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DC Constance Fairchild #3
Nowhere To Run
On compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists.
In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.
Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that there's nowhere left to run?
In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.
Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that there's nowhere left to run?
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2021
70 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 16, 2021
This is the latest in James Oswald's wonderful DC Constance Fairchild of the NCA series, if you are familiar with the author, then you will be aware that he blends crime fiction with the supernatural. Con is endeavouring to recover from the trauma and PTSD she has suffered, this includes the death of her mother. This has her on leave from her London home, and renting a remote cottage near Aberystwyth in Wales, and the pandemic extended her stay. However, trouble has a way of finding her, when she fights off two men, unprepossessing would be rapists, she finds herself in a police cell, which is where she meets a badly beaten up young Ukrainian woman, Lila Ivanova. Lila has escaped her 'boyfriend', a man responsible for trafficking her and pushing her into prostitution.
Con is rescued by her landlord from the police, Gareth, Lord Caernant, and when Lila turns up at her cottage, Con is determined to do everything she can to help her. After the ransacking of her home, a frightened Lila disappears and a visit from her boss, ex-military Superintendent Diane Shepherd, informs her of a ongoing covert police operation to gain intelligence about the growth of drug smuggling and people trafficking. With the police struggling, Shepherd ostensibly warns Con to steer clear, yet is actually encouraging her to get involved below the radar. Con is apprehensive, and with good reason, she is far from recovered, finding it hard to sleep and is experiencing panic attacks. The bad guys are ruthless, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect their nightmare activities, will Con be able to help Lila and survive the terrors that come her way?
Oswald draws on Welsh Celtic ancient myths, legends and folklore in his storytelling, particularly the Cauldron of Life, found among several sources, including the famous Mabinogion. Con finds herself with fractured memories that make little sense to her, but her health declines rapidly, with her barely able to operate on her return to London. She is not a believer in the Welsh ancient legends, but Karen's ex-girlfriend, Aisha, and her wise neighbour, Mrs Felton, have her returning to Wales in the hope of piecing together her broken mind and body. I am a huge fan of the author and his brand of fantastical crime fiction, this offering is engaging, entertaining and suspenseful, and I look forward to the next in the series with great anticipation. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Con is rescued by her landlord from the police, Gareth, Lord Caernant, and when Lila turns up at her cottage, Con is determined to do everything she can to help her. After the ransacking of her home, a frightened Lila disappears and a visit from her boss, ex-military Superintendent Diane Shepherd, informs her of a ongoing covert police operation to gain intelligence about the growth of drug smuggling and people trafficking. With the police struggling, Shepherd ostensibly warns Con to steer clear, yet is actually encouraging her to get involved below the radar. Con is apprehensive, and with good reason, she is far from recovered, finding it hard to sleep and is experiencing panic attacks. The bad guys are ruthless, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect their nightmare activities, will Con be able to help Lila and survive the terrors that come her way?
Oswald draws on Welsh Celtic ancient myths, legends and folklore in his storytelling, particularly the Cauldron of Life, found among several sources, including the famous Mabinogion. Con finds herself with fractured memories that make little sense to her, but her health declines rapidly, with her barely able to operate on her return to London. She is not a believer in the Welsh ancient legends, but Karen's ex-girlfriend, Aisha, and her wise neighbour, Mrs Felton, have her returning to Wales in the hope of piecing together her broken mind and body. I am a huge fan of the author and his brand of fantastical crime fiction, this offering is engaging, entertaining and suspenseful, and I look forward to the next in the series with great anticipation. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
October 3, 2021
This is the 3rd book in the Constance Fairchild series by author James Oswald. I love the Inspector McLean series by this author as well as the previous two books in this series so was looking forward to this one. It didn’t take me long to get back into this series and was enjoying the writing but felt overall that the novel lacked the excitement of the other two books. I enjoyed the writing and Constance Fairchild is a very good character but I struggled to get into the storyline.
Detective Constable Constance Fairchild is on compassionate leave following the death of her mother, and is renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales to get away from the hustle and bustle of London. The problem is trouble appears to follow Fairchild around and she finds herself in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists. While at the station she is mistakenly put in the same cell as a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in that she’s been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.
Fairchild cannot keep away from trouble and offers to help her but when Lila disappears, she realises she’s stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers. Fairchild’s life is seriously threatened by people who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
With my previous knowledge of both the character and the author I still enjoyed the read but not as much as I had initially hoped. A minor blip but feel sure the next book in the series will be much better.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Wildfire for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Detective Constable Constance Fairchild is on compassionate leave following the death of her mother, and is renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales to get away from the hustle and bustle of London. The problem is trouble appears to follow Fairchild around and she finds herself in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists. While at the station she is mistakenly put in the same cell as a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in that she’s been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.
Fairchild cannot keep away from trouble and offers to help her but when Lila disappears, she realises she’s stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers. Fairchild’s life is seriously threatened by people who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
With my previous knowledge of both the character and the author I still enjoyed the read but not as much as I had initially hoped. A minor blip but feel sure the next book in the series will be much better.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Wildfire for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
January 14, 2022
The is the third novel featuring Detective Constable Constance Fairchild, who is on compassionate leave following the death of her mother, and is renting a cottage owned by, Lord Gareth Caernant, a friend of her aunt’s near Aberystwyth. However, far from the peace and quiet she was craving, she soon finds herself in a police cell after fending off two rapists. Also in the cell is a young Ukrainian woman, Lila Ivanova. who has escaped her 'boyfriend', a man responsible for trafficking her and pushing her into prostitution.
When Con tries to help Lila she soon finds herself in dangerous territory – up against drug traffickers and people smugglers who’ll stop at nothing. Rather than recovering from her previous traumas, Con finds her health rapidly deteriorating as she struggles against Lila’s captors. James Oswald often draws on supernatural elements in his stories and here he refers to Celtic ancient myths, legends and folklore, including something called the Cauldron of Life.
This was an enjoyable enough read. I always like James Oswald’s writing and find Con a very appealing protagonist. However, I did feel as if this story was covering ground which too many others have done before.
When Con tries to help Lila she soon finds herself in dangerous territory – up against drug traffickers and people smugglers who’ll stop at nothing. Rather than recovering from her previous traumas, Con finds her health rapidly deteriorating as she struggles against Lila’s captors. James Oswald often draws on supernatural elements in his stories and here he refers to Celtic ancient myths, legends and folklore, including something called the Cauldron of Life.
This was an enjoyable enough read. I always like James Oswald’s writing and find Con a very appealing protagonist. However, I did feel as if this story was covering ground which too many others have done before.
November 15, 2021
My thanks to Headline/Wildfire for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Nowhere to Run’ by James Oswald in exchange for an honest review.
This is Book 3 in Oswald’s D.C. Constance Fairchild series of police procedurals. These stories exist in the same fictional universe as his Edinburgh based Inspector McLean series and there is the occasional overlap of characters.
Following the events in the previous book, Constance was placed on compassionate leave from the Met. She rented an isolated cottage in Aberystwyth, Wales; though when the pandemic hit she found herself in lockdown there.
When Con goes out for a drink she attracts the attention of two predators; though when they pounce she manages to defend herself. Yet she is the one arrested! While in custody she meets Lila, a young Ukrainian woman, who has run away from her manipulative boyfriend who had forced her into illegal activities.
