Risk of Harm
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- Create Date：2021-06-28 00:51:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lucie Whitehouse
- ISBN：0008269041
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Summary
The gripping new crime thriller from the bestselling author of Before We Met and Critical Incidents
Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and now a DCI with Force Homicide， working directly under Samir， the man who broke her heart almost twenty years ago。
When a woman is found stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body， Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer， but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be。
As Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors， from the media and from far-right nationalists with a dangerous agenda， tensions in Robin's own family threaten to reach breaking point。 And when a cold case from decades ago begins to smoulder and another woman is found dead in similar circumstances， rumours of a serial killer begin to spread。
In order to get to the truth Robin will need to discover where loyalty ends and duty begins。 But before she can trust， she is going to have to forgive – and that means grappling with some painful home truths。
Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and now a DCI with Force Homicide， working directly under Samir， the man who broke her heart almost twenty years ago。
When a woman is found stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body， Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer， but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be。
As Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors， from the media and from far-right nationalists with a dangerous agenda， tensions in Robin's own family threaten to reach breaking point。 And when a cold case from decades ago begins to smoulder and another woman is found dead in similar circumstances， rumours of a serial killer begin to spread。
In order to get to the truth Robin will need to discover where loyalty ends and duty begins。 But before she can trust， she is going to have to forgive – and that means grappling with some painful home truths。
Reviews
Mary Lou
，
Risk of Harm is the second book in the series featuring Robin Lyons， Birmingham detective。Having suffered a baptism of fire in the first case at her new post， Robin is faced with two female murder victims， one of whom cannot be identified， with cases which may or may not be connected。Robin is dedicated to finding the killer（s） and ploughs on through a swamp of her personal family issues。If you like dark， complex police procedurals with as much time spent on the background as on the case， then yo Risk of Harm is the second book in the series featuring Robin Lyons， Birmingham detective。Having suffered a baptism of fire in the first case at her new post， Robin is faced with two female murder victims， one of whom cannot be identified， with cases which may or may not be connected。Robin is dedicated to finding the killer（s） and ploughs on through a swamp of her personal family issues。If you like dark， complex police procedurals with as much time spent on the background as on the case， then you must read this series。 Lyons is a terrific character with a singlemindedness to her job， forbearance in the face of the dreadful behaviour of her brother and integrity in the consideration of her relationships with boss Samir and her friend Kev。This I think is my favourite crime series currently， I loved every single word of it。With thanks to Netgalley UK and 4th Estate 。。。more
MarmottanReads
，
This book rattles along - there’s lots to unravel and subplots running alongside the main storyline of two murdered women。 I’m really enjoying seeing Robin and the other characters develop。 Good solid police procedural with interesting characters， I will follow the series with interest。
Ophelia Sings
，
Ooh I'm SO GLAD Robin Lyons is back！ This is the second instalment in Lucie Whitehouse's ongoing （I hope！） tale of the once-disgraced， now redeemed but on a knife-edge detective。 Robin is still navigating her new/old life back home in Birmingham following her exit from the Met and her buzzy London life。 After the traumatic events in her last outing （and if you haven't read Critical Incidents， you should）， she's finally settling into her new way of life with daughter Lennie。 But in typical fashio Ooh I'm SO GLAD Robin Lyons is back！ This is the second instalment in Lucie Whitehouse's ongoing （I hope！） tale of the once-disgraced， now redeemed but on a knife-edge detective。 Robin is still navigating her new/old life back home in Birmingham following her exit from the Met and her buzzy London life。 After the traumatic events in her last outing （and if you haven't read Critical Incidents， you should）， she's finally settling into her new way of life with daughter Lennie。 But in typical fashion， along come events to blindside her。。。Risk of Harm marries a deeply satisfying murder mystery with timely commentary and Robin's richly depicted personal life， which renders her in a fully three dimensional light rather just than a cop on a job。 It's easy to empathise with her; complicated family life entwines with her work， leaving her with difficult decisions to be made and truths to be faced。 Plotting is tight and the grim world of far right agitators is depicted with stomach turning accuracy。 There were a few slightly uncanny coincidences （the plot hinges on someone remembering a newspaper story they read while on honeymoon 20 years ago） and I guessed whodunnit as soon as they were introduced， apparently innocently， very early on in the tale。 But that's probably because I read far too many books like this and my Spidey senses are far too well tuned。 Risk of Harm is gritty， raw， sensitively observed and beautifully written with memorable characters and enough twists to keep even the most hardened crime thriller aficionado happy。 Excellent stuff。My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Claire
