A Violent Heart by David Fennell BLOG TOUR #AViolentHeart @DavyFennell @ZaffreBooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

KILLERS DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES. SO WHY SHOULD SHE?

The stunning new 2024 crime thriller from one of British crime writing's brightest talents.

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Elena Zoric is murdered, her body concealed beside a stream in North London. Her phone lies nearby, the last number dialled was to the woman who had rescued her from sex trafficking: Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Grace Archer.

Archer desperately wants to lead the murder investigation but her new boss, Chief Inspector Les Fletcher, makes it very clear its out of her jurisdiction.

Then the thirty-year-old remains of a woman are found in the attic of an abandoned house, the victim dying in similar circumstances to Elena Zoric.

But Archer's North London colleagues have bigger priorities than the murder of 'a drugged-up prostitute.'

Archer needs answers. Who killed Elena? Why did she call Archer moments from her death? And what rules must she break to stop a killer in his tracks?

A Violent Heart by David Fennell was published on 29 August 2024 by Zaffre. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour 

In my view, David Fennell is one of the best authors of crime fiction around at the moment. I love his lead character; Grace Archer, and her work colleague DS Quinn. They are a superb partnership, a pairing that you can trust, and who never cut corners. 

Whilst this is the fourth novel to feature these characters, this is a stand alone story. I'd highly recommend reading the previous books, but it is perfectly fine to begin with this one. The author cleverly, and without bogging the reader down in too much detail, outlines Grace's back story. And what a story it is. She's been through a lot in her life, and that has shaped her into the cracking detective that she is today.

A Violent Heart features the murders of sex workers, and whilst the first case mentioned is recent, it soon becomes clear that these murders have been happening for many years. The murderer has their own trademark way of killing his victims. This is a case that produces many puzzles for Archer and Quinn, not least because of the influence of higher ranking police officers who try their best to ensure that this duo are not involved in most of the investigations. 

Whilst the murders are violent and tragic, there is absolutely no gratuitous violence in this story. In fact, what Fennell does so well is to make sure that the victims are all depicted as real humans, with families and lives, with hopes and dreams. For the reader, these are far more than just sex workers, these are people who have found themselves in situations that they couldn't see a way out of. 

The long-term misogyny of the police officers who led the historical investigations is exposed and is horrific. The treatment of the victims and their families and friends was horrendous and Archer is determined that this way of working will never be replicated. 

Tightly plotted, with many strands expertly woven together, I flew through this book in one day. Finding it difficult to put it aside for any length of time. Fennell's writing is enticing and compelling. He's at the top of the game for me. Highly recommended. 

David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast. 

He left for London at the tender age of eighteen and jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career as a writer in the software industry. 

He is the author of six books including the multi-award nominated SLEEPER series. 

His third novel, the bestselling THE ART OF DEATH, marked the beginning of a popular new crime series. 

David is also a screenwriter and has adapted one of his books for television. 

He is also the founder and director of the Beyond the Book Festival. 

David is married and lives in Brighton.

Find out more about him on Instagram (mrdavidfennell),  X (davyfennell), and FaceBook (DavidFennellAuthor).