BLOGTOUR, BOOK REVIEW - Darkest Lies (Detective Tom Mariner #8) by Chris Collett

 

                                                                     BOOK SYNOPSIS

Originally published as A Good Death.

One missing bridegroom. Two burned bodies.
A twisted motive that will shock you to the core.

When a frail old man dies in a house fire, Detective Tom Mariner races to the scene. The victim, Soltan Ahmed, was Mariner’s neighbour.

Who set the fire that took his life?

The race is on to uncover the truth, and that’s not Mariner’s only headache right now. He must also search for a bridegroom who vanished just weeks before his wedding.

A case of cold feet? Or something more sinister?

Then comes a find that changes everything.
The charred body of a Jane Doe.
Hidden in a back room of the house where Ahmed lived.

Who was she and how did she get there?

A totally gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of Peter James, Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean, Caro Ramsay, Helen H. Durrant, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.

A house fire and the death of one of his neighbours is the catalyst for a complex and frustrating case that finds DCI Tom Mariner and his loyal team of investigators confronting more dead ends than you would find in a maze. The elderly man victim had been held in high regard by the community and the team had to figure wether he had died due to the accident waiting to happen wiring of the building,a unfortunate accident or had he been murdered? They also had to be aware of multi cultural diversity due to the victim and his families ethnicity. Then, as if the case wasn't complicated enough already, the charred body of a woman was found in the wreckage of the house. Who was she and why hasn't any of the other members of the family mentioned another person being in their home?

The investigation had barely started when Mariner was contacted by Gaby Boswell who he had met at his right hand man Charlie Glover's wedding reception. Gaby was concerned because her fiance Sam Fleetwood had mysteriously disappeared after he had told her that he was going to their new home to construct some flatpack furniture. The concern in Gaby's voice and the fact that she and her father attended the same church as Charlie and his new bride made Mariner feel like it was his responsibility to investigate Sam's disappearance. where was the young man? Had he developed cold feet about his upcoming marriage to Gaby? Where a notorious family behind his disappearance? Or was there another shocking reason for him being missing, one that neither Mariner or the reader will see coming?

With Charlie Glover being away on his honeymoon, Mariner's team was seriously short of officers so it was fortunate that Millie Khatoon had returned back to work after her maturity leave even if she was only working part time hours. They were also joined by PC Kevin Bingley who initially came across like he was related to Mr Bean but he swiftly proved that he was a very intelligent individual and became a real assist to the team. I'll be honest and admit that I have a bit of a crush on Tom Mariner, he is such a likeable individual who genuinely cared about the members of his team no matter how long they had worked with him. Each member of the team was a likeable individual and I liked how they all worked well together and contributed their own personal input into the investigations. I really liked how the author didn't bog down the story with interdepartmental politics and back stabbings.

In the personal front, Mariner and his girlfriend Suzie were both trying their best to ignore the cracks that were starting to appear below the surface of their relationship. Adding to Mariner's problems were his concerns for Jamie and the possibility that history was repeating itself at the care home where he resided.

Darkest Lies is a gripping, addictive page turner that hooks the reader in and keeps you guessing. The plot contains the moral message that you shouldn't judge people from first impressions or because of their social status and ethnicity. Although this is the eighth book in the series, it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. The author has created a fantastic cast of recurring characters, individuals that you enjoy spending your time with and look forward to revisiting again and again. A entertaining, thrilling read and very highly recommended.  

  AUTHOR BIO

Chris Collett grew up in a Norfolk seaside town where she worked in a boarding house (now defunct) a local bakery (closed down) and a crisp factory (razed to the ground). Graduating in Liverpool, Chris went on to teach children and adults with learning disabilities, including autism. A recently retired university lecturer, Chris is married with two grown up children, and lives in Birmingham, on DI Tom Mariner's 'patch'. She has published short stories, taught creative and crime writing and is a manuscript assessor for the Crime Writers Association.

The first seven DI Tom Mariner books have been released in revised editions on Kindle and paperback by Joffe Books. Chris's latest book 'The Truth About Murder' (Dec 2019) introduces new protagonists Greaves and Plum.

Find out more at: https://www.chriscollettcrime.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/chriscollettcrime/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/493036.Chris_Collett
and follow on Twitter @crime_crow

PUBLICATION DATE: 20th September 2021

PURCHASE LINK...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09GRK2C87?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_7&storeType=ebooks

Birmingham is a city of stark contrasts with a rich cultural and historical heritage. Playing a key role in the industrial revolution, it helped shape the nation’s manufacturing industry

THE SETTING

But with its many green spaces, Birmingham also borders on the beautiful countryside of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, is just a few miles from Stratford on Avon and a short drive from the wild country of mid-Wales.

Birmingham’s population is large and ethnically diverse, and while urban regeneration has forged a modern and culturally vibrant city, the decaying remnants of the industrial past and 1960s concrete jungle give it a unique and gritty character; the dark underbelly policed by DI Tom Mariner and his team.

THE DETECTIVE

Detective Inspector Tom Mariner is, on the surface, an average dedicated policeman, but his experiences as a younger man have given him an insight into life on the dark side, and a clear sense of right and wrong. Mariner has little interest in material things. He lives in a modest canal-side cottage, enjoys the occasional (real) beer and game of dominoes and drives an old car. He is most at home in the outdoors, with an OS map and a compass, and in times of crisis, will take off and walk for miles in any weather.

DI MARINER SERIES

Book 1: Deadly Lies
Book 2: Innocent Lies
Book 3: Killer Lies
Book 4: Baby Lies
Book 5: Married Lies
Book 6: Buried Lies
Book 7: Missing Lies
Book 8: Darkest Lies