Good morning! Today I am thrilled to share with you my review of THE PREDATORS by Tony J Forder. This is book 2 in the brilliant Detective Royston Chase series and is a gripping read from the first page to the last.
THE PREDATORS (Detective Royston Chase #2) by Tony J Forder
Format – Kindle
Publication Date – 15th May 2023
Genre – Crime thriller, mystery and suspense
Author – Tony J Forder
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The return of DS Royston Chase and DC Claire Laney.
The frozen corpse of a female hiker discovered on snow-covered downs presents DS Royston Chase, DC Claire Laney, and Trainee DC Alison May with a fresh murder case to investigate.
The more the body thaws the more it reveals, and as the investigation gathers momentum hopes are dashed of an early and successful outcome. It soon becomes clear that the victim and her killer were not the only ones on the hillside when the murder occurred, and the police are desperate to locate everybody who was.
But when the operation is interrupted by a series of related abductions, with all witnesses swiftly falling under suspicion, Chase realises that their case is far more complex than any of them could ever have imagined…
Early reviews for The Predators.
‘A brilliantly written, very different crime read. Most certainly one to remember. Stunning doesn’t do it justice. 10* if I could.’
‘A fast paced, adrenaline pumping read that keeps the reader gripped all the way through to the totally heart racing ending.’
‘Chase, Laney and trainee Alison May have developed really well as characters, and the ending is tremendous and exciting.’
‘The story is riveting and as I have said, the characters are wonderful. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.’
‘It’s hard to know how you could follow up such a great starting book with one of equal measure. Well Tony has done it with this one and incredibly to me, even surpassed that quality.’
‘To say I read this is a complete misnomer. I think devour is a more appropriate term.’
‘In all honesty, I can’t really do this justice. Safe to say, it’s a big thumbs up from me.’
‘Love Royston and Claire. I thought Tony’s Bliss was top of my character list, but Royston may well have to share the podium.’
‘Tony has a rare skill of getting the reader invested early with both plot and characters, His characterisation is second to none.’
‘Well researched and brilliant story line from a brilliant storyteller.’
‘Not to be missed.’
‘This is turning out to be a must-read crime series for fans of this genre.’
What did readers think of The Huntsmen, book #1 in the series?
‘Very keen to see more of Royston and Claire as they are a brilliant pairing and are a breath of fresh air in the world of detective novels.’
‘As a fan of Bliss, it is was impossible not to initially draw comparisons between the two, but after a couple of chapters, I was hooked into the plot and had forgotten about Bliss, Chandler & co.’
‘What a great story and what a superb storyteller Tony is.’
‘What a ripper of a read and just first class.’
‘A fantastic read from Tony J Forder, the author of the very successful DI Bliss series.’
‘Wow! What an amazing start to a new series.’
‘This is bound to be a surefire hit and I’m sure Tony will get a new batch of fans as a result. It certainly would be well deserved. I cannot wait to see what is in store next for Chase and Laney.’
‘Oh what a treat, what a delight!’
‘Tony has a talent- a rare and wonderful thing for making characters come alive very quickly and making them real.’
‘I can’t wait for the next one. Love Royston.’
What readers have to say about the author:
“Fans of Michael Connelly’s Detective Harry Bosch are going to love this series!”
“The author is hugely talented and ranks, in my opinion, with the likes of Peter James and Val McDermid.” Maggie James – bestselling author
“Just a word of warning – prepare to be in tears, on the edge of your seat and gobsmacked in equal measure. A triumph!” Liz Mistry – bestselling author
Review
This is book 2 in the DS Royston Chase series and is a brilliant addition to the series but would work perfectly as stand alone.
It is very cold and bleak on the downs when the body of a young woman is found. Chase is forced to change his opinion on what happened as the body thaws and the forensic results come in. Identification is difficult but when they have a possible identification they realise there is much more to this murder than they first thought. The Victim is one of a group who were camping that night but as they try to trace the other campers they seem to have gone missing.
The case becomes more complex as it appears the only campers that were on the downs that night that are not missing are students at a high class college and the college and their parents are keen to ensure they do not say too much. What are they hiding? As the investigation goes down many blind alleys with lots of twists and turns the truth turns out to be a total shock to everyone involved.
A fast paced, adrenaline pumping read that keeps the reader gripped all the way through to the totally heart racing ending.
I love how the characters continue to develop and obviously still have so much more to give. I am very much looking forward to the next book in this stunning series.