Ambitious but confusing debut police procedural
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A police procedural set in Sheffield that also includes flashbacks to Kenya, this is an overly complex and confusing book. Told in short, terse sentences as in a hard-boiled detective novel, the three POVs elide into each other, making the reader work to distinguish each narrative, each character (I had to constantly look at the name at the top of each section to be sure I was where I thought I was). The main character of DI Diana Walker is a great foil with a rich family history and plenty of obstacles in life and at work, but the proliferation of aspects to the case bog down this pretty long book. There are flashes of brilliance but it needed more of a steer.

Two and a half stars.

Review of The Day of the Roaring by Nina Bhadreshwar

Nina Bhadreshwar’s debut novel, The Day of the Roaring, is a compelling and thought-provoking crime thriller that masterfully intertwines a gripping murder investigation with profound social commentary. Set in Sheffield, the story introduces readers to DI Diana Walker, a determined detective facing the challenges of a gruesome case and the systemic biases within her own department.

The narrative begins with the shocking discovery of a dismembered headmaster on the grounds of a defunct school. As Walker delves deeper, she uncovers a web of unreported crimes, missing teachers, and a community shrouded in silence. Bhadreshwar doesn’t shy away from addressing pressing issues such as racism, misogyny, and the lingering effects of colonialism. The inclusion of historical contexts, particularly the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, adds depth and resonance to the storyline.

Bhadreshwar’s portrayal of Sheffield’s underbelly is vivid and authentic, bringing to light the struggles of marginalized communities. The characters are richly developed, with DI Walker standing out as a resilient and relatable protagonist. Her personal journey, intertwined with her professional challenges, offers readers a nuanced perspective on justice and morality.

The Day of the Roaring is more than just a crime novel; it’s a narrative that challenges societal norms and prompts reflection on historical and contemporary injustices. Bhadreshwar’s storytelling is both engaging and enlightening, making this a standout addition to the crime fiction genre.

For readers seeking a thriller that combines suspense with substantial thematic depth, The Day of the Roaring is an essential read.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

Wow, what a debut! I just finished "The Day of the Roaring," and I'm still reeling. Nina Bhadreshwar has crafted a truly compelling and layered crime thriller that kept me hooked from the first page.

The story centres around DI Diana Walker in Sheffield, and she is faced with a gruesome discovery: the dismembered body of a headmaster found on the grounds of an old, derelict school. Right from the start, you can feel the tension. Diana's colleagues are quick to label it as gang violence, but she has a gut feeling that there's something much deeper and darker at play.

What follows is Diana's relentless pursuit of the truth, which takes her into the heart of Sheffield's most marginalised communities. Bhadreshwar doesn't shy away from tackling tough issues like racism, social inequality, and the long shadows of historical trauma. The book also weaves in very interesting historical context relating to the British violence against the Kikuyu people in 1950s Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising. This added a very deep layer to the story.

I was particularly impressed by the way Bhadreshwar builds suspense and creates a palpable sense of unease. The atmosphere is thick with secrets and distrust, and you can feel Diana's frustration as she encounters silent witnesses and unreported crimes. The characters are well-developed, and Diana herself is a strong and determined protagonist.

The book is more than a simple police procedural. It's a social commentary, a psychological thriller, and a historical exploration all rolled into one. The writing is vivid and evocative, and Bhadreshwar's attention to detail is remarkable.

I did enjoy this, but found there were too many storylines and characters and almost needed a pad and paper to write down the characters!

Loved DI Walker though so would read another one in her series.

With a dismembered headmaster, missing teachers, unreported crimes, witnesses too scared to talk and a book club with secrets, it’s a good thing the school has been closed. DI Diana Walker is investigating the murder but is it a bit too close to home for her to be objective?

I found this book rather hard to follow, there were so many parts feeding into this story which for me over complicated it, making it hard to follow the progression of the investigation. In my opinion it is a book that really needs the readers full attention. There were some really sensitive topics that I felt were not given the sensitivity they deserved as there was too much in one book.

I would recommend this book to someone who likes a more layered read and likes to give it their full attention.

The synopsis immediately intrigued me, and I eagerly anticipated reading the book.
Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. I found the numerous characters made the plot difficult to follow.

There's a lot going on in this tale, including some uncomfortable investigations into the practice of FGM, so you'll need to concentrate, but the pay off is well worth it both in the multiple strands of this book and in the set up for the future of DI Diana Walker.

