Looking for a gripping mystery by a bestselling author? Packed full of twists, this crime thriller will keep you turning the pages until the satisfying conclusion.
Twelve-year-old Amy Birkbeck is checking her bat boxes late one cold January evening in the woods by her house.
She witnesses something no child should ever see — a group of men rolling a body into the deep pool of the disused old clay pit.
Meanwhile, DCI Sophie Allen’s team is falling apart.
One of the members of the unit goes missing. Surely he couldn’t be the body in the pool? Or is something much darker going on?
Then a second body is found in the disused clay pit. And it seems the dead man is connected to a suspected arms dealer . . .
There are dangerous goings-on in Detective Allen’s quiet patch of Dorset, and she doesn’t know who to trust.
Discover a captivating crime mystery which will have you gripped from start to finish.
If you like Line of Duty, Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Colin Dexter, Ruth Rendell, Joy Ellis, Mark Billingham or Janice Frost you will be gripped by this thrilling crime mystery.
THE DCI SOPHIE ALLEN BOOKS
- DARK CRIMES
- DEADLY CRIMES
- SECRET CRIMES
- BURIED CRIMES
- TWISTED CRIMES
- EVIL CRIMES
- SHADOW CRIMES
- SILENT CRIMES
- RUTHLESS CRIMES
- BRUTAL CRIMES
Thrilling, Exciting & Very Suspenseful!
A cracking read!
In the dark of night, 12 year-old Amy is in the woods near her home checking her bat boxes when she sees something she’s not supposed to – a body being dumped in the water pool in the old clay pit. DCI Sophie Allen has more than the latest case to worry her; a member of her team is missing; surely not connected? Then a second body is found in the same pool and the investigation leads to a suspected arms dealer. What is going on in this normally quiet area of Dorset?
Another series I’m plunging into part-way through, but I’m delighted that this is entirely a stand-alone read and I can – and fully intend to – catch up on the earlier novels. My first encounter with Michael Hambling’s work and I have to say this this story is meticulously plotted; carefully engineered to keep the reader on their toes and there isn’t a single wasted piece of information. I took to Sophie Allen and her team very quickly and the list of characters at the beginning was instrumental in that. This is a very enigmatic read, full of twists and turns all the way through and a thoroughly gripping book – the kind that you finally close with a happy sigh of satisfaction. Thrilling, exciting and very suspenseful, this is one I highly recommend to all lovers of a really riveting read. No doubt about it, this tenth book in series easily earns all five glowing stars!
My sincere thanks to the publisher both for my copy and the introduction to this author’s work; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: crime mystery
- Format: ebook
- Size: 279 pages
- Publisher: Joffe Books
- Publication Date: 28 September 2021
- Book Links:
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59009196
- https://www.amazon.co.uk/BRUTAL-totally-captivating-mystery-Detective-ebook/dp/B09G711QM1
Author Details
Michael Hambling is a retired teacher who has tinkered with writing for much of his life. He now lives in the
West Country counties of Wiltshire and Dorset, and sets his novels in this area. The early novels in the Sophie
Allen series are based on the Isle of Purbeck, that most beautiful of coastal areas. But the rest of the county of
Dorset does get a look in.
- Website: http://www.michaelhambling.co.uk/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michaelhambling.author
Grace J Reviewerlady 
Excellent review Grace. I am hoping to read this next. I have enjoyed earlier books in the series. ❤📚
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