Tag: thrillers

This is my review of the third book in the DS Thoroughgood series. Book one (Parallel Lines) is here and book two (The Hurting) is here.

THE LONGEST SHADOW begins atop Scotland’s Wallace Monument where a skeleton from DS Thoroughgood’s past threatens to put a stop to his future.

The third installment in the DS Thoroughgood series of Scottish crime thrillers sees Angus Thoroughgood in pursuit of a suspect he believes to be the psychotic leader of a vicious gang wanted for abduction and murder.

Taking to the streets of Glasgow’s West End, these famous streets are the stage for a high octane pursuit that will leave the reader gasping for breath — but does Thoroughgood have the right man?
With the case still wide open, Thorughgood’s complicated love life drags him into the battle for the control of the Roxburgh Whisky dynasty. Tensions build towards a nail-biting crescendo as Thoroughgood works to identify the killer intent of wiping out Scotland’s most famous whisky family. With the finger of guilt pointed at a powerful Triad leader, clues from a 70-year-old war-time diary lead Thoroughgood to realise nothing as it seems.

However, with the charms of Victoria Roxburgh clouding his judgement, Thoroughgood is dragged into a fight to the end with a ruthless foe whose identity shocks them both.
The Longest Shadow sees author RJ Mitchell drawing from his 12 years of experience as a Glasgow police officer utilising his knowledge of the city and its history to his advantage in this thrilling third chapter of the DS Thoroughgood series.

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Matthew James Publishing

Robert James Mitchell was brought up in Stirling. Mitchell was initially detailed beat duties out of the former Blackhill Police Office and then Baird Street Police Office in the former ‘D’ Division, or the North, as it was known to all the men who served in the division.

In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

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My thoughts:

Another cracking case for Thoroughgood and Hardie, as they pursue a gang of meat thieves turned kidnappers and then solve the hunt the killer stalking the Roxburgh family as they attempt to save their distillery business and family name.

Thoroughgood never gets a chance to rest, his cases crack on at a pace, his body taking some serious damage as he literally runs after madmen and throws himself around trying to stop them.

These books are really clever and highly enjoyable, the details are all there and I felt like I was there with the intrepid duo as they chase criminals through Glasgow’s streets and the stunning Scottish countryside.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.

DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.

But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.

As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?

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USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.

To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.

When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

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My thoughts:

This was a very enjoyable, clever and sinister thriller with a dedicated and determined protagonist in DI Kate Young, ably assisted by her team as she hunts the killer while struggling with traumatic flashbacks.

The killer and their torturous methods kept me hooked, wondering who it was and why they were killing the specific victims, the ending was satisfying and neatly done.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

This is the second DS Thoroughgood book I’m reviewing. Book one – Parallel Lines is reviewed here. Book three – The Longest Shadow will be reviewed on the 3rd February.

THE HURTING finds DS Angus Thoroughgood recovering from injuries from his most recent adventures in ‘Parallel Lines’ and questioning his career with the Glasgow police force. After handing in his resignation, Thoroughgood is pulled back into the line of duty once his recovery at the police convalescence home, Castlebrae, is complete.

Terrorist attacks in and around Glasgow see Thoroughgood, alongside his partner DC Hardie, return to action. As their world as they know it and the city they love falls apart, the pair work alongside MI5 in a race to discover the source of these attacks.
The second installment in the DS Thoroughgood series of novels by RJ Mitchell, The Hurting picks up right where Parallel Lines left off and sends Thoroughgood and Hardie on a rollercoaster ride through Glasgow’s seedy underworld and that of international terrorism.
The Hurting sees author RJ Mitchell drawing from his 12 years of experience as a Glasgow police officer to provide an accurate portrayal of real life police work whilst guiding the reader through an intricate plot filled with lies and subterfuge.

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Matthew James Publishing

Robert James Mitchell was brought up in Stirling. Mitchell was initially detailed beat duties out of the former Blackhill Police Office and then Baird Street Police Office in the former ‘D’ Division, or the North, as it was known to all the men who served in the division. In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

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My thoughts:

Recovering from the climatic events of Parallel Lines, DS Gus Thoroughgood and his solid sidekick, DC Hardie are thrust into another monstrous case as Islamic terrorists pitch up in Glasgow looking to cause chaos.

In a way all the madness of tracking a terror cell and trying to prevent an atrocity does Thoroughgood some good, helping him refocus and distracting him from his grief. There’s a lot of character development here and Hardie is more rounded too.

