took place at the end of the previous book. Ray is clutching onto his career which is threatening to pull apart at the seams after his secret was discovered. But he soon finds himself embroiled in a murder case when a couple, who have recently returned from holiday, are found dead in their home. And soon more bodies are found. It appears that the killer is targeting people in the safety of their own homes and Ray and his team fear that more bodies will be discovered. And what has the case got to do with the death of a young boy twenty years earlier?
Mark Hill’s books are for you if you like your crime fiction dark and full of surprising revelations. What makes It Was Her really interesting is the relationship between Ray and his colleague, Flick. Unlike the rest of their team, Flick knows Ray’s secret and so there is tension simmering around them all the time as Flick is unsure if she should come clean about what she knows, which could potentially destroy both of their careers.
The mystery at the heart of the book was really compelling. The characters that are central to this part of the plot were fascinating to explore and I really liked the depth that Mark gave them in his writing. There are some really well written scenes where I could feel the tension, and I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. Creating tense scenes is certainly one of Mark’s strongest writing skills.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the second book in the DI Ray Drake series and it has left me eagerly awaiting the third.
May 21, 2018
The First thing you need to know is that this is the second story featuring DI Ray Drake, a rather dark and, I guess, complicated character, so reading the first in the series, 'His First Lie' (previously known as The Two O'clock Boy) will make events at the beginning of IWH a lot clearer.
Anyway, to the book in hand.
IWH begins in flashback with a tragedy which may or may not have been an accident and is cut back to at various points in the narrative as the mystery of just what happened unravels.
In the present day Drake and his colleague, DS Flick Crowley, have their own mystery to solve - homes in supposedly safe neighbourhoods are being broken into and lived in while the owners are elsewhere and more often than not of late, people are ending up dead. How this ties to the events in the other story strand certainly makes for an interesting and intriguing read (I got through it in 2 1/2 days) that will have you changing your mind as to 'whodunnit'. Even after finishing the book I still find myself unsure - and that, for me, is a sign of a good tale and a good author.
Where Mark Hill really excels, in my opinion, is with his lead characters. With what happened at the end that 'His First Lie' things are a little edgy between Drake and Crowley. In that book Drake had a dark secret but now Crowley is a party to that secret and what she knows could ruin both their careers. The early tension is really ratcheted up and even though you sort of know they'll sort things out (that's not really a spoiler, it is a series after all) Hill still manages to leave you wondering and turning page after page.
As with his previous novel Hill leads you down dark and dangerous paths but you know what? You're glad he does and I hope he will continue to do so for a long time to come. He's only two books into his crime writing career but he's already up there with the big players
Anyway, to the book in hand.
IWH begins in flashback with a tragedy which may or may not have been an accident and is cut back to at various points in the narrative as the mystery of just what happened unravels.
In the present day Drake and his colleague, DS Flick Crowley, have their own mystery to solve - homes in supposedly safe neighbourhoods are being broken into and lived in while the owners are elsewhere and more often than not of late, people are ending up dead. How this ties to the events in the other story strand certainly makes for an interesting and intriguing read (I got through it in 2 1/2 days) that will have you changing your mind as to 'whodunnit'. Even after finishing the book I still find myself unsure - and that, for me, is a sign of a good tale and a good author.
Where Mark Hill really excels, in my opinion, is with his lead characters. With what happened at the end that 'His First Lie' things are a little edgy between Drake and Crowley. In that book Drake had a dark secret but now Crowley is a party to that secret and what she knows could ruin both their careers. The early tension is really ratcheted up and even though you sort of know they'll sort things out (that's not really a spoiler, it is a series after all) Hill still manages to leave you wondering and turning page after page.
As with his previous novel Hill leads you down dark and dangerous paths but you know what? You're glad he does and I hope he will continue to do so for a long time to come. He's only two books into his crime writing career but he's already up there with the big players
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