Dead Mile definitely brings something different to the normal locked room mystery type of books. It has a really original storyline that kept me turning the pages and had plenty of interesting and intriguing characters. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for my ARC.

I love it when I find a new crime writer who I'm know is going to become a new auto-buy author- and hello to Jo Furniss! Dead Mile was absolutely fantastic, a non-stop tension-fest from start to finish. I love a locked room mystery and this was a fabulous take that I haven't seen before.

The story introduces Belinda 'Billy' Kidd, an experienced police sergeant who's about to hand in her resignation after a tricky situation has led her to seriously question her career. She's just landed back in the UK and driving home to send the resignation letter when she hits a traffic jam. The gridlock just grows and grows, with hundreds of stationary cars as far as the eye can see.

Billy finds a man dead in one of the nearby cars stabbed with a metal skewer in his neck. She quickly realises that no-one could have left the scene but that there are no witnesses to what happened.

There's a major incident elsewhere so Billy is the only police officer available to investigate and has to go straight into action to do everything; save the crime scene, collect evidence, interview everyone for any clues, and try and work out who the victim is and what might have happened. Various bystanders take an interest in what is going on- Billy has to decide if its an innocent enquiry or if they are hiding something, all the while trying to find out as much as she can.

The action is almost entirely told from Billy's perspective but there are chapters throughout that written from the viewpoints of some of the other people stuck in the jam. We quickly find out that there are a lot of secrets being kept under wraps, people who shouldn't necessarily be in that part of the country or who are freaking out about getting caught in the interminable traffic. I loved these chapters, so clever to have a rolling set of suspects and motives.

The story is nailbitingly tense, with a literal count down hour by h0ur reminding us how long they've all been stuck on the motorway. You're thrown into the action from the start and it doesn't let up. Billy is a brilliant character, she's very real and menopausal (getting hot and sweaty in the muggy heat). I really hope that this is the start of a new crime series- don't retire yet Billy!

Fast Faster and Fastest ( ironic as that is re the subject of the book )

The only way I can describe this uniquely original story about a murder in a traffic jam

BUT it’s so much more than that, there is an ongoing terror plot that has caused the jam and the people now in the section where Sargent ‘Billy’ Kidd finds herself all are not as they first appear

Its luxurious reading, the plot crafty, the dialogue between characters and also internally with themselves a joy, the tense claustrophobic atmosphere as real as anything read and its, well it’s outstanding

No need to go on more about it other than to-say one of my fav reads this year without a seconds hesitation

A locked room mystery with a difference! When read the synopsis for Dead Mile I was intrigued, murder on the motorway.. tell me more! It was an original idea and for the most part I enjoyed it, although I did feel that it lagged in the middle a bit. There were a lot of characters to keep straight as well. The conclusion was surprising and well done.

Sergeant Belinda ‘Billy” Kidd is on her way home from the airport, jet lagged and ready to resign from her job. Suddenly all the traffic stops and they are going nowhere soon. The heat has people getting out of their cars and they soon discover a man is dead in his car, a metal spike in his neck? How did somebody kill him and who? All the drivers are suspects, and they seem to all have something to hide,

Thanks to Bonnier Books UK for the advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on July 4th. 3.5⭐️

Now this was a gripping and unique story really unlike anything I’ve read before! It’s a very clever twist on the locked room mysteries with the setting being a traffic jam caused by a car bomb in a tunnel. I didn’t think that this setting could maintain the tension of a traditional narrative but it certainly did!

Belinda “Billy”!Kidd is a very relatable character and from the moment the reader encounters her driving home from the airport, she becomes a very familiar figure so menopausal women everywhere will definitely recognise her! And although she may have lost her confidence and is feeling hit and bothered after her recent flight, when her car and others come to a dramatic stop she goes straight into police mode-especially when one of the cars contains a dead body! And this is when Dead Mile really ups the pace which is very clever considering nobody is going anywhere! “Billy” meets some very interesting and strange characters in the cars surrounding hers, all of whom seem to have secrets of their own but are any of them capable of murder? Stuck in a traffic jam with a murderer might not be the best circumstance to find yourself in but Billy knows she needs to solve the crime before the cars start moving again and she loses her suspects…

I absolutely loved Dead Mile. The premise was so clever but it was also perfectly executed. The characters have to be engaging when the setting stays the same throughout and Jo Furniss delivers a cast of intriguing characters to keep us on our toes and remain invested in their backstories. A proper page turner!

