The 10th book in the Calladine and Bayliss series, Dead Wicked sees the two lead detectives re-evaluating their personal and professional lives. Calladine has been acting DCI but doesn't want to be stuck behind a desk so requests to return to his usual role. Bayliss's partner walks out on her and their son but she instantly starts up a relationship with new member of the forensic team.
The case is nasty: drugs, murder, blackmail and ransomware. One of the main suspects is newly released from prison after a crime involving Calladine's cousin. The new murders are in the same method as the old case. Can Calladine stop the killer before his own mother becomes the next victim...?
Calladine and Bayliss are very human and their personal issues bring a relatable and natural tone to the book. The arrival of a new DCI, Greco from one of Durrant's other series, brings a new professional dynamic to the police team.
The murders are grisly and the computer hacking makes the book bang up to date. I have only read Dead Guilty (book 9 in the series) so am unsure if the historic crimes are ones that have been dealt with in earlier books.
I absolutely loved this book until the final chapter and epilogue which I felt needed a little more exploration of the motive and interrogation of the killer, but this didn't spoil my overall enjoyment. It was a quick read as I literally couldn't put it down! The action was fast paced, the momentum kept up with the short chapters and I was completely engrossed in the plot. I can't wait for more of this series!

This might be the 10th in the Calladine and Bayliss series but there are still a good team, the stories are still well-written and still not formulaic although might be a bit predictable at times. The personal lives of the main characters continue to develop but not to the detriment of the detecting story. There's murder of course, rather unpleasant murder, historical murder, computer hacking and ransom, all come together in the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Can you believe this is now the 10th book in the DI Calladine & DS Bayliss series???

I adore this series and I've loved every single book in the run up to this one. Personally I would recommend reading the series in order to truly get to grips with the characters and their backstories BUT it could easily be read as a stand alone.

Once again Helen has the reader totally captivated by her brilliant writing style. From the very first page I was fully submerged and didn't come up for breath.

A tightly woven plot wound with some of the best characters in this genre, what more could you want?

Once again DI Calladine is in the thick of things and has to do things the less conventional way (who doesn't love a bad boy Detective?) Full of twists and turns this will have your head spinning at times, even if you have guessed "who dunnit".

I love just how relatable the characters are in this series, each with their own true to life family troubles, traumas and daily grind.

I will admit I did find the ending quite predictable and abrupt which saddened me slightly but it didnt differ from an amazing storyline.

A totally addictive series that will have you setting an alarm for the next instalment.

Solid 4*

Huge thanks to netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.

Like Helen's previous books, it's well written and captivating until the end.
Really well developed crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for the access to this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Another electrifying book by Helen H. Durrant. The story starts off with a bang, and holds you hostage until the last page. A crime procedural with a lot grit, twists and turns and exceptional writing.
I highly recommend this series, they are some interesting reading in the past books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley
#deadwicked

Dead Wicked was a fast paced and really engaging crime novel and it was fun to reconnect with Bayliss and Calladine. The plot was complex with a bunch of twists and turns, and the characters were well developed. What more to ask for, really?

Gruesome,crime thriller with a big twist. Good characters who interact well. Fast moving and full of action. A good read.

# Dead Wicked % Netgalley

I am a little bit disappointing. With Dead Wicked. I have read all Hellen Durrant books yet although a good book I think this is probably the first book of hers that had not got me hooked to the point I didn’t want to put it down. In fact not only did I put the book down. I often picked the book read a couple of pages then I put the book down It was not as good as her other books but I guess we all have our off days. I have Put it down to that. I don’t think I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read. None of us know what’s lurking in the subconscious do we

This is the latest addition in Helen Durrant's crime series featuring her detectives Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss, with Tom unhappy about the prospect of the mountain of paperwork that will keep a DCI sitting behind their desk rather than actually being involved in investigations. This means unfortunately that it is the problematic Stephen Greco that is promoted. Calladine and Bayliss find themselves investigating the savagely brutal murder of Kieron Ramsey, his body found on wasteland. There is further pressure with tech cyber crime attacks that involve ransom demands for the computer lockdown to be lifted, abductions and drug issues. There are further murders, could the perpetrator possibly be someone already known? Could there be connections between what is occurring. Ruth's personal life disintegrates, leading to her dating again, and members of Tom's family are disappearing. A dark and intense crime thriller full of suspense and twists. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC..

