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Past Mistakes: A gripping detective crime thriller
They left him to rot, but now he's back for revenge.
Jamie Sanderson walked out of prison with a score to settle. Fifteen years later, he’s back in his hometown and it isn’t long before the bodies start piling up. A man stabbed in an alley. Another found dead in his own home. A woman barely clinging to life. Someone is working through a bloody list, and nothing will stand in their way.
Detective Allie Shenton and her team know who they’re hunting but finding him is another matter. With every day that passes, the danger grows for the people he will come after. And then the worst happens.
As the investigation stretches the team to their limits, Allie faces a brutal reminder that the past never really lets go. Because someone comes for her, and survival is no longer guaranteed.
Past Mistakes is the eighth novel in the bestselling Allie Shenton series from the multi-million selling crime writer, Mel Sherratt, the author of The Estate Series and Grace Allendale books.
Jamie Sanderson walked out of prison with a score to settle. Fifteen years later, he’s back in his hometown and it isn’t long before the bodies start piling up. A man stabbed in an alley. Another found dead in his own home. A woman barely clinging to life. Someone is working through a bloody list, and nothing will stand in their way.
Detective Allie Shenton and her team know who they’re hunting but finding him is another matter. With every day that passes, the danger grows for the people he will come after. And then the worst happens.
As the investigation stretches the team to their limits, Allie faces a brutal reminder that the past never really lets go. Because someone comes for her, and survival is no longer guaranteed.
Past Mistakes is the eighth novel in the bestselling Allie Shenton series from the multi-million selling crime writer, Mel Sherratt, the author of The Estate Series and Grace Allendale books.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2025
59 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Mel Sherratt
44 books531 followersI write police procedurals, psychological suspense and women's fiction with a punch - or grit-lit, as I call it.
I live in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with my husband and terrier, Dexter (named after the TV serial killer) and makes liberal use of my hometown as a backdrop for some of my books.
You can find out more at my website www.melsherratt.co.uk or I'm on Twitter at @writermels
I also write women's fiction under the pen name of Marcie Steele.
I live in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with my husband and terrier, Dexter (named after the TV serial killer) and makes liberal use of my hometown as a backdrop for some of my books.
You can find out more at my website www.melsherratt.co.uk or I'm on Twitter at @writermels
I also write women's fiction under the pen name of Marcie Steele.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 24, 2025
Allie Shenton is back and she’s in a race against a killer hellbent on revenge. As the Taylor Swift lyric goes he’s “got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined” Can Allie and the team stop the killer before he gets to the end of the list?
Past Mistakes switches narrators. For the majority of the book, I spent time with Allie as she runs the investigation into the murder of a dastardly criminal (no great loss) but then the brutal attack of a woman in her own home. I love this team, Sherratt has created a group of individuals who feel real, no super detection powers, just good old fashioned policing but with heart.
But then I got an insight into the killer and for a change, I had some sympathy for him. Admittedly, getting revenge through murder isn’t possibly the right way of going about things but it certainly got the police’s attention!
The climax was tense, but then Sherratt threw me a sucker punch. I was blindsided, reading into the early hours desperate to know what was going to happen in the final chapters.
Sherratt has given her readers another gritty police procedural packed with tension, humanity and banter between the team. Past Mistakes has pace, I had to catch my breathe between chapters as the story moved so quickly! Brilliant Mel 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Past Mistakes switches narrators. For the majority of the book, I spent time with Allie as she runs the investigation into the murder of a dastardly criminal (no great loss) but then the brutal attack of a woman in her own home. I love this team, Sherratt has created a group of individuals who feel real, no super detection powers, just good old fashioned policing but with heart.
But then I got an insight into the killer and for a change, I had some sympathy for him. Admittedly, getting revenge through murder isn’t possibly the right way of going about things but it certainly got the police’s attention!
The climax was tense, but then Sherratt threw me a sucker punch. I was blindsided, reading into the early hours desperate to know what was going to happen in the final chapters.
Sherratt has given her readers another gritty police procedural packed with tension, humanity and banter between the team. Past Mistakes has pace, I had to catch my breathe between chapters as the story moved so quickly! Brilliant Mel 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
October 8, 2025
Jamie Sanderson has been released from prison and is back for revenge.
With a case going back years, can Allie Shenton and her team find out why Jamie has suddenly started his spree.
Wow! Allie and the team have their work cut out for them with this case.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold”, is an apt proverb for this story. I found myself on tenterhooks throughout and gripped by the story.
