Desperate Measures

Hazel Best & Gabriel Ash #3

by Jo Bannister

When Gabriel Ash's wife and kids were kidnapped four years ago by Somali pirates, his life spiraled out of control. He left his job working for the British government and moved to a small town where he descended into near madness. But with the help of his dog, Patience, and his friendship with young police officer Hazel Best, his focus returned. So when he discovers that his wife is still alive, Ash is once again filled with hope and fear. Hope that he has another chance to find her and their two young sons; fear that, in trying, he may bring about their deaths.

Hazel is deeply worried for Ash. But even she is unprepared for what Ash seems willing to do to secure the safety of his wife and children. In fact, nothing is as it seems and loyalty, friendship, and family bonds will be called into question. When Ash learns who was behind the events that wrecked his life and his sanity, even the resourceful Hazel might not be able to keep him from getting hurt. How much is Ash willing to sacrifice in order to bring his family home and bring justice to those responsible?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, British Literature, Crime, Audiobook

311 pages, Hardcover

First published December 8, 2015

About the author

Jo Bannister lives in Northern Ireland, where she worked as a journalist and editor on local newspapers. Since giving up the day job, her books have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Most of her spare time is spent with her horse and dog, or clambering over archaeological sites. She is currently working on a new series of psychological crime/thrillers.

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Unfortunately after I started this book I discovered it was the third book in the series. I really liked both these characters, Hazel, on leave from the police because of an event in the last book and Ash whose wife and two young sons had been kidnapped by Somali pirates. Also loved the dog, a lurched named Patience who supposedly can talk to Ash. Also a young street boy named Saturday who is given a chance at a new and different life. The book opens with an intense act and takes off from there. Sometimes things are not as clear cut as they appear.

The heading of this book stating that this is the first book is incorrect.

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this wasn't bad. Although it was a bit all over the place and the pacing was far from consistent. Some events happened too easily, others stretched on, and some plot points were vastly unnecessary. The twists were also completely predictable, and since they were so predictable, I'm not certain why the author attempted to mislead in the first place. I literally guessed at every twist correctly as soon as the situation occurred. I was guessing Ash's wife was in on everything since the end of the previous book, and I knew he faked his death before he faked it. I kind of feel like my time is being wasted when authors put so much effort into trying to disguise obvious plot twists. Sorry, there is nothing you could possibly do to make this not apparent. It's been done before, and is more logical than the red herrings being thrown out.

So, this was readable and I kind of liked the ending, so a solid three star book for me.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Mystery & Detective

Miniseries
A Hazel Best & Gabriel Ash Mystery

[Christine Zibas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo Bannister left her readers hanging in her last book, when Gabriel Ash was finally able to make contact online with his missing wife after four long years. With the help of the owner of one of the largest arms companies in the UK, Ash has learned that she remains alive after being held hostage by Somali pirates for so long. Have his children survived as well? Ash can only hope.

Bannister's newest book,"Desperate Measures," takes readers along on that emotional ride with Ash, covering both his happiness at the possibility of his family's return alive to the UK and to him. However, what the pirates request in turn is the ultimate sacrifice. Not even his close friend, the young Police Officer Hazel Best, can stand in the way of his madness or sacrifice.

Best has additional worries besides helping Ash reunite with his family. A young street kid comes to her after he has "found" a laptop. She quickly turns it in, but soon discovers that she had missed a big clue as to why the laptop found its way to her -- its contents were a real concern. As she tries to backtrack to atone for her mistake, new issues surface.

Among those are her relationship with the young boy who turned in the computer. Can she help steer him away from a life of crime? Can she give him a chance for happiness and success, or will he become another disheartening statistic in the logbook of criminal history?

Bannister's latest novel seems to turn family loyalty on its head with this mystery. As with the best mysteries, this one is unpredictable, until all the clues to the outcome become obvious. It also opens the doors to new possibilities for both Gabriel Ash and Hazel Best who, both battered by life, may come out the better in the long run.


Review first appeared on ReviewingtheEvidence.com.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize it was the 3rd book in the series. It was hard to get into this initially. It did get better toward the end. I have no desire to read the first two though. :(

[Hawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wished I had of noticed that it was book 3 before starting it. The assumption was that you had read the previous 2 books and there was little back story provided.

[Rachel Yeckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read by any means, but man it takes a long time to get there. I give it credit because the ending very much surprised me. I found things out as the characters did, not because I had been able to predict anything myself. So kudos there! The hard part was the beginning, it took over half the book for me to truly be interested. And there was so much inner dialogue and pages of a character thinking to themself that could’ve been summed up in a paragraph or two. That had me skimming some pages towards the end. Overall though, worth the read! If I could give it 3.5 stars I would. Not as bad as three stars, but not as great as four.

*Edited to add I didn’t realize this book was part of a series until I finished it. That may have changed how I felt, but nothing on the book cover or the first introductory pages indicated a series. All well.

[Henry McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the Gabriel Ash/Hazel Best series.
It is the best story in the series by far. Full of tension and suspense. Characters are challenged beyond human endurance. Woven throughout are how the bonds of human friendship can be tested and tried to the breaking point.
The final pages seem to have a new and better twist on each page.
It's hard to write a review with giving spoilers.
All I can say is read it. You won't be disappointed.

[Dave Hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author fooled me again, Thought 3 stars a bit much, and it was a 5 at the end. what Hazel thought was a sordid case turned out be nothing, but the thriller was hidden til near the end of book, and it was Hazel who put the pieces together, even convincing Ash, he had been conned, who by? read the book, good clean read if you have the Patience . (name of the dog)

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 3rd book in the series and the best by far.
Knowing that this IS a series will take away some of the punch from the story. But it's written well enough that you will keep reading.
You need to read the two previous books in the series, to fully understand this one (IMO)
Great characters. Great storytelling.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an audible read.

