Member Reviews

This was once again a gripping and thrilling read. DCI Jones and his people has to try to stop a killer at a priest's old age home. As always nothing is as it seems..... The reader is gripped until the end. Recommended.

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Forgive me Father by Paul Gitsham is a thriller story solved by DCI Warren Jones and his team. An innocent priest dies in a terrific fire break out in the chapel. When the police first assumes it as a suicide, evidences point in the opposite direction. Two more priests are also found dead within a short period. All of them suffered to death. DCI Jones and his team do their best to find out the culprit before another priest ends up dead.

Who is killing the priests? Why? And why do these murders seem similar to decades old murders? What is the church hiding?
You must read the book to know the answers. A compelling thriller with wonderful characters. Thumbs up to the author. He drew the plot in an excellent way.

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This is the fifth book in the series.
The narrative flows nicely. It’s very readable with never a dull moment and plenty of twists and turns
Looking forward to the next book.

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Murdered priests, a retirement home with a secret and a centuries old mystery. Jones and Sutton need all their wits to solve the case

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This was an amazing discovery, one of those that makes you go and buy quite a number of the previous books in the series.
I love this book, while I was reading I couldn't put it down even if I had some unfortunate stops due to eating, sleeping, working.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but after a while the past gets faster and it's a firework of red herrings, twists and turns that keeps you hooked and guessing till the end.
The cast of characters is amazing, they're well written and realistic, I like them with their flows and their problems.
I liked how the author handled the issues that is at the base of the plot: it's a mix of empathy towards the victims and a realistic approach to a dramatic issue.
I look forward to reading the next installment.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to HQ Digital and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

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Forgive Me Father is the latest book in the DCI Warren Jones series by Paul Gitsham and it is another very enjoyable police procedural

Jones and his team face a complicated series of murders that push them to and in some cases beyond their limits as they attempt to identify the murderer.

The author has built up a good cast of characters and uses them well to keep the reader engaged throughout all the twists and turns of the book.

Definitely recommended

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4 stars

When called to the scene of a possible suicide, DCI Warren Jones and his team get the feeling that something is not quite what it seems. The death takes place at the site of a very old abbey that is now used by the Catholic Church as a retirement home and local tourist attraction.

The identity of the dead man is found to be a retired priest and his death is determined to be a murder. But he is not the only priest to be murdered in this the most recent entry in Paul Gitsham's DCI Warren Jones series.

There are no surprises in this book as far as the plot goes. The novel is well written and holds the reader's interest. It is the story of a very thorough and painstaking police investigation into the deaths of what turns out to be several men. It contains many police characters of differing personalities which is really nice and keeps the reader interested in the story. Mr. Gitsham does a good job of making his characters individuals, but it is done subtly – not overdone. The bad guy is somewhat of a surprise, but the logic they use is flawed and makes little sense. But then I suppose most murderers make little sense to those of us who would never consider such an action themselves.

I want to thank NetGalley and KQ Digital for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. ( I forgot that I had already purchased this book - dooh.)

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A standard British police procedural.
A very contemporary premise with past sins and the Catholic Church.
I recommend you read the previous books in the series to fully appreciate the protagonist’s history.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

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This is the fifth book in the DCI Warren Jones series and I would recommend starting at the beginning. This is another good, solid police procedural. A body is found burned in a church and at first it appears to be suicide. A super read. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

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I am a bit of a fan of this author, having read all this series, including the inbetweenie shorts. As with all series books, I would recommend starting at the beginning and reading in order. Although the main stories are self contained, there is a lot of character backstory and development to be found through the series and you would get the best from it if you have. This book especially deals with the aftermath and fallout from the shocking events of the previous one.
One of the things I do like about this series is that it is a little more drawn out than some of the genre, which feels more real than some where the story is wrapped up by the police in record time. This might not suit some, and indeed, I do personally prefer my books to get on with themselves, but occasionally I like to share in the frustration that I would imagine the authorities go through day after day. It's also a little more cerebral than some and I also like that challenge as a reader. Consequently, the pacing is a little slower than usual, bit of a slow burn, but once it gets going, it really takes off.
This book, like the rest of the series, contains topics that are very front and centre in the media today. A body is found burned in a chapel contained within the bounds of a priest's retirement home. On first appearance, it appears to be suicide but, on further investigation, things don't quite stack up and the police, led by Warren Jones, begin the task of getting to the bottom of things. But the church is a bit of a closed shop and they initially flounder. And then there's another death, also badly disguised as suicide. Leads start to come slowly but the suspect pool is still wide open. With the victims and indeed suspects associated to the church, it also becomes a bit of a hot potato. And then the stakes get higher with yet another body. Can Warren and his able team, still hurting from their own loss, cut through the noise and red tape and get to the bottom of things before the body count rises further?
Obviously due to the setting and victims in this book, there is a healthy dollop of religion in this book. But it's appropriate to the story and also delivered in a very not-preachy way. Warren has his own personal battle with this side of things with what he is going through with his wife at this time so it's a bit of a double edge sword for him at times.
Unlike some books where we hear from the perp along the way, this is delivered entirely from the side of the investigation so there is nothing the reader is privy to early. Again, against the norm for books these days, but refreshingly so. It also means that maybe the reader does make leaps that the police don't and I did do a bit of screaming at them when I thought of something ahead of them and had to wait for them to play catch-up!
The majority of the book is tension rather than action but this also works well with the narrative and you do get the action when appropriate towards the end which also fits well. it's not a hit the ground running kind of book but it does deliver at the right times.
Characters are good and not the stereotypical flawed cops that you also get from the majority these days. Yes, Warren has his issues outside work but he has a stable life and no major health issues which is also a bit of breath of fresh air.
All in all, a good addition to an already solid series. Roll on book six. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ Digital for a review copy of Forgive Me Father, the fifth novel to feature DCI Warren Jones of the Hertfordshire police.

A body is found burned to death in a local chapel. Initially it looks like suicide but certain anomalies make Warren keep an open mind until it is proved to be murder. The victim is finally established as Father Nolan, a retired priest and he’s not the last.

I thoroughly enjoyed Father Forgive Me which is a good, painstaking police procedural where the team gradually narrow down the suspect pool and motive. I always like a procedural, especially when, like this one, it is told exclusively from the investigative point of view as it gives the reader the chance to work it out alongside the investigators. It works well here although there were times when they were a bit slow on the uptake, seemingly ignoring the elephant in the room when it comes to priests and sins. I did, however, like Mr Gitsham’s approach which I can’t explain without spoilers except to say that it takes good aim at social media mores.

Unusually in a modern novel many of the main characters are practising Christians. This leads to a fair amount of religious discussion as Warren struggles with his faith and DI Tony Sutton expresses a certain prejudice towards the Catholic Church. I guess it’s in keeping with the characters but it’s hardly nuanced, offers nothing new in terms of argument and could have been easily omitted.

I like DCI Warren Jones who is a quiet, competent professional. He is a caring leader, always mindful of his team’s wellbeing so he keeps an eye on their overtime and rest periods. It’s unusual in crime fiction but probably very realistic. I like the fact that his home situation impinges on his work and he agonises over his dual commitments as it makes him more human and real.

Forgive Me Father is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

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