Book seven to feature Paterson and Clocks of the Met Police is filled with humour and made me laugh out loud in places! I love the relationship between this pair and the developing characterisation, as well as the dark humour throughout. This has to be one of the best detective pairings in the crime genre, the surprise ending left me wanting more and hoping for the follow up soon! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

When Detective Superintendent Ray Patterson is called to a murder crime scene by Detective Inspector John Clocks he does not realise what sick and tormented people are committing the crime. Then another murder with different type of murder is found and they realise that this is just the beginning. Between trying to battle with internal politics within the Metropolitan Police and trying to find the twisted murderers keeps this team on their toes but will they survive to see it through to the end.
An enjoyable read although not what you would call a cosy mystery.

This is the seventh book featuring Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and his team from the Homicide and Major Crime Command unit in Bermondsey, London. Paterson is young, good looking and extremely wealthy, and at the start of the series was on a fast track to the top, whilst DI Johnny Clocks is the complete opposite - loud, foul-mouthed and brash having come up through the ranks but a loyal friend for life once he decides he likes you. He’ll never change though - as Paterson says about Clocks, they’ve sent him on courses but three instructors went home in tears and one was a man! Definitely more Sweeney than pc and I completely love the pair of them! Clocks has mellowed a little thanks to the addition of his fiancée DI Lyndsey Kitchener, a Metropolitan Police tactical firearms officer who is a terrific match for him (in fact for anyone!) and often appears in these stories. Until his retirement the pair had received complete support from former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Wallace (Wol) Young but he was replaced by a complete different kettle of fish in Sir Scott Anderson who was determined to bring down Paterson and Clocks at any cost. Despite being put on gardening leave he is still pursuing his vendetta against the pair and is delighted when DCI Goodwin brings him Lambert’s dying declaration.
The main story commences on a rooftop with judge Christine Lord being bizarrely sentenced to death by her own son and “The King”, and we’ll hear more about this later. On the meantime a man’s body is discovered in Southwark Park, tethered over a large rock with truly horrific injuries which Paterson identifies as a Dark Ages revenge punishment called the “Blood Eagle”. The detectives are stunned when they learn the identity of the victim and realise they will be prime suspects. Thank goodness for Acting Commissioner Sam Morne, an old friend of Wol's and someone prepared to defend their innocence in the crimes they were previously accused of, especially since the assistant crime commissioner Stannard seems intent on bringing them down and now implicating them in this new murder of one of their own. It looks like once again they’ll have to find the killer in order to prove themselves not guilty. Day 2 of their investigation brings the discovery of another gruesome murder which surely cannot be a coincidence. They receive a lead to a very strange band of people, and with help from a quite wonderful and original character (I don’t think Clocks will ever recover!), they finally seem to be making some headway until their hopes are dashed on day 3. This time they are really out on their own and the danger is greater than ever.
I can never seem to praise this series enough! Paterson and Clocks are one of my absolute favourite detective pairings and each book is a delight to read. As in all the other books in this series the pace is terrific with loads of shocking and gripping action, and this really is a book that kept me hooked till the last very unexpected page. Clocks and Paterson make a great team and have a fantastic relationship built on the shared traumatic events of the first six stories in this series, in fact they wouldn’t have survived without each other. There is a lot of humorous banter between the two and also with others in their team, making the book fun at the same time as tackling deadly serious crimes.
If you haven't, I urge you to read the series in order. There is a lot of history and although it is well described and the books can be enjoyed as standalones it wouldn't be the same reading them out of turn. There’s a great little surprise too at the end of the book which leaves me desperate to know what comes next!

A judge is tethered to the court's roof .. and sentenced to death. The detectives have never seen this kind of barbarianism before .. and they thought they had seen it all.

Another man is found in a local park. His method of death is an ancient ritual known as a ‘Blood Eagle’. When the detectives learn who the victim is .. they are absolutely shocked. He is one of theirs ... a man known to have spent several years trying to get Paterson and Clocks thrown off the force and charged with various crimes.

Who is behind these elaborate murder methods?

One of their own is taken and time is running out. The detectives will do anything ...anything at all... to get their colleague back before she is also killed.

