Last Request is the first in a new series by accomplished crime writer Liz Mistry featuring DS Nikita Parekh (Nikki). As this is the first book of hers I have read, I am wondering why I haven’t picked up any of her other books before now. What have I been doing and where have I been!? Nikki and her team are immediately called to the scene when human remains are discovered under Bradford’s derelict Odeon car park. Busy Nikki has also been keeping her young nephew out of trouble and she is relieved when the investigation is transferred to the Cold Case Unit, so she can focus on her family. But after the identity of the victim is revealed, she’s drawn back into the case. The dead man is a direct link to her painful past. As the body count begins to rise, Nikki must do everything she can to find the killer before anyone else gets hurt – even if it means digging up untold secrets. As is usual in a new series, this first book sets up the recurring characters and though there seemed to be an abundance of them, I didn't feel too overwhelmed! The author's descriptions of the setting were impressive and the pacing was spot on. There was always plenty going on and there was certainly never a dull moment. Liz Mistry, a seasoned crime writer, clearly knows how to write a story that is compelling, entertaining and all-consuming, with characters that I grew to love. Although it was a wee bit slow in the beginning, the author’s characterisation was brilliant. I really took to Nikki who was feisty, bold, vulnerable and flawed, yet always real. Nikki's partner-in-crime, DC Sajid Malik, also left an impression on me; he was caring, straight-talking and protective; a gay man living with his boyfriend, Langley, who ought to have been blissfully contented but is living a double life. I really appreciated the banter between Nikki and Sajid and I loved the way Liz Mistry's clever use of the Yorkshire dialect helped bring the story to life. All of the characters had a great part to play, whether or not they were likeable and all had plenty of audacity and spirit. Although Nikki was the main protagonist, I loved that some of the chapters were written from the killer's perspective, as this allowed the reader a glimpse into an ever darkening mind and hear the chilling voice of a true sadist. Liz Mistry delivered an unrestrained and exuberant story of drama in this clever police procedural - a toxic concoction of harboured secrets, menace, evil and familial dysfunction. Taut and compelling, it was a cracking story and a book that I revelled in all the way through. It brought no disappointments and the clever plotting enabled me to fully grasp the situation and motivations of the protagonists. The masterful twists paved the way for an enthralling denouement. I would love to read more from this gifted story-teller and I am delighted to recommend this book I received a complimentary copy of this novel from HQ Digital via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion. Thank you also to Pigeonhole and Liz Mistry for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

3.5* This is the first outing for DS Nikki Parekh, so the author takes her time to introduce this new character, a woman of dual heritage, who has a blended family and certain family members who need keeping in check. She struggles financially and the author does a good job of painting a woman on her uppers, determined to get through life against severe odds. Of course being in the police force is a hard job in itself, let alone the other issues with which Parekh is faced. The book opens with a woman dying of Aids, back in 1983 and there is already a hint that she was the victim of a serial criminal, whose mission it was to infect others. She is being tended by her daughter and the whiff of decay surrounding the woman is starkly palpable. Grim, in fact. Parekh is called to excavations in the city, the car park of the old cinema, which have reveal a skeleton which looks to be 10 years old and it becomes all too clear that the skeletal remains are very close to home. There are several strands which keeps the story hopping, though it could feel a little choppy at times. What I really struggled with was the audiobook narration. The voice is absolutely pertinent to the storyline but sometimes – I assume at the end of lines or at page breaks from which the actor was reading – there would be a fraction of a pause as her eyes moved from one side to the other, which just broke the flow; once spotted (early on) it became just too irritating and marred the story for me. Objectively I could appreciate this novel for the gritty read it was and therefore would suggest picking up the written version, steering away from the audible.

DS Nikita Parekh is investigating a case where skeletal remains were found under an old car park. She always thought her husband had left her and returned to his family. But she soon discovers that the skeletal remains she's investigating are her husbands. This is one of these stories that starts odd slow. But the more you read the faster the pace gets. It's also one off these stories that the more you read the better it gets. The background story outlays just who Nikita really is. Her family is dysfunctional and she is just s little bit feisty. There is quite a lot of characters to get your head round. As the body count rises., Nikita must get closure on this case. I liked the banter between Nikita and her partner, Sajid. The story is action packed. I was kept guessing throughout this book. The ending, I really liked. This is my first Liz Mistry book but it won't be my last. I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ Digital and the author Liz Mistry for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Author Liz Mistry might be an accomplished crime writer but this is the first book of hers I have read, I am now wondering why I haven’t picked up her work beforehand. Last Request is the first in a new series featuring DS Nikita Parekh (Nikki). She has a tough job as well as trying to raise two children alone and look after her extended family, especially her easily lead nephew, plus an increasing list of bills to pay and not enough money to go around. The book opens with the death of a woman from Aids in 1983 after she was infected by someone who has infected numerous other males and females and is currently in court. The woman’s child is there looking after her and before she takes her last breath the woman wants her child to remember to do something for her. The opening scene had me hooked and I couldn’t wait to jump straight into the story which had moved to the present day. Nikki has been called to a derelict car park that belonged to the local cinema in Bradford. Whilst building works were being carried out skeletal remains were found. The remains are over ten-years-old so the case is passed onto the cold case’ department, unfortunately, that isn’t the last Nikki will have to do with the remains as her past comes crashing into the present and secrets start unravelling. Nikki knows that she has a killer to find but can she before many more get killed? As I said the prologue had me hooked and I flew through the book eager to know more. I always love a crime thriller when we get to hear snippets from the killer, it helps to try to put the pieces of the puzzle together and work out the suspect before the book reveals the answer.