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Their Last Words
(Paterson & Clocks #1)
by
A VICTIM. A MUTILATED BODY. A SINGLE WORD.
A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.”
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is assigned to the case. Young, handsome, and from a wealthy background, he’s tipped for the top. He joins a team based out of Bermondsey, South London. It’s ...more
A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.”
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is assigned to the case. Young, handsome, and from a wealthy background, he’s tipped for the top. He joins a team based out of Bermondsey, South London. It’s ...more
Paperback
Published
June 22nd 2018
by Joffe Books Publisher
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Start your review of Their Last Words (Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson #1)

A young woman was found dead on the streets of London. Her throat had been slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh, "DON'T".
Detective Superintendent Paterson is assigned the case. He joins the team based in Bermondsey, South London. Paterson quickly discovers he must rely on his friend and mentor, Detective Sargent Dave Jordan. Then a second body is discovered and another word is cut into the victims chest.
The murder of the girls made my stomach churn. There are plenty of ...more
Detective Superintendent Paterson is assigned the case. He joins the team based in Bermondsey, South London. Paterson quickly discovers he must rely on his friend and mentor, Detective Sargent Dave Jordan. Then a second body is discovered and another word is cut into the victims chest.
The murder of the girls made my stomach churn. There are plenty of ...more

Jun 20, 2018
Linda Strong
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley-2018,
read-in-2018
4.5 Stars
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A HEAVILY REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “THE SKY IS CRYING.”
These are two cops who hate each other, but have to work together to catch the most brutal serial killer to date. There are multiple victims ... women savagely slashed with missing body parts. There are words carved into each victim .. but what's the message? And who is it for?
DS Ray Paterson is assigned to investigate these cases. He's new to this team and it's meant to be a stepping stone fo ...more
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A HEAVILY REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “THE SKY IS CRYING.”
These are two cops who hate each other, but have to work together to catch the most brutal serial killer to date. There are multiple victims ... women savagely slashed with missing body parts. There are words carved into each victim .. but what's the message? And who is it for?
DS Ray Paterson is assigned to investigate these cases. He's new to this team and it's meant to be a stepping stone fo ...more

An exceptionally thrilling, gritty read that I literally couldn't put down. While the various characters have more than their share of undesirable traits, you still couldn't help being mesmerised by them and their actions. This is quite a graphic read with lots of swearing and in-your-face descriptions of the state of the victims by police characters, but I don't feel this is shocking just for shock sakes but a look at how the police use morgue humour to deal with horrific tragedies.
My only conc ...more
My only conc ...more

It is great to find a new author you really like and Steve Parker is new for me. This book (previously published at The Sky is Crying) and heavily revised introduces Detective Inspector Ray Patterson who is a fast track copper without a lot of 'coppering' under his belt, he is however sharp and clever. He relies heavily on his side kick DS Dave Jordon, who is an old school copper and a total contrast to the Superintendent. Nevertherless the two are friends.
You need your wits about you with this ...more
You need your wits about you with this ...more

I am a big fan of Joffe Books. Their books are usually fast paced with a minimum of padding and that suits me perfectly. I was very excited to hear Steve Parker was joining their talented team and was looking forward to reading this new release.
I wasn't disappointed the book starts with a gruesome murder and zooms along at a very fast pace with plenty of action and insight into the characters along the way. Very human characters and Steve has skillfully managed to build curve balls into the char ...more
I wasn't disappointed the book starts with a gruesome murder and zooms along at a very fast pace with plenty of action and insight into the characters along the way. Very human characters and Steve has skillfully managed to build curve balls into the char ...more