，
I wanted to love Risk of Harm as it was billed as a gripping crime thriller but I found it hard going in places。 There’s a lot going on in this novel and it does all interlink at the end however I found there was a lot to wade through to get the actual nitty gritty of the plot。 The premise worked well and piqued my interest from the blurb alone but I just found the book overly long。 Not one of my favourite books this year。 Thank you to NetGalley， 4th Estate and the author for the chance to revie I wanted to love Risk of Harm as it was billed as a gripping crime thriller but I found it hard going in places。 There’s a lot going on in this novel and it does all interlink at the end however I found there was a lot to wade through to get the actual nitty gritty of the plot。 The premise worked well and piqued my interest from the blurb alone but I just found the book overly long。 Not one of my favourite books this year。 Thank you to NetGalley， 4th Estate and the author for the chance to review。 。。。more
Louise Wilson
，
3。5 stars rounded down to 3Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and is now a DCI with Force Homicide， working under Samir， the man who broke her heart nearly twenty years ago。 When a woman is stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body， Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer， but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be。 Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors， the media and from far-right nationali 3。5 stars rounded down to 3Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and is now a DCI with Force Homicide， working under Samir， the man who broke her heart nearly twenty years ago。 When a woman is stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body， Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer， but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be。 Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors， the media and from far-right nationalists with a dangerous agenda。 Then a cold case begins to smoulder and another woman is found dead in similar circumstances。The pace is slow and I did not know that this book was part of a series when I requested the book。 Robin's personal life is complex， her backstory and her strained relationship with her family kind of overshadow the investigation into the murders。 The characters are well developed and believable。I would like to thank #NetGalley #4thEstate and the author #LucieWhitehouse for my ARC of #RiskOfHarm in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more
EmmaLouise
，
DNF 48%
Mags
，
3。75⭐Risk of Harm is my first introduction to both DCI Robin Lyons and author Lucie Whitehouse， and it's certainly a solid police procedural。But， I did struggle with the pacing， especially in the early stages and if I'm honest， I did put the story down a few times in the beginning because of it。Furthermore， I found it a little heavy on the personal details and whilst I like to know the characters I much prefer to get into the meat of a case especially when it comes to a big and potentially high 3。75⭐Risk of Harm is my first introduction to both DCI Robin Lyons and author Lucie Whitehouse， and it's certainly a solid police procedural。But， I did struggle with the pacing， especially in the early stages and if I'm honest， I did put the story down a few times in the beginning because of it。Furthermore， I found it a little heavy on the personal details and whilst I like to know the characters I much prefer to get into the meat of a case especially when it comes to a big and potentially high profile murder。Yet， I did enjoy the investigatory aspects of the book， the twists and turns， and I thought it was very reflective of modern-day society and policing in the twenty-first century。 And there's no denying as the story developed the pace picked up and all in all I did enjoy it in the end。**I was kindly provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review** 。。。more
Jackie Murrell
，
