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Mersey Murder Mysteries #1
A Mersey Killing
A skeleton and a missing woman. A doomed romance. A mystery spanning two generations.
Liverpool, 1961. A group of young men come together seeking fame and fortune, as the fledgling sounds of the Swinging Sixties take root in the city. Soon, Liverpool becomes synonymous with the music that shapes a generation.
Liverpool, 1999. Skeletal remains found in the docklands lead Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzie Drake into a journey through time, as the investigation takes them back to early days of the Mersey Beat.
Whose bones laid beneath the mud of the River Mersey for over thirty years, and what links them to a young woman, missing for the entire time?
Winner - Preditors & Editors Best Book Award.
Liverpool, 1961. A group of young men come together seeking fame and fortune, as the fledgling sounds of the Swinging Sixties take root in the city. Soon, Liverpool becomes synonymous with the music that shapes a generation.
Liverpool, 1999. Skeletal remains found in the docklands lead Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzie Drake into a journey through time, as the investigation takes them back to early days of the Mersey Beat.
Whose bones laid beneath the mud of the River Mersey for over thirty years, and what links them to a young woman, missing for the entire time?
Winner - Preditors & Editors Best Book Award.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2015
1732 people are currently reading
1126 people want to read
About the author
Brian L. Porter
62 books71 followersFormerly a member of the Royal Air Force, Brian L Porter is an award-winning author, and a dedicated dog rescuer, with the distinction of having more than twenty Amazon #1 bestsellers to his name. He has written under three pseudonyms, with bestsellers coming under each of his writing guises. The majority of those have come under his Brian L Porter name with four coming under his Harry Porter and Juan Pablo Jalisco names.
Nowadays, he divides his time between writing his popular Mersey Murder Mystery series of books, and his immensely successful true-life Family of Rescue Dogs series, all featuring the dogs that form part of his own family, and all having been Amazon #1 bestsellers.
Nowadays, he divides his time between writing his popular Mersey Murder Mystery series of books, and his immensely successful true-life Family of Rescue Dogs series, all featuring the dogs that form part of his own family, and all having been Amazon #1 bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
February 7, 2019
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to download the fourth book in the Mersey Murder Mysteries by Brian L. Porter. I enjoyed the book a great deal, and so, I've decided to go back to the beginning of the series and read them in order, starting with A Mersey Killing: When Liverpool Rocked, And The Music Died. Porter has kicked off a fantastic collection of novels involving the various detectives and police beginning with Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzie Drake. If you're a fan of British crime fiction and methodical investigation, you're sure to love these books.
In this series debut, a body is found in the Mersey River. It's often difficult to obtain clues when the water can wash away evidence, but what about if the body has been there for over 35 years? Izzie and Ross have their work cut out for them, but as readers, we're privileged to know a little bit more. Porter's weaved alternating time periods in this story by showing us what happened in the past to a group of Liverpool musicians in the 1960s. As we get to know about 6 to 8 talents, we wonder... which one falls prey to a killer? As the story unfolds, we learn who it is, but there's also someone else missing, too. Did they escape to America to form a band? Are they hiding out from someone dangerous? Izzie and Ross solve the case but not before tearing apart a family who's been devastated one too many times in the past.
Porter's a definite talent. While his books are mysteries with a touch of suspense, love and thrills, they often wisely focus on the relationships between characters as the catalyst to drive the story. Whether it's getting to know the current day investigators, the past musicians, or who they've all become today, the plot and writing forces readers to care about what's happening to everyone. We see them going thru their days on all levels -- sometimes focused on the investigation, sometimes dealing with a personal issue. As the stories all begin to intersect, we begin to develop our own instincts as to who's guilty of murder and who's guilty of leading us astray.
Porter's style is very strong, clear and direct. His main investigator team works with different departments to determine the murder weapon, to check passports from 35 years ago, and to learn how to interpret clues that no longer make sense. We see the leads meet with their colleagues and form their own opinions, but hold back a bit of reserve knowing they haven't unearthed everything they still need to know. And when it all comes to a crashing finale, we worry whether the punishment fits the crime. That's the sign of a good storyteller -- to make us think critically.
Kudos to Porter for proving why building the right characters and setting can lead to a very promising and worthy book series. I'm looking forward to picking up the next one this fall... and getting invested in a series with 5 books already in the author's pocket. I'm sure there will be more just as sure as I am that I'll love them all!
In this series debut, a body is found in the Mersey River. It's often difficult to obtain clues when the water can wash away evidence, but what about if the body has been there for over 35 years? Izzie and Ross have their work cut out for them, but as readers, we're privileged to know a little bit more. Porter's weaved alternating time periods in this story by showing us what happened in the past to a group of Liverpool musicians in the 1960s. As we get to know about 6 to 8 talents, we wonder... which one falls prey to a killer? As the story unfolds, we learn who it is, but there's also someone else missing, too. Did they escape to America to form a band? Are they hiding out from someone dangerous? Izzie and Ross solve the case but not before tearing apart a family who's been devastated one too many times in the past.
Porter's a definite talent. While his books are mysteries with a touch of suspense, love and thrills, they often wisely focus on the relationships between characters as the catalyst to drive the story. Whether it's getting to know the current day investigators, the past musicians, or who they've all become today, the plot and writing forces readers to care about what's happening to everyone. We see them going thru their days on all levels -- sometimes focused on the investigation, sometimes dealing with a personal issue. As the stories all begin to intersect, we begin to develop our own instincts as to who's guilty of murder and who's guilty of leading us astray.
