I found it quite hard to get into this one as I didn't realise it was the second in a series. But after a while, it settled and I felt able to carry on without feeling I was missing too much. I did guess the perpetrator before the reveal but the ending was still satisfying.

Reckoning Point by J.M. Hewitt is the second in the PI Alex Harvey series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Endeavour Media, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Alex Harvey is a Private Investigator based out of Putney, a district of London.  He is in love with Elian Gould, a young woman he recruited to help him on a case in Chernobyl.  During that case, Elian was kidnapped and raped.  She is struggling.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Elian is in Holland,  searching for one of the men who she still holds responsible for her attack, Lev Aliyev.  Elian is having some memory problems, and has still not seen a doctor regarding the abuse she suffered.

Alex is searching for Elian, who left without telling him where she was headed, or why.

Meanwhile, a young prostitute is murdered in Holland, and then another....  A doctor who considers himself the only one to care about "his girls", knows a little more about the crimes than he should.  A man whose IQ is a little low, and has had a troubled past, also knows more than he should.  Then there is Lev, also very aware of the young prostitutes.

Inspector Eric Fons is investigating the murders, and he wishes his girlfriend Naomi was around to help.  Soon, he will have Alex assisting him.


My Opinions:  

This book, the second in the series, was just as good as the first.  Although I was unsure of my feelings toward the main characters in the first book, I am now really beginning to like them.  Although there are a lot of references as to what happened in the first book, I really believe you have to read it first to get a good feel for the characters.

These plots are different, refreshing, and a little dark, but very good.   I liked how the story was told in the current time line, except when it comes to Roland's back-story.  Everything meshed quite well.

Overall, the book has a fast-pace and moves swiftly, making it an overall fast read.  

I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I think my expectations were off for this mystery. It just didn't hold my attention throughout. The setting was interesting as were some of the twists. It didn't have the sizzle more compelling thrillers have. OK overall.

Thanks very much for the review copy!

Reckoning Point by J. M. Hewitt is book two in her mystery/thriller P.I. Alex Harvey series. This is the sequel to her acclaimed book, Exclusion Zone, but it reads well as a standalone.

Elian Gould is in Holland searching for the man who, along with his compatriot, attacked her in the most vicious of ways. London P.I. Alex Harvey has feelings for Elian and is frantically searching for her. He is fueled by his desire to rectify his missteps in their budding relationship.

Naomi Wilson is a traveling nurse and girlfriend of Inspector Erik Fons. She’s attacked and left for dead. Inspector Erik Fons has been diligently working to locate the perpetrator who is terrorizing local women, and Naomi’s attack serves as a catalyst for him to redouble his efforts.

Hewitt reveals the story through the viewpoints of multiple characters and flashbacks to previous events. This could have been confusing but both techniques are handled nicely with detailed chapter headers. The characters are well-developed with complete backstories. The plot is engaging. The ending is satisfying and leaves the option for future installments. Ultimately I enjoyed this novel and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. Readers who enjoy the mystery and thriller genres will find this novel compelling.

My thanks to Endeavour Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

I had a go at this one. It simply never got to me. I found the writing style - all present tense and rather perfunctory - didn't work for me. There were some odd characters in this and not in a particularly bad way. There was also a lot of reference to the previous book which I'd not read. By around halfway through I couldn't be bothered to find out "who dunnit" though I'm fairly sure I know - not for me.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. Prostitutes are turning up dead and detective Harvey is trying to figure out who is murdering all these women before it's too late. Hard to completely follow as I read in other reviews the character of Elian is from the first book so I did not fully grasp some of the relationship in the book.

A really good book, full of believable characters and an entertaining plot. Highly recommended. Plan on reading more books by this author.

Reckoning Point is the second thriller in the Private Investigator Alex Harvey series which is primarily set in the Netherlands but returns to London in some parts of the plot. I would recommend reading the first book, Exclusion Zone, beforehand as the happenings here follow directly on from those in the preceding book and is likely to prove confusing otherwise. Elian Gould has travelled to Scheveningen, a resort town in the Netherlands to attempt to track down her attacker from Chernobyl Lev Aliyev and wreak some vengeance upon him for the part he played in her terrifying ordeal. Alex is hot on her heels having accidentally fallen in love with her. Meanwhile, Inspector Erik Fons questions his ability to handle the situation when prostitutes from the local red-light district are found brutally slain. As the bodies pile up it becomes evident that the Scheveningen Strangler is hellbent on "cleaning" up the streets. Then he targets Fons's fiancee and the crap hits the proverbial fan.

This is a dark and chilling tale which has quite a few twists with some of them catching me off guard. It's an interesting read but I feel that there is too much happening and too many changes in perspective to really be able to get your teeth into the story; just as you were getting into it something changed. This is gritty, grisly crime with a whole cast of questionable characters and is certainly more character-driven with the investigation being merely incidental to the plot rather than the primary focus; this meant their was a distinct lack of tension and suspense throughout, sadly. It's perfectly readable but lacks the pizazz of the first book and I can't help feeling that it would've worked better had there been a limited number of viewpoints rather than everyone having their perspective included. However, the descriptions of the red light district, the seediness and the grimy back streets were extremely vivid and sobering. Many thanks to Endeavour Media for an ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Endeavour Media for an advance copy of Reckoning Point, the second novel to feature London based PI Alex Harvey.

Elian Gould is in Scheveningen in The Netherlands trying to catch up with her attacker, Lev while her putative boyfriend Alex Harvey is in London trying to find her. In the meantime Inspektuer Erik Fons is trying to catch the Scheveningen Strangler, a serial killer of prostitutes.