A welcome second outing for DCI Robin Lyons， who first appeared in the amazing ""Critical Incidents，" she is now working for Homicide in her native Birmingham under the former （still？） love of her life， Samir， who broke her heart when they were teenagers and is now married with two daughters。 Robin is now a single mum to delightful but complicated teenage daughter Lenny， and relies a lot on her parents for help。 When the body of a young woman is found in an abandoned warehouse used by the homele A welcome second outing for DCI Robin Lyons， who first appeared in the amazing ""Critical Incidents，" she is now working for Homicide in her native Birmingham under the former （still？） love of her life， Samir， who broke her heart when they were teenagers and is now married with two daughters。 Robin is now a single mum to delightful but complicated teenage daughter Lenny， and relies a lot on her parents for help。 When the body of a young woman is found in an abandoned warehouse used by the homeless， she proves virtually impossible to identify， but when a similar murder follows， rumours of a serial killer begin and the police come under fire for their lack of results。Robin's troubles are then heightened by conflict in the family， especially with her brother， Luke， who has resented and made trouble for her since childhood。 But Robin is determined to find justice for the dead women， whatever it takes。Robin is a believable and flawed character who it is hard not to get involved with。 Lenny is also particularly well portrayed， and the joys and pain of watching your child grow up into an adult you can both feel pride in and fear for will be familiar to many parents， as will that feeling of not being a good enough parent。 Contemporary issues such as poverty， racism， child abuse， refugees and depression are dealt with sensitively and compassionately。 The narrative is tense and it is hard to guess what the outcome will be。 The crime investigation is well balanced with the personal and family aspects of the story。 Pacy， involving and intriguing， I can't wait to read the third in the planned trilogy and to get acquainted with Robin again。 。。。more
Hannah Middleton
，
As both a Birmingham resident and a crime fiction super fan， it was a real treat to read about places I recognised （even if unsettling and gruesome things were happening there！） and I think Whitehouse has really captured the character of the city。 This installment was an improvement on the first and I especially enjoyed learning more about Robin's past， particularly the relationships within her family （although at times these aspects got slightly repetitive）。 Well plotted， well written and satis As both a Birmingham resident and a crime fiction super fan， it was a real treat to read about places I recognised （even if unsettling and gruesome things were happening there！） and I think Whitehouse has really captured the character of the city。 This installment was an improvement on the first and I especially enjoyed learning more about Robin's past， particularly the relationships within her family （although at times these aspects got slightly repetitive）。 Well plotted， well written and satisfyingly concluded。 Roll on the next one！ 。。。more
Sarah Hudson
，
We meet Robin， a DCI who has just transferred to a police force in Birmingham， as two girls are found murdered just days apart。 We then follow Robin as she tries to determine whether the cases are linked， who the victims are， and how she can catch whoever killed the girls。There was so much backstory to this – Robin’s daughter having recently survived something traumatic， previous relationships with colleagues， some dark event in her recent career history， her tempestuous relationship with her ho We meet Robin， a DCI who has just transferred to a police force in Birmingham， as two girls are found murdered just days apart。 We then follow Robin as she tries to determine whether the cases are linked， who the victims are， and how she can catch whoever killed the girls。There was so much backstory to this – Robin’s daughter having recently survived something traumatic， previous relationships with colleagues， some dark event in her recent career history， her tempestuous relationship with her horrible， racist brother， an adolescent friendship with her current romantic interest， a strained relationship with her mother， previous cases of missing women， the recent death of her best friend – that it felt like a second or third instalment in a series of books rather than a standalone novel。 These past events and associations are referred to so often that I kept feeling as though I had missed something， but think it was actually just the author trying to give her protagonist more depth。 However， I found that they， and the numerous other subplots that the author adds in， distracted from the actual plot of murders to be solved。The ending also wasn’t what I expected and was all a little “convenient” for my taste， although I’m sure others would enjoy the various twists。 I did， however， like the author’s style of writing so would be interested to see what comes next。My thanks to the author， NetGalley， and the publisher for the arc to review。 。。。more
KathVBtn
，
I adored Lucie Whitehouse's first crime novel and this is equally as good， if not better。 DCI Robin Lyons is back in the thick of various murder investigations blighting Birmingham whilst balancing her work relationships， tricky family and teenage daughter。 I like the fact that she's struggling with the balance and that some of her decisions are the wrong ones， it makes it feel much more realistic。 And the issues that the book throws up - immigrant workers facing hostility， changing economic mak I adored Lucie Whitehouse's first crime novel and this is equally as good， if not better。 DCI Robin Lyons is back in the thick of various murder investigations blighting Birmingham whilst balancing her work relationships， tricky family and teenage daughter。 I like the fact that she's struggling with the balance and that some of her decisions are the wrong ones， it makes it feel much more realistic。 And the issues that the book throws up - immigrant workers facing hostility， changing economic make up - all help to build up an unputdownable story。 。。。more