Porter's style is very strong, clear and direct. His main investigator team works with different departments to determine the murder weapon, to check passports from 35 years ago, and to learn how to interpret clues that no longer make sense. We see the leads meet with their colleagues and form their own opinions, but hold back a bit of reserve knowing they haven't unearthed everything they still need to know. And when it all comes to a crashing finale, we worry whether the punishment fits the crime. That's the sign of a good storyteller -- to make us think critically.
Kudos to Porter for proving why building the right characters and setting can lead to a very promising and worthy book series. I'm looking forward to picking up the next one this fall... and getting invested in a series with 5 books already in the author's pocket. I'm sure there will be more just as sure as I am that I'll love them all!
May 22, 2017
A Mersey Killing is an example of a good story being let down by very poor editing. Run-on sentences, a man who forgot he'd taken his pants off so he took them off again, countless times when "then" was used instead of "than," and other errors were distractions that took away from a mystery set in a location and time period that I found very interesting.
The characters all seemed to be Good or Bad with no middle ground, although I did like the main characters of Andy Ross and Izzie Drake. I'd deduced the identity of the killer very early on, but what kept me reading was-- as I've said before-- the time period and the Liverpool setting, as well as a cold case from the same period involving a missing woman. The missing woman was the most interesting part of the mystery.
Since there are no guarantees that the editing has improved in the next books, I'll be giving the rest of this series a miss. I just don't have the patience to deal with keeping score on editing errors. It's a shame.
The characters all seemed to be Good or Bad with no middle ground, although I did like the main characters of Andy Ross and Izzie Drake. I'd deduced the identity of the killer very early on, but what kept me reading was-- as I've said before-- the time period and the Liverpool setting, as well as a cold case from the same period involving a missing woman. The missing woman was the most interesting part of the mystery.
Since there are no guarantees that the editing has improved in the next books, I'll be giving the rest of this series a miss. I just don't have the patience to deal with keeping score on editing errors. It's a shame.
June 25, 2017
A Mersey Killing by Brian L. Porter is a well-knit, tittilating novel focused on a murder mystery emanating from the Rock and Roll Revolution of the Sixties. Detective Andy Ross and Sgt. Clarissa Drake are committed to a murder nearly a half century old, its evidence lying along the shores of the River Mersey. Their investigation takes them back to way back when, a time when the British Invasion nearly convoluted the entirety of rock and roll itself. This introspective craftily interwoven into this suspense tale makes it all the more intriguing to readers of all genres.
Ross and Drake find themselves crossing the life cycle of Marie Doyle, an intrinsic figure who criss-crosses their investigation to their great consternation. Her footprints cross the 'beat' path of the rockers making their imprint on the cultural history of the Sixties. Only she swerves onto the straight and narrow incline of the nunnery, and Sister Mary Dominique becomes a key figure in the investigation of the death of Brendan Kane. The relationship between Ross and Drake is cleverly developed by the author, giving us not only a perspective of the times and dynamics of the era but the male/female relations that are explored throughout Porter's novel.
What makes this work is the authenticity of Porter's Liverpool backdrop, from the historically accurate Mersey rock scene to the on-spot dialogue that makes us feel as if we're eavesdropping on the conversations. It gives us a been-there done-that feeling that can only be conveyed by someone who's been that close. A Mersey Killing by Brian L. Porter is testament to an immortal era that rock fans and cultural buffs will not want to do without.
Ross and Drake find themselves crossing the life cycle of Marie Doyle, an intrinsic figure who criss-crosses their investigation to their great consternation. Her footprints cross the 'beat' path of the rockers making their imprint on the cultural history of the Sixties. Only she swerves onto the straight and narrow incline of the nunnery, and Sister Mary Dominique becomes a key figure in the investigation of the death of Brendan Kane. The relationship between Ross and Drake is cleverly developed by the author, giving us not only a perspective of the times and dynamics of the era but the male/female relations that are explored throughout Porter's novel.
What makes this work is the authenticity of Porter's Liverpool backdrop, from the historically accurate Mersey rock scene to the on-spot dialogue that makes us feel as if we're eavesdropping on the conversations. It gives us a been-there done-that feeling that can only be conveyed by someone who's been that close. A Mersey Killing by Brian L. Porter is testament to an immortal era that rock fans and cultural buffs will not want to do without.
August 3, 2022
An Intriguing Tale of Passions and Crime!
I really enjoyed the tragic story of Brendan Kane &The Planets and the beautiful Marie. The story was well laid out and believable, especially backed with real historical data. The transitions between the 1960's and the turn of the millennium were well done and enriched the overall story.
I felt the premise of the tale was quite enthralling. Not only did it bring an age past back to life, commemorating incredible artists of the time, but it was an excellent read. The continuous twists and turns of the plot were both fascinating and delightful. I certainly recommend it!
If you love crime mysteries and suspense then this is a "must read!"
I really enjoyed the tragic story of Brendan Kane &The Planets and the beautiful Marie. The story was well laid out and believable, especially backed with real historical data. The transitions between the 1960's and the turn of the millennium were well done and enriched the overall story.
