I tried to read this book, but unfortunately it did not load properly onto my kindly, and it had expired by the time i found out.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Mayfly but that has in no way influenced my review.

Charlie Priest, where have you been all my life? I'm also absolutely kicking myself as this book has been sat on my NetGalley shelf for *ahem* a wee while. Best not to dwell on past mistakes and let's instead look at the (sort of) here and now. I read The Mayfly. I LOVED The Mayfly.

Ex-detective turned lawyer, Charlie Priest, is unwittingly drawn into a macabre plan, seventy years in the making, when a man in uniform tricks his way into his house. He's looking for a memory stick. A memory stick Priest has never laid eyes on. The following day the intruder is found grotesquely murdered - Priest's business card is found amongst his clothes, which leads the police straight to his door. It doesn't help that the detective in charge, McEwen, has it in for him after working together years before. Time is running out for Charlie and the only way to clear his name is to find the mysterious memory stick, and discover what terrible secrets it holds...

The Mayfly is such a brilliant book. I bloody loved it! Charlie Priest is a very likeable character and I was very happy to be swept along into this story with him and his wonderful team. The opening chapters set the tone of this gripping, grisly story perfectly and I was loathe to put the book down for any length of time. Charlie's career, for a start, makes him an interesting character, but then you discover he suffers from dissociative disorder which is a condition I've not really heard about before. It added an extra layer to his personality and I was keen to know more about how it impacted his interactions and day to day life. What absolutely, categorically cemented my love of this book though is that Charlie's brother is a convicted serial killer. It's almost like this book was written especially for me!

The supporting cast of characters are all very well written. I was rooting for Georgie, in particular. She reminded me of Tilly Bradshaw from MW Craven's Washington Poe series on several occasions. Vincent Okoro is another character I would like to see more of as the series progresses. And, as you may have gathered, I may be a little in love with Charlie Priest. Moving swiftly on...

Would I recommend this book? I most definitely would, yes. The Mayfly is brilliant and I've already downloaded the second book in the series. I loved the chapters set at the end of the Second World War. The unease the author creates is palpable. I didn't see the big reveal coming but it was perfect and done very well. The entire plot had me hook, line and sinker. If you love tense, gutsy crime novels with just about the right amount of 'grisly', you will love The Mayfly. Crime fiction at its finest. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Mayfly. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Mayfly follows lawyer/solicitor Charlie Priest, a former detective, and brother of a notorious imprisoned serial killer. After he is attacked at home, Priest finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation and works with his team at Preist and Co and the daughter of his newest client to clear his name.

This book was interesting because it utilized two timelines, one taking place during WWII and going through the 70s. I found the conspiracy aspect pretty interesting but I didn't find the book too thrilling and exciting, but it was enjoyable enough.

A taut, addictive thriller. I read this so quickly and raced through it to get to the end. Though a tad cliche at times, it was a solid thriller that I'd recommend.

Love that Charlie is an ex-policeman now lawyer as it makes his character much more realistic in the knowledge he has. He is a man who has his baggage and this gives him depths. It was gripping and had a good pace. I look forward to more!

This is a good detective procedural. A well paced and enjoyable read. I would read more of this author

The Mayfly by James Hazel
This brilliant and unputdownable book, features a new ex cop on the block, Charlie Priest, a brilliant creation, who is a ‘real character’.
The story centres on a present day conspiracy, which in turn leads back to Nazi war crimes, and is quite gruesome at times.
This is a multi faceted story, and is intriguing with many layers, a good and unpredictable read; I read it very quickly, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, which is unusual in these days of formulaic novels.
I hope Hazel writes some more novels about Charlie Priest, but also that any new story is as original as this, it would be easy to fall into the usual disposable style of detective fiction, which has its place, but there are already loads of those out there.
Definitely recommended.

I enjoyed this book to begin with but the story became hard to follow. Overall a good enough read, but not to my taste.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this thrilling debut novel by a promising author! Well done and keeps you glued to the book until the end! Recommended.

The Mayfly by James Hazel starts with a bang with a murder followed by a sudden attack on the main character, Charlie Priest in his home. When The attacker is found dead the next day, it is Priest who investigates and sees this mystery to its finale.
I liked James's writing, his fast pace and his character Charlie Priest. Being a lawyer, Charlie comes across as a no nonsense guy who has enough grit and determination to take on a mystery which has its roots in the Nazi and World War.
This is an extreme thriller which has its darker shades and gore and is definitely not for the faint hearted.
I liked James's flow of writing, there are no moments which jarred even when the story is written in dual time lines.
A great fast paced intriguing thriller, a must read for readers of this genre...

A mutilated body discovered in the woods.
A murderous plan conceived in the past.
A reckoning seventy years in the making . . .

When lawyer Charlie Priest is attacked in his own home by a man searching for information he claims Priest has, he is drawn into a web of corruption that has its roots in the last desperate days of World War Two.

When his attacker is found murdered the next day, Priest becomes a suspect and the only way to clear his name is to find out about the mysterious House of Mayfly - a secret society that people will kill for.

As Priest races to uncover the truth, can he prevent history from repeating itself?

Though it took me a while to get into this book, i ended up really enjoying it. I liked the way the historical story intertwined with the modern murder and excitement of Priest trying to work out what he was involved in. There are some very good twists and good reveals as the book unfurls. Priest is a likable character and the support cast adds real value to the story as well. Interested to see how this character and stories evolve in the series.

This was a fascinating story linking Nazi research in WW11 with the present day, as a murder enquiry. Excellent characters, descriptions of whom made the story come alive. Totally unexpected twists and turns throughout the story and an very clever conclusion. Some unimaginable and frightening sections but tolerable as part of the story. Compulsive reading.

A real page turner with many twists and turns. A great read..

June was a very poor month me reading wise I only managed one book. This month however I seem to have caught the reading bug again. Not only has my reading been more prolific this month but all the books, so far, have been outstanding. Mayfly continues that streak with aplomb.

Mayfly is James Hazels first book a fact that I find hard to believe such is the quality of the writing, characterisation and storytelling. From the first page until the last I was totally absorbed by the story and the characters, in the Protagonist Charlie Priest we have a Flippant, Socially inept rouge with his heart in the right place and a character that can be as well known as Jack Reacher in the future.
The story is told over 2 timelines , 1945 and present day it has obviously been well researched but at no time was it overkill or superfluous and unlike this review the ending wasn't a let down either.

A fast paced, humorous, thrilling read that drags you in and wont let you go until the last page. Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book pre publication for the purposes of writing an honest review and have not been paid for this. Grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this opportunity

The book is predominantly set in the present with flasbacks to the later days of World War 2 and centres round an extremely likeable character Charlie Priest an ex policeman now a lawyer, his associates and family and involves a serious of brutal murders.

Without giving away the plot (which is excellently written) I found this book to be enthralling and difficult to put down, always wanting to read just a little bit more to find out what is going to happen next. Twists and turns along the way lead to a highly entertaining read. and left me wanting more by this author.

No hesitation in recommending.

The Mayfly is BRUTAL! Switching from current to mystery (at the time) murders in 1945 this book really hit me. I am worried about it becoming a serial; we have too many that never live up to the first. Anyway, this one is great. Enjoy

This is a creepy thriller that alternates between 2 time lines that link disturbing events in the present to a horrific chapter from the past.

In the present, DCI Tiff Rowlinson attends a gruesome scene in an isolated cabin in south Wales. So he’s more than a little surprised when British attorney general Sir Philip Wren arrives unannounced with a team from the Met. Wren doesn’t say much but 2 things are immediately clear. He is deeply unsettled by what he’s seen & has no intention of allowing Rowlinson to investigate.

In 1946 Col. Albert Ruck is tucked away in a remote english farmhouse with a handful of staff. His mission is simple: make his “guest” talk. In the messy clean-up following the war, he was charged with snatching Dr. Kurt Schneider from Buchenwald concentration camp. The good doctor is infamous for the experiments he carried out, specializing in modified poisons. Now he spends his days being interrogated in a barn & Ruck has some very specific questions.

