Six Feet Under

Terry Bell Mysteries #4

by Colin Garrow

A murder victim, a deserted airfield, a sinister project. Can Terry untangle the mystery before someone else dies?

Asked to investigate the death of a building contractor, taxi-driver and amateur sleuth Terry Bell thinks the dead man’s widow may be wasting her money. But when the trail leads to an old airfield and a brace of brutal thugs, he begins to wonder what they’re trying to hide. Tracking down one of the builder’s former workmates, Terry finds him unwilling to answer questions.

When the man is beaten up, the canny cabbie gets a visit from his favourite detective inspector. But DI Charis Brown and her latest sidekick seem determined not to get involved. Until the man is attacked again…

In this murder/mystery series set on England's northeast coast, Six Feet Under is book #4 in the Terry Bell Mystery series.

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2020

About the author

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.

He has published more than thirty books, and his short stories have appeared in several literary mags, most recently in Witcraft, and Flash Fiction North. Colin lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He plays several musical instruments and makes rather nice vegan cakes.

Reviews

[Rachael Stray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amateur sleuth Terry Bell is back again with another case to crack.

Set in my native north east England another mystery awaits Terry’s prying eyes.

Can Terry solve the case without putting him and his girlfriend Carol in mortal danger? Will the couple be kidnapped again?

And just what is going on with this mystery building job and what has it got to do with Polish men in suits and a disused airfield?

Another page turning crime thriller from Colin Garrow. An enjoyable mystery.

[Sheila Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick short read, follow Terry, would be investigator, taxi driver by day and his partner Carol who has a colourful Northern vocabulary as they follow the clues to see who killed the building contractor Ravi.
The investigation involves a sneeky black beemer, a Polish mob, a quirky police lady and a disused airfield.
Well written, easy to follow, a fun quick read. I will check out the others in the series. Highly recommended!

[Rajiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

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What a fun mystery this was around a Polish cast with possible conspiracies.

The author paced the story very nicely. It starts as a simple investigation as Terry tries to find out what happened to Ravi, the contractor. The theme was unique, where you don’t know what kind of conspiracy is taking place (except it has something to do with crates in a mysterious location). Terry is also very charming in the lead. He is just a taxi driver but does well for an amateur detective to solve the case.

The author also lightens the story with Terry’s cute romance with Carol. One of my favorite scenes is when Carol and Terry investigate the tunnels to determine what is happening. Similarly, DC Pringle and Charis also added nicely to the cast. The climax surprised me and concluded the plot satisfactorily. On a side note, I also loved the various ethnicities of the characters detailed in the story. Moreover, the pace is pretty short and never has a dull moment, as there is always something happening. I also liked the author’s note in the end on how his experiences as a taxi driver motivated him to write this series.

However, I had mixed feelings about the dialogues. On the one hand, I loved how the author makes the tone authentic by using its native accent in the conversations. But, I did get lost in the conversation and could not comprehend a few terms. I appreciate the author for providing a glossary of the pronunciations in the end.

Overall, this was interesting and a fun, quick read. I would indeed read the first book “Death on a Dirty Afternoon” soon.

[Bernadette Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this a 4 stars or 8/10.

This was an enjoyable read that found Terry in the thick of it yet again. He always manages to get himself among it despite the fact that he's only a taxi driver. In this story Terry is investigating the death of a building contractor on behalf of the widow. The trail leads him to an old airfield, where he finds himself among a group of thugs and he wonders what they're doing there. In his own usual way it's not long before he finds himself in deeper water than what he would like to be in. Can Terry get out of the predicament he finds himself in without getting to hurt is another matter and can he solve the case he has been investigating?

Colin never fails to convey his stories to the reader with an element of humour and the Geordie accent is very evident in the dialogue of the characters, you can almost hear them saying it as you read the passages of dialogue.

I have one minor niggle, with the copy that I read being an ebook you are told the percentage of the book that's left as you read, I was around 90% of the way through thinking I had around 10% left when it actually ended around 91 or 92 %. I did wonder what the percentage left was going to cover though as fortunately I had realised that the story was coming to a natural end. So all wasn't lost so to speak. The rest of the ebook is a sample of one of Colin's other books

[Michelle Ryles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having binge-read the first 3 books in the fantastic Terry Bell Mystery series, I timed it perfectly for the release of book 4 so I could go straight onto Six Feet Under. I've loved every single book in this outstanding series but in Six Feet Under it feels like the danger levels have been ramped up for Terry and his focus is fully on sleuthing rather than driving his taxi around Whitley Bay, which is supposed to be Terry's real job.

I love the chemistry between Terry and his girlfriend Carol, who tags along like Watson to Terry's Holmes. Carol also works in the taxi office but more often than not she finds herself on the run from the bad guys when Terry's investigating stirs up trouble. Carol deserves a medal for not only tolerating but being part of Terry's escapades. I love the way the banter bounces back and forth between them and some of Terry's witty retorts are comedy genius. For any readers struggling with the Geordie words, Colin Garrow has included a little Geordie Glossary at the end of the book and I loved this added touch, even though I'm a North Easterner so Ah divvent need it like.

The storyline in Six Feet Under is absolutely superb and had me on the edge of my seat, racing through the pages as fast as I possibly could. I really don't know how Colin Garrow packs so much into such a small number of pages; Six Feet Under comprises only 210 pages in the paperback, the shortest book of the series so far, but so much happens that you feel like you're reading a full length novel. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Colin Garrow is the master of quality over quantity, writing fantastic books without fluff.

The whole Terry Bell Mystery series is binge-worthy reading, with Six Feet Under being an absolute cracker of a mystery. Although you could read Six Feet Under as a standalone, I wholeheartedly recommend reading the whole series to fully understand and appreciate the characters. Six Feet Under is absolutely brilliant; it's Geordie mystery with mirth and very highly recommended.

Many thanks to the author and damppebbles blog tours for sending me an ebook to review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first venture into the Terry Bell Mysteries, but it won’t be my last, as this was an enjoyable read with a memorable cast of characters that really brought the book to life.
It did take a little while to build up the mystery aspect of the story. However, this was more than made up for by the characters from the start, and once it got going there was more than enough twists and turns, and sense of danger to have made the wait worth it.
Terry was a fantastic main character, with a great deal of personality and someone who breaks the mould of what you would typically expect of the ‘detective’ character in a mystery series. I liked how down to earth he was, and the elements and experience that comes from the fact that he’s a regular guy who drives a cab, doesn’t have the extensive education but instead brings a different kind of intelligence and a dogged determination to his efforts. Even better, is that he shares the limelight, he is willing to ask for help, to work with partners and to appreciate the assistance rather than being a ‘lone wolf’. I particularly enjoyed his relationship and partnership with Carol, because they complement one another beautifully in all aspects of their lives, and she is by no means overshadowed or left behind, standing equally beside him.
The balance between them and their involvement and the dangers that they find themselves facing, and the work of DI Charis was well done, and she was another character that I liked. I could feel her frustration and worry about having to do her job and worry about the pair. I will say that Garrow has a talent for writing very believable and relatable characters, that live and breathe on each page, especially when combined with the language – and it was great to see the Geordie dialect bleeding into the story, and adding another dimension to the setting.
This was a short, entertaining book with tons of character that I would highly recommend, and I will be checking out the rest of the series.

[Lynsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Colin Garrow has written a belter of book! I love Terry and how he bumbles into trouble all the time. Part-time taxi driver and part time investigator but now he has a reputation to live up to! This time he is asked by a local builders wife to investigate her husbands death as she is sure it was murder. This leads Terry to a deserted airfield where there are abandoned tunnels from the war when suddenly he is attacked by an unknown foe! Classic Terry.

I love the narrative in this one but then the thought of those tunnels fascinated me! The writing of the tunnels section was amazing as I could feel the fear and claustrophobia scream off the pages. But what makes these books are the relationships between Terry and his amazing beau Carol and DI Charis who always has to pick up the pieces. I really enjoyed see how Terry and Carol are developing their romance and it’s maturing as the series continues. All the supporting cast are brilliant formed and written as well. But it’s also the northern humour and feeling of these books which I love. I feel as if I am coming home when I am reading these books. I am definitely a Terry convert now! Roll on the next one Colin!

[Robert Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth outing for part time taxi driver, part time private eye, Terry Bell and his partner Carol. This time they’re drawn to a disused airfield and the clandestine events that have already led to one murder.

Now Terry and Carol are in the firing line, racing from one scrape to the next as they try to stay one step ahead of the bad guys while unravelling the mystery. Relying on friends, a deepening relationship with the local police, and their wits, the wise-cracking duo refuse to give up. With some exquisite banter and sly humour, their scenes together are pure gold.

It’s a quick read, but the quality of the writing and the characters shines through every page in this entertaining and satisfying murder mystery cum thriller.

My favourite line comes from Terry, who in a moment of despair, realises he’s caught between a cop and a hard place. Magic!

If you haven’t read any of the Terry Bell series, then grab the first and treat yourself. You won’t regret it.

[Pratibha Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5