I felt the premise of the tale was quite enthralling. Not only did it bring an age past back to life, commemorating incredible artists of the time, but it was an excellent read. The continuous twists and turns of the plot were both fascinating and delightful. I certainly recommend it!
If you love crime mysteries and suspense then this is a "must read!"
February 23, 2021
Oh my!! A murder and mystery novel set in Liverpool in the 60s... I so wanted to love that book! But as many have pointed out, there are serious flaws with this novel.
The story in itself is not without interest. The characters for the most part are ok, not quite full-fleshed, but not without characteristics either, though I didn't get attached to any of them.
There are too many repetitions in the text. This is a mistake many first-time writers make when they lack confidence and want to make super sure the reader is able to follow. But with so many repetitions and reminders, the reader is not only following easily, but getting more and more irritated at being reminded the same thing over and over.
The dialogues often lack natural - they are too many times stilted with lots of unnecessary details. Also, I found that the author doesn't quite control POV in this novel, something that I hope has improved in the subsequent books in the series.
Last thing - but this here should have been corrected by a good editor/proofreader - there are so many typos, words missing, and other little inconsistencies here and there that it gets annoying after a while.
On the plus side, the plot is fairly well constructed, the pace is good, and Liverpool in both the 60s and the end of the 90s seems well depicted.
This is clearly the first novel published by the author, and let's hope that he has kept improving with the next ones in the series. Hopefully he has a good editor now who can help with this improvement process, and some very honest beta-readers. I don't know if the other books in the series are better, but at this point, I don't intend to keep on reading.
The story in itself is not without interest. The characters for the most part are ok, not quite full-fleshed, but not without characteristics either, though I didn't get attached to any of them.
There are too many repetitions in the text. This is a mistake many first-time writers make when they lack confidence and want to make super sure the reader is able to follow. But with so many repetitions and reminders, the reader is not only following easily, but getting more and more irritated at being reminded the same thing over and over.
The dialogues often lack natural - they are too many times stilted with lots of unnecessary details. Also, I found that the author doesn't quite control POV in this novel, something that I hope has improved in the subsequent books in the series.
Last thing - but this here should have been corrected by a good editor/proofreader - there are so many typos, words missing, and other little inconsistencies here and there that it gets annoying after a while.
On the plus side, the plot is fairly well constructed, the pace is good, and Liverpool in both the 60s and the end of the 90s seems well depicted.
This is clearly the first novel published by the author, and let's hope that he has kept improving with the next ones in the series. Hopefully he has a good editor now who can help with this improvement process, and some very honest beta-readers. I don't know if the other books in the series are better, but at this point, I don't intend to keep on reading.
August 4, 2017
3.5 stars
A good and gripping plot based on a crime which occurred 30 years ago in Liverpool.
A good and gripping plot based on a crime which occurred 30 years ago in Liverpool.
August 16, 2021
I wish I could give this more stars, but the constant telling and informing the reader was too much.
The author needs to believe that readers are intelligent people who can do with less info and more action in order to avoid the "talking heads" problem throughout this book.
For instance, here is a section early on where the author is informing us through dialogue between two characters about what is going on (I made some of this up, but it just shows how the characters use their names each and every time, and the info dump...
"You know as well as I do, John, that identifying the victim has to be our first priority. We don't have a lot to be going on with but at least Hannah Lewin has given us a couple of scraps that might help."
"You mean like the broken leg, for example, Sarge?"
"Exactly, John. Assuming our victim is local, it might help if we can start by getting local hospitals to check their records for all youngsters between, let's say ten and fifteen to begin with, let's say twenty five to thrity five years ago...."
"Okay, Sarge."
It continues from start to finish in this way.
Finally finished this slog of a book. The premise was so good. But honestly, the dialogue!!!
The author needs to believe that readers are intelligent people who can do with less info and more action in order to avoid the "talking heads" problem throughout this book.
For instance, here is a section early on where the author is informing us through dialogue between two characters about what is going on (I made some of this up, but it just shows how the characters use their names each and every time, and the info dump...
"You know as well as I do, John, that identifying the victim has to be our first priority. We don't have a lot to be going on with but at least Hannah Lewin has given us a couple of scraps that might help."
"You mean like the broken leg, for example, Sarge?"
"Exactly, John. Assuming our victim is local, it might help if we can start by getting local hospitals to check their records for all youngsters between, let's say ten and fifteen to begin with, let's say twenty five to thrity five years ago...."
"Okay, Sarge."
It continues from start to finish in this way.
Finally finished this slog of a book. The premise was so good. But honestly, the dialogue!!!
July 5, 2020
A basic crime mystery/police procedural.
As per the title this is set in Liverpool and is told from two time perspectives, the swinging 60’s and 1999. In 1999, a skeleton is unearthed in the docks area and it is up to Detective Inspector Andy Ross and his team. In the 60’s, we are introduced to Brendan Kane and the Planets, a pop group with delusions of stardom. These two themes continue in parallel till quite late in the book though it is relatively easy early on to make a guess at the identity of the skeleton.
Overall, Brian Porter is a good story teller and the descriptions of Liverpool and historical descriptions are spot on.
The book though is let down on two scores. A common fault with some police procedurals is the telling and retelling of everything which tends to slow the story down. The main fault though is poor editing and a number of basic grammatical errors which is a shame.