Karen King
，
This is a good crime thriller， mixed with personal and family dramas from the main character's life。Charged with solving two murders， DCI Robin Lyons also has to battle with past mistakes， press intrusion and far right activists。 Addressing some current issues alongside a slowly unfolding investigation， this is a decent read。I haven't read the previous book but it didn't detract from this one。Thank you to NetGalley and Fourth Estate for an ARC。 This is a good crime thriller， mixed with personal and family dramas from the main character's life。Charged with solving two murders， DCI Robin Lyons also has to battle with past mistakes， press intrusion and far right activists。 Addressing some current issues alongside a slowly unfolding investigation， this is a decent read。I haven't read the previous book but it didn't detract from this one。Thank you to NetGalley and Fourth Estate for an ARC。 。。。more
Elaine Tomasso
，
I would like to thank Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for an advance copy of Risk of Harm， the second novel to feature DCI Robin Lyons of the Birmingham Police。When the body of a young woman stabbed to death is found in a derelict building Robin and the team are given the investigation。 They are hampered in their efforts by a lack of identity for the victim and no forensics and it gets worse when a second body is found in similar conditions and the press starts speculating。I thoroug I would like to thank Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for an advance copy of Risk of Harm， the second novel to feature DCI Robin Lyons of the Birmingham Police。When the body of a young woman stabbed to death is found in a derelict building Robin and the team are given the investigation。 They are hampered in their efforts by a lack of identity for the victim and no forensics and it gets worse when a second body is found in similar conditions and the press starts speculating。I thoroughly enjoyed Risk of Harm which is an engrossing read with an unusual plot。 I have not read the previous novel in the series so I didn’t know what to expect， but I’m impressed。 It is a substantial novel with a plot that deviates from the norm of link the murders and find the killer。 I found it absorbing and surprising in some of the turns it takes， so it kept me on my toes。 The plotting is well done with a surprising motive and an international flavour， although I’m not too sure how likely it is as certain potential difficulties were glossed over and there was one glaring coincidence that certainly doesn’t bear close scrutiny。 These are minor points， however， in a well conceived and executed procedural。The investigation is only half the story in this novel as the there is also the drama surrounding Robin’s personal life， which is also of great interest to the tabloids。 Her boss， DCS Samir Jafferi， was her schooldays boyfriend， her latest boyfriend is another old school friend， her daughter is a teenager （enough said） and her poor relationship with her brother is deteriorating further。 It’s all go， but none of it seems forced， unbelievable or outrageous and it adds another dimension to Robin’s character。The author does a great job of highlighting the simmering undercurrent of violent racism and white nationalism that exists in Britain today and does try to explain the rationale behind it。 No， it didn’t convert me but I like that she tried and I liked even better the way she nailed the mindset and the danger of it。Risk of Harm is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending。 。。。more
Martha Brindley
，
This novel begins very slowly， and carries on at this pace throughout。 I started to lose interest after two chapters but persevered to the end。 The main character， Robin， was quite irritating and I got annoyed at the insight into her personal life as it was overshadowing the story。 As for her racist brother Luke， I failed to find anything likeable about him。 Just not one for me， sadly。 Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC。
Michelle
，
DCI Robin Lyons returns from working with the London’s Met Police to her hometown in Birmingham and returns to DCS Samir Jefferi who she had a relationship when she was a teenage that ended badly。Her first case back she investigates a woman who body has been found in a derelict factory by two homeless men with no ID。 The police find it hard to trace anyone that knows her。 Robins wonders why no one has reported her missing。 When another body is found stabbed similar to the first DCI Robins thinks DCI Robin Lyons returns from working with the London’s Met Police to her hometown in Birmingham and returns to DCS Samir Jefferi who she had a relationship when she was a teenage that ended badly。Her first case back she investigates a woman who body has been found in a derelict factory by two homeless men with no ID。 The police find it hard to trace anyone that knows her。 Robins wonders why no one has reported her missing。 When another body is found stabbed similar to the first DCI Robins thinks the two murders are linked。 Somehow the details of the case have been leaked to the press and they are all over it。The story also tells us about Robins own personal life with her daughter Lennie and the men in life。Thank you， 4th Estate， and NetGalley for a copy of Risk of Harm by Lucie Whitehouse。 You can read the book as a standalone and I have not read the previous book in the series。 This is a really slow burn and it has a good storyline but I found for me that there was so much going on and it took me a while to realise all the things that were going on in it。 I didn’t really connect to the characters。 3 stars from me。 。。。more
