📖 Publication Day Review ~ The Last Dance by Mark Billingham

Sphere
25 May 2023

Detective Miller #1

My thanks to the publisher and Laura Sherlock PR for my copy of this book

THE FIRST NEW SERIES FROM #1 BESTSELLER MARK BILLINGHAM IN 20 YEARS.

Meet Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated...

A double murder in a seaside hotel sees grieving Detective Miller return to work to solve what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Will this eccentric, offbeat sleuth find answers where more traditional police have found only a puzzle?

📖 My Review..

In this first book of a new series we are introduced to Detective Declan Miller, who it must be said, has a rather unconventional approach to policing, but whose thoroughness and ability to leave no stone unturned makes him what matters, that is, a good copper and an altogether decent bloke. 

At the start of the novel Miller is recently returned to work, the reasons for this are slowly and thoughtfully unraveled, and his first job is to investigate a double murder which takes place on his home patch in the seaside town of Blackpool. What then follows is a tight and well controlled crime novel which has numerous red herrings, umpteen loose ends and more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Rather unexpectedly, and away from his maverick style of policing, Declan Miller has a passion for ballroom, well, after all,  this is set in Blackpool, home of ballroom dancing, and so it is this softer side of his nature which allows us a tantalising glimpse into the man and the reasons for his, at times, unbearable sadness.

I'm not going to spoil The Last Dance by giving you the ins and outs of the plot, that's for you to find out for yourself but I have enjoyed spending time with Declan Miller, he's a detective I'd like to know more about and if the buzz of excitement on social media about this new series is anything to go off I would hope that Miller makes another appearance very soon.

About the Author

Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.

Twitter @MarkBillingham #TheLastDance

@BooksSphere

@laurasherlock21

Website 

Review ~ Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

Arrow
May 2017

What's it all about...

12.46: 13-year-old Claire Bingley stands alone at a bus stop

12.47: Ted Conkaffey parks his car beside her

12.52: The girl is missing . . .Six minutes - that’s all it took to ruin Detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of Claire’s abduction, he escapes north, to the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.

What did I think about it..

Detective Ted Conkaffey's life is turned upside down after being accused, but not convicted, of the abduction of thirteen year old Claire Bingley. With both his personal and professional life in turmoil Ted escapes to Cairns and to the remote wetlands and crocodile infested waters of Crimson Lake. Burdened by a life that is altered beyond recognition, Ted finds that the gloom of his surroundings matches his mood, and his taciturn demeanour does not win him friends or supporters very easily.

However, a chance meeting with private detective, Amanda Pharrell, another social misfit whose life is complicated by her own brand of demons, encourages Ted to become involved in the disappearance of local author, Jake Scully. What then follows is a tense and tightly packed thriller which uses the bleakness of its location to highlight the covert nature of a complicated investigation, and also emphasises the mistrustful way in which the local community perceive these two social misfits.

I really enjoyed this author's style of writing. The story was consistent and the plot never faltered and I soon became immersed in the unfolding narrative. I enjoyed observing the volatile dynamics between Ted and Amanda, and became curious to see how their unorthodox relationship would survive within the wider framework of the story.

I hope that Crimson Lake is the start of a new detective series as I would like to see Conkaffey and Pharrell return in a future investigation.

Best read with...copious glasses of smoky Bourbon..


About the Author

Candice Fox is an award-winning author and commercial success in her native Australia. Her first novel, Hades, won the 2014 Ned Kelly Award for best debut crime novel, with the sequel, Eden, winning the 2015 Ned Kelly Award for best crime novel. Candice is also the author of the critically acclaimed Fall, and co-writer of the James Patterson blockbuster Never Never.

Website 
Twitter @candicefoxbooks

Crimson Lake was published on the 6th April 2017 

An Arrow Paperback Original & eBook, £6.99

My thanks to Gemma at Penguin Random House for my review copy of Crimson Lake.

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Review ~ Miss Christie Regrets by Guy Fraser-Sampson

Urbane Publications
2017

What's it all about ...