Overall a good 3 stars and I will read more in the series.
As per the title this is set in Liverpool and is told from two time perspectives, the swinging 60’s and 1999. In 1999, a skeleton is unearthed in the docks area and it is up to Detective Inspector Andy Ross and his team. In the 60’s, we are introduced to Brendan Kane and the Planets, a pop group with delusions of stardom. These two themes continue in parallel till quite late in the book though it is relatively easy early on to make a guess at the identity of the skeleton.
Overall, Brian Porter is a good story teller and the descriptions of Liverpool and historical descriptions are spot on.
The book though is let down on two scores. A common fault with some police procedurals is the telling and retelling of everything which tends to slow the story down. The main fault though is poor editing and a number of basic grammatical errors which is a shame.
Overall a good 3 stars and I will read more in the series.
March 27, 2016
I must admit I don’t usually choose to read this genre, but I had just returned from a visit to the Beatles museum at the newly refurbished Liverpool docks, and enjoy listening to music from the 60’s and 70’s. Therefore when I read the book’s description my interest was taken up straight away.
The book is well written, with only a few typos which do not detract from the well thought out, suspenseful plot. Brian L. Porter weaves Liverpool’s musical past into the present seamlessly when Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzy Drake lead an investigation when a human skeleton is found lying in the mud of the Liverpool docks. Forensic tests lead them into a most unusual murder enquiry, causing them to go back 33 years to the life and times of an up and coming pop group – Brendan Kane and the Planets.
Another aspect of this story that I liked from the female point of view, is that Sergeant Izzy Drake actually carries out detective work, and is not there just to provide the token love interest. Thoroughly recommended. Mr Porter obviously has a deep knowledge of Liverpool and the 1960’s music scene. I want to read the next books in the series now!
The book is well written, with only a few typos which do not detract from the well thought out, suspenseful plot. Brian L. Porter weaves Liverpool’s musical past into the present seamlessly when Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzy Drake lead an investigation when a human skeleton is found lying in the mud of the Liverpool docks. Forensic tests lead them into a most unusual murder enquiry, causing them to go back 33 years to the life and times of an up and coming pop group – Brendan Kane and the Planets.
Another aspect of this story that I liked from the female point of view, is that Sergeant Izzy Drake actually carries out detective work, and is not there just to provide the token love interest. Thoroughly recommended. Mr Porter obviously has a deep knowledge of Liverpool and the 1960’s music scene. I want to read the next books in the series now!
March 17, 2019
This is the first book of the Mersey Murder Mysteries, and I must say it's a grabber. When a body is found in the Mersey River, the police learn its that of a 60's musician who disappeared with his girlfriend. The two were part of a band that was in the process of breaking up. Was the musician, Brendan, killed because he planned to go to the U.S. in an attempt to hit it big on his own, or did it have anything to do with his secret relationship with the daughter of a staunch Catholic who wouldn't approve of a Protestant husband for his little girl? Find out in this absorbing read that includes many twists. You won't be able to put it down. I hope to read the rest in this series soon.
July 3, 2018
This was a good story but I had a tough time getting past a seriously flawed writing style. The investigators were wooden and barely two-dimensional. The dialogue and some of the descriptive phrasing feel awkward, like the author is more at home writing official reports than fiction. Maybe it's
just a style thing, or maybe the prose is in serious need of a good editor, but the whole narrative feels amateurish.
just a style thing, or maybe the prose is in serious need of a good editor, but the whole narrative feels amateurish.
December 27, 2019
Ho-Hum
The plot of a thirty year old murder, an unidentified corpse, and no one reported missing held some interest. The work of identification was slow, and the story around the murder developed even more slowly - painfully slow. The police work drug on, interviews were lifeless, and in general the development was boring. The author failed to stimulate suspense or surprise from the start, and by the time the real story was out, I just didn't care.
The plot of a thirty year old murder, an unidentified corpse, and no one reported missing held some interest. The work of identification was slow, and the story around the murder developed even more slowly - painfully slow. The police work drug on, interviews were lifeless, and in general the development was boring. The author failed to stimulate suspense or surprise from the start, and by the time the real story was out, I just didn't care.
January 28, 2020
Pedantic
So many unnecessary words, what could be a good story, drowned in ‘extras’. I hope I’m the only one who feels like this!
So many unnecessary words, what could be a good story, drowned in ‘extras’. I hope I’m the only one who feels like this!
June 4, 2022
Go back to Liverpool in 1961, a great time in the music scene. Also, a great time for murder, it seems. Then, head to 1999 where the finding of skeletal remains show history is deadly. The author does a good job with the fell of the timelines in this tale and also with the police procedures. The incident happens on the Mersey River, so the author aptly titled this tale. This is a great, well told mystery that readers will enjoy.
December 23, 2015
I will not go to the lengths of the Amazon Review that I have posted. You can look there for the long version of this review. Suffice it to say that this is an excellent book. It is extremely well written and the criticisms of poor editing are false. The readers making those criticisms did not take into account the Brit versus U.S. usages. I did and I enjoyed the difference thoroughly. This book easily merits five stars. It is a wonderful treatise on British police procedures. It also shows the similarity to those with any experience in police procedures to those used in the U.S. I enjoyed this book a great deal and recommend it to anyone of teen age years or above.
