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Deadly Envy: A DCI Gerald Croft Thriller
Can DCI Gerald Croft stop a crime wave before the media pick up the story and put him in the chief superintendent’s firing line?
An armed raid on a jewellers’ shop – deaths that might have been a suicide pact or murder – a teenage girl kidnapped
Is there more to come?
An armed raid on a jewellers’ shop – deaths that might have been a suicide pact or murder – a teenage girl kidnapped
Is there more to come?
358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2022
15 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Stuart
22 books104 followersSarah Stuart is the multi-award-winning author of the sizzling Royal Command Family Saga, Christian Richard and Maria trilogy, and DCI Gerald Croft Thrillers.
She is a Readers' Favorite reviewer, and her passions are theatre, music, history, travel. and wildlife. 100% of her royalties are donated to animal charities worldwide.
She is a Readers' Favorite reviewer, and her passions are theatre, music, history, travel. and wildlife. 100% of her royalties are donated to animal charities worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 2, 2022
I read and enjoyed Ms Stuart’s Shattered Lives, so I grabbed the next DCI Croft thriller when I spotted it! As with the first novel, the reader is privy to who the criminals are (yes, plural, criminals) right from the beginning. The tension and pace emanate from the reader working along with Croft to uncover who the antagonists are, what their motives are, and what he can do to stop them as it is clear their acts are not a “one and done” set of incidents. There is not one, not two, not three, but ultimately four criminal minds at work! And all fall within DSI Croft's jurisdiction! Not wanting to give away any more of the story, all I will say is “Deadly Envy” is a great read. Highly recommended.
May 16, 2022
Envy can be deadly.
This is the second in the DCI Gerald Croft detective series, and in this one Gerald has his work cut out for him with cases involving kidnapping and murder, plus a touch of evil in the mix. The detective work is well thought out with good surprises and clever twists that kept me turning the pages. The characters are well drawn with good insights into their thinking and behaviour, which add depth to an entertaining story. Everything is resolved in the end to give the reader a content sense of satisfaction. Recommended.
This is the second in the DCI Gerald Croft detective series, and in this one Gerald has his work cut out for him with cases involving kidnapping and murder, plus a touch of evil in the mix. The detective work is well thought out with good surprises and clever twists that kept me turning the pages. The characters are well drawn with good insights into their thinking and behaviour, which add depth to an entertaining story. Everything is resolved in the end to give the reader a content sense of satisfaction. Recommended.
May 8, 2022
Wow, what a ride! DCI Croft has his work cut out in this twisty thriller. And you'll find yourself rooting for the bad guy - what? Really, read it and find out!
May 10, 2022
I loved this tale of avarice, envy, kidnap, and murder. If you fall for the kidnapper, you know there's nothing two-dimensional about the characters. DCI Croft's job is to bring the guilty to justice, and there are some very satisfying twists as they squirm and wriggle off his hook. Does he get them in the end? Read it and see.
June 7, 2022
A FUN READ
I’m not sure a reader should connect more with the criminals than the detective trying to solve the cases, but in this book I did. They were stupid and crazy without a brain cell between them, yet somehow, they managed to continue breaking the law through sheer luck or the vagaries of the law. Arrested several times, they managed to walk free and I found myself rooting for them. A great fun read, with more than a touch of humour, I galloped through this one written by one of my favourite authors.
I’m not sure a reader should connect more with the criminals than the detective trying to solve the cases, but in this book I did. They were stupid and crazy without a brain cell between them, yet somehow, they managed to continue breaking the law through sheer luck or the vagaries of the law. Arrested several times, they managed to walk free and I found myself rooting for them. A great fun read, with more than a touch of humour, I galloped through this one written by one of my favourite authors.
May 22, 2022
This is the second book I have read in this series and it was again a good read. I like DCI Gerald Croft and find him a very believable character. He is faced with a serious crime wave, including the strangest series of kidnappings I've ever read about! Additionally, there are murders, which put Croft's career at risk and need solving before further people die. (p.s. Garton seems even less safe a place to live than Midsomer!) There are surprises along the way and an interesting mix of criminals from the rather inept to very calculating. I look forward to the next book in the series.
August 4, 2025
A cracking read with twists and turns you won't see coming, loved it!
Crime and murder thrillers can sometimes be a tad predictable but with this one you know from the start you’re in for some very strange twists and turns after the introduction of a couple of equally strange and twisted individuals, and one in particular you can’t help but like and admire in the end. I do like the author’s style of separately introducing different characters and subplots and gradually reeling them in to slowly reveal the wider story and how they begin to tie in with one another. Also, given this is the second book in the series, you get to see some further development of previously introduced characters, though like in any good crime series, Deadly Envy reads just as well as a stand-alone novel.
As crime and murder thrillers go, this has something for everyone in the latest tsunami-sized crime wave to hit the borough of Garton: some gruesome and simply plain evil murders, crimes of passion with an extra helping of malice, multiple kidnappings and ransoms, some nice procedural touches without overdoing it, enough subplots to warrant spin-off stories and books all of their own – and several twists you won’t see coming! I must commend the author too on weaving what at first appraisal might seem the most unlikely and implausible scenarios into a convincing and entertaining story that kept me turning the page.
Style and content wise, the DCI Croft series is definitely grittier and more hard-hitting than your average cosy and ‘ever-so-civilised murder in the country’ daytime telly offering, but it doesn’t rely on gratuitous blood and gore or shock value to hold the reader’s attention, and amid the murders and carnage, even injects some light touches of humour into the narrative.
Another great instalment in the DCI Gerald Croft thriller series, though I have to say, having now read two books in the series and umpteen murders and other crimes later, I’m not sure I’d want to live anywhere near the fictional borough of Garton despite our intrepid DCI’s best detective efforts … but I will be ‘reading’ more of them!
Crime and murder thrillers can sometimes be a tad predictable but with this one you know from the start you’re in for some very strange twists and turns after the introduction of a couple of equally strange and twisted individuals, and one in particular you can’t help but like and admire in the end. I do like the author’s style of separately introducing different characters and subplots and gradually reeling them in to slowly reveal the wider story and how they begin to tie in with one another. Also, given this is the second book in the series, you get to see some further development of previously introduced characters, though like in any good crime series, Deadly Envy reads just as well as a stand-alone novel.
As crime and murder thrillers go, this has something for everyone in the latest tsunami-sized crime wave to hit the borough of Garton: some gruesome and simply plain evil murders, crimes of passion with an extra helping of malice, multiple kidnappings and ransoms, some nice procedural touches without overdoing it, enough subplots to warrant spin-off stories and books all of their own – and several twists you won’t see coming! I must commend the author too on weaving what at first appraisal might seem the most unlikely and implausible scenarios into a convincing and entertaining story that kept me turning the page.
Style and content wise, the DCI Croft series is definitely grittier and more hard-hitting than your average cosy and ‘ever-so-civilised murder in the country’ daytime telly offering, but it doesn’t rely on gratuitous blood and gore or shock value to hold the reader’s attention, and amid the murders and carnage, even injects some light touches of humour into the narrative.
Another great instalment in the DCI Gerald Croft thriller series, though I have to say, having now read two books in the series and umpteen murders and other crimes later, I’m not sure I’d want to live anywhere near the fictional borough of Garton despite our intrepid DCI’s best detective efforts … but I will be ‘reading’ more of them!
May 12, 2022
Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite
DCI Gerald Croft's Crime Thriller world is featured again in Sarah Stuart's Deadly Envy. DCI Croft returns from a well-earned holiday with his family to find his house has been burgled. Several unsolved burglaries are already on file and, for now, his will be added to it. An armed raid at a jeweler has ended in tragedy, with the owner shot dead. Was it really a robbery gone wrong or something else? Hector is renting a room from Mrs. Croft but is he the tenant he seems to be or is he there for another reason? Kidnap, suicide pacts, murder, and burglaries; DCI Croft has his work cut out for him this time as the crime wave continues to roll. Can he stop it before it gets worse?
Deadly Envy by Sarah Stuart is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Each chapter tells the story of a different character, introducing you to them and drip-feeding their backstories throughout the book. All the characters are well-developed to the point where you feel like you know them; you'll even find yourself rooting for one of the baddies. It's a busy story and there are lots of subplots going on but they do all tie in together nicely. The suspense builds throughout this expertly written tale and you won't put it down, desperate to know what happens next and how it all ends - you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended to anyone who likes crime thrillers and wants a suspenseful, action-packed plot to test their skills of deduction.
DCI Gerald Croft's Crime Thriller world is featured again in Sarah Stuart's Deadly Envy. DCI Croft returns from a well-earned holiday with his family to find his house has been burgled. Several unsolved burglaries are already on file and, for now, his will be added to it. An armed raid at a jeweler has ended in tragedy, with the owner shot dead. Was it really a robbery gone wrong or something else? Hector is renting a room from Mrs. Croft but is he the tenant he seems to be or is he there for another reason? Kidnap, suicide pacts, murder, and burglaries; DCI Croft has his work cut out for him this time as the crime wave continues to roll. Can he stop it before it gets worse?
Deadly Envy by Sarah Stuart is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Each chapter tells the story of a different character, introducing you to them and drip-feeding their backstories throughout the book. All the characters are well-developed to the point where you feel like you know them; you'll even find yourself rooting for one of the baddies. It's a busy story and there are lots of subplots going on but they do all tie in together nicely. The suspense builds throughout this expertly written tale and you won't put it down, desperate to know what happens next and how it all ends - you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended to anyone who likes crime thrillers and wants a suspenseful, action-packed plot to test their skills of deduction.
July 10, 2024
The Borough of Garton might be the most crime – ridden place in London, at least where murders and kidnappings are concerned. Fortunately it is protected by DCI Gerald Croft. In DEADLY ENVY author Sarah Stuart has Croft dealing with robberies, multiple murders, and a rash of kidnappings. The murders are fairly standard. Nasty, and in some cases rather cleaver, but done by bad people for bad reasons. The kidnappings, not so much. What does it mean when the victims of the kidnappings, all children, have nothing but good to say about the man who abducted them? Stuart introduces some unusual twists and turns to the plot, making DEADLY ENVY a great read and slightly different from most crime storie
May 13, 2022
DCI Croft has his hands full this time, with several cases on the go at the same time. This well-named novel involves kidnapping, murder and revenge, all based on envy. Action-packed, it’s a page turner.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews