Liz Mistry 2017 Bloodhound Books
The Blurb…
In a city that is already volatile, tensions mount after a Tory MP in Bradford Central is discredited leaving the door open for the extreme right-wing candidate, Graeme Weston, to stand in the resultant by-election.
However, Graeme Weston is not what he appears to be and with secrets jeopardising his political career, he must tread very carefully.
Meanwhile, a serial killer targets Asian men who lead alternatives lifestyles and metes out his own form of torture.
As DI Gus McGuire’s team close in, the deranged killer begins to unravel and in an unexpected twist the stakes are raised for Gus.
Are the murders linked to the political scandals or is there another motive behind them?
DI Gus McGuire and his team are back and this might be their toughest case yet.
Told over the course of a week (and I want to say in ‘real time’ as much as a book can be), this fast paced crime thriller had me hooked from the outset. DI Gus McGuire, struggling with his own demons, leads the investigation into the racially motivated murders in Bradford, where tensions are heightened by the canvassing of extreme right wing candidate – Graeme Weston.
This contemporary piece of fiction captures and magnifies the post Brexit / Trump swing where overt racism alongside hate crime are on the rise. The characterisation in this book is superb, from the damaged, but very likeable DI McGuire, haunted by past events and throwing himself into his job to hold everything together. Then there is the far right, the Albion First supporters, repulsive in their political agenda and shocking in their undisguised racism. The supporting cast of colleagues, friends and family develop nicely and as the story unfolds their characters evolve and their stories emerge. Meanwhile the murders are happening and the pressure mounts. As with much fiction there are secrets and lies and things are not always as they seem.
I enjoyed the way the story was told, in the most part in the third person narrative, with the exception of the killer, whose identity remains unknown until the end but who we hear from in the first person. Personally I didn’t work this one out until close to the end, I had a few suspects for sure, but this book kept me guessing until the reveal, after which everything concluded nicely for me, with nothing left unexplained. Delighted to have discovered a new crime series and huge thanks to Sarah @Bloodhoundbook and Liz Mistry @LizCrimeWarp for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour.
Now all I need to do is get the two previous books to find out exactly what did happen to DI Gus McGuire….
About the Author
As well as writing crime fiction, Liz is co-founder of and main contributor to The Crime Warp blog, which reviews all areas of crime fiction, interviews crime authors and participates in blog tours. She is the main publicist for the blog, using social media to promote their presence.
Liz is an ex teacher who has taught in inner city Bradford schools for over twenty years. Her husband of nearly 30 years is Indian and they have three children. They live in inner city Bradford and Liz likes to use the rich tapestry of her life in Bradford, combined with her Scottish heritage, in her writing.
In Sept 2017 she is starting a PHD In Creative Writing, researching crime fiction and social media.
Liz also teaches creative writing, specifically within the crime fiction genre.
Links:
Twitter : @LizCrimeWarp FB @LizMistrybooks email: lizmistryauthor@yahoo.co.uk
Blog: The Crime Warp Website : liz mistry crime writer
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