Calladine & Bayliss - and Rocco & Alice - and not forgetting Julian Batho in forensics. They are a hell of a team, but not infallible, especially Tom Calladine, not that being right makes him happy in any case. With an ex-murderer on his patch and copycat murders happening it stands to reason that the two are linked.

Loved it - the addition of DCI Grecco is a master-stroke.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Kieron Ramsey is savagely killed in the parking lot outside the Pheasant Pub. His tongue was cut out while he was still alive, and pushed down his throat. Tom Calladine has been moved up to DCI, and supposed to be doing paper work instead of detective work. He tells the Chief he wants to go back to work with his old team, and Stephen Greco is named in his place. Meanwhile, Tom and Ruth are looking into the murder. Then, a child is sick in the grocery after drinking juice just taken from the shelf. Then businesses in town begin having having their computer systems crash and along with ransom notes. One woman whose computers were crashed disappears after she didn't pay up. She is later found in a lake wrapped in cloth and weighted with stones with her tongue cut out pushed down her throat.

Tom remembers an earlier case where the murdered man had been found in the same state. The man prosecuted for that death, Machin, has just been released from prison and owns an internet cafe in the next town. Meanwhile, Ruth's partner has left her. She begins dating a new man in the Forensics Department. Things become even tenser when Tom's mother, Eva, disappears, and then her grandson disappears. Even though his family is involved, Tom can't stand and watch.

The story is very exciting, and it isn't until the very end that all the connections and bad guys are finally exposed.

EXCERPT: The white sheet was removed to reveal a tall thin young man whose upper body was covered in cuts and bruises, evidence of the beating and torture he'd suffered.

'The killer didn't hold back,' Ruth observed.

'Given his injuries, I'm surprised he had the strength to attempt to escape,' Natasha said.

'He'd be in a hell of a state,' Ruth added. 'The poor bugger must have been in agony.'

'I want to check what's going on in his throat. If there are blood clots, it will reinforce the theory that he choked to death. Mind you, he does have a sizeable bump on the back of his head,' Natasha said.

'Could that have been fatal?' Calladine asked.

'Incapacitating and serious, but I doubt it killed him.' Natasha made some incisions to allow her to look at the back of his mouth and the oesophagus. Taking a large pair of tweezers, she went in. 'Not quite what I thought,' she said, and lifted something out. 'The killer cut out his tongue and then pushed it back down his throat.' She plopped the discoloured piece of flesh into a bowl. 'The bang on the head was possibly the killer's way of rendering the poor man incapable of fighting back.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: The fist victim is found on waste ground. His tongue has been cut out and stuffed down his throat.

Then another body is found dumped in a lake up in the hills. The same gruesome murder method is used.

And guess who the detectives’ new boss is? The incredibly difficult Stephen Greco.

A TWISTED KILLER . . . AND A WICKED TWIST

Meanwhile Ruth Bayliss’s personal life is falling part and someone is targeting local businesses with ransomware.

The prime suspect is a criminal Calladine thought he’d seen the last of.

WHO’S THE SERIAL KILLER AND WHO’S NEXT ON THE LIST?

MY THOUGHTS: I have read and enjoyed most of this series, but Dead Wicked lacked a little something for me - or maybe it was trying to cram a little too much in....multiple murders, kidnappings, ransomware, drug dealing, Ruth's relationship breakup, Calladines daughter's baby (and that's complicated!)

Once again, the book has been over-hyped with 'DEAD WICKED a totally addictive crime thriller with a huge twist on the cover. I didn't find it addictive, nor even particularly gripping. And the twist? Sorry, but I saw it coming.

Durrant's writing doesn't flow as easily in Dead Wicked as it has done in other books in this series. At times, the dialogue was stilted, and everything felt a little superficial. I am starting to think that it is perhaps time I put this series out to grass. Perhaps we have outgrown each other. It's been nice knowing you, we've had a lot of fun, but ...