Paromjit
，
Lucie Whitehouse's crime thriller is a engaging and exciting read， set in Birmingham and featuring DCI Robin Lyons， a transplant from the London Met， returning to her home town， with a complicated professional and personal life。 Her boss is DCS Samir Jafferi， the love of her teenage years， a love affair that ended traumatically， which she now understands the reasons for， and responsible for recruiting her to Force Homicide。 A single mother to daughter Lennie， her best friend Corinna was murdered Lucie Whitehouse's crime thriller is a engaging and exciting read， set in Birmingham and featuring DCI Robin Lyons， a transplant from the London Met， returning to her home town， with a complicated professional and personal life。 Her boss is DCS Samir Jafferi， the love of her teenage years， a love affair that ended traumatically， which she now understands the reasons for， and responsible for recruiting her to Force Homicide。 A single mother to daughter Lennie， her best friend Corinna was murdered， and she feels on the outside of her family circle， her brother Luke is at the centre， in her eyes her parents favourite， especially her mother。 Luke has unpalatable political views， is a all round nasty piece of work， emanating pure hatred towards Robin， and feels no compunction in betraying her and trying to destroy her police career， and is exhibiting mental health issues after marital pressures。There has been a spate of knife killings that have put pressure on the police， the latest is a young white woman found stabbed to death in a derelict factory。 There is no identification on the body， and all efforts to find out who she is result in nothing， even national inquiries bring no answers， how is it possible that no-one anywhere recognises her？ In the meantime， a sickening febrile climate begins to build in the multicultural city， exacerbated by the likes of the confident and self assured Ben Tyrell， espousing far right views， anti-immigrant， gathering an increasing number of dangerous supporters， just waiting to ignite community tensions with his politically skewed viewpoints， problematic conclusions， and undermining of the police。 Then another woman is found killed with a similar MO and not far from where the first victim was discovered。 Are the cases linked？ With the media frenzy and tabloid interest in Robin's personal life， the pressures of family issues， and a despairing tragedy， Robin feels the heat as she tries to get to the truth of the murders。Whitehouse's central protagonist， Robin is a flawed character， guilty of not paying enough attention to Lennie， who dislikes having to stay home alone， although Lennie has been building a close circle of friends。 It is Lennie who hits too close to the bone in her analysis of Robin's behaviour when it comes to her personal relationships that appear doomed from the beginning， sparking a greater self awareness of what motivates her in her personal life。 Personally， I don't know how Robin puts up with Luke， although her insecurities when it comes her family probably do not help， and her mother's iron hold on family members is made transparent as she directs events from her hospital bed。 I found this a wonderfully intense， complex and thrilling crime read that I didn't want to end， with plenty of suspense， and I am hoping there is a sequel soon。 Many thanks to HarperCollins 4th Estate for an ARC。 。。。more
Ceecee
，
DCI Robin Lyons is back in her home town of Birmingham working with Force Homicide， her boss is DCS Samir Jafferi with whom she has history。 A body of a young woman found stabbed to death in a derelict industrial building challenges the force considerably especially to establish her identity。 The case is not solve fast enough for their superiors， one of which is definitely not on Robin’s side。 The novel starts very slowly indeed and although it’s true to say that Robin has a dark back story and DCI Robin Lyons is back in her home town of Birmingham working with Force Homicide， her boss is DCS Samir Jafferi with whom she has history。 A body of a young woman found stabbed to death in a derelict industrial building challenges the force considerably especially to establish her identity。 The case is not solve fast enough for their superiors， one of which is definitely not on Robin’s side。 The novel starts very slowly indeed and although it’s true to say that Robin has a dark back story and certainly has her demons this is overplayed in my opinion and overwhelms the really interesting mystery of the dead girl。 If you add in her strained relationship with her family in particular her brother Luke plus an awful lot of time given over to mother/daughter chats which results in the plot getting bogged down and my head ends up spinning。 There are however some good themes beneath the personal stuff ， there’s a racism angle with some fist curling， teeth gritting rants from a far right group which leads to some tense scenes and puts more pressure on the Birmingham force I’m several ways。 The mystery girl storyline is an interesting one which deepens and deepens as evidence is pieced together and results in an exploitation link and spreading the investigation far and wide。 This is the best part of the novel and I really enjoy this section of the plot。 Overall， there is a good story in here but you have to wade through a lot of over detail to get to it。 With thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for the arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Nicholas Masters
