The Last Straw

DCI Warren Jones #1

by Paul Gitsham

When Professor Alan Tunbridge is discovered in his office with his throat slashed, the suspects start queuing up. The brilliant but unpleasant microbiologist had a genius for making enemies. For Warren Jones, newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector to the Middlesbury force, a high-profile murder is the ideal opportunity. He's determined to run a thorough and professional investigation but political pressure to resolve the case quickly and tensions in the office and at home make life anything but easy. Everything seems to point to one vengeful man but the financial potential of the professor's pioneering research takes the inquiry in an intriguing and, for Jones and his team, dangerous direction. More DCI Warren Jones books by Paul
No Smoke Without Fire Blood is Thicker Than Water 
Silent as the Grave

Praise for Paul "A wonderfully classy crime novel. Fluent writing style, great pace to the action. What's not to like? I'll be reading number 2 as quickly as I can download it. Highly recommended. Crime Writing at its very best" - Kate Rhodes, author of Crossbones Yard and the Alice Quentin series

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Audiobook, Procedural, Detective, Murder Mystery

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

The first book I ever wrote was a novelization of ET. I was five years old, had a yellow pencil, an exercise book with ET on the front and boundless enthusiasm.

After being told the devastating news that I couldn't write ET because it had already been done, I resolved to write my own stories. They were still somewhat derivative - a time-travelling detective who drives a sports car that can A) talk to him and B) needs to hit 120 mph to time-travel... I was a kid of the eighties, feel free to look for influences.

I dabbled with writing through school and university, but it wasn't until a spell of "under-employment" (the politically correct term for sitting on my arse as a receptionist whilst looking for a position more suited to my PhD) that I entered NaNoWriMo. I never hit that vaunted 50,000 words but I DID put down 30K of speculative fiction and started to take things a bit more seriously.

As always, life intervenes and that story slowly bloomed to a disorganised mess of about 70k over the next few years. It's still there, tucked away on the hard drive and I've promised myself that one day I will come back to it.

By now though, somebody else was starting to whisper in my ear. I'd always wanted to write a detective novel, but had struggled to come up with a protagonist that I really connected with - or one that didn't seem a rehash or bad pastiche of my favourite existing characters. And that was when DCI Warren Jones started to nag me. Loudly. And Insistently. I wrote that first draft in less than six months.

The series now numbers six full-length novels and four novellas. Book 7 is due out in summer 2021, with more in the pipeline.

And as for the future? Well Warren has lots more stories to tell and then there's that first, aborted attempt at speculative fiction. I reread it the other day and you know what? It isn't that bad...

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a treat for once to read a crime novel that doesnt begin by showing the reader either the murder in action or the victim in the last moments of their life. That has become somewhat of a trope in crime novels and for me, it takes away a lot of the intrigue.

This began with someone finding the body! So as a reader I was - like the police - totally in the dark about the murderer. This is how it should be as far as I am concerned ;)

Anyway, I liked the start of this book and I read through to the end- which is something of a rare thing for me to do with a crime novel. More often than not I give up after a few chapters, maybe sooner if the violence becomes overly gratuitous, or the overdone plot of 'historical child abuse' rears its head.

This was a straight-forward, well thought out murder. A couple of nice red herrings (NOT the ghastly 'twist' that is so beloved by so many crime writers!) and some realistic policing. I liked the way simple mistakes were made, I liked the main characters and their relationships.

In places the writing - particularly with regard to DCI Jones's personal life - was a bit too clunky for my liking, and there was a tad too much reliance on 'waffle' about the scientific side of things, but on the whole this is a solid, well-thought out and nicely paced novel without all the utterly ridiculous drama of the 'gripping twist' that ruins too many crime books.

Four and a half stars rounded up to five because I read to the end without once thinking about giving up.

[Vicki - I Love Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have had this first book on my kindle forever. After recently finishing a book and having a book hangover I really couldn't decide what to read. So I found this and realised I also had 2 more to read, it seemed a good enough time to start it.

