I read and enjoyed the Craig Gillard series and knew Nick Louth was a good author. I had high hopes of this new series but it didn’t quite reach the success of the previous books. It was a clever idea but for me was a bit of a muddle and reminded me of an Agatha Christie type plot. It was just all very unlikely.

This is my introduction to the author’s work. I fully expected a murder mystery, but this is very much a police procedural, chock full of the plodding minutiae of police work. It is also the launch of a series centered on DI Jan Talantire of the Devon and Cornwall Police.

The story is narrated in third person, past tense, and mostly from her point of view, with some passages from a handful of secondary characters, as dictated by the plot’s needs, and nothing else.

While the cover is suitably atmospheric, it was the title that caught my attention; reading the blurb sealed the deal, so I requested an ARC.

Beware: period slur for intellectual disability; phonetic accent for an Asian character; racism; Islamophobia; copaganda; graphic description of an autopsy; misgendering of a trans person; child sexual abuse; parental emotional abuse; rape.

I’m going to start with the positive: it’s a great premise, and the actual solution is ingenious enough. There is a very good sense of setting, geographically and culturally; and the procedural aspect is solid, with some very interesting aspects to the case, including the murder weapon.

“The curse of Devon and Cornwall Police: a huge rural policing area, not a single motorway west of Exeter, and never enough officers.” (Chapter 1)

There is a bit of copaganda, with several of the cops going above and beyond, because “truth and justice” and so on, though it’s leavened with a good dose of realism, from cops stopping work half an hour earlier than scheduled, to political pressure in the name of expediency. There is no sugarcoating the sexism, the “good old boys” cronyism, or the racism so prevalent in policing in the U.K.

“This was the rotting heart of an otherwise pretty and apparently prosperous seaside town. But the gap between well-heeled holiday home owners and the struggling locals was obvious.” (Chapter 3)

Everything else, however, is messy; from the abundance of police procedure details that could–and should–have been cut, to the multiple storylines unconnected to the investigation that are introduced and then abandoned at random, the book could have used a ruthless editor.

We learn how evidence of old cases is lost–lack of space, lack of funding, truncated digitization programs and so on. We find out that retired cops take “souvenirs” in the form of evidence and/or files of famous cases they’ve been attached to. We follow every step into every investigative dead end, and witness every exchange with the red tape brigade.

Ironically, the main character has it exactly right:

“The grinding hours spent on paperwork, in case conferences with tedious and nitpicking Crown Prosecution Service lawyers, the hideous bureaucracy of filling out warrant applications. TV drama never showed much of this. And for good reason. It would make for very boring viewing.” (Jan Talantire’s point of view, chapter 13)

Not only does the narrative go far into the weeds of investigative procedure, it often seems to accelerate, then stop abruptly, without rhyme or reason. And while this is quite likely the case with real investigations, fiction has to maintain momentum to hold the reader’s attention.

When you have the narrative note that “it was 2:23pm” as a character is getting in their car to go somewhere, then nothing much happens, and we move on to the next day, it’s disorienting, like an aborted countdown. And when similar false starts are sprinkled through the latter half of the story, it becomes irksome in a hurry, and it robs the climactic pursuit and arrest of the impact it could have had.

Another issue is that the book couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a purely procedural novel or one about the main character.

There are a few attempts to make Talantire’s personal life part of the narrative, such as mentioning that she’s a member of a running club, her reflections on her loneliness, the dating app thing, or casually mentioning her “best friend” once, near the mid-point of the story, never to be mentioned again. The problem is that these passages aren’t integrated into the narrative of the murder investigation, instead dropped like lead weights into a stream, and they just haven’t enough heft to be their own plotline.

It is the same for some of the supporting cast of characters; we learn far too much about Maddie’s domestic situation; about the night shift’s detective custody agreements; about the new cyber security officer’s family life–and none of it has anything to do with the investigation or is resolved in any way. It’s just there, doing nothing for the narrative, and nothing really for the characters, because a collection of circumstances doesn’t equal personality or character arc.

Talantire’s characterization is very uneven. In the first scene, she seems to be wary and suspicious of the man she’s meeting; so much so that I thought it was a sting, and he a suspect. Turns out it’s a date arranged via a dating app, where the 39 years old police detective with over a decade of experience lets a man she’s just met, whose last name she doesn’t even know and who doesn’t know she’s a cop, go to the bar to order her drink while she’s sitting at their table.