Con offers to help Lila though soon realises that she has stumbled into a very dangerous situation. No further details to avoid spoilers.
As with the Inspector McLean series, there are subtle aspects of the mythical and supernatural woven into the story. In ‘Nowhere to Run’ ancient Welsh mythology and legends are referenced.
James Oswald is one of my favourite crime authors and I have enjoyed all of his novels for their intricate plots and memorable characters, as well as his respectful integration of the otherworldly into his narratives.
I certainly felt that with ‘Nowhere to Run’ Oswald has penned another brilliantly twisty crime thriller. I zoomed through it in record time as it proved impossible to put down.
A highly recommended novel, series and author.
This is Book 3 in Oswald’s D.C. Constance Fairchild series of police procedurals. These stories exist in the same fictional universe as his Edinburgh based Inspector McLean series and there is the occasional overlap of characters.
Following the events in the previous book, Constance was placed on compassionate leave from the Met. She rented an isolated cottage in Aberystwyth, Wales; though when the pandemic hit she found herself in lockdown there.
When Con goes out for a drink she attracts the attention of two predators; though when they pounce she manages to defend herself. Yet she is the one arrested! While in custody she meets Lila, a young Ukrainian woman, who has run away from her manipulative boyfriend who had forced her into illegal activities.
Con offers to help Lila though soon realises that she has stumbled into a very dangerous situation. No further details to avoid spoilers.
As with the Inspector McLean series, there are subtle aspects of the mythical and supernatural woven into the story. In ‘Nowhere to Run’ ancient Welsh mythology and legends are referenced.
James Oswald is one of my favourite crime authors and I have enjoyed all of his novels for their intricate plots and memorable characters, as well as his respectful integration of the otherworldly into his narratives.
I certainly felt that with ‘Nowhere to Run’ Oswald has penned another brilliantly twisty crime thriller. I zoomed through it in record time as it proved impossible to put down.
A highly recommended novel, series and author.
March 10, 2023
Lovely Welsh Country references got my attention from the start…. This story got a bit dragged out in parts but the intrigue kept me ploughing through. Nice easy ready
November 17, 2021
After the horrific events which saw the death of her mother DC Con Fairchild has taken compassionate leave and gone to literally the end of the line, a cottage in West Wales. However her peaceful idyll is shattered when, following an altercation, she meets a young trafficked girl and then her bosses at the NCA contact her asking for help with a smuggling operation in Wales. Running foul of the gang Con is left for dead but she seems to recover albeit with shattered memories. Is there a higher power at work?
This is shaping up to be a strong series of police procedurals and Constance Fairchild an interesting protagonist. Here there is a lovely set of supporting characters and the usual hint of supernatural which is played very lightly. I liked the plot around historic smuggler communities turning to drugs and people smuggling in modern times.
This is shaping up to be a strong series of police procedurals and Constance Fairchild an interesting protagonist. Here there is a lovely set of supporting characters and the usual hint of supernatural which is played very lightly. I liked the plot around historic smuggler communities turning to drugs and people smuggling in modern times.
December 15, 2021
This is the third in James Oswald's 'Constance Fairchild' series. He is one of my favourite authors, and I have to say I devoured this far too quickly - I just couldn't put it down!
Constance Fairchild is a strong, likeable character and she certainly faces challenges in this book. The author's description of her physical state of tiredness at one point was so vivid that I spent several hours feeling exhausted myself!
Five glittering stars. Would I read it again? Yes!
Constance Fairchild is a strong, likeable character and she certainly faces challenges in this book. The author's description of her physical state of tiredness at one point was so vivid that I spent several hours feeling exhausted myself!
Five glittering stars. Would I read it again? Yes!
November 9, 2021
s there such a thing as magnetic energy? If there is, I’m pretty sure Con Fairchild has it. Everywhere she goes, she attracts those whose energy has different vibrations. Sometimes these are good; as often pretty bad, but she is incapable of going through life unaffected by the energy that pulls on the warp and weft of the world.
As we meet her again at the beginning of Nowhere to Run, she is sorely in need of positive energy. Battered and bruised from everything she has experienced, she is suffering from PTSD and has taken compassionate leave combined with a sabbatical. She’s now camping out in a cottage on the rugged coat of Ceredigion, hoping that nature’s positive energy will work its own brand of magic on her troubled soul.
In the midst of all this it’s also pandemic time and so self- isolation is the norm and going back to work is not something anyone is thinking about, which is just as well.
If you are a fan of James Oswald, then you’ll be delighted to hear that Nowhere to Run is a full cream version of his love for the unknown and inexplicable. While we are treated to a full on contemporary police procedural with drama with danger, thrills and all the action you’d expect, we also are not allowed to forget that we are in a land of myths and magic; in the heart of Arthurian legends where the Mabinogion was born.
Because it is Con telling her own story, you feel immediately connected to her and can sense the trouble that runs through her soul. But although she is weakened and depleted by everything she has gone through (do read the first two books, you at the back) that does not stop her from wanting to help those who are so clearly in need.
So when she unwittingly falls foul of two local men and ends up in a jail cell with Lila, a young Ukranian woman, it is not long before Con finds herself at the dark heart of a criminal enterprise which involves, drugs, modern slavery and prostitution.
One of the great strengths of James Oswald’s books is his characters. Con has such a great background and that not only makes her stand out from the crowd, but it also gives her the potential for a lot of rather different relatives and we meet two of them in this book together with their splendidly name Gelert whose story is a legend in its own right.
Utilising all the dramatic terrain of the Welsh coastline with its caves and tunnels Oswald takes Con on a journey into the depths from which it is by no means clear that she can return unscathed. Moving from Wales to London and back again, Con is caught up in the action almost so much that she doesn’t have to think about anything else, but in the background, where not all of her colleagues are delighted to see he back in action, there’s a constant hum in the back of her mind about whether she wants to be doing what she does at all and that does haunt this book somewhat.
With touches of humour and lots of chills, this is a fantastic and fantastical read that leaps off the page and engages the imagination. I love Oswald’s style and don’t in the least mind that he makes my cerebral cortex light up in the strangest places.
Verdict: I stayed up into the wee small hours to finish this one because I could not wait to see how it ended. That, for me, is the hallmark of a cracking book and I have no higher praise than that.
As we meet her again at the beginning of Nowhere to Run, she is sorely in need of positive energy. Battered and bruised from everything she has experienced, she is suffering from PTSD and has taken compassionate leave combined with a sabbatical. She’s now camping out in a cottage on the rugged coat of Ceredigion, hoping that nature’s positive energy will work its own brand of magic on her troubled soul.
In the midst of all this it’s also pandemic time and so self- isolation is the norm and going back to work is not something anyone is thinking about, which is just as well.
If you are a fan of James Oswald, then you’ll be delighted to hear that Nowhere to Run is a full cream version of his love for the unknown and inexplicable. While we are treated to a full on contemporary police procedural with drama with danger, thrills and all the action you’d expect, we also are not allowed to forget that we are in a land of myths and magic; in the heart of Arthurian legends where the Mabinogion was born.
Because it is Con telling her own story, you feel immediately connected to her and can sense the trouble that runs through her soul. But although she is weakened and depleted by everything she has gone through (do read the first two books, you at the back) that does not stop her from wanting to help those who are so clearly in need.
So when she unwittingly falls foul of two local men and ends up in a jail cell with Lila, a young Ukranian woman, it is not long before Con finds herself at the dark heart of a criminal enterprise which involves, drugs, modern slavery and prostitution.
