After reading the previous books in this series I couldn't wait for this one !

A recently released predator waits at night for the seven-year-old girl he expects to arrive. Instead it is death that greets him in a very grisly manner and the case falls to Southend CID which includes DS Tomek Bowen, a good but flawed detective who still has nightmares about his lack of identification of his brother’s killer when he was a young boy. It’s not long before another ex-prisoner with a similar history of depraved crimes is found at his home, murdered in the same way. Most of the team feel these men got what they deserve, a view shared by the general public, but any murder has to be investigated and the idea that a vigilante is using a child to lure their victims is not a nice one in a case that touches everyone.
Along with the rest of the team, the rather complex character of Tomek slowly grew on me as the story progressed and we hear more about the events which have shaped his life as he juggles his dislike of his DI, his budding romance and this grim case with a twisty narrative and a shocking conclusion. By the end I really liked Tomek and his colleagues as they all proved their worth. A very good opening to a new series and I look forward to the next story.

Southend CID which includes DCI “Nasty Nick” Cleaves, DS Sean Campbell and DCs Chey Carter, Nadia Chakrabarti, Rachel Hamilton, Oscar Perez and Anna Kaczmarek have been joined by DI Victoria Orange and DC Martin Brown after the demise of DI Tony Hunt in the last story. Tomek is still plagued by feelings of guilt that he chose to chase a multiple murderer rather than try to save the dying man. Now suspended whilst under investigation for both this and a false accusation of sending indecent photos of himself to a teenager, his misery is compounded by the arrival of a hitherto unknown thirteen-year-old daughter Kasia. And things are a little fraught to say the least – she’s never had a father, only a drug addicted mother who is now in prison, and he has no idea how to look after her. It’s going to be a huge learning curve for both of them.
In order to return to work, Tomek does a deal with the devil but is almost instantly relegated to the sidelines of their new investigation due to a blatant racist. A nine-year-old girl has been kidnapped from outside her home on Canvey Island. Is it coincidence that her teacher who witnessed the abduction is the very same person to discover the child’s body some days later? Or could it be something to do with the overly protective uncle, the same person giving Tomek and Sean so much hostility? Events become more complicated when a second girl goes missing but it’s a strange case as the two victims are very different in every way except their identical deaths. The detectives are baffled and are making little headway as more people disappear. Will Tomek and the team be in time to prevent further deaths?
Tomek’s home life and problems run alongside this bizarre case as he battles to make progress on both fronts and we learn more about the rather complex character of the man and the events which have shaped his life. Victoria and Martin certainly prove to be great additions to the already strong and very likeable team, and there are lots of little moments of humour in this story to balance out the grim nature of their work. With an ending I didn’t see coming, this is an engrossing addition to the first story and I am already looking forward to reading book 3, Death’s Touch, out very soon.

It is now the run up to Christmas, the first one for DS Tomek Bowen as a father, and fortunately he and thirteen-year-old daughter Kasia are now getting on really well in their new home after their initial problems and since he has dealt with the bully who was making life intolerable for her. His whole life has changed and for the better too. However it won’t be a merry Christmas for the family of fifteen-year-old Lily Monteith, found dead in a park. The post mortem soon reveals to the solid and very likable team at Southend CID, which includes DCI “Nasty Nick” Cleaves, DI Victoria Orange, DS Sean Campbell and DCs Chey Carter, Nadia Chakrabarti, Rachel Hamilton, Oscar Perez, Anna Kaczmarek and newest member Martin Brown, that the teenager has been murdered with a very evil and targeted method. It’s not long before Tomek uncovers a previous case with sinister similar overtones and soon it appears that a killer has been honing their skills over a number of years. The team have to consider the awful probability that there will be more bodies if they don’t crack this case quickly but can Tomek convince them that he’s on the right track?
These are testing times, not only for Tomek but also for another member of the team, and this only serves to bring them all closer, both as colleagues and friends. Romance may even be in the air for some! It also gives Tomek the opportunity to prove how much he has grown up since Kasia’s arrival, although the humour is still present in droves between them all, particularly when discussing the now infamous Billy the Cow Fighter. There are plenty of twists and surprises throughout this story leading to a dramatic finish, and the clues are all there for the reader to beat the detectives to solving the case. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, each one in the series getting better and better, and I am looking forward to book four, Death’s Kiss, out next year.

