Dead of Night

Hi Karen,
My next review is as follows:-
"Dead Of Night:A Tom Mariner Police Procedural Set In Birmingham"written by Chris Collett and published by Severn House Publishers Ltd on the 30th September 2014 in hard-cover and ebook. 256 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0727884343

When a young woman disappears on her way home from work in an hotel, Detective Inspector Tom Mariner tackles his most challenging investigation yet. Eighteen year old Grace Clifton vanishes on her way to work in the centre of Birmingham late at night, the case is remarkable in that not a single witness comes forward in response to briefings. The more he has to deal with Grace's wealthy and overbearing father, Council Leader Bob Clifton, the more Tom Mariner is inclined to believe that Grace left of her own accord. Then the package arrives. It contains Grace's clothes, all neatly pressed and laundered. A second woman disappears and a disturbing pattern starts to emerge.

Still adapting to a new investigation team and struggling to pull its members together, Detective Inspector Mariner is about to tackle one of his strangest, most challenging cases to date. DI Tom Mariner has, at last, come to terms with the loss of his former partner Anna and tries to get to see his new girlfriend in Cambridge when his busy schedule allows also he is kept very busy with his autistic foster child Jamie and he is obliged very much to rely on a child minder who has an very unusual and deeply suspicious son.

Obliged, as a lead detective to progress all the main enquiries and instil in his team a rigorous discipline, Mariner is working very long days and has the usual problems getting the right sleep and food balance in his busy life. a couple of his previous team from other investigations who are either with another department or on maternity leave thankfully lend their particular expertise to him later in the investigation.

The author is very skilful in her clever manipulation of the plot and the red herrings that she implies, that can start your mind dashing in one direction until perhaps Tom Mariner notices something, perhaps accidentally, which triggers a different line of enquiry and you momentarily forget your earlier conclusions. There are a number of characters in the police and the potential killers which I found slightly confusing at first but it all turned out right in the end. I must admit though, I had no idea who the killer was until the very end which was a big surprise!

I was very pleased to review her previous book Blood And Stone in 2013. This new fast-paced, atmospheric and very well plotted story was very gripping and as with that previous one I just could not put this book down I must try and get the five other books in this series. Extremely well recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry (Review should appear on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

A special thank you to Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chris Collett’s latest crime mystery, DEAD OF NIGHT, A Tom Mariner Mystery delivers a suspenseful and fast-paced complex police procedural with some likable characters.

Birmingham Detective Inspector Mariner is undertaking one of his most difficult cases, as he has come to terms with the loss of his former partner, Anna and attempts to move forward with his new girlfriend in Cambridge. In addition to his busy and hectic schedule, he is taking care of his autistic foster child, Jamie.

As the book opens Grace Clifton goes missing; a teenage daughter of Councilor Bob Clifton, and he no doubt enjoys the kind of money and power that would make him a target for potential kidnappers, and Grace is an attractive young woman.

Could Grace have chosen to disappear or that someone closer to home knew where she was? Current council leader would have substantial influence over police budgets for the next twelve months, at a time when public spending had become a dirty phase. And this was a man with an established record of criticism of the police. A very challenging case, Tom then has to deal with her overbearing and wealthy father.

Elsewhere in the city Dominique is left alone, as her mother has not come home from work. When another young woman goes missing, the heat intensifies along with the suspense. Is a serial killer on their hands? Could these two cases be connected? A complex case, for a thrilling roller coaster ride.

This was my first book by Collett, and now so intrigued, want to go back and read some of the back story in the previous books in the series. I really enjoyed the author’s inspiration behind the story. Inspiration Behind the Book

I wish more authors would add this information at the ending of their books (if not included, I go searching the web), as I find it quite fascinating! You can read about Collett’s inspiration for the series (above link), and for DEAD OF NIGHT, in particular using multiple viewpoints, set in Birmingham, and how her characters began to emerge, with the central narrative linking them together and how it takes shape. In addition her expertise, working with children on the autistic spectrum.

I really enjoyed Tom Mariner’s character, as he is sharp, with enough personal balance to make for an engaging read. I look forward to reading the previous books in the series and more from this British author.