I'm really on the fence with how I feel about this one. On one hand, I thought the story was well executed, and I enjoyed seeing how all of the different threads were tied together in the end. I also enjoyed seeing Tom and Ruth back in action as I always enjoy their dynamic together. Having Tom's ex Amy thrown back into the mix was an unexpected surprise, as was the sub-plot involving him and his current paramour Kitty.

However, I felt something was definitely off with Tom in this installment. Instead of his usual cynical self, constantly questioning everyone and everything, he readily accepted things at face value (especially things said to him whilst interviewing potential suspects). I'm not sure why the author choose to suddenly have him act this way, whether she is planning to wrap up the Calladine & Bayliss series to focus on her series involving Alice, or perhaps Tom is going to retire and become something of a consultant while Ruth steps up to fill his shoes? Whatever the reason, it didn't seem like I was reading Tom Calladine at all, so that was very disappointing.

Of course, if there are more novels put out in this series, I will read them (although, at this point, Amazon is showing this as being book 12 of 12), and I do recommend it to those who enjoy well-written police procedural novels. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

When DI Tom Calladine returned to work after collapsing a few months ago with health issues he is supposed to ease back in to work but life in Leesden has other ideas. A teenager's body is found after laying under rubbish for three weeks. Then the crime rate increases and more bodies. Tom Calladine thought his life had settled down but instead both his private and professional life is turned into turmoil is it time to retire?
This book is a good read continuing the series of Calladine & Bayliss but is it time for Tom Calladine to retire. Helen H Durrant leaves you waiting for the next book in the series to answer some of these issues.

Another brilliant book in The Calladine and Bayliss series. Great story line and characters as ever - I’m surprised there is anyone left alive on the Hobfield - there have been that many murders over the course of the books! Highly recommended.

This is a very complicated plot with some very ugly murders. On the Hobfield, one resident is complaining about a smell, and then a cat returns home with a human foot in its mouth. Searching the area, the police find the decomposed body of young Noah Crosby, who had been doing errands for both Ricky Spooner and Luke Barton. The strange thing is why this poor boy has a very expensive wrist watch and very expensive trainers on his feet. Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss have the case. Everyone is scared, and no one wants to tell the police what happened. Tom has recently returned from medical leave, and is anxious to solve this case.

Later, Knowles, who had boxes of the fancy trainers and expensive designer bags in his storage shed, is found in an empty apartment viciously beaten and shot in the back of the head. And Luke Barton seems to be killed in a similar fashion. Two of the killings include an X carved into their skin. This was the sign of a killer many years before, and something which wasn't publicly noted. Tom, Ruth, and the team work very hard. DI Dawlish arrives from the midlands where he has seen loads of watches, trainers, and handbags stolen and is trying to track them. Tom's new girlfriend, PI Kitty, has her window shot out. She has been asked to find out about stolen trainers, but doesn't want to tell Tom. There are a few surprises at the end, but everything seems to be solved.

This is book twelve 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 further in this story. 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. 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. DCI Stephen Greco from Oldston has settled very well into his new posting, DS Ruth Bayliss is now back with Jake, and DC Alice Bolshaw and DC Simon "Rocco" Rockliffe are getting even closer. Fortunately it was only a health scare that took Tom Calladine off work for two months, and he is back, fitter and healthier and in a relationship with PI Kitty but will it survive the return of Head of Forensics Julian Batho’s Aunt Amy from Cornwall. It’s straight back to the bane of Tom’s life, the Hobfield Estate, where a woman’s cat has found a human foot. The rest of the decomposing body is soon located in a nearby alley and identified as sixteen-year-old Noah Crosby, a local lad who has been robbing shopkeepers and who the reader knows was attacked and had his throat cut three weeks ago. The detectives hear a rumour that Noah once worked for Ricky Spooner and then swapped sides to his rival Luke Barton, leaders of two factions apparently vying for control of the estate. It’s not long before Luke is also attacked with a knife, but people are scared and no one is talking. Could either gang be responsible for Noah’s death or does the connection found at the post mortem to the twenty-three-year-old unsolved case of The Shadow killer mean someone far more sinister is back at work? Meanwhile someone takes aim at Kitty’s shop with a rifle and there is the additional worry of a possible protection racket at work in the area. Still nobody is talking, clearly with good reason as the addition of another corpse shows these cases may all be connected. As the investigation progresses, the detectives realise it’s much bigger than they thought and the people involved are quite ruthless. Will Tom and his team ever make sense of the baffling evidence?
Once again this author weaves a magnificent tale which starts out looking like a straightforward crime only to morph into a complex case involving several lines of enquiry. There is absolutely loads going on in this story jam-packed with crimes and faces old and new. The pace is kept up superbly throughout in a first-rate police procedural with a cast of very likeable characters and a clever plot to keep the reader guessing right to the end. Highly recommended. 5*

