Setting – Isle of Anglesey, in Wales – 260 square miles of stunning scenery with mountains, lakes, and beaches. It is an island steeped in Arthurian legend, and folklore, with a dark history of Roman and Viking invasion.

Laura Hart – was formerly a Detective Chief Inspector for the Greater Manchester Police, and their top hostage negotiator. When her husband was murdered on the job, she resigned from the police, packed up her two children, and moved back to her home, Anglesey, Wales. Her grief for Sam remains raw and she carries on conversations with her dead husband. Now, three years after Sam’s death, she finally feels ready to re-join the police. This novel takes place during her first week back at work.

DCI Gareth Williams –  52 years old, works for the CID in Beaumaris. He’s a local man who has always lived in the beautiful island of his birth. His marriage recently failed due to his wife’s infidelity. He is now divorced and wants to pursue a relationship with Laura Hart.

It is Laura’s first day back at work and the C.I.D. team are called out to human remains which were discovered on the grounds of Castell Aberlleiniog, an ancient fortress located on top of a steep hill.There is a second storyline which takes place in the late 1990s in Belfast, Ireland. This story revolves around John Kelly, who, though he is Irish by birth, has spent the last twenty years in the British Army and was a decorated member of the SAS. Now, the army wants him to go back to Belfast and infiltrate the Real IRA undercover going by the name of John Doyle. He is a munitions expert and builds a bomb which is integral to the Omagh Bombing.

We learn that after his cover was blown, he is sent to Anglesey under witness protection. His name is now John Finn.

Shortly after the first remains are found, Laura and Gareth have another murder on their hands…

After reading “The Dark Tide” last May, I was eager to revisit this series with book two, “In Too Deep“. I’m certain this is a police procedural series that I will follow avidly.

The rich characterization added depth to the crime story with insights into what made the various characters tick. I liked how the author delved into the police officer’s personal lives as it gave the story more of a human interest angle.

There were a few excellent plot twists that I did not anticipate. Also, I learned a few things about the IRA’s activities after the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

The continuing attraction between Laura and Gareth added a romantic interest to the novel and adds some tension now that they are co-workers of equal rank in the North Wales Police Force.

The pacing was steady and leant an urgency to the narrative. I’m certain that fans of the police procedural subgenre will relish these characters and this series. Recommended!

I’ve added the next title “Blood On The Shore” to my TBR.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Avon Books UK via NetGalley.

  ISBN: 9780008524869 – ASIN:  ‎B09YY4RG9G – 384 pagesThis title was published by Avon Books UK on January 5, 2023

Simon McCleave is a million selling British crime novelist. His first book, ‘The Snowdonia Killings’, was released in January 2020 and reached No 1 in the Amazon UK Chart and selling over 200,000 copies. He has gone on to pen seven subsequent novels in the DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Series.

Simon McCleave was originally born in South London. When leaving University, he worked in television and film development. He was a Script Editor at the BBC, a producer at Channel 4 before working as a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. Simon then became a script writer for television and film. He wrote on series such as Silent Witness, Murder In Suburbia, Teachers, Attachments, The Bill, Eastenders and many more.

Simon lives in North Wales with his wife and two children.

Connect with Simon McCleave via his website, Facebook,  Instagram or Twitter.