May 12, 2018
Tedious dialogue.
Potential for an excellent mystery, but the dialogue was so distracting it kept me from becoming involved with the story and characters. How many times is it necessary to say, "Go on," when having a conversation with someone? Story is also bogged down with too much non-essential details.
Potential for an excellent mystery, but the dialogue was so distracting it kept me from becoming involved with the story and characters. How many times is it necessary to say, "Go on," when having a conversation with someone? Story is also bogged down with too much non-essential details.
January 22, 2016
Loved this. A nostalgic read with a good murder plot. Loved the scenes of the 1960's, transported me back in time. Looking forward to the next book by this talented author.
December 30, 2019
Poorly written, the "historical background" badly incorporated (almost like detail added in solely to get idiots like me to buy the book). Poor characterizations, run on sentences, .....
May 29, 2021
I read later books of The Mersey Mysteries first. Not a problem! Indeed, it was fascinating to learn the origins of the elite Murder Squad team of Liverpool detectives. It was enjoyable to find out how they established their reputation solving a murder dating from 1966 in 1999.
The plot is intriguing, beginning with the 1999 discovery of a skeleton in an old Liverpool dock. A young male was knee-capped and murdered.
Brian L. Porter sets the murder in the swinging Merseybeat era of 1961 when the phenomenon is just beginning to take off; the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black and others. For readers like myself, it’s pure nostalgia. In 1999 our heroes are faced with a cold case that seems impossible to solve but D.I: Andy Ross is never fazed. The story uses flashbacks of the lives of the victim, his fiancée, who also vanished at the same time and the members of his band, The Planets from 1961 to 1966 –it becomes a fascinating tale as we get to know the youngsters who revel in the music, the lifestyle of the period, and the difficulties this causes with the older generation who struggle to comprehend the freedom of the youth of that time and throw in a dose of bigotry and the mix leads to murder. No spoilers –but read the novel and enjoy the twists and turns. Having read others in the series, I recommend the progression. It is well done.
The plot is intriguing, beginning with the 1999 discovery of a skeleton in an old Liverpool dock. A young male was knee-capped and murdered.
Brian L. Porter sets the murder in the swinging Merseybeat era of 1961 when the phenomenon is just beginning to take off; the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black and others. For readers like myself, it’s pure nostalgia. In 1999 our heroes are faced with a cold case that seems impossible to solve but D.I: Andy Ross is never fazed. The story uses flashbacks of the lives of the victim, his fiancée, who also vanished at the same time and the members of his band, The Planets from 1961 to 1966 –it becomes a fascinating tale as we get to know the youngsters who revel in the music, the lifestyle of the period, and the difficulties this causes with the older generation who struggle to comprehend the freedom of the youth of that time and throw in a dose of bigotry and the mix leads to murder. No spoilers –but read the novel and enjoy the twists and turns. Having read others in the series, I recommend the progression. It is well done.
November 15, 2019
A Mercy Killing
Ross and his crew are up against a thirty-three year old murder case. A skeleton of a young man with his knee caps blasted off and a huge hole from a bashing is in the skull. The author provides just enough meticulous police work and a couple of lucky breaks to start an investigation into not only what happened to this young man, but the disappearance of the lovely young woman he loved. They are able to track down his friends and her family. The appearance of a nun will hover in the background and then they discover the young woman’s father’s relative is not only from Ireland, but is involved with the IRA, the Irish Rebellion Army. There’s one problem. Someone kills the man before they are able to go to Ireland and question him. Why after all these years, has someone killed their main suspect? Then the phone call from the mysterious Miss Jones comes in detailing what she claims to have seen that night so many years ago. Follow these crime fighters as they put to rest the last of those involved in this heinous crime.
Ross and his crew are up against a thirty-three year old murder case. A skeleton of a young man with his knee caps blasted off and a huge hole from a bashing is in the skull. The author provides just enough meticulous police work and a couple of lucky breaks to start an investigation into not only what happened to this young man, but the disappearance of the lovely young woman he loved. They are able to track down his friends and her family. The appearance of a nun will hover in the background and then they discover the young woman’s father’s relative is not only from Ireland, but is involved with the IRA, the Irish Rebellion Army. There’s one problem. Someone kills the man before they are able to go to Ireland and question him. Why after all these years, has someone killed their main suspect? Then the phone call from the mysterious Miss Jones comes in detailing what she claims to have seen that night so many years ago. Follow these crime fighters as they put to rest the last of those involved in this heinous crime.
September 15, 2019
Flashback: Outstanding -The flashbacks: Seductive
Flashback - I came by The Mersey Mysteries in the middle of the currently 6 book series; I read book 3 and then 6, for heaven’s sake; what was I doing? I have heard it said that this can spoil a series. That you can never go back? Really? This was not the case here. I of course already knew this charismatic team of this Liverpool elite Murder Squad detectives, and grown fond of them. However, I probably enjoyed it more reading how the team was formed; the raw personalities. How they established their reputation; a murder dating from 1966 to be solved in 1999.
Flashback – I was as impressed with the flow of the narrative as I was with the intriguing plot:
1999 - A Skeleton is found in an old Liverpool dock. A young male, knee-capped and murdered.