Holy %#@%! This book! ( Its okay...this was written for mature audiences)
Its a James Patterson-ish storyline meets the gore of Jack Ketchum or Karin Slaughter ! In quoting Clocks aka Timex I agree that I wish I could wash my brain out with bleach and forget what I just read because I will NOT be sleeping tonight!
First and foremost as always thank you to Netgalley & to Joffee Books for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review 🙏🏻❤️ I have joined Joffee's email list ...more
Its a James Patterson-ish storyline meets the gore of Jack Ketchum or Karin Slaughter ! In quoting Clocks aka Timex I agree that I wish I could wash my brain out with bleach and forget what I just read because I will NOT be sleeping tonight!
First and foremost as always thank you to Netgalley & to Joffee Books for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review 🙏🏻❤️ I have joined Joffee's email list ...more

So, I may just be a month behind on this review. So sorry! Sometimes life happens. This story gave me the creeps. Truly, shivery, shakey, OMG, wth type of creeps. It took me awhile to read. Thing is that books don't normally do this to me. Maybe I was just in an odd frame of mind. Hey, it happens! Would I recommend this book? Honestly, for me it was weird and almost feverish. So, no. I'm not sure I'd recommend this book. I do plan on reading more from this author, and coming back to this story i
...more

(Rounded from 3.5)
Young women are being horribly mutilated and dumped on the streets of London, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is put in charge but out of his depth he turns to DS Dave Jordan and his team to help catch this ruthless killer.
It’s so difficult to write about this book as there is so much more to it than the synopsis gives away but then I don’t want to write any spoilers in this review! I’ll try my best anyway.
It’s nice to see Joffe books has a new author, well ...more
Young women are being horribly mutilated and dumped on the streets of London, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is put in charge but out of his depth he turns to DS Dave Jordan and his team to help catch this ruthless killer.
It’s so difficult to write about this book as there is so much more to it than the synopsis gives away but then I don’t want to write any spoilers in this review! I’ll try my best anyway.
It’s nice to see Joffe books has a new author, well ...more

I have a confession to make (my second of the evening so far). Prior to receiving an e-mail from Joffe Books, I hadn’t actually heard of Steve Parker- sorry Steve. After finishing reading ‘Their Last Words’ I find myself asking myself why haven’t I discovered Steve Parker before now? I absolutely, totally and utterly LOVED reading ‘Their Last Words’ but more about that in a bit.
The main character of this book is Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson. He’s an ambitious man, who is on the graduate ...more
The main character of this book is Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson. He’s an ambitious man, who is on the graduate ...more

Here we have a new author to Joffe books and, having read the book, I can fully understand why they have decided to publish his books. Their reputation for publishing thrilling, can't-stop-reading, gripping police procedurals can only be enhanced by this novel.
The main character is Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson, born into a family with a lot of money. He doesn't need to work, he drives an Aston car and wears designer suits and Gucci shoes. I was sure I wouldn't like him but I do! His tea ...more
The main character is Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson, born into a family with a lot of money. He doesn't need to work, he drives an Aston car and wears designer suits and Gucci shoes. I was sure I wouldn't like him but I do! His tea ...more

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Their Last Words, the first novel to feature Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson of the Met.
Paterson is called out to a murder scene where a young woman has had her throat slit, her body mutilated and the word "don't" carved on her chest. Unfortunately she is not the only victim and Paterson is soon hunting a serial killer but with no forensics he isn't getting far.
Their Last Words is a novel of two halves with the first be ...more
Paterson is called out to a murder scene where a young woman has had her throat slit, her body mutilated and the word "don't" carved on her chest. Unfortunately she is not the only victim and Paterson is soon hunting a serial killer but with no forensics he isn't getting far.
Their Last Words is a novel of two halves with the first be ...more

A lot of five star reviews on here. I don't get it. Testosterone-fuelled, sexually violent, average police procedural. It reminded me of reading the only Jack Reacher novel I ever intend to read. To be honest, there were some moments in here that were genuinely well-written but, for the most part, it read like your average self-published stuff. Desperate for an edit, if only to remove the cringe element. The characters were either unbelievable (Paterson in particular) or two dimensional cliches.
...more