，
Robin Lyons is back！I personally love the balance between Lyons inner demons and her personal life with complex and interesting crime fiction。 Once again we are treated with multiple engaging cases， whilst exploring familial relationships and the possibly clichéd supressed emotions and feelings。 Regardless， it all flows well and makes for a great read。Thanks you NetGalley and 4th Estate for a Review Copy
Lesley
，
I have to say that I felt this book got off to a very slow start and I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy it。 It does， however， pick up pace and it does have a good storyline。 I didn’t really take to the lead character DCI Robin Lyons， I think because she’s a bit stereotypical of fictional female senior detectives with her being a single parent who spends too much time at work at the expense of her daughter （who seemed a lot more switched and worldly wise than her mother at times！）， with a I have to say that I felt this book got off to a very slow start and I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy it。 It does， however， pick up pace and it does have a good storyline。 I didn’t really take to the lead character DCI Robin Lyons， I think because she’s a bit stereotypical of fictional female senior detectives with her being a single parent who spends too much time at work at the expense of her daughter （who seemed a lot more switched and worldly wise than her mother at times！）， with a chequered past in the police， a difficult relationship with her mother， an even more difficult relationship with her brother， a previous relationship with her boss， a non-existent relationship with her boss’s boss。 It was all a bit much！ However， having said all that， it is a good storyline with two young women being murdered in similar circumstances within a few days of one another and in a similar way leading everyone to think there might be a serial killer around。 As the book went on I got more into it and I did enjoy it。 I would read another by this author and may even look out for the next one featuring DCI Lyons。 My thanks go to the author， the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in return for an unbiased， unedited honest review。 。。。more
Vix Standen
，
3。99 stars， I'd say。 A really great police drama with enough of Robin's personal life to make her feel a bit more human。 I'd forgotten loads of the previous instalment of the series， but it was drip fed in a nice enough way that it all came flooding back before long。 Lots of twists and turns with some brilliant character development - can't wait for the next book！ 3。99 stars， I'd say。 A really great police drama with enough of Robin's personal life to make her feel a bit more human。 I'd forgotten loads of the previous instalment of the series， but it was drip fed in a nice enough way that it all came flooding back before long。 Lots of twists and turns with some brilliant character development - can't wait for the next book！ 。。。more
Sid Nuncius
，
I’m afraid I got very fed up with Risk Of Harm and gave up。A young woman is found murdered in a derelict factory in Birmingham。 DCI Robin Lyons and her team investigate but have great difficulty in identifying her。 And， for a long time， that’s the story， except for the usual tropes about The Press Being All Over This and so on。 The rest is all about Robin’s Involved Personal Life and Personal Demons。 In the first four， shortish chapters we get: a terrible recent trauma in which her daughter was I’m afraid I got very fed up with Risk Of Harm and gave up。A young woman is found murdered in a derelict factory in Birmingham。 DCI Robin Lyons and her team investigate but have great difficulty in identifying her。 And， for a long time， that’s the story， except for the usual tropes about The Press Being All Over This and so on。 The rest is all about Robin’s Involved Personal Life and Personal Demons。 In the first four， shortish chapters we get: a terrible recent trauma in which her daughter was nearly murdered and which may threaten her objectivity on this case; an immediate boss who is an old flame; a pantomimically useless and sexist Deputy Chief Constable who hates her and insists that she gets a “nice quick solve”; and a difficult relationship with a DI whose case she solved previously and whom she has now beaten to the post of DCI。 I was already wondering how much more of this was going to be trowelled on， when – surprise， surprise – there’s her racist brother who has hated her since she was born and is making life very difficult with her family。I’m afraid this was the point at which I began to crack。 Good writers can give us detectives whose personal lives are interesting and believable but which don’t dominate the story with endless， overblown “issues。” （John Rebus， for example， or Manon Bradshaw， to name but two）。 This sort of heavy-handed stuff just annoys me， I’m afraid。 It drowns out the plot with implausible conflicts and pressures everywhere and takes the place of real insight into the human problems which crime causes。It’s possible that I’m being too harsh and that I have missed a classic piece of crime fiction in the later parts， but I doubt it。 I do know that plenty of people will enjoy this and my irritation is a matter of personal taste。 Nonetheless， I really couldn’t be doing with Risk Of Harm and personally I can’t recommend it。（My thanks to 4th Estate for an ARC via NetGalley。） 。。。more