Pussy cat brings home a human foot rather than the more usual mouse or bunny rabbit leading to Calladine and Bayliss returning for their 12th case. The young murdered lad from the infamous Hobfield Estate was wearing a top of the range watch, sports shoe and sales of these suggest nefarious goings on. His murder ties with a cold case. The two detectives have a hard time tying everything together not helped by the "saw nuffin, say nuffin, know nuffin" attitude of the locals. As usual, Calladine has problems with his love life, he really should have learnt by now in his early fifties, but it doesn't detract too much most of the time. Ruth remains his good friend and detecting partner, bringing pragmatic but often humorous responses to any situation. An enjoyable read, topical topics but somehow not quite as sharp as some previous stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffee books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dead Real has all the ingredients of an excellent murder\thriller. The characters were well crafted and Helen Durrant certainly knows the local areas very well. I would thoroughly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next Helen Durrant book.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffre Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

While I did enjoy this book, I felt like it wasn't quite on the same level as her previous books.
Still plenty of mystery and suspense to keep me reading the series though

So, here we are... book 12 in another of my favourite series. Usual series rules apply, you know what they are by now so I don't need to spell them out again...
Things are hotting up on the Hobfield estate when a cat shocks its owner by bringing home a present. Not a bird, nor a mouse, no, not this time, this time it's a human foot!
A foot that is the catalyst for a whole host of pain for both the Police and the residents when the owner of said foot is found, complete with a brand new watch and brand new trainers, both high end, both not yet released... The owner also being a scrote rather than being able to afford such riches.
Enter our crime-busting duo to investigate - Calladine and Bayliss - who most definitely have their work cut out for them with the shenanigans herein. But they have a crack team behind them so it should just be a walk in the park for them... Until it all goes darker as the whole truth start to come out...!
I do love this series. Every time I start a new book I reconnect with old friends, eager to catch up with what they have been doing since we last met. Catch up with Tom's love life - lol! Characters are well described and are developing nicely as the series progresses. As do the newbies herein.
The story is well plotted and that plot ably executed. Pacing follows the narrative well and there is no superfluous waffle or padding to interfere with things. It all ramps up nicely as more is exposed until we get to the crux of the matter and the fallout thereafter. All leaving me wholly satisfied. Well, apart from wanting the next book sooner rather than later.
My thanks go to Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

EXCERPT: Tuesday - Over the years the alleyway that ran between two of the tower blocks had become a dumping ground for rubbish. It was littered with old mattresses, fridges, anything the tenants didn't want and couldn't afford to have disposed of properly.

Lisa Woodley, single mum of two and new to the area, lived in a ground floor flat in Heron House, one of the pair of towers. A week ago she'd complained about the smell. The council promised to send a team around to shift everything within a couple of days. All very well, but the days were passing by, the weather was warm and the smell got no better.

The Hobfield Estate was not an easy place to live in. After dark the kids were noisy. They let off fireworks late into the night and screamed obscenities at everyone who walked past. They kept the children awake and made Lisa flinch. The smell was the final straw. She'd had enough.

Lisa planned to visit the council offices in Leesdon that afternoon, give them a piece of her mind. She was all fired up and ready to take them on when Bobbin', her cat, came home with a human foot in his mouth. The animal dropped it on the kitchen floor, looked up at Lisa and went to his basket where he began to lick his paws.

ABOUT 'DEAD REAL': One of the Hobfield estate’s newest tenants is horrified when her cat returns home with a human foot in its mouth.

The foot belongs to 16-year-old Noah Crosby, whose decomposing remains are found in a rubbish-strewn alleyway. He was wearing an expensive gold watch, high-end trainers and had a top-of-the-range mobile phone on him when he died. The motive clearly isn’t robbery.

But how could a young lad from the wrong side of the tracks afford such expensive gear?

The post-mortem reveals that the letter X has been carved into Noah’s skin. The signature of a killer known as the Shadow, who plagued the estate more than twenty years before. A killer who was never caught.