This story played with my mind and made me stop and think. I could understand why Jamie wanted revenge, what happened was horrendous, but at the same time, I couldn’t condone what he was doing.
I enjoyed having Allie and the team back again, they work well together and are a work family, always having each other’s backs. It was great seeing how they were gradually putting all the pieces together.
There were a couple of times where I found the emotion in the story brought a tear to my eye as I felt for some of the characters.
This is a series that I thoroughly enjoy, and I jumped at the chance to read this latest book. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
I received a copy of this book from the author.
With a case going back years, can Allie Shenton and her team find out why Jamie has suddenly started his spree.
Wow! Allie and the team have their work cut out for them with this case.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold”, is an apt proverb for this story. I found myself on tenterhooks throughout and gripped by the story.
This story played with my mind and made me stop and think. I could understand why Jamie wanted revenge, what happened was horrendous, but at the same time, I couldn’t condone what he was doing.
I enjoyed having Allie and the team back again, they work well together and are a work family, always having each other’s backs. It was great seeing how they were gradually putting all the pieces together.
There were a couple of times where I found the emotion in the story brought a tear to my eye as I felt for some of the characters.
This is a series that I thoroughly enjoy, and I jumped at the chance to read this latest book. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
I received a copy of this book from the author.
October 24, 2025
Jamie Sanderson went down for a long time for something he didn't do. He has a long memory & is going to pick off everyone who hurt him back then.
Allie & the team take a while to work out what is happening & who is behind the deaths. Soon, they are on his trail. It's a twisty & fast-paced read.
There's also a heart in the mouth moment which no one saw coming.
It is an excellent read, which I highly recommend 5*.
Allie & the team take a while to work out what is happening & who is behind the deaths. Soon, they are on his trail. It's a twisty & fast-paced read.
There's also a heart in the mouth moment which no one saw coming.
It is an excellent read, which I highly recommend 5*.
November 7, 2025
Allie Shenton is back!! I absolutely love this series so I was very excited to learn there would be a book eight. I only wish I had read it sooner.
I had so many mixed feelings about this story. Imagine being sixteen years old and jailed for something you didn’t do. I can’t even imagine how that might affect someone’s mental health and general outlook on life. My heart went out to teenage Jamie, especially when he realises he is going to lose his Mum too. However, as much as I understand his anger and rage, his revenge plans are brutal. It would have been lovely to have seen him turn his life around after his release and live his best life. Show his so-called friends from back then that he wasn’t going to let them ruin his life any further. I realise this is so easy for me to say though and it also wouldn’t make as dramatic a storyline. Lol!
A woman is attacked in her home. A man is murdered in his own home, and another man is stabbed. Detective Allie Shenton and her team soon work out what is happening and have their work cut out to find the culprit before he gets to anyone else. I was rooting for them the whole time and although I had little sympathy for those who lied in the past no-one deserves to be murdered in their own home.
This is such a fast-paced crime thriller featuring a perpetrator who knows exactly what he’s doing as he’s had a long time to plan things. I could barely keep up! I thought I had it sussed though, and I did to a certain extent, but there are moments throughout that I absolutely did not see coming! My heart was in my mouth on more than one occasion and just when I thought it was over, BAM, another jaw-dropping shock. One that really had me panicking!
Just brilliant! I loved it! I can’t wait for book nine!
** Many thanks to Mel Sherratt for my digital review copy **
#TeamSherratt
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2025/11/0...
I had so many mixed feelings about this story. Imagine being sixteen years old and jailed for something you didn’t do. I can’t even imagine how that might affect someone’s mental health and general outlook on life. My heart went out to teenage Jamie, especially when he realises he is going to lose his Mum too. However, as much as I understand his anger and rage, his revenge plans are brutal. It would have been lovely to have seen him turn his life around after his release and live his best life. Show his so-called friends from back then that he wasn’t going to let them ruin his life any further. I realise this is so easy for me to say though and it also wouldn’t make as dramatic a storyline. Lol!
A woman is attacked in her home. A man is murdered in his own home, and another man is stabbed. Detective Allie Shenton and her team soon work out what is happening and have their work cut out to find the culprit before he gets to anyone else. I was rooting for them the whole time and although I had little sympathy for those who lied in the past no-one deserves to be murdered in their own home.