I have more difficulties concentrating on audiobooks.

I did enjoy this entry in the series, and am glad that the issue of the kidnapped family is now over.

I look forward to the further adventures of Hazel and Ash.

I bought a copy from audible.

[MaryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo Bannister writes like no one else--in a good way. Her books are somehow emotionally draining and uplifting at the same time, with characters who, although unconventional, always redeem themselves.

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books I want sure I'd finish by I just wanted to see what happens. Guess the author kept my interest. LOL. Ended up really enjoying it.
Also found out it is #3 in a series. Oy. Wasn't really in the market for another one, but it's okay.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I thought this book was a bit better than the previous two. It was more like the author's Brodie Farrell books which I liked.

[Jovdb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good end to the series, if a little far fetched.

[Mary Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad that this was the first of the series that I read, as clearly, it settled some issues in which I would not have been interested. I did enjoy the characters.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed all three books it this series. Well-written page-turners with memorable characters.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

dog and kid were interesting--would like to see them go on an adventure together.

[Bill Stiefel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent sequel to the first two Ash/Best series. Lots of surprises in this one as in #2, and a great read.

[Margaret Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting to the end of the series-sad

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While none of the storyline came as s surprise, this book is very well written and that was why I kept reading.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book in 3 days. It was a roller coaster of mixed emotions. 10/10‼️

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I was a bit turned off by all the gun-running, Somalian pirate stuff, the ending was quite a surprise (although I had begun to get a hing of part it about 3/4 of the way through the story.

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I will say is that I called this one ;)
What a crazy series. Lots of loose ends, yet, so I will keep reading to see what happens next ...

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I like about Jo Bannister is that she excels at drawing emotional relationships between members of the opposite sex who are not romantic pairs. This is brilliantly displayed in Desperate Measures, the third book in the Gabriel Ash/Hazel Best series.

Desperate Measures is full of plot twists, okay, not all entirely plausible, but the story kept me guessing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At one point I actually had to skip ahead because something happened that I both believed and could not believe.

I love the character of Gabriel Ash, the depiction of his struggle to cope with his PTSD, and his ability to hear his white lurcher Patience speak. (Patience is a great character too.) I also like that Gabriel is clever and intelligent but not a James Bond type. ("He had never been licensed to kill. He'd never been licensed to shout loudly or carry a pointed stick. He was a desk jockey - always had been, always would have been until he took his pension and the CBE that went with it. ... He was the kind of man who apologized to people who bumped into him in shop doorways." (p. 216))

If you like English police procedurals with lots of character development, I recommend all of Jo Bannister's series. If you also are drawn to depictions of characters with PTSD, so much the better as far as the Gabriel Ash/Hazel Best series goes. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

[Mitch McCrimmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series and I enjoyed all 3 of them. You really have to read them in order. Jo Bannister's writing is so easy to follow so it is easy to get immersed in her stories. These three books involve the same two main characters, a guy (Gabriel Ash) who has gone a bit crazy due to his wife and 2 sons having been kidnapped by Somali pirates. He was an intelligence officer based in London but he quit his job and moved to his home town in the north of England not knowing if his wife and sons are dead or alive. The 3 novels are set 4 years later. The other main character is a young woman who is a new police officer who gets to know Gabriel Ash when he runs afoul of the local police. The issue of his missing family is in the background but it finally gets revolved in this third book, very engaging and suspenseful in a cosy mystery sort of way. Very interesting, likeable characters too. Not sure if this is the end of this series as the main issue was resolved in the latest one. Would read a 4th, however, it it comes out.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up without realizing that it was #3 in a series. I really wish book covers would make series book numbers clear. There was nothing to indicate there had been other books with these characters. However, once I started reading, I realized that I was in the middle of something that probable had been explained before. Even so, the plot was understandable, but very contrived. Much more so than your typical mystery novel.

I'm revising my rating after rereading this book after reading the prior books in the series. The contrived plot makes sense once you've read the other books. Then you need this book to complete the events. It's not a book you should read as a stand alone.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book has Gabriel telling the Somalia privates that if they will release Cathy and his son's, he will kill himself on National TV. He sends agency to Somalia to receive his family. After they are released he shot himself in the head on TV. Hazel is very upset but Patience, his dog is not.
Hazel is now brought a house and his renting out a room to Saturday, a homeless boy. Hazel greets his family but doesn't go well. Cathy wants nothing to do with Patience. Hazel is surprised when Gabriel shows up one night. He didn't kill himself and it still is a secret. After a while, Kathy disappeared with the boys as does her lover. The ending is fantastic.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND SERIES.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seemed as though more than half of the book was recaps of what had happened in the previous two books in the series. But I certainly wasn't moved to check them out. And it feels a lot more like a Girls' Own Adventure story than a book for grown ups. Saturday the homeless boy and Patience the dog are the two most likeable characters. The principals, Hazel and Gabriel, are predictable chick lit stereotypes and the villains are ciphers. Meh. I quite enjoyed some of her Brodie Farrell books, but not this.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific outing for Bannister! I've read all of her novels and eagerly awaited this one- and it was worth the wait. I feel as though I know Gabe, Hazel, Saturday, and most of all Patience. All of them have grown and matured throughout this series and it's ever more clear how much they care for each other. This may be a short book but it packs a punch. TWO Thumbs up !!