Started off exciting and didn't let up for a bit but just didn't really work for me. Can't put a finger on it but it didn't hold my attention. This is part of a series snd maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous books.

Having not read any of the previous Paterson/Clocks novels, I felt at times I’d been tossed into the middle of a saga with plenty of backstory. The author did a fair job of presenting some of the prior information that added to character development so a reader like me could play catch-up, without making it too blatantly obvious. Indeed, as with anyone coming into a new situation, there will always be camaraderie between colleagues who’ve a past history, yet the ongoing banter and fluff between the two main characters (and/or Clocks and just about everyone else) overwhelmed the plot to the point of distraction. Chapter 40 re: flowers could be completely struck without the reader failing to notice the effect circumstances had on him. Beyond that the story was just okay, not great. A three from me.

I hugely disliked this book, it was completely destroyed by two characters that are so unlikable it spoils what would be a brilliant plot.

Two detectives that are so foul, crass, rude and just over the top overwhelms any storyline, plot or other characters. It's just too much. Unsavory coppers are not new to fiction but less is more you know? These men were overdone, overcooked and therefore came across as not believable. A real shame. This book had oodles of potential otherwise.

This is the 6th book in the Patterson and Clocks series by author Steve Parker and my 1st read. A good solid crime novel, fast moving, strong characters that I am pretty sure will develop on reading others in the series. All in all a good introduction to the series for me personally.

The two main characters are Patterson and Clocks, Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a wealthy man due to family money with an eye for the women. Separated from his model wife he is highly backed to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is the other extreme and loves nothing more than antagonising others and is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. Very immature and having grown up has become an effective policeman.

This novel certainly starts off quickly and the fast pace continues throughout. Opens with a gruesome discovery when the police break into an house at a suspected burglary to find a dead body and a woman wearing the dead mans face as a mask.

Good solid read and an entertaining 3.5 stars.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Joffe books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When a man is seen breaking into a house and Police patrol cars rush to apprehend him they enter a house which can only be described as their worst nightmare. Detective Superintendant Ray Patterson and Detective Inspector John Clocks are called to the house after the burglar has been killed and police attacked. No-one could imagine what they would find and what would happen as events darken.
This is a fast moving book with many surprises and Police politics included a very good read by Steve Parker. Highly recommended.

Paterson & Clocks #6

Lynton Road in London: one man is dead, a knife is still stuck in his chest. His face is missing. Theres also a crazy woman holding a knife whilst repeating "the child maker did it". The house is covered in body parts.

Paterson and Clocks are like chalk and cheese. They come from different backgrounds but they work well together. They don't always follow protocol but they always get the job done. They are now investigating one of the most horrific cases of their career. The more they search the house the more body parts they find. Paterson and Clocks have to face against time to hunt down the "childmaker" down. There are some gruesome details.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JoffeBooks and the author #MichaelHambling for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast paced thriller about a strange case that gives detectives a difficult job. The childmaker is eerie and full of suspense. The characters are very well developed and the book is well written. If you are a huge thriller fan like myself, this is definitely the book for you. I would recommend to anyone that loves a thriller or is looking to branch out to new genres. Must read!

Thankyou to Joffe Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Child Behind The Wall.

First up, I have to admit I didnt realise at the point of requesting that this was Book 6 in a series, so my first ever experience of the main characters - detectives Ray Patterson and Johnny Clocks. I dont think it is necessary to have read the others (it works well as a stand alone), however presumably you would have a bit more back story and awareness of the characters and their traits had you read the others.

The book starts with a bang - the scene of a suspected burglary; but what the two officers find inside the house defies any of their expectations. A man lays dead on the floor, a knife in his back. and a small woman stands over his body, wearing his face as a mask. She is highly volatile and distressed, lashes out, killing one supporting officer and seriously injuring another. She claims to hear singing, and says that the childmaker is coming.

What follows is a truley grizzly discovery, in that this house holds some fairly horriffic discoveries as well as a room behind a hidden wall in the basement. The plot of this crime is NOT for the faint hearted, so if you're of a nervous disposition, you may want to give this one a miss. It's really quite shocking in some of the narrative.

Patterson and Clocks find themselves thrown into a race against time to find the childmaker; especially when he starts making threatening phone calls to the station towards Patterson himself.

There will be no spoilers here, but the crime investigation is fast paced, action filled and has lots of twists and turns and I found myself willed to keep on reading and learn what happened next. I will be honest in that I felt at times like the crime didn't need to be quite as brutal as it was. It. makes hard reading in parts, and I felt that even without it being quite so extreme the book would have worked just as well.

The characters have a great friendship and a hell of a lot of banter, but if you are a feminist, the way they speak towards women and the use of words like 'love' may start to grate after a while. There is lots of masculine bravado and jostling for authority and I did find myself laughing at some of the cockney dialect throughout.

Overall I enjoyed my first experience of Steve Parker, a well written crime / thriller with a back story and fab ending - however a bit too extreme for me and for that reason I'd struggle to recommend it to friends.

