Today I am thrilled to be sharing my review of this brilliant debut by JUDI DAYKIN who is a new author to JOFFE BOOKS and I am sure this is an author we will be seeing more of in the future
UNDER VIOLENT SKIES an absolutely gripping crime thriller
Format – Kindle
Publisher – JOFFE BOOKS
Publication Date – 24th September 2020
Genre – Crime Fiction
Author – Judi Daykin
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DISCOVER A TALENTED NEW CRIME WRITER
SET UNDER THE BROODING SKIES OF NORTH NORFOLK. MEET SARA HIRST AS SHE SEARCHES FOR HER LOST FATHER AND FINDS THAT GREAT BEAUTY SOMETIMES CONCEALS GREAT VIOLENCE.
Detective Sara Hirst has moved from London to Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit. She wants to know the truth about her father, who has connections to the area. Her mother won’t tell her the real story.
A NEW JOB. A NEW PLACE. SAME OLD PROBLEMS.
Sara’s first call-out is to a decomposing body discovered in a ditch on a local farm. How does the murder relate to a recent spate of thefts? Who wanted the victim dead?
THEN THE CASE GROWS VERY PERSONAL . . .
Perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, JM Dalgliesh or Angela Marsons, this explosive debut will have you turning the pages till the stunning end.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT UNDER VIOLENT SKIES
“OMG, this was one of the best first books I have ever read.” Denise
“I loved this first book.” Greta
“A really good read.” Barbara
“Sara Hirst is a great character.” Nerys
“What an astonishing debut crime novel.” Hazel
THE DETECTIVE
In her mid-thirties, DS Sara Hirst has left a successful career in London’s Metropolitan Police Force and taken a new post in Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit. Unfortunately, her welcome on the team is far from warm, and Sara will have to work hard to prove herself when the discovery of a body on her first morning leads to all kinds of difficulties.
THE SETTTING
A patchwork of tiny rural villages, with quaint coastal seaside resorts and peppered by farms, on a bewildering network of small back lanes. There are no motorways here, and sometimes it feels like your nearest neighbour lives in Holland.
Bounded on one side by the Norfolk Broads and the Wash on the other, it’s greatest feature is the boundless skies. The weather changes before your eyes. To many, it seems like a fairytale, a cherished memory of childhood holidays. In reality, these are small hard-working communities, where people tend to mind their own business, and it’s easy to keep a dark secret.
My Review
I have been looking forward to reading this debut by Judi Daykin and I wasn’t disappointed.
Sara has moved to Norfolk to take up a new position in Norfolk’s Serious Crimes Unit but she has an ulterior motive: to find her father. Her Mother was against the move so Sara is pretty much alone and being coloured means she is even more alone in an area that is largely White-British but she is determined to prove her worth in the new team and also to uncover the mystery of why her father has never been a part of her life.
She walks into her new office to an atmosphere of resentment. Elle applied and was expected to get Sara’s job and the fact she was unsuccessful wasn’t brought to the team’s attention until Sara walked in.
Will Sara be able to hack her new life with so much against her?
This is a complex story with several strands to it which makes for a very gripping read as we learn how a simple mistake sets in motion a series of events that can only end badly. With shocks and revelations around every corner this story has more twists and turns than a roller coaster.
I did feel the characters were very complex and had difficulty getting into their heads but I am sure they will develop brilliantly over the course of the series.
A fantastic read. Thank you to the author and Joffe Books for the advance digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and not biased in any way.
Author Bio
Yorkshire born, Judi has lived, worked and made theatre in Norfolk for the last forty years. She completed her MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at the University of East Anglia (UEA), and her debut novel was shortlisted for the Little, Brown UEA writer’s prize in 2019.
‘I love the beautiful, vast skies and watery landscapes of Norfolk. Our home in a village on the north coast can feel wonderfully remote, even though the nearest town is only a few miles away. I can’t imagine living anywhere better than this.’
Judi is also a working actor, and has been known to twiddle the knobs on the sound desk for the variety shows at Cromer Pier. She runs her own theatre company, Broad Horizons, specialising in commissioning new plays recovering and retelling women’s stories.
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