What the Shadows Hide (DI Ridpath Crime Thriller Book 9)

This is a wonderful series with a fascinating central character. Always looking forward to the next.

‘What the Shadows Hide’ is Book 9 in M. J. Lee’s DI Ridpath series of police procedurals set in Manchester. I have read the majority of the books in this series and found them all excellent reads. While there are some ongoing aspects linked to character development, background is provided for new readers.DI Thomas Ridpath continues his assignment with the Coroner’s Office as an investigator. Six months previously two desiccated bodies were found wrapped in each other's arms in a bricked up room of a derelict Victorian warehouse. The investigation has found nothing and before police resources are pulled, Ridpath has been called in to investigate.The press have dubbed the case the Romeo and Juliet murders. Yet so many questions remain unanswered including the identity of the victims and of course whodunnit. Can Ridpath and his small team solve the case in the short amount of time they have been allotted?Meanwhile, the Coroner, Margaret Challinor, has begun to suspect that an unknown serial killer has been operating in the area for the past twenty years. Is the Romeo and Juliet case connected? Then something terrible happens that plunges the Coroner’s Office into crises.I found this a highly compelling read and definitely was on the edge of my seat as the novel reached its conclusion.Overall, ‘What the Shadows Hide’ was another gripping crime thriller in a series that continues to get better and better with each novel. Having reached the end I now have to wait for Book 10!Highly recommended for lovers of gritty police procedurals.

Good read

Will she recover only time will tell. Ridpath will live to fight another day but will the coroner. Can't wait for the next instalment.

I particularly enjoy the twists and turns of the crime investigations as well as the sense of being familiar with the personal relationships of the characters. Every book in the series has been addictive reading but this one and its cliffhanger ending is surely one of M J Lee’s best. Keep them coming!

This will keep you reading,I couldn't put it down.The storyline keeps you totally hooked and it moves at a fast pace.From what looks like a dead end cases becomes a race to find a serial killer.It keeps you thinking who the killer is and then shocks you with the real person,who i never expected.This series of books is brilliant.Loved all the stories and every character

Another well plotted case for Ridpath, plenty of misdirection leads the reader off course until the culprit is revealed in the last few pages. A good read.

Great writer, I always get one from this series when I go on holiday, generally get a second book while on the trip there gripping.

Great read as always!

I came across this, read the plot and, because I love a good mystery with desiccated bodies that mean old secrets I knew I would have to read this ninth book before I went back to start at the beginning of the series.My word it was good! The challenge that Ridpath faces in trying to solve the crime is really difficult and even after a lot of thinking, lying in bed unable to sleep, I couldn't figure out how he was going to solve it.The beauty is he comes up with something that I am sure will be used in other crimes stories now it has been recognised as a brilliant way to get the mystery off to a strong start.I have thoroughly enjoy this and if you are someone who enjoys learning a new slant on how science can be used, you'll enjoy this book too.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book that I simply could not put down. I have been a fan of M J Lee’s DI Ridpath crime thrillers since his first book in the series. This onekept me up reading into the night. Poor Ridpath has plenty of his own problems to deal with, one being his 13 year old daughter, and the other his supervisorat work. But, as always, his careful, common sense thought process gets him where he needs to be to find the answers he seeks.Excellent book all around.

This is the last in the DI Ridpath series, or so I believe. I suppose all series have to end sometime and the author feels that he has milked all he can out of the Police/Coronial collaboration......a brilliant way to present a crime mystery from a different viewpoint. I will miss Ridpath, his colleagues and the Coroner.

I love a good mystery integrated with a police procedural. I think I have fallen for DI Ridpath. Hey I am single! The reflective interactions as a widower raising his 13 year old daughter are a window into his character. This book kept me on edge until the end. I really enjoyed the author’s use of putting Jayne Sinclair (from another series by MJ Lee) into this book with DI Ridpath working together. She’s a genealogist/former cop and he an active DI-great teamwork. Can’t wait for the next book in both series, please don’t make us wait too long MJ…