4.5 out of 5
This book just throws you right into the thrill ride! A girl is found dead, her throat cut, her entrails pulled out and… her vagina cut out.
It’s definitely not a story for the faint of heart, almost a “Jack the Ripper” sort of story, which is exactly what I was hoping for! It’s been so long since I’ve had a good police thriller! It’s not a procedural, as there aren’t really many descriptions of the actual police work, it’s more about the officers themselves and their characters. They ...more
This book just throws you right into the thrill ride! A girl is found dead, her throat cut, her entrails pulled out and… her vagina cut out.
It’s definitely not a story for the faint of heart, almost a “Jack the Ripper” sort of story, which is exactly what I was hoping for! It’s been so long since I’ve had a good police thriller! It’s not a procedural, as there aren’t really many descriptions of the actual police work, it’s more about the officers themselves and their characters. They ...more

This book purports to be a heavily revised edition.....if that's the case, I shudder to think what state it was in originally because it's still in a mess as far as I can make out !! I packed it in at 18%, partly down to the mistakes and partly because I was sick and tired of reading references to how well-off Paterson is. We know, he explained it but the constant brands being mentioned just became irritating. We had Aston, Gucci, Rolex and I gave up when Armani was also thrown in !! There was j
...more

This was a fast-paced, well-written crime thriller and police procedural -- the first in a new series featuring Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson. He's a wealthy playboy, recently promoted to head his first murder squad case -- and the victim is a young woman, savagely mutilated with a word carved into her chest. He and his team, based out of Bermondsey, South London, barely get started on the investigation when another victim is found. They have a serial killer to hunt. Thankfully, Ray has
...more

I am a big fan of Steve Parker and have read all his books in kindle format but when I found out it was being released as an audiobook - well the opportunity to have the brilliant characters brought to life in audio was far too much of a temptation for me to miss.
I must admit I am pretty new to audiobooks but I think the narrator for this one was brilliant. Some audiobooks are a bit like Jackanory (yes showing my age here) but as usual Audible have pulled it out of the bag with a brilliant narra ...more
I must admit I am pretty new to audiobooks but I think the narrator for this one was brilliant. Some audiobooks are a bit like Jackanory (yes showing my age here) but as usual Audible have pulled it out of the bag with a brilliant narra ...more

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc.
I really liked this story! The plot was a nice fast pace and twisty enough to keep my attention throughout. Yes, it was gory and graphic with language to match. But as I was looking to escape from "real life" for a while, it was just right for me. I found the characters believable if not all were particularly likeable (Ray) but they did "grow" on me.
3.5 stars rounded up. ...more
I really liked this story! The plot was a nice fast pace and twisty enough to keep my attention throughout. Yes, it was gory and graphic with language to match. But as I was looking to escape from "real life" for a while, it was just right for me. I found the characters believable if not all were particularly likeable (Ray) but they did "grow" on me.
3.5 stars rounded up. ...more

We have a young woman in her early twenties found brutally murdered in a London Street. Her injuries are so brutal that even the hardened Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan is horrified and wonders who could commit such a cruel act. Jordan along with Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson, DS Johnny Clocks and DC Adam Walker and the rest of the team are tasked with finding this evil perpetrator. This is the first book in the Paterson and Clocks series and it really did WOW me! It starts off at quite
...more

Anyone that knows me or reads my blog will know that I am a HUGE thriller fan and this book blew my mind!
Now a word of warning, this book is grusomely detailed, and I mean really detailed and some scenes had me muttering ‘sweet Lord!’ ‘OMG!’ to the point that I woke my husband up while burning the midnight oil.
A gruesome body on the first page and I was hooked. This book never takes its foot off the gas, as bodies turn up left right and centre Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and his team h ...more
Now a word of warning, this book is grusomely detailed, and I mean really detailed and some scenes had me muttering ‘sweet Lord!’ ‘OMG!’ to the point that I woke my husband up while burning the midnight oil.
A gruesome body on the first page and I was hooked. This book never takes its foot off the gas, as bodies turn up left right and centre Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and his team h ...more

