The mark of a well-written story is one that immerses the reader and transports them into the writing. That’s exactly what Caz Frear accomplishes ... intricately marries a strong heroine, her dark past, a grisly crime, and the inner workings of British law enforcement ... While this is the third in a series, Frear does a seamless job of bringing the reader up to speed on Kinsella, her personal life, and most importantly, her job as Detective Constable ... Although Frear keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while twisting through the labyrinth of Holly’s murder, there is also a very human element established. We are continually shown Kinsella’s vulnerable side through her relationships with her father, sister, and boyfriend—all of whom are intrinsically tied to her job as Detective Constable. The reader comes to care for her and the outcome of her life, rather than just along for the ride in her investigation, which is a feat in the crime thriller genre ... Overall, Frear has done an exemplary job with Shed No Tears. To say that this was a book I couldn’t put down would be an understatement. I believe Cat Kinsella is a detective that the world of literature will be seeing more of, and I very much look forward to that.

... Frear seldom strays from the tenets of the police procedural in her third well-plotted novel about Det. Constable Cat Kinsella ... Frear skillfully guides Shed No Tears to a solid conclusion that is as believable as it is surprising. Beginning with her 2018 debut Sweet Little Lies, Frear has proven to be a talent to watch.

Frear’s writing is intense and suspenseful, with a perfect balance of red herrings and dogged pursuit of the truth. She spills Kinsella’s stresses a bit at a time, from a first-person point of view that always hides something ... Frear’s writing has the sharp dark tang that Tana French exhibits, and she updates the British crime narrative to the dangerous conflicts of loyalty that Stuart Neville paints best, with their hungry roots in the ever-decomposing past. If there’s a single weak spot in Shed No Tears, it’s in the overly optimistic ending. Yet with Frear’s record to judge from, it’s a good bet that the sequel to come will turn out to be more menacing and dangerous than Kinsella could have guessed, even from her own family’s experience.

... artfully paced ... Frear affords real respect to the dull, often repetitive nature of investigation, so each revelation feels earned and adds to the suspense ... It’s possible to read this book without having read the rest of the series, but you’ll just end up wanting to start from the beginning because these characters are a pleasure to discover; even incidental roles are fleshed out enough to feel real ... Frear’s tight control of the reins keeps the tension high. Shed No Tears grabs the reader and doesn’t let go.

This is the third novel to feature Cat, and while it can be read as a stand-alone, readers who are interested in her backstory may want to start with the first two books; some of Cat’s quirks and her relationships with her dad and her boyfriend may be more clear. Much of the text is dialog between the detectives as they try to solve the case, but readers will also enjoy Cat’s humorous asides and sarcastic thoughts ... Frear creates an atmosphere of tension among the detectives and witnesses and in Cat’s personal life that will make readers want to devour this mystery in one sitting.

Frear is clearly separating herself from the overcrowded pack of writers in the mystery genre and carving out her own unique path ... I cannot remember a police procedural where not a single person involved with the case from a witness/potential suspect standpoint is in the least bit trustworthy. Shed No Tears leaves no time for crying, and the writing is taut and complex throughout. Readers better catch on quickly before new authors in the genre start being called 'the new Caz Frear.'

... middling ... Eventually, the pieces come together at the cumbersome conclusion. Kinsella remains frustratingly underdeveloped beyond her family’s history of ties to organized crime, and the narrative can be confusing at times. Frear has done better.