Tag: procedural

‘Now You See Them’ by Elly Griffiths

I’ve long admired Elly Griffiths’ writing and this novel is no exception. This was published in October 2019 and is one of the Max Mephisto series – Griffiths also writes a contemporary crime series.

This is the fifth installment in Elly Griffiths’ historical crime series set in mid-twentieth century Brighton. I’d read one of the previous books but think this one could probably be read as a standalone because the opening scene, a funeral, brings together all the key players and brings us up to speed with the back story.

This novel centres on a series of disappearances – young women and girls are going missing in Brighton and the police have no leads. Throw into the mix a bored superintendent’s wife (herself a former police detective), a nosy journalist and the celebrated magician, Max Mephisto, and the result is an interesting (if slightly sedate) investigation to find those who have vanished.

The novel is set in 1964 against a backdrop of the mods and rockers clashes on Brighton seafront. The historical detail is convincing and the restrictions on being a woman in this time period are portrayed well – Emma is suffocating as ‘just’ a wife and mother and there is the sense that things need to change for her and the younger women in the novel before Meg – a police officer of much promise – follows the same path.

Overall, this is an engaging and gentle crime story – a bit slow in places and ultimately forgettable, but an enjoyable read. I’d personally have liked more crime and less on the personal lives of everyone involved, but that’s my personal preference and there is a lot here to like.

I received a free copy of the novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Jose Silva from Burst

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‘All Fall Down by M J Arlidge

Another page-turner of a police procedural today, released in June 2020.

This is the latest installment in the series featuring DI Helen Grace.  It works as a standalone, I think - I've only read one of the other previous books and wasn't lost at all!

A brutal murder is preceded by a sinister phone call telling the victim that they have only an hour to live.  The killing seems to be linked to another incident eight years before when a group of young people on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition were targeted, but it becomes a race against time as more threats are made and the police can't get a solid lead.  Meanwhile, DI Grace is also having to deal with problems in her personal life and a nosy reporter who seems too close to the police investigation.

This is another well-written and tense thriller - it certainly kept me reading, although I have to confess I did see one of the twists coming.  DI Helen Grace is a strong and likeable heroine and the story is engaging.  I wasn't a huge fan of the 'flashback' elements told via extracts from one of the character's book and I also thought the journalist figure was a bit superfluous - they felt like extra elements that weren't really needed as the book had plenty else to offer.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who like tense and pacy police procedurals.  It's one that rarely slows and is - in places - really quite creepy.  I look forward to reading more of this series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst

‘Broken Silence’ by Liz Mistry

Today’s post is about an absolutely brilliant police procedural by Liz Mistry. It’s an absolute edge-of-your-seat page-turner and I can’t recommend it enough! 

I'd not read any books by Liz Mistry before this, but I'll certainly be looking for more!  This is the second in a series featuring DS Nikki Parekh and, although there are references to the backstory, I don't think its essential that you have read the previous novel.

After a multi-agency conference, police officer Felicity Springer leaves the venue for her drive home.  As she heads through the country lanes, she sees someone trying to get her attention from inside the van in front.  Felicity Springer doesn't make it home and an investigation is launched into her disappearance.  However, that proves just the tip of the iceburg and DS Nikki Parekh and her team are thrown into a complex and dangerous investigation in Bradford's criminal underworld.  

I'll admit that this is a bit more gritty and grim than my usual reads, but it's also compelling and very pacy - I kept planning on reading one more chapter to see what happened until I realised it was 3am and I should just finish the book!  I liked the portrayal of multicultural Bradford and the diversity within the police team and Nikki herself is an interesting protagonist.  Often the personal lives of the police officers can overshadow the actual crime story in this kind of novel but this never happens here - the plot is tight and twisty throughout.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes police procedurals, especially those with a feisty female police officer in charge.  Just don't pick up this book unless you have a clear run of reading time in which to finish it because you absolutely won't want to put it down.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Shopify Partners from Burst

‘Cut to the Bone’ by Roz Watkins

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