The narrator really captures the different characters - the tension and the humour

This is the first book in the Luke Sackville Crime Thriller series and the first book that I've read by this author.

It is however, the third or fourth book that has been a murder/crime novel set in the South West England - not too far from me - I need to be very careful when I'm out and about 😬

I loved that this book was quite unique in both it's writing style and our main character.

Luke is an ex DCI having left the force after a family tragedy. When he comes back into the workplace, he's taken a job heading the security team of a large company.
I loved this idea.
He has all the skills of a detective, but taking it a bit easier at work for now.
When a woman from the office goes missing, Luke and his team are tasked with tracking her down but things get more complicated as time goes by.
I liked that he also has an interesting back story that will hopefully be explored more over the series.

There was quite a cast of characters but it was quite easy to keep track of who was who - and of course they all seemed as though they had something to hide and I had no clue who the abductor was at all.
There was also a great twist at the end that completely surprised me.

I absolutely loved Josh - and the whole team - but Josh just had me cracking up.
The banter between him a d Luke was priceless at times and I thought they developed a brilliant working relationship by the end - really great to see as it morphed.
I loved all his crazy words and phrases too!

There was a lot of humour in the writing style which is quite different for a novel of this genre. I often find humour in the cosy crimes but not in this kind of crime thriller.
I found this really refreshing and thought it added a little something to this fast-paced story.
As the tension built and had me racing ahead and on the edge of my seat - there would be an injection of humour that would just stop me dead and have me chuckling.

A really quick read with a refreshing unique style, relatable characters and a great storyline.
I can't wait to see what book 2 holds for the team.



I also listened to this on audio book a d thought that the narrator was brilliant!
He really captured the characters brilliantly and projected the sense of tension and humour well.
I couldn't stop listening to this one!

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Fantastic start to a new series!

I love finding a new series and was delighted when I found this one. It’s a bit different as it’s not a police team investigating but an ex police officer in a new role in civvy street.

The plot is fast paced and keeps you guessing. The seriousness of the crimes is beautifully balanced with humour within Luke’s new team.

If you love a gritty crime story interwoven with a loveable team you can get to know them this is for you.

I’ve already bought and downloaded the next one in the series!

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Great read

🇬🇧📚 Book Review 📚🇬🇧

Thank you for my ARC 😍

#️⃣ 2023 Books Read: 45
🌟 Rating: 📓📙📘📓(4/5⭐)
🔲 Book Title: Taken to the Hills
🖋️ Author: S J Richards @sjrichardsauthor
📖 Format: 🎧 Audiobook
🎭 Genre:  Crime Fiction 
📢 Tour: @lovebookstours @lbt.crew
📅 Tour Dates: 1st -9th Nov Audiobook Tour  2023
📅 Review date:  9th November 2023
Sorry its a day late,  I got my dates mixed up

#LBTCrew #lovebooktours
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💻📖🎧 Book format & quality 💻📖🎧
Audible narrated book.  Clear narration.  I didn't get on with the narrators voice for the first couple of chapters, but then I got into the story and got lost in that,  so was less concerned about the narration.

🌻SpLD comments (from a dyslexic)🌻
Audiobooks are a win for me and my SpLD,  smashed this book out in one sitting, ancouldn't put it down.  I had to know what was going to happen next.

🎨 Artwork 🎨
I really like the cover,  it was eye-catching and fitting fit the book.

✒️ Details 📉
Interestingly, I'm not normally a crime fiction reading fan, which is odd because I love crime fiction on the telly box.  I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping throughout, and you wanted to know more of what was going to happen next. I had a feel of several crime films I've watched before,  all wrapped into an excellent storyline with characters you felt connected to. A must-read for crime fans!

🤓 Author Synopsis 🤓
Abductions and murder are not what ex-DCI Luke Sackville expected when he left the police after tragedy struck his family.


Luke’s return to the workplace was meant to be a soft landing but when a woman vanishes after being accused of taking bribes, he is assigned a disparate team and tasked with tracking her down.