1961 – The music scene. The Mersey-beat is just beginning to take off; the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black et al (here I did allow myself to luxuriate in the exquisite nostalgia and, I suspect the author may have grown up right there, it is so alluringly written).
The story in 1999; the conundrum that seems almost impossible to solve – the team of detectives start and, it is a fascinating procedural from there on.
Switch
The story 1961 to 1966 – a seductive tale as we get to know the youngsters who revel in the music, the lifestyle of the period, and the difficulties this causes with the older generation who struggle to comprehend the freedom of the youth of that time and, this part is very well written – I know, because I lived it also. Not all make it through; one is murdered.
What I really loved was the almost imperceptible way the switching from the historic narrative to the present day investigation, came ever closer. The narratives eventually, subtly blend and then, became one. To understand that you have to read the book, because it is a joy. It is a delight every bit as pleasurable as the solving of a past crime that grows in complexity as the story-line is revealed.
No more – no spoilers – just read it and revel in a fine novel – I loved it.
Flashback - I came by The Mersey Mysteries in the middle of the currently 6 book series; I read book 3 and then 6, for heaven’s sake; what was I doing? I have heard it said that this can spoil a series. That you can never go back? Really? This was not the case here. I of course already knew this charismatic team of this Liverpool elite Murder Squad detectives, and grown fond of them. However, I probably enjoyed it more reading how the team was formed; the raw personalities. How they established their reputation; a murder dating from 1966 to be solved in 1999.
Flashback – I was as impressed with the flow of the narrative as I was with the intriguing plot:
1999 - A Skeleton is found in an old Liverpool dock. A young male, knee-capped and murdered.
1961 – The music scene. The Mersey-beat is just beginning to take off; the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black et al (here I did allow myself to luxuriate in the exquisite nostalgia and, I suspect the author may have grown up right there, it is so alluringly written).
The story in 1999; the conundrum that seems almost impossible to solve – the team of detectives start and, it is a fascinating procedural from there on.
Switch
The story 1961 to 1966 – a seductive tale as we get to know the youngsters who revel in the music, the lifestyle of the period, and the difficulties this causes with the older generation who struggle to comprehend the freedom of the youth of that time and, this part is very well written – I know, because I lived it also. Not all make it through; one is murdered.
What I really loved was the almost imperceptible way the switching from the historic narrative to the present day investigation, came ever closer. The narratives eventually, subtly blend and then, became one. To understand that you have to read the book, because it is a joy. It is a delight every bit as pleasurable as the solving of a past crime that grows in complexity as the story-line is revealed.
No more – no spoilers – just read it and revel in a fine novel – I loved it.
October 5, 2019
Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Detective Sergeant Izzie Drake have been called to a scene where construction work uncovered skeletal remains. Finding out the remains are at least 30 years old, the detectives at the Merseyside Police Headquarters have a mystery to solve. But where do the detectives begin?
This is a great murder mystery story that will keep you guessing until the end. The story is engaging and well-paced. It takes the reader on a journey back to the 1960’s in Liverpool, England where up and coming rock and roll bands strive to make it big. And then to the 1990’s where detectives from the Merseyside Police try and solve a 30-year-old murder and the disappearance of a young woman.
I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries, and even if you don’t, give it a try. It’s an intriguing read.
This is a great murder mystery story that will keep you guessing until the end. The story is engaging and well-paced. It takes the reader on a journey back to the 1960’s in Liverpool, England where up and coming rock and roll bands strive to make it big. And then to the 1990’s where detectives from the Merseyside Police try and solve a 30-year-old murder and the disappearance of a young woman.
I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries, and even if you don’t, give it a try. It’s an intriguing read.
January 30, 2022
Another cracking police procedural from Brian L. Porter. This time, it’s 1999 and DI Andy Ross and his team are faced with a mysterious crime after the discovery of human remains dating back to the 1960s. This is Liverpool, and back then saw the birth of the Mersey beat that launched The Beatles.
As the murder squad methodically hunt for and examine the clues, the reader is given a window into the backstory of this crime and can speculate on the likely perpetrator. The ending is terrific as the two timelines come together.
Porter majors in creating plausible and memorable characters and developing the relationships between them. The story is told from the perspective of the two time periods in alternating chapters. Written in an easy style with excellent use of Liverpudlian vernacular in the dialogue, A Mersey Killing is a suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of the genre.
As the murder squad methodically hunt for and examine the clues, the reader is given a window into the backstory of this crime and can speculate on the likely perpetrator. The ending is terrific as the two timelines come together.
Porter majors in creating plausible and memorable characters and developing the relationships between them. The story is told from the perspective of the two time periods in alternating chapters. Written in an easy style with excellent use of Liverpudlian vernacular in the dialogue, A Mersey Killing is a suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of the genre.
January 27, 2022
You won't find any super clever surprising twists, but this first in the series is a solid police procedural with good pacing. I love a good cold case, and enjoyed the 1960s part of the story as much as the present day investigation. It all came together nicely in the end.
Occasionally the writing bothered me with some telling not showing, but I'm hopeful that subsequent books will improve on it.
3.7 stars
Occasionally the writing bothered me with some telling not showing, but I'm hopeful that subsequent books will improve on it.
3.7 stars
March 31, 2020
More in my next Good Reads blog at www.sandiwallace.com/blog/.
