Today I am sharing my review of A BRUTAL SEASON by Judi Daykin. This is book 3 in the gripping Detective Sara Hirst series and is perfect for any reader who likes Crime Fiction.
A BRUTAL SEASON (Detective Sara Hirst book 3)
Format – Kindle
Publisher – Joffe Books
Publication Date – 11th November 2021
Genre – Crime thriller, mystery and suspense
Author – Judi Daykin
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DISCOVER ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING CRIME THRILLERS YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR.
Detective Sara Hirst has moved from London to Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit.
Carnival week in Cromer. It’s been an easy-going summer for the Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit — until this morning.
The body of Daisy Shaw, the Carnival Queen, is discovered in a back alley, stretched out on the cobbles. Her long blonde hair lies matted and dishevelled around her head, her fingers clutch a sparkly plastic tiara.
Suspicion falls on the carnival crew, especially when it turns out that one of them is Daisy’s boyfriend.
The atmosphere in Cromer soon grows nasty. The town turns against the outsiders. The roads are closed. The town descends into chaos. And the murder detectives are right in the thick of it, trying to piece together what happened to Daisy.
The close-knit carnival community is all too used to prejudice and none too keen on helping the police.
Meanwhile, both Sara’s mother and boyfriend have bombshells to drop. Can Sara solve the case before anyone else gets hurt?
This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Rachel McLean, Rachel Lynch and Angela Marsons.
JUDI DAYKIN WAS LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA JOHN CREASEY NEW BLOOD DAGGER 2021!
READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF A BRUTAL SEASON:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Loved this . . . A brilliantly entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed and very much look forward to the next in the series. Stunning.” Nicki
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Love this series . . . This story unfolds with a lot of twists; I’m saying no more. I loved it and the super duper end. Till the next time.” Booklover Bev
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was my favourite DS Sara Hirst book so far. . . Really good and highly recommended!” Hannelore
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is a gripping thriller that gets readers turning each page until the end. The Sara Hirst character is well drawn as well. Amazing, I shall be returning to this author again most probably. Highly recommended.” Mary H.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What an enjoyable book . . . a real page-turner.” Paul
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 SETTING
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, its greatest feature is the boundless skies. The weather changes before your eyes. To many, it seems like a fairy tale, 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.
ALSO BY JUDI DAYKIN:
DS SARA HIRST SERIES
Book 1: UNDER VIOLENT SKIES
Book 2: INTO DEADLY STORMS
Book 3: A BRUTAL SEASON
Review
Detective Sara Hirst is back in this brilliant new addition to the series. Adrenaline pumping suspense, an unusual story that keeps you guessing all the way to the end and realistic well defined characters. What more could you ask for?
I have to admit I have never given much thought to the work that goes on behind the scenes for carnivals so this book was extra interesting in that it explained some of the workings. The setting is very much around the carnival area which put the focus onto the characters and the author made them very interesting and cleverly incorporated prejudices into the characters and the story.
I was gripped from the very first page and really enjoyed reading on as the story played out. Absolutely loved that for a change the ‘bad guys’ turned out to be good guys and visa versa.
A very different read from the norm and a thoroughly enjoyable one I cant waif for more in this series.
5 stars from me xx
JUDI DAYKIN
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.
BOOKS BY JUDI DAYKIN
DETECTIVE SARA HIRST SERIES:
-
UNDER VIOLENT SKIES
-
INTO DEADLY STORMS
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