Charlie Priest retired from the Met 10 years ago & became a lawyer. Now he heads up an exclusive firm with 3 carefully chosen associates. Vincent Okoro is a large, intimidating man with a brilliant legal mind. Simon Solomon is a geeky forensic accountant afflicted with a variety of ticks & zero social skills. Georgie Someday is the new girl, a tireless researcher & sharp as a tack. After Charlie is attacked in his home one night, all 4 of them will be affected by the disturbing events that follow.

That’s it for the plot, folks. The less you know going in, the better. But I’ll pass on some advice. Practice cringing……a lot. Oh, and if you ever get a letter with something lumpy inside? Maybe leave town.

Charlie gets caught up in the search for a killer & soon realizes that he himself has multiple connections to whatever the hell is going on. Former colleagues, missing women and something else…..the pervasive sense of something evil that has existed for decades. Tension builds with every discovery & as new characters are introduced, some of them will make you nervous. They’re a little blurry around the edges & you can’t help but question their motives. All you know for sure is there are people who will do anything to keep a secret safely hidden.

The plot is complex & the historical story line is just as compelling as the one set in present day. At about the 80% mark, I felt like I needed to take a deep breath before turning each page. There’s a whole herd of twists & each new piece of info sends you haring off after a fresh suspect. It’s a thriller with a capital T but what bumped it up to 4 stars for me was the main character.

Charlie is an interesting guy. He lives alone & tends to avoid social situations that require normal behaviour. Because even when he’s physically present, Charlie may not really be there. He has dissociative disorder & it’s a rather sneaky affliction. He can be in the middle of a conversation when an episode hits & suddenly he’s outside himself, watching as he flounders for something to say. At other times he may not recognize his own hand as belonging to his body. His memory of what occurred becomes spotty & time has an elastic quality. There’s a very good reason that he sometimes worries about his sanity but I’ll let you discover that for yourself.

Just a heads up. There is some gruesome content so if you’re a fan of cozies, step away from the book now. Actually, run. Personally, I think I’m going to hang around & see what Charlie gets up to in book #2.

New author with a cracking read.. James Hazel writes at a page turning pace that has the reader wondering where the story is going.
This book introduces us to Charlie Priest ex Policeman turned lawyer in partnership with others. A lawyer with mental health issues that can interfere with his work. and make life very difficult for him.
The story leads us from the end of WW2 and concentration camps with horrific "experiments" to the present day..
A man found with multiple extreme injuries dead which the Police assume is by his own hand with a calling card , a Mayfly insect.inside his mouth.
This starts a hectic twisting tale of a secret dark underworld of a society in the shadows .
Wonderful book looking forward to reading more of the Charlie Priest books as they come along. James Hazel is on to a winner.

“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.”
― Primo Levi


The Mayfly begins with the discovery of a badly mutilated body in a cabin, deep in the woods. This very much sets the scene for the horrifying events that follow.

Our protagonist Charlie Priest is a an ex Detective Inspector turned successful lawyer, who we meet in the aftermath of a break-in at his home. Charlie is viciously attacked by someone who clearly believes that Charlie has something belonging to him. When Charlie's attacker is found dead the next day, he finds himself entangled in a web that's so intricate that there's a danger that he may never get out of this alive.

The story shifts between the early days of post war Britain and the present, and involves the interrogation of a former Nazi concentration camp doctor. It's intriguing to see how the author pulls these dual timelines together to create a cracking read. I'm not always a fan of dual timelines but this one worked perfectly. There are some great characters, not least Charlie - although he has dissociation disorder, he's extremely smart, astute, and has a great sense of humour that I loved. The fact that he also has a serial killer brother ( now residing in a high security mental health unit ) puts an unusual spin on the storyline.

What a fantastic start to what is to become ( I understand ) a long running series. James Hazel has announced his arrival on the literary scene with balloons, whistles and bells! It was utterly compelling with intelligent narrative and a unique and a gripping plot. Watch out for James Hazel, I think we're going to hear lots of good things about him in the future.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my ARC in exchange for an honest review*