THEIR LAST WORDS by STEVE PARKER
The murders in this book are gruesome to say the least, but being a hardened crime reader they didn’t bother me.
The police in this book are quite different, Ray Paterson is a very wealthy graduate, without much experience, his mate Jordan is an old fashioned copper who’s gone through the ranks, and my favourite is “Timex”, he’s a proper chancer, but a damn good cop, one who would watch your back through anything. I liked these characters, they didn’t fanny around ...more
The murders in this book are gruesome to say the least, but being a hardened crime reader they didn’t bother me.
The police in this book are quite different, Ray Paterson is a very wealthy graduate, without much experience, his mate Jordan is an old fashioned copper who’s gone through the ranks, and my favourite is “Timex”, he’s a proper chancer, but a damn good cop, one who would watch your back through anything. I liked these characters, they didn’t fanny around ...more

3 and 1 / 2 stars
Detective Superintendent Paterson is a wealthy man who was fast-tracked up the promotion line. He basically has no real police investigative skills. Luckily, he has DS Dave Jordan who is Paterson’s partner and good friend.
When a young woman is found murdered and badly mutilated, the police know that they have a real problem on their hands. They make very little progress before another woman is also murdered and mutilated. Each of the women has a single word carved onto their ch ...more
Detective Superintendent Paterson is a wealthy man who was fast-tracked up the promotion line. He basically has no real police investigative skills. Luckily, he has DS Dave Jordan who is Paterson’s partner and good friend.
When a young woman is found murdered and badly mutilated, the police know that they have a real problem on their hands. They make very little progress before another woman is also murdered and mutilated. Each of the women has a single word carved onto their ch ...more

Thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley I received this great book.
It is a great book because A) it is British, full of nice slang and good strong characters; B) it is fast-paced with new surprises in almost every chapter; C) the reader gets to know the 'bad guy' quite well - or not - and D) all of the above and more.
There is crime, viscious crime. There is hatred and politics and lots of rain. But there is also strong friendship, insights and love. It is very well written with superb insights. You ...more
It is a great book because A) it is British, full of nice slang and good strong characters; B) it is fast-paced with new surprises in almost every chapter; C) the reader gets to know the 'bad guy' quite well - or not - and D) all of the above and more.
There is crime, viscious crime. There is hatred and politics and lots of rain. But there is also strong friendship, insights and love. It is very well written with superb insights. You ...more

I really enjoyed this story. The way the characters interact with each other, the way the try and figure out who the serial killer is and why. Yes, if your not into graphic killings, this book may not be for you. I found it to be very interesting and I did not think who the killer was. I was surprised at the identity. I would like to thank Joffee Books and Net Galley for a copy of this book. Looking forward to more from this author. I voluntarily reviewed this and this is my opinion of it.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Steve Parker for the opportunity to read a copy of Their Last Words in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I found the storyline to be well thought out written. It was a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns until you get to the very end. I thought it was a great read.
Definitely well worth a read. I look forward to reading more from this author.
I found the storyline to be well thought out written. It was a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns until you get to the very end. I thought it was a great read.
Definitely well worth a read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book hits the ground running in a fast and furious story of a serial killer evading capture by Superintendent Ray Paterson and his team in South London. Paterson is young, extremely wealthy and on a fast track to the top, while his two sergeants are complete opposites. DS Dave Jordan is a solid old school detective who has mentored Ray whilst DS Johnny Clocks is loud-mouthed and brash but a loyal friend for life if he likes you. Between them they make a good team and there is some nice inte
...more

In this the first in a series we are intoduced to Det Superintendant Ray Paterson, a man who has been fast tracked through the service,independantly wealthy and well educated but lacking in experience when it comes to investigating murder. He does however learn fast.
Lucky for him when a badly mutilated body of a naked woman is found with the word "Dont" carved into her chest he is assisted by his friend and mentor Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan.
Jordan has many years experience and is street sma ...more
Lucky for him when a badly mutilated body of a naked woman is found with the word "Dont" carved into her chest he is assisted by his friend and mentor Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan.
Jordan has many years experience and is street sma ...more
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