Even without learning later that Talantire had been sexually and emotionally abused as a child and again as a teenager–which is brought up out of the blue, then dropped entirely, never to be mentioned again–it is implausible that an adult woman in 2023, let alone a cop, would give a strange man such a perfect opportunity to tamper with her drink. Be it a rural pub or a large urban center, rape drugs are a known danger, and have been for a good fifty years–which the narrative itself brings up later in the book.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there were repeated instances where “her jaw dropped”, “Talantire screamed”, “her head was spinning” and so on, to the point I muttered “Get a hold of yourself” more than once while reading. it’s hard to imagine someone her age and at that point in their career, who has risen to a position of seniority, with so little self-control. At the very least, one would think developing a good poker face would be a requirement for police interviews; and keeping a cool head an essential quality for detective work.

Beyond all of the above, there are two more things that yanked me out of the story.

First, Talantire and several of her colleagues misgender a character, repeatedly when talking about the period before her transition. The characters could have said, “she’s a trans woman” and be done with it, rather than repeating several times that “he was born a man/a male”. This was all the more jarring because there’s an effort to be sensitive, with a character emphasizing that it’s “gender affirming” surgery and not “gender reassingment”.

Second, it’s strains credulity that the detective in charge in such a sensational case would keep the brother of one of the people of interest in the case as a member of the investigative team. Short-staffed or not, the conflict of interest is huge, the likelihood of a leak pretty damned certain, and if nothing else, really bad optics if and when the case goes to trial. All in all, not a smart move from Talantire’s part.

In sum, it’s not bad writing per se; it’s writing that could have been much improved through editing. (Special mention to the phrase “he extruded a smile” where “he forced a smile” would have worked).

Someone recently said how some long books don’t feel that long; this is a not-so-long book that feels longer than the count page.

The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle gets a 6.75 out of 10

I’m hoping this is the start of a new series for Neil. Really enjoyed the twists and turns and had no idea who Dunnit throughout.

Great character driven mystery. Who is Ruth Lyle and how has she been killed once as a young girl and then again as an older woman in the same manner and the same place?

I really enjoyed this puzzling police procedural, especially the main police character and her uncompromising search for the truth. This has a very clever central idea of a murder victim from fifty years ago being re murdered in the same place and by the same method. I have read this author’s other series and have always enjoyed the way he writes. I’m hoping this is the start of a new series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the start of a new detective series (hopefully a book #2 is in the works!) by Nick Louth. Its a great start!

Detective Jan Talantire and her squad are called to a murder scene where a woman named Ruth Lyle is found dead and impaled on a crucifix in a cottage. However, Ruth Lyle died 50 years ago at the same address and in the same manner.

This is a solid police procedural, murder story with likeable characters. The plot is very different but its a great murder mystery with twists and suspense. Its an engagingly fast paced read with a satisfying ending. All of the boxes were ticked for me!!

Highly recommend!

This is the start of a new series by author Nick Lout, set in Ilfracombe in Devon. It features Detective Jan Talantire and her team who try to solve two bafflingly similar murders that happened 50 years apart and show the same MO, the same crime scene and both victims share their name Ruth Lyle. Though the plot is very clever and potentially thrilling, the story basically amounts to overly detailed descriptions of a surfeit of various internet searches, phone calls and endless driving to and from multiple suspects‘ homes in a lot of different cars on different routes until the solution is finally unveiled. All the characters are rather bland and quite unlikeable and all of them are alternatingly and randomly referred to by either their frst names or surnames each, so that one has to remember who Jan, David, Primrose, Maddy, Richard, Neville and Nuttall, Lockhart, Chen, Moran and all the others are, which hems the flow of reading unnecessarily.

I loved all of Nick’s Craig Gillard series, and this, the first of his new series was an excellent start


Really enjoyed it, a real page turner

Nick Louth kick starts his new crime series featuring his new North Devon protagonist, DI Jan Talantire with a breathtaking, bizarre, and strangest police thriller. I read the book and listened to this on audio, approximately just over 10 hours and 10 minutes long, and beautifully and compulsively narrated by Mandy Weston, who conveyed the drama and wide case of distinct characters with style. A lonely Jan is on that rarest of events in her life, given the paucity of suitable local men, a date, when she gets the phone call alerting her to a brutal murder in Ilfracombe of an elderly woman in her home. Little does she know she and her terrific close knit police team are embarking on the most twisted case she could ever imagine, as at the crime scene she creatively uses a kitchen meat thermometer to help in determining the time of death.

The victim is killed with the same MO, at the same place, a church, with the same weapon, same DNA forensics, of a 50 year old murder, of 16 year old Ruth Lyle, and weirdly, the name of the latest victim is impossibly Ruth Lyle too! There is much banter and humour in Jan's team, desperately required given the challenges and obstacles they are to face from the police hierarchy and the slippery nature of the perpetrators of the crime. This includes DS Maddy Moran, married to the hopeless artist, Neville, with 3 children, recent Met arrival, digital detective, Primrose Chen, DC Dave Nuttall, and it would be remiss of me to leave out the standout night DI Richard Lockhart, aka The Prince of Darkness, and Dr Crippen, the coffee dispenser. The old original case notes and physical evidence are missing, and the special needs teen who had been convicted of the crime has just been released under a new name.