This isn't a bad read, just not as good as most of the others in the series. And Dead Wicked does need to be read as part of the series. Not recommended as a stand-alone.

3.25 stars

#DEADWICKED #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Helen sets her books in the area she has lived in for many years. The towns and villages that sit in the shelter of the Pennine hills. This is an area between two counties, Lancashire and Yorkshire, and between the city and the hills. It offers a rich mix of the industrial and the countryside and all the character therein.

Helen always planned to write crime novels. But until she retired from full-time work in a local further education college, it had to go on the back burner. Once she did retire - there was no excuse. She now writes full-time. Retirement proper will have to wait!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Joffe Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Dead Wicked by Helen H. Durrant for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Dead Wicked is the 10th book in this series by Helen Durrant, and I have not read any of the previous books.

I think not having read the previous books kept me from enjoying this one as much as some other readers. I didn't have the feeling of reconnecting with various characters which is often a crucial element of liking a series book.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, I did like the characters. The villain was fairly easy to spot early on, and eventually DI Calladine's suspicions prove true. Predictable, but if I'd had a relationship built on previous books, I might have liked it better.

Blog review scheduled for July 15.

NetGalley/Joffe Books
Police Procedural. July 2, 2020.

This is the 10th book in the DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss Series, although this is the first one I have read. First of all I have to say the author has done a good job of writing this book so that it can be read as a standalone. I do not feel that not having read the previous books spoilt my enjoyment at all, although I can see how there would be more layers of the story to enjoy if you had read the others.

There are two main strands to the story. Firstly a young man is found dead on wasteland, having been savagely beaten up and had his tongue cut out which is found down his throat, yet he seems too nice a person to have come to this end. Secondly we have individuals and companies being targeted through a Ransomware attack. Are these two unrelated cases they end up investigating or are they connected in some way?

I have to say I really enjoyed this story which moves along at a fast pace and is an easy read and I liked the interaction between the main characters, both of whom face challenges in their personal lives. In particular I liked the dialogue between the characters. This was further added to when they found out they had a new boss, who was known, but not universally popular.

I raced through this book in 24 hours and am happy to recommend it to other readers as a good book and am now keen to go back and read the others in the series. If you like fast moving books with a good plot and good characters then this could be the book and series for you. I did work out who the murderer was but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book, and it was left with one thread being left up in the air that I’m sure will come back to haunt Calladine in a future book.

I gave this book 4 stars overall, and would like to say thank you to Netgalley and Joffe books for providing a copy of this book to me for an open and honest review.

DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss team up again as a young boy is found murdered with his tongue cut out. Local business owners are getting Ransonware threats and disappearing Circumstances lead back to an Internet cafe and a blast from Calladines past.
A great read and a enjoyable series. Can’t edit for the next edition.

DEAD WICKED by author Helen H. Durrant is book 10 of a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine. Having read all the previous books in this series and really enjoyed them and the characters, it was like old home week, touching base with some of my old friends. I looked forward to starting the next crime thriller in the series. The books work great as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the complete series to really get the most out of them.
This book will have you turning the pages until the shocking conclusion. This is a crime thriller with an ending with a huge twist.

Detective inspector Tom Calladine is a workaholic, totally devoted to his job. He is a hands-on copper that does investigations and solves crimes. He is currently acting DCI, but paperwork and a desk job doesn’t suit Tom. But his personal life has not been so rewarding, being married and divorced before he was twenty-one.

DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss are called to a crime scene where the body of a dead man is found on the ground, after staggering out of a pub, with his tongue cut out and stuffed down his throat. Then soon after another dead body was discovered in a lake, murdered in the same fashion.

The team now have a new boss-Stephen Greco returns to the series, now as DCI. Tom, who never got on with

In this series, Bayliss’s husband, Jake walks out on her and her two-year-old son, Harry for another woman. It hits Bayliss hard, and she must now find a way to juggle her long hours at work while providing day-care for her son.