Reckoning Point has an interesting plot with several unexpected twists and a few more that are more easily guessable so I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag. The first and most glaring problem is that this is a sequel to the preceding novel, Exclusion Zone which it references almost continuously and therefore does not really stand alone. Not having read Exclusion Zone I felt very lost at the beginning of the novel and only gradually began to understand some of what happened and how it is influencing current events. I would recommend that any reader who wants to read this starts with Exclusion Zone to better enjoy this one.

The novel is told from various points of view in the present day and occasionally slips back in time to 2000 to tell the tale of another murder. The link between the two only becomes apparent as the novel progresses but I felt the past case was the most interesting part of the novel as the present day case seems scattered and has a strange emphasis for a crime novel. Firstly there is no real effort to hide the murderer’s identity and no real investigative work done as the author prefers to concentrate on Elian’s efforts to come to terms with her past experiences, Alex’s feelings and hunt for Elian and the effect of some seriously bad news for Erik. With this emphasis the novel lacks tension and even the final action scene lacks explosiveness.

Due to the constantly changing narrative and the lack of detail on what happened to Alex and Elian in Chernobyl, despite the constant references, I don’t feel that I got to know the characters well or felt any emotional resonance from them. In fact I didn’t connect in any emotional way with the entire novel - it’s just there, neither good nor bad.

Although I liked this book I didn’t love it. In fact, compared to “The Night Stalker” which was one of the best books I have read all year, this book was a bit of a let down. I really hope Hewitt picks up her game a bit more with her next book. A bit too much gross behaviour in this book I think.

3.5 stars

Alex Harvey is a man used to the finer things in life. Designer clothes, gourmet food & beautiful women have been staples for the London based PI. But that was before Elian Gould, the one that got away. Or, to be more precise, the one that ran away.

Elian & Alex met in Chernobyl (book #1) where she endured horrific abuse at the hands of a perverse captor. After barely escaping with their lives, Alex took her back to London. While Elian healed, something strange happened. He began to experience…feelings. If he didn’t know better, he’d almost think he’d fallen for the young woman. Then she disappeared.

In alternate chapters we catch up with Elian who has surfaced in Scheveningen, a resort town in Holland. Rumour has it this is where she’ll find a dangerous man from Chernobyl named Lev Aliyev & he needs to pay for the part he played in her ordeal.

Meanwhile, police in Scheveningen have a big problem. Someone is killing prostitutes in the red light district. The murders are unprecedented in this normally peaceful town & Inspector Erik Fons wonders if he’s up to the challenge. Then the attacks get personal.

Prostitution is legal there & the women get regular health checks from Dr. Bram Bastiaan, a long time fixture in the area. He does his best but lately he’s begun to wonder if he cares about them more than they care for themselves.

Another long time resident is Roland Van Brom, an ex-con with a mental disability. In historical chapters from 2000, we learn about the event that sent him to prison & why he returned after serving his time.

There’s a lot going on here & each of these characters takes turns as narrator. When Alex follows Elian to Scheveningen, the cast is in place & we get all perspectives as they play out their parts in the ensuing drama. It’s clear from the start there will be few winners. It’s a dark, gritty tale that highlights the desperate lives of those who had few advantages & little choice.

Despite Erik & Alex’s hunt for the killer, there’s surprisingly little tension. The investigation is almost incidental except it serves as a focal point that causes the characters to cross paths & weaves their story lines together. Ultimately, I had a hard time connecting to any of them & I’ve been pondering why. Maybe it was the abundance of narrators & story lines. I’d just begin to feel invested when the focus would switch. Another thing that struck me was some of the dialogue, particularly between Alex & Erik. Despite not being a cop, Alex seems to slip into the investigation rather easily & their conversations were oddly stilted at times.

Hewitt does a great job with the setting. Descriptions of the red light district & back alleys at night give the story a dark, atmospheric undertone that provides the perfect backdrop. I haven’t read book #1 in the series but plenty of history is given so this can be read as a stand alone. I initially grabbed this because I really enjoyed the author’s The Hunger Within, an engrossing story centred around the Troubles. Oddly, Reckoning Point is not connected to her home page on Goodreads where you’ll find the first Alex Harvey listed. If you’re in the mood for something down & dirty, give this a whirl.

This is the second book in the Detective Alex Harvey series, the first ‘Exclusion Zone’ published in 2016, ‘Reckoning Point’ can be read as a stand alone and gives info on the back story in Book 1 and why some of the characters are back in Book 2 and imo you can easily read Book 1 after this one! ( if you want to)

Grisly!
Very grisly!
Set in The Netherlands and occasionally in London the book follows the rapidly growing case of mutilated prostitutes being found and tries to work out who is doing it and why
There are a few suspects, none of them pleasant ( to put it mildly ) and these suspects all have gruesome pasts, alongside this one of the suspects is living in a flat where mass murder has happened, add to the mix a real charmer of a bloke ( called Mark!) who has drilled a hole in another guys head to see how he reacts and you begin to get the ‘gist’ of the book!
The story is sparse with its police procedural which suited me and more on the characters who are being hunted
The story telling is at times a bit complicated as there are ‘many fingers in the story pie’ as it were and it does jump from one to another rapidly but with a clear head and concentrating I kept it all in order
The descriptions of the Dutch towns and the Pier area were interesting and the author painted a ‘robust’ portrait of the red light areas!
A good, tense ending and all round a grim, challenging read!
7/10

This is a sequel to the exclusion zone which I have not read. So the beginning was difficult for me but as the story progressed I could follow better. A light read, the suspense is guessable.