ADVENT BOOK BLOG 23 – Dec-2018 (1) – The Burning Men (Ray Paterson #3) by Steve Parker #crimefiction #detective #TeamJoffeBooks @mrparkerspen @joffebooks

Day 23 of my Advent Book Blog and Christmas is fast approaching. Today belongs to book 3 in a series I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE by a talented author who was recently snapped up by the awesome JOFFE BOOKS. If you like gritty, realistic detective stories with unique characters then you will love this series as much as I do

THE BURNING MEN (Detective Ray Paterson #3) by Steve Parker

Available from AMAZON

Discover a crime thriller full of shocking twists by one of the most exciting new authors you’ll read this year.

A MAN IS BURNT AT THE STAKE IN A LONDON PARK. HIS SMOULDERING CORPSE IS A MESSAGE OF THE MOST VIOLENT KIND.

The man burnt alive is Davey Caine. He is the heir to the criminal empire created by his father, William ‘Billy’ Caine. Billy is a notorious and violent gangster with total control of South East London. But he’s not the man he used to be and the sharks smell blood in the water.

Detectives Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks must find the killer before Billy extracts his own brand of justice. They find themselves drawn ever deeper into London’s underworld.

The streets explode into violence and the body count rises. Men are shot and burned alive in a tit-for-tat power struggle between rival gangs.

Detectives Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks find themselves trying to control men of extreme viciousness. Men who have no fear of the law and its consequences and who are unafraid to kill anyone who stands in their way — including police detectives.

Paterson is stunned when he’s offered the chance to stop the conflict dead in its tracks. If he ignores it, the mayhem continues. If he takes it, there will be a price to pay.

What he doesn’t know is that the price will come with hidden and devastating consequences.

ON THE STREETS OF LONDON, A SIMMERING GANG WAR IS ABOUT TO ERUPT WITH PATERSON AND CLOCKS CAUGHT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

This is the third in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.

Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a ‘climber’.

Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains to become a first-class thief taker with the Met police. However, his childish attitude has short-circuited his career and he spends his days antagonising as many people as he can.

My Review

Firstly, thank you to Joffe Books for the advance digital copy of this book. This is my unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paterson and Clocks are back so I settled down for a few hours of adrenaline pumping reading and I was not disappointed. Steve Parker is not for the faint-hearted but if you love the grit and gore of crime fiction then this is an author that is right up your street.

The story begins with a man being burned alive. He is soon revealed to be the son of a gangster and so begins a war to gain control of the London underworld. Paterson and Clocks are not amused and set out to bring an end to the violence by whatever means they see fit.

I do love this pair. They balance each other out perfectly and we get to know them a little more each book and they are balance by other team members who we also get to know more about.

Humour, corruption, drugs, violence, twists, turns and curve balls this book has it all. An absolutely brilliant read ticked all my boxes and I am now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

What the bloggers thought:

Black Books Blog

Overall I loved this book, although it may be a bit gruesome for some people. The story had me hooked throughout as I tried to work out how the two of them would stop the murders. I also really like the chemistry between Paterson and Clocks, and they way they work together and bring the best out of each other is brilliant. Read more here

Books From Dusk Till Dawn

This story builds in momentum at every chapter with the two detectives pushing to the ultimate limit of the law and beyond. The story line was superb with an outcome that I didn’t guess, but I must admit that the ending tickled me in some twisted way. A cracking book, I must read more of this pair of detectives, they have me intrigued. Read more here

Linda Strong Book Reviews

This is the third in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth. This easily reads as a stand alone, but there are just a few spoilers from the first two books. As always, I recommend starting at the very beginning. Read more here

Ginger Book Geek

Oh my giddy aunt ‘The Burning Men’ is one hell of a fantastic book that had me on the edge of my seat all the way through. The story starts in such a way that I am not likely to forget in a hurry. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. The author tempts you into the book and then refuses to let you go. Read more here

Joanna Larum’s Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed the story to the point where I forgot to cook a meal – very unlike me! I am left on tenterhooks waiting for the next one in the series! Read more here

On The Shelf Reviews

This a real gritty and gruesome novel! So much is pack into It’s pages, brutal and bonkers gangsters, kidnapping and stomach churning murder! Read more here

THE AUTHOR
Steve Parker is a retired police officer who served for 20 years in numerous high-profiles squads.

THE SETTING
Bermondsey is an area of London nestled on the banks of the River Thames. It once had a reputation for housing more armed robbers, murderers and career criminals than anywhere else in the country. Now one of the most upmarket places to live and work in London, it has all but severed itself from its working-class roots. Home to the iconic Tower Bridge and crammed with expensive apartments, art galleries, fancy restaurants and famous residents. But for the police, those who truly know, Bermondsey never lost its roots . . . or its reputation.

DETECTIVE RAY PATERSON
Book 1: THEIR LAST WORDS
Book 2: THE LOST CHILDREN
Book 3: THE BURNING MEN