Although 7th in this series, it is easily read as a stand alone. But I highly recommend starting at the beginning. The relationship between the detectives is something I've rarely seen. They have worked together for years and prove that opposites attract. While Paterson may not always play by the rules, Clocks is just downright rude and impertinent to just about anyone. On the other hand, these men will always have each other's backs. The action is a real nail biter from start to finish. The last sentence on the last page has me tapping my toes waiting for the next book.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this British Crime Fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Yey Paterson and Clocks are back. If you like a fast paced thriller that starts the adrenaline pumping at the beginning and keeps increasing the flow all the way to the very end while also having the potential to make you laugh then this book is definitely for you.

If you haven't read the earlier books this will work as stand alone but you will enjoy it all the more if you read the series in sequence.

Paterson and Clocks started out in book 1 hating each other but they soon developed a very healthy working relationship, healthy for them that is not sure about the people who cross them. They also have a unique way of working, they get results, quickly, but it is usually because they work by their own rules. This has caused some people at the top of Met Police hierarchy to resent them and try to find a way to bring them into line or into custody.

A gruesome murder is just the tip of the iceberg as more bodies turn up murdered by very weird and barbaric methods will this dynamic duo be able to find out what links the cases?

Very unique characters that even at book 7 keep on giving developing more with each book and the cases are also unusual and definitely not for the faint hearted.

An absolutely stunning read that I couldn't put down additional interest is brought in to the mix which adds another dimension to what is already an outstanding book

Absolutely brilliant read definitely 5

His Mother's Bones is the seventh instalment in the Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson series in which Paterson and his partner Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks are called in to investigate a series of seemingly ritualistic murders occurring on their patch. DS Paterson is currently on sick leave after being signed off by Met Police psychiatrist Eileen Markham, but when Clocks catches wind of the gruesome and bizarre case he persuades him to join him in checking it out. They find the body draped on its stomach across a large ornamental rock in Southwark Park. The head turned away from them and the arms secured by ropes attached to two metal spikes had been driven into the ground at angles. Someone had then made a hole in his back with a knife or small axe, ripped it open, severed his ribs from his spine and both lungs had been pulled out through his body and placed on either side of his back. This method of killing is known as a Blood Eagle, a Viking method of killing carried out against someone who had done the perpetrator grievous harm.

The deceased turns out to be the Met Police Commissioner Sir Scott Anderson. Then another victim is discovered in the river stuffed into a leather bag and submerged in the water. The victim was naked, his body had been ripped to shreds and inside the bag were two dogs, five snakes and a small monkey. The unconventional pairing of Paterson and Clocks must race against time to identify the killer as they have received notification that more bodies will drop imminently. This is a compulsive and absorbing addition to a brilliantly engrossing series with gory, graphic and unusual murders and twists that just keep coming. The relationship and dynamic between Clocks and Paterson is one of the best in the crime genre with them both being quite idiosyncratic and because they do things a little differently and don't always follow the rules, this often gets them into trouble with top brass. It's fast-paced, packed full of action and drama, office politics, and a narrative laced with black humour. Highly recommended.

It's my first book of Steve Parker so this series and these characters are new to me but the book can be easily read as stand alone.

The two main characters are quite entertaining and they are the best part of the story. The dialogue was a bit hard to follow at first due to John's accent and the language being used but it eventually grew on me and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The only downside was that the plot itself is too gruesome so I am not sure if I want to read other stories from this series despite these characters and the dialogues being so well written. Also, it was surprising how easy it was to capture the bad guys after the complexity and close to impossibility of the crimes that they have committed. If they were so nervous and fragile during the confrontation, how did they manage to pull such gruesome murders?! I typically read more realistic fictional stories but if this is considered to be a borderline fantasy fiction, then why not...

Overall if one doesn't mind violence, gruesome murders and the foul language, I recommend it. Just to warn, sexual harassments towards women in the police force seemed quite a common theme and wokers might have a field day. There is also a reference to sex with animals on Fridays. I suppose it was a joke but it is up to the reader to interpret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for offering this ARC in exchange of my honest review.

