He’d found an angel for his collection. But one angel at a time was never enough...
Detective Beth Young has just joined the Cumbrian major crimes team when a body is found posed in a ritualistic manner – arms spread and graceful wings attached – at a crumbling castle in the hills of the Lake District.
The entire police force are on red alert. But Beth begins to feel she’s the only one who can follow the disturbing clues left by the twisted killer. Because she doesn’t think like everyone else. To Beth, crimes are puzzles she can solve. Even if real life is a little harder.
As more bodies are discovered in derelict stately homes across the Lake District, she knows she’s in a race against time.
But the killer is looking for another victim to add to his collection… Will Beth be able to save her? Or will he get there first?
A tenacious young detective with scars both physical and emotional, Beth Young will stop at nothing in her fight for justice for the innocent. The Silent Dead is the first book in the series. Set in the Lake District, it is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, LJ Ross, and Peter James.
The Silent Dead by Graham Smith was published on 30 November 2018 by Bookouture. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review and for inviting me to take part on this Blog Tour.
Imagine you are hosting your dream wedding in an old castle
in the depths of Cumbria – what an idyllic setting; the perfect beginning for a
happy couple’s new life.
Now, imagine you are the bride and you discover a dead body
at your wedding venue, and then you realise that this is a murder victim. Shocking
eh?
This is Graham Smith’s intriguing and compelling introduction to The Silent Dead; the first in the Detective Beth Young series, and it’s certainly a great way to draw in a reader.
Beth Young is the newest officer in the Cumbrian Force Major Incident Team (FMIT); bright as a button and eager to learn, Beth is young in years but has a wisdom that belies her age. Beth’s special skill is her ability to solve puzzles; she applies her logical thinking to everything that she comes across and whilst this makes her successful when solving cases, she can often offend others with some of her less than diplomatic behaviours.
This is Graham Smith’s intriguing and compelling introduction to The Silent Dead; the first in the Detective Beth Young series, and it’s certainly a great way to draw in a reader.
Beth Young is the newest officer in the Cumbrian Force Major Incident Team (FMIT); bright as a button and eager to learn, Beth is young in years but has a wisdom that belies her age. Beth’s special skill is her ability to solve puzzles; she applies her logical thinking to everything that she comes across and whilst this makes her successful when solving cases, she can often offend others with some of her less than diplomatic behaviours.
The body found at the wedding venue is the just the first in
a spate of horrific and terrifying killings. Bodies arranged ritualistically,
with wings attached to their backs and dreadful damage carried out to each
one. Graham Smith does not hold back
with the detail and there’s some pretty vivid scenes depicted here, especially
during post mortem investigations.
This author excels in the creation of characters and Beth
Young is especially intriguing. Her visible scars define her to others, but it’s
the invisible issues that she carries around that make her. The rest of the
FMIT members are excellently portrayed, with real depth to each one of them.
First impressions are telling, and I’ll admit that there were certain characters
who I didn’t really like on first meeting, but this author cleverly interweaves
their back stories into the novel and whilst the reader may not always like
them, this understanding of their issues goes a long way to understanding them.
The Silent Dead is well paced and cleverly imagined. It is dark and gritty with some violence that could make a reader squirm, but it’s never gratuitous. There’s an excellent sense of place running through the novel too, with the landscape and communities of rural Cumbria depicted very well.
The Silent Dead is well paced and cleverly imagined. It is dark and gritty with some violence that could make a reader squirm, but it’s never gratuitous. There’s an excellent sense of place running through the novel too, with the landscape and communities of rural Cumbria depicted very well.
I’ll admit that I didn’t have a clue who the murderer was,
or why and there were a couple of times when I was distracted by some anonymous
voices that the author has added sporadically throughout his story. However,
this is a gripping, tense and twisty story that will delight fans of police
procedurals and crime thrillers.
Graham Smith is the bestselling author of two explosive crime thrillers in the Jake Boulder series, Watching the Bodies and The Kindred Killers. Watching the Bodies spent over two weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart and Amazon CA charts. Graham is also the author of the popular DI Harry Evans series and has collections of short stories and novellas. He is the proud father of a young son. And as a time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer for the well respected review site Crimesquad.com since 2010.
As well as reviewing for Crimesquad.com Graham has also interviewed such stellar names as David Baldacci, Jeffrey Deaver, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Matt Hilton, Peter James, Mark Billingham and many others.
When not working, his time is spent reading, writing and playing games with his son. He enjoys socialising and spending time with friends and family
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