A brand new author to me - I do like finding a new author. An enjoyable read and would be interested in reading more by this author.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

A great Debut novel about a disillusioned Irish cop whose past comes back to haunt him, I don't want to give too much away but I look forward to book 2

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and the plot kept me guessing.

Will be looking out for more of James Nally's books.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this.

I came across this title from James Nally as a READ NOW offering on NetGalley and having read the blurb decided it would be a fantastic introduction to Nally's books. I started it pretty quickly after downloading and took only two sittings for me to finish. The rest of Nally's PC Donal Lynch trilogy has moved a long way up my TBR pile to close to the top. I guess that should tell you all you need to know as to my thoughts on ALONE WITH THE DEAD.

One thing that sets this book apart from most others in the crime genre is that it has a supernatural element to it, the most well-known author who frequently uses that combination is Stephen King. So, this genre mix definitely has the potential to create something pretty unique. I feel Nally does a great job at using the mix to his advantage and creates a chilling and compelling read. The characterisation is excellent and the book feels authentic throughout. I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series!

I would like to thank James Nally, HarperCollins UK, Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and review a copy of ALONE WITH THE DEAD. All opinions are honest, impartial and entirely my own.

An interesting approach is taken in this otherwise fairly standard police procedural, The lead character, an Irishman who crossed the Irish Sea and became a Met Police Officer, believes that he has an unusual gift of connecting in some unspecified way with the victims of violent murders and may be able to use the insights thus gained to track down the killer(s). The author has a gift of using slightly offbeat humour effectively to bring characters to life and to make the story stand out from the run of the mill crime novel. Several minor stories run alongside the main theme and these, too, are well-integrated into the overall narrative. Good enough to look out for other works by the same author - I enjoyed it. Strongly recommended.

This author certainly writes suspenseful, interesting, plot twisting thrillers!!

Hugely enjoyable police thriller. An Insomniac and high functioning alcoholic Donal Lynch is tasked with investigating a young womans murder. During the case he is haunted by her ghost, whether this is due to his insomnia or a psychic ability he is unsure. The use of real killers names being used in the process of finding the real culprit adds to the feel of authenticity throughout the book. Highly recommended.

Brilliant. I really like the whole idea of this story. Donal Lynch gets help from the victims to solve his crimes. This is a very cleverly written story with a likeable main character and plenty of action. I will definitely be reading more of this series.

A little too 'supernatural' for me...I prefer realism...I did try but it was not for me. Sorry.

If something were ever to happen to me, I hope Donal Lynch will investigate! I loved this book a lot! I always have a soft spot for weary detective main roles, but this one was excellent!

I was unprepared for just how good this book turned out to be. Donal Lynch leaves Ireland to live and work in London, after his girlfriend was charged with the murder of an old schoolfriend of his. He joins the Met sold his soul to Dan (Shep) Shepherd a 'socially-functioning psychopath' detective superintendant to become one of Shep's 'bitches.'
Donal was blessed or cursed with a gift, and is visited by murder victims who point him in the direction of clues to the identity of their killers.
The narrative has a great voice, that comes through strongly with good Irish brogue and humour, which made it almost impossible to put this book down.
I'm very happy that there are two more Donal Lynch books for me to read in this series.

Hi Karen,

My next review is as follows:-

"Alone With The Dead:A PC Donal Lynch Thriller"written by James Nally and published in Paperback by Avon on 8th October 2015. 368 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0008139506

What an absolutely mind-blowing story. This is the debut novel in a police procedural about an Irish policeman working in London Metropolitan police in the 1990’s.

The story takes us back to Ireland, to Donal's life before he joined the Met Police and these chapters are interspersed with the current murder enquiries and investigations. The piecing together of past events, the search for evidence, motive and suspects for current events. We meet Eve, Donal's ex-girlfriend and we meet Fintan, his brother, who works for a newspaper in London. The book is a true page-turner with many twists and turns. Is acting DC Lynch on the right trail? Is the murder of Marion linked to another murder later on and to a nasty stalking? There are so many twits and turns, so many ideas. I wonder of you will solve the murder as you read this gripping story. I could not put this book down and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story would translate well to the small screen and bring a great mini series into our homes via the TV.

The story was so exciting that I read it very quickly even though it is quite lengthy. The quality of this authors book is as good as the original debut novel. I found the police procedural story immensely gripping and fast moving and the pages just whizzed by. All the characters are richly described and full of life. The plot with it's dramatic twists and turns often kept me reading far longer than I intended. I was completely transfixed and kept guessing until the final page. Extremely highly recommended.

Best wishes,


Terry

Der Beginn einer neuen Reihe, die Lust auf mehr macht. Mit Charakteren, die ihresgleichen suchen: gebrochen, getrieben, strauchelnd. Sehr spannend, gefälliger Erzählstil.

New cop on the block! DC Donal Lynch, brings a new slant on crime examination. Don’t want to give any more away, a brilliant read looking forward to future investigations with DC Lynch

What would you do if a murder victim was haunting you?

PC Donal Lynch is working the beat in London when a call about a death sees him and his partner investigating a strange murder. Not only that but the victim visits Donal and tries to tell him who murdered her.

Donal is an insomniac and functioning alcoholic after his girlfriend in Ireland is raped. She kills her attacker while Donal is incapacitated but able to see what is happening.

Will Donal be able to decipher what the victim is trying to say to him?

This book is ok, but a bit mixed up in a lot of ways. Firstly, it is difficult to remember all the characters and how they are involved as they are mentioned once then ignored for a while but then brought up again. Secondly, the scientific explanations are hard to understand as it quotes so much scientific language. Thirdly, it is just plain weird! Donal is not a character to empathise with and a couple of times I wanted to slap him and give him a good talking to.

The book is well written grammatically but the story lacks any cohesion and I basically just wanted to get it finished.

Shesat.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Alone with the dead by James Nally is a mystery and thriller read.
Meet PC Donal Lynch.
Irish runaway. Insomniac. Functioning alcoholic.
Donal is new to working the beat in London, trying his
best to forget that night. After all, there aren’t many police
officers who can say they have a convicted murderer
for an ex-girlfriend.
This was a really good read with good characters. Liked the story. Little slow in places. But I read it. 4*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.