Reviews: The Quiet Kill (57)
“Brilliant read”
(Paperback)
Another brilliant read.one of my favourite authors. A new detective Jamie Day on this first job in London comes across a dismembered body of a man.more victims followed. Will this culprit be caught? I enjoy reading all his books and I'm looking forward to reading his next book.a five star read.
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“New series, very readable”
(Paperback)
This is hopefully the start of a new series.
DC Jamie Day is driving down to London to start his new role in the Met, when he is diverted to a crime scene, even though he isn't starting until the next day. It is a dismembered corpse and the start of am intriguing investigation.
Jamie has to learn not only about London itself, but also has to get used to the team he is working with.
I found this well written and very readable and enjoyable. Plenty of murder!
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“Brilliant new detective series based in the 1980’s”
(Paperback)
Another excellent book from this talented author. Set in 1987 it follows young DC Jamie Day from his hometown of Lowestoft to the not so bright lights of London. Before he even arrives, he is sent to the scene of the discovery of a dismembered body at a quiet station. Totally out of his depth, he is on the back foot from the start and although his boss, Harry seems kind, others on the team apparently resent him. Thrown into a murder investigation that appears to involve the gay community at a time when AIDS was misunderstood and the fear of catching it was at its height. The story develops with some quite nauseating detail as we discover who the killer is quite early on and follow his dispicable ways of murder. Jamie meanwhile is trying to prove himself but finds himself naive and ignorant in this huge city with its sordid, hidden depths. A clever story that takes you right back to the 80’s and unlike the author I remember it rather more clearly. However, the decade that seems to me like yesterday was brought into harsh reality with its lack of technology that is now so vital to solving crime in the 21st century. A fast paced and extremely dark story that had me racing through it. I’m delighted that this is the first in a series featuring Jamie Day and can’t wait for the second.
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“A brilliant start to a new series”
(Paperback)
The Quiet Kill features a great cast of characters, a compelling mystery and the setting of London in the late 1980s. Jamie is a new recruit to the Met Police, fresh from his hometown in Suffolk, and he’s thrown into the mix of things when he’s called to a crime scene featuring a sawn up body. As another body is found, the team search for a link and try to discover who is responsible.
I love Robert Bryndza’s books and this police procedural was gripping from start to finish. The case kept me intrigued and I really enjoyed reading about London in the 80s, for all the city’s (and Met Police’s) faults.
The pacing is spot on, with clues slowly revealed to the team and to the reader, and I found myself really warming to Jamie and wanting him to prove himself. The book features a gritty plot and a difficult time period, particularly for gay men, but there are some lighter moments to balance things out.
Very much looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“The Quiet Kill”
(Paperback)
This is another of my go-to authors whose books I just snaffle up without reading the synopsis. And my trust in him is always rewarded as he has never let me down. This book was no exception to that and, joy of joys, it's the start of a new series to boot.. And... if all that wasn't enough, it's set in the 80s!
We first meet Det Jamie Day in 1987 on his first day working for the Met Police, having transferred from his seaside hometown. Actually, strictly speaking, he's not even crossed the threshold of the station, when he is diverted to the gruesome scene of a dismembered body. Talk about thrown in at the deep end! He was hoping to ease in gently, get to know his colleagues and superiors, learn how it all ticks, he didn't expect to be thrown into a major murder investigation on day one - but he's ready... he hopes! Well.. he better be cos one body becomes two and two swiftly becomes more and it starts to look like they have a serial killer on their patch...
I took to Jamie right from the off - he's a cracking character and, initially anyway, a bit of an underdog insofar as having to hit the ground running in a new place, working alongside new people. Some of whom welcome him, others notsomuch. Two of the good ones stand out - boss DCI Harry Dean and colleague WPC (it's the 80s remember) Tracy Steel - and I especially loved their interactions with Jamie and watching him learn from the two of them. Actually, that said, he also learned a lot from those who weren't initially on his side too, just in a different way.
Alongside and outwith the main crime to be solved, we also have other themes which were pertinent to the time in which the book is set. Attitudes to women, The AIDS crisis and homophobia. All seamlessly woven into the main story and characters. And then there's the crime and its perpetrator! The whys and hows of it all... don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything, even though we already know who from his parts which are inserted throughout the book. But I'll leave you to discover the whole grisly truth for yourself. It's quite graphic, and brutal, and pulls no punches, but also, when you do get to the end, wholly satisfying.
All in all, this was a cracking series opener, Jamie is a fabulous character, and I really can't wait to see what the author throws at him for next time!
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