Fast-paced Police Procedural

Only the Brave (A DS Allie Shenton Novel Book 3)

By: Mel Sherratt

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a fast-paced police procedural that spans a two day period. DS Allie Shenton is at a cross roads in her life. Her beloved sister, who was horribly brain-damaged in an attack seventeen years before, has taken a turn for the worse and may not have much more time.

Even though her personal life is at a breaking point, Allie is called in to help solve a puzzling murder. The story takes us through the almost hourly process of finding clues, processing information, and interviewing suspects. We get to see how the picture of the crime is reconstructed from the bits and pieces and how each bit of information reveals the next step in solving the crime.

When I picked “Only the Brave” to read, I didn’t realize that it was part of a series. I often read books out of order in a series to see if it can be read well as a stand-alone book. This worked well for this book, but I think reading the series would have heightened my enjoyment and given me more background on the characters.

I definitely enjoyed the book and will certainly be looking for more by this author in the future. It will be interesting to see another book with the character of Allie as the main one. It could be fun to see her rise through the ranks.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.