Tag: crime

#BlogTour #BookReview Payback by R. C. Bridgestock @DomePress

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Payback Blog Tour PosterWelcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Payback by R. C. Bridgestock, the first in a new series featuring Yorkshire cop, DI Charley Mann. Payback was published as an ebook on 5th December 2019 and in paperback on 9th January 2020. Thanks to Emily at The Dome Press for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my proof copy.

Payback bcAbout the Book

Charley Mann left Yorkshire for the Met and a fast-track career – but now she’s back, she’s in charge and the area’s first young, female DI.

Her hometown, the Yorkshire countryside, and her old friends all seem unchanged, but appearances can be deceptive.

When a brutal murder is discovered, Charley is forced to question everything, and the interest of her ex – reporter Danny Ray – doesn’t make it easier.

Format: Paperback, ebook (320 pages) Publisher: The Dome Press
Publication date: 9th January 2020      Genre: Crime

Purchase links*
Publisher | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Payback (DI Charley Mann #1) on Goodreads

My Review

No sooner has Charley Mann, newly promoted to Inspector, arrived back on her home turf in Yorkshire than she finds herself taking on the lead role in the investigation of a murder. The investigation becomes more complicated as her personal and professional life collide and the murder attracts unwelcome press attention. An unsupportive boss doesn’t help either.

Charley is no angel. She didn’t get the nickname ‘Champagne Charley’ for nothing, she doesn’t suffer fools gladly, is intolerant of intolerance and can definitely look after herself when it comes to a spot of fisticuffs. (You certainly wouldn’t want to be in the culprit’s shoes when Charley catches up with them.) However, all of this makes her a very believable, well-rounded character with flaws as well as more admirable qualities, such as her passion for justice. As she says at one point, “I’m not here to be liked; I’m here to do a job. And no matter what it takes, I’m going to do it.” The authors have given Charley an interesting backstory, more details of which I’m sure will be revealed in future books.

As you’d expect from two authors with so many combined years of experience in the Police force, the detail of police procedure is meticulously described. From the handling of evidence, to the securing of a crime scene, working with forensics and search teams and preparing for interviews and operations, it all seems completely realistic. Being squeamish, the post-mortem scene was a bit too realistic for me. (By the way, you can read Bob’s guest postabout examining crime scenes here.)

To prevent the book becoming too much like a police training manual, the authors cleverly introduce rookie detective, Annie, as a way for Charley to impart information about police processes. The book is also good at reflecting the realities currently facing the Police force such as funding constraints, the burden of paperwork, the need to juggle resources and achieve targets whilst at the same time adhering to health and safety rules and upholding the rights and welfare of those charged with offences.

Tension builds as Charley and her team get closer to finding the culprit and work together to diligently build a case that will be sufficient for prosecution and conviction. Although the investigation is neatly wrapped up by the end of the book there are strands of subplot left tantalizingly unresolved to be explored in a future book. At least, I hope so.

Payback will appeal to readers who like their crime fiction packed with realistic detail of police procedure, to fans of the authors’ DI Dylan books or simply those looking for a new crime series to follow that features a strong female protagonist.

In three words: Authentic, suspenseful, assured

Try something similar: Poetic Justice by R. C. Bridgestock (read my review here)

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RC Bridgestock Author PhotoAbout the Author

R. C. Bridgestock is the pen name of writing duo Carol and Bob Bridgestock. Between them they have nearly 50 years of high level experience in West Yorkshire Police. The couple are storyline consultants on Happy Valley and Scott & Bailey and appear regularly on TV, radio and in the press.

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#BookReview Cold, Cold Heart by Christine Poulson

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Cold, Cold HeartAbout the Book

Midwinter in Antarctica. Six months of darkness are about to begin. Scientist Katie Flanagan has an undeserved reputation as a trouble-maker and her career has foundered. When an accident creates an opening on a remote Antarctic research base she seizes it, flying in on the last plane before the sub-zero temperatures make it impossible to leave.

Meanwhile patent lawyer Daniel Marchmont has been asked to undertake due diligence on a breakthrough cancer cure. But the key scientist is strangely elusive and Daniel uncovers a dark secret that leads to Antarctica.

Out on the ice a storm is gathering. As the crew lock down the station they discover a body and realise that they are trapped with a killer…

Format: ebook (272 pages)                        Publisher: Lion Hudson
Publication date: 17th November 2017 Genre: Crime, thriller, mystery

Purchase links*
Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Cold, Cold Heart on Goodreads

My Review

Cold, Cold Heart is the second book featuring research scientist Katie Flanagan but if, like me, you haven’t read the first book, Deep Water, never fear because Cold, Cold Heart works perfectly well as a standalone. There are a few references to events in the first book but not so many that I think it would spoil your enjoyment of the earlier book. (The third book in the series, An Air That Kills, has recently been published.)

The twin threads of the story, one set in Ely and the other on the Antarctic research station, are cleverly constructed (the former with the help of an unusual narrator at one point) maintaining the reader’s interest in how – and when – the two storylines will converge.

The scenes set on the research station are very realistic and clearly the product of in-depth research. I have to say I did struggle a little to differentiate between some of the male characters but I guess it’s probably the case that the demands of the job mean research scientists tend to be similar in age and physical build. However, the remoteness of the station, the inhospitable external environment and the twenty-four hours a day of darkness really help ratchet up the tension. A shift of point of view part way through injects a nicely thrilling element and the dramatic final chapters definitely kept me turning the pages right to the end.

The set-up – a remote location, shut off from the outside world with a limited number of suspects – made me think of the crime novels of Agatha Christie. I had in mind a particular book of hers for my ‘Try something similar’ recommendation below but the author beat me to it! Visiting the station’s small library in search of some light reading, Katie ‘took a dog-eared copy of And There Were None off the shelf and then had second thoughts’. So I had second thoughts as well and went for something equally appropriate I hope.

Cold, Cold Heart is an assured, atmospheric crime mystery set in a fascinating location

I’d like to thank the author for my review copy of the book and for waiting  so patiently for my review.

In three words: Atmospheric, tense, gripping

Try something similar: Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

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Christine-Poulson-bwAbout the Author

Before Christine Poulson turned to crime, she was an academic with a PhD in History of Art and had published widely on nineteenth century art and literature. Her Cassandra James mysteries are set in Cambridge in the UK.

The first in her new series, Deep Water, featuring scientist Katie Flanagan, appeared in 2016. The second, Cold, Cold Heart, set in Antarctica, came out in January 2018 and the third, An Air That Kills, was published in November 2019. Her short stories. published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, CWA anthologies, and elsewhere, have been short-listed for a Derringer, the Margery Allingham Prize, and the CWA Short Story Dagger. (Photo credit: author website)

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