Karen Carter
，
I really enjoyed this！ There is enough depth of character with our detective， Robin， and her background that you completely engage with her; couple this with a meaty and tense plot and this is definitely a winner！ I loved it。There are some important underlying themes relating to black lives matter and exploitation running alongside a compelling murder enquiry ; there is family drama， a love interest and some twists and turns to keep you completely engrossed。This novel would make a great drama an I really enjoyed this！ There is enough depth of character with our detective， Robin， and her background that you completely engage with her; couple this with a meaty and tense plot and this is definitely a winner！ I loved it。There are some important underlying themes relating to black lives matter and exploitation running alongside a compelling murder enquiry ; there is family drama， a love interest and some twists and turns to keep you completely engrossed。This novel would make a great drama and having read it， I am now going to have to backtrack and read Critical Incidents， which I was unaware of， and I will be certainly be front of the queue if there is another book with this great character。 。。。more
Helen Frost
，
This one was a bit of a slow burner for me， it took me a while to warm up and get involved with all that was going on。 Two bodies have been found and the puzzle is whether they are linked and then slowly by slowly there start to be links with a fascinating cold case of a missing person。The linked story around the personal life of the detective makes good reading and the last third of the book when the backstory starts to unravel is really enjoyable。 I thought the conclusion was ingenious and I l This one was a bit of a slow burner for me， it took me a while to warm up and get involved with all that was going on。 Two bodies have been found and the puzzle is whether they are linked and then slowly by slowly there start to be links with a fascinating cold case of a missing person。The linked story around the personal life of the detective makes good reading and the last third of the book when the backstory starts to unravel is really enjoyable。 I thought the conclusion was ingenious and I loved the ideas but like I said， it just took me a while to warm up。 Definitely worth a read。 Thank you。 。。。more
Carol
，
An engrossing murder mystery， cleverly intertwined with details of DCI Robin Lyons personal family dramas。 Written with empathy， the plot is uncomplicated but with lots of interesting content reflecting modern day society。 There is a surprise ending which I could never have anticipated and leaves me looking forward to the next installment。Can be read as a stand alone， but I would recommend reading the previous book in the series to get the best experience of Robin and her family。Thank you to Net An engrossing murder mystery， cleverly intertwined with details of DCI Robin Lyons personal family dramas。 Written with empathy， the plot is uncomplicated but with lots of interesting content reflecting modern day society。 There is a surprise ending which I could never have anticipated and leaves me looking forward to the next installment。Can be read as a stand alone， but I would recommend reading the previous book in the series to get the best experience of Robin and her family。Thank you to NetGalley and Fourth Estate for my digital copy。 。。。more
Sarah
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I am so pleased that Ms Whitehouse has written another thrilling book with Robin Lyons at the centre。 She is such a well written， flawed character and I raced through the pages。 There is a lot for her to deal with in this book。 Murders， a restless community inflamed by far right nationalists， family tensions and the tabloid press who have taken an interest in her private and professional life。 The plot took some unexpected turns and kept me thoroughly engrossed。 It is Robin though that I found m I am so pleased that Ms Whitehouse has written another thrilling book with Robin Lyons at the centre。 She is such a well written， flawed character and I raced through the pages。 There is a lot for her to deal with in this book。 Murders， a restless community inflamed by far right nationalists， family tensions and the tabloid press who have taken an interest in her private and professional life。 The plot took some unexpected turns and kept me thoroughly engrossed。 It is Robin though that I found most compelling。 She is frustrating， brilliant， selfish and self-sacrificing in turn。 I felt pity at her brothers betrayal and jealousy， but then annoyed at her benign neglect of her daughter。 I really hope that there are more books in this series because I loved reading about her。 My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Risk of Harm
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Risk of Harm&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Risk of Harm&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0