Sergeant Belinda ‘Billy’ Kidd is driving home when she gets stuck in a grid lock and it seems the motor way won’t be open again for a long while. Soon after she finds a dead driver who appears to have been killed. How could he have been murdered with hundreds of witnesses in a traffic jam?

I was intrigued to read this one as it adds something a touch different to the usual locked room mystery. The idea is very fresh and compelling. I found the overall novel entertaining and the story took plenty of turns. I did find the story slows a lot as you carry on reading and I found myself not as invested as I would have liked to have been. There are a lot of characters and at times I was getting them a bit muddled, however I did like the character of Billy and would enjoy reading more of her in a series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dead Mile’ written by Jo Furniss in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DS Belinda (Billy) Kidd is driving home tired and weary from a long-haul flight when a car bomb is detonated in the tunnel ahead stopping all traffic. As her car comes to a standstill, Billy stops alongside a black sedan and on closer inspection realises the driver is dead, apparently killed by a skewer through his neck. Although off-duty, Billy takes control of the area as she needs to catch the killer before traffic is free to move again.

‘Dead Mile’ is a cleverly-written thriller that generally takes place on a motorway in the searing heat while the vehicles are stationary. Although I got really involved in the first half of the story which I found tense and enthralling, it slowed down and my enthusiasm dwindled as I waited for something to happen. I liked the characters of Billy and Dom and would love to read another novel with them and see how their characters develop. This has been an entertaining read which I’ve mainly enjoyed and as this is the first book I’ve read by this author I’m going to look for more by her.

Dead Mile is an exceptionally well-written and captivating book that has earned a rare five-star rating from me.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, which keeps it fresh and exciting, and despite being set in one location, it maintains its engagement throughout.
The author's skill in storytelling is evident, and I highly recommend this book.
I really hope it will be adapted into a film as I believe it has amazing potential.
This is my first book by this author, but she has instantly become one of my favorite authors, and I will eagerly purchase her future works.
I definitely intend to add a hardcopy copy of Dead Mile to my collection of favorite books.

Omg!! Absolutely brilliant. Brilliant brilliant brilliant! This is absolutely everything that all other thrillers aim to achieve. Ots a locked room mystery but taken to a whole different level. So much suspense, tension, twists and turns. We'll written characters that are brought to life in vivd colour and yeah, all I can say is before you start this book male sure you've no upcoming plans because they'll all be getting cancelled until you finish this. Brilliant!!

Dead Mile is a brilliant murder mystery with the murder taking place within standstill traffic on a busy motorway that seems impossible to solve. There’s a cast of characters – with Sargeant Billy uncomfortably at the helm - that author, Jo Furniss deftly manages so we readers are kept on our toes. The action unfolds, and continues to unfold, with no clear path on whodunnit until the end. It’s a clever story with dry wit, lively dialogue, a strong motivation and plenty of twists and turns that will make you want to finish the book in one sitting.

You know when you hear the words "locked room mystery" and you roll your eyes and go yeah is it though? Half the time it's anything but and immediately it's obvious that the locked room is totally accessible with just a touch of critical thinking.

Dead Mile however takes the concept and turns it into a gridlocked mystery...creating a scenario much closer to the real deal. And it's fun too. I'm certain I won't sit in a traffic jam again without worrying about murderous intent.

What makes this book so wildly entertaining though is the absolutely brilliant group dynamic of characters- not only the main protagonist who finds herself having to solve a crime with no back up whilst desperate for the loo, but all the other vivid and incredibly engaging characters caught up in the turmoil.

The story is twisty with plenty of suspects and plenty of possibilities leaving you frantically reading to find out the who, why and how.

It's just clever and different. One of those genuinely classic page turners

Recommended.