I really enjoy a police procedural & was delighted to receive an e-ARC of #The Day of the Roaring by #Nina Bradreshwar from #Netgalley.
The author introduces us to DI Diana Walker in this her debut crime novel.
Diana is a black policewoman dealing with institutional misogyny & racism when she is sent to a crime scene where a partially dismembered body is found in a locked filing cabinet. The remains are found on the site of a demolished school & soon hidden truths start to come to life.
Set in Sheffield in 2010 the novel explores topics like colonial history, racism, immigration, FGM & how poverty is a never ending grind.
At first Diana Walker appears to be a prickly & unlikeable character but as the story unfolds we realise that the face she presents to the world is a mask & that she has trauma of her own to face.
While the story is mainly told from Diana's point of view, other characters share their perspectives & this offers insights into how different events affect different people.
I found this novel to be a page turner & I look forward to reading Book 2 in the series

The Day of the Roaring is a police procedural that weaves in broader social issues, adding depth beyond the central investigation. However, while the premise is intriguing, I found it difficult to get into at first. The pacing felt slow in the early chapters, making it a challenge to fully engage with the story.

As the novel progressed, it gained momentum, and the investigative elements became more compelling. The social commentary added an interesting layer, but at times, the multiple threads felt disorganized, making it harder to follow the central narrative. While the ambition of tackling both crime and societal concerns is commendable, a more streamlined approach might have improved the overall reading experience.

Despite these challenges, The Day of the Roaring has strong moments, particularly in its latter half. Readers who enjoy procedurals with a broader thematic scope may appreciate it more, but for me, it was a mixed experience.

The premise of this sounded interesting, plot sounded good, was looking forward to reading it.
Unfortunately, this one just didn’t live up to my expectations. The basic story was there, but it just wasn’t well executed on paper. The characters lacked depth, the book as a whole was disorganised and distracting. Because of this it was hard to follow and a bit confusing.
This is purely my own opinion, but I’m afraid this one wasn’t for me.

DI Diana Walker is a detective and is investigating a gruesome case .
A human head is found in a filing cabinet and what unfolds is at times a confusing story .
The book has the essence of a good story but at times it’s disorganised .
I enjoyed the bones of the story but the writing needs to be more organised .
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

I'm sure many people will enjoy this thriller featuring D.I Diana Walker. However, I found it to a confusing read and, at times, a difficult storyline to follow.

As there were so many threads and elements to the story I kept losing track of exactly what was happening.

I'm sorry to say that this book showed a great deal of promise but for me it missed the mark.

Very confusing book, difficult to read overall and I had to work hard to finish it.
Great synopsis, loved the character DI Diana Walker but just as you get into the storyline, a new wave of hard hitting, confusing elements are added.
My opinion only, others may find it a lot better.

I enjoyed reading this book but found it a bit disorganised. It started of being one thing then jumping to another which did not give the subject full justice.
DI Diana Walker gets assigned to the murder of a headmaster. His head and arm were found in a filing cabinet in the rubble of the demolished school that he once lead. Is it OCG killing?
DI Walker then gets a hunch that the death 2 years ago of a teacher, May be linked. Her boss doesn’t think so and threatens to reallocate the case. She investigates further and comes across domestic abuse and FGM information. Who is right?
I found the book quite slow to start but I wanted to know the ‘why’s’. I’m sitting on the fence with this book.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book; although I gave it several attempts, especially after reading in the Times that is was the book of the month and recommend.

I just could not get away with the characters and the plot! I found it hard to understand as it switched from Diana's story and the investigation and then her mother and grandmothers story and history from Nigeria!

The book did not hold my interest and although I hate giving up on a book, I felt after 50% and still struggling, it was time to call it a day!

Good luck with the publication and any other books you may write.

The Day of the Roaring is an absolutely compelling police crime thriller, set mainly in and around Sheffield.

Following the discovery of a human head in a filing cabinet on the site of an old school, and another missing person report, DI Diana Walker gets sent to the scene to investigate.

Although the storyline was a little slow to start, it gained momentum and took you on a ride through some grim and dark places.

It was such a good gritty read, however it did try to cover so many community, cultural, societal and other complex issues, such as FMG, sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence and drug/gun running, that I felt there was too much to absorb and detracted from what was a great thriller with plot turns and twists aplenty.

The author, Nina Bhadreshwar has a wonderful writing style, descriptive and reflective throughout and so easy to read.

Still, I loved the overall read, I hope DI Walker returns soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Day of the Roaring is a powerful and intelligent read. Dealing with complex issues, it manages to be a compelling police procedural as well as shedding light on a number of social issues affecting inner cities, in this case, Sheffield.

It starts with a bleak and grim finding; the head of a man in a locked filing cabinet on a building site. D.I. Diana Walker is called to the site, which used to be Legley Road High School before the school was closed and then demolished. The victim turns out to be the former Headmaster of the school. She follows every lead, even those which seem tangential to the main case. It is this thoroughness that opens up the possibility of a more complex motive than at first seems likely.

