Tag: #britishpoliceprocedural

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Deadline by Geoff Major

Deadline by Geoff Major

#Deadline @GradusPrimus @ghpbooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on this blog tour for DEADLINE by Geoff Major. This is an exciting new book by this debut author. I could not put it down and was completely shocked by the ending.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb:

Adam Ferranti was drinking away his waking hours, getting by in a regional newspaper in the North of England. An award-winning journalist, he moved to England to escape the media glare that followed his spectacular fall from grace at The Washington Post; only to be thrust back in it when a mysterious serial killer decides to make him his confidante.

DS Stephanie Walker is a successful member of the West Yorkshire Police force. Whilst she is tough and results-driven at work, with a fearsome reputation on the streets, she hides the domestic abuse she suffers at home.

She finds Ferranti exceptionally difficult to deal with, but he’s her only chance to stay close to what the elusive killer is planning next. Ferranti reluctantly complies with the Police, even though he is fighting his own personal demons, but when his best friend is murdered by the killer, it suddenly gets personal. And suddenly, no-one is quite who they seemed to be.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55168433-deadline

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLINE by Geoff Major is an exceptionally chilling serial killer/spy thriller/British police procedural/mystery/suspense/thriller mash-up. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, Mr. Major would throw in another plot twist or red herring that completely sent me in another direction and the ending shocked me!

Adam Ferranti had the story of his career at the Washington Post pulled out from under him and quashed by the FBI. After that disappointment he becomes a war correspondent in Afghanistan and then takes a position with the Yorkshire Post in England. Down and out, he suddenly begins to receive mysterious calls from a serial killer.

Detective Sergeant Stephanie Walker is a talented star at work, but abused by her husband in their home. DS Walker is in charge of the murder investigation, when Ferranti comes to the police station with his story of being contacted by a serial killer who has set them on a deadline until the next killing. At first the two butt heads, but eventually Stephanie starts to like and have feelings for Ferranti.

Stephanie is pulled from the case officially when her husband is considered a suspect. She continues to be updated by the DS Hobbs who replaced her and works the case with Ferranti. But nothing is as it seems with MI5, a U.S. Senator and long buried secrets about to emerge as well as a serial killer who continues on his deadline.

Clear some time because once you start this book you are not going to want to put it down. It starts out as a common serial killer investigation, but the plot quickly morphs into so much more. The characters are all fully fleshed and many have secrets that are revealed cleverly throughout the plot. The ending completely shocked me and I love when a story can do that to me. I was completely and pleasantly surprised by this debut author.

I highly recommend this book! This is a book you are going to want to get your hands on as soon as possible and I know everyone will be talking about it, especially the ending.

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About the Author

A long time ago, Geoff Major had an idea for a story, whilst walking his girls to primary school. Two years ago, he decided he had the time and patience to try to write the story down. His wife was wholly supportive, so he turned from full-time to part-time for four months and now – 23 years after that idea first popped into his head – it has been published.

As a self-employed business consultant for 18 years and a fundraising adventurer for 10 years (including ski-trekking 50 miles, over 6 days and 6 nights, to the geographic North Pole), he now works for a debt charity whilst plotting his next three books

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GradusPrimus

Blog: https://lets-start-at-the-very-beginning.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primusgradus/

Purchase Links:

I will send the purchase links in a separate email as the book is not available for pre-order yet.

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Deadly Vengeance by O.M.J. Ryan

#DeadlyVengeance @OMJRYAN1 #InkubatorBooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Deadly Vengeance Blog Tour. I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for DEADLY VENGEANCE (Detective Jane Phillips Book #3) by O.M.J. Ryan. I love this series!

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Some people can never escape their past.

When the fifteen-year-old daughter of UK munitions dealer, Sir Richard Hawkins vanishes without a trace – the race is on to find her. But Sir Richard and his wife’s worst fears are realised when they receive a video of Hollie, tied to a chair, with a masked man holding a gun to her head.

The ransom demands are simple, pay four million pounds in cash – or they’ll never see their daughter again. DCI Jane Phillips is assigned to the case, and has no idea of who, or what she’s up against. But as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear Hollie’s kidnapping was the work of a formidable gang – who operate in the shadows and will stop at nothing to get what they want.