On a positive note, Calladine’s daughter, Zoe is pregnant, and Calladine is looking forward to being a grandfather.

Calladine’s birth mother’s business and another business has been targeted by ransomware. The perpetrator locks down the system, until the person pays a large sum of money.

Tom and his team have a lot to handle. Calladine finds out that a criminal that he put away years ago is now out and now Tom must watch his back!

This is a great series to follow, with lots of action, and great relatable detectives. I will continue to follow this series. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to Joffe Books via Netgalley for my digital copy.

Dead Wicked is another example of Helen H Durrants great writing. For me these books are nice quick reads, and never fail to hold my interest. Perfect for a quiet night in

Having read the other Stephen Greco books, I thought I'd give Dead Wicked a go. Unfortunately for me, it turned out to actually be a Calladine and Bayliss story. Once I'd got over the fact that I had no idea who the characters were or what had gone on in the past, I quite enjoyed this book. The two crimes, which might or might not have been related, were involving enough to hold my interest although I solved one of them fairly early on. As that's not something I set out to do when reading crime fiction, I can only conclude that it must have been pretty obvious. However, because there were two strands to the book I was more than happy to read on.

When DI Tom Calladine turns down promotion to investigate a murder of a young man with his tongue cut out and stuffed down his throat, he didn't expect his DCI to be Stephen Grecco . Then another body is found in a lake in the hills with their tongue cut out. Before he realises what is happening faces from the past appear clouding the investigation. Then things start to get personal for both DI Calladine and DS Bailey.
Another good book from Helen H Durrant with many threads which leave you unsure of what is going on until; the last chapter.

This is the tenth book in the hugely popular Detective Calladine and Bayliss series, one which I would strongly suggest you read in order. There is a lot of ongoing character development over the series which continues in this story and also references are made to events in previous stories which could spoil your enjoyment of those books if not read first. The series is set in the fictional village of Leesdon on the outskirts of a northern English industrial city where there is much unemployment and crime, particularly on the Hobfield estate, still the bane of DI Tom Calladine's working life. Most of the main characters in Leesdon CID and the Duggen, which handles forensics and pathology, are still present and it is a bit like revisiting old friends who need little introduction. This time there are two new faces to meet, one at the Duggen assisting Prof Julian Batho and who seems to be a popular choice, and one in CID, definitely not so popular. Since Calladine refuses to take up the permanent post of DCI, fearing he will be chained to a desk, the job has been filled by Stephen Greco from Oldston and Calladine feels guilty that this man has been inflicted on a great team which still includes DC Alice Bolshaw and DC Simon "Rocco" Rockliffe from previous stories. Greco features in another series by this author and has a reputation for not being the easiest person to work with. Personal circumstances have forced his move, so together with Calladine having a clingy ex-girlfriend, also Batho's aunt, staying with him and DS Ruth Bayliss having marriage problems, none of them are having an easy time and things are a little tense to say the least. The story opens with the brutal slaying of a young man on his way home from the pub. He is found on waste land the next day badly beaten and with his tongue cut out. The victim is swiftly identified and it turns out his workplace has also just received a strange attack on it. A girl who works there and who was a friend of his gets scared and goes into hiding leaving her boyfriend to the mercy of a nasty criminal. In quick succession a local businesswoman falls prey to a cyber attack and it is not long before the brutal killer strikes again. The detectives will need to put their personal problems to one side and all pull together to solve these baffling crimes. There is a lot happening all at once and the detectives are not sure whether the cases are connected or not just because they have links to a certain place. But even when it all looks done and dusted Calladine is still not so sure and his gut is telling him they have it all wrong. The obvious suspect is a man Calladine put away years ago who is recently released from prison and who swore to get even with the detective, but just how can he be linked to all these current crimes? Or is the truth far more sinister? The pace is kept up throughout with plenty of action, clues and suspects in a clever and complex plot that does eventually all come together and make sense. It is a good solid police procedural in an excellent series with very likable characters which I can highly recommend. The book ends with a bit of uncertainty all round and I will be very interested to see how this all pans out in the next story. 5*