Thursday 30 January 2020

๐Ÿ“– Blog Tour ~ Payback by R C Bridgestock


๐Ÿ“– Thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour for this exciting new crime series ๐Ÿ“– 


The Dome Press
January 2020
DI Charley Mann #1

My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy of this book and the invitation to be part of the blog tour


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.


๐Ÿ“– What did I think about it..

I tend to pick up a new crime series with something akin to trepidation as I have such high hopes and hate being let down. However, I knew, with absolute certainty, that anything new from this talented husband and wife duo was never going to let me down and, true enough, Payback is every bit as exciting as I expected.

Having spent four years away in the Met, Charley Mann has recently been promoted to Detective Inspector and is invited to head up an investigative team back in her home town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. However, Charley's appointment as the first young female DI is not without its difficulties and she has much to prove to those who would see her fail at her first murder investigation. So when she is thrown in at the deep end with a complex case, on her very first day,  Charley soon realises that being back home, with all of its associated memories, is never going to be straightforward.

Charley is a great protagonist, she'e feisty, tough as her proverbial wellington boots, and yet she also has both a dark edge and a vulnerable side which I found intriguing. That she doesn't suffer fools is eloquently shown in the way that she immediately sets to knocking her team into shape and I especially enjoyed the banter between the detectives as they go about piecing together the clues of this complex police procedural. The pace is fast and furious and there's plenty of action to keep the tension cranked up to high so that it soon becomes a real page turner of a crime investigation.

It must be said that this writing duo have all the necessary credentials to bring a modern day police department to life. They speak from their respective experiences as both a serving police officer and a police civilian supervisor so there is never a moment when the authenticity dips or becomes less than absolutely believable. I love how they introduce their characters with such realism as people with faults and failings, especially Charley, who has, it appears, so many secrets in her past that discovering them as the series progresses is going to be absolutely fascinating.

Payback is a dark and gritty start to what, I am sure, will be a tense and dramatic series. I'm already looking forward to seeing where the authors are going to go next with DI Charley Mann.

Recommended : Absolutely, if you enjoy gritty police procedurals with a feisty female lead detective  ✔






Bob was a highly commended career detective of 30 years, retiring at the rank of Detective Superintendent. During his last three years, he took charge of 26 murders, 23 major incidents, over 50 suspicious deaths and numerous sexual assaults. He was also a trained hostage negotiator with suicide interventions, kidnap, terrorism and extortion. Bob was seconded to a protracted enquiry investigating alleged police corruption in another force. He worked on the Yorkshire Ripper and Sarah Harper murder, and received praise from Crown Court Judges and Chief Constables alike for outstanding work at all ranks, including winning the much-coveted Dennis Hoban Trophy. 

As a police civilian supervisor, Carol also received a Chief Constable’s commendation for outstanding work. 

The couple are the storyline consultants / police procedural on BAFTA-winning BBC1 police drama Happy Valley and series 3 of ITV’s Scott and Bailey, and are presently working with Scott Free Production scriptwriters on two commissioned TV drama series. 

The couple pride themselves on being up-to-date on past and present day UK police procedures, and as a result, Bob is regularly sought by UK television, radio and national and local newspapers for comment on developing major crime incidents etc. They have also taken part in BBC Radio 4 (Steve) PUNT P.I. 

Carol and Bob are also patrons and ambassadors for several charities.



Twitter @RCBridgestock #Payback

@TheDomePress




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