Could the Shadow be back at large?

Detective Tom Calladine and his partner DS Ruth Bayliss are finding it difficult to make headway. People are scared. No one will talk.

At the same time, Tom’s new girlfriend’s shop is targeted — and it’s clear she’s not telling him the whole truth about the attack. Just what is Kitty hiding? And when an old flame returns to Leesdon, Tom senses trouble ahead . . .

MY THOUGHTS: I never thought the day would come when I abandoned a Helen H. Durrant book. I have loved this series with it averaging 4⭐ in my ratings. I was looking forward to more adventures with Calladine and Bayliss. So what went wrong?

Bad decisions on the part of the police investigating the crimes. There are various threads to this story including current murders, historic murders and an abundance of top end trainers,handbags and watches that have obviously been stolen from somewhere, but don't seem to have been reported stolen. There was a clear course of action they should have taken and they just didn't.

At 46% I remarked, 'in this particular book Calladine is being an absolute walkover!' What I was thinking was another word altogether.

At 53% I felt like throwing my Kindle across the room, but instead said 'enough' and closed the cover.

I am aware that I am very much on my own with my thoughts on Dead Real, #12 in the Calladine and Bayliss series, so please do check out the many more favourable reviews.

Will I read more in this series. Right now, I don't think so. But by the time the next book is ready for publication I will probably be remembering only the fun I previously had with these books.

⭐

#DEADREAL #Netgalley

I: @hhdurrant_author @joffebooks

T: @JoffeBooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #mystery #policeprocedural

THE AUTHOR: Helen H. Durrant is a British author who sets her novels in the area she has lived for many years, the towns and villages that sit in the shelter of the Pennine hills. The area offers an interesting mix of the industrial and the countryside and makes for a great setting for a crime novel.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Joffe Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Dead Real 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

Number 12 in the Calladine and Bayliss series and this book constitutes a return to form for the author. A gnarly case for our two detectives, full of intrigue and mystery. I read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to review this book.

Calladine & Bayliss #12

One of the Hobfield estate's newest tenants is horrified when her cat returns home with a human foot in its mouth. The foot belongs to sixteen year old Noah Crosby, whose decomposing remains are found in a rubbish-strewn alleyway. He was wearing an expensive gold watch, high-end trainers and a top=of-the-range mobile phone on him when he died. The motive clearly isn't robbery. But how could a young lad from the wrong side of the tracks afford such expensive gear.

This is a cleverly crafted story that's well written with a fast pace. Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss are investigating the death of sixteen year old Noah Cosby. Noah has an X carved on his body which was reminiscent of the crimes The Shadow had made a few years ago. The story has lots of twists and the plotline is gripping. As always, this book is well written, I was pulled in straight away, and I was guessing throughout. I never saw the last twist coming.

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

What a page tuner, I was glued to the story. The so called petty crime that young ones on estate are involved in leads to the murder of one of the lads. This story in stands out.to me as it is reality. A shiny pair of runners on his feet and Noah does his bit of dealing but meets the wrong guy, that is what I believed and he is murdered. He is dumped and.found after few weeks. Is he a victim of 2 rivals as he did his bit for both or is it a seperate case? Detective Calladines first case after sick.leave and he is back with a bang. Calladine loves his job but this have an impact on his personal.life. And then we have the accident that happened that killed.young Archie. How did this happen part of the theft and dealing of designer gear which Noah was involved in????
Pick up.this book if you want to get more. You will not regret it.

258 pages

4 stars

DI Tom Calladine and his partner DS Ruth Bayliss have a very confusing case on their hands in this installment in the series.

A young, mouthy lad named Noah is killed on the Hobfield Estate. The Hobfield is a housing estate that is rife with crime. Word on the street is that Noah was working for one of the drug dealers who run the place. There is an ongoing underground war between the two men, or so the gossip goes. When found, Noah was wearing an expensive watch and trainers. Where did such a young kid get those?

Investigating this case is a real nightmare. No one wants to talk for fear of reprisals. The search for the killer or killers hardly moves. Everyone is too afraid to talk.

Another consideration for Calladine is that his girlfriend Kitty is being targeted for some reason, but she is not taking either.

This book is not Ms. Durrant’s best. It moves too slowly. I thought all the surmising and side trips were a little tedious. The writing and plotting, as usuals with Ms. Durrant’s novels are very good. I like Ruth, she speaks her mind. Tom is okay, I dod dislike his string of girlfriends. He needs to work on that.