I didn't read the book description, and just opened it and started it. The book started off really well, and the story held my attention the whole way through.
​An interesting story that will keep you going, and guessing the whole way through.
​Warren Jones is a character that I think I will grow to like more, the more I learn about him.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, an interesting mystery with many layers. It was, however, a police procedural. And it did a good job with that but it took a little drama out of it. Sections of the story were a bit slow as they got bogged down in the detail (particularly the sections full of scientific jargon). Nevertheless, the main characters were engaging enough to make you want to keep reading. There were suspects aplently and some good twists. The author shows promise, a bit more zing and tension and he will hit the sweet spot.

[Sarah Barry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I was on to a winner with this one, a crime thriller, my favourite genre, and a rating on goodreads of 4.17. Unfortunately I only managed 20% on my kindle before throwing in the towel. The main hurdle for me was the writing style, it just didn't flow. I didn't believe in the characters and found the opening chapters far to long winded. I've read some excellent books recently by seasoned authors so maybe I've been spoilt. All of this said, I wish this author well as I'm sure there is an audience for this book, and the story may be excellent, its just not for me.

BTW on going back to goodreads to see how this book scored so highly, I saw there had only actually been two reviews.

[Gary Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new detective series to watch. DCI Warren Jones is must read detective fiction. The characters stand out on the page and the hero's wit adds light to shade in what looks like the first of a brilliant series. And, no, I didn't work out who the bad guy was before the end!5 well-deserved stars. I couldn't put it down.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like mysteries and I like police procedurals. This was both and I believe the series has potential. However I do think it could have used some tighter editing. It lost the momentum partway through and it took me far longer to read it, my fun read of the week, than it would normally take. I do believe the main characters have depth and the potential to become even more interesting. I would just have liked a somewhat shorter novel with less focus on relating the technical complexities of science experiments that I really didn’t need to hear about in almost mind numbing detail.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded up.

I have now read this and the most recent in this series. This one was enjoyable, with good characterization and (so rare, but so refreshing) a well-adjusted, happily married, sober DCI who treats his team well. The plot was a little complicated towards the end, and all the information about DNA and phone EMEIs (or whatever they were) could have been omitted entirely in the first case and skated over more lightly in the second.

Nevertheless good fun.

[Foxed Folios · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging police procedural. Considering story alone, this was probably a 4* read - dropped to 3* due a few instances of unnecessarily long exposition and irksome stereotyping. However, will gladly up pick next book in DCI Jones series at some point.
Listened to audiobook - recommended - narrator does a good job.

[John Burbidge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried very hard to like it, but something just didn't flow. I didn't feel a connection to the characters, the writing was a bit clunky and cliche, and the mystery just not quite there when compared to other writers in this genre.
I made it to the end, though mostly to confirm that the fairly obvious conclusion was how the book ended. I dont think I will be picking up another book by this author. Good if you had a long train ride and nothing else to read, but I think when compared to the other great crime writers out there I would choose something else .

[Ted Tayler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A promising start"

All police procedurals rely on the same premise. The devil is in the detail. At times there was a tad too much detailed description which kept my 5* in my pocket. However, as an opener to a series it establishes Warren Jones as someone to follow. If the plots continue to be as complex as this one with satisfying conclusions Paul Gitsham's readers will be happy bunnies.

[Denise Zendel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren Jones, newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector to the Middlesbury force, hits the ground running when a particularly unpleasant professor at the local university is found in his office with his throat slashed. Jones is faced with pressure from above and below – his superiors want a rapid solve and to keep the university, of one the area’s largest employers, happy, and one of his detectives is angry because he wanted the DCI job. And Jones’ wife is none to happy with him, as her parents are in town and she’s angry his mind is elsewhere so much of the time.


I am a huge fan of British police procedurals and this new to me author did not disappoint. I respected Jones for wanting liked how different team members were allowed to shine, particularly a new detective whose background in science meshed nicely with the goings-on at the university and gave the team a key line of inquiry to follow. I did find parts of the explanation about what the dead guy was working on tiresome, but the research process and the office politics rang true. And I found myself hoping Jones and the Mrs. (I found her annoying) would have a huge blow up and he’d somehow get together with the new detective, but that didn’t happen.