One of the great strengths of James Oswald’s books is his characters. Con has such a great background and that not only makes her stand out from the crowd, but it also gives her the potential for a lot of rather different relatives and we meet two of them in this book together with their splendidly name Gelert whose story is a legend in its own right.
Utilising all the dramatic terrain of the Welsh coastline with its caves and tunnels Oswald takes Con on a journey into the depths from which it is by no means clear that she can return unscathed. Moving from Wales to London and back again, Con is caught up in the action almost so much that she doesn’t have to think about anything else, but in the background, where not all of her colleagues are delighted to see he back in action, there’s a constant hum in the back of her mind about whether she wants to be doing what she does at all and that does haunt this book somewhat.
With touches of humour and lots of chills, this is a fantastic and fantastical read that leaps off the page and engages the imagination. I love Oswald’s style and don’t in the least mind that he makes my cerebral cortex light up in the strangest places.
Verdict: I stayed up into the wee small hours to finish this one because I could not wait to see how it ended. That, for me, is the hallmark of a cracking book and I have no higher praise than that.
April 17, 2023
The third in a series I hadn't previously read, but back story sufficient to forgive Con Fairchild her frequent flakiness. For me, also a plus that James Oswald has swapped the usual supernatural for Welsh mythology and produced a tale I'd describe as rollicking Girl's Own Adventure, i.e. fast-paced entertaining and not requiring too many questions to be asked.
November 14, 2021
On compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax plus then the pandemic arrived. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists. In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells. Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company.
This is the third outing for Con & it’s another very well written page turner, the author always adds a touch of the supernatural to his books & this is no different. The characters are wonderfully drawn, the locations well described & the action had me on the edge of my seat. I love the humour which the author mixes beautifully with chills & I found it very hard to put down so ended finishing it in the small hours.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This is the third outing for Con & it’s another very well written page turner, the author always adds a touch of the supernatural to his books & this is no different. The characters are wonderfully drawn, the locations well described & the action had me on the edge of my seat. I love the humour which the author mixes beautifully with chills & I found it very hard to put down so ended finishing it in the small hours.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
April 24, 2022
The quiet seaside cottage in Wales is a total contrast to Con’s inner city flat so she is not too upset that Lockdown has prolonged her stay but when two unpleasant characters attack her it looks as though trouble is still following her. Her fighting skills save her from rape, but she is surprised to find herself put into a police cell. There she meets Lila, a vulnerable Ukrainian girl on the run from forced prostitution, by her manipulative boyfriend. Things go from bad to worse when Lila disappears, and Con’s boss Superintendent Diane Shepherd arrives giving her information about a local investigation into a possible drug smuggling group. She is not asked to join the team, but Diane knows that Con will be unable to resist following leads.
As in the earlier books, Con constantly walks into trouble but her determination to find a way out of every predicament means she never gives up and sometimes she seems to have help from intangible forces. Welsh folklore features, partly as an account of local legend but it also impinges on Con’s life. She has the support of family friends Lord and Lady Caernant and Karen, her London police colleague has her back.
I enjoyed the blend of courage, fast-moving action and humour from a complex character I have come to know well and the rural area near Aberystwyth was a great location for this modern tale with a mystical twist. Looking forward to the next adventure of Constance Fairchild.
As in the earlier books, Con constantly walks into trouble but her determination to find a way out of every predicament means she never gives up and sometimes she seems to have help from intangible forces. Welsh folklore features, partly as an account of local legend but it also impinges on Con’s life. She has the support of family friends Lord and Lady Caernant and Karen, her London police colleague has her back.
I enjoyed the blend of courage, fast-moving action and humour from a complex character I have come to know well and the rural area near Aberystwyth was a great location for this modern tale with a mystical twist. Looking forward to the next adventure of Constance Fairchild.
January 9, 2022
I found this rather disappointing compared to the previous two instalments. Constance is a good character so too are Karen and Shepherd, although they are a bit underused here.
I thought some plot devices were overdone - the mystical ones - and I disliked being reminded of lockdown restrictions, masks and social distancing and the thank you to NHS Wales for just doing their job.
I hope that by the time the next instalment appears Constance will, along with the rest of us, be back amidst the Old Normal.
I thought some plot devices were overdone - the mystical ones - and I disliked being reminded of lockdown restrictions, masks and social distancing and the thank you to NHS Wales for just doing their job.
I hope that by the time the next instalment appears Constance will, along with the rest of us, be back amidst the Old Normal.
December 2, 2021
Detective Constable Constance Fairchild is renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales, on leave following the death of her mum. She ends up in custody due to an altercation with a couple of bad 'uns and meets Lila, a young Ukrainian woman who confides in her about her controlling boyfriend.
Nowhere to Run is a compelling story with a pronounced sense of the supernatural. My first in this series though it is the third instalment, I found it compelling, exciting and suspenseful. I see myself backtracking to the first two books in the series, No Time to Cry and Nothing to Hide. Very highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline, Wildfire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
Nowhere to Run is a compelling story with a pronounced sense of the supernatural. My first in this series though it is the third instalment, I found it compelling, exciting and suspenseful. I see myself backtracking to the first two books in the series, No Time to Cry and Nothing to Hide. Very highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline, Wildfire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
May 31, 2023
Really enjoyed this would recommend it. Had a hint of nostalgia for me as I used to go on my childhood holidays in Wales so know the areas well. Well written and good story!
August 26, 2024
Highly recommend 👌
April 16, 2025
There was plenty about this I enjoyed - some familiarity with the West Wales setting, a good quality of writing with momentum, a plucky and likeable heroine. The plot revolving around our 'on compassionate leave' female detective uncovering more serious a crime than just the chip-stealing seagulls in Aberystwyth, the story unusual enough to lift it above the police procedural. I'm not sure it outdoes the best of the Edinburgh-based Inspector McLean novels, but it certainly was a decent and compelling read.
I wasn't a fan of the supernatural/mythology elements, and here these seemed to be more key to the plot than I might've preferred, but this wasn't an unexpected inclusion considering my familiarity with Oswald's oeuvre. I also found myself wondering if some of the coincidences benefitting and physical durability of our central character were a bit much, or if I'm being a little unfair.
I wasn't a fan of the supernatural/mythology elements, and here these seemed to be more key to the plot than I might've preferred, but this wasn't an unexpected inclusion considering my familiarity with Oswald's oeuvre. I also found myself wondering if some of the coincidences benefitting and physical durability of our central character were a bit much, or if I'm being a little unfair.
February 16, 2022
Nowhere to Run is the third book in the Constance Fairchild series by James Oswald. Recovering from her ordeal in the last book, Con is living in a remote cottage near Aberystwyth when covid forces her to stay put for a bit longer. In fact, she’s not entirely sure she wants to go back to her old life at all.
After she is attacked on the way back from the pub, and ends up in a cell for defending herself, along with Lila, a young Ukrainian woman who is trying to escape from her manipulative violent boyfriend, Con finds herself up against some seriously nasty people. Far away from her usual backup, she has to rely on her own resources to get out of trouble. James Oswald really puts Con through the wringer, and you have to keep reminding yourself that this is fiction, not real life. I read this in two sessions as I literally could not put it down.
