Loot / I'm With The Band

DCS Palmer & the Serial Murder Squad #5-6

by B.L. Faulkner

Two cases from the files DCS Palmer and the Metropolitan Police Serial Murder squad. Case 5 'Loot' sends the team on the trail of stolen WW2 Nazi gold that seems to be the reason for two murders. But where has it come from and how much is there? Soon the body count rises as an old gangland adversary from Palmer's past emerges together with some feisty women and an English MP all prepared to kill for the prize. Everybody is playing cat and mouse with the gold changing hands with every twist and turn of the story that takes Palmer out of London to Gloucester and then to Brighton for an explosive finale.
Case 6. 'I'm With The Band' features 70's rock band Revolution are still very big and packing out the major venues today but their original members seem to be dying in suspicious circumstances. Or so their manager thinks and he contacts Palmer's number two with his fears. Palmer is not convinced until a nasty happening at Baker Street tube station underlines what the manager was afraid of. But who would want the band members dead? With a forty year career behind them it could be any one of thousands of past or present contacts. But this killer is confident, so confident he takes on Palmer via social network and tells him 'catch me if you can'. But Palmer's second in command DS Gheeta Singh was brought into his team because of her computer skills and is a match for the killer in cyber space. With just one original band member left alive the threat is real and Palmer must get to the killer before the killer gets to the member. The finale is an explosive one at a major Rock concert at the NEC.
Both case move along at the usual fast pace and with the usual ending twist that Faulkner does so well.

480 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2017

About the author

Barry Faulkner was born into a family of South London petty criminals who ran with the Richardson's Crime Gang in the 60's-90's. Being the youngest his mother, a top fashion model, was determined he would not follow in the criminal footsteps of the rest of the family and enrolled him into the Morely Academy of Dramatic Art to pursue a career in acting. Sadly young Faulkner was asked to leave after three months when no acting ability had surfaced. He went onto become an advertising copywriter with the English branch of the US Agency Erwin Wasey Ruffraf and Ryan where he got lucky with some scripts he sent to the BBC TV and became a scriptwriter and editor for them and several ITV companies. During this time the DCS Palmer plots were amassed in various notebooks and three years ago Faulkner finally found time to write and publish them. His early insight into the criminal world of his family has added authenticity to the characters and plots that makes them credible and the pace keeps the reader glued to the end. His signature end twist will always surprise you. Check out his top rated crime blog at geezers2016.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the publisher’s blurb says a lot about the plots, there’s not much more to say about that part.

But, here goes.

DCS Palmer and his DS Gheeta Singh are such a great partnership. Palmer is old school, with lots of links and memories of older crime families and events, while Gheeta is a tech whizz and uses her skills to help.

Together they search for answers and solve the various crimes, from WW2 gold, a body dumped on a building site to a rock band members being murdered one by one. With mentions of real life crime events, cub as Brinks Mat, that really gives these tales a sense of reality.

Fast paced and twisty with some explosive moments too. Great characters and clever inventive plots make these novels gripping and thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Alyson Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review:-
Two books in one volume and a new series for me. What's not to like? I absolutely loved these two stories. Detective Chief Supt Justin Palmer is a bit of a old school dinosaur from London's East End, but he has the sense to recognise this and therefore makes a great choice with his DS Gheeta Singh who can make a computer do everything (both legal and sometimes not quite so above board with her home grown programs). In fact computers and police work are the main loves of her life, much to the disappointment of her family who would have liked her to enter the family business and marry a suitable man. Palmer is a family man, with large number of kids and grandkids, a loving wife (Mrs P. of the WI and Gardening Club) and Daisy the dog. Palmer and Singh make a fantastic team and have a highly successful clear up rate in the Serial Murder Squad in London's Metropolitan Police.
In case 5 "Loot" two bodies turn up in different parts of the country that appear to be linked by dealings in stolen WW2 Nazi gold. As Palmer and his team start to investigate they are led towards an old gangland criminal that Palmer put away years ago. He made threats against Palmer and it looks like he is still a dangerous man now. The case twists and turns, and each time they unearth a new suspect it seems they get rewarded with another body until finally all the connections make sense and they can hunt down the killer.
In case 6 they get alerted to the suspicious deaths of three original members of a seventies rock band. Although still performing with various substitute musicians, it starts to look like the remaining members are also in danger. In this story, we already know who is doing the killings and watch him taunting the police via social media. With thousands of potential suspects that the band have had dealings with over more than forty years will the flummoxed detectives be able to work it out it time to prevent another death?
In both cases there is lots of great action and story telling, and I loved the little touches of humour in these books. The characters are expertly described and I grew to like Palmer, Singh and Claire almost instantly. These are books I could easily devour in one sitting with no problem. I don't know how I've missed this author and in fact I have already ordered books 1 and 2 so I can start catching up with the rest of the series. Extremely enjoyable and highly recommended! 5*

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read from B.L. Faulkner and I get two for the price of one! These are exceptional fbfilleds with a great pace, settings, and characters.

Faulkner’s attention to details creates characters that are very real and well rounded. These are very character driven stories which is my favorite kind of read.

I love the pacing of this book. It keeps you hooked and then picks up toward the end making the finale a thrill ride. I didn’t want to put this one down, and I’m impressed by the well developed ending I didn’t see coming!

I’m really glad I read this book, and I will definitely be reading more from B.L. Faulkner. I recommend checking it out!

*I was sent a free copy of The Profit Motive in exchange for an honest review on the Blog Tour hosted by Random Things Tours. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all Barrys Palmer and Singh series, they just get better (if thats at all possible) as I read them. It is two stories in one, so for those people who don't enjoy a massive ledger of a book this is excellent.Even if you prefer longer novels this series is worth having a try off. The main character is DCS Palmer who is an old school copper along with his sidekick, Gheeta Singh, a techological whiz...she can find a way into anything! The first story involves the hunt for stolen Nazi gold which seems to be causing murders. Im with the band revolves around a 70's band, both stories are filled with a realism that can only come from Barry Faulkner with his first hand experience of being brought up in a family with criminal ties. He has created characters that are really believable and to a depth that makes you want more! Two excellent stories! Can't wait to read his new stuff!

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

Another great book in the serial murder squad series. Easy to read with storylines that flow along.Looking forward to reading more

[Grace J Reviewerlady]

Review to follow

[Sonja van der Westhuizen | West Words · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barry Faulkner’s latest DCS Palmer detective book provides not only one, but two new stories about Detective Chief Superintendent Justin Palmer, head of the Metropolitan Police Force’s Serial Murder Squad from New Scotland Yard.

In the fifth of the series, Loot, Palmer and his tech-savvy sidekick, Detective Sergeant Gheeta Singh, have to unravel the unfortunate demise of John Fenn, a freelance auctioneer on a building site. When the body of Charles Plant, a bullion dealer who washed up on a Sussex beach two months earlier shows similarities to Fenn’s murder, the two detectives realise it’s too much of a coincidence.

Read the full review on https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.co...