I will read more in this series.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 but it listened to it and I didn't enjoy the narrator's voice or performance. Although the plot was predictable, I liked this book. By the middle I was invested in each of the characters and the way in which the story was unfolding. I will consider picking up the next in the series but not on audio if it has the same narrator.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting read with a different premise but i didn't warm to the characters in the book. The author clearly has a good knowledge of the workings of a lab and the plot is fast and full of twists

[Zvezdana_whatwhymeagain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up from 4.5, solely because the clues were a little too obvious.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent police procedural, set in a fictional town in Hertfordshire

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great UK police procedural featuring DCI Warren Jones as the new guy on the job in an smaller city in the UK.

It still baffles me that UK police do not carry guns, but anyway, a lot of twists and turns kept me guessing!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Warren Jones is new to the Middlesbury force. But soon he and his team will have their first murder case. That of universally disliked professor, Alan Tunbridge. Quite easily they find a prime suspect.
An entertaining and well-written modern mystery. A good start to this new series.

[Lisa Willis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had previously DNF'd this a long time ago and thought I would go back to it. It was a real struggle - the story was slow, too descriptive in certain areas and the characters just didn't click or have a connection.

[Logan Horsford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the amazing lack of creativity of the title (so many others with the same) the book itself was pretty good.

MC was fairly likeable though the supporting cast and suspects pool were large enough that I sometimes found myself saying "Wait - who was that again?"

The plot seemed to drag at points and the author took completely needless tangents (explaining how DNA worked though the relevant thing could have been summed up in one sentence) that never paid off, etc.

For that, 3/5 - it was OK. I will try out the next in the series later and write a review like that.

If you like police procedurals more on the realistic end than 'movie cop' (and this is set in UK) you should enjoy this.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always good to find a new crime series, and I'll certainly be reading more about DCI Warren Jones.

[zendegy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this very slow going and full of dimensionless characters.

[Gail Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Jones is the new boy and it feels like it in this book, but that is how the reader is introduced to Middlesbury and its police. Tunbridge is a dead academic and the more that is revealed of him, the more it feels like he deserved to die. There are many people that he’s crossed who have motive, and a fair few in plain sight. But things are not always as they seem, and there are some very intriguing twists and turns in the narrative that make this a very good first book of a series.

This book walks the reader through the worlds of academia and policing, personal and professional politics, and the emotional tightrope that comes with a demanding job.

The characters, especially those who will form the core of the series are well rounded and feel like real people, individuals. This is a working team that has many disparate skills that help to solve this case and establishes a good foundation for future investigations.

So you have a high functioning plot and solid, likeable characters. That really is enough to enjoy this book.

But there’s more to say. In the plot, there is a lot of time spent exploring academic and scientific procedures, a lot of it wasn’t necessary for a crime reader. The author has experience in these areas and it shows, but there are a couple of places where it goes into such unnecessary depth that it turns the reader off. Similarly, with the characters, this is book one and there is a lot of backstory available, but it didn't need to be given is as much detail as it was. Having listened to the book, there was one very draggy chapter that detailed Sutton’s backstory. It was a necessary input and well-placed point in the narrative, but it went on and on and on in far too much detail. When the story of how Warren met his wife was given, again it was well positioned in the story, but just went into way too in much detail. They met at a party, they bonded over a book, that really is quite enough the minutia is unnecessary.

Being Kentish, I personally found the book's characters being named Tunbridge, Hastings and Kent rather irritating. These all being from the same geographical area distracted from what I should actually have been concentrated on, i.e. the characters and story. Don't suspect many others will suffer from this irritation.

What also got to me was that the mastermind behind it all was so obviously the mastermind from their first appearance. While listening to the audiobook, there is a scene where Warren asks a question of his team and my husband and I both shouted at the speaker who the murderer was, and there was still a big chunk of the book to go.