Sergeant Belinda ‘Billy’ Kidd is on her way home from a sabbatical in Australia, having lost quite a bit of her confidence both due to a police incident and the menopause. However, not long after she lands, she finds herself on a gridlocked motorway with a dead body in a nearby car. Not only is the person dead, they have clearly been murdered shortly after the cars came to a standstill. With no way off the motorway Billy knows the murderer must be close but who is it and why?! Everyone and no one seems suspect at the same time. Who is it? Can Billy find her confidence and crack this?

This thriller is a great locked room style mystery and keeps you hooked all the way through as Billy tries to piece the puzzles together. I really enjoyed the unusual setup of the book being set on a motorway. The characters are well developed and the story contained some good twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thriller, a mystery to be solved.

My first book by the author but won’t be the last!

What an original and gripping thriller!
When off duty police officer Belinda ‘Billy’ Kidd drives home from the airport after a period of extended leave from work she is thinking of leaving the police force after 30 years of service due to anxiety and a traumatic incident at work. However on her way home, a car bomb in a tunnel brings the motorway to a standstill and when a dead body is discovered in a car Billy is back on duty.
Dead Mile is such an original take on the locked room mystery novel. It’s an intense and compelling read with excellent characterisation and a plot that throws in plenty of red herrings and twists. I raced through it desperate to know how anyone could have got away with murder in this scenario and found the ending very satisfying. I loved the character of Billy and really hope she returns in a sequel.
Recommended. 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I enjoyed this interesting crime thriller set on a motorway. Though a bit slow at times, I liked the main character who was well rounded and believable. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Jo Furness’ Sergeant Belinda ‘Billy’ Kidd has just arrived back to the UK from a six month trip to Australia and she’s driving from the airport back home - already stressing about the drive due to reasons we find out about later in the book.
Suddenly the traffic stops, and Billy finds out that there’s been a car bomb in the tunnel ahead. When everyone gets out of their cars as there’s no sign of movement - Billy finds a dead man in one of the cars near hers.
Although Billy had been due to retire, she switches into work mode and starts interviewing suspects, checking the crime scene (the car). But there’s more bombs going off on the half hour around London, making London come to a standstill, and unlikely to have any police or recovery coming anytime soon to their location - which means that Billy could be talking to the suspect. But who are they?
Almost all the other drivers around the victim’s car seem to have a secret - and it takes Billy quite a while to try and work them out. Could it be ex-con Pat, the mother and daughter in the minivan, the Pub Landlord Nigel in his RangeRover, the young couple who say that they don’t know each other, the highly strung mother in the Audi SUV or any of the others? And then there’s the suspicious van on the other side of the road…
Stress, heat, lack of food and resources begins to affect all the drivers in the traffic jam.
Can Billy solve the murder? She uses her friend and colleague Superintendent Dominic Day to get more information but the bombs around London have stretched the police forces to the limit.

A good read, especially if you’ve ever been stuck in a traffic jam that hasn’t moved for several hours - what could happen?
Thanks to #Netgallet for the ARC

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the main character and some of the other characters, and I thought the plot was great, very original. However it did ramble a bit, and I lost my enthusiasm .I am an impatient reader and I didn't enjoy it when the pace slowed, Overall not a bad book.

What a brilliant story, with a clever plot that’s certainly different from anything else I’ve read before.
The events take place on the motorway in the middle of a gridlocked situation. ‘Billy’ DS Belinda Kidd is heading home from the airport and is on the verge of resignation. She finds herself the only police officer on the scene when a murder takes place. As she begins to investigate she realises she is racing against time before the gridlock clears and everyone leaves the scene. Can she solve the mystery in time?
A fabulous read, which I definitely will be recommending to all my friends and family.

A clever and entertaining murder mystery.
I did think it was a bit drawn out at times, but I did enjoy it.
It was a good setting for a book, different definitely.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

I enjoyed this book ,set in a traffic jam of all places !It was an engrossing read ,nice to have a bit of an alternative setting .

Wow this was a different type of book but really good - absolutely brilliant read

This must be the first ever gridlocked murder mystery - literally! It is a very clever and entertaining thriller. The events take place in a motorway jam following a terrorist attack incident.

There's quite a lot of interesting characters and Sergeant Billy Kidd solves the case on her own with phone assistance from her colleagues in the Police Force. She should be made a DI after solving this mystery

Thank you to Netgalley