Holding by Graham Norton.

Follow Sergeant PJ Collins as he tries to solve the mystery behind the body uncovered by builders in Duneen, a village in rural Ireland.

This is not a regular mystery or crime thriller novel. I found the plot very lacking. The story is told in the same style that Graham uses at the start of each of his television chat shows. Yes, it is witty and very pleasant but is awfully polite and never hits hard. Graham builds his story by developing the police investigation along the lines of a romantic comedy. The whole novel is soft and more like a situation comedy, for all the wrong reasons. This story does not grab your imagination and is very easy to put down.

Characterization is fair and it is nice the characters are ordinary people rather than glamorous style icons. Fans of crime thrillers will be disappointed in the police work of solving the mystery of the body. Forensics do not play much of a part but cosy chats between Sergeant PJ Collins and the villagers saves the day.

I found Holding rather weak and I got little enjoyment from reading this book. The whole plot was flimsy and when everything was solved, I was disappointed by the shallowness of the story. This is Graham’s debut novel and I feel that had it been by an unknown author, it would not have been published. Graham Norton is a successful television presenter and is very good at that job but his novel is a big disappointment. This book should sell well because of his name, think lazy Christmas presents for people who enjoy his television chat shows. I found this book a POOR read and can only vote it 2 stars. Don’t give up the day job Graham because there are plenty of good debut mystery novels out there but yours is not one of them.

Holding is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2016.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

Sleeping Dogs (DI Spicer Book 7) by Chris Simms.

Sleeping Dogs is not your usual crime thriller and this time the investigation is about DI Jon Spicer’s family, in the broader sense. Although this is the 7th book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This novel focuses on dogs and also takes DI Jon Spicer, in his own free time, on an adventure in rural Ireland.

This book is different and covers a lot of ground. Fans of crime thrillers should enjoy it because of the plot and the strong characterisation. Dog lovers should also enjoy it because it is so in tune with the emotions you get from owning a dog. If like me you have a dog and day dream about crime thrillers whilst walking your pet, then Sleeping Dogs is right up your street.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sleeping Dogs and I thought the balance of characters, dogs, family, plot and rural Ireland was right. I liked the research Chris did for his book and the use of a rare-breed dog that I have never heard of but is very real.

I found Sleeping Dogs a very entertaining read and Chris is on top form. This book was very engaging and with Chris’s use of local spoken English in rural Ireland - the dialogue made it so real - because that is how people speak and made this book a delight to read. Sleeping Dogs is a very good book and I vote it the top score of 5 stars. The epilogue has a good, tail wagging ending and I also liked the section “The ideas behind the story”.

Sleeping Dogs is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2014.

The Casual Killer (Frank McKenzie Mysteries Series Book 1) by Luis Samways.

Fifteen bodies are found murdered in one Boston home and Detective Frank McKenzie is on the case to catch the killer.

The Casual Killer is far from your average crime/thriller. Frank McKenzie is a cop who bends the rules to get the job done. This novel has an unusual plot when you consider the motives involved.

The story develops at a good pace and you try to work out how things are going and maybe slot together. But then you start to think that the whole plot and action are a little far fetched. More killings take place and the story moves up into top gear. Just as you start to join up the dots the novel quickly ends and you are left thinking “what the ???” and resign yourself to the opinion “oh well, that’s America for you”.

I found The Casual Killer to be a GOOD book which pulls away from the ordinary crime/thriller. Luis has taken great risks with his central character Frank McKenzie, a far fetched plot and lots of questionable violence. But it is a thought provoking read and given the violent everyday scenes throughout America, it questions the culture behind the many killings making the news.

So I vote this book 4 stars for being a GOOD read. It has it’s faults but entertains by being so refreshingly different from those check-sheet police procedurals, where skilled team work solves the crime.

The Casual Killer is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2014.