Reviews

If it wasn't for pesky things like sleeping and work, I would have stayed in, binge reading this novel. It was hard to put down and I was itching to pick it back up when I did. I loved how we had murder upon murder in this novel and nothing was straightforward, I liked the corruption and how it all unravelled. The characters were great and really fleshed out, the new addition of Alicia Craig was good but I would have liked to see more of her. I felt she could have been a great substitute for Poppy - who I still miss! I love the dynamic of Steve Burt's team and how they all work together. The writing in this novel like the others is great, it's full of descriptions and every day's events I'd set out so well. These novels could literally play out on the TV, the information and descriptions combined create the perfect picture whilst reading. I always say it when reviewing this series but I honestly would and could watch a TV show based on these. Another terrific read, I'm looking forward to the next ( I hope there's a next).

As I was reading I thought how easily and successfully this could be turned into a popular TV series, partly due to the story and the quality of the writing. I believe this would appeal to many, and I highly recommend it.

The case is solved by a team of “misfits” who were on the way out of the job which just goes to show never judge a book by its cover! A great opener to the DCI Steve Burt series that definitely leaves you wanting more. This is the first book in a series of crime novels with this protagonist. For a first instalment, I found it to be very interesting, with a good and fast plot and a special idea. I look forward to the next adventures of the team.

It begins with a simple murder but quickly becomes a fascinating mixture of murder investigations, international crime syndicates, and political corruption in high places. John Reid offers here one of the most expansive, intricate, and imaginative crime fiction plots I’ve read in a long while and I’m only sorry I didn’t get to this novel sooner. It’s a cracking good read, especially for those of us who enjoy reading proper British crime mysteries and thrillers.

DCI Steve Burt runs Special Resolutions, an elite unit in the Metropolitan Police Force that specializes in investigating serious crime cases other units either can’t or don’t want to handle. The Special Resolutions Unit is something of a dumping ground for the Met’s most troublesome cases. Just when his commander hands Burt and his team an unsolved headless body murder case with few leads, someone murders DC Elsie Brown, a female detective in Norwich on the verge of retirement. When the Norwich police can’t make any headway on the case, Burt and the Special Resolutions Unit get handed that case too. Complicating things is Burt’s commander has put his name forward for a promotion to the Chief Superintendent’s job and head of CID at the Norwich Constabulary. So, besides taking on some difficult murder cases, Burt faces deciding about accepting the promotion, which entails moving himself and his family from London to Norwich. And his wife Alison, who has a thriving medical practice in London, isn’t immediately keen on the idea of moving.

While his team works on the headless body case in London, Burt and one of his top investigators, Matt Conway, head to Norwich to investigate Brown’s murder. They hardly get started on the case before another murder happens, this time a retired Norwich supervising detective Elsie Brown once worked for. Burt and Conway begin to suspect the murders are related and have something to do with a seven-year-old murder case that had long gone cold but that Elsie Brown had kept working on, unable to let it go.

The story moves back and forth between Burt’s murder investigations and the fortunes of two notorious London drug dealers, the brothers Andrew and David Black. They are forging an agreement with an Amsterdam-based drug kingpin that promises to propel the Black brothers to the top of the criminal heap in London drug and prostitution scene. As the story continues, an intersection develops between the illicit activities of the Black brothers and the murders that But and his Special Resolutions squad are investigating. The investigations become more and more complex and what began as two straightforward murder investigations grow more heads than Medusa.

I really like the Steve Burt character, a hard charging and logical thinking police investigator with excellent deductive skills who expertly guides his team towards solutions to some ever more complicated investigations. Burt’s family background and his struggle to decide whether to accept the offered promotion that Reid seasons the story with help develop Burt into a compelling, realistic, and multi-faceted character. But beyond DCI Burt, Reid gives us a host of other interesting, believable, and sometimes flamboyant characters. Two of my other favourite characters were Inspector Terry Harvey, an eccentric technical expert that often aids the efforts of Burt’s team and Burt’s admin assistant, Amelia “Poppy” Cooper, who is a competent police office but with a flair for dressing provocatively.

On balance, The Norwich Murders is a cracking good read sure to be enjoyed by fans of proper British crime mysteries and thrillers. Reid does fine work ratcheting the suspense as the story advances toward the satisfying conclusion, making it difficult to put the book down because you can’t wait to learn what happens next. I look forward to reading more of DCI Burt’s future adventures and catching up with some of those that came before this sixth book in the series.