John Harvey is just so good. He follows the conventions but never the clichés of crime fiction and, although the characterisation and settings are strong, he never over-burdens the reader with detail at the expense of plot. Body and Soul is sadly the last in the Frank Elder series, but if you haven't encountered Frank before this still stands alone as a well-observed, very readable and highly enjoyable contemporary novel.

This book started off alright and probably would have been better for me if I realised and had read the previous three Elder books. However I continued with the book, getting more and more frustrated with the unnecessary descriptions and poor writing (I hate split infinitives). I plodded on through to 60% and felt that I had given enough time to this turgid story. I really didn’t give a damn about any of the characters and couldn’t care less who did what to who. Thank you for the opportunity of reading this book but it’s 3.5 hours I can’t get back in my life that I could have been reading something enjoyable.

When his estranged daughter Katherine appears on his doorstep, ex-Detective Frank Elder knows that something is wrong.

Katherine has long been troubled, and Elder has always felt powerless to help her.

But now Katherine has begun to self-destruct.

The breakdown of her affair with a controversial artist has sent her into a tailspin which culminates in a murder, and as Elder struggles to protect his daughter and prove her innocence. Frank has to try and prove that Katherine was in no way involved in this murder despite her being one of the last people to see Winter alive.


Katherine is living in London, Frank is living in Cornwall, having retreated there 7 years before, after his split from his wife and the traumatic kidnap and rape of his daughter, when she was 16. Frank had been responsible for capturing the rapist, Adam Keach, who is now serving a long sentence in prison.

Back in London Frank tries to assist his daughter through police interrogations, while at the same assisting the police investigation and pursuing his own inquiries. The situation is further complicated when Keach, Katherine’s original abuser, escapes when the prison van transferring him from one prison to another is in a collision. Frank is called back to Nottingham to assist his former colleagues in their efforts to recapture Keach.

The book is atmospheric and mingled with some sharpish social comment and utterly believable characters, makes it a must read. I couldn’t stop reading this book I desperate to find out what happened next. I haven’t read any of John Harvey books before but really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend this to anyone to read

The story builds brilliantly as one would expect from John Harvey, but concludes in a way which is totally unexpected.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Cornerstone, Penguin Random House for an advance copy for a fair an honest review.

It’s very difficult reviewing Body & Soul without being a plot spoiler. I must confess to feel disappointed after reading it, not because it was in any way a poor novel, quite the contrary. It was because it was the last in a series and I was a johnny-come-lately to the character Frank Elder, an ex-detective. A harrowing tale of a father (Elder) caught up in a murder investigation in which his daughter (Katherine) was a ‘person of interest’. It gets worse…..Elder was the one who, some years ago, found his kidnapped daughter, her a victim of torture, abuse and rape.
A very well written novel, numerous locations, great descriptions and very believable characters. As a reader in pursuit of the felon just as much as all the detectives, we were given a false alibi early on and with the revelations later in the book we would have readily deduced the suspect, but for that alibi. A great plot nevertheless.

Excellent read from an outstanding author. Well plotted and constructed and holds the readers attention until the last page. Highly recommended.

The final story for Frank Elder.

I read this without realising that it is the 4th and final book in a series about retired Detective Frank Elder.

Frank is living in Cornwall having retreated there 7 years before, after his split from his wife and the traumatic kidnap and rape of his daughter, Katherine, when she was 16. Frank had been responsible for capturing the rapist, Adam Keach, who is now serving a long sentence in prison. He is settled into the local community and is starting a new relationship with a local singer, Vicki Parsons.

His daughter, Katherine, is always on his mind. She is now living in East London and despite him trying to reach out to her, she is unresponsive. The story begins when an artist, Anthony Winter, is found murdered; bludgeoned by handcuffs and chains that he used in his work. Katherine, unable to settle for a job, had been nude modelling for Winter recently and had also agreed to be handcuffed in some of the paintings. Frank is, not surprisingly, very angry about this, considering Katherine’s past history and also that the artist is a much older man who has manipulated his models in the past. Katherine also admits to having a brief affair with him which is ended abruptly by Winter, leading to her attempting to slit her wrists.

Frank has to try and prove that Katherine was in no way involved in this murder despite her being one of the last people to see Winter alive. The whole situation is made even worse when Adam Keach, whilst being transferred to another prison, is involved in a crash and manages to escape. Will he come after Katherine again or indeed Frank, the man who captured him?

This was a very readable book, disturbing in parts, not only regarding Katherine’s ordeal but also the description of some of the paintings. The ending was completely unexpected for me as was the identity of the killer. I always enjoy books where I cannot guess what has happened.

However I felt that I really needed to have read the previous books in the series as, although the story was easy to follow, I felt that I did not really ‘get’ the main characters of Frank and Katherine and I am sure that this was because I had not had the chance to get to know them before the traumatic events that had happened before.

However, I now have another author to be added to my long list whose previous books I would like to read!

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I didn’t realise that this novel was the last of the Elder series but it worked fine as a stand alone as previous stories of characters are referred to. The plot is busy with murders/attacks, multi police forces, a retired detective, his emotionally damaged daughter and more but I didn’t find it confusing in any way. This was an excellent read.

