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Maeve Kerrigan #8.5
Love Lies Bleeding
From award-winning author Jane Casey comes an exciting short detective story following Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent.
Murder can happen in the most unlikely of places…
When Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent arrive at the solicitors’ firm of Mitchford Bexley, they instantly see it is a place of wealth, good taste, and orderly calm. Except, that is, for the bloody footprints leading out of the reception…
Diana Bexley – beautiful, successful, independent – has been brutally murdered in her office. She was clearly targeted. The culprit entered the office with a motorbike helmet on, and was in and out within four minutes.
Who would do such a thing? Could it be Diana’s ex-husband? Her business partner? Her colleague with whom she was having an affair? Only Maeve and Derwent can discover the truth…
42 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2019
260 people are currently reading
1094 people want to read
About the author
Jane Casey
35 books2,661 followersShe studied English at Jesus College, Oxford, followed by an mPhil in Anglo-Irish Literature at Trinity College, Dublin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 12, 2019
A short story in the Maeve Kerrigan series by author Jane Casey. It is very rare that I feel satisfied after reading a short story a I always feel they lack the depth of character etc., but already knowing the characters in this book obviously helped a lot.
Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are called to the solicitors’ firm of Mitchford Bexley, they see on their arrival bloody footprints leading out of the reception. The beautiful Diana Bexley has been viciously murdered in her office. The murderer entered the office with a motorbike helmet on and left shortly after. The suspects range are her ex-husband, her business partner and a colleague who she was having an affair with.
Enjoyable, entertaining and reasonably priced but prefer the full length stories.
Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are called to the solicitors’ firm of Mitchford Bexley, they see on their arrival bloody footprints leading out of the reception. The beautiful Diana Bexley has been viciously murdered in her office. The murderer entered the office with a motorbike helmet on and left shortly after. The suspects range are her ex-husband, her business partner and a colleague who she was having an affair with.
Enjoyable, entertaining and reasonably priced but prefer the full length stories.
October 31, 2023
[reread 31/10/23]
[reread 5/7/22]
——
[originally read 2/7/19]
the tension between maeve and josh is slowly killing me
[reread 5/7/22]
——
[originally read 2/7/19]
the tension between maeve and josh is slowly killing me
December 31, 2020
A favorite series and author-short story that was shorter than stated-not worth the money to purchase.
July 1, 2019
A good short story, mainly because of the sexual tension between Kerrigan and Derwent!
September 12, 2022
This really was a very short novella, but the story is good and the characters are, as usual, brilliant.
October 12, 2023
A very nice short story in the Maeve Kerrigan series
February 25, 2025
A short story case for DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent sees them arrive at 'Mitchford Bexley', a solicitors’ office where one of the partners, Diana Bexley, has been murdered. The killer gained access to the company under the pretence of being a motorbike courier then proceeded to kill Ms Bexley & disappear in under 4 minutes.
This is a very short story (about 40 pages) but it packs a lot in. Kerrigan & Derwent obviously solve the case but the main interest is their 'will they/won't they' relationship. Derwent turns up drunk at Maeve's flat that night & it's obvious (to us, the readers) that he is completely smitten with Maeve. He can't tell her that though. 4.5 stars (rounded down)
This is a very short story (about 40 pages) but it packs a lot in. Kerrigan & Derwent obviously solve the case but the main interest is their 'will they/won't they' relationship. Derwent turns up drunk at Maeve's flat that night & it's obvious (to us, the readers) that he is completely smitten with Maeve. He can't tell her that though. 4.5 stars (rounded down)
January 14, 2020
Short and to the point.
January 26, 2020
Epic short story.
January 23, 2023
Entertaining short story in the Maeve Kerrigan series.
August 16, 2020
Wonderful short story about a case Maeve and Josh worked on between two books.
March 29, 2021
Okay short story but nothing special about it. Ended very abruptly and didn't have enough actual content for me.
October 12, 2019
Jane Casey must know that us addicts will be slavishly grateful for even a short story which contains Maeve and Josh Derwent. Just to tide us over.
And I've read Cruel Acts, so it was no consolation when I arrived at the end sooner than anticipated.
And I've read Cruel Acts, so it was no consolation when I arrived at the end sooner than anticipated.
June 29, 2019
Good.
Nice quick and easy read. Kerrigan and Derwent are a great cop duo. The intricacies of their personalities always comes through in the stories.
Nice quick and easy read. Kerrigan and Derwent are a great cop duo. The intricacies of their personalities always comes through in the stories.
November 2, 2019
Sweet mother of Moses the tension between Derwent and Kerrigan will be the E N D of me !!
June 13, 2020
Handcuffs. 🔥
Loses a star because it’s too short ;)
Loses a star because it’s too short ;)
February 17, 2022
Again, I don't really understand the point of this short story. The plot was actually more developed than the last short of the series (which isn't saying much, at that plot was barely developed at all), but it felt like another excuse to add some illogical will-they-wont-they between Maeve and Derwent. Except, the only will-they-wont-they tension that exists is a figment of Maeve's over-active imagination, that somehow every man fancies her. I see ZERO interest from Derwent, except that he likes to tease Maeve for her prudish reaction to any attention, even though she craves it. He's genuinely attached to Melissa, so I really don't see the need for this ridiculous so-called "sexual tension".
Then again, we spent two books being told to fall in love with Rob, only for that to go down the drain, and just a few books later, Maeve has completely lost interest. But, if Derwent leaves Melissa and Thomas, I will be pitching a fit.
The more I read of the series, the more I want to smack Maeve until she wakes up and grows up. Yet again, she spends half the story making assumptions about people she's never met, and jumping to conclusions about the case she's only just started investigating.
The story ends at 73%, with an emphasis of how "strong" Maeve is, in comparison to Derwent's "weakness" at letting a suicide/murder case affect him. The implication that this makes him weak, or somehow less than Maeve, is just frustrating and illogical.
Then again, we spent two books being told to fall in love with Rob, only for that to go down the drain, and just a few books later, Maeve has completely lost interest. But, if Derwent leaves Melissa and Thomas, I will be pitching a fit.
The more I read of the series, the more I want to smack Maeve until she wakes up and grows up. Yet again, she spends half the story making assumptions about people she's never met, and jumping to conclusions about the case she's only just started investigating.
The story ends at 73%, with an emphasis of how "strong" Maeve is, in comparison to Derwent's "weakness" at letting a suicide/murder case affect him. The implication that this makes him weak, or somehow less than Maeve, is just frustrating and illogical.
January 1, 2022
More fun for Maeve and Josh
Love Lies Bleeding is a novella in the Maeve Kerrigan series (about 30 pages in length) set between the novels Cruel Acts, no 8. and The Cutting Place, no. 9
A new 'Maeve and Derwent' (Maeent? Dereve?) tale is always a delight - it's just a pity that a novella is not a 1,000 pages long.
This time around, Maeve and Josh are investigating the murder of a solicitor at her office and discovering that the line between love and war, can be especially thin.
As this is a short tale, we do not have the time for Casey's usual in depth development of her characters and fascinating, flawless mystery. However, the story is a quick 20 minute read and does pass a few mins, while serving as an introduction to the series.
Love Lies Bleeding is a novella in the Maeve Kerrigan series (about 30 pages in length) set between the novels Cruel Acts, no 8. and The Cutting Place, no. 9
A new 'Maeve and Derwent' (Maeent? Dereve?) tale is always a delight - it's just a pity that a novella is not a 1,000 pages long.
This time around, Maeve and Josh are investigating the murder of a solicitor at her office and discovering that the line between love and war, can be especially thin.
As this is a short tale, we do not have the time for Casey's usual in depth development of her characters and fascinating, flawless mystery. However, the story is a quick 20 minute read and does pass a few mins, while serving as an introduction to the series.
July 23, 2023
I prefer the full length books but these short stories fill a gap while waiting for the latest one to be published, I’m the world’s most unromantic person and am probably the only one that doesn’t like the two main characters to become a couple as in my opinion, it changes the dynamic of the story and becomes more about them then finding out the suspect behind the latest murder.
December 14, 2019
I rarely read short stories but this helped me cope with the wait until the next Maeve Kerrigan novel. The basic crime plot was fine - you can’t do that much with such a short story - but the dynamics between Josh and Maeve were great as always.
October 4, 2020
I’m so used to lengthy novels from authors. This is great to have such a wonderful character written up in a short story format. It gets right to the point. Love the interaction between Maeve and Josh!
June 30, 2019
I enjoyed reading this short story, even though it was very sad and was about the needless death of three people.
August 26, 2019
A short stab
Lovely to meet up with Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent again. They seem like old friends. Reminds me of how much I love Jane Casey’s writing.
Lovely to meet up with Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent again. They seem like old friends. Reminds me of how much I love Jane Casey’s writing.
May 26, 2020
Didn't really do much except remind me what a jerk Josh Derwent can be. An unoriginal crime solved through very little police work in 39 pages. Definitely not a must read.
July 4, 2020
Not bad , it was a very short story
August 14, 2020
3.5* rounded up.
This novella describes the investigation of the murder of a solicitor and has a depressing ending, although there is a little humorous banter earlier in the story.
This novella describes the investigation of the murder of a solicitor and has a depressing ending, although there is a little humorous banter earlier in the story.
September 3, 2020
Fun read, but not as good as the novels.
December 27, 2020
Oof. The title says it all...
January 10, 2021
Not usually a fan of short stories/novellas, but it's Maeve and Josh!
May 2, 2021
This was well done but short.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews