Police Procedural Archives - What's Better Than Books?

03
Jul
2020

#BookReview Find Them Dead by Peter James @peterjamesuk @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #FindThemDead #RoyGrace

categories: Book Review, Police Procedural, Mystery/Thriller, 8.5/10

Title: Find Them Dead

Author: Peter James

Series: Roy Grace #16

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jul. 2, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Roy Grace, creation of the award-winning author Peter James, unearths a powerful criminal network in Find Them Dead.

Ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.

Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now 18, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world.

In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.

Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free.

Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.

A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words . . . Not guilty.

Review:

Sharp, engrossing, and unexpected!

In this menacing sixteenth installment in the Roy Grace series, Find Them Dead, DS Roy Grace is just finishing up his post at the London Met when he quickly becomes immersed in the newly commenced, high-stakes, illegal drug smuggling and distribution trial in Sussex of a ruthless defendant that’s not opposed to a little jury coercion and manipulation to get the verdict he’s hoping for.

The writing is taut and fluid. The characters are scheming, callous, and anxious. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into a mysterious, courtroom drama filled with corruption, deception, manipulation, malevolence, speculation, violence, and murder.

Overall, Find Them Dead is another solid, complex, cunning addition to the Roy Grace series by James that’s a little different than the usual action-packed police procedural we’re used to and more of a tense, crafty, satisfying legal thriller.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Peter James

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. His Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over eighteen million copies, and has given him eleven consecutive Sunday Times number ones. In 2015 WHSmith customers publicly voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he became the recipient of the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. Peter has also written a short story collection, A Twist of the Knife, and his standalone titles include Perfect People and The House on Cold Hill. He has also co-written a non-fiction account of Brighton’s toughest cases with former detective Graham Bartlett entitled Death Comes Knocking. The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple and Not Dead Enough have all been turned into smash-hit stage plays. All his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police. Three of his novels have been filmed and before becoming a full-time author he produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. He divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and near Brighton in Sussex.

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04
Jun
2020

#BookReview Time for the Dead by Lin Anderson @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #RhonaMacLeod #TimefortheDead

categories: Book Review, Police Procedural, Mystery/Thriller, 8.5/10

Title: Time for the Dead

Author: Lin Anderson

Series: Rhona MacLeod #14

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jun. 1, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Time for the Dead is a gripping crime novel by Lin Anderson and sees forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod discover that a terrifying war is unfolding on Scotland’s Isle of Skye.

When forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod returns to her roots on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, a chance encounter in the woods behind a nearby activities centre leads her to what seems to be a crime scene, but without a victim. Could this be linked to a group of army medics, who visited the centre while on leave from Afghanistan and can no longer be located on the island?

Enlisting the help of local tracker dog Blaze, Rhona starts searching for a connection.

Two days later a body is found at the base of the famous cliff known as Kilt Rock, face and identity obliterated by the fall, which leads Rhona to suspect the missing medics may be on the island for reasons other than relaxation. Furthermore, elements of the case suggests a link with an ongoing operation in Glasgow, which draws DS Michael McNab into the investigation.

As the island’s unforgiving conditions close in, Rhona must find out what really happened to the group in Afghanistan, as the consequences may be being played out in brutal killings on Skye . . .

Review:

Edgy, atmospheric, and immersive!

In this latest novel by Anderson, Time for the Dead, we head to the Isle of Skye, Scotland where forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod has fled for some much-needed rest and recuperation after a traumatizing previous case only to find herself suddenly immersed into the evidence collection and investigation of a bloody crime scene she inadvertently stumbles across in the woods.

The prose is descriptive and gritty. The characters are focused, tenacious, and troubled. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel meticulously into a hauntingly suspenseful tale full of deception, abuse, violence, rape, control, power, manipulation, war, drug trafficking, and murder.

Overall, Time for the Dead is an astute, intricate, mysterious tale by Anderson that kept me enthralled and entertained from the very first page and certainly left me eager for more.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Lin Anderson

Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for her bestselling crime series featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod. Four of her novels have been longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, with Follow the Dead being a 2018 finalist. Her short film River Child won both a Scottish BAFTA for Best Fiction and the Celtic Film Festival’s Best Drama award and has now been viewed more than one million times on YouTube. Lin is also the co-founder of the international crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, which takes place annually in Stirling.