There are a number of barriers, however, to Diana progressing her case. As a female investigator, Diana is looked down on by her largely misogynistic fellow officers, who are far too ready to assign this murder to the organised crime gangs who run the county lines in Sheffield, and they threaten to run roughshod over her case.

This case also throws up connections to her Kenyan community and to members of her own mother’s book club, whom she needs to interview. But this group of women have gained strength from coming together to talk about their own experiences. They have little trust in the police and that is true of Diana’s own mother, Rhema. So, tensions at home also threaten Diana’s peace of mind.

Diana follows her hunches, which, going against the accepted police motive, threatens her professional standing. Undeterred, she follows her instincts, braving her superiors’ wrath, and unearths a web of corruption and abuse.

When her grandmother, MaMa, comes from Kenya to stay, Diana learns a lot more about her struggles as a Kikuyu woman, and understands how little her own mother knows of her grandmother’s history. MaMa’s stories of the savage atrocities committed by some of the British soldiers in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising are chilling and as Nina Bhadreshwar makes clear, the British government still, to this day, refuse to take any responsibility for that brutality.

Bhadreshwar’s characters are warm and vivid; her descriptions of Sheffield’s poorer and struggling inner city youngsters, and the opportunities lost to them, are all too clear.

I found the voices and the perspectives to be authentic and the character’s stories fresh and exciting, touching on a whole range of issues. This is not an easy book – often dark- it is also harrowing in places, especially when dealing with some honest and graphic discussion of female genital mutilation.

Verdict: This is a layered and wide-ranging police procedural that excels in the inter-generational perspectives and makes the conversations between the teenagers and younger people in the story feel so realistic. Misogyny, racism, endemic drug use, corruption, FGM and blatant, bullying sexism all feature but through it all, finding the culprit remains D.I. Walker’s focus. I loved the informative and authentic dialogue and the sadly all too plausible scenarios that make this book excel. I’ll be looking out for the next in this compelling series. Highly recommended.

Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud ei bod wedi cymryd dipyn o amser i mi ddeall a dal fyny efo'r holl linynau storiol yn y nofel hon. Mae cymaint o gymeriadau a is-themâu yn cydblethu ac efallai bod gormod ar gyfer un nofel. Mae'r dechrau'n llawn cyffro gyda chyn-bennaeth ysgol uwchradd a gafodd ei chau dan amgylchiadau ychydig yn amheus cyn hynny yn cael ei ganfod wedi'i ladd. Roedd hyn yn ddechrau da ond wrth i'r stori ddatblygu roedd yn anodd dilyn yr holl straeon a chymeriadau gan ymdrin â sawl mater dwys. Yn bersonol rwy'n teimlo efallai y byddai'n well petai hon yn ddwy stori yn hytrach nag un, ac y byddai modd rhoi mwy o sylw i rai themâu penodol ynddynt yn hytrach na chyffwrdd â nifer o themâu amrywiol. Ar ôl dechrau mor syfrdannol roedd y stori yn arafu cryn dipyn wedi hynny ac yn teimlo ychydig yn llafurus. Stori dda gyda photensial i fod gymaint gwell yn enwedig wrth ddwyn sylw i faterion hollbwysig ond yn anffodus i mi nid oedd y cyfan yn gweithio'n iawn gyda'i gilydd ac yn peri gormod o ddryswch rhwng yr holl straeon mewn un nofel.

I must say it took me quite a while to understand and catch up with all the storylines in this book. There are so many characters and sub-themes tied together. possibly too many for one novel. It starts with a bang when the former headteacher of a school that closed under a cloud is found murdered. This was a great start but as the story developed it was hard to follow all the stories and characters, especially when many important themes were introduced. Personally I feel this may have been better as two stories rather than one, and then we could have a more in-depth look at certain themes rather than briefly discussing them all. After such an intense start the story slowed down quite a bit and felt a little lengthy. A good story with the potential to be so much better especially drawing attention to such important matters but unfortunately for me it didn't all work together in one and caused too much confusing between all the storylines in one novel.

Read by Grumpy Grandad and our eldest son as a sort of male bonding reading group exercise. They both enjoy police procedural books and working out what happens exercises their little grey cells. Apparently this was quite a good one with lots going on and plenty of characters to confuse the plot, and the two of them. I was quite surprised to be asked over breakfast what I knew about FGM , so it must have got them thinking. It also kept them both relatively quiet for a while, which can only be good.

DI Diana Walker is a strong lead character in this debut novel. The strong beginning with the discovery of dismembered body parts in an old school filing cabinet had my interest, however more and more layers are quickly added, to the point of confusion. This may have benefitted from being split into two books. I tend to persevere with a book rather than give up, just incase it picks up and hooks me. So much potential but ultimately overwhelming and hard to follow between the different narrators. It may be easier to follow as an audiobook.

With thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.