Stalkers

DS Heckenburg #1

by Paul Finch

Time’s up. You’re Next.

"All he had to do was name the woman he wanted. It was that easy. They would do all the hard work."

Detective Sergeant Mark 'Heck' Heckenberg is investigating the disappearance of 38 different women. Each one was happy and successful until they vanished without a trace.

Desperate to find her missing sister, Lauren Wraxford seeks out Heck’s help. Together they enter a seedy underworld of gangsters and organised crime.

But when they hear rumours about the so-called 'Nice Guys Club' they hit a brick wall. They're the gang that no one will talk about. Because the Nice Guys can arrange anything you want. Provided you pay the price…

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Detective, Suspense

452 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2013

About the author

Paul Finch is a former cop and journalist, now full-time writer. Having originally written for the television series THE BILL plus children's animation and DOCTOR WHO audio dramas, he went on to write horror, but is now best known for his crime / thriller fiction.

He won the British Fantasy Award twice and the International Horror Guild Award, but since then has written two parallel series of hard-hitting crime novels, the Heck and the Lucy Clayburn novels, of which three titles have become best-sellers.

Paul lives in Wigan, Lancashire, UK with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne
Ermittler Mark Heckenburg hat sich in einen Fall verbissen. Es sind 38 junge Frauen verschwunden - innerhalb kurzer Zeit und ohne jede Spur. Er glaubt an einen Zusammenhang. Ansonsten scheint aber niemand mehr dem nachgehen zu wollen. Als Mark Heckenburg unfreiwillig in den Urlaub geschickt wird, setzt er seine Ermittlungen auf eigene Faust fort. Unterstützung erhält er dabei von Lauren Wraxford, die ihre Schwester vermisst...
🌟🌟🌟
Mein Leseeindruck:
Schon das Cover wirkt düster und bedrückend, und so ist auch dieses Buch. Diese düstere Stimmung zieht sich durch die ganze Geschichte, und die Handlung bzw. der Hintergrund ist wirklich sehr beklemmend und verstörend. Es geht um Entführung, Vergewaltigung und Mord - nichts für schwache Nerven.
An sich mochte ich diesen Thriller. Ich mochte die Atmosphäre, dieses Düstere.
Es gibt sehr viele Actionszenen, viel Gewalt,... Das ist nicht so meins. In einem gewissen Maße noch okay, aber ich mag es viel lieber, wenn die Ermittlungsarbeit quasi Denkarbeit ist - wie bei Miss Marple oder Hercule Poirot zum Beispiel.
Aber gut, das ist hier ein Thriller, kein Krimi. Dennoch hätte es an manchen Stellen ein bisschen spannender für mich sein dürfen. Einiges fand ich zu langatmig.
Insgesamt aber ein solider Auftaktband zu einer Thriller-Reihe, aus der ich sicherlich noch das ein oder andere Buch lesen werde.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

In Stalkers we join Detective Mark Heckenberg as he tries to uncover the truth about 38 women who have all vanished without a trace. And while the premise of the story sounds promising, it ultimately falls flat.
There are two main reasons why I didn't like this book. Spoilers may follow.


Sexism

Now, I'm not talking about 'The Nice Guys'. Obviously this is a sexist group, but that's okay in context because we as readers know that we're fighting against them and what they stand for.

I'm talking about the underlying sexism that comes from most of the other men in the novel and even from our protagonist. At one point, Heckenberg is in a bar and a women approaches him, after talking for a while he accuses her of being a whore because she's 'acting like one'. Oh yeah, my bad, she was wearing a skirt. What a slut.
And I'm supposed to be routing for this jerk? Please.

Even the women who behave properly and I'm guessing are supposed to be strong characters are not free from condescension, all of them get refered to as 'darling' and 'love' and they're also all sexualised at some point.

Oh, and there's also bithching about 'positive discrimination'.