Told entirely from Con’s point of view, we are right in the thick of it as she tries to find out who is behind the people trafficking and drug smuggling. The Welsh coastal setting is atmospheric, and the sense of otherness, invoked by the traditional legends and folklore woven seamlessly into the narrative, is what we have come to expect from James Oswald, and he does it so well.
Nowhere to Run combines great storytelling with well-drawn characters and a tense, fast-moving plot. Trouble seems to follow Con wherever she goes, and she has a tendency to act first and think later, but she will not stop until the case is solved. There were appearances from some old friends from the two previous books, particularly her neighbour in London who brings her coffee and delicious food, but the star of the show, without a doubt, was the deerhound, Gelert. I am not normally a dog person, but I would definitely like one just like him.
I have read and enjoyed all of James Oswald’s books and Nowhere to Run is a great addition to the series. Although you could read this as a standalone, you would get so much more out of it if you read the others first. Thanks to Wildfire and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.
March 2, 2025
Very good read.
October 17, 2021
Ahhhhh. Con Fairchild - I have missed you. Even when she is looking for the simple and uncomplicated life, trouble has a way of finding her. It's had to make a fair old trip this time around though, as Con has taken herself off to the very edge of the Welsh coast, a stay extended by the ever helpful gift of covid and a series of lockdowns which make any kind of return to her day to day life impossible, even assuming this is something Con might actually want. She doesn't ... but as her boss well knows, a puzzle is something Con finds very, very, hard to resist.
Strange and unusual seem to be an everyday occurence for our favourite Detective and Nowhere to Run is absolutely no exception to the norm. It's one of the things I like about this series, and James Oswald's books in general to be fair. They are not your average police procedurals. Not by a long chalk. And Constance Fairchild is not your average Detective. She has seen her fair share of the inexplicable and the scene is set for more to come with local legends and mythology intermingling with a case very much grounded in the real life atrocities that could all too easily have been ripped from the headlines. It is a story which is very topical, a touch dark in terms of theme perhaps, but told in the series trademark first person, almost conversational style which keeps readers immersed in the action but a step removed from the real depravity of what is happening. It works brilliantly in this case, with Con's conscience and natural curiosity driving her to get involved in a very complex investigation, even though she is meant to be on sabbatical. But from her perspective we get a unique take on what is happening, and I found myself faced with a real determination of our own to see the whole thing through to its conclusion.
I really love the character of Con Fairchild. She has a very unique background, is an actual Lady no less, and her connections extend far and wide, sometimes touching on the periphery of James Oswald's other wonderful world, that of Inspector McLean, most specifically Madame Rose. She isn't as affected as someone of her breeding would be expected to be, in fact she works hard to be the direct opposite of what is expected of her. She's a tough cookie, completely messed up mentally as you'd expected from what has happened to her in the course of the past two books, but uncompromising and almost unstoppable. And believe me, people try there damnedest this time around. Almost succeed too. It leads to some moments of real tension and also a lot of the mystery and suspense which pulses throughout the story.
I powered through this book. Ate it up. Gone in a day, much to my delight and my regret. There are so many elements of the book that I loved. It possibly helps that I know some of the area the book is set, Aberystwyth and it's surrounds being one of my 'local' beach resorts. It's familiar to me and many of the references made me smile. Then there are the elements of the mythological which permeate the series. It's not quite supernatural, it's not a ghostly presence we experience, but there is something ... otherworldly which informs the story. The knowing glances between certain characters, the kind of sixth sense that comes to the fore. The local legend, the folklore which is beautifully blended into the tale in a way which didn't even make me bat an eyelid. Folklore and legend in a book set in Wales? Well, duh. That whole concept just fits.
Everything in the book worked for me in fact, even the inclusion of the dreaded 'C-19'. It almost wouldn't be the same without it. This book is rooted well and truly in the present day, and what better reason for Con to stay exactly where she would be needed than a national lockdown. or two ... It doesn't dominate in anyway, in informs and, to a degree, amuses as the story carefully reflects the very different rules, and fortunes, we've all experienced. It also means that those doing bad things in the middle of the night have an added layer of privacy and isolation which adds to the jeopardy and the tension of the overall story.
And I really, really want a Gelert now. Minus the farting. Read the book. It will all make sense.
Another fun, action filled mystery that provided the perfect blend of intense investigation, memorable characters, witty dialogue, legend and mysticism. Loved it.
Strange and unusual seem to be an everyday occurence for our favourite Detective and Nowhere to Run is absolutely no exception to the norm. It's one of the things I like about this series, and James Oswald's books in general to be fair. They are not your average police procedurals. Not by a long chalk. And Constance Fairchild is not your average Detective. She has seen her fair share of the inexplicable and the scene is set for more to come with local legends and mythology intermingling with a case very much grounded in the real life atrocities that could all too easily have been ripped from the headlines. It is a story which is very topical, a touch dark in terms of theme perhaps, but told in the series trademark first person, almost conversational style which keeps readers immersed in the action but a step removed from the real depravity of what is happening. It works brilliantly in this case, with Con's conscience and natural curiosity driving her to get involved in a very complex investigation, even though she is meant to be on sabbatical. But from her perspective we get a unique take on what is happening, and I found myself faced with a real determination of our own to see the whole thing through to its conclusion.
I really love the character of Con Fairchild. She has a very unique background, is an actual Lady no less, and her connections extend far and wide, sometimes touching on the periphery of James Oswald's other wonderful world, that of Inspector McLean, most specifically Madame Rose. She isn't as affected as someone of her breeding would be expected to be, in fact she works hard to be the direct opposite of what is expected of her. She's a tough cookie, completely messed up mentally as you'd expected from what has happened to her in the course of the past two books, but uncompromising and almost unstoppable. And believe me, people try there damnedest this time around. Almost succeed too. It leads to some moments of real tension and also a lot of the mystery and suspense which pulses throughout the story.
I powered through this book. Ate it up. Gone in a day, much to my delight and my regret. There are so many elements of the book that I loved. It possibly helps that I know some of the area the book is set, Aberystwyth and it's surrounds being one of my 'local' beach resorts. It's familiar to me and many of the references made me smile. Then there are the elements of the mythological which permeate the series. It's not quite supernatural, it's not a ghostly presence we experience, but there is something ... otherworldly which informs the story. The knowing glances between certain characters, the kind of sixth sense that comes to the fore. The local legend, the folklore which is beautifully blended into the tale in a way which didn't even make me bat an eyelid. Folklore and legend in a book set in Wales? Well, duh. That whole concept just fits.
Everything in the book worked for me in fact, even the inclusion of the dreaded 'C-19'. It almost wouldn't be the same without it. This book is rooted well and truly in the present day, and what better reason for Con to stay exactly where she would be needed than a national lockdown. or two ... It doesn't dominate in anyway, in informs and, to a degree, amuses as the story carefully reflects the very different rules, and fortunes, we've all experienced. It also means that those doing bad things in the middle of the night have an added layer of privacy and isolation which adds to the jeopardy and the tension of the overall story.
And I really, really want a Gelert now. Minus the farting. Read the book. It will all make sense.
Another fun, action filled mystery that provided the perfect blend of intense investigation, memorable characters, witty dialogue, legend and mysticism. Loved it.
January 19, 2022
The first thing that really draws me into James Oswald’s novel is the feeling of place, I love the rural Wales setting – the detail on Aberystwyth and the surrounding area really makes the book sing – it reminds me of childhood holidays to the Welsh coast; the high cliffs, hidden coves, and smugglers caves.