December 6, 2019
30 Year Old Mystery
Up against a 30 year old murder case DCI Ross and his team have to search deep to unlock clues. The author, Brian L. Porter, transports us back in time to our early teens when British rock was young. I think the plot is brilliant and enjoyed the book immensely. He keeps you turning pages and weaves everything smoothly.
Up against a 30 year old murder case DCI Ross and his team have to search deep to unlock clues. The author, Brian L. Porter, transports us back in time to our early teens when British rock was young. I think the plot is brilliant and enjoyed the book immensely. He keeps you turning pages and weaves everything smoothly.
December 18, 2024
Plot spoiler alert.
I really don't know where to start with this book. As a fellow author, it pains me to criticise a fellow writer, but this book is full of flaws, style failures and most of all, the author allows his prejudices to creep into the work.
The story concerns the unearthing of a thirty-year old skeleton and how the police go about identifying the remains, and the killer. So-far-so-good. The story initially flips between a Liverpool of the early 1960s and the millennium. I did enjoy the 1960s parts; the author manages to paint a picture of a vibrant Liverpool, awash with sounds of the Mersey Beat. Having been brought up north of Liverpool in the 1960s, I was familiar with the time period, geography and events.
Unfortunately, the story goes downhill from there commencing with the long- winded post-mortem, and the introduction of an attractive consultant who never appears again. The characters are scarcely believable, simply caricatures. The reader is presented with the successful and macho detective inspector, the doting and fawning female sergeant and a host of other assorted shallow constables who are keen to learn from their master and get his praise. There is far too much unnecessary dialogue. In fact, the book almost entirely consists of long periods of dialogue interspersed with minimal action. The dialogue is cringe worthy in parts.
On a technical point, the author tends to write in extremely long sentences with hooked on clauses, making it difficult to be read. One sentence at the beginning of the book is sixty-nine words.
As other readers have pointed out, there are factual errors in the story. The author refers to a man from Belfast who joined the Provisional IRA in 1963 when the organisation was not formed until December 1969. There is also the fanciful idea that a woman, in a distressed state of mind, with no paperwork, can just walk up to a Catholic convent and enrol to become a nun!
My major problem with the book, apart from the fact is badly written, is that the author allows his prejudices to creep into the work. In Chapter 31, the protagonist has a conversation with a junior diplomat in the American Embassy in London as the detective seeks information on the issuing of a visa. The junior diplomat has never met the detective inspector but decides go off on a rant about immigration spoiling the United Kingdom. The rant is full of tropes and hackneyed phrases about the UK being already too full. First of all, no diplomat would ever do that. There’s a clue in the word ‘diplomacy.’ As a second-generation immigrant married to a first generation immigrant, I found this offensive. I personally don’t care about the author’s prejudices, but please don't inflict them on innocent readers.
I would have given this work a minus rating if it had been possible. Any half decent amateur editor would have sorted this book out. However, the plot is far too thin. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
I’m glad I didn’t pay for this work as it was on offer from BookBub. I won’t be reading anymore from this author.
I really don't know where to start with this book. As a fellow author, it pains me to criticise a fellow writer, but this book is full of flaws, style failures and most of all, the author allows his prejudices to creep into the work.
The story concerns the unearthing of a thirty-year old skeleton and how the police go about identifying the remains, and the killer. So-far-so-good. The story initially flips between a Liverpool of the early 1960s and the millennium. I did enjoy the 1960s parts; the author manages to paint a picture of a vibrant Liverpool, awash with sounds of the Mersey Beat. Having been brought up north of Liverpool in the 1960s, I was familiar with the time period, geography and events.
Unfortunately, the story goes downhill from there commencing with the long- winded post-mortem, and the introduction of an attractive consultant who never appears again. The characters are scarcely believable, simply caricatures. The reader is presented with the successful and macho detective inspector, the doting and fawning female sergeant and a host of other assorted shallow constables who are keen to learn from their master and get his praise. There is far too much unnecessary dialogue. In fact, the book almost entirely consists of long periods of dialogue interspersed with minimal action. The dialogue is cringe worthy in parts.
On a technical point, the author tends to write in extremely long sentences with hooked on clauses, making it difficult to be read. One sentence at the beginning of the book is sixty-nine words.
As other readers have pointed out, there are factual errors in the story. The author refers to a man from Belfast who joined the Provisional IRA in 1963 when the organisation was not formed until December 1969. There is also the fanciful idea that a woman, in a distressed state of mind, with no paperwork, can just walk up to a Catholic convent and enrol to become a nun!
My major problem with the book, apart from the fact is badly written, is that the author allows his prejudices to creep into the work. In Chapter 31, the protagonist has a conversation with a junior diplomat in the American Embassy in London as the detective seeks information on the issuing of a visa. The junior diplomat has never met the detective inspector but decides go off on a rant about immigration spoiling the United Kingdom. The rant is full of tropes and hackneyed phrases about the UK being already too full. First of all, no diplomat would ever do that. There’s a clue in the word ‘diplomacy.’ As a second-generation immigrant married to a first generation immigrant, I found this offensive. I personally don’t care about the author’s prejudices, but please don't inflict them on innocent readers.
I would have given this work a minus rating if it had been possible. Any half decent amateur editor would have sorted this book out. However, the plot is far too thin. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
I’m glad I didn’t pay for this work as it was on offer from BookBub. I won’t be reading anymore from this author.
