Showing posts with label Russ Thomas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russ Thomas. Show all posts

Thursday 29 April 2021

Book Review: Nighthawking by Russ Thomas

That which was lost... will always be found again.

Sheffield’s beautiful Botanical Gardens – an oasis of peace in a world filled with sorrow, confusion and pain. And then, one morning, a body is found in the Gardens. A young woman, dead from a stab wound, buried in a quiet corner. Police quickly determine that the body’s been there for months. It would have gone undiscovered for years – but someone just sneaked into the Gardens and dug it up.

Who is the victim? Who killed her and hid her body? Who dug her up? And who left a macabre marker on the body?

In his quest to find her murderer, DS Adam Tyler will find himself drawn into the secretive world of nighthawkers: treasure-hunters who operate under cover of darkness, seeking the lost and valuable… and willing to kill to keep what they find.


If you remember my review for Russ Thomas's Firewatching, you'll know how impressed I was with the beginning of the series. The sequel, Nighthawking, fully lived up to my expectations! When a book opens with a dead body buried in a botanical garden with Roman coins in the eye sockets, you know you're going to be in for a thrilling read.

Nighthawking is a tense and gripping police procedural set in Sheffield, featuring Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler, a cold case reviewer with a troubled past. I don't come across LGBT protagonists in crime fiction very often, and it's something I'm desperate to see more of, so a huge shout out to Russ for making his books so inclusive.

Russ is brilliant at writing diverse, believable characters. He has created a fantastically frustrating protagonist in the character of Adam, and I'm a huge fan of the ambitious Detective Constable Amina Rabbani, who really blossoms as a force to be reckoned with in this book. 

It's so clear this story has been thoroughly researched, especially around the topics of metal detection and plant life, which really bring the story to life, and set it apart from anything else I've ever read. There are several interesting threads to this tightly-plotted story, which weave together perfectly, combined with excellent pacing

I'm a fan of crime novels with shifting perspectives and it's done so well in this book, with the inclusion of diary entries from the nighthawkers themselves, which serve as a brilliant insight into the story.

The way this compelling book ends, with a satisfying conclusion to the case melting into an insane cliffhanger, has left me desperate to find out what happens next in this fantastic series.

Nighthawking is out on Kindleaudiobook, and in a gorgeous hardback today, and the paperback is out on 2nd September (but I challenge you to wait that long!).

Roxie

@RoxieAdelleKey


About the author

Russ Thomas is an author and creative writing tutor living in Sheffield. Firewatching is Russ's first book in a new series of crime thrillers set in Sheffield, published by Simon & Schuster in the UK. The sequel, Nighthawking, will be released in April 2021.

Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Thursday 31 December 2020

My Top 10 of 2020

This year has been... well. Do I even need to say? From discovering Schitt's Creek to signing with David Higham Associates, from doing a reading at Virtual Noir at the Bar to growing vegetables (badly), 2020 was definitely a mixed bag. I'll skip over the heartbreak and focus on the positive. BOOKS.

I read so many amazing books! I'm sure I missed some absolute gems, but these are the 10 that I just can't forget.

The Cutting Place by Jane Casey

When human remains wash up on the shore of the Thames, DS Maeve Kerrigan traces it to a journalist who has been digging around for information on a gentlemen's club that's drenched in dark secrets and cover-ups. Maeve becomes knee-deep in the world of rich, male privilege, and as one crime exposes another, the case builds and builds to its climactic, unpredictable end. This intense thriller has an unbelievably believable plot, splashes of unexpected emotion and characters that'll stay with you long after you begrudgingly turn over that last page. 

How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister (audiobook)


This gripping psychological-suspense thriller is told from the viewpoints of four characters, a family torn apart by the ripple effect of an awful crime, separated by the witness protection programme. The plot is unpredictable, twisting and turning all over the place. I found myself listening to this at every opportunity. I was completely and utterly addicted. This is not only the best book Gillian has ever written, but it's one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read. It's tense, chilling and beautifully-written - all the ingredients required for a compelling, keep-you-up-at-night thriller.

Far from the Tree by Rob Parker (audiobook)


Nine hours of pure edge-of-your-seat, keep-you-up-at-night drama. A pacey, twisty police procedural with an immense hook from the very first chapter: 27 bodies discovered in a mass grave. When the case gets a little to close to home, Brendan Foley throws himself full-pelt at it, doing everything he can to get to the bottom of it at all costs. Full of different threads that are woven together with masterful plotting. Prepare to be taken to some very dark places indeed, and brace yourself for shocking reveals you could never imagine. 

Firewatching by Russ Thomas


A dark and twisty police procedural introducing DS Adam Tyler, a cold case reviewer with a troubled past. When the skeleton of a corrupt businessman is discovered bricked-up in the cellar of the Old Vicarage, Adam lands himself this high-profile murder investigation, only to find himself in hot water. As fires spring up all over Castledene, it's clear that a pyromaniac is on the loose, dead set on watching the world burn. Scorches with a tangle of threads that I challenge even the most seasoned of thriller readers to tie together before the incredible, unpredictable ending. 

Without a Trace by Mari Hannah


DCI Kate Daniels hurtles towards London after the news that a transatlantic flight has dropped out of the sky... and the love of her life, Jo Soulsby, was on that flight. Kate blags her way onto the investigation and embarks upon a mission to disprove that Jo was on that flight... because she couldn't have been... could she? An unimaginable rollercoaster of twists and turns that I couldn't have predicted transformed me into a page-turning maniac. It's tense. It's dramatic. It's emotional. A perfectly-executed and riveting piece of crime fiction.

Whispers in the Dark by Chris McDonald


Drug dealer, Marcus Stone and DCI Clive Burston had never met until one night in August. By the end of that night, both had been shot dead in a small bedroom in the heart of gang territory. DI Erika Piper is called to the scene but is at a loss to explain what’s happened. How did these two even meet, let alone end up dead in what appears to be a strange murder-suicide? A powerful and thrilling novel that packs a punch from page one, from the sinister prologue to the shocking ending. A tense, twisted and superbly-plotted thriller that is as terrifying as it is heartbreaking. 

All That is Buried by Robert Scragg


When 7-year-old Libby Hallforth goes missing at a funfair without even a sniff of evidence or a single witness, DI Jake Porter and DS Nick Styles are left with more questions than they have answers. The case goes cold, and all hope of finding Libby is lost, until human remains are discovered several months later. And like with all good crime novels, it's just the start of a race against time to stop a killer in their tracks. This is a fast-paced, thrilling read that is packed not only with action, but the emotion that is often left out of this kind of book. I absolutely loved it.

The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen


A psychological thriller that tells the heartbreaking tale of four sisters who were kidnapped twenty years ago. The mystery is not about how they manage to escape, because what happens after is so much worse. As the twentieth anniversary of the kidnapping looms closer, a catastrophic chain of events sends the reader rocketing towards a series of twists and turns that are as unpredictable as they are clever. Louise is the master of foreshadowing, leaving you hanging on by a fingertip as she ends each chapter. She sends you hurtling down one road, only to whip the carpet from beneath your feet.

Too Close to Breathe by Olivia Kiernan


When Eleanor Costello is found hanging in her Dublin home, all signs point to suicide. Enter DCS Frankie Sheehan, a detective with a sharp eye, a potty mouth and an innate ability to climb inside the heads of the victims. Suffering from PTSD driven by a vicious attack during a previous investigation, Frankie soon learns that the lines between killer and victim are becoming increasingly blurred. An atmospheric, immersive and skillfully-plotted police procedural that will blow you away. So compelling and incredibly absorbing.

The Storm by Amanda Jennings


A twisty psychological thriller set in a Cornish fishing port, following the story of Hannah and Nathan Cardew, and their picture-perfect marriage... or so it seems. As the past threatens to catch up with her, the dark secrets of Hannah's past soon begin to unravel. There's more than one storm brewing in this compelling story... just you wait until the thunder cracks. Amanda's gripping style of writing draws you in like a fishing reel, only to fling you back into the storm with a big reveal that'll leave your mind whirling.

What were your top 10 2020 reads? Share in the comments!

Roxie

@RoxieAdelleKey

Saturday 26 September 2020

Book Review: Firewatching by Russ Thomas

A cold case that burns.

A city about to ignite. 


If I had to describe Firewatching by Russ Thomas in one word, it would be wow. And if I'm honest, that doesn't even give this book justice. 

Told over the period of a week and set in the sleepy village of Castledene, Sheffield, Firewatching is a dark and twisty police procedural introducing Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler, a cold case reviewer with a troubled past, and the sole representative of South Yorkshire's Cold Case Review Unit. When the skeleton of corrupt businessman Gerald Cartwright is discovered bricked-up behind a false wall in the cellar of the Old Vicarage, Adam lands himself this high-profile murder investigation, only to find himself in hot water. The good news is that they have a prime suspect. The bad news? That suspect is Oscar, his recent one-night stand.

Russ is unbelievably good at writing character. I love a memorable, flawed protagonist and Adam does not disappoint; I found myself rooting for this tenacious character from the very beginning. Along with ambitious Constable Amina Rabbani and despite his link to the suspect, Adam manages to stay on the case, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Will this be the case that finally allows him to show his superiors what he's made of?

And then there's Lily Bainbridge and Edna Burnside, an elderly couple who looked after Oscar as a child. The hand-delivered notes that keep being pushed through Lily's door terrify her. I know what you did. If only the dementia wasn't stopping her from knowing what she did. 

As more and more fires spring up all over Castledene, it's clear that a pyromaniac is on the loose, dead set on watching the world burn. But why? Told from the perspectives of Adam, Rabbani, Lily and a mysterious, anonymous blogger known only as the Fire Watcher, this story scorches with a tangle of threads that I challenge even the most seasoned of thriller readers to tie together before the incredible, unpredictable ending. An ending I did not see it coming. At all. 

Firewatching is a tense, suspenseful read that is as intriguing as it is gripping. The writing is sharp and expertly plotted. I blazed through this unputdownable book in a matter of days, and I'm confident you will too. 

You can snap up a hardback, ebook or audiobook copy of Firewatching now, and the paperback lands on 15th October.

Roxie

@RoxieAdelleKey


About the author

Russ Thomas is an author and creative writing tutor living in Sheffield. Firewatching is Russ's first book in a new series of crime thrillers set in Sheffield, published by Simon & Schuster in the UK. The sequel, Nighthawking, will be released in April 2021.

Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram