This, the fist of many DI Dan Hellier books I hope! This was a good story line with interesting characters who came to life during the reading of this story. A very good read and will look for other books by this author.

Death in the Woods by Bernie Steadman is the first novel in the DI Hellier series based in the West Country.

Hellier has transferred from London and his first major case involves the murder of a schoolgirl

The book then follows Hellier and his colleagues as they look to find the murderer. As you would expect there follows a number of twists and turns as things don't quite work out as expected

Unfortunately I found the characters fairly unbelievable and some of the errors and significant mistakes made by Hellier were just too unbelievable especially with regards to the lack of consequences.

Overall the book was ok. Not brilliant but not awful and I will probably look to read the next one in the series before making a final decision

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloodhound Books for a review copy of Death in the Woods, the first novel in the West Country series of police procedurals, featuring DI Dan Hellier.

When schoolboys discover a dead body in the woods in school grounds they recognise her immediately as 16 year old Carly Braithwaite, fellow pupil and potential singing star of the future. DI Dan Hellier, newly returned to his home town of Exeter from The Met is put in charge of the investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death in the Woods, a fast paced, action packed procedural which held my attention from start to finish. There aren't many suspects in the case but trying to sort through their secrets and lies is a tough job, made worse by their sometimes inexplicable and almost always unexpected actions. It makes for a great read. I love the third person narrative voice from Dan's point of view as it keeps the novel simple and straightforward. There is almost no change of perspective so the reader knows what Dan knows, making it easy to get immersed in the novel and identify with him. It seems to be an old fashioned approach nowadays but it's my favourite format for a novel and it works really well in this case.

The novel widens from a murder investigation into something bigger as the novel progresses. It is this secondary plot that produces much of the action but it is the murder that produces most of the thinking and reasoning. This is another of my favourite plot devices where investigation into one thing leads to the uncovering of other crimes. This seems logical and realistic to me although the actual secondary plot may seem far fetched to some readers. Personally I just got caught up in the book and went where the author led me.

Dan Hellier is a good protagonist. Initially he's a bit cocky and not the most likeable of characters but as he makes mistakes and learns some self awareness he becomes much more human and likeable. Roll on book 2 as I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.

Death in the Woods is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

4 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

Two boys are sneaking a smoke in the woods before class. They notice something near a fallen log. Uncovering the body, they are startled to see that it is Carly Braithwaite.

This is to be DI Dan Hellier’s first case as lead. He is to be “supervised” by DCI Ian Gould who is set to retire in three weeks. The investigation into the death of Carly begins with DCI Gould interviewing students and staff at the school near where Carly’s body was discovered. At the same time, DI Dan Hellier goes to speak to Carly’s father and surviving sister. The father reacts violently but finally manages to calm down. At the school, DCI Gould interviews the students, but one person of interest named Jamie manages to get away before the interviews begin. One of the teachers, Miles who is the school music teacher, acts oddly. He claims that he is over-sensitive.

Meanwhile, Carly’s English teacher, Claire goes around to see Miles at home and sees more than she should. She gets in deep trouble.

The next day, they are speaking to Jed Abrams, the person in charge of the recording studio where Carly was to go on Sunday. He claims she never showed up, but is also acting very suspiciously. Suddenly, the case seems to go in two directions.

When the suspects are brought in, the stories turn into a he-said/she-said situation. The questioning was done very well, and was interesting and informative.

It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel – at least I couldn’t find any other books by Mr. Steadman. This novel is very well written and plotted. I only discovered a couple of minor gaffes in it. The tension in this story begins with the discovery of Carly’s body. It continues at a high level throughout the novel. I was a little disappointed in the DI Dan Hellier character. He was always doubting and questioning himself. Of course, he had good reason, so perhaps I’m misjudging him. He almost seemed incompetent at times. He seemed to get along well with his team, but was a little cranky with his superior. There is always something going on in this book – action galore. There is not a wasted word anywhere in this book. I really liked this novel and I certainly intend to read more of Mr. Steadman’s writing. Perhaps DI Dan’s confidence will rise as he gains experience in his present position.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful debut novel for me to read, enjoy and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first page to the last! A clever police detective story, complex enough to keep the reader turning pages and wanting more, with plenty of suspects and clues along the way. It featured strong main characters who I have already warmed to and am keen to meet again very soon in the next two novels. More please!

Death in the Woods is a great action packed mystery that deals almost with any crime you can imagine. This book kept me reading until 5:39 am. The main story is about a murder of a 16-year-old who has just won a prestigious music award and is set for a life in the world of young stars. Side stories include underage pedophile ring, kidnapping, human trafficking and that’s just for starters. DI Dan Hellier is assigned to the case but with the caveat that a retiring DCI will be nominally in charge. Things quickly take off and we are on our way through a fast paced nonstop book that never slows down. I wasn’t too keen on DI Hellier in the beginning but he finally learned how to lead and not let his personal history interfere with the job at hand. There are some great women detectives in the book who could easily spin into their own books. I would love to recommend this book to anyone and happily give it a 5 star rating. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review. Great book