Don’t get me wrong, this is me reacting as an author and editor, all this needed to be the perfect book was a couple of judicious edits in four sections to improve flow and cut out “the boring bits”, or rather in this case, the unnecessary detail. My husband and I are split on the matter of Warren's in-laws: he says they weren’t needed, I think they were (if edited down a bit) because they helped illustrate certain aspects of Warren's personality and his home life. What I think has happened here is that this is book one, I believe Paul's first book, and it wasn't as tight as it could have been, but again, a personal opinion that many will disagree with.

Ultimately, this is an intriguing story with engaging characters that make the claggy bits bearable. I will almost certainly read more of this series, so would say that if you come across this book/audiobook, do give it a go, there's lots inside that make it well worth the time.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first book in this series and looking forward to reading some more. Warren Jones moves to a new position in a police station where the former DCI was arrested for corruption. This puts him in a bit of a bad spot as some feel one of the local officers should have gotten the position. He is just getting to know those under his command when a prominent researcher at the local university is murdered. There are some tensions with one of his DIs and they eventually work thru it. He also has to deal with his superior being a little unreasonable. He knew it would be more politics with the new position but was hoping in a smaller town it wouldn't be as bad as in a big city.
His wife is also dealing with setting up their new house without him and her parents are visiting for a bit which causes Jones some stress. She is getting ready to start a new job and this causes some stress between the two. He is trying to handle all this at the same time.
There are multiple suspects in the case and many have what appear to be solid alibis. The victim was not a nice person and while delving into his life they keep finding more people who didn't like him enough to murder him. Lots of technical details are discussed involving the experiments that he was overseeing which was a little boring. The cops arrest a man fairly quickly but Jones does not really believe he is the one who did it and wants to look into things more but is getting pushback on it from his boss and some under his command.
Thought the author did a good job of fleshing out all the characters and adapting their abilities to the story. Will be interesting to see how they progress in future stories. Love the bit of a twist at the end for who the murder was.

[Stephen Clynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Professor Alan Tunbridge is discovered in his office with his throat slashed, the suspects start queuing up. Enter newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector Warren Jones of the Middlesbury force, to solve the crime in this British police procedural.

Okay, I know that I am somewhat late to the party as this novel was published in 2014 and set in 2011. But don’t let that put you off! The Last Straw does not show it’s age, the use of technology is similar today, only the cars featured are no longer front-line models. Paul Gitsham is a new author to me and The Last Straw is the first book in this series.

I found The Last Straw to be a very run of the mill police procedural. None of the characters had a quirky or WOW! Factor - everyone was a cardboard stereotype. There is plenty of office politics woven into the story and with it a little humour, for example…

She laughed harshly. “Shit, with my background when I got to university I ticked so many boxes on the outreach programmes I’m amazed the government didn’t stick me in their election manifesto. It’s just a shame I’m not a black lesbian in a wheelchair, then I’d have completed the fucking set.

…The plot was quite involved and had many, many twists and turns. I was surprised to read who the bad guy actually was as I had NOT suspected them of the murder. The Last Straw is simply an OKAY 3 star read, rather like completing a sudoku puzzle, pleasant.

