I have to say I found this to be a very clever and imaginative piece of writing.
The story at times is a bit graphic but I was totally engrossed by the plot and the characters were fascinating.

Neat, if unoriginal, little thriller. First in a series featuring DI Vogel, recently decamped from The Met. in London down to the Avon and Somerset area.. The plot involves the murder of a young schoolgirl who, whilst supposedly doing homework at a friends house, is actually rendezvousing with a person she met online.
Difficult to give storyline details, but if you've seen the film for which Joanne Woodward won an Oscar in the 1950s you've got the story. Won't give the name of the film because that will immediately give you the plot and the conclusion.
Nevertheless. still enjoyed the writing and the characters and would look forward to reading the further books in the series. Hopefully the next one will have a plot where I don't guess the culprit before I've reached halfway.

In the first of a new series we are introduced to DI David Vogel of the Avon and Somerset police. When the body of fourteen year old Melanie Cooke is discovered Vogel is called upon to investigate and he cannot but help be reminded of his own 14 year old daughter Rosamunde. His team includes DS John Willis and DC Dawn Saslow and they follow the clues and interview potential witnesses which lead them to suspect Mel’s father and her step-father.

The structure of the plot is very interesting. In Part One of the book each chapter is followed by a new voice – those of Al, Saul and Leo where each relate their particular story or background, all of them have a worrying aspect to their characters. These act as a subplot running in tandem with the main story.

The plot is clever, exciting and extremely well-written with a brilliant ending. I loved Vogel, I found him endearing and he reminded me of Morse with his leaning to the classics. His wife, Mary is also a very interesting character, helping Vogel focus on the investigation with insightful comments.

A clever, psychological thriller well worth reading, but those of a queasy disposition beware, it can be a bit graphic.

For me, I loved it.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the digital galley of this novel.

I have to say immediately that I did not like this book. Psychological thriller/suspense novels are usually quite enjoyable for me but this one made me feel very uncomfortable while I was reading it. I should have just put the book aside and not continued to read.

The way the book is designed forced me to read a lot of segments presented by three men with different sexual problems. One has a problem relating to women in person so he has been getting to know women online. The second man is gay but has not acknowledged that to anyone so he's living two lives. The third man is a pedophile and he certainly isn't apologetic about it. The chapters alternate with one of these three and the police procedures taking place trying to find the murderer of a 14 year old girl. This specific psychological condition would have been very interesting to read about, but I was so uneasy about the graphic nature of the chapters concerning the three men that there was no pleasure in the book for me. About at the halfway point the investigation begins to be presented more prominently but now the poor police detective has a personal problem thrown at him. It was all way too much for me.

A Very Captivating Read But With Some Disturbing Aspects — Reader Be Warned

Deadly Dance opens with the murderer showering off blood and vomiting. Realization of an act of pure evil was committed. Next, the heroine, Detective Inspector David Vogel, is at a crime scene. The victim is a 14 year old girl murdered in the wee hours of the morning and also was sexually assaulted. She was dressed as someone much older. The investigation starts with interviewing family and friends that was complex with a father, mostly absent, and a stepfather. The investigation starts off from here. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. In fact, at one point, I thought I had figured it out. I was warm, but as the old adage ends, “No cigar!”

For more than the first half of the novel, every other chapter is about one of three individuals, Saul, Al, and Leo. Therefore, there are three sub stories paralleling the main story. Saul was once married and looking for another partner, Leo is a homosexual that doesn’t want to make a commitment, and Al has a predilection for very little girls. There doesn’t appear to be any connection between these story lines.

The B-story is very rich. The author uses the major character in each scene to describe in the first person the scene and their feelings or insights. The author adds information as asides for the reader. All of this is woven quite well into the main storyline. This literary technique enriches the depth of the characters, and, as a result, my enjoyment in reading this novel and capturing my attention to keep reading.

This aspect that enhanced my enjoyment in reading this novel also was the source of, for me, some disturbing reading. Saul, Leo, and Al are all sociopaths. I found reading into their minds disturbing especially on how they justify their actions at the expense of others. Second, most novels that I have read do have grisly murder scenes, but they are all after the fact, so facing the violence and grisliness isn’t in the readers face. There is one murder that is described in graphic detail. There also some graphic sexual situations described. As for language, there were only eight f-bombs, and some more British lesser vulgar terms. Therefore, reader be warned.

Overall, I am very conflicted with rating this novel. Minus the disturbing aspect, this novel exceeded my requirements for a very high rating. This novel captured my imagination so much that I finished the last 30% of the novel in a single read well into the early morning hours. The depth of the major character was most enjoyable. Based upon this, I would rate this novel with five stars. If strong sexual content, graphic violence, especially against a preteen girl, and delving into the mind of sociopaths will turn you off, this novel most likely is one star rating. I do believe in averaging the rating will not reflect this novel adequately because this novel probably will be one or the other. So, I am giving this novel a five star rating but with a very strong reader be warned caveat.