Constance “Con” Fairchild is taking a sabbatical from her intense London job in the National Crime Agency (NCA) – in a small isolated cottage in Wales that she rents from a local lord and friend of the family when she is assaulted by a couple of local ruffians which leads her into the darker side of the wild west of Wales. There are lots of details that make Con really sing to me – her determination and melancholy in particular. It’s the first book that I have read that incorporates the COVID pandemic into the narrative albeit in a fairly light and general manner – just acknowledging that it exists and has made life slightly different for a while. The tone of the whole story is contemplative on isolation – both her self-imposed sabbatical and that of the pandemic.
The folklore of Wales with the Mabinogion and the myth of the Black Cauldron is another layer to the story and again one that causes me to reminisce about reading The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander – probably the books that ignited a love of fantasy and myth that has lasted me 40 years. This feeling of other-ness and memories of older, darker but more heroic times colour the story and speak towards the character of the Welsh. Con’s solitary struggle against the gang feels like a classic quest – she is helped by modern day equivalents of witches and wizards – her all-seeing and all-powerful boss Diane Shepherd and her colleague Karen in the NCA with access to the hidden power of databases and surveillance cameras – but fundamentally this is her quest and one she has to conquer on her own. The gang has its prince and evil king and cast of twisted, evil men and Con is questing to save a fair maiden. Ok – you get the picture – I might have stretched the metaphor a little but there is something ancient and fundamental in the story.
This was the first Constance Fairchild novel that I have read and there are some references to previous novels but nothing too significant and more than enough to pique my interest and make me go back and buy the rest of them. The plot cracks along at a decent pace and there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The action is vivid and the hits really hurt – Con is pretty damn kick ass but even she has problems fighting the entire smuggling gang. A dark and complex thriller that echoes the rugged brutality of the wild Welsh coast.
Constance “Con” Fairchild is taking a sabbatical from her intense London job in the National Crime Agency (NCA) – in a small isolated cottage in Wales that she rents from a local lord and friend of the family when she is assaulted by a couple of local ruffians which leads her into the darker side of the wild west of Wales. There are lots of details that make Con really sing to me – her determination and melancholy in particular. It’s the first book that I have read that incorporates the COVID pandemic into the narrative albeit in a fairly light and general manner – just acknowledging that it exists and has made life slightly different for a while. The tone of the whole story is contemplative on isolation – both her self-imposed sabbatical and that of the pandemic.
The folklore of Wales with the Mabinogion and the myth of the Black Cauldron is another layer to the story and again one that causes me to reminisce about reading The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander – probably the books that ignited a love of fantasy and myth that has lasted me 40 years. This feeling of other-ness and memories of older, darker but more heroic times colour the story and speak towards the character of the Welsh. Con’s solitary struggle against the gang feels like a classic quest – she is helped by modern day equivalents of witches and wizards – her all-seeing and all-powerful boss Diane Shepherd and her colleague Karen in the NCA with access to the hidden power of databases and surveillance cameras – but fundamentally this is her quest and one she has to conquer on her own. The gang has its prince and evil king and cast of twisted, evil men and Con is questing to save a fair maiden. Ok – you get the picture – I might have stretched the metaphor a little but there is something ancient and fundamental in the story.
This was the first Constance Fairchild novel that I have read and there are some references to previous novels but nothing too significant and more than enough to pique my interest and make me go back and buy the rest of them. The plot cracks along at a decent pace and there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The action is vivid and the hits really hurt – Con is pretty damn kick ass but even she has problems fighting the entire smuggling gang. A dark and complex thriller that echoes the rugged brutality of the wild Welsh coast.
November 15, 2022
Meeting Lila is the inciting that brings Con (short for Constance) into a world that appears at first to be corrupt local cops, but soon becomes something way bigger and way uglier. It’s also the thing that gets her back to being Detective Constable Constance Fairchild.
Now caught up investigating a drug and people trafficking ring, Con is shown to be a woman on the edge. The edge of the country, the edge of health (physical and mental), the edge of sanity.
Oswald does a good job of giving a sense both of the town of Aberystwyth, and the isolation of the surrounding countryside. Aber really is a town on the edge of the country, and it feels like that in this book. The geography is slightly off, but you’ll only know that if you know the local area. He also plays fast and loose with the local legends, but that’s one of the reasons why I like Oswald's work, that 'is the supernatural real or just something we imagined' theme runs through all the James Oswald's books I’ve read so far.
This is the third in the Constance Fairchild series and the book does refer to previous cases, so possibly if you have read them all in sequence you would get more out of the read, but honestly, there’s enough information on the page and it’s not necessary, and like all good series, this one book can be read out of context.
I do try to be scrupulously honest with my reviews and I have to say that I found this one a bit of a slog a first. Then I found a sentence that totally wound me up, had me complaining to my Welsh husband and tempted to throw the book across the room. Oddly, however, after that point the action and the story telling sped up and after a day of not touching it in annoyance, I read the second half of the book quickly because I was enjoying it much more once it felt like it got going.
So, what was the sentence that wound me up? Well, first let me be clear, this is a throwaway comment, totally irrelevant to the plot, and therefore unimportant, but it was so annoying to read it. Here it is: “When she bends to open the oven door, the air is flooded with the intoxicating scent of fresh-baked Welsh cakes.” Doesn’t mean anything to you? Then you’ve clearly never cooked a batch of proper Welsh cakes – and neither has James Oswald. You see proper home cooked Welsh cakes are cooked on a bakestone, or a griddle pan, on a hob or fire, never in an oven. It’s not the sort of thing most people would even think to check. Clearly none of the editors considered it worth checking the research, but it’s also one of those lines that sticks with readers who know better.
Other than that, it’s an absolutely cracking read and I’d have no hesitation in recommending this book.
Now caught up investigating a drug and people trafficking ring, Con is shown to be a woman on the edge. The edge of the country, the edge of health (physical and mental), the edge of sanity.
Oswald does a good job of giving a sense both of the town of Aberystwyth, and the isolation of the surrounding countryside. Aber really is a town on the edge of the country, and it feels like that in this book. The geography is slightly off, but you’ll only know that if you know the local area. He also plays fast and loose with the local legends, but that’s one of the reasons why I like Oswald's work, that 'is the supernatural real or just something we imagined' theme runs through all the James Oswald's books I’ve read so far.
This is the third in the Constance Fairchild series and the book does refer to previous cases, so possibly if you have read them all in sequence you would get more out of the read, but honestly, there’s enough information on the page and it’s not necessary, and like all good series, this one book can be read out of context.
I do try to be scrupulously honest with my reviews and I have to say that I found this one a bit of a slog a first. Then I found a sentence that totally wound me up, had me complaining to my Welsh husband and tempted to throw the book across the room. Oddly, however, after that point the action and the story telling sped up and after a day of not touching it in annoyance, I read the second half of the book quickly because I was enjoying it much more once it felt like it got going.
So, what was the sentence that wound me up? Well, first let me be clear, this is a throwaway comment, totally irrelevant to the plot, and therefore unimportant, but it was so annoying to read it. Here it is: “When she bends to open the oven door, the air is flooded with the intoxicating scent of fresh-baked Welsh cakes.” Doesn’t mean anything to you? Then you’ve clearly never cooked a batch of proper Welsh cakes – and neither has James Oswald. You see proper home cooked Welsh cakes are cooked on a bakestone, or a griddle pan, on a hob or fire, never in an oven. It’s not the sort of thing most people would even think to check. Clearly none of the editors considered it worth checking the research, but it’s also one of those lines that sticks with readers who know better.
