Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this brand new, debut police procedural.
Thanks to Helen Richardson for inviting me on the tour, and to Allison and Busby for my review copy of the novel. As always, opinions are entirely my own.
Regular followers of my blog know that I love a crime novel. A debut crime novel? Even better – a chance to find a new favourite! A debut crime novel written by someone who really knows his stuff? Better still – and crime novelists probably don’t come much better qualified than Graham Bartlett, former Chief Superintendent and Police Commander of Brighton and Hove.
This book centres on the story of what happens when policing budgets are cut to the bone and vigilantes start to take the law into their own hands. At the heart of the novel is Detective Superintendent Jo Howe, trying to make sense of the murders and disappearances in the wake of a new vigilante gang. When a high-profile murder rocks the city – one with personal links to the police force – Jo realises that she has a challenge on her hands. A challenge vastly complicated by the corruption within the force that runs deep.
Well, let’s just say that I really hope Brighton isn’t quite like this and Bartlett is using a hefty dose of imagination! This is an extravaganza of corruption on all fronts – hold tight for plenty of blackmail, subterfuge and double-crossing. Indeed, Brighton feels like a dangerous place in this novel, although whether the bigger danger is the lawless vigilantes or the corrupt coppers is for you to decide!
At the heart of the novel is one of the good guys, Detective Superintendent Jo Howe. I liked that there was strong female representation, especially as we see her juggling her job and personal life which gives a depth to her character. In a world of corruption, she serves as the moral compass and gives hope that the police force isn’t entirely made up of the dodgy ones around her! I’m hoping there will be more Jo Howe books in the pipeline as she is a likeable and engaging central character.
The plot is well paced and kept me reading – especially as it built to the big finale. I particularly liked the fact that there were several story strands that seemed destined not to meet…until they did in a clever and satisfying ending.
The only thing I found tricky about this novel was the sheer volume of police jargon. I read a lot of police procedurals but did struggle with not quite understanding how the different ranks and job roles fitted together, plus some of the terms used to describe police operations. It all gave the book a great authenticity, but took me a while to work out what was what.
I’d recommend this to those who love gritty and grim police procedurals (and I mean that in a good way – I’m definitely in this camp!) It will keep you turning the pages – and wanting to steer clear of the dangerous streets of Brighton.
Check out the other blog posts on this tour:
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