John Harvey is an author I have heard a lot about but never had the chance to read. So I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for his latest book, Body & Soul the last book in the Elder series.

Elder was my favourite character in this book. His love for his daughter was touching to read about and I really felt for him when Kate rebuffed his attempts to rebuild their troubled relationship. The amount he is willing mount to do to stand up for and protect his daughter is very poignant and really brought a tear to my eye. I didn’t initially like Kate. I thought she was unnecessarily prickly and rude to her dad when he was obviously trying. However as the story goes on and I discovered more about her and her back story I did begin to feel a lot of sympathy towards her.

The art storyline was very intriguing and added an interesting element to the story. I’d never really considered what nude modelling entails and the impact the finished result could have on the model. This did have me feeling very frustrated towards Anthony in this regard for not realising, or maybe not caring what impact his art could have on others, particularly one he was meant to care about.

This was a bit of a slow burner for me as I thought it took a little while to get going. The author takes time to set the scene and to let the reader know and understand the characters more. I was a little confused at times whether the action being described was in the present or the past which meant that sometimes I had to flick back and start the chapter again. I think this was just my problem though as I haven’t read any other reviews saying this.

Body and Soul is the final book in the Elder series but it is the first one I have read. While the book would work fine as a stand alone I think it would be beneficial to read the rest of the series first as I feel you would understand the plot a lot more.

Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours and William Heinemann for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

Initially I liked this book, the writing was easy to get into and enjoyable but I felt it failed to progress. As I read on I just found it far to slow. By part two I was skim reading and cutting out paragraphs at a time. And I found the ending unsatisfying.
I find this a shame as the premise of the book sounded excellent.

Firstly thank you for the opportunity to read this, my first book in the Elder series.

This had a promising start however I felt things then slowed down before reaching a rushed ending.

I don’t want to give the plot away so I’m cautious of how much to say.

Not my favourite book of the year however I’m looking forward to trying another by the same author.

3.5 stars

This is the first book I have read on the Elder Cases but it stands alone as a good story .I did find it a bit too slow at the beginning but it did give me a chance to get to know the characters and their backgrounds .I thought this book was great with two separate killers to catch but it wasn't confusing ,the story is very well written .I very much liked the character of Elder,a retired Policeman living in Cornwall but still helping the local police to solve crimes .I really enjoyed this book and will now read the previous books in the series .

For me, the controversial topic of shock art, which is woven into this disturbing crime story, was one of the most interesting elements of the read, especially in combination with Katherine’s trauma.

Shock art is described as being a way to disturb “smug, complacent and hypocritical” people. Of course that is just a pathetic way of justifying and rationalising shock art and performance art. The bourgeoisie being shocked and appalled by so-called artists in their attempt to force awakening or confront them with their own self-inflated image and shatter any sense of security they might have.

The artist abuses and uses the pain, fear and trauma Katherine has been through. I can understand Frank’s reaction to the exploitation of his daughter. Her kidnapping and rape, as a young teenager, is something she will never fully recover from. Her fragile emotional state is teetering on the brink of self-harm, and her suicidal tendencies are the biggest concern for her friends and family. Has she been driven to murder, was this final betrayal the last nail in the coffin? Is the trauma of the rape too much of a burden to live with.

The sub-plot that comes into play a little later on offers a different view and a possible solution, but personally I think the story would have been fine without it. The art, the artist, the daughter, the enraged father and ultimately the kidnapping were sufficient and captivating enough.

Harvey combines trauma with emotional conflict, unresolved anger and crime. He delivers an unexpected ending, one I had to re-read, because I thought I had misread the last few pages. What a way to end a series.

This is the fourth book in the ex detective Frank Elder series but my first read. I will go back and read the first three! The pace is slow at first but soon gathers momentum as the storyline develops. Well developed characters, especially Katherine, Elder's daughter. I did not guess who the murderer was and the ending was....I recommend reading the first three books!. A really good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

John Harvey is another one of the writers whose books I always know will be 5 stars and this is no exception. The final in the Frank Elder series, I am sad that there will be no more books centred around this affable character.
Frank is a retired detective who has relocated to Cornwall, in the remote corner of a windswept piece of farmland. If you have read the other books in the series you will know that Franks daughter Katherine had been kidnaped, tortured and raped by Keach, Elder caught him and he is spending his years in jail. Katherine naturally has had issues since her ordeal and when she arrives unexpectedly at Franks door, he can see she has self harmed and is distraught.
Told part through Katherine’s recollections and part through Franks look into a most recent murder, I dare you not to feel emotional by the last page.

First things first - some housekeeping matters. This is my first Frank Elder (or even John Harvey) book and it is the last in the series. Because of this, the book contains some pretty hefty spoilers for earlier events in the series so you may wish to start at the beginning which, according to  Julie Andrews, is a very good place to start. Now if you haven't read any other books, enough back ground is given to put everything that happens in this book into context, but again - spoilers. Just so you know.