Cliches and Predictability

Male detective working on important case? Check
Righteous to the point of self-destruction? Check
Loner with ex-wife/girlfriend troubles? Check
Drinking problem? Check
Suspended for no discernable reason? Check
Still dedicated to the case? Check
Female Sidekick? Check
Romance with said sidekick? Check
Get framed? Check
Bunch of leads that end up dead? Check
Damsel in distress plot device for denouement? Check

Seriously, there was nothing in this book that I couldn't call. So predictable, even if you've only read one other book in this genre, you will know what's going to happen and when.

If you want a good crime book, I suggest
The Big Over Easy
It is much better.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stalkers – Who is watching you?

Typical of me to discover Paul Finch by reading his third book Stalkers in his ‘Heck’ series and I would like to thank him as I am now going to have to find his first two books and his latest! Stalkers is a great read with the Detective Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenberg a detective sergeant in the National Crime Squad who has to go off the reservation to solve the case and could so easily be handed his own backside in a sling!

Heck has been investigating a number of missing persons cases, not something you would expect the National Crime Group (UK version of the FBI) to be investigating as they are generally routine and handled by the local police force. What makes this Heck’s case are that these missing people are all women, who are highly educated, plenty to live for, high achievers who just disappear off the face of the earth. Cars abandoned, shopping left in the open boot of the car, just gone.

Heck finds similarities but his bosses believe the case is going nowhere and a lot of money and resources close his investigation down. Heck is sent on leave and decides the only thing he can do is carry on his investigation, which means he will have to go on a road trip. During his initial road trip he ends up with the help and support of one of missing person’s sister Lauren Wraxford an ex-squaddie who he does not want but ends up needing. It is while he is on this road trip that he realises what he is actually up against when he is set up for the murder of a local thief.

On the run he becomes the target for a well trained contract killer and through this he find that a so-called ‘Nice Guys Club’ are the people who are running the killer and are highly skilled ex-military men who provide an expensive ‘rape club’ for the rich elite. It becomes a race against time and his own colleagues to discover the whole story and at the same time discover if there is a mole in the National Crime Group.

This is a fast paced gritty crime thriller with plenty of twists and turns that leaves you breathless and excited as you read. Paul Finch has used his skills as a screen writer to draw the reader in and hold them enthralled in the story feeling central to it and feeling the tension that racks through Heck. Yes Heck is a defective detective but a damn good one at that not afraid to go against his bosses in the search for the truth. The truth in this book is that you will not be able to put it down and to use the cliché of clichés this really is a page turner well worth investing your time in.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

William Morrow sent me STALKERS and I requested it because it sounded all thriller-like and intense and I kind of like that so what was it like? Well, it was certainly intense and it kept me reading page after page and there was a lot of action and drama and second-guessing everything because the plot kept drilling deeper and deeper into conspiracies which is where I like them to go. The only issue was that the book came at the expense of women.

So let me just get the plot out there. The Nice Guys’ Club sets up rapes for really rich men. They pay them X amount of money, the men get to choose any woman they want, the Nice Guys stalk said women, kidnap her, bring the rich men to a secure location, said men have their way with said women, either kicking and screaming or unconscious, whatever, and then the Nice Guys dispose of said woman in a body of water. I can deal with this kind of plot. I really can. Otherwise I wouldn’t have even asked for STALKERS to read. But what really got me was how women were portrayed throughout the book, through their own eyes and through the eyes of the men around them.

Louise is the opening POV we get and the last of the Nice Guys’ victims. On page 4 you get a big fat paragraph on how attractive she thinks she is, how she doesn’t care about how it belittles others’ interest in her intelligence. As long as men other than her husband kept their mitts off she didn’t mind being eye candy. She even dresses the part. We don’t really get into Gemma’s, Heck’s commanding officer, POV until later in the story but when she’s first introduced she’s all looks first, everything else second. Even later in the story, when the chapter is in her POV, she makes a comment that she’ll be advancing in her career because she’s a woman and that’s a popular thing right now. Really? The third woman is Lauren who, despite what we later learn as her being a soldier and has seen her fair share of war and is able to handle her own, is all tits and ass and long legs according to Heck when he first sees her. Let me just say, despite Lauren’s strength, I wouldn’t recommend getting too attached. Women tend to get the short end of the stick in this book.