I have received a free Advanced Reading Copy of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House Publishers with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Severn House Publishers for the opportunity to read this novel early.

It was difficult to get into the flow of the story with the chapters alternating between the thoughts of three unlikeable characters and the investigative action. Lost interest about a quarter of the way through the book. Did like DI David Vogel, maybe if the next case was more straight forward investigation perhaps it would be more readable, for me anyway.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This is the first in a new series featuring D.I. David Vogel and set in Bristol.
It concerns the murder of a 14-year old girl whose body is found behind some garbage containers. All is not as it originally seems and we enter the inner world of three suspects. They are definitely not likeable characters and it was unpleasant being in their heads. Also, I found the ending implausible. It's a psychological thriller that I couldn't get into.

This book definitely had a twist ending! Truthfully I had a hard time getting immersed in the book for the first half of it but I stuck with it and am so glad I did! Once it all came together it was great to see the story unfold and how the pieces all fit together.

Very good book, lots of twists and turns. Look forward to read more from this author.

A decent mystery read. Some suspense. I am not a fan of the multiple personality plot so I did find the story rather flat as it developed. Multiple personality is a simple way to tie parts of a story together.

This book is sadly nothing but another version of the current clichéd crime novel. Disappointing from the outset

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for an advance copy of Deadly Dance, the first in a new series featuring DI David Vogel of the Avon and Somerset police.

Vogel is called in when the body of 14 year old Melanie Cooke is found in a dark alley in Bristol. The case is resolved fairly quickly despite Vogel's unease until new information comes to light which changes things completely.

I really did not enjoy this novel for a variety reasons. Firstly, the investigative narrative is told in every second chapter interspersed by a rotating narrative by three distinct and distinctly seedy characters, Saul, Leo and Al. As a result I found it almost impossible to get into and be absorbed by the investigation which seems to be told very distantly, almost at arm's length. It must be about three quarters of the way into the novel that the relevance of the three other characters becomes apparent. In the meantime you have to plough through the mind of their unsavoury characters and sexual hangups. It's extremely unpleasant reading. I also guessed the perpetrator almost immediately. The ending is quite action packed but for me hugely unbelievable.

I think that readers who enjoy reading about the motivation of a killer will enjoy this novel but it's not for me as I have zero interest in the why and much prefer to live the hunt with the investigators.

Detective Inspector David Vogel, of Avon and Somerset Police, cuts a rather different dash from many of his fellow fictional DIs. He is a tall, bespectacled and slightly shambling figure, teetotal and resolutely vegetarian. His only leisure pursuit is assembling crossword puzzles. Formerly with the Metropolitan Police in London, he, wife Mary and daughter Rosamund had moved from their Pimlico flat out to the suburbs of Bristol to an unassuming bungalow which had an unusual attraction – its own swimming pool. Rosamund has cerebral palsy, and we are told:

“She was a happy and intelligent girl, trapped within a body that consistently failed her, except when she was in water………the water gave her freedom. In water, her body was no longer an encumbrance.”

When the battered body of teenager Melanie Cooke is found amid the garbage bins in a seedy Bristol alleyway, it is obvious that she has been murdered. Only fourteen, she is dressed in the kind of clothes which would be considered provocative on a woman twice her age. Vogel goes to make the dreaded ‘death call’, but he only has to appear on the doorstep of the girl’s home for her mother and father to sense the worst. Like many rebellious teenagers before her, Melanie has told her parents that she is going round to a mate’s house to do some homework. When she failed to come home, their first ‘phone call confirmed Melanie’s lie, and thereafter, the long dark hours of the night are spent in increasing anxiety and then terror, as they realise that something awful has happened.

The book actually starts with a prologue which at first glance appears to be nothing to do with Melanie’s death. It is only later – much later – that we learn its true significance. Bonner (right) is determined not to give us a straightforward narrative. The progress of Vogel’s attempts to find Melanie’s killer are sandwiched between accounts from three different men, each of whom is living a life where all is not as it seems.

Saul is socially inept and has reached early middle age without achieving his ambition to become a caring husband and father. His first attempt at marriage had been a disaster, and subsequent efforts to find a life partner have been impeded by his inner sense that his mind harbours demons over which he has little or no control should they choose to wake within him. He settles for internet dating, and heads up his CV as follows:

“My name is Saul and I am a 33 year-old supply teacher. I live in a village near Swindon and I would like to meet a young woman of around my age whose intentions are as serious as mine….. my interests are simple and quiet. I like to read and go to the cinema. If you are out there, please get in touch. I need you.”