I really enjoyed this, it was fast paced and engaging, clever and well written. I like all the little details that the author includes from his own experiences as a police officer.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Read my review of the first book in the series here

Detective Jake Porter’s life was ripped apart by the hit-and-run driver that killed his wife. The life he has been building up piece by piece is rocked by the discovery of new evidence that might finally lead him to her murderer.

At the same time, he has a volatile case to juggle. Ross Henderson was a Vlogger with over ten million followers rallying against the growing tide of the far-right. As his audience tuned in to listen to Henderson tear apart more anti-immigrant vitriol, they watched in horror as he was brutally murdered during a live broadcast.

Struggling to prevent full-blown riots and following the trail to his wife’s killer will take its toll upon Porter, and there’s no guarantee he will come out the other side intact.

My thoughts:

This was really good, the investigation into the vlogger’s death was tense and an interesting commentary on politics at the moment, with the EWP standing in for an existing group of right wing thugs playing at being politicians (pick one), eager to get rid of any critics or awkward questions about their dodgy leader.

Alongside that is Porter’s personal quest to find his wife’s killer, taking on a dangerous and supposedly untouchable gang leader, putting his safety, and that of his loved ones, on the line.

The team work well, handling the case and gathering evidence like a well oiled machine, but they’re still able to be there for their boss when he needs them, even if he thinks he doesn’t.

A sophisticated crime thriller that resonates with the times and introduces new angles with the addition of a counter terrorism detective and new personal responsibilities for Styles.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Today is my second post for the Alex Coombes’ DI Hanlon blog tour. The previous reviews can be read here.

Today I’m reviewing The Missing Husband and The Silent Victims.

A security officer is assassinated.
A small child grieves for his father.
A psychopath commits their first crime…

A frightened Russian woman seeks DCI Hanlon’s help in finding her missing husband. Hanlon’s not keen on the case. Until she hears a name she recognises only too well. Arkady Belanov, sadistic owner of an exclusive brothel in Oxford is involved.

And when DCI Enver Demirel, her former partner and friend, disappears, Hanlon is determined to solve the case.

Forced into an uneasy alliance with the London underworld, the race to him from the blood-stained
hands of the Russian mafia is underway…

Another gripping case for the unstoppable DCI Hanlon. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa
Regan and Mark Dawson.

This book was previously published as A Hard Woman To Kill by Alex Howard.

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DCI Hanlon faces the toughest decision of her career as a string of political murders lead to a deadly confrontation.

A controversial, right-wing German politician is due to speak at the Oxford Union. Following a series of murders linked to a violent anarchist group, the city is on high alert.

DCI Hanlon has been partnered with DI Huss to ensure the speech goes smoothly and that there will be no more killing.

Meanwhole, as Hanlon traces the person behind the murders, she soon realises that the chilling truth has a terrible price. Is Hanlon willing to meet the cost?

The final gripping case for DCI Hanlon. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Mark Dawson.

This book was previously published as An Incidental Death by Alex Howard.

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Alex Coombs studied Arabic at Oxford and Edinburgh Universities and went on to work in adult education and then retrained to be a chef. He has written four well reviewed crime novels as Alex Howard.

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My thoughts:

The Missing Husband – following the events of the last book (The Innocent Girl) DCI Hanlon has been sent to Slough to do as little as Corrigan can make her – working on the missing persons team, a quiet job, out of the way of vengeful Russian mobsters. Or so Corrigan thinks… but when a beautiful woman, who happens to be Russian, asks for Hanlon’s help, well she and Enver end up in a whole heap of trouble. Again.

The Silent Victims – incapable of learning their lessons, the team get involved with more unpleasant and sinister types, this time foreign right wing politicians, jihadists and anarchists. Risking their lives once more, Hanlon and Huss are looking for potential assassins and trying to keep a lid on some protestors, while also investigating a series of connected crimes. Enver is making dinner.

Once again more thrill rides with the three detectives as they get thrown in to more risky adventures and put their lives on the line to stop some very dangerous criminals from operating. I got to the end of The Silent Victims and really wanted there to be more, I needed to know what happened next. There is a trilogy of books about Hanlon’s next move so I’ll be hunting them out soon. I also really want a book all about Enver and his family, mostly because he’s my favourite character and I feel immensely sorry for him as Hanlon keeps getting him almost killed while she shoots off with no real plan to fight much better prepared criminals.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.