Title: The Body on the Shore
Author: Nick Louth
Publisher: Canelo
Publication Date: 3rd September 2018
Format: ARC eBook
This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review
About the book:
A killer is at work in the supposedly-safe commuter belt. DCI Gillard
needs answers, fast…
Promising architect Peter Young is shot dead at his desk. DCI Craig Gillard is quickly on the scene, looking at what appears to be a brutal and highly professional hit: two bullets, fired with ice-cold calm.
Gillard knows that the most crucial question in solving the crime is one word: Why? Two weeks later, on the Lincolnshire coast, another body is found on a windswept beach. In this case there is no identity for the young man, just a curious brand burned into his neck….
As the mystery deepens Gillard is plunged into a case without answers, finding himself up against dark forces, people who believe in only two things: blood and a warped code of honour. This time lives are on the line, children’s lives – and his own.
Written at breakneck pace with a jaw-dropping twist you won’t see coming, the
suspense-filled second DCI Gillard crime thriller is perfect for fans of Robert Bryndza, Patricia Gibney and Faith Martin.
What I Thought:
DCI Craig Gillard is back in this follow up to The Body in the Marsh. This time around Craig finds himself leading the investigation into the murder of Peter, a promising young architect. The murder appears to be a professional hit, but Craig and the team are struggling to discover a motive, just why would anyone put a hit out on a young professional?
As well as dealing with his murder case Craig finds himself contending with an increasing number of phone calls from Sophie Lund, a women he gave his card to at a community event who is now finds herself the victim of a number of random events and being ignored by the local police – a situation made more awkward for Craig as he discovers a relationship between the Lunds’ neighbour and a senior police officer.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Body on the Shore, and read the vast majority of it in a single sitting. I was thrilled to see the return of Sam, although she had a much smaller role within this story, Claire also makes a return and Nick introduces an incredibly interesting cast of characters relating to Craig’s case – in particular I was fond of a former NCA detective Geoff Meadows. I also have a soft spot for Claire’s dog Dexter who featured in a small insight into Claire’s home life.
The story progresses quickly as Craig and the team deal murder investigation and begin to look into the mysterious incidents at the Lunds’ estate; fast moving the plot is interspersed with interesting developments and surprising twists.
The book felt well researched – and while I certainly can’t claim to be an expert in some of the situations that developed in the plot, the details felt authentic and dealt with in enough depth for me to feel I was understanding the motivations of certain characters and the circumstances around them. I was given the information I needed to get the most from the novel, without it taking away from the pacing of the story.
The drama and excitement builds consistently throughout the story, drawing the reader in and ensuring you’ll keep turning the pages, promising yourself just one more chapter, until you suddenly find yourself on the final page. To say much more would spoil it for anyone picking up the book, however Nick does a wonderful job of bringing together the different plot strands into a satisfying final conclusion which I must confess I didn’t manage to predict!
Would I Recommend?
This is a must read for any suspenseful crime fans! A fantastic follow up to The Body in the Marsh, Nick certainly avoids the sophomore slump! Well worth the £1.99 (and more) I’ll be eagerly keeping my eyes peeled for the next DCI Gillard story!
My previous Nick Louth reviews
About The Author
Nick Louth is a best-selling thriller writer, award-winning financial journalist and
an investment commentator. A 1979 graduate of the London School of Economics, he went on to become a Reuters foreign correspondent in 1987. It was an experience at a medical conference in Amsterdam in 1992, while working for Reuters, that gave him the inspiration for Bite, which was self-published in 2007 and went on to become the UK No. 1 Kindle best-seller for several weeks in 2014 before being snapped up by Sphere. It has sold a third of a million copies, and been translated into six languages.
Freelance since 1998, he has been a regular contributor to the Financial Times, Investors Chronicle and Money Observer, and has published seven other books. Nick Louth is married and lives in Lincolnshire.
Connect With Nick
Website // Twitter // Facebook
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