That aside, I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Like, really enjoyed it. It is relatively short, less than 300 pages, so a relatively quick read but I found that once I had started I didn't want to stop and I raced through in a single afternoon. John Harvey has created an compelling, or even engrossing, read which drew me in from the off and didn't spit me out until the end. Now even though this was my first outing with Frank and co, the ending left me reeling and in shock. I was so invested in them all I wasn't prepared to it one little bit. Big emotional impact which is likely to be amplified the more you know the characters within.

The book starts in an innocuous enough way - Frank preparing for a visit from his estranged daughter. When she arrives it is very clear something has happened, something very serious, and it is partly the unravelling of this event which informs the remainder of the story. His daughter Katherine has been involved with an older man, an affair which ends in a very stark and damaging way. Now parts of her story are hard to read as Katherine has suffered heavy emotional and physical abuse, something which is exploited in this story. Nothing in the text is overly graphic, but you are left in no doubt as to the impact this has all had upon the characters.

John Harvey has excelled in creating setting and atmosphere, contrasting the highly urbanised city setting of Katherine's home life to the extremely rural and laid back existence her father now leads. Tension is built so successfully that you feel you could cut it with a knife and the ends of those particular threads of story could ping back violently, possibly even taking your eye out. You can feel every bit of emotion from Katherine, the confusion of her position and the anger of her father, Frank. In spite of only meeting him this first time, I grew very attached to Frank, there is just something about him which leads you to like and trust him. It has certainly made me want to go back and read those first books, although if this is anything to go by, I think they could be very hard reads.

If you are a fan of the series you won't be disappointed. If you are new to it ... well this is a fabulous read and can work as a standalone, just prepare to be shocked by what happens. Perhaps some of it is expected, anticipated even, but John Harvey has more than the off surprise to throw at you as a reader, secrets carefully buried and only revealed when the time is right. Extremely compelling stuff. Loved it.

Enjoyed this crime thriller.....this is the last one in the series....I may look up his earlier novels. Worth staying with to the end!

"When his estranged daughter Katherine appears on his doorstep, ex-Detective Frank Elder knows that something is wrong. Katherine has long been troubled, and Elder has always felt powerless to help her. But now Katherine has begun to self-destruct. The breakdown of her affair with a controversial artist has sent her into a tailspin which culminates in murder."

So the blurb goes on the final of the Frank Elder novels (I have only read 'Flesh & Blood' in this series to date and intend to read the rest of the Elder novels), which I have to say was even more enjoyable than 'Flesh & Blood' and that takes some doing. Why? Because John Harvey has the knack of drawing you into the various subplots - here we have Elder's daughter Katherine caught up in the murder of an artist, an escaped convict and how Elder himself is coping with being of the force and trying to connect with his daughter - and rounding out his characters to make you believe the story even more. Elder is quick to temper and wade into situations, but for all his faults he has a sense of justice. Even though retired from the force, he seems to be involved in his local police force.

It is a real shame the Elder series is finished now but it finishes with one of Harvey's best books to date. If you have yet to try John Harvey you won't be disappointed, if like me you enjoy the novels of Ian Rankin and Mark Billingham.

This is the first book in the Elder series that I have read but it made no difference as a lot of his backstory was revealed throughout the text, which might explain why other harvey aficionados might have found this rather slow going.

Not me, I loved this book which drew me in and mesmerised me into turning the pages as fast as I possibly could.

The quality of the writing is exceptional as is the plotting and characterisation. The hero is deeply flawed and totally credible and his actions and behaviour would be understood by any parent.

I'm afraid I struggled to about half way in Body and Soul and then gave up. It's been some time since I read and enjoyed some of John Harvey's Resnick novels and I'm sorry to have to say this, but this really isn't a patch on them.

Harvey can still write well and create a good atmosphere and sense of place. However, his ability to present a believable plot with people who behave at least semi-plausibly seems to have deserted him. I just found the whole thing a slog through a slow, slow set-up, a lot of extraneous detail, pretty far-fetched events and psychology and so on. I diligently read on until a wholly ridiculous extra twist was thrown into the mix around half way and decided life was too short.

I am very sad to be so critical of an author I have liked in the past, but I found Body and Soul a real disappointment and can't recommend it.

(My thanks to Heinemann for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Frank Elder is a realistic, haunted protagonist. A failed marriage, an estranged daughter and crippling guilt make him easy to empathise and vividly believable.

The plot is twisty and involved; there are several storylines, some past, some present which intertwine and inform. The pacing is perfect; slow and deliberate to begin with revealing the story's themes, and disseminating the necessary backstory. Then, as storylines merge and character's reach breaking point the pace quickens, and the action and clues are relentless. Despite being the final book in the series, it is a viable standalone read.

Although flawed Elder comes across as a well-motivated person, not perfect but always doing his best for those he loves and those he serves. His quick temper is almost his undoing, but it doesn't detract from his likeability, just makes him human and realistic.

Being Nottingham born and bred, I enjoyed the action that took place there. The characters are well-developed and believable, and each of them enrichens and deepen the story. The ending is poignant, powerful and both hopeful and sad.

I received a copy of this book from Cornerstone, Penguin Random House William Heinemann via NetGalley in return for an honest review.