The second in the Hampstead Murders series opens with a sudden death at an iconic local venue, which some of the team believe may be connected with an unsolved murder featuring Cold War betrayals worthy of George Smiley. It soon emerges that none other than Agatha Christie herself may be the key witness who is able to provide the missing link.

My thoughts about it...

I first discovered this author’s work when I read Death in Profile which is the first in the Hampstead Murders series of crime novels. That novel sets the scene for future books, and introduces us to characters who I am pleased to say make a welcome return in Miss Christie Regrets.

The story opens with a murder, the consequences of which will have a bearing on a subsequent, and seemingly unrelated, macabre discovery, and which will stretch the Hampstead police's investigative team's tenacity and resolve to their very limits. The secret at the heart of the novel has more than enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, and the added inclusion of Miss Agatha Christie to the novel adds an element of charm and old fashioned mystery to what is in effect a modern-day murder investigation.

As always, the author spends time explaining both plot and malice. His turn of phrase and fine attention to detail always leaves the reader in no doubt that this type of detective story harks back to the golden age of detective investigation and to, perhaps, a more erudite way of tracking down a potential murderer.

There is an element of continuity in this second book which I liked, particularly in the way that certain characters have been allowed to develop more fully. It was good to meet up again with DS Kate Willis and her psychologist boyfriend, Peter Collins, and to ponder anew over the ambiguity of DS Willis’ relationship with her colleague, DI Bob Metcalfe. The dynamics of a functioning investigative team is maintained with all the appropriate ‘office’ politics that goes on behind closed police doors, which is fascinating to observe.

Miss Christie Regrets is a good continuation of the series and it's fair to say that whilst this story sits comfortably on its own merits, as with all series it’s probably best to start the series from the beginning. I am also pleased to note that there is to be a further continuation of the Hampstead Murders in the next installment, A Whiff of Cyanide, which is due to be released in Summer 2017.

Best Read With..A glass of a crisp Italian white and a few bite sized nibbles..

About the Author

Guy Fraser Sampson is an established writer best known for his Mapp and Lucia novels which have been featured on BBC radio and optioned by BBC television. 

Follow on Twitter @GuyFSAuthor

My thanks to the author and also to Urbane Publications for my review copy of this novel.

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Review ~ Death in Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson

Urbane Publications
2016

When a woman's body is found in a quiet area of Hampstead, the investigative team suspect that it is the work of the serial killer they have been chasing for the last couple of years. The killer's modus operandi seems to be identical, and yet, the anomalies which appear in the investigation seem to provoke more questions than they do answers. Desperate for a result, a profiler is brought into the team to add another perspective, and suddenly, buoyed on  a wave of enthusiasm, the case seems to take off and before long is ready to reveal its secrets.

What then follows is a crime procedural story with a rather unusual twist, in that parts of the novel hark back to the golden age of detectives stories, with the author very much in tune with the work of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, and Marjory Allingham.  The sharply observed elements of classic detective stories adds a quirky twist and I found myself discovering some hidden gems hidden away in the narrative which were so reminiscent of the old classic detectives.

I enjoyed getting to know the police team, and found the complicated dynamics between the different characters interesting. They seem an odd bunch of people to be thrown together but yet when the chips are down they all seem to be able to pull together, with the exception of an old school copper who seems determined to do things his way. The main premise of the plot seems a little fanciful, at times, but I think this is entirely appropriate given the style of writing and its particular genre of old fashioned cosy crime.

The author has an interesting writing style, drawing the reader into the story with gentle humour and a wry wit which makes a refreshing change. Death in Profile is the first title in a proposed new cosy crime series and I look forward to reading more in the Hampstead Murders series.

Best Read with …. A pint of London Pride and a chicken pie …

About the Author

Guy Fraser Sampson is an established writer best known for his Mapp and Lucia novels which have been featured on BBC radio and optioned by BBC television. This is his debut work of detective fiction and the first in the Hampstead Murders series.







Follow on Twitter @GuyFSAuthor

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing his novel with me.

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