Having not read the 1st book mayfly, i didn't know what to expect and it took me a while to recognise rhe author.
This book was good and had lots of twists and turns in it, but it did feel like it went on and on a bit.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of The Ash Doll, the second novel to feature defence lawyer Charlie Priest.

Charlie and his team are in court to start defending small, independent magazine, The Real Byte, on a libel charge. The magazine had alleged that not only was one of the largest charities in the world funnelling money to a terrorist group but that founder and CEO Alexia Elias knew all about it, based on information supplied by ex charity worker, Simeon Ali. When Ali fails to turn up in court and is found murdered a short while later Charlie starts investigating.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Ash Doll and Mr Hazel is fast becoming one of my favourite authors due to the verve he injects into his novels. Murder and child abuse are perhaps not the lightest of subjects but the author makes the novel a fun read as there is a sense that his tongue is firmly in his cheek. It is not a novel of gritty realism or any kind of realism really but it's exciting, cleverly done and chock full of twists and turns, most of which are totally unexpected. It's great entertainment and held me enthralled from start to finish, unable to put it down.

Charlie Priest is an extremely likeable protagonist despite his past of CID detective turned defence lawyer. He has standard, almost prerequisite quirks, serial killer brother currently residing in a facility for the criminally insane who helps his investigations and a dissociative disorder which blurs his reality. Nevertheless he is a smart operator with more angles than is immediately obvious and yet he is charmingly inept when it comes to relationships.

I re-read the opening chapters of the novel to make sure I had the details correct and was struck by Mr Hazel's skill in introducing all the necessary information seamlessly into the narrative without making it seem like an information dump. It's a great start to an enjoyable read.

The Ash Doll is a worthy follow up to The Mayfly so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.