Their search becomes more urgent when her disappearance is linked to the death of a second woman. When a third goes missing the hunt becomes a race against time. Luke’s return to work presents him with the most challenging case of his career as the murder victims mount.


Murder and intrigue are peppered with humour in this fast-paced crime thriller set in and around the beautiful city of Bath in the southwest of England.


Taken to the Hills is the first in the Luke Sackville crime series. If you like a team you can root for then you’ll love this page-turner. Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, LJ Ross, JM Dalgleish and David J Gatward.

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An Enjoyable Read

The story has an interesting plot with lots of twists & turns, some had me guessing, others not so much. I found all of the characters in the team to be likeable, although one of them got on my nerves from the outset to the point where I considered giving up but I eventually warmed to the character & am glad that I persevered.
Now I’m interested to find out how the characters develop so I plan to read the next book in the series.
In my experience, every book narrated by the wonderful Aubrey Parsons is guaranteed to bring the story & characters to life & his narration of this book was 5*

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Looking forward to book two!

Firstly, the title is what got me. It's spooky, and yet, the cover made me feel like it wouldn't terrify me too much. Guess what? I was right.

This was a mix of mystery and thriller, with a dash of humour. I mean, they're the ethics team! Need I say more? It was just a perfect mix of the right people who came together for the right reasons. It all worked out in the end. And yet, I'm left wanting more!

The audio for this was fantastic. I really think the narrator did a great job. I was able to keep up, my confusion level was at a minimum, and I really enjoyed myself.

This is book one in a new series, and I, for one, am looking forward to more. Definitely recommend.

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Great characters and gripping plot with unexpected twists

Really enjoyed this book; particularly liked the characters (obviously apart from the deliberately unpleasant ones). One of those books where one is intrigued to find out what is coming next!

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Great!

I read Taken to the Hills last month and loved it so couldn’t resist when the audio came up for review!

The narration for this book was great. No monotones or annoying voices here! The narrator used different voices for each character and it worked well. It was pretty close to how I imagined the characters sounded.

As I said in my first review, I loved all the twists and turns, the first sign of an excellent crime thriller!

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1 person found this helpful

Very Enjoyable New Series

I really enjoyed this book, a different take on detecting, bring on book 2 please!

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A compelling story with plenty of twists and turns

I thoroughly enjoyed this crime thriller. I listened to the audiobook which I felt truly captured the tension of the victims and the pressures ex-DCI Luke Sackville and his team were under trying to figure out what was happening. The story caught my attention from the first chapter, and I was hooked until the very end.
 
It was a departure from the standard police procedural as Luke was no longer with the police but part of an investigative team within a financing company whose company secrets had been revealed by a female staff member to a business rival in exchange for bribes who then subsequently disappeared. This distinction created roadblocks for Luke as he didn’t have access to his usual forensic tools but also allowed him freedom to work more organically as he wasn’t tied to police procedure. This made for an intriguing format for how the story unfolded. Luke’s team (Sam, Helen, Maj and Josh) provided some lighter moments and hilarious banter within their interactions especially Josh who was the youngest member. Josh kept using the most ridiculous sayings trying to be trendy as well as incorporating his twist on police lingo which added plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for me.
 
After a murder occurs the stakes grow higher, and the more time spent with the killer/kidnapper the more unhinged we discover they are. I found the scenes with the victims intense and unnerving as the Killer was so rational about their disturbing behaviour, that you never knew what they were going to do next which added layers of suspense and a loud ticking clock to the plot which kept the narrative fast-paced and addictive.
 
Overall, this was a compelling story with plenty of twists and turns which had me second guessing who was behind the corporate intrigue as well as the motivations of the killer and their identity. If you are looking for a well-paced thriller with an attention-grabbing plot and well-developed characters, this is the book for you. This is book 1 in a new series and I eagerly await Luke’s next investigation.

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Exciting new series

Interesting storyline which kept me gripped throughout. Very well read by the excellent Aubrey Parsons

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