Other than that, it’s an absolutely cracking read and I’d have no hesitation in recommending this book.
April 8, 2022
James Oswald is known for the Tony McLean series of Edinburgh-set police procedurals, and if you're a fan of those, I'd recommend trying this second series, featuring a young female cop, Con Fairchild, who lives in London (though she travels a fair amount in the books).
Con is trying to recover from the events of the previous book while mourning the death of her mother. A friend of her aunt has loaned her a cottage on the coast in a village near Aberystwyth, where she can heal.
A quiet evening in the village pub's beer garden is cut short when a couple of guys arrive: "Look like you could do with some company." Every female reader knows this scene, the feelings it sparks, and where it may go. But this is Con: she puts the two on the ground - then a cop car arrives. Then Con is in the back of it, in handcuffs, and finally dispatched to a cell. She has a cellmate, Ukrainian Lila, who has run away from her "boyfriend" (read: pimp) who she delivers bags for, and while their conversation is brief as Con is released swiftly, she doesn't forget about Lila.
Con's boss warns her off nosing around Lila's situation - while handing her a briefing file on the Welsh police's investigation into drug trafficking in the area, knowing Con can't resist investigating herself. Sneaky boss. Con may be unsure if she wants to return to work in London with the National Crime Agency, but she can't shut off those cop instincts.
The pacing is superb - bursts of action and dread then quieter moments to process what we've just experienced, plus plenty to get the "just one more chapter" muscles working overtime - and the setting is beautifully realised, showing the darker sides of this seemingly idyllic area.
We also get Welsh legends of a faithful hound, a cauldron with healing powers, and the hiding place of the Holy Grail, so those who enjoy the supernatural strand of Oswald's crime series will not be disappointed. Con, like McLean, is a sceptic - but sometimes otherworldly explanations are as good an answer as anything.
The ending here is satisfying, with bad guys and good each getting something of what they deserve, but there are also a pleasing amount of loose ends and possibilities for the future in the last pages.
Oswald writes the kind of books that make you rush off and find the rest of the series, and then press them into the hands of friends, because they are so utterly, compellingly readable (and re-readable). Grab yourself Nowhere To Run, you won't regret it.
Con is trying to recover from the events of the previous book while mourning the death of her mother. A friend of her aunt has loaned her a cottage on the coast in a village near Aberystwyth, where she can heal.
A quiet evening in the village pub's beer garden is cut short when a couple of guys arrive: "Look like you could do with some company." Every female reader knows this scene, the feelings it sparks, and where it may go. But this is Con: she puts the two on the ground - then a cop car arrives. Then Con is in the back of it, in handcuffs, and finally dispatched to a cell. She has a cellmate, Ukrainian Lila, who has run away from her "boyfriend" (read: pimp) who she delivers bags for, and while their conversation is brief as Con is released swiftly, she doesn't forget about Lila.
Con's boss warns her off nosing around Lila's situation - while handing her a briefing file on the Welsh police's investigation into drug trafficking in the area, knowing Con can't resist investigating herself. Sneaky boss. Con may be unsure if she wants to return to work in London with the National Crime Agency, but she can't shut off those cop instincts.
The pacing is superb - bursts of action and dread then quieter moments to process what we've just experienced, plus plenty to get the "just one more chapter" muscles working overtime - and the setting is beautifully realised, showing the darker sides of this seemingly idyllic area.
We also get Welsh legends of a faithful hound, a cauldron with healing powers, and the hiding place of the Holy Grail, so those who enjoy the supernatural strand of Oswald's crime series will not be disappointed. Con, like McLean, is a sceptic - but sometimes otherworldly explanations are as good an answer as anything.
The ending here is satisfying, with bad guys and good each getting something of what they deserve, but there are also a pleasing amount of loose ends and possibilities for the future in the last pages.
Oswald writes the kind of books that make you rush off and find the rest of the series, and then press them into the hands of friends, because they are so utterly, compellingly readable (and re-readable). Grab yourself Nowhere To Run, you won't regret it.
April 9, 2024
The third and currently final instalment in the Constance Fairchild trilogy which finds the self-absorbed foul mouthed aristocratic detective on some sort of sabbatical in a cottage outside Aberystwyth near the mythical village of Llantwmp. Ceredigion is a stunning part of the world - not the arse-end thank you (see Y Gwyll for confirmation) and hardly the worst place to spend a lot of the early days of the pandemic. This time Fairchild finds herself embroiled in modern slavery, drug trafficking and Welsh mythology, all utterly incredible as is her propensity for being assaulted, kidnapped, almost killed whilst retaining an almost superhuman ability to fight and escape. Apparently her near-death experience, from which she seems unable to recover in London, is almost forgotten as soon as she crosses the border (speaking as someone who felt the power of Hiraeth back in the day until the road signs became bi-lingual, Oswald may have a point here!) and a dip in the mysterious underground lake which may or may not be the magical cauldron of the Ceiradwen myth restores and adds to her superpowers.
Frankly, the ending of this is ridiculous - is the elderly deerhound Gelert a reincarnation of the faithful hound murdered by his master (see the Mabi) as he seems to appear at will and help restore our heroine. She is imprisoned underground with the trafficked Ukrainian Lila, escapes, then finds herself back in the underground chamber without explanation; she is hurled off a cliff and survives, and on it goes.
Fairchild is not a particularly likeable protagonist, she spends a lot of time feeling sorry for herself, acting in a ridiculous and pathetically adolescent way - she's 30 and sounds 16 -swearing at the world and wallowing in anger because she grew up in a huge house, attended an expensive school and everything is someone else's fault. Not to mention the fact that most of her colleagues (in her view) hate her...
Please, no more. McLean is infinitely preferable.
Frankly, the ending of this is ridiculous - is the elderly deerhound Gelert a reincarnation of the faithful hound murdered by his master (see the Mabi) as he seems to appear at will and help restore our heroine. She is imprisoned underground with the trafficked Ukrainian Lila, escapes, then finds herself back in the underground chamber without explanation; she is hurled off a cliff and survives, and on it goes.
Fairchild is not a particularly likeable protagonist, she spends a lot of time feeling sorry for herself, acting in a ridiculous and pathetically adolescent way - she's 30 and sounds 16 -swearing at the world and wallowing in anger because she grew up in a huge house, attended an expensive school and everything is someone else's fault. Not to mention the fact that most of her colleagues (in her view) hate her...
Please, no more. McLean is infinitely preferable.
October 31, 2021
I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Nowhere to Run, the third novel to feature Detective Con(stance) Fairchild of the National Crime Agency.
After the events of the previous novel, Nothing to Hide, Con took time out in Aberystwyth, Wales to heal, then the pandemic struck and she stayed. Out for a quiet drink she is attacked and defends herself, but ends up in a police cell where she meets Lila, a young Ukrainian who confesses to having run from her boyfriend who has forced her into prostitution and running drugs. Con offers to help, but Lila disappears as she’s investigating a break in at her cottage. Soon life becomes dangerous for Con as she tangles with violent criminals.
I thoroughly enjoyed Nowhere to Run, which is an exciting and slightly fantastical thriller told entirely from Con’s point of view. The first thing to note is that realism doesn’t play a big part in this novel, so it’s swallow your disbelief time and plunge into a big adventure.
