My Review (4 stars out of 5) Former senior police officer Ryan MacDonald has worked in frontline operations, covert surveillance, intelligence, counterterrorism and as a crime scene manager. In this book he reveals the details of his work both in the police service and in the military, and how the job took a toll on…
Category: detective
‘Deadly Truths’ by Paul Gitsham
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Detectives Foxe and Kennard feel like a couple of spare parts at Moat Lane Police Station, especially when they find themselves tasked with investigating a series of burglaries, rather than what they really want – a nice juicy murder. But the investigation takes an unexpected turn, throwing them…
‘Consequences’ by Jo Fenton
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it gets off to an interesting start throwing the heroine straight into a crime scene as well as having to deal with a difficult boss. The narrative jumps around a bit and is seen from different points…
‘Hearsay Testimony’ by Jake Needham
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Lawyer Charlie Trust has his view of California’s Carbon Beach spoiled one morning when sheriff’s deputies march across to the house of one of Charlie’s neighbours. Soon, two bodies are carried away in black bags. Arnie Duncan and his wife have been shot in their living room. The…
‘Shadow Hunt’ by Tom Bale
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Former cop Joe Clayton takes a job as a bodyguard for businessman Valentin Nasento and his wife Cassie. Living with the family in one of half a dozen houses on a little island called Terror’s Reach, Joe hopes to keep his head down until he can sort his…
‘Mindhunter’ by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
My Review (5 stars out of 5) This is the story of how FBI agent John Douglas helped set up the Behavioural Science unit, which also inspired the hit Netflix show of the same name. Spending time interviewing serial killers and teaching profiling skills to other agents and police officers, Douglas himself was the model…
‘The Mysterious Mrs Hood’ by Kim Donovan
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) In the fishing port of Great Yarmouth in September 1900, a young woman known only as Mrs Hood had been staying in a local lodging house. When she was found dead on the beach, strangled with a bootlace, police struggled to learn her identity, and that of…
‘On Creating a Series…’
Creating a new series is a bit of a challenge for any author – not only must you come up with a bunch of brand-new characters, but you also need to know where they live, what work they do and any interesting pasts they’ve had before appearing fully-formed in a new adventure. I’m not a…
‘Broken Ground’ by Val McDermid
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A body found buried in a peat bog in a remote spot in the Highlands, sends cold-case investigator DCI Karen Pirie to the scene. Buried along with the body are a pair of pre-war motorcycles, but the condition of the body suggests the murder is more recent. As…
‘The Locked Room’ by Holly Hepburn
Purchase Link My Review (4 stars out of 5) In her basement office within the Baker Street Building Society, Harriet (Harry) White responds to letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. Spotting something in The Times that challenges her fictional hero to prove his worth, propels Harry on a mission to locate the mystery writer, who titles…
Colin Garrow 