This is such a fast-paced crime thriller featuring a perpetrator who knows exactly what he’s doing as he’s had a long time to plan things. I could barely keep up! I thought I had it sussed though, and I did to a certain extent, but there are moments throughout that I absolutely did not see coming! My heart was in my mouth on more than one occasion and just when I thought it was over, BAM, another jaw-dropping shock. One that really had me panicking!
Just brilliant! I loved it! I can’t wait for book nine!
** Many thanks to Mel Sherratt for my digital review copy **
#TeamSherratt
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2025/11/0...
October 26, 2025
When Jamie Sanderson was sixteen years old he was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, his friends all blamed him and over the years he swore revenge. Fifteen years after his release he returns to his hometown with a list of people he's determined to visit. Allie Shenton and her team have their work cut out when the murders start to pile up, they know who they're looking for but, can they apprehend him before he reaches the end of his list and what happens when the past also pays Allie an unexpected visit?
Past Mistakes is the latest in the Allie Shenton series by Sherratt, told in the present day but with intermittent chapters from Jamie's younger years. It's a fast paced, well written story that gripped me from the first page to the last. I felt empathy for Jamie, for what had happened to him when he was sixteen and I could understand, to a certain extent, why he felt the need for revenge but, two wrongs don't make a right and, what he had planned certainly wasn't the answer for his years of misery, even if a couple of the characters did deserve it. I loved revisiting Allie and the team again trying to keep the streets of Stoke safe and there were some emotional moments within this story that had me reaching for the tissues, but nothing prepared me for that moment towards the end which completely floored me and my heart was in my mouth for the rest of the book wondering how it was going to end. I love this series and have to say I think this is the best one yet, the author has smashed it out of the park!
Id like to thank the author for inviting me to read this book, I will post ny review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Past Mistakes is the latest in the Allie Shenton series by Sherratt, told in the present day but with intermittent chapters from Jamie's younger years. It's a fast paced, well written story that gripped me from the first page to the last. I felt empathy for Jamie, for what had happened to him when he was sixteen and I could understand, to a certain extent, why he felt the need for revenge but, two wrongs don't make a right and, what he had planned certainly wasn't the answer for his years of misery, even if a couple of the characters did deserve it. I loved revisiting Allie and the team again trying to keep the streets of Stoke safe and there were some emotional moments within this story that had me reaching for the tissues, but nothing prepared me for that moment towards the end which completely floored me and my heart was in my mouth for the rest of the book wondering how it was going to end. I love this series and have to say I think this is the best one yet, the author has smashed it out of the park!
Id like to thank the author for inviting me to read this book, I will post ny review on Amazon and Goodreads.
October 13, 2025
Whilst I didn’t condone the killer’s actions in this book, when you find out his back story, you can understand why he would want revenge. You will find yourself also having empathy for most of his victims also. As the story goes along you get to know them all quite well and I was urging Allie and the team to catch Jamie before he could kill anyone else.
Allie and the team are like being reunited with old friends. Over the course of the series, I’ve come to know and grow fond of them. Their welfare is just as important and things take an unexpected turn that had me racing through the pages, high with emotions!
Past Mistakes was an absolute roller coaster of a read! It’s dark and quite brutal in parts as well as emotionally challenging. The story certainly packs a punch with danger coming from unexpected places. It’s very much a story of living with consequences and asking yourself if you would have chosen the same path as the characters. My pulse was racing by the end and I am now desperate for the next book in the series to see what is next in store for Allie especially. Highly gripping!
Allie and the team are like being reunited with old friends. Over the course of the series, I’ve come to know and grow fond of them. Their welfare is just as important and things take an unexpected turn that had me racing through the pages, high with emotions!
Past Mistakes was an absolute roller coaster of a read! It’s dark and quite brutal in parts as well as emotionally challenging. The story certainly packs a punch with danger coming from unexpected places. It’s very much a story of living with consequences and asking yourself if you would have chosen the same path as the characters. My pulse was racing by the end and I am now desperate for the next book in the series to see what is next in store for Allie especially. Highly gripping!
October 13, 2025
A fast-paced story with plenty of twists and turns.
I love this series. A close-knit team of Allie, Perry, Frankie and Sam set in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent.
It was good to get inside the mind of Jamie Sanderson, flitting back to his school days and that day when everything changed for him. Then coming forward again through times when he was in prison and to the present day. You can certainly see why he felt the need for revenge.
The four school friends who were with him on that fateful day, Nick, Kevin, Michelle and Colette. The way the story panned out, I was getting so nervous and just couldn’t put my kindle down.