The novel is a bit slow to start as Con explains her current situation, gets attacked and meets Lila. Well, it’s slow in comparison with what’s to come. After that Con makes discovery after discovery about the gang and their activities and gets taken captive more than once. How she escapes is tied into Welsh myth and the supernatural. That’s not my bag usually, but I found it interesting and inventive. It adds a certain frisson to events, hence my initial description of fantastical, and beats the multiple action scenes hands down in the something a bit different category.
The author is a great storyteller, so I was glued to the pages, wondering what would come next. Yes, it relies on coincidence and Con is like a terminator, always picking herself up and getting on with the job, but it’s fun, especially as she has quite a caustic take on events.
Nowhere to Run is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
After the events of the previous novel, Nothing to Hide, Con took time out in Aberystwyth, Wales to heal, then the pandemic struck and she stayed. Out for a quiet drink she is attacked and defends herself, but ends up in a police cell where she meets Lila, a young Ukrainian who confesses to having run from her boyfriend who has forced her into prostitution and running drugs. Con offers to help, but Lila disappears as she’s investigating a break in at her cottage. Soon life becomes dangerous for Con as she tangles with violent criminals.
I thoroughly enjoyed Nowhere to Run, which is an exciting and slightly fantastical thriller told entirely from Con’s point of view. The first thing to note is that realism doesn’t play a big part in this novel, so it’s swallow your disbelief time and plunge into a big adventure.
The novel is a bit slow to start as Con explains her current situation, gets attacked and meets Lila. Well, it’s slow in comparison with what’s to come. After that Con makes discovery after discovery about the gang and their activities and gets taken captive more than once. How she escapes is tied into Welsh myth and the supernatural. That’s not my bag usually, but I found it interesting and inventive. It adds a certain frisson to events, hence my initial description of fantastical, and beats the multiple action scenes hands down in the something a bit different category.
The author is a great storyteller, so I was glued to the pages, wondering what would come next. Yes, it relies on coincidence and Con is like a terminator, always picking herself up and getting on with the job, but it’s fun, especially as she has quite a caustic take on events.
Nowhere to Run is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
October 24, 2021
Reading Stuff 'n' Things
This is the third instalment in the Constance Fairchild series and yet another that doesn't disappoint. You don't have to have read any of the other 2 books but I would suggest you do because it gives insight into Constance's story and you won't regret it. Nowhere to Run provides some of the back story and history but it can only touch upon it otherwise it would be a tome!
I think I can safely say that I'm a fan of James Oswald's work and I particularly like his character DC Constance Fairchild, otherwise known as Con. She is one tough cookie and this is shown in all its glory here.
It starts off pretty sedately with Con recuperating in an isolated cottage in Wales but, as is the case with Con, trouble seems to find her regardless of whether she is in the centre of London or in the middle of nowhere! Here she is getting embroiled in a smuggling operation on the Welsh coastline - you just know from the very beginning that things aren't going to go well for Con but little do we know just how bad.
Once again, Mr Oswald creates fantastic characters even ones of the four legged variety; I absolutely loved Gelert the deerhound who embodies the phrase "[wo]man's best friend" and I guarantee you will want a Gelert in your life albeit without the flatulence!
With action from the start, numerous scenes of peril and suspense all wrapped up perfectly in a plot which mixes contemporary themes with Welsh folklore and a touch of the unexplained, this is a book that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Thank you Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
This is the third instalment in the Constance Fairchild series and yet another that doesn't disappoint. You don't have to have read any of the other 2 books but I would suggest you do because it gives insight into Constance's story and you won't regret it. Nowhere to Run provides some of the back story and history but it can only touch upon it otherwise it would be a tome!
I think I can safely say that I'm a fan of James Oswald's work and I particularly like his character DC Constance Fairchild, otherwise known as Con. She is one tough cookie and this is shown in all its glory here.
It starts off pretty sedately with Con recuperating in an isolated cottage in Wales but, as is the case with Con, trouble seems to find her regardless of whether she is in the centre of London or in the middle of nowhere! Here she is getting embroiled in a smuggling operation on the Welsh coastline - you just know from the very beginning that things aren't going to go well for Con but little do we know just how bad.
Once again, Mr Oswald creates fantastic characters even ones of the four legged variety; I absolutely loved Gelert the deerhound who embodies the phrase "[wo]man's best friend" and I guarantee you will want a Gelert in your life albeit without the flatulence!
With action from the start, numerous scenes of peril and suspense all wrapped up perfectly in a plot which mixes contemporary themes with Welsh folklore and a touch of the unexplained, this is a book that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Thank you Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
October 29, 2021
My Next review is:-
“Nowhere To Run(The Constance Fairchild Series)”, written by James Oswald and published in Kindle by Wildfire on 11 Nov. 2021. 309 pages ISBN-13: 978-1472290465
On compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists.
In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.
Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that there's nowhere left to run?
James Oswald was a writer of Fantasy books before he was persuaded by fellow Scottish author Stuart MacBride that crime fiction was a better and more popular genre and so he launched the very successful Inspector McLean series of books which whilst they were police procedurals as is the Constance Fairchild series have an element of fantasy in them.
I was impressed with the third book about the new character and I look forward to reading both the Inspector McLean and the Con Fairchild series in the future. Strongly recommended.
Best wishes,
Terry
“Nowhere To Run(The Constance Fairchild Series)”, written by James Oswald and published in Kindle by Wildfire on 11 Nov. 2021. 309 pages ISBN-13: 978-1472290465
On compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it's not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists.
In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she's been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.
Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she's stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that there's nowhere left to run?
James Oswald was a writer of Fantasy books before he was persuaded by fellow Scottish author Stuart MacBride that crime fiction was a better and more popular genre and so he launched the very successful Inspector McLean series of books which whilst they were police procedurals as is the Constance Fairchild series have an element of fantasy in them.
I was impressed with the third book about the new character and I look forward to reading both the Inspector McLean and the Con Fairchild series in the future. Strongly recommended.
Best wishes,
Terry
October 19, 2021
Nowhere To Run by James Oswald
Publication date - 11th November 2021
Publisher - Headline
Thanks to @netgalley, @headline and @sirbenfro for the arc.
‘Nowhere To Run’ is the third outing for James Oswald’s Constance Fairchild but it can be read as a standalone book.
Constance is on compassionate leave after the events in the last book and it just so happens to coincide with Covid hitting the UK. Her Aunt has recommended a cottage to recover in that's in Wales and it's there she gets stuck. But maybe she is quite happy about this situation? Whilst on a trip to the local beer garden she comes across two guys who attempt to jump and attack her. They soon get shown who is boss but she ends up being thrown in the cells at the local police station! It's there that she meets a young girl from the Ukraine who has been beaten up and soon she turns up on her doorstep asking for help. Her boss also ‘randomly’ turns up asking for help with dealing with some ‘county lines’ drug gangs.
Well, I think you can say that Constance is never going to have a boring life wherever she goes. This was an action-packed book full of twists and turns all over the place. Plus, there was Welsh mythology and legends interspersed with the main plots, which gave it a magical feeling, an enticement to carry on reading. I adored all the action that was set in the tunnels and cave systems as it had such a claustrophobic atmosphere, plus it's one of my great fears is being underground!