A burglar broke into the house. He did not expect what that outcome would be. The police are called out to the residence. What they discover will haunt them for the rest of their lives. At the end of the day. Officers have been killed. A robber is found without a face, Dismembered bodies, frozen entrails, a skull used as a cereal bowl, and a tiny ferociously fierce lady who has murder on her mind in only the beginning of this tantalizing story. Looking into the lives of police officers and their everyday lives, this book will keep you awake nights. It is filled with horror and terrifying crimes that need to be solved. Written in ghastly and graphic detail. Great read!

I had to finish this in two sittings, I started it late at night and after THAT beginning, I had to stop so I could sleep 😂.

This book was fantastic, it is my first book by the author. Even though I have not read early books in the series, this did not impact upon my reading journey.

I liked the main characters straight away, laughing out loud at the banter between them.

This book is not for the faint hearted! I had to put the book down during certain parts, but the descriptive nature really made me feel as though i was in the setting and kept me gripped till the last page.

I cannot wait to read the series from the beginning.

Thank you to @netgalley @joffebooks and Steve Parker for my Advanced Readers Copy

Steve Parker is back with another great read about my favorite detectives Ray Patterson and Johnny Clocks (Timex). Ray and Johnny are stressed out as they race around the clock to solve this latest mystery and they both wonder if they really have it in themselves to continue in this career.
If you get squeamish reading about murder you might want to re-think this book just because the crimes are so heinous and against children but I just remind myself that it is a book.
When an early morning emergency call has the detectives and two other officers kicking down the door of a house that appeared to have a break in they are unprepared for the chilling scene-a man bleeding on the ground and a woman screaming "Beware of the child maker". The house is full of body parts and regular items such as clocks seem to be made out of skin. After the crazy woman is carted off to the mental hospital the officers tear the house apart only to find more grizzly discoveries.
Ray and Johnny are on the hunt to find out who the "childmaker" is and how many crimes he has committed all in a race against time. Can't wait for another CLocks and Ray book-and I won't ever get tired of Johnny's antics.

This was a full story on it's own. Gruesome details, shocking things. Definitely an absolutely gripping killer thriller. I couldn't put it down - it kept me gripped to the pages.

Patterson and Clocks are back in their hardest case yet. Gruesome, hard hitting and absolutely gripping. Patterson and Clocks are being their usual selves. Do not suffer fools gladly, stand up for themselves and get things done by bending the rules just a little. The one liners and banter between the team had me chuckling away. Hooked from the first to the last page, sat on the edge of my seat and constantly holding my breath. Be warned not for the squeamish, this is a graphic, stomach churning page turner. This book kept me reading late into the night. One of my favourite authors and one of my favourite crime fighting duo's. Can't wait to read more.
Thanks to Joffre Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Wow what a book. I couldn't put it down - it kept me gripped to the pages. Although part of a series it can be read on its own. Great characters although at times Clocks is a bit over the top. An excellent read

Thank You NetGalley Publisher and author for this gifted ebook

Summary
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a 'climber'.

Review
This was a goo crime thriller from get go.
This book had me up at all hours of the night trying to finish this book.
It was well written. The plot was amazing and this will have you guessing till the very end.

Overall- great book

This is certainly a fast paced crime thriller. Lots of twists and turns, but also gruesome and terrifying. This story had a lot of action, and prepared to be shocked. Some scenes were a little too much for me, so I had read fast to get through them. Although the sixth book in this series, I didn’t feel lost. I’ll be looking into the earlier books. Thank You to NetGalley and Joffre Books for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Joffe books, Steve Parker and Netgalley.
To get to it, my thought is that even though I'm not supposed to cuss and shi..stuff!. What the 'ell? Hey, now? Clocks talks one way, can't I?
I am mostly taking the pish on this one.
Truthfully? I like smartasre police. But, I don't like these two. They are harmful. Being a smartass is good right? Nobody likes a trigger response.

Patterson and Clocks at their best or possibly their worst in the Regan and Carter mould. Difficult to get your head round the horrific crimes committed by the murders in this story. A good read but a strange end, leaving the reader what comes next?

Not since Agatha Christie introduced Hercule Poirot to Captain Hastings has there been as perfect a pairing as that of Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks. One is proud of his working class roots while the other wears handmade suits and drives an Aston Martin. Their partnership shouldn't work but it does. Together they are irreverent, outrageous and are the pair senior management would most like to see thrown out of the force. So how do they manage to keep their jobs, albeit by the skin of their teeth? By always getting their man as the saying goes. They may ignore protocol and have no time for political correctness but even the most horrendous crime gets solved in record time. Here we see them faced with some of the most evil and depraved crimes imaginable and there is a race agsinst time to prevent more deaths. Don't begin this book when you have an early start the next morning because I guarantee you will be reading well into the night.

Okay, first of all, I didn't realize this is book 6 in a series so oops. I wasn't super duper lost though, there were just mentionings of old events and characters. This was a full story on it's own. And it had plenty of WTF moments. Gruesome details, shocking things. Then the author would lull you into a comfortable spot again with the police details and the banter between the cops. Then boom again, more shock and messed up events.

The dialect threw me for sure, but I got used to it. I did sometimes wish there was more action related to the crime they were solving than the side issues with other police levels, but that may be an ongoing story. Like I said, I started on book 6. It for sure intrigued me enough I would read the next book.