*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

DCI Kate Daniels is working on a case. Two bodies were found on a beach and now she has to work on identifying the victims. She has slim to go on. Emily McCann is a resident psychologist at the prison where a sex offender, Walter Fearon is doing time. It is soon clear that Walter is obsessed with Emily and has become more dangerous since being incarcerated. As Kate gets further into her investigation, Emily’s daughter disappears and she is sure something has happened to her. Could the two be related or does Walter have someone helping him on the outside?

A very enjoyable read. It took awhile for the story to get going but once it did I couldn’t put it down. The author did a great job of developing the characters and I found myself feeling like I personally knew them. This book is definitely a ride and I honestly didn’t know who done it and was happy that I didn’t figure it out. It’s nice to simply read a book and enjoy the ride. I would definitely read the next book if there is one. I give this 5 stars

Another fantastic catch up with Daniels, her team and a as ever intriguing case to solve. I always feel like I’m right there with them in the thick of it and I especially loved the prison setting of this book.

I also enjoyed meeting another main character and instantly felt for Emily, on top of dealing with her and her daughters grief, a new way of living she has such an intense workload. Her friendships with Kate and Jo was endearing to see, especially seeing how they all came together to support each other.

Will shout it forever, add this series to your TBR.

The discovery of human remains in the dunes below Bamburgh Castle, on the Northumberland coastline, sparks a challenging new investigation for DCI Kate Daniels and her team - especially when the help of a forensic anthropologist reveals that the sand holds more secrets than they realise.

Meanwhile, Kate's friend Emily, recently widowed and weighed down with grief, returns to her job as psychologist at a nearby prison, where a convicted sex offender has become obsessed with her - the very prison where Kate's former lover Jo is now working. The time of his release grows near, and Emily is increasingly concerned about the threat he poses to the public - and potentially to herself and her family. As his mind-games put her under pressure, and call her professional judgement into question, old sins are revealed that might just link to Kate's current case...

Monument to Murder is the fourth book in the DCI Kate Daniels series, and it picks up hot on the heels of book three, Deadly Deceit. As winter gets a grip on the Northumberland coastline, Kate and her team set up a new murder wall in the northern reaches of their operational area, to try to get to the bottom of a horrifying series of murders that have intriguing links to the history of the area.

The tale unfurls in two absolutely gripping threads - one covering the intricate police procedural ins-and-outs of an investigation into the murders of young girls in the north of England, and the other following Emily's side of the story behind prison walls. This is Hannah at the absolute top of her game, with perfectly timed reveals, and beautifully contrived twists, that serve to entwine both sides of the story - and there are more red herrings than you can poke a police baton at. This one really kept me guessing right until the end, as Hannah cleverly keeps the shocking truth of the matter murky enough to have you convinced of the guilt of more than one likely suspect. Along the way, Kate's personal family and relationship issues continue to run through the story, with all the will-they-won't-they suspense between Kate and Jo that Hannah does so well - I am starting to want to take them to one side and bang their heads together, so I hope there will be a resolution to this situation soon in the series!

For me, this is the book that throws up the knottiest issues to mull over so far when it comes to DCI Daniels' cases. Emily's role as a prison psychologist casts a lot of thought provoking light on the problem of tackling the release of serious sex offenders back into the community, particularly when it comes to the balance between allowing parole and keeping them contained until the end of their sentences. Lots of things to think about here around public safety, monitoring, and how we approach dealing with prisoners with psychopathic tendencies - both insightful and menacing writing from Hannah here. I will be thinking about this for quite a while...

This is definitely my favourite book of the series to date. The story flows with perfectly judged pace, and the pages fly by as all the little pieces of the mystery come together to make a thrilling whole - I devoured it! Well played, Mari Hannah!

3.5. new series for me. liked that the protagonist was a lesbian. decent overall story

A series that is going from strength to strength continues apace with Monument To Murder, the fourth book of Mari Hannah’s police procedurals featuring DCI Kate Daniels and for my money this is the best of the four so far…

Opening with the discovery of two bodies in a cave on a windswept beach on the Northumberland coast, Daniels and her team find themselves isolated geographically and meteorologically from the comfortable confines of their Newcastle base. As the weather closes in and the initially baffling investigation causes personal and professional issues for Kate and her team, Hannah keeps the reader in suspense consistently throughout. Add into the mix a connecting story of a female psychologist, Emily McCann, recently widowed, and finding herself receiving the unwelcome attentions of a twisted sex offender at the prison where she works, the two plotlines connect and flow in perfect synergy, which again adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.

Hannah’s writing exhibits its strength in predominantly two areas for me as a reader. First and foremost her characterisation of her main protagonist Daniels strikes a chord with the reader as she balances the demands of her job, the leadership of the team of police officers she oversees, and her unerring professionalism and empathy to those who find themselves the victims of crime. Admittedly, her personal life is still a little complicated in the wake of the break-up of her relationship, and the vestiges of attraction that ensure that sparks that still fly between herself and Jo, which adds to the emotional and almost personal feel of the book. Likewise, I liked the characterisation of Emily McCann, and thought that Hannah captured perfectly the feelings of despair after a personal bereavement and her journey back to life. McCann’s sadness is further compounded due to her fractured relationship with her daughter, and the very real demands of her employment in an overly masculine workplace- oh- and the positively weird attentions of the brilliantly creepy Walter Fearon.

The second stand out aspect for me personally of Hannah’s work, is the pitch perfect depiction of location, whether it be Newcastle- where Daniels’ team is normally based- or in this book, the wild and desolate beauty of the Northumberland coast, where the bodies are discovered. This is a part of the UK I am very familiar with, and as Daniels and her team attend the crime scene I could remember the feel of the biting wind, and hear and smell the pounding sea along this barren shore, through Hannah’s painstakingly accurate description of one of the most beautiful coastlines in Britain. The discovery of the bodies on this barren stretch of beach in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle and in sight of Holy Island, is a gem of a location for a crime scene, fuelling the very sinister feel of the whole investigation, and adding to the overall enjoyment of this thoroughly enthralling book. A book not to be missed.