Kindred Spirits (A Gabriel Ash & Hazel Best Mystery, #5) (A Hazel Best & Gabriel Ash Mystery)

by Jo Bannister

A case of mistaken identity spells trouble for Gabriel Ash and Hazel Best in this intriguing mystery.

A kidnap attempt outside the school gates in broad daylight convinces Gabriel Ash that his renegade wife is trying to steal their sons from him. Only the intervention of his friend Constable Hazel Best kept them safe. It's a simple if alarming explanation, but is it the truth? Hazel uncovers disturbing information about another crime, the repercussions of which are still threatening innocent lives seventeen years later.

Once again Hazel finds herself at loggerheads with her superiors. Did they really conspire to protect a murderer? And this time she isn't getting the support she needs from Ash. She'd thought they were kindred spirits: now she's not sure what his motives are.

One thing is certain: with her life in imminent danger, Hazel's going to need friends like never before .

• ISBN10: 0727887963
• ISBN13: 9780727887962
• Publish Date: 31 May 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Imprint: Severn House
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Kindred Spirits is the 5th book in the Hazel Best & Gabriel Ash procedural series by Jo Bannister. Released 1st Sept 2018 by Severn House, it's 220 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This was the first book I've read in this series, but it worked well enough as a standalone novel. The author is adept at interweaving the backstory into the narrative, so I never felt confused about what was going on or which characters were which. There were some odd/uncomfortable interactions in the book but there's no doubt they were intentional.

There were some rough and distracting plot points for me... for example, the opening scene where Hazel goes to the school to collect the boys and interrupts a kidnapping in progress and generally saves the day with her badassery. Why was Hazel collecting the boys when their nanny was there with them? It's never really explained in the book and I found myself wondering about it.

The book is a procedural (though the main characters flout procedure throughout) and it's quite well plotted with steady pacing and several adrenaline charged scenes to move the action along. I enjoyed the denouement, though it wasn't a huge shock. The dialogue is well written. The language is about average for a modern police procedural (including one stellar use of 'gobshite' which elicited a grin). Nothing egregious as far as language, violence, sexual content, or triggering.

It was an enjoyable read. Three and a half stars, rounded up for the masterful writing.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.