Honour among thieves. Keep your enemies close. Loyalty is everything.

When DI Allie Shenton is called out to a murder suicide, it quickly becomes clear that it’s a double slaying, and there is a killer on the loose. The bodies are found in a property owned by local entrepreneur/drug dealer Kenny Webb. Several young women are staying there, they are refusing to talk and one of them is missing.

While she waits on forensic evidence, Allie decides to do what she does best. She takes to the community to see who will talk. Right now, she’s the only one who can get answers. But then a third murder rattles everyone. Another known dealer is taken out.

With lives and lies being twisted, Allie needs to work out how everything is connected. It’s clear someone is out to finish things. Can she and her team rid the streets of Kenny Webb and his gang of merrymen, once and for all? And in doing so, stop the top man, Terry Ryder, from getting out of prison?

Set within the gritty streets of Stoke-on-Trent, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with an emotional pull.

Twisted Lives is the sixth book in the Allie Shenton series of crime thrillers from the million selling British author, Mel Sherratt, is perfect for fans of Helen Durrant, DS Butler, LJ Ross, Angela Marsons, Joy Ellis, Rachel McClean, Caroline Mitchell and Meg Jolly.

‘A gritty, authentic, fast-paced read that you won’t want to put down.’ Caroline Mitchell

‘Mel Sherratt is the new queen of gritty police procedurals.’ C L Taylor

‘Sherratt is a unique voice in detective fiction.’ Mail on Sunday

‘I love all Mel Sherratt’s books.’ Ian Rankin

Twisted Lives (Allie Shenton 6)

By Mel Sherratt

My review

Twisted Lives is a brilliant addition to the awesome DI Allie Shenton series. I have LOVED it! I was so sad to hear it is to be the last.

Catching up with Allie and the team always feels a bit like catching up with old friends. They’re such a good bunch! I love the professional relationships they share as well as the close friendships that have developed as a result of working so closely together. They do make an excellent team. I’d certainly want them on my side if I needed help from the local police. And they are local to me as I live in Stoke-on-Trent. Well, close enough, in Newcastle-under-Lyme. I love it when I recognise the place(s) mentioned in a book. At the very beginning Smallthorne roundabouts are mentioned which are very near to where my dad and step mum live. For me, this always adds to the excitement of Mel Sherratt’s books.

People are at the heart of this story. People are always at the heart of Mel Sherratt’s stories. The team as well as the public they serve. This is one of the main reasons they are so gripping in my opinion. I find myself invested in the characters every single time, especially the vulnerable ones who find themselves dragged into dangerous situations for fear of what might happen if they refuse to comply. There are some proper dodgy characters in this book, some we have known from the beginning of the series. Some who seem to think they own the city and everyone in it. I’m sure there are people like this living not far from me, or from most of us for that matter. It is a terrifying thought.

Such characters do make for an excellent story though.

This is a fast-paced, gritty, crime thriller which kept me on the edge of my seat once again.

I loved how Grace is still involved too.

I also love how Allie and her husband are now helping the community in a much more personal way. Such a sweet ending.

I really hope Mel changes her mind and brings Allie and the team back again at some point. I’d love that.

**Many thanks to Mel Sherratt for my review copy – my apologies for taking so long to publish my review**