I'm in two minds about this book. The plot s fine and the pace keeps one interested but there's not much characterisation.

There are a lot of characters but there doesn't seem to be much to distinguish them from one another and it took me a while to remember who was who. When a character is introduced we are told something about them but this is never mentioned again or shown when they appear. For example, there are characters who are Welsh, Irish, and even a Geordie but we get no sense of this when they speak. Not that I want a phonetic rendering of an accent, but a turn of phrase, the rhythm of a sentence, a verbal tic, etc can all help bring a character to life. Apart from Merlin occasionally exclaiming in Spanish, I'm afraid, to me, they all sounded the same.

It kept me reading though, so if plot's your thing, this will do it.

This is a really entertaining series! I enjoyed reading about police procedures at an earlier time (WWII) , where no handies were available, no fast cars (when available anyway because of the war restrictions!), no computers. I find it really fascinating to read about forensics of the time with their limited means. Very atmospheric indeed! The police team is relatable with a pleasant work team. The plot remains complex with an interesting sense of justice... I loved it! A great read I highly recommend!
I have received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

This was the first Frank Merlin police procedural that I have read and it certainly won’t be the last. I always regard book blurbs with suspicion- and sometimes correctly so, but when my favourite author, John Lawton gave the book high praise I was persuaded to try it and my faith was fully justified.

I enjoyed the characters and how various different plots and crimes all came together and the overall pace of the book which kept moving rapidly and helped build and maintain reader interest.

Wartime London was accurately and beautifully portrayed and whilst the book worked just fine as a standalone I will certainly be reading the earlier books in this excellent series.