Shooting Elvis

Charlie Priest #11

by Stuart Pawson

A bizarre death leads to discoveries about low-tech industrial espionage, but is selling details of your employer's customer base to their rivals a reason for murder? Appearances deceive, and it transpires the victim may have been the victim of a mistaken identity. DI Charlie Priest is content in his work, and his home life shows signs of improving. When his new girlfriend, a former world-class athlete known as La Gazelle, wins her comeback race his happiness overflows. But when a second mysterious death turns up on their patch Charlie and his team find themselves under pressure to discover what catalyst motivates the killer. They suspect it might be Charlie himself, and this is confirmed when La Gazelle is kidnapped. Now it’s getting personal . . .

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Stuart Pawson lived in Fairburn, Yorkshire, with his wife, Doreen.

After a career as a mining electrical engineer, he worked part-time for the probation service for five years, mediating between offenders and their victims. This gave him a good insight into the criminal justice system, and it was during this period that he started to write his first book, The Picasso Scam.

Stuart believed he must have some cowboy genes somewhere in his genome because he always had a strong affinity for the American West. His first visit to the USA was to work for a month at a Wyoming coalmine, and he holidayed over there many times. Although tone-deaf (some would say stone-deaf) he always thought it would be good fun to be a songwriter. The thought of composing a three-minute song as opposed to a 300-page book had a certain attraction. He managed to combine the two themes - song writing and the West - in the opening chapters of Laughing Boy, and he enjoyed writing that one immensely.

Reviews

[Jean Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie's love life is looking up but his work life is challenging having been presented with particularly sadistic murder and some low tec industrial espionage. Also he has his doubts about a new team member. Such is the state of things that Charlie decides to re-train and update his firearms licence. He's not really keen on using a gun but .........

[Denise Brennecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

an interesting twist in this story

Thoroughly enjoyed this book despite my feeling it was a little slow paced at times. It soon became ‘unputdownable’ and I liked the twist at the end though I did have my suspicions.

[Linda Rawlins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about DI Charlie Priest who is acting DCI in this book. A sophisticated killer is murdering people accused of crimes, but purposely trying to hurt Charlie and his reputation in the process. It was a little hard to follow in the beginning but the story came together nicely.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book by a fine writer. He left us too soon.

[Kemi looves 2 read · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 1st book that I read by Stuart Pawson. I found it to be a bit boring. I'll keep an open mind and read another book by him before I make any conclusions.

[Brian Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pawson is always a good read crime with a bit of humour thrown in

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good read as I have said before, l like the characters and the day to day living off the troops. Only two books left in the series.

[Sreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a long time to get into it.ok.

[valerie gosling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

A nice read,plot melted you guessing until the end.good characters,who develops as the storey unfolds I enjoyed reading this book

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Priest, early 50s, is a long-time Heckley Police (Yorkshire) murder squad DI. Temporarily named Acting DCI, he is called to the scene of the death of a retired storekeeper Alfred Armitage. It looks like a suicide, but soon a murder investigation is underway.

This is the first Stuart Pawson novel I've read, but it won't be the last. Good characterization. Interesting criminal investigation. Side story about Charlie's new girlfriend, Sonia Thornton, a former world class distance runner known as "La Gazelle" whose knee was injured in an auto accident who he is encouraging to return to competitive running is entertaining. And Pawson pulls off connecting this "diversion" to the murder investigation.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book in an enjoyable series.
By about half way through this story I was sure that I knew the culprit and as further pieces fell into the jigsaw, I was sure that I was right. Of course, I wasnt but all the clues were there to be found.
I have another of the series on my bookshelf ready.

[Donna Irwin]

Good old Charlie priest! Light but enjoyable.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, only 2 more to go in the D.I. Charlie Priest
series now. Hope there will be more in future.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An always enjoyable series