Each day this week I have shared my review of each of the 4 books in the Detective Markham Mystery series by Catherine Moloney which is being republished by Joffe Books. Today as a finale I have pulled together the previous 4 posts into 1 final ‘series’ post.
CRIME IN THE CHOIR
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A FIERCELY ADDICTIVE CRIME THRILLER WITH BEAUTIFULLY DRAWN CHARACTERS
Discover a nail-biting new series.
Please note this book was first published as “A Walking Shadow”
Two skeletons are discovered in the grounds of St Mary’s Choir School. This was not a centuries-old Christian burial. They are wearing modern-day clothes and there is evidence of foul play. Consecrated land has been sadistically violated.
Detective Inspector Gilbert Markham is a rising talent of the Bromgrove police force. He is on the trail of the murderer, when another life is brutally claimed. Who is the savage killer lurking in this innocent place?
DI Markham and his team are met with intense hostility when they step up their operation. Is this just local panic? Or are they about to stumble into a web of corruption which runs deeper than they could have ever anticipated?
DI MARKHAM FACES A RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE HIS GIRLFRIEND FROM BEING THE NEXT VICTIM.
My Review
This is book 1 in the Markham mystery series. 20 years earlier 3 boys went missing and Mike Bamber was working the case. Only one body was found and nobody was charged with the crime. 20 years later Mike Bamber has retired with the case of the missing boys continuing to haunt him – the one that got away.
Olivia is a teacher and is contacted by St Marys Choir School with the offer of a job. The school is based in an old building next to the Cathedral. Work is being carried out around the Cathedral and the bodies of 2 boys are found. DI Markham and DS Noakes are handed the case. Markham is in a relationship with Olivia but keeps it quiet to prevent being taken off the case.
It soon becomes clear that Mike’s cold case has reared its head. Can Markham succeed where Mike failed? What exactly is going on at the Choir School? I had to keep turning the pages to find the answers.
I love Noakes he is big, brash and honest but underneath that lies a very compassionate man who is able to connect to people on many levels. Markham is a bit more reserved but still a realistic well built character.
It is clear from the beginning that the dead children have brought back memories he has kept well hidden. This makes him more determined to solve the case. He and Noakes are a very effective team and Markham has deflected all attempts to split up their partnership.
This is a bit slow going in the early part as the scene is set and the characters develop but it still holds the readers interest as the intrigue builds.
I am looking forward to reading book 2.
CRIME IN THE SCHOOL
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A HEART-STOPPING CRIME THRILLER WITH A TWIST THAT YOU WON’T SEE COMING
A VIOLENT KILLER IS TERRORIZING BROMGROVE
Please note this book was first published as “Blood Will Have Blood”
Handsome teacher, Ashley Dean is brutally murdered at Hope Academy, a local school. It’s known as a rough place, but gossip blames the violence on a deranged intruder.
DI Markham’s instincts say otherwise. Could this brutality have been the work of a student? Could there even be a connection with the staff? It seems unthinkable. After all, DI Gilbert Markham’s girlfriend Olivia teaches English at the school.
Markham’s team probe deeper and the local community begin to turn against Markham. Somebody in a position of power is hiding appalling information. More blood will be spilt before their secrets are laid bare.
DI MARKHAM MUST FIGHT TO SAVE HIS GIRLFRIEND’S SCHOOL FROM A BRUTAL KILLER
My Review
This is book 2 of 4 and I would recommend reading this mini series in order as most of the character building and history takes place in book 1.
This book is faster paced than book 1. Olivia, again, plays a major part in this book as she discovers the first victim. As the bodies seemingly appear in places you wouldn’t expect Markham is once again caught up in a race against time to find the killer before he loses the case.
Just who is it who is murdering people who have hurt nobody? And why? As Markham and his team get down to searching for clues something turns up that causes a rift in his relationship with Olivia. Struggling to cope without the love of his life and the Chief trying to steer him in the wrong direction will Markham be able to clear his head and uncover the secrets of the staff at the school.
A good addition to the series and looking forward to reading book 3
CRIME IN THE CONVENT
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A RACE-AGAINST-TIME CRIME THRILLER WITH A DEVASTATING CLIMAX
Please note this book was first published as “Night’s Black Agents”
DI GILBERT MARKHAM FACES HIS MOST DISTURBING CASE YET
Sister Felicity does not return to her room after prayers. The nun is found strangled in the confessional box. She is only the first of St Cecilia’s faithful to meet a gruesome end.