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03
Feb
2020

#BookReview A Cold Trail (Tracy Crosswhite #7) by Robert Dugoni @robertdugoni @AmazonPub

categories: Book Review, Police Procedural, Mystery/Thriller, 9/10

Title: A Cold Trail

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Tracy Crosswhite #7

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Feb. 4, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 358

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

In New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s riveting series, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite returns home to a brutal murder and her haunted past.

The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape.

Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?

Review:

Suspenseful, enthralling, and meticulous!

In this latest novel by Dugoni, A Cold Trail, we head back to Tracy and Dan’s hometown of Cedar Grove, Washington where Dan is immersed in a legal battle against the Mayor who seems to be expropriating old businesses, and Tracy, who’s technically on maternity leave, is swept up in an investigation into the murder of the police chief’s wife and the 1993 cold case of a slain teen that may or may not be connected.

The prose is bold and crisp. The characters are focused, diligent, and authentic. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel quickly into a gripping tale of life, loss, family, friendship, deception, manipulation, corruption, greed, jealousy, brutality, and murder.

Overall, A Cold Trail is a compelling, complex, thrilling mystery with good characterization, great pace, and a nice sense of urgency that’s a wonderful addition to the Tracy Crosswhite series and shouldn’t be missed.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is the No. 1 Kindle bestselling and No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, including My Sister’s Grave, Her Final Breath, In the Clearing, The Trapped Girl, and Close to Home. His books with Amazon Publishing have reached more than 3 million readers through print sales and digital downloads, and have twice been nominated for the International Thriller Award. He is also the author of the Edgar Award–nominated The 7th Canon; the New York Times bestselling David Sloane series, which includes The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One, and The Conviction; the stand-alone novel Damage Control; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year selection.

Dugoni is a two-time nominee for the Harper Lee Award for Legal Fiction and the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction.

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09
Oct
2019

#BookReview Dead Guilty by Michelle Davies @M_Davieswrites @PGCBooks @panmacmillan

categories: Noteworthy Book Releases, Book Review, 10/10, Mystery/Thriller

Title: Dead Guilty

Author: Michelle Davies

Series: DC Maggie Neville #4

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Oct. 8, 2019

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Dead Guilty by Michelle Davies is the captivating fourth novel in the critically acclaimed Maggie Neville series, following False Witness.

Has the killer in DC Maggie Neville’s cold case returned after a decade of silence?

Katy Pope was seventeen when she was brutally murdered on a family holiday in Majorca. Despite her mother’s high rank in the Met and the joint major investigation between the British and Spanish police, Katy’s killer was never caught.

Ten years later, Katy’s family return to the Spanish island to launch a fresh appeal for information, taking with them the now skeletal team of investigating Met detectives, and newly seconded Maggie as the family liaison officer.

But Maggie’s first international investigation quickly goes from being more than just a press conference when another British girl there on holiday goes missing, and Katy’s killer announces that it’s time for an encore . . .

Review:

Sharp, engrossing, and perfectly plotted!

In this fourth novel in the DC Maggie Neville series, Dead Guilty, Davies has written a fast-paced, police procedural that has DC Maggie Neville struggling to adapt to her new role within the Met, whisking off to Majorca to act as the Family Liaison Officer for the Pope family as they struggle to cope with their emotional fragility, endless grief, and irrepressible desire for justice for the 10-year-old unsolved murder of their daughter, and on the hunt for a sadistic serial killer who may have just found a new victim to terrorize.

The writing is crisp and bold. The characters are tenacious, flawed, and astute. And the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat with its short, intense chapters that submerge you into an ominous tale full of twists, turns, red herrings, secrets, obsession, mayhem, deduction, attraction, violence, and murder.

Overall, Dead Guilty has an incredibly pacey storyline and exceptional character development. It’s dark, crafty, and riveting and is a clear indicator that Davies has hit her stride. If you love well-written police procedurals with intriguing characters then this is definitely one book/series you don’t want to miss.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Michelle Davies

Michelle Davies has been writing for magazines for twenty years, including on the production desk at Elle, and as Features Editor of Heat. Her last staff position before going freelance was Editor-at-Large at Grazia magazine and she currently writes for a number of women's magazines and newspaper supplements. Michelle has previously reviewed crime fiction for the Sunday Express's Books section.

