Today it is my stop on the Blog Tour and I am sharing with you some background about the series and my review of the book.
(REVIEW BELOW)
Discover a crime thriller full of shocking twists by one of the most exciting new authors you’ll read this year.
A VICTIM. A MUTILATED BODY. A SINGLE WORD.
A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.”
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is assigned to the case. Young, handsome, and from a well-off background, he’s tipped for the top. He joins a team based out of Bermondsey, South London. It’s meant to be a stepping stone to his next promotion, but this case will threaten to bring down his career and everything he thought he knew about policing.
Paterson is put in charge of the dead girl's investigation and quickly discovers he must rely on his friend and mentor, Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan to guide him through.
THEN ANOTHER BODY IS DISCOVERED. ANOTHER WORD CUT INTO THE VICTIM’S CHEST.
The police realise they may have a depraved serial killer on their hands. The murderer is trying to send them a message carved in his victims’ bodies. But who’s the message for?
How many more must die? Detective Paterson may be the only man who can stop this vile killer . . . if he can survive long enough.
This is the first in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.
Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Mark Billingham.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A HEAVILY REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “THE SKY IS CRYING.”
TWO DETECTIVES WHO HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER MUST WORK TOGETHER
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson, is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a 'climber'.
Detective Sergeant Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains to become a first-class thief taker with the Met police. However, his childish attitude has short-circuited his career and he spends his days antagonising as many people as he can.
Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan is an old-school copper who trusts his instincts but relies on evidence. He is typical in that his marriage has broken down and he's been unable to form a relationship since.
THE SETTING
Bermondsey is an area of London nestled on the banks of the River Thames. It once had a reputation for housing more armed robbers, murderers and career criminals than anywhere else in the country. Now one of the most upmarket places to live and work in London, it has all but severed itself from its working-class roots. Home to the iconic Tower Bridge and crammed with expensive apartments, art galleries, fancy restaurants and famous residents. But for the police, those who truly know, Bermondsey never lost its roots . . . or its reputation.
AUTHOR BIO
I was born and raised in South East London (Peckham to be precise - cushty, my son). At the ripe old age of twenty-one, I joined the Metropolitan Police where I served for twenty years before I was pensioned out with a serious back injury. I then went to work as an enforcement officer for a local authority before taking redundancy.
Thankfully, I've been blessed with a complete lack of DIY skills so was legitimately able to get away with swanning around the house doing bugger all, all day long. Finding myself with plenty of spare time and a deep desire to never work for anyone again, I gave myself permission to go back to writing (I'd been writing on and off for years).
When I'm not writing, I'm out taking photographs, something I've done since I was a nipper and will do until the day I shuffle off this mortal coil.
I live down in the windier part of East Sussex near the sea with my long-suffering wife and my 'off-her-nut' cockerpoo. I have two sons of whom I am so proud, I cannot begin to tell you.
MY REVIEW
My rating: 4 Stars
A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.” Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is fast on the case. He is a rich, young, ladies-man who is making a fast rise to the top in the South London police. He and his team are working hard to identify the killer, and once they do, desperately seeking to catch him before he kills another, which he does. Finding the killer is a real chore, because in his team, one of the detectives, Johnny Clocks, is someone that Paterson hates. Hopefully their contentious relationship won't get in the way of solving these gruesome murders.
Their Last Words is dark and often crude, which left me cringing more than once, especially with the graphic descriptions of the ghastly murders. All I could imagine was the author's previous employ as a detective and how it most likely lent to providing the realism displayed in this book. Also, the cops here were not a great team like you generally see on television often where they behave like a well-oiled machine. There is often extreme disgust towards one another. I did enjoy the brief moments of profiling to identify the killer as they sought to identify and arrest him.
The first half of the book was a bit difficult for me as I am rather sensitive. But, once they had a bead on the killer, it then became a matter of locating him before he could continue to murder people. This fast-paced book truly became a page turner from this point on. I had a surprisingly emotional reaction to the shocking conclusion. Haven't not read much crime fiction before, I was impressed. Definitely four stars!
Many thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
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