Jan and the team must re-investigate the old case to find answers to their latest murder inquiry. Louth's headspinning plotting is thrillingly eye opening and will keep readers on their toes as they try to figure out precisely what is going on this gripping, insane mystery of the 2 Ruth Lyall murders, separated by 50 years. There are riveting twists and turns galore before the satisfying final reveals, although sure, you will have to suspend your sense of disbelief, but it is so worth it. Cannot recommend this enough to fans of the crime and mystery genre, in either format, both the book and audio are wonderful. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC and to WF Howes Ltd for the ALC.

This is my first book read by Nick Louth and it won't be my last. DI Jan Talantire works in North Devon as part of a small team. The story begins with the discovery of a body of Ruth Lyle in a rented AirBnb cottage in Ilfracombe. I found the characters to be well written and the locations used were very vivid in my mind. The plot is full of twists and turns with a few red herrings. Jan must find out what links this death with a death on the same day 50 years ago, where the 16 year old victim was also called Ruth Lyle. All in all, the team face a number of challenges to seek the truth behind both deaths. I will be honest in I never knew who was the main people involved and how it all happened. I will be recommending this book.

As a massive fan of Inspector Gillard’s series, I was excited about this new one. However, it was a bit of a let down if I’m honest.

It was set in North Devon, and the police weren’t the best! Jan and Kate were ok, but the rest left a lot to be desired. The only other with a bit of gumption was the analyst, and she was spot on. I’m sorry to say, but it was typical of this area, I know because I live here!

Maybe the characters will improve and grow on me, but I think Nick should resurrect Gillard myself.

My thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle. This perplexing crime thriller by the author of the brilliant DCI Craig Gillard series introduces a new main character, industrious North Devon detective Jan Talantire. I beta read this by private arrangement with the author in September 2023, then reread the final ARC version ahead of publication. My memory for plots is so poor that while I did remember the ingenious twist, I had completely forgotten who the baddie was so got to enjoy being bamboozled all over again!

When an elderly woman is brutally murdered in her own home, DI Talantire is shocked to discover that she shares a name with the teenage victim of an infamous murder in the small coastal town of Ilfracombe, who died exactly fifty years earlier - and in exactly the same way. Then they learn that the perpetrator was quietly released under a new name not long before, and has now gone missing, but the authorities are refusing to identify him, saying he has an alibi. Can Jan and her hardworking team solve the mystery of the two Ruths?

Nick Louth is one of the most deviously clever crime writers currently out there, and once more had me wondering what on earth was going on here. I thoroughly enjoyed both the mystery aspect - even if it did seem far-fetched - and the new characters, especially Jan, her mouthy sidekick, Maddy, and her serious IT whizz Primrose. There’s some snarky humour and funny puns, I loved the banter between the team. I’ve never been to that part of Devon so enjoyed looking at pictures on Google Maps to see what Ilfracombe and was happy to discover that the Verity statue described is real - and enormous!
As mentioned, I didn’t guess the perpetrator at all, and was very satisfied by the ending, so look forward to reading more about Jan’s adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle is published on May 2nd.

I have read all of the Craig Gillard books by this author so I am familiar with his writing. I liked this book - it introduces a new detective Jan Talardine. The story centres around the deaths of two women in the same house using the same weapon and with the same name but 50 years apart. I thought the author built the tension really well, I was compelled to keep reading which is always a good sign. The interaction between the characters is good, there is enough gallows humour. A few red herrings along the way and the intricacies of dealing with a crime pre- computer records meant that the story remained fresh. I will watch out for more in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Absolutely fantastic!!! 😍 This mystery/thriller/crime fiction is the best I’ve read this year so far! I was hooked right away by the idea of two people being murdered, in the same place, with the same name, on the same date 50 years apart. But then the story just got so much better. It was such a smart, different, tantalizing crime story, that unraveled at lightening speed. I was near the end and still had no idea what to think. I don’t want to mention much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re reading this you should absolutely give this book a try. This is the first novel in the #detectivejantalentire series but I will absolutely read every other one that gets written. 5 ⭐️

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Canelo Publishing, and author Nick Louth, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for May 2, 2024.

I love a good police procedural. Read that again. And the one thing I like better, is a police procedural where the whole team is involved. As you know, there's no 'I' in team. This is your daily reminder that team members should prioritise the collective good and collaborate with one another. So let's start this review off with three cheers for Nick Louth, 📣📣📣 , for prioritising the Team in this thoroughly engaging new police procedural series.