Leo is a very different kind of fellow. He spends his leisure time cruising gay bars and clubs in London. He clearly has some kind of day job where ‘coming out’ is not an option. He cultivates the blokeish image when at work, but when he goes to London he adopts a different persona, but one with which he is not entirely at ease.

“I didn’t have the slightest desire to be gay. I didn’t even like the word. I’ve never liked euphemisms and that’s surely what ‘gay’ is. When you called yourself a homosexual it didn’t sound quite so modern and attractive. And what about queer? Is that what I was, queer?

Leo’s misgivings are put to one side, however, when he goes on the prowl. Just as he puts on the skinny Levis, gels his hair, squeezes into a black T shirt that reveals his six-pack and insouciantly slings his studded leather jacket over his shoulder, Leo adopts a different mental mindset from his ‘one of the lads’ image.

While Bonner might coax a sliver of sympathy from us as we read of the personal lives of Saul and Leo, when Al introduces himself it is abundantly clear from the start that he is a wrong ‘un.

“They get what they deserve, these young girls in their skimpy skirts and the little shorts they call hot pants. They’re hot all right. Everything about them is hot. Burning hot.”

Al cruises around the streets of Bristol, usually in a stolen van, ogling schoolgirls, and occasionally trying to bring his sordid fantasies to reality, but without success. Until he discovers a teen dating site on the internet, and he is amazed at the ease with which he can construct a fake profile and attract the attention of a teenage girl whose hormones are racing in the opposite direction to the concerns and limitations her parents seek to impose.

Deadly Dance works very effectively as a police procedural. Vogel is an interesting character, very much left field of his fictional contemporaries, and I anticipate that he will have a long and successful career between the covers of British crime novels. Bonner’s solution to the apparent dislocation between Vogel’s investigation and the lives of Saul, Leo and Al is audacious. To reveal any more would be to give the game away, and no-one will thank me for that. Does it work? I think it does, but you must be the judge.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Fourteen-year old Melanie “Mel” Cooke is murdered and left behind some bins at the back of a store after being reported as missing by her mother. DI David Vogel is on the case. He has a daughter the same age as Mel who is named Rosamunde.

This book is interspersed with vignettes from three other points of view. They are a pedophile, a gay man who isn’t out of the closet and a lonely man who remakes himself online to meet a wife. Saul, Leo and Al are all troubled souls who have their problems. These stories add an interesting aside to the main story and the reader at first doesn’t know their significance. But these stories become very important later in the story.

There are several potential suspects in the Mel Cooke murder case. There is her father, her step-father and other persons of interest. Both Mel’s mother and her step-mother suffer from “nerves.” Interesting to say the least.

Together with DS John Willis and DC Dawn Saslow Vogel and his team follow the clues. They interview possible witnesses, family members and people at the school which Mel attended.

DS Willis zeroes in on Mel’s father and he is arrested for murder. After a shocking mix-up at the lab, the father is released.

Through persistence and a very clever mind, DI Vogel hits upon a theory that seems so outrageous it has to be untrue. But it is true.

When something awful happens to DC Dawn Saslow DI Vogel has his answer.

This book is well written and plotted. The way the story was constructed was very interesting. The tension started out immediately with the murder of Melanie Cooke and continued throughout the story until it ended with a huge bang. Aside from a few typos, I had no problem easily reading the book. As someone with a masters in clinical psychology, I had a few problems with the last 30% or so of the book. Not that I didn’t believe the given theories, but it’s not been my experience that it happens the way it was described. This is my first Hilary Bonner novel, but it won’t be my last! I immediately went to Amazon to look at her other books

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.

Great book. Brilliant plot and main characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Very enjoyable.

A great start to a new series and the Bristol skyline and dark and dingy streets are alive and well. Some very dark shadows in the city however which get darker as the book moves on.

I could only give three stars and it did turn my stomach in many places and I started to skim the bits I felt I really didn't need or care to read. A pity as I think the story would have been so much stronger without it, what the eye can't see etc. Having said that the story and pace were top notch and having the three suspects with their own stories and chapters was very effective. Book two might be more my cup of tea.

4.5 Stars

DI David Vogel has his hands full being first called to investigate the death of a young female teenager. Although Vogel knows this is just a child, it's nothing out of the ordinary ..so he thinks. The girl was supposed to be seeing a school friend, but she was dressed more for a date. Who was she really meeting?

The evidence ..or lack of ... leads him to suspect three different protagonists. But who are they ...and is any one of them capable of cold blooded murder?

This is a dark, compelling crime thriller / psychological thriller. The excellent story line includes three suspects. The reader learns who they are though alternating chapters. Saul, Leo, and Al all have their secrets ...and their secret lives.

This is the first in an intriguing new series featuring Bristol detective, DI David Vogel. Looks like this will be a most interesting and compelling series.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of DEADLY DANCE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.