Today I am kicking off the Blog Tour for THE HITCHHIKER. This is book 29 in the Detective Jason Smith series and WOW what a brilliant read it is I was hooked from the very first page.
THE HITCHHIKER
Format – Kindle
Publisher – STILL BOOKS
Publication Date – 29th August 2024
Genre – Crime thriller, mystery and suspense
Author – Stewart Giles
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From bestselling author: Stewart Giles comes another brilliant addition to the Detective Jason Smith series.
In the wake of a global pandemic, nobody in their right mind would pick up a hitchhiker.
But what if this hitchhiker is already in your car?
Detective Sergeant Jason Smith has his hands full trying to come to terms with huge changes in his home life, so when he hears about a gruesome double murder, he’s happy for the distraction.
But what he finds in the car, a stone’s throw from his house is beyond comprehension. A man and a woman have been beaten so badly they no longer have faces.
No sooner has the investigation into their murders begun, another victim is taken in her car, and her injuries are much, much worse.
Smith is baffled. And when another victim is murdered he reluctantly agrees to be the face of a public appeal warning drivers not to pick up hitchhikers.
But this hitchhiker is different – this one doesn’t grab a ride by the side of the road, and this one is hell bent on killing until someone says otherwise.
My Review
A brilliant new addition to the Detective Jason Smith series and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. So many twists and turns it was a real roller coaster of a read. Absolutely loved it.
The book starts with the horrific murder of a couple in a car and it doesn’t stop there. Someone is killing people in cars. First thoughts is it is a hitchhiker but it soon becomes clear that that is not the case this sadistic killer has an agenda and he won’t stop until he has his goal. In the meantime the innocent deaths are collateral damage.
This is one of the hardest cases Smith has come across. There are no clues and the team spend a lot of time chasing false leads. Red herrings are there in abundance. Will this be the case that beats the brilliant Jason Smith?
As always the personalities of the characters play a big part in the story. Characters we know and love continue to develop and even this far into the series there is still a lot to know about them.
Another gripping read with a totally unexpected ending. Definitely 5 stars from me.
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey, the Detective Liam O’Reilly series. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
Website: www.stewartgiles.com
Twitter: @stewartgiles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33
BOOKS BY STEWART GILES
DS JASON SMITH SERIES
Book 0.5 – Phobia
Book 1 – Smith
Book 2 – Boomerang
Book 3 – Ladybird
Book 4 – Occam’s Razor
Book 5 – Harlequin
Book 6 – Selene
Book 7 – Horsemen
Book 8 – Unworthy
Book 9 – Venom
Book 10 – Severed
Book 11 – Demons
Book 12 – Deadeye
Book 13 – Motive
Book 14 – Australia
Book 16 – Wishbone
Book 17 – Ghosts
Book 18 – The Scarecrow
Book 19 – The Bluesman
Book 20 – The Librarian
Book 21 – The Viaduct
Book 22 – The Twin
Book 23 – The Dogwalker
Book 24 – The Flytrap
Book 25 – The Electrician
Book 26 – The Cellar
Book 27 – The Loner
Book 28 – The Painter
DI O’REILLY MYSTERIES
Book 1 – Blood on the Island
Book 2 – Lies on the Island
Book 3 – Fear on the Island
Book 4 – Malice on the Island
Book 5 – Revenge on the Island
Book 6 – Christmas on the Island
Book 7 – Silence on the Island
Book 8 – Secrets on the Island
Book 9 – Chaos on the Island
Book 10 – Sadness on the Island
Book 11 – Danger on the Island
Book 12 – Evil on the Island
Book 13 – Fire on the Island
DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1-The Beekeeper
Book 2-The Perfect Murder
Book 3-The Backpacker
Trotterdown a box set of DC Harriet Taylor books 1-3
DS JASON SMITH &DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1 – The Enigma
Book 2 – Dropzone
Book 3 – The Raven Girl
Trilogy: The DS Smith & Harriet Taylor box set
THE MIRANDA TRILOGY (psychological thrillers)
Miranda
Mistress
Medusa
STANDALONE NOVELS
Horror – The Divide
Thriller – The Ghostwriter
Thriller – The Guests