As the pressure mounts, can Phillips and the team find Hollie before it’s too late? Or will this investigation signal not only the death of the Major Crimes Unit, but one of her beloved team, as well?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54377800-deadly-vengeance

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY VENGEANCE (Detective Jane Phillips Book #3) by O.M.J. Ryan is the latest suspense/thriller/ British police procedural in the DCI Jane Phillips series. I love this series and am always very happy to return to Manchester with Jane and all her teammates.

Holly Hawkins is kidnapped from a Halloween party at her parent’s country club. It was a precision job with no clues left behind. Her parents receive a video of a terrified Holly stating her father has exactly one week to get four million pounds together for the ransom drop with no excuses or Holly will be killed.

DCI Phillips and her team are assigned the case, but they also have to deal with a Hostage Negotiator from the Met who wants all the glory without doing any of the work. Every clue ends in a dead end and the money must be dropped.

Will Jane and her team be able to find Holly as the pressure mounts, or will they be too late? And when they finally have a chance to solve the kidnapping, one of Jane’s team may not see it to the end.

There are a few British police procedural series that I absolutely have to keep up with and they are Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone series, Robert Brynzda’s Erika Foster series and O.M.J. Ryan’s Jane Phillips is the third. Mr. Ryan has created wonderful characters that could walk right off the page. His plots are always intricate and the investigations intriguing. This book, as the rest, can be read as a standalone because the main plot/crime is always solved in each book, but the characters grow and evolve so in my opinion it is more satisfying to read them in order.

I highly recommend this book and the entire Detective Jane Phillips series!

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About the Author

Hailing from Yorkshire, OMJ Ryan worked in radio and entertainment for over twenty years, collaborating with household names and accumulating a host of international writing and radio awards. In 2018 he followed his passion to become a full-time novelist, writing stories for people who devour exciting, fast-paced thrillers by the pool, on their commute – or those rare moments of downtime before bed. Owen’s mission is to entertain from the first page to the last.

Deadly Vengeance is the third Detective Jane Phillips book in the series and OMJ’s fourth book with Inkubator Books.

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OMJRYAN1 @OMJRYAN1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OMJ-Ryan-2449880305025779/

Website: https://www.omjryan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omjryan/

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3glPeQ6

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2AolDGu

Publishing Information

Published in digital format by Inkubator Books on 19th July 2020

Feature Post and Book Review: Deadly Secrets by Ann Girdharry

Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for Ann Girdharry’s new book – DEADLY SECRETS which is the second book featuring D.I. Grant and his team. It can be easily read as a standalone.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

How long can you get away with murder?

In an idyllic Sussex town, Mr Quinn whispers a secret on his death bed. Hours later the person who cared for Quinn is killed.

Mr Quinn’s secret sets off events unlike anything Detective Grant and Psychologist Ruby Silver have ever seen.
A series of deaths follow as a killer tries to cover their twenty-year trail of murder by drowning.

Grant, Silver and the team must track a killer who has been getting away with murder for years.

But when treachery, corruption and secrets from the past are used against Sergeant Tom Delaney, the killer turns their attention to one of Grant’s own…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54202874-deadly-secrets

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY SECRETS by Ann Girdharry is a British police procedural thriller that I was very excited to receive from Bloodhound Books. I read the first book in this series, ‘Deadly Motives’ and loved it. This second book is an absolute edge-of-your-seat page turner and as electrifying as the first. It can be easily read as a standalone, but I know after you read this book and find out how much you love it, you will go back for the first.

This story has DI David Grant and the whole team returning for another investigation which begins with the stabbing death of a young nurse. Nurse Dixon was loved by everyone and yet she was brutally murdered and had her face cut out of a family picture. Criminal Psychologist Ruby Silver is helping the team once again and believes they may be chasing a serial killer as another death occurs which ties these deaths back to a twenty-year-old mystery.

DI Grant, Ruby and the team are tracking a killer who has eluded justice for many years even as they work the cold case of two boys who disappeared. The cold case also is connected to rumors from the past related to DS Tom Delaney father’s suicide.

The team is in a race to figure out how the past and present all tie together to find the killer before a person close to the team is targeted.

I read this book all in one sitting. I could not put it down. Ms. Girdharry has once again brought all her characters to life. They are all realistically heroic and evil. I felt Tom’s past trauma from finding his father’s body and the difficulty it caused in his work in the present was handled with empathy and it gives you more insight into his character. There are several POV ‘s between the past and present and yet I never lost track of who was speaking. The plot kept me glued to the page. There were several times I thought I knew who was responsible, but I was only partially correct because a plot twist or red herring would throw me back into questioning the killer’s identity.