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

Dead Real by Helen H. Durrant is the WoW 12th book in the brilliant D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine series and this has been an excellent series especially as I have not read all these books within this series and in order, but i never found it hard to find my way around these book, Helen is an excellent author and has a way of drawing in new and old fans into the story I've always found her books interesting and always gripped at the beginning till the end. All the characters are brilliant and i love the 2 main characters D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine.

I highly recommend this series and looking forward to the next instalment..

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Joffe Books and the author for my ARC. I loved it x

This is the twelfth book in the Calladyne and Bayliss series by author Helen H Durrant. I have read all of this authors work and generally enjoyed most of the books but the last two books I read lacked the excitement of the previous novels. This one however was back up there with the best of Helen H Durrants books. Fast paced, intriguing plot and colourful characters.

The excitement starts when a cat returns home with the remains of aa human foot in its mouth. The rest of the decomposing body of sixteen year-old Noah Crosby were found in an alleyway among discarded rubbish. On his wrist Noah was wearing an expensive gold watch and on his feet he had designer trainers. His expensive mobile phone was still on him when he died so this certainly didn’t look like a robbery that went wrong. Perhaps the most obvious question was how did a young person like Noah who was not well off afford such expensive items.

The post-mortem revealed that the letter X has been carved into Noah’s skin. The signature of a killer known as the Shadow, who plagued the estate more than twenty years before. A killer who was never caught. Is this the same killer back on the scene or is there a copy cat.

Detective Tom Calladine and his partner DS Ruth Bayliss are leading the investigations but a case like this is never easy. No one is willing to offer help in fear of reprisals.

This is another fast paced police procedural that made an excellent read.

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

I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dead Real’, book 12 in the Calladine & Bayliss Mystery series written by Helen H Durrant, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss are called out to investigate when the body of sixteen-year-old Noah Crosby is found dumped in an alleyway. They thought it could be robbery but an expensive watch, trainers and phone are still on the body. Meanwhile, Calladine’s girlfriend Kitty has the glass window to her office shattered by a man with a rifle and although she doesn’t want it investigated he has no choice.

‘Dead Real’ is the latest episode of life in the Hobfield Estate where crime is a regular occurrence and people know what’s happening but won’t talk. This is an enjoyable and well-written thriller with mystery, suspense, dodgy characters and twists and turns, where Tom Calladine, Ruth Bayliss and their hardworking team are struggling to find the evidence that solves the crimes. It’s good to read more of Calladine’s private life where he’s seeing Kitty but ex-girlfriend Amy returns on the scene. There are several threads running through the story that throw up clues the further the book progresses until it all clicks into place and they can arrest those responsible but will there be another book in the series? I hope so.

Helen Durrant with another outstanding book.
As always superb characters and engaging story's.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy.

Excellent as always from Helen H Durrant. It matters little as to whom her main characters are, as she always delivers a highly enjoyable read.. without a doubt she is up there with the best.
If you are not familiar with her work seek it out.
Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Dead Real, the twelfth novel to feature DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss, set in the fictional northern town of Leesworth.

16 year old Noah Crosby was murdered on the Hobfield estate. When his body is discovered weeks later he is wearing high end trainers and an expensive watch with a top of the range smartphone in his pocket. How could he afford them? When an X is found carved on his skin Calladine fears the return of a serial killer from 20 odd years ago, a man they never caught.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Real, which is a non stop police procedural with twists galore and so many crimes to sort through. It is told from the investigative point of view, mostly Calladine, so what he knows the reader knows until the end when he refuses to reveal his thinking and, more importantly, suspect until he makes the arrest. This last bit is rather pointless as it is all fairly obvious by then. I guessed some of it in advance, but not all and was thus surprised by some of the last minute twists.

The plot never seems to stop with developments at every turn, although making sense of where they fit in the big picture is another thing entirely. It’s busy and convoluted in how it plays out and I don’t think Calladine, after a couple of months on the sick, is really thinking straight. He gets bogged down in rumour and can’t see the wood for the trees. That’s a bit vague but I don’t want to issue spoilers and any discussion of the actual content would do so. Still, it holds the attention and is highly entertaining.

Needless to say Calladine’s love life is not going smoothly- when did it ever? One of his old flames is back in town and making him question his current relationship. The man needs to find some emotional maturity.

Dead Real is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.