June 30, 2020
When I couldn't decide between 1 and 2 stars, I decided to think about how I felt while forcing myself to finish this book so I could legitimately review it, and as soon as I reflected on the misery and time-dragging that involved, I had my rating...without question, a solid 1-star.
It may be the worst book I've read this year, although the fact that I was able to finish it says something because I have quit reading several other books because they were just impossible to waste my time on. So, at least this books was readable enough to get all the way through.
There were lots of negatives though, beginning with PC McLennan's name. Are you kidding me? Yes, I get that this is taking place in Liverpool, home of the Fab Four (of which I am an original, die-hard fan, and one who has actually been to the real Cavern and visited Paul's former home on Allerton Rd in 1965!) I found that coy little homage to be gag-inducing, but there was even worse to come! There were very confusing mistakes about whose van belonged to who's dad, who played what gig, what year were events taking place, etc. The book took forever to establish the "Pop Group" background which should have been covered in a few deftly written pages, but instead the poor reader is inundated with a plodding, dull, repetitive narrative that could have come straight from a police report, with its insistence on boring, irrelevant details that lead nowhere. The entire book relied on the most exhausted, lifeless phrasing I have ever come across in a published book. Among the most mundane: "you could cut the atmosphere with a knife," (presented at least twice as if the freshest metaphor ever devised!) " drowning his sorrows," "like a light bulb flashing on in her mind."
To give some credit, the pace picked up about 3/4's of the way through and it finally became more cohesive and moderately interesting. If the ending had been the conclusion of any other book, I would berate it for leaving out vital information which led to the reveal, but here it was such a relief to get ANY substance at all, that I could only muster a grim kind of satisfaction that something was finally happening!
It may be the worst book I've read this year, although the fact that I was able to finish it says something because I have quit reading several other books because they were just impossible to waste my time on. So, at least this books was readable enough to get all the way through.
There were lots of negatives though, beginning with PC McLennan's name. Are you kidding me? Yes, I get that this is taking place in Liverpool, home of the Fab Four (of which I am an original, die-hard fan, and one who has actually been to the real Cavern and visited Paul's former home on Allerton Rd in 1965!) I found that coy little homage to be gag-inducing, but there was even worse to come! There were very confusing mistakes about whose van belonged to who's dad, who played what gig, what year were events taking place, etc. The book took forever to establish the "Pop Group" background which should have been covered in a few deftly written pages, but instead the poor reader is inundated with a plodding, dull, repetitive narrative that could have come straight from a police report, with its insistence on boring, irrelevant details that lead nowhere. The entire book relied on the most exhausted, lifeless phrasing I have ever come across in a published book. Among the most mundane: "you could cut the atmosphere with a knife," (presented at least twice as if the freshest metaphor ever devised!) " drowning his sorrows," "like a light bulb flashing on in her mind."
To give some credit, the pace picked up about 3/4's of the way through and it finally became more cohesive and moderately interesting. If the ending had been the conclusion of any other book, I would berate it for leaving out vital information which led to the reveal, but here it was such a relief to get ANY substance at all, that I could only muster a grim kind of satisfaction that something was finally happening!
January 5, 2018
I really enjoyed this murder mystery. At an old dock in Liverpool, a skeleton is found embedded deep in the watery sediment and it is up to detectives Ross and "Izzy" to find out what happened to the young man who died brutally thirty years earlier. The chapters take place in the present time, well, 1999 anyway, but also take you back to another time and place- 1966 where you get a dose of the times and get to know the victim Brendan and his band mates. I liked being there, and feeling what it was like to be a hopeful young person in another era, looking up to the Beatles with high hopes of their own, and falling in love.
Already the book is fascinating, but when I found that there was another mysterious element- Brendan's missing girlfriend Marie, I was really hooked. I kept turning the pages to find out not only who killed the boy, but because I wanted the whole story of what really happened the night they both went missing. The investigation was a lot of fun to follow: Could it have been one of Marie's own brothers? Phil, the fourth band member due to some infatuation with Marie? Or was it her mean father that was somehow responsible? All questions I couldn't wait to have answered!
And wow, I did not see the ending coming. Tragic and meaningful, I was left feeling a bit sad but in awe.
Already the book is fascinating, but when I found that there was another mysterious element- Brendan's missing girlfriend Marie, I was really hooked. I kept turning the pages to find out not only who killed the boy, but because I wanted the whole story of what really happened the night they both went missing. The investigation was a lot of fun to follow: Could it have been one of Marie's own brothers? Phil, the fourth band member due to some infatuation with Marie? Or was it her mean father that was somehow responsible? All questions I couldn't wait to have answered!
And wow, I did not see the ending coming. Tragic and meaningful, I was left feeling a bit sad but in awe.
May 28, 2021
The plot was interesting, and the idea of telling the story in flashbacks was good - but, in my opinion, the execution left a lot to be desired. Too much repetition (in the same sentence a lot of the time!), typos and punctuation errors, and 'over explanation' - the editing process could have been improved. One also got the impression that, after the author presented the book to the publisher, they sent it back for rewrites because it didn't meet their word count - the phrase 'why use one word when three will do just as well' comes to mind. This meant the book didn't come over as slick as it could have been, and left me as the reader extremely frustrated, and without the interest to try other books in the series.
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