I can swallow a SVU/Lifetime let’s-beat-the-crap-out-of-women plot. What I can’t swallow is when ALL women in the story are portrayed as little more than sex objects and when they are strong their sexuality is used to lessen them. It makes it very difficult for me to separate the book from the author because such denigration of women is so pervasive in the text that it’s hard for me to think that this isn’t how the author really thinks. If the book were entirely in the male POV I could half explain it away. But even the women lessen themselves in the face of their own looks. It makes me believe that it’s half the author not really knowing how to write a solid female POV and half him injecting his personal feelings into his these situations. I can’t help it. There’s just too much here for me to think otherwise. And since I haven’t read anything else by Finch I don’t have a basis for comparison.

I liked the story. There’s a ton of action and it kept me guessing what was going to happen and I didn’t want to put the book down. Except when I got too disgusted with how women were being portrayed in it. I want to keep reading in the series but I don’t want to keep seeing the women who make appearances in the story keep getting stepped on for one reason or another. To be fair there were times when men were introduced based on their level of sex appeal however it wasn’t nearly was consistent nor pervasive as it was for women, leading me to believe it’s part writing style too. Meh. The men felt far more realistic in their interactions, inner dialogue and associations with the world. The women felt clunky, polarizing and stereotypical of either the ditzy secretary or commanding brute but still sexy in their power. Very unnatural and rather off-putting. It really ruined the story for me.

2

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the sixth and last book of my holiday reads.

I recently read a short story by this author which I loved and ended up buying this one which is the first in a crime series.

This author certainly doesn't sugar coat the crimes in his books. I love how gritty the whole storyline is and how in parts it shocked and horrified me, yet I loved every minute of it.

Loved Heck and Lauren as you are drawn to both characters who are both strong in their roles.

Can't wait to read more!

[Helga · Rating 3 out of 5]

38 women have vanished so far. Women with no reason to leave their happy lives behind.
Who is behind these disappearances? What is the motive? Where are the women?

The book has a good plot and a great start but then it deviates and changes into lots of running arounds minus detecting.

Stalkers kept me engaged but not in a ‘had me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails’ kind of way.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 5 out of 5]

: I’ve never read a Paul Finch book before but when I Googled him I realised he is by no means a ‘newbie’ to the book scene. Paul has been writing all sorts and to date has had nearly 300 stories published. He’s done scriptwriting, journalism and (surprise, surprise) was once a copper. He is however, relatively new to the Crime genre. His debut novel in this genre is the book I have just read Stalkers featuring Detective Sergeant Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenberg

Heck is investigating the disappearance of more than 30 different women. The difference with this case is that these women were happy and successful and had absolutely no reason to disappear. Heck gets himself into a situation where if he really wants to find out what happened, he has to operate outside of the law. Heck is an easy character to read and has the ‘likeability’ factor, but in the beginning nothing more than that.

In addition to Heck, Lauren Wrexford is trying to find out about one of the missing girls, her sister, and tries to enlist Heck’s help. More by design they end up paired together and within the first half of the book find themselves not just operating outside of the law, but bending the rules until they are nearly at breaking point. I absolutely loved the feisty character of Lauren and think she added a great element to the story.

Interweaved with the actual investigation Heck is on, we actually get to follow the story of one particular missing woman. I must say that Paul Finch’s history in writing is glaringly obvious as his writing is outstanding. As for being new to the crime Genre, I wouldn’t have had a clue and had I not known, would have made the assumption he was a seasoned Crime writer. The story has that mixed element of making me want to hide behind my husband with fear, and sit up straighter because I feel like something bad is literally just around the corner.

I have to be honest and say that I couldn’t put this one down and at the halfway stage had already ordered the second book featuring Heck.

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un altro libro con il titolo sbagliato in italiano. Oltre che è un bruttissimo titolo. Il titolo poteva rimanere originale, Stalker, in quanto è più adatto e poi si dice anche in italiano. C'è la traduzione della parola stalker ma non credo di essere l'unica a usarla in inglese.
Poi quel "39". Si, è vero come dice la trama scompaiono trentanove donne ma l'investigatore Heck penserà sempre che sono trentotto. La notizia della trentanovesima arriverà prima a Palliser e la capa (che non ricordo il cognome) e sarà Palliser a iniziare a rompere la palle a Blenkisop. Heck nel frattempo è da tutt'altra parte.
Poi tra l'altro questo libro è concentrato su due cose: all'inizio vediamo Louise che viene pedinata (stalker), rapita, stuprata e ammazzata e poi c'è Genene la sorella di Lauren, la ragazza che lavorerà con Heck, e il resto viene quasi sempre citato come più di trenta scomparse.

Il voto del libro è 4.5.

[Land of butterflies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neočekivano zanimljiva i napeta do samog kraja.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read a book by Paul Finch before but I was captivated from the beginning by this fast-paced story filled to the brim with tension and suspense! There is a lot of action, scenes that will send a shiver down your spine and have you reading with the light switched firmly on and looking over your shoulder! Fantastic.

I'm very excited to see what Paul Finch has to offer next!

This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slow starter which builds character and teases with a gruesome plot. You then find yourself captivated by a taut and gripping story which leaves you zipping through the chapters. Gory, adult themed and excellent.

[Mk · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very mediocre crime thriller. It started off well but then the clichés started. Detective at war with the world, troubled personal life, a fling and zero detective work. Very painfully average and predictable.

[~ Cariad ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding start to the series...

[Endy Kupec · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crime thriller that is worth reading! This was my first book by Paul Finch and I can say he impressed me, I don't know how I hadn't heard of him before. Such a great writer.
I hope the rest of the series is this interesting as well...

[Book Addict Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 10 hours of GTA V I decided to switch it off and finish this book. Ordinarily I would've finished it days ago but I started it before a trip to London and the release of GTA V and reading it wasn't near the top of my priority list. That said it was an enjoyable read and one that I wish I'd read sooner as it has been on my to read list since its release.

Mark Heckenburg was a fantastic character. Police officers who ignore their superiors and often break the law themselves are always the most fun to read about. The scrapes that Heck got himself into in this book reminded me of any of the characters from Simon Kernick's books and certainly, this could've been a Kernick book. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much. The setting of London never gets old or boring for me and throw in a few mentions of the London Underground and already you've got me hooked.

The storyline itself however perhaps bordered on the unbelievable. Okay I see how a man can become obsessed with a woman, I just couldn't see a man paying a six-figure sum for an organised gang to kidnap her so that the man could rape her. Perhaps this Nice Guys club could have existed with a more believable storyline rather than this one. That said however the book did keep me guessing for the most part however for readers that have read this book I do share the belief of Heck of who the Nice Guys' insider is and hope to see this resolved in the next Heckenburg book.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable read that fans of Simon Kernick and Mark Billingham will love.

[Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars out of 5
I was a bit up and down reading this book as the narrative created interest and then lack of interest in turn. While not enthralled by the Heckenburg character, I am intrigued enough to plan to read the next in the series.
Despite what GR says, I have read this book only once!

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! It was so refreshing to meet a cop who isn't afraid to do the right thing rather than the acceptable thing. The fact that the author is an ex policeman probably accounts for the glimpses of political correctness in the modern police force and the ways in which it dictates so much of the job.

I particularly enjoyed the author's ability to build tension.

I received this copy free through Goodreads giveaways

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got to be honest and state that I had never heard of Paul Finch prior to being a lucky winner of a free copy of Stalkers via Good Reads but I have discovered a new author I love. Stalkers had me gripped from the start and the pace and tension never let go. This will appeal to fans of Tim Weaver and Simon Kernick and I, for one, cannot wait for the sequel Sacrifice.

[Simon Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that was a crime thriller worth reading. Captivating, engrossing, intellectual but full of action. Not only that, but seemingly unusual in modern prose, at least among the books I've read recently, not filled with grammatical and spelling errors. It appears there are still some authors out there who are qualified to do what they do. Finch is one of the few.

[Neats · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really started with a bang and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. Although it did hold my interest it did get a little far fetched. The endng was a bit abrupt and I think you'll need to read the next book to get a proper ending.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, excellant characters, great grab you by the throat story line. Throughly enjoyable read, Highly recommend!! I can't wait to read more about Detective Sergeant Mark "Heck" Heckenberg

[Heather Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, thrilling crime novel, fast paced, read it very quickly, always a sign that I'm engrossed!! Looking forward to the next 3 in the Heckenburg series!!

[Morana Mazor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volim ovakve krimi serijale... Ovo je prva o Marku "Hecku" Heceknburgu koji rješava razne slučajeve.. Jedna knjiga, jedan slučaj, klasika.... Volem, svjedno.

[Andy Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unputdownable

Well, I guess I got lucky. A few weeks ago I learned that the Heck series was on offer at 99p per book on Kindle for one day only. I decided to give them a shot as I was in the market for a new crime thriller series and this hits the spot just right.
Heck is an interesting character, a bit of a maverick (aren't they all?) but not insufferably so.
The bad guys here are extremely vile, dealing in the darkest side of the sordid sex market.

I'm struggling to not drop spoilers here so I'll just say that having read a fair amount of crime fiction series this stands out as one of the best. How good? Let's just say I finished it 10 minutes ago and will be starting book 2 in the next 10.

Paul Finch deserves a place at the top table, alongside the likes of Val McDermid and Mark Billingham

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read book 2 & 6 in the series I'm a little late in getting to the first but it was well worth the wait. Heck's introductory tale sees him going it almost alone against "The Nice Guys", a less than pleasant bunch that will procure anything you want provided you can pay for it. For their "delightful" clientele the anything is whichever woman they have their grubby little eyes on & needless to say, there's not much in it for the poor soul chosen....

Heck is investigating the disappearance of over 30 women but when his investigation is closed down & he's ordered to take a holiday does he give up? Of course not! Assisted by Lauren, ex-military (which turns out to be very fortuitous) & whose sister is missing, the pair follow up the few leads Heck has.

The story moves at a fast pace, it's gritty, gruesome at times but not overly so & most importantly it was wholly enjoyable. Looking forward to catching up with Heck again soon :o)

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had such an interesting story and plot but a very average execution. The main character seemed to be invulnerable despite being pulverised multiple times and there were a few instances of unnecessary racism (they seemed to come from a number of side characters and it seemed odd that so many people's opinions leaned towards racist asshole). There were also a few gross bits of violence, which I think worked really well, but seemed a bit out of place in the wider atmosphere of the book. Overall, this was just fine, but I'm not that eager to pick up the next book in the series.

[Pepperpots · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am torn whether to give this 3 or 4 *

It's a gripping read but the ending was a bit abrupt (unless this aspect of the story will come up in later books). Also, I see a lot of people remarking that the sexism faced by the women from both sides is relentless. And you know what, I think they're right. Even though the characters use mobile phones etc, and the world events mentioned give us a time reference, I kept thinking this was a story set in the 1980s. The sexism, and racism, is that prevalent. I know there is still racism etc today but the language used seemed dated.

[Dreamer Smurf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought for 50p in a charity shop and it ended up being a decent read.

Slightly unrealistic at points, but overall was an enjoyable if somewhat predictable romp!

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite predictable but still very thrilling! enjoyable read despite the over the top sexism.

[Sergej V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! Paul Finch is one of my favorite writers and I can't wait to read more of his books! Highly recommended😊