I’ve read a few books by this author and as they are all so different I had no idea what to expect. This is, loosely, a police procedural but with more emphasis on the crimes and the characters than the investigation. Unusually this is written from the perspective of numerous different characters, which I felt shouldn’t work but it did. Set in a small town called Axton, in the north-west of England, shortly before Brexit, this is a fairly complex tale. There’s a bit of everything thrown into the mix; politics, eco warriors, blackmail, organised crime, people trafficking, private detectives, hired gunmen just for starters. Yes it’s a bit far fetched but novels are allowed to be!
Briefly, John Harrington, a partner in a property company, is stabbed to death in one of his care homes. DS Ursula Pembridge and DI Tobias Friedel are assigned the case which proves more complex than it originally seemed. But his death is just the start of a catalogue of criminal acts.
This was a fast paced book with plenty of action. A lot of characters so they weren’t particularly well fleshed out but there were certainly a number of very unsavoury characters, and not always the ones you expected. It was quite a quick read and a good one; I can see that this could become a series should the author wish. Well written and enjoyable novel.