MP Herbert Tucker was a really nasty piece of work, but just who considered him so bad that he deserved to be abducted from the council house car park, re-dressed in a homeless man’s clothes and murdered in a particularly horrible way? That’s the new case for the solid and very likable team at Southend CID, which includes Tomek, DCI “Nasty Nick” Cleaves, DI Victoria Orange, DS Sean Campbell and DCs Chey Carter, Nadia Chakrabarti, Rachel Hamilton, Oscar Perez, Anna Kaczmarek and Martin Brown, each with their very own distinct skill set which produces a highly efficient investigation. Whilst Tomek battles the nightmares about his brother’s murder 30 years ago, his teenage daughter Kasia is also struggling after her ordeal in the previous story and both will need help to lay those terrors to rest as he finds himself and his colleagues plunged into a very complicated case leading them to a vipers’ nest of suspects involving some high profile and apparently untouchable individuals. How long will it be until someone breaks their dark code of silence?
The comradery and humour are plentiful between all the detectives (Nick’s sighs in particular!) as they plough through mounds of evidence and seemingly fruitless leads in a gripping story with lots of twists and red herrings to fool the reader and an ending I didn’t see coming. The main characters are now firmly established and I can’t wait to see what happens to them all next!

A flight attendant working out of season in her sister-in-law’s jewellery shop goes for a night out to a club with three friends and has vanished. The shared taxi took her home but what happened after that? Could it be anything to do with one of her male admirers or the man she danced with who tried to spike her drink? This is the new case for DS Tomek Bowen, getting his first chance to be SIO. Of course, the reader has already heard little snippets from the killer, spending time with the woman to make her into a perfect angel. It’s not long before her body is found in an abandoned church, a neighbour alerted by the screams of three boys up to no good in there. It’s immediately clear to Tomek, Chey and Rachel, now joined by Oscar and Anna, that this is a very strange murder, since the body has been bizarrely posed and there’s a lot of blood. As the investigation opens up, more suspects come to light, including ex-boyfriends and an online stalker, and they discover there are lots of secrets surrounding Angelica’s life. One thing is certain – whatever her family may have thought, she was certainly no angel, but just who loved her to death?
Tomek is still haunted by events of thirty years ago when his brother Michal was murdered, and his nightmares are exacerbated by the fact that the jailed killer is sending him letters trying to strike up a friendship. Is Tomek now sure there was no second killer? Added to that, he has a teenage daughter to care for, the pressures of being in charge of a case and new pushy girlfriend Abigail who has just been promoted to editor of the Southend Echo is being demanding. There’s lots of humour to balance out the dark and disturbing nature of the crime, including one night out Tomek won’t forget in a hurry. This is a great series which gets better with every new story, and with the little teaser left for the reader at the end, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Since visiting his brother’s murderer in prison, Tomek’s nightmares have abated but he’s still in two minds as to whether or not he really saw a second killer, the mysterious Charlie in his dreams. Anyway, he has plenty to occupy his mind as the body of his favourite café owner Morgana has been discovered at a local tourist spot, the sunken Mulberry Harbour, held beneath the water and drowned. A man was seen standing over her body but ran before anyone could catch him. That’s the new case for the solid and very likable team at Southend CID, which includes Tomek, DCI “Nasty Nick” Cleaves (a father figure to Tomek despite their love/hate relationship), DI Victoria Orange, DS Sean Campbell, and DCs Chey Carter, Nadia Chakrabarti, Rachel Hamilton, Oscar Perez, Anna Kaczmarek and Martin Brown, each with their very own distinct skill set which produces a highly efficient investigation. Soon after, one key witness reports a stalker and another one is found dead and, with Nick suspended after links to a previous case, the pressure is on the rest of the team to find a motive for the murder and a decent suspect. Can Tomek battle through all the lies to finally reach the truth about Morgana’s death?
Tomek might have thought he was dealing better with his brother’s death thirty years ago but the old wounds are immediately reopened when he gets a tormenting letter from HMP Wakefield. Meanwhile he still sometimes struggles with understanding his newly discovered teenage daughter and balancing life with new girlfriend reporter Abigail as well. The team also feels divided now Victoria and Sean are an item, with Victoria creating a strained atmosphere, however the comradery and humour are still plentiful between all the detectives (I do like Oscar in particular!) as they plough through more bodies and seemingly fruitless leads in a gripping story with lots of twists and surprises and a grisly exciting ending. Having got to know the main characters so well now and left with a little teaser, I can’t wait to see what happens to them all next!

Awesome collection, thank you ☺️

Halfway through and as good as the previous 3

Have read 1 and 2 and all good !