[Shirley Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This didn't get 5 stars from me for just three reasons. 1) The HarperCollins paperback fell apart as I read it - the glue just didn't keep the pages together and I have had it just a few days from new. 2) There is a letter used in the story which is run out word for word twice when the second one is meant to show some underlining according to the story and 3) There is a level of suspending belief which takes this just over the edge of realism.
Having said all that I liked Jones the detective. He comes from Coventry where I lived for years so I was keen to know more about that. He's not overly flawed - thank goodness to have a leading investigator who isn't a drunk/womaniser/divorcee/gambler. I liked the relationship with Sutton, the chap who felt he might have been entitled to the job of DCI. Plus the junior officers were reasonably well crafted, although the reference to cats as a stereotypical sign of an old maid rather rankled making me dislike Karen. I was reminded of Morse - which is high praise - and the methodical approach to policing and was grateful there was only one moment of physical drama and tension at the end. I don't like car chase cop crime and this is more absorbing because it is a think-piece. I had worked out some elements of the solution but not the last piece of the jigsaw. I'd certainly read more by this author, so well done!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serendipity brought me to this series - I was looking at the DCI Logan Series, which has a title "The Last Straw" as well - found this, and decided to give it a try. DCI Warren Jones is, in many ways, DCI Logan's opposite. He's far more earnest, thoughtful and your average good Joe.
I liked the characters that Paul Gitsham introduced in this first book - I want to hear more about them. This is the type of mystery book I look for - light & fun. Gitsham stands apart from many books of this ilk that I've read in that he goes in for more details and explanations regarding the facts of the case.
The drawback of this book was part of the solution was telegraphed clearly early in the book - which isn't the end of the world, but I think it was meant to be a twist. I just kept waiting for it to happen...and it did. Also...and this is just me....but when you have such an unsympathetic victim, I have a hard time getting into the polices's hound dog, capture at all costs, mentality. Interstingly, I think that Gitsham spoke to that at the end...and so I am going to keep following this series. I was entertained, and that's all I asked.

[Kagan Goodliff · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an absolute slog. Incredibly overly descriptive, there’s one chapter where a woman makes herself pasta and it’s described in excruciating detail. A suicide letter is printed three times. A visit to a crime scene is described then there’s a briefing where the visit is described followed by a press conference where it’s described again. The characters had absolutely no personality, the main character was described as young but called other men “son”. I have no idea how old he was meant to be, him and his wife were written like a middle aged couple but referred to as young. Also it annoyed me that the main character was referred to by both names, sometimes “Jones said” sometimes “Warren said”. I kept forgetting they were the same person. Very descriptive, very dialogue heavy, absolutely zero emotion.

Plot for my memory - man joins new police force, has to solve a high profile murder. Professor has been murdered because he’s an arsehole. They arrest a guy but figure out it was a set up between lots of people that hated him and who were going to steal his idea to make millions. 468 painful pages.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this British police procedural about a newly minted DCI who is replacing a beloved though corrupt copper.

But what kept me from giving it 5 stars is the Trope of the bitter resentful spouse.

Susan, the wife of DCI Warren Jones, is a total bitch. Her husband is a homicide investigator not a sodding meter maid. People don’t get murdered between 9 and 5 Monday - Friday and never ever on a bank holiday weekend

She hates his job, hates his hours, carries on like a fish wife if he smells of beer, has a conniption when she finds a colleague sleeping on her sofa

Resents his hours, his job and cries when he’s unavailable to chose paint colors

I literally wanted her to divorce him and spare my suffering

Aside from that I loved the plot, a murdered professor who is a nasty piece of work and the myriad of suspects who wanted him dead

After reading Fossil Men I had an excellent perspective on the nasty backbiting of academic research and this book was quite believable

I am going to read the rest of the series

[Gary Dowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author for me as we meet DCI Warren Jones as he settles in to a new police force and small team as they look into the brutal murder of a university professor. Initially things seem surprisingly straightforward as a prime suspect is arrested, however as things progress, Jones and his team realise that there are things that don't add up, with the murder and inside the station itself. Putting aside some chapters and situations that seem to be overlong and some scientific explanations that were a bit confusing, I really enjoyed this. Jones comes across as very human as he tries to juggle work and family and his small team are varied and interesting characters. It is graphic but only in very small doses and there is a very low body count for this kind of book. A interesting and enjoyable start to the series.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always delighted when I find the first in a series by a new to me author. This week I was lucky enough to discover crime writer Paul Gitsham and his police procedural series featuring newly appointed DCI Warren Jones.

I really enjoyed getting to know Warren Jones and his team and the investigation moves along at a cracking pace, building up to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. The 'science bits' were very convincing and I particularly liked the relationship Warren Jones has with his wife. It somehow made the story even more believable.

I am now looking forward to reading the next in this very well written and researched series.