The killer will not stop until this place of God is destroyed.
It is up to DI Gilbert Markham and his loyal deputy DS Noakes to stop the murderer. Cruel secrets come to light which force Markham’s girlfriend Olivia to face her own past. The body count in the monastery continues to rise, and once again, a violent evil proves devastatingly close to home.
WHAT IS THE HORRIFIC PAST THAT LIES BEHIND THE AWFUL MYSTERY OF SAINT CECILIA’S?
My Review
This is book 3 of 4 and I am really getting to know the characters. Markham is still a little insecure regarding his relationship with Olivia. Noakes is still the loveable brash individual and the newer team members continue to develop workwise and personality wise.
This book brings Noakes wife into the story and the reader is treated to a strong woman who likes to move in the higher circles and dresses accordingly. Trying to coach her husband to match up is a battle I doubt she will win. Her links with the church make her part in the story work very well.
Why are nuns and monks being murdered? This is the main question and as the body count increases Markham and his team are baffled. The clues are very well hidden and the team are, as usual, up against it to try to solve the case.
It has become the norm for Olivia to be caught up in the middle of the murders and this book continues that theme.
Another interesting read.
Book 4 – CRIME IN THE HOSPITAL
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A TIGHTLY-PLOTTED CRIME THRILLER WITH AN EXPLOSIVE ENDING
Please note this book was first published as “A Mind Diseased”
DI GILBERT MARKHAM FACES A VICIOUS KILLER IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
Dr Warr’s decayed corpse is found in the woods. He worked at the local psychiatric hospital, but vanished over a year ago without a trace. People blamed his disappearance on a mental breakdown.
There have always been whispers about Newman Hospital. Staff brutality, deliberate misdiagnosis. DI Gilbert Markham and his right-hand man, DS Noakes begin asking questions. They are met with a chilling silence. It seems the people in power know more than they are letting on.
Another staff member is found in the annals of the hospital, strangled to death. How many more victims will be claimed before the vengeful killer is found?
DS Kate Burton, will fight for her life as Markham tries to stop the bloodshed.
WILL THE TEAM MAKE IT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL ALIVE?
My Review
This is the final book in the Detective Markham mini series.
A body is found and it turns out to be the body of a doctor who disappeared from a Mental Hospital a year earlier. It was assumed the disappearance was the result of depression and that he had made a new life elsewhere or committed suicide. Tests reveal neither of these was the case and he was in fact murdered.
Markham is tasked with investigating that and also a ‘secret’ investigation involving corruption. As is usual when Markham is around more bodies turn up and the team is up against time to crack the case before more people lose their lives.
A steadily moving detective series that keeps the readers’ interest as we follow the investigation around the twists, turns and lies all the way to the surprising ending.
What readers are saying about Catherine Moloney’s books
“Gripped from the start!” Curly
“A beautifully crafted book coming to a resolute finish” Rob
“Utterly believable characters, beautifully described” Jacqueline
DISCOVER A BRILLIANT NEW BRITISH CRIME MYSTERY SERIES
The Detectives
DI GILBERT (‘GIL’) MARKHAM
DI Markham is a startlingly talented detective rising through the ranks of Bromgrove CID. He is distant and austere — the product of a profoundly difficult childhood — but has a natural magnetism which inspires loyalty. He clashes with his slippery boss, DCI Sidney, who prioritises the force’s public image.
DS GEORGE (‘NOAKESY’) NOAKES
DS Noakes is a slobbish, uncouth and outspoken Yorkshireman, an object of despair to his superiors. He is, however, also a man of hidden depths, with a sensitive streak and a secret flair for ballroom dancing. Markham sees through his philistinism and they form an unstoppable partnership.
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR GILBERT MARKHAM SERIES
Book 1: CRIME IN THE CHOIR – The Markham Mysteries 1 of 4: Crime in the Choir
Book 2: CRIME IN THE SCHOOL – The Markham Mysteries 2 of 4: Crime in the School
Book 3: CRIME IN THE CONVENT – The Markham Mysteries 3 of 4: Crime in the Convent
Book 4: CRIME IN THE HOSPITAL – The Markham Mysteries 4 of 4: Crime in the Hospital