A real ‘OMG, no!’ moment near the end!
I love Mel Sherratt’s style of writing, gritty and straight to the point.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced copy. I will always be #TeamSherratt
I love this series. A close-knit team of Allie, Perry, Frankie and Sam set in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent.
It was good to get inside the mind of Jamie Sanderson, flitting back to his school days and that day when everything changed for him. Then coming forward again through times when he was in prison and to the present day. You can certainly see why he felt the need for revenge.
The four school friends who were with him on that fateful day, Nick, Kevin, Michelle and Colette. The way the story panned out, I was getting so nervous and just couldn’t put my kindle down.
A real ‘OMG, no!’ moment near the end!
I love Mel Sherratt’s style of writing, gritty and straight to the point.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced copy. I will always be #TeamSherratt
December 27, 2025
They left him to rot, but now he's back for revenge.
Jamie Sanderson walked out of prison with a score to settle. Fifteen years later, he’s back in his hometown and it isn’t long before the bodies start piling up. A man stabbed in an alley. Another found dead in his own home. A woman barely clinging to life. Someone is working through a bloody list, and nothing will stand in their way.
Detective Allie Shenton and her team know who they’re hunting but finding him is another matter. With every day that passes, the danger grows for the people he will come after. And then the worst happens.
I love Mel Sherratt’s books - one of my go to authors! This was book 8 in the series. Yet again Mel does not disappoint!
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Jamie Sanderson walked out of prison with a score to settle. Fifteen years later, he’s back in his hometown and it isn’t long before the bodies start piling up. A man stabbed in an alley. Another found dead in his own home. A woman barely clinging to life. Someone is working through a bloody list, and nothing will stand in their way.
Detective Allie Shenton and her team know who they’re hunting but finding him is another matter. With every day that passes, the danger grows for the people he will come after. And then the worst happens.
I love Mel Sherratt’s books - one of my go to authors! This was book 8 in the series. Yet again Mel does not disappoint!
https://www.facebook.com/Bookstagramshaz
https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagram...
October 8, 2025
Past Mistakes book eight.
Joining Allie Shenton and the team.
Stoke on Trent.
They left him to rot now he's back for revenge.
Jamie Sanderson is out, its been a while and now is his time to get justice.
Past mistakes will never ever let him go.
A crime gone wrong,
A man locked up,
A plan for revenge.
And now Allie and the team have to find him.
This is definitely the most sensational read of the series,
Fast pace, didn't expect that to happen moments, all the way unputdownable, carrying on to the last that had me breaking down.
Ohmigod I didn't expect that!!
Unique,superb,absolute cracker.
Well done Mel Sherratt.
Joining Allie Shenton and the team.
Stoke on Trent.
They left him to rot now he's back for revenge.
Jamie Sanderson is out, its been a while and now is his time to get justice.
Past mistakes will never ever let him go.
A crime gone wrong,
A man locked up,
A plan for revenge.
And now Allie and the team have to find him.
This is definitely the most sensational read of the series,
Fast pace, didn't expect that to happen moments, all the way unputdownable, carrying on to the last that had me breaking down.
Ohmigod I didn't expect that!!
Unique,superb,absolute cracker.
Well done Mel Sherratt.
October 25, 2025
Wow!!!!!
This book gives you the perpetrator early on But it just makes the story more interesting. It unfolds with why and who the killer is after. The story flows and you just can't put the book down. The last few chapters throw a huge surprise that made me want to get to the end super quick to see what happens. My favourite of all the Allie Shenton books so far
This book gives you the perpetrator early on But it just makes the story more interesting. It unfolds with why and who the killer is after. The story flows and you just can't put the book down. The last few chapters throw a huge surprise that made me want to get to the end super quick to see what happens. My favourite of all the Allie Shenton books so far
October 24, 2025
Absolutely flipping amazing!!! I have been dying to get my mitts on this for a while now but the wait was worth it. A brilliant case for Allie and her team to work on, and once that was closed, one hell of a twist that had me going crazy!
November 26, 2025
Love this series, and as always absolutely brilliant!
When is someone going to make them into a tv drama
When is someone going to make them into a tv drama
November 26, 2025
Loved it
Struggled to put Past Mistakes down. Absolutely gripping from beginning to end. M t.v.el Sherrat I one of my favourite author's.
Struggled to put Past Mistakes down. Absolutely gripping from beginning to end. M t.v.el Sherrat I one of my favourite author's.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews