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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated An Advancement of Learning in Books

Nov 8, 2019  
An Advancement of Learning
An Advancement of Learning
Reginald Hill | 1971 | Crime
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When a body is discovered under a statue at college, gruff old hand Andy Dalziel and idealistic, learned Peter Pascoe arrive to investigate. Whereas Pascoe is very much at home in the surroundings of an institute of learning (and indeed bumps into an old acquaintance), Dalziel is highly dismissive of the students, if not downright abusive. This doesn't help the tensions during the socially active early 70s when this was written.

What follows is in some ways a standard police procedural and in others another step in the road of the development of the characters of the two policemen. This novel is really the one where it becomes clear that the mismatched duo don't fit the standard templates, with Hill clearly creating something special with the two of them.

The result is very much the prototype of the rest of the series: their characters develop, they solve a seemingly baffling crime and Dalziel provides a dash of humour with his acerbic and often old-fashioned outlook on life and those around him.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11) in Books

Jun 21, 2022  
Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11)
Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11)
M.J Arlidge | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my goodness ... that was a good book ... had me absolutely hooked from the beginning to the end!

This is the 11th book in the Helen Grace series but if you haven't read any of the others, don't worry, it works quite well as a standalone but I think you will want to go back and read the others after finishing this one if only to put a bit more flesh onto the main characters.

This is an intense read where the short and punchy chapters add to that intensity and keeps the story rolling along very nicely. The plot is engaging and intriguing and the characters are strong and well developed.

Full of action and heart-in-the-mouth scenes of peril, this is one for people who enjoy a great crime thriller/police procedural but, be warned, you will definitely be checking your windows and doors more than once each night!!

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read Cat & Mouse and to share my thoughts.
  
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Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Next Victim (DCI Rachel King, #1) in Books

May 22, 2019  
Next Victim (DCI Rachel King, #1)
Next Victim (DCI Rachel King, #1)
Helen H. Durrant | 2019
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Exhausted, overworked and trying to deal with two teenagers with little help from her ex; what Rachel King doesn’t need is an early morning call to a murder scene. Added to her complicated life is a series of text messages from an ex-boyfriend/lover who wants to reconnect with her. She loves him but a major problem is that he is a well-known villain, active in an around Manchester.
Leaving the chaos of her home behind her, she arrives at a grizzly scene. A young man has been tortured, cut up and burned then tossed into the canal. There are few clues, a homeless man who heard the cries of the young man while being tortured can give them no help.
And then another body appears on the scene. The only apparent link is that they are gay, beautiful young men.
While all this is happening, Rachel’s younger daughter is kidnapped but there is nothing to suggest where the murderer might have taken her. Meantime, Rachel is trying to keep her relationship with the crime boss a secret from her team but relies on him to help find her daughter.

This is the first book in a new police procedural series, featuring DCI Rachel King and her sidekick DS Elwyn Price, set in and around Manchester. The novel is a police procedural with lots of action.
You will find plenty of twists and turns in this thriller which will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The characters and plot are well developed and I couldn't read this fast enough as I was so gripped with the story.
I think this is gonna be another great series from this fabulous author.
Many thanks to Joffe Books via Netgalley for my digital copy.