📖 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 ~ Quick Reads- Clean Break, Tammy Cohen and Cut Off, Mark Billingham

On launch day of this year's Quick Read titles I am delighted to share my reviews of two of the books

Cut Off by Mark Billingham

Sphere 2018

Louise can't even go a minute without using her phone so when she loses it you can well imagine that she struggles to function. So when she gets the good news that someone has found her phone, well, she is absolutely delighted ...

What then follows is a clever and beautifully controlled thriller which I read in less than an hour and even though Cut Off  was a quick read, it wasn't either light on content, or dramatic effect.

The final punch of the story is really, really well done 😊

I loved it.

Twitter @MarkBillingham #CutOff

Clean Break by Tammy Cohen

Black Swan
Penguin
2018

Kate and Jack's marriage is in trouble and the cracks in their relationship are so big, it's not going to be easy to put things right. Moving on seems easier for Kate than Jack...

What then follows is a cleverly crafted dissection of  marriage, where one partner wants to move on with their life, whilst the other seems unwilling to admit its over. 

 I read Clean Break over a quiet hour with a cup of tea, and the story is such compulsive reading that I didn't want to put it down. I was so engrossed in Kate and Jack's life that I didn't notice the time passing 😊

Beautifully written, finely observed and with a really great ending,

I loved it.

@MsTamarCohen #CleanBreak

Both of these books are sharp and sassy, contemporary and current and beautifully written.

For much less than the price of a cappuccino, you can treat yourself to a Quick Read and be entertained by some fine writing.

@ReadingAgency #Quickreads