About the Book
London, 1940. A woman lies dead in a bombed-out house. It looks like she’s another tragic casualty of the Blitz, until police pathologist Aleck Northcote proves she was strangled and placed at the scene. But Northcote himself has something to hide. And when his past catches up with him, he too is murdered.
Tewkesbury, 2020. Beneath the vast stone arches of Tewkesbury Abbey, a man has been fatally stabbed. He is Roddy March, an investigative journalist for a podcast series uncovering miscarriages of justice. He was looking into the murder of police pathologist Dr Aleck Northcote – and was certain he had uncovered Northcote’s real killer.
Stella Darnell used to run a detective agency alongside her cleaning business. She’s moved to Tewkesbury to escape from death, not to court it – but Roddy died in her arms and, Stella is someone impelled to root out evil when she finds it. Now she is determined to hunt down Roddy’s killer – but then she finds another body…
Format: ebook (400 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 13th May 2021 Genre: Crime
My Review
The Distant Dead is the eighth book in Lesley Thomson’s ‘The Detective’s Daughter’ crime series. I read book seven, The Playground Murders, back in 2019 and book nine, The Mystery of Yew Tree House, last year. Like The Mystery of Yew Tree House, The Distant Dead has a dual timeline, moving back and forth between 1940 during the height of the Blitz, and the present day (2020). The wartime mystery element and the present day murder investigations can definitely be enjoyed without having read any of the previous books. These are satisfyingly complex, with lots of potential suspects and some surprising reveals. There are also a few rather convenient coincidences with Stella, in particular, having a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
However, a lot of the book involves the ups and downs of Stella and Jack’s relationship (it’s a definite down at this point) and this element definitely engaged me a lot less. I noted in my review of The Playground Murders that I felt I’d missed out by not having followed the development of their relationship from the beginning, and the same was true here. Additionally, it took me a bit of time to recall who was who when it came to the employees of Clean Slate, the cleaning business started by Stella, and their various partners. I also found Stella’s journalist friend and current flatmate, Lucie, increasingly annoying.
I enjoyed the unravelling of the mystery, which spans six decades, and I thought the scenes in wartime London were really realistically evoked. George Cotton, the detective assigned to the 1940 murder case, was a brilliant character, an example of a dogged, thorough and principled police officer determined to bring the culprit to justice. If I’m honest, I found the book quite slow, mainly for the reasons I mentioned above. However, those who’ve followed the series from the beginning and are fans of Stella and Jack, will I’m sure find it another satisfying outing for the duo.
I received a digital review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.
In three words: Intriguing, intricate, well-crafted
Try something similar: The Teacher by Tim Sullivan
About the Author
Lesley Thomson grew up in west London. Her novel, A Kind of Vanishing, won The People’s Book Prize in 2010. Her second novel, The Detective’s Daughter, was a #1 bestseller and the resulting series has sold over 900,000 copies. Lesley divides her time between Sussex and Gloucestershire. She lives with her partner and her dog. (Photo: Michael White)
Connect with Lesley
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What Cathy Read Next... 
This may sound idiotic, but I forget that in the Blitz people were still people. Crime went on, adultery, child abuse etc. I think of everyone over there pulling together and shaking their fists at Hitler.
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