I highly recommend this new intense and absolutely gripping thriller by Ms. Girdharry! I cannot wait to see where the characters go from here.

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Author Bio and Social Media Links

Ann Girdharry is a British, crime thriller author.

She is a trained psychotherapist and worked as a manager in the not-for-profit sector.

Her debut novel, Good Girl Bad Girl, is an ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD Finalist 2017 and a READERS’ FAVOURITE Five Star Book.

Here are a few fun facts from Ann Girdharry –

I love to travel and visit different cultures. As an adult, I’ve lived in the USA, Norway, UK and France.

One of my passions is roller blading and another is gardening.

You can connect with me –

Via my website
http://www.girdharry.com

On Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AnnGirdharry…

My Reader’s Group
Be the first to know about my new releases by joining my Reader’s Group.
(No spam, I promise! ) – details on my website.

Book Review: Child’s Play by Angela Marsons

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

CHILD’S PLAY (D.I. Kim Stone Book #11) by Angela Marsons is another great addition in this British police procedural thriller series. Besides the main crime plotline, Ms. Marsons gives Penn his own side sub-plotline on an old case with his previous team.

Kim is called to the scene of a horrific murder with an elderly woman tied with barbed wire by her wrists to a swing and stabbed through the heart. When Keats discovers an “X” on the back of the woman’s neck during autopsy and another body is discovered laid over a chalked hop-scotch with the same marking on his neck, Kim knows they are looking for a ritualistic killer.

Another body is found, who was the killer’s first victim positioned by a Snakes & Ladder game in his home with the “X” on the back of his neck. All three victims are tied to a yearly gifted children’s competition which is occurring this weekend. Kim, Bryant, Stacy and a temp called Tiff are all on site and hope to catch the killer before there are any more deaths.

At the same time, Penn is off when he is needed to testify on his last case tied to his old unit. The case begins to fall apart and Penn has to rework with case. Something is not right and Penn finds not only himself, but his brother in danger.

Even with this being the eleventh book in this series, I am never bored, always glad to get back to favorite characters and looking for the next book to come. This book’s two plotlines do not intersect and therefore you get two dramatic solutions. The investigations in this series are as interesting as the resolutions because they always are intense and intriguing. All the main characters feel like they could walk off the page and feel like a second family. The secondary characters are always fully fleshed with interesting back stories and motives.

I can once again highly recommend this book and the entire series. It is a definite MUST READ!

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Author Bio

Angela is the author of the Kim Stone Crime series. She discovered a love of writing at Primary School when a short piece on the rocks and the sea gained her the only merit point she ever got. Angela wrote the stories that burned inside and then stored them safely in a desk drawer. After much urging from her partner she began to enter short story competitions in Writer’s News resulting in a win and three short listed entries.


She used the Amazon KDP program to publish two of her earlier works before concentrating on her true passion – Crime.


Angela is now signed to write a total of 16 Kim Stone books for http://bookouture.com and has secured a print deal with Bonnier Zaffre Publishing.

Book Review: Dead Memories by Angela Marsons

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEAD MEMORIES (D.I. Kim Stone Book #10) by Angela Marsons is a British police procedural that never fails to keep my nose in the book from start to finish. I know I can pick up a D.I. Kim Stone book and be engrossed by both some of my favorite characters and an intricate plot.

In this addition to the series, there is an unknown person recreating every traumatic event from Kim’s past down to the smallest detail. Someone wants to emotionally destroy Kim and Kim and her team believe the finale will be her death.

Kim has spent years catching and caging dangerous criminals. Now, she and her team need to sift through all the possible suspects from her past in a race to save her life.

I am never disappointed by a book in this series! By the time an author gets to this many books in a series it can become stale, but not this one. Angela Marsons has written a protagonist that is emotionally complex, strong and lives for the justice she provides for the victims she stands for. Her team is not just filler, but each has their unique qualities and characteristics which make them as integral to my love of these stories as Kim. This plot brought back all the villains I have loved to hate and still Kim comes out on top with the help of her team.

I can highly recommend this addition to the D.I. Kim Stone series and really the whole series! If you have not read any of these books, you are definitely missing out on one of the best series in this genre.