Michelle lives in London with her partner and daughter and juggles writing crime fiction with her freelance journalism and motherhood. The Maggie Neville Series consists of Gone Astray, Wrong Place, False Witness and Dead Guilty.

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04
Sep
2019

#BookReview The Long Call (Two Rivers #1) by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks @panmacmillan @headcrime #thelongcall

categories: Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, 8.5/10

Title: The Long Call

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: Two Rivers #1

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 3, 2019

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Bestselling author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope series’, Ann Cleeves returns with the first in a brand-new series set in North Devon and featuring Detective Matthew Venn. In this rural idyll, where two rivers meet, crime is always there waiting to rise from the water.

In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father’s funeral takes place. The day Matthew turned his back on the strict evangelical community in which he grew up, he lost his family too.

Now he’s back, not just to mourn his father at a distance, but to take charge of his first major case in the Two Rivers region; a complex place not quite as idyllic as tourists suppose.

A body has been found on the beach near to Matthew’s new home: a man with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

Finding the killer is Venn’s only focus, and his team’s investigation will take him straight back into the community he left behind, and the deadly secrets that lurk there.

Review:

Simmering, menacing, and clever!

The Long Call is the kickoff for a brand-new series by Cleeves that sweeps you away to North Devon where the reticent, intelligent, DI Matthew Vern finds himself investigating a complicated case involving a stabbing victim with a bird tattoo, two missing girls, a community centre that hits a little too close to home, and an evangelical Brethren that excommunicated him in the past.

The prose is meticulous and crisp. The characters are methodical, relentless, and flawed. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into a mysterious tale filled with mixed emotions, deception, abuse, manipulation, corruption, red herrings, and murder.

Overall, The Long Call is a well-paced, pensive, sophisticated thriller by Cleeves that’s a brilliant start to the Two Rivers series and another fine example of her ability to write police procedurals with well-drawn characters and sinister storylines.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is the author behind PBS’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. She has written over twenty-five novels, and is the creator of detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez – characters loved both on screen and in print. Her books have now sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before becoming a crime writer. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. In 2006 Ann was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, for Raven Black, the first book in her Shetland series, and in 2012 she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. Ann lives in North Tyneside, England.

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03
Jul
2019

#BookReview Dead at First Sight by Peter James @peterjamesuk @PGCBooks @panmacmillan

categories: Book Review, Police Procedural, Mystery/Thriller, 8/10

Title: Dead at First Sight

Author: Peter James

Series: Roy Grace #15

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jul. 2, 2019

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A man waits at London Airport for Ingrid Ostermann, the love of his life, to arrive. Across the Atlantic, a retired NYPD cop waits in a bar in Florida’s Key West for his first date with the lady who is, without question, his soulmate. The two men are about to discover they’ve been scammed out of almost every penny they have—and that neither woman exists.

Meanwhile, a wealthy divorcée plunges, in suspicious circumstances, from an apartment block in Munich. In the same week, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to investigate the suicide of a woman in Brighton, that is clearly not what it seems. As his investigations continue, a handsome Brighton motivational speaker comes forward. He’d discovered his identity is being used to scam 11 different women, online.

Roy Grace realizes he is looking at the tip of an iceberg. A global empire built on clever, cruel internet scams and the murder of anyone who threatens to expose them.

Review:

Dark, devious, and pacey!

Dead at First Sight is a sharp, compelling, police procedural that immerses you into the gritty, disturbing underworld of cybercrime, specifically online dating, and highlights just how easy it is to prey on humanity’s insatiable need to love and be loved.

The writing is complex and intense. The characters are a mix of ruthless, vulnerable, and tenacious. And the plot is a suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, action, duplicity, manipulation, intrigue, power, greed, violence, and murder.

Overall, Dead at First Sight is another timely, insightful, action-packed tale by James that highlights just how exposed the internet actually makes us and how easy and quickly it is for those with nefarious tendencies to commit crimes and destroy lives worldwide.

Dead at First Sight is the fifteenth novel in the Roy Grace series and even though there are some references to cases and events from the previous books, it can certainly be read as a standalone if desired.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.