Taken to the Hills

Luke Sackville Crime Thrillers, Book 1

By: S. J. Richards

Narrated by: Aubrey Parsons

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

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 humor 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 audiobook. Perfect for fans of J. D. Kirk, L. J. Ross, J. M. Dalgleish, and David J. Gatward.

©2023 S. J. Richards (P)2023 S. J. Richards

4 stars

Taken to the Hills: A Fast-paced British Crime Thriller (Luke Sackville Crime Thrillers Book 1) my first read from British author S J Richards. An enjoyable crime thriller without being focused on the police. “I received a free Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading more from this author, I have to get Black Money: A Suspenseful British Crime Thriller (Luke Sackville Crime Thrillers Book 2). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018.

What’s going on?

I just finished book one of a four book series, and I’ll tell you, between the storyline, and cast of characters I really enjoyed this book. The author kept me on my toes with trying to figure out who the killer was, and I must say it worked down to the end. I’ll be looking forward to book two of this series…🤗

intriguing, original story

I think this was probably one of the funniest thrillers I’ve ever read. Overall, it wasn’t funny in a general sense – like the storyline wasn’t funny. But the writing and the characters offered comic relief in just the right places to make a darkly comedic story that was thrilling, kept me turning pages, and wanting more. Which is good, because it’s billed as a series. And it’s always horrible when you want more of something and can’t ever get it.

While like most thrillers and crime fiction stories, there was a main detective and a main crime to be solved, this story was much more of an ensemble cast than some others I’ve read. I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing more of the team that was built in this first installment. Each of our characters is trying to overcome something – from the death of a beloved spouse to “the menopause” and everything in between. It’s a great collection of characters with personal issues ripe with storylines.

I really appreciate the interesting angle this story is taking as well. It’s not unusual for detective stories to utilize the ex-cop trope. But I’ve not read one that places the cop within a company like this as an ethics investigator. It’s a unique take, and I really enjoyed it. The only complaint I can somewhat lodge is the motivations of the villain seemed off, but that is unfortunately life sometimes. And it’s what makes life so scary. Stories like this help remind us to be kind, but also that sometimes even that isn’t enough.

If the author has any other books I’ll definitely be checking those out. If not, I’ll be (probably not-so) patiently waiting for the next adventure in this series.

If you’re a detective novel lover, this is a great read. This is the start of an exciting new series with a great detective in the lead. He is unique, has his quirks, and his specialties. His supporting team is awesome, his family is great, and he has a sweet pup.

I didn't click with the narrator immediately, but I got over that pretty quickly and he did a pretty great job.

Content Warnings: Kidnapping, Abusive Language, Adult Language, Partner and Parent Death, Murder, Suicide, Hostile Workplace Environment, Sexual Assault, and More

Absolutely amazing Audiobook

I want to start off by saying that I received a complimentary audiobook. In return for my honest thoughts and review.
I am super glad that I signed up for this booktour. The narrator does amazing job keeping me listening and trying to figure what was going on in this book. I have to admit that I have already preordered book 2 and 3. I liked that the chapters weren’t aren’t to long. The writing style and this book is very unpredictable
I love the world and the characters that this author created. Yes this book took me a little longer. But not because I was bored. I just didn’t want to miss any key points while listening.
I loved how strong how each woman who was taken. Stayed strong no matter what. When the kidnapper would come back.
Luke loved that even not being a police officer anymore. He is determined to find these missing women alive and safe.
Again thank you to the author and Lovebooktours for the opportunity to get to listen to amazing book. Can’t wait until book 2 and 3
A favorite audiobook 2023

an entertaining mystery/thriller

This is a fast-paced mystery/thriller set in and around Bath, England and focuses on ex-DCI Luke Sackville. He starts a new job expecting it to be a soft, boring corporate job. But he isn't assigned the job he thought he was getting, and his team is comprised of misfits and rejects from other departments. Luke's instincts and skills brings out the best of this oddball squad and they meld into a competent team.

The team is challenged when a woman from work vanishes, and then her disappearance is linked to the death of another female co-worker. When a third goes missing Luke knows that time is short to find the missing women alive. I loved Luke's no-nonsense demeanor with pompous people and his ability to build up his teams' confidence and bring out the best in them. Despite his painful past, he is still at the top of his game and expertly finds one lead after another before the police. each member of the team has their own strengths and their quirks add humor to the tense story. The action keeps coming and so many twists are thrown in you have to really pay attention to catch them all. The author does a great job of adding several red herrings that keep the reader guessing until the end.

If you want a quick and easy mystery/thriller to spend an afternoon with, I recommend you pick this book up.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Love Books Tours. All opinions are my own.

Good series

As the first book in a series it sets the tone for the series. Ex police officer Luke, takes a job in a corporation only to find out on his first day that his job has changed. He is still able to use his police skills in this fast paced story. The book starts right up with little time to get to know the characters but you have time in the story to learn them. I really enjoyed Luke’s personality and would read more about him. I loved his team and hope they are in future books in the series.

Great mystery with wonderful narration

The main character in this novel was quite likable. It was interesting that he struggled with a change of career & authority level that differed from his previous duties prior to retiring. I really enjoyed the twists & turns that solved the multiple mysteries. It was fun trying to determine the villains versus semi-decent characters involved.

There was of plenty of description involving the characters and environment. None of this left you overwhelmed nor confused. Just the balance I love in any novel. If you’re not used to UK or European slang & jargon you may have to work around those phrases but it’s well worth the effort.

Another aspect I was thrilled with was a decent conclusion to the book. Most of the plot threads were covered and brought to reasonable conclusions. I consider this a plus since other stories can be anticlimactic or tend to have abrupt endings which leave me frustrated.

I’m definitely looking forward to listening to other books in this Luke Sackville series. The narration was colorful with lots of unique voices for the variety of characters.

Even though this was an ARC copy on audio, I would have paid a decent price for it. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys police procedurals, crime capers or a good old British mystery.

Love the narrator and the story was sooo good!

Thank you @lovebookstours and
@SJRICHARDSAUTHOR for this audiobook!
The cover on this book grabbed my attention immediately and I'm definitely a girl who judges a book by its cover! ig I wasn't sure if this book would be a good fit for me because I'm not a big fan of crime/mysteries BUT this book was so well done. The minute I started listening I was hooked! This narrator is soo good! It was hard not to root for Luke... he is so charming and I love how he gets what he wants and makes you think it was your idea!!! I'm ready for book 2!!