***

Author Bio

Angela is the author of the Kim Stone Crime series. She discovered a love of writing at Primary School when a short piece on the rocks and the sea gained her the only merit point she ever got. Angela wrote the stories that burned inside and then stored them safely in a desk drawer. After much urging from her partner she began to enter short story competitions in Writer’s News resulting in a win and three short listed entries.


She used the Amazon KDP program to publish two of her earlier works before concentrating on her true passion – Crime.


Angela is now signed to write a total of 16 Kim Stone books for http://bookouture.com and has secured a print deal with Bonnier Zaffre Publishing.

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Deadly Waters by OMJ Ryan

Deadly Waters (DCI Jane Phillips #2) by OMJ Ryan

#DeadlyWaters #InkubatorBooks @OMJRYAN1 @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

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Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to be one of the first to share on the Deadly Waters Blog Tour today! This Feature Post and Book Review is for DEADLY WATERS (Detective Jane Phillips Book 2) by OMJ Ryan.

I am a huge fan of DI Jane Phillips books! Jane was first introduced in Deadly Secrets and now is featured in the Detective Jane Phillips series that began with Deadly Silence which is labeled as book 1.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and an about the author section with social media links. Enjoy!

***

Book Blurb

Several young women have recently drowned in Manchester’s vast network of canals. A coincidence? Or something more sinister?

When star detective DCI Jane Phillips begins to investigate, her finely tuned instinct tells her these are no accidents. And when she discovers that each of the drowned women has a mysterious circular bruise on the back of her neck, Phillips is sure of it — she’s up against a very clever serial killer.

But how are the victims being chosen? And who will be next?

With the body count rising, Phillips and her team find themselves in a fight to the death with a shadowy figure who always seems to be one step ahead.

Can Phillips stop the killer before the next victim dies? Or will she herself become an offering to Manchester’s deadly waters?

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY WATERS (Detective Jane Phillips Book 2) by OMJ Ryan is an edge-of-your-seat addition to this British Police procedural thriller series. This can be read as a standalone focusing on the serial murder plot itself, but the characters continue to become more fully fleshed with each book in the series and I recommend they be read in order. (FYI: To read about Jane in order, the numbering of these books is somewhat confusing. Jane is introduced in Deadly Secrets but is featured in Deadly Silence which is labeled book 1 and now Deadly Waters is labeled book 2.)

DCI Jane Phillips and DI Jones are called to the scene of an apparent drowning in a Manchester canal by an overeager young recruit on the basis of a rumor. Everything points to an accidental drowning until a second body is found with the same strange circular bruise on the back of her neck and under the same circumstances. Each was a heroin addicted young prostitute with a small child at home.

With the body count rising and pressure from the top, Jane and her team have a short amount of time to figure out how and why the victims are being chosen. Will Jane be able to stop the killer or will she be another corpse in the deadly waters?

I loved DCI Jane Phillips, her team and this thriller plot. This series is fast becoming one of my favorites. Mr. Ryan was able to focus my attention completely away from the true identity of the killer. I once again thought I had it all figured out with the team and I was wrong, but I love when that happens. I also love being completely engrossed in the suspense and not being able to put a book down as I was with this book. The pace of this thriller starts out slowly with just a hunch and then builds to a fast-paced crescendo. The tool used by the killer that produced the bruise on the neck of the victims was unique and an interesting twist.

I highly recommend Deadly Waters and all of the books in this series!

***

About OMJ Ryan:

Hailing from Yorkshire, OMJ Ryan worked in radio and entertainment for over twenty years, collaborating with household names and accumulating a host of international writing and radio awards.

In 2018 he followed his passion to become a full-time novelist, writing stories for people who devour exciting, fast-paced thrillers by the pool, on their commute – or those rare moments of downtime before bed. Owen’s mission is to entertain from the first page to the last. DEADLY WATERS will be his third novel published with Inkubator Books. 

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OMJRYAN1 @OMJRYAN1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OMJ-Ryan-2449880305025779/

Website: https://www.omjryan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omjryan/

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Waters-thriller-Detective-Phillips-ebook/dp/B0852PXLBY/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=deadly+waters&qid=1583326835&sr=8-2

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Waters-thriller-Detective-Phillips-ebook/dp/B0852PXLBY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=deadly+waters+by+OMJ+Ryan&qid=1583327466&sr=8-1

Publishing Information:

Published by Inkubator Books in digital format on 15th March 2020.