‘Nowhere To Run’ is a thrilling, bone-chillingly, claustrophobic read where the story pops off the page. I devoured it. Also, where can I get the recipe for that special coffee and goat curry?!
Publication date - 11th November 2021
Publisher - Headline
Thanks to @netgalley, @headline and @sirbenfro for the arc.
‘Nowhere To Run’ is the third outing for James Oswald’s Constance Fairchild but it can be read as a standalone book.
Constance is on compassionate leave after the events in the last book and it just so happens to coincide with Covid hitting the UK. Her Aunt has recommended a cottage to recover in that's in Wales and it's there she gets stuck. But maybe she is quite happy about this situation? Whilst on a trip to the local beer garden she comes across two guys who attempt to jump and attack her. They soon get shown who is boss but she ends up being thrown in the cells at the local police station! It's there that she meets a young girl from the Ukraine who has been beaten up and soon she turns up on her doorstep asking for help. Her boss also ‘randomly’ turns up asking for help with dealing with some ‘county lines’ drug gangs.
Well, I think you can say that Constance is never going to have a boring life wherever she goes. This was an action-packed book full of twists and turns all over the place. Plus, there was Welsh mythology and legends interspersed with the main plots, which gave it a magical feeling, an enticement to carry on reading. I adored all the action that was set in the tunnels and cave systems as it had such a claustrophobic atmosphere, plus it's one of my great fears is being underground!
‘Nowhere To Run’ is a thrilling, bone-chillingly, claustrophobic read where the story pops off the page. I devoured it. Also, where can I get the recipe for that special coffee and goat curry?!
December 19, 2021
I don't like to write bad reviews of James Oswald books because he is an author I really enjoy. However, I really struggled with this one.
I enjoyed the Welsh mythology at the centre of the plot, and it was good to have a story set in Ceredigion, but there was some terrible cod-Welsh dialogue of the "see boyo" variety that really grated. This wasn't helped by an audiobook narrator who couldn't do a Welsh accent or pronounce some basic Welsh words.
The subsidiary characters, particularly the villains, were rather one dimensional, and only the dog and Karen's girlfriend stood out from the crowd.
However, my main problem was with Con herself. A lot of the action was a result of her acting really stupidly again and again. She didn't let people know what was happening, she failed to pay attention and constantly got captured, and she ended up with more concussions than a rugby prop!
She also didn't behave in a way that I found believable for a woman suffering from PTSD. She is viciously attacked by two men who seem intent on rape. She initially brushes it off, doesn't end up chasing it up with the police, and when reaction finally sets in she copes by going for a walk in the countryside in pitch darkness on her own. I can't imagine any woman who would go for a walk in the dark so soon after such an attack!
I really want to like the Con Fairchild books, but this one just didn't work for me.
I enjoyed the Welsh mythology at the centre of the plot, and it was good to have a story set in Ceredigion, but there was some terrible cod-Welsh dialogue of the "see boyo" variety that really grated. This wasn't helped by an audiobook narrator who couldn't do a Welsh accent or pronounce some basic Welsh words.
The subsidiary characters, particularly the villains, were rather one dimensional, and only the dog and Karen's girlfriend stood out from the crowd.
However, my main problem was with Con herself. A lot of the action was a result of her acting really stupidly again and again. She didn't let people know what was happening, she failed to pay attention and constantly got captured, and she ended up with more concussions than a rugby prop!
She also didn't behave in a way that I found believable for a woman suffering from PTSD. She is viciously attacked by two men who seem intent on rape. She initially brushes it off, doesn't end up chasing it up with the police, and when reaction finally sets in she copes by going for a walk in the countryside in pitch darkness on her own. I can't imagine any woman who would go for a walk in the dark so soon after such an attack!
I really want to like the Con Fairchild books, but this one just didn't work for me.
March 13, 2022
Having taken my time to read this series I can only say that clearly Con Fairchild is a magnet for trouble even when she is supposed to be taking some time to get over her mother’s death and everything that has happened to her. Nowhere to run see Con taking a sabbatical from the force to see if she can get herself back on track and work out what she wants. Staying in a cottage in Wales she seems to be finally relaxing, but you just know that this is not going to last. Finding herself arrested she makes the acquaintance of a young girl who is clearly in trouble and soon Con finds herself smack bang in the middle of a police investigation that her bosses just know she won’t stay out of no matter what they say.
I really like Con Fairchild, she has a stubborn streak a mile wide and is quite possibly in the wrong career for someone who continually goes against authority, her bosses and procedure, but it is also what probably makes her so good at her job. With the noted exception of one person who has taken an instant dislike to her due to past events, she also seems to have the backing and loyalty of her colleagues.
This book like the others in the series will definitely hook you in from the start. The setting of Aberystwyth where I have spent quite a few holidays seemed both familiar yet new at the same time. With Welsh myths and legends woven into the story it also gives James Oswald fans that vibe that they love. Whilst the theme of this book is dark it has been dealt with in a way that gives the reader a true sense of what is going on without being graphic. The people that Con finds herself up against are on the face of it pillars of the small community and with the way that they have been written you can quite easily imagine walking past them in real life. There is one character though that deserves a special mention and that is Gelert. He won my heart from the get-go and clearly had Con’s back throughout. Trust me once you meet him you will love him.
Having now caught up with all the books currently in the series I am hoping we will see more from Detective Constable Con Fairchild in the future.
I really like Con Fairchild, she has a stubborn streak a mile wide and is quite possibly in the wrong career for someone who continually goes against authority, her bosses and procedure, but it is also what probably makes her so good at her job. With the noted exception of one person who has taken an instant dislike to her due to past events, she also seems to have the backing and loyalty of her colleagues.
This book like the others in the series will definitely hook you in from the start. The setting of Aberystwyth where I have spent quite a few holidays seemed both familiar yet new at the same time. With Welsh myths and legends woven into the story it also gives James Oswald fans that vibe that they love. Whilst the theme of this book is dark it has been dealt with in a way that gives the reader a true sense of what is going on without being graphic. The people that Con finds herself up against are on the face of it pillars of the small community and with the way that they have been written you can quite easily imagine walking past them in real life. There is one character though that deserves a special mention and that is Gelert. He won my heart from the get-go and clearly had Con’s back throughout. Trust me once you meet him you will love him.
Having now caught up with all the books currently in the series I am hoping we will see more from Detective Constable Con Fairchild in the future.
November 27, 2021
Constance Fairchild retreated to a cottage in west Wales to recover from PTSD and trauma following her last case. She only planned to be there for a short period of time but the Covid-19 pandemic got in the way. While walking back from the local pub one evening she is set upon by two men and ends up getting arrested and ends up sharing a cell with a young woman from the Ukraine. Lila is clearly in a coercive relationship with a local man. Con is convinced that he, Kieran Johns, is part of a gang her employers the NCA are hunting. The gang is importing drugs and trafficking people through the historical smugglers routes along the coast. When Con gets too close to the gang she find herself in grave danger once again.
The is another in the Constance Fairchild series by James Oswald and once again marries a thriller with the supernatural. Great to have references to the Mabinogi and other Welsh legends in it and so much use of the Welsh language too.
Thanks to Netgalley, Headline and James Oswald for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
The is another in the Constance Fairchild series by James Oswald and once again marries a thriller with the supernatural. Great to have references to the Mabinogi and other Welsh legends in it and so much use of the Welsh language too.
Thanks to Netgalley, Headline and James Oswald for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
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