Whatever It Takes

Loved it. This character is a human being with the flaws, challenges and angst that come with it. The story itself was fast paced but not so complex as to get in the way of that flow. Highly recommended for people who like the Nikki Galena character created by Joy Ellis.

Wow what a brilliant book reminds me a bit of The Bill,GentleTouch. Page turner keeps you on your toes can't wait to read more by this author

A recommendation from the local Isle of Wight newspaper led me to Heaton Wilson, an author I had not previously encountered. As a fan of crime fiction I was keen to discover what a local writer had to offer. I was delighted to find that he writes a well considered story with believable and interesting characters. I enjoyed the continued pace of the book that held me until the end with constant progress both from the crime angle and that of the personal lives of some of the characters. The story itself begins with a young man found dead at an internet cafe, apparently frozen in position as he worked at a computer. A murder investigation is soon launched. Who wanted him dead and why? The answers gradually reveal themselves and along with a few red herrings the crime is solved. I liked the way the story was told from an investigation point of view as opposed to a ‘whodunnit’. It was more realistic but never boring. I also liked the supportive nature of the entire police team. So many stories have an aggressive leader with downtrodden staff which becomes all rather predictable, so again this book made a pleasant change to have staff members appreciated and motivated. A well written story and I will be delighted to read more from this author.

I absolutely love discovering new authors and Heaton Wilson is certainly a new author for me. I read the synopsis for ‘Whatever It Takes’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of crime book I particularly enjoy reading. I couldn’t wait to start reading so I dived straight in. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Whatever It Takes’ but more about that in a bit.
The synopsis for ‘Whatever It Takes’ was enough to grab my attention and draw me into this compelling story. Within the first five minutes of reading this book I knew that I wouldn’t be able to put the book down for any length of time. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story and I had to keep reading to see if the lead detective, Detective Chief Inspector Jane Birchfield, managed to crack the case as it were and if she managed to juggle everything that she has on her plate. The pages turned over increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out what happened steadily grew and grew. I found ‘Whatever It Takes’ to be an unputdownable, page turner of a read, which certainly kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Whatever It Takes’ is extremely well written and then some. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. Reading ‘Whatever It Takes’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Heaton’s very vivid and realistic storytelling. I found ‘Whatever It Takes’ to be a well plotted and well written book and the true definition of an unputdownable page turner.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Whatever It Takes’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Heaton’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.