What We Thought:
This is a great debut novel in what promises to be a series of mysteries involving a Sheffield-based detective called DS Adam Tyler.
The remains of a wealthy and unpopular businessman are found bricked up in the wall of the Old Vicarage in a quiet Yorkshire town. The man had disappeared six years previously in mysterious circumstances.
DS Adam Tyler is assigned to the case. He’s an ambitious gay detective with a dark secret, and a lot of conflict with the hierarchy in the police force. An attractive young man called Oscar picks him up in a gay bar. Oscar also happens to be the son of the dead businessman.
And then it all gets very complicated…
As well as a murderer to find, there’s an arsonist on the loose. And there are two suspicious aged spinsters who live together and have a connection with Oscar.
Then there’s the gay fire chief Paul Enfield…
Thomas’s debut novel is a conventional detective mystery with a gay hero, or maybe anti-hero at its core. Thomas throws in every possible red herring he can think of, plus an interesting cast of flawed characters, none of whom are entirely trustworthy.
The story is mainly recounted from DS Tyler’s perspective. But Thomas uses multiple points of view to give us some great twists, together with reader prior knowledge, which will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The climax is gripping, and Thomas ties together every loose end in a very satisfying way.
You’ll enjoy this if you like: Barbara Vine, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid
Avoid if you don’t like: Some graphic description of cruelty
Ideal accompaniment: A flaming Sambuca
Genre: Crime Fiction, Police procedural, LGBTQ
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