So, let's meet the team then, shall we!

Detective Inspector Jan Talantire heads the team working for Devon and Cornwall police and based in Barnstaple. Her Deputy, Detective Sergeant Maddy Moran is smart and savvy. Maddy is the sole income provider and works to support her husband and three children. When new team member, Primrose Chen asked Maddy if she had a 'boyfriend', her reply was 'I've got a Neville, which is a bit like a husband, but without the income or any smart clothes.' Next is DC Dave Nuttall; Digital Evidence Officer, Primrose Chen and CSI Evidence technician, Pavel Kaminski. Bringing up the rear, working the nightshift is DI Lockhart (otherwise referred to as the Prince of Darkness). DI Lockhart works permanent nightshift so he can spend more time with his kids during the day. Cue the music to Robert Palmer's 'Simply Irresistible' [but change it to "he's so fine…."]. I think I may have just become the unofficial chair of the DI Lockhart fan club.

So now you have our main core of characters, let's turn to the plot. And again, I'm going to give three cheers the author, 📣📣📣 , for originality.

So let me get this right, Maddy said. Not only do we have the same person killed in the same place by the same weapon as happened exactly fifty years ago to the day, but according to the DNA it was done by the same perpetrator.

In case you missed it: Two Ruth Lyles, both dead at the same address fifty years apart.

There's no fantasy, time travel, science fiction elements at play here, even though with nicknames like 'Prince of Darkness', you might be led in that direction. Nope. What you have here is good old-fashioned boots on the ground, 'boys in blue', 'the Old Bill', law enforcement 'constabulary'; investigation - with a side of witty banter, take-away foods, caffeine and, of course (let's not forget why we're here), two dead Ruth Lyles.

The plot may be creepy, but the characters are captivating, and the ending is enjoyably satisfying. Perfectly paced with enough twists to keep the well-seasoned crime reader engaged.

A most welcome addition to this genre. Bring on book #2!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Canelo Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

#TheTwoDeathsofRuthLyle #NetGalley

An excellent and very twisty police procedural set in Cornwall.

Ruth Lyle was murdered in the 1970s, aged 16 and her convicted killer has been released with a new identity.

When police detective Jan Talantire is called out to a murder scene, the victim is identified as… Ruth Lyle! How can this be?

What follows is a fascinating and well written investigation, which takes Jan and her team back to the original murder and has plenty of twists, I was completely gripped!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Nick Louth and Canelo for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A brilliant start to a great new series.
I’ve not read a plot as original and captivating for a long time.
Detective Inspector Jan Talantire and her team work in a Major Investigation Team of Devon and Cornwall Police. What they face in this story is a unique and baffling crime.
Two murders fifty years apart. Victims with the same name, the method of killing identical, in fact, it’s even the same murder weapon. Genius writing.

A new series from Nick Louth. His new main character is Jan Tallantire, a detective working for Devon and Cornwall police and based in Barnstaple. A murder at a cottage in Ilfacombe appears to be a copycat killing of one that took place exactly fifty years ago. There are so many unexplained coincidences that the police are struggling to make sense of the crime.
As with Louth's previous series, the characters are well-defined and interesting. There are hints that there is more to the background of the main character with a promise of further developments to come.
This is an entertaining and gripping story with plenty of twists and surprises. My only gripe is that the guilty person confessed too readily at the end. Otherwise, a great new series.

Detective Inspector Jan Talantire knows that the 60-something woman murdered by being stabbed with a crucifix can’t be Ruth Lyle. After all, 16-year-old Ruth Lyle was murdered with a crucifix 50 years ago. So who is this latest victim?

Author Nick Louth has another couple of detective series going on —, but this is the debut for a new series and the first outing for me of reading any of his books. And what a wild ride it was! Louth provides surprise after twist after unexpected development. If this thriller were an amusement park ride, it would be amongst the best roller coasters. Highly recommended, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, Canelo, and to NetGalley for the eARC in return for my impressions of the book.

DI Jan Talantire is called to a sudden death at a cottage in Ilfracombe. A woman has been impaled with a crucifix. She's soon identified as Ruth Lyle, but this can't be. Fifty years ago, sixteen year old Ruth Lyle was found dead on the altar of a local chapel, impaled by a crucifix. The perpetrator was caught and is serving time for the viscious murder. Weirder yet, the chapel has now been converted to an air-bnb cottage, the very cottage the second Ruth Lyle is lying dead in. The race is on to discover the who, what and why.

Nick Louth is an excellent writer. This is the first book featuring DI Jan Talantire and I hope there will be many more. His other work is equally as good. 4 out of 5 stars.