I chose to read this not realising it was the third in a series featuring DI Meg Dalton and her team. It does work as a stand alone novel, but there are possibly spoilers about what happened before in case you then wanted to go back and read the rest of the series.
In this book, a young woman called Violet Armstrong goes missing from an abattoir in the Peak District. She has become something of a social media star in her support of the meat industry, but it seems that there is more to the story. She has also angered the local animal rights groups who seem to know more than they should about her disappearance. DI Dalton and her team get involved and find that the story has links to the town's past and a ghost that foreshadows death for its inhabitants.
This is a solid police procedural; it is well plotted and the characters were credible, particularly the police team involved. In particular, DI Meg Dalton was an appealing character, being quirky and grappling with her own issues, and her potential romance with her colleague is something that would pull me into reading a sequel to this. I did find some of the events a little unbelievable, but still enjoyed the book. The setting, the Peak District and a reservoir with a submerged village, was engaging and well-presented.
Overall, I'd recommend this but suggest that you start at the beginning of the series to make most sense of it. It is quite dark though and has some unpleasant themes, so approach with some caution.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Photo by Shopify Partners from Burst
Tag: crime
‘Neon’ by G. S. Locke
My review of ‘Neon’ (published on 9th July 2020 by Orion).
This is a debut novel by GS Locke and is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller. From the tense opening where a man is awaiting his own death, it doesn't let up and will keep you reading as you race to the finish.
A serial killer referred to as Neon is slaughtering women in Birmingham and using their bodies within his twisted art installations of neon lighting. He is audacious and uses public spaces for his 'art', but his last victim was a police officer's wife. That very police officer, Matt Johnson, is now on his trail with a very unconventional partner who has her own reasons to kill. As the net closes in on the killer, the need to operate outside the law becomes essential.
This is an extremely tense thriller. Although the killer is revealed early on, the tension comes from the continued action, close calls and revelations as Johnson's rather maverick approach to policing runs its course. The setting is also appealing - as someone who knows Birmingham reasonably well, it felt realistic and creepy. However, I didn't particularly like the bleakness of the story, especially around Iris - I absolutely know why this was done and it is effective, but I prefer a little less grit personally!
Overall, I'd recommend this to people looking for a distinctly unusual take on the police procedural. For me, it's a 4 star read because the ending felt a bit rushed, but there certainly is never a dull moment!
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst
Notes from a Nervous Newbie…
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t obsessed with reading. From the early days of illicit Secret Seven books devoured after lights-out to breakfasts spent poring over cereal packets to the more highbrow demands of a Literature degree…if there’s reading material available, I’m there!
Having spent years talking about books with anyone who would listen, I then found NetGalley and settled in to reviewing books alongside my day job as secondary English teacher. I kind of refined my genres and interests and my passion for books continued to grow. I’d say it was a well-cultivated and controlled development, like a beautiful bonsai tree. My husband would say an obsession growing more like knotweed, but heigh-ho…
So I’ve finally taken the plunge and here is my very own blog. You can expect book reviews covering a range of genres – historical crime is a favourite, alongside anything set in the Victorian era, but I really am not prescriptive. I love funny books, fiction and non-fiction, ‘Women’s fiction’ (always thought that was a weird category title, to be honest), police procedurals and books about books. But also anything else that takes my fancy along the way.
You also don’t get to be a long-term bookworm without becoming au fait with all kinds of literary gifts, subscription services and other connected bits and bobs. I’ll be chatting about these too.
Most importantly, all the opinions are my very own and have no ulterior motive. If I don’t love it, I’m not recommending it!
So welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by. This is one scary step so please be kind!