This is the seventh in the Detective Ray Paterson series. I love this series because it's full of action and tense. It gripped me at the edge of my seat. I was so shocked of the ending. It's unspoken thrilling and had me chilled. Definitely it's a must-read book if you are a fan of thrilled novel. It's fast paced and action-packed that kept my attention and I couldn't put it down. It's page-turned and compelling read. I Kept reading page to page and I was so fascinated in each chapter. Anyway, I love this book and it deserves ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I do love Paterson and Clocks. This is a very convoluted, exciting and shocking story. A murderer - or murderers - using Dark Ages methods of death. Cruel, inhuman, torturous deaths. Slow anf painful. What sort of person would do them. Killers usually build up their torture and pain of their victims, but these/this killer seems to have just jumped in.

Loved it - read it in one sitting.. How Steve Parker thinks these things up I don't know.

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.

An entertaining read, set in East London with cockney dialect. DS Ray Patterson and Inspector Johnny Clocks form a comedy duo and are famous for their unorthodox crime solving methods. Humour is key to the plot to offset the gruesome murders. The scene with Alice, a computer genius and the babies is particularly amusing. The action and drama never stop and had me reading into the night.
This is book 8 in the highly sucessful Patterson and Clocks series and I would recommend reading in order to get the best enjoyment from them, though book 8 can be read as a stand alone.

This is another fantastic book in what has become my favourite current crime series. This story had me biting my nails well into the early hours of the morning..It's one of those reads you just can't put down with a shock ending I didn't see coming. Paterson and Clocks may seem like a strange pairing but they work well together to the dismay of senior officers who would love to get rid of them. If tv executives are not talking to the author about dramatising this series then they really are missing a trick. I even have my perfect casting worked out. Can't wait for the next book.

A Worthy Addition….
The seventh in the Detective Ray Paterson series finds Paterson and Clocks called to the scene of a particularly gruesome and bizarre murder which is swiftly followed by a further odd and ritualistic killing. Can this unconventional duo get to the bottom of the crimes before time runs out? They don’t play by the rules, they just want the job done. Fast paced, action packed suspense with a colourful and engaging cast of characters and an entertaining narrative laced with dark humour. A worthy addition to the series.

The characters are caricatures and the plot is ridiculously over the top but I love this series!
Another gripping, grisly case for Patterson and Clocks who definitely have more lives than any cats!

Book Seven and this author hasn't lost his touch.
Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks are back two very different men that make a good superintendent and inspector together combined.
A dead bloke is found in Southwark Park with the most horrendous death Blood Eagle, ancient ritual that viking's use to do and its not pretty or for the faint hearted.
and this victim is known to them and there's more when another body is found in a leather bag after a tip off, who is their enemy? who loathed these two and is going all out to get them imprisoned and away from scotland yard? its payback time the lads are coming out to play these two always crack a murder.
this book has a wicked sense of humour that makes you laugh out loud especially from Clocks two very gruesome murders that are going to make your stomach churn but there's always full on banter from these two this is what makes this authors work so unique I loved this series and this has been so worth waiting for and will Clocks make it to the alter with his love of his life Lyndsey Kitchener? that's for me to know and for you to find out, so pick it up and read it you wont be disappointed. well worth 5 * and more from me and worthy of a best seller thank you Netgalley and Joffe publishers

This book kept me interested right to the last page. Story was great with lots of twists.
Thank you for giving me a chance to review it. I was impressed

799 kb

4 stars

There are a series of very brutal and bizarre murders occurring. Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson and DI Johnny Clocks catch the cases. They are unconventional detectives, but most of the brass agree that they are the best fit for this case.

However, at the same time, some of the big brass are out to get Paterson and Clocks. They want to pin something on them, a murder would be best.

They’re going to need some outside help for these murders. Somewhat unconventional help. Clocks is his usual irreverent, un-PC self, while Paterson is the very picture of decorum - most of the time.

This book is a great adventure with action and surprises. It is well written and plotted. The transitions are smooth. I had forgotten how much “fun” the two were. Yeah, their behavior is questionable, all right, simply awful at times, but it seems to be infused with a sense of humor. At least that’s how I chose to take it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

*** This book is not yet available to review on GoodReads or BookBub. I will review as soon as they are available.