Good morning. Very happy to be able to share my review of DEAD TOWN as part of the Book Tour. Dead Town is book 3 in the brilliant Hume and Raine series and is a gripping read I really enjoyed.
DEAD TOWN
Format – Kindle
Publisher – Joffe Books Mystery, Crime Thriller, Suspense
Publication Date – 17th September 2024
Genre – Crime thriller, mystery and suspense
Author – Max Manning
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AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING BRITISH CRIME THRILLER FULL OF TWISTS.
Melissa Clarke digs up London’s unsolved crimes. Her blog is called Deadtown. Now she’s dug up something that got her killed.
Detective Mary Hume stares at the crime scene in confusion. She’s in an empty flat. Peeling wallpaper. A bloodstained chair in the middle of the room.
But no body.
Her sergeant hands her a burner phone. On it is a video clip. A woman is tied to the chair in the flat, a carving knife pressed to her throat. As Mary watches in horror, the blade flashes across the woman’s exposed skin. She slumps forward, lifeless.
A piece of cardboard has been placed on the woman’s lap. Written on it in blood-red is one word: DEADTOWN.
The woman in the video is Melissa Clarke. A true crime blogger famous for investigating London’s most notorious cold cases.
Just what did Melissa dig up that got her killed?
My Review
Although this is book 3 in the Raine and Hume series it does work perfectly as stand alone.
Raine is a Detective but due to a traumatic event is currently working as a Private Investigator. She has a strange relationship with Mary Hume. Grief binds them together and also keeps them apart. But fate and crime make sure that they have to keep working through their issues and it makes an interesting back story that brings another dimension to the stories.
This story is gripping from the start the detective department has a video of a crime but when they get to the crime scene there is no body and no evidence of a crime. However, the victim is missing. It seems someone is playing a game and it is not just with them.
As the story progresses it takes all Hume’s skills and resources to keep digging for clues and Raine plays a big part. With Hume on the inside and Raine on the outside both they and their respective colleagues are in a race against time to find out what is going on and if the murder victims are actually dead.
Intrigue and suspense by the bucket load. Add in red herrings and false leads and this becomes a gripping adrenaline pumping thriller that I couldnt put down.
Love the characters. Love the stories and absolutely love the book. Definitely 5 stars from me. Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance digital copy.
STEPHEN WILLIAMS
Stephen lives in rural North Yorkshire with his family. He splits his time between the brutal beauty of the Dales and the frenetic energy of London. He has written several crime novels, including the international bestseller Tuesday Falling. They also contain some good jokes.
He has also performed at the Leeds Playhouse, devised several ‘pop-up’ theatrical events and written lyrics for bands.
BOOKS BY STEPHEN WILLIAMS:
