By: Chris Collett

Series: A Tom Mariner Mystery
ISBN: 9780727884343
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Publication Date: 01/01/2015
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4 Stars

 

A special thank you to Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chris Collett’s latest crime mystery, DEAD OF NIGHT, A Tom Mariner Mystery delivers a suspenseful and fast-paced complex police procedural with some likable characters.

Birmingham Detective Inspector Mariner is undertaking one of his most difficult cases, as he has come to terms with the loss of his former partner, Anna and attempts to move forward with his new girlfriend in Cambridge. In addition to his busy and hectic schedule, he is taking care of his autistic foster child, Jamie.

As the book opens Grace Clifton goes missing; a teenage daughter of Councilor Bob Clifton, and he no doubt enjoys the kind of money and power that would make him a target for potential kidnappers, and Grace is an attractive young woman.

Could Grace have chosen to disappear or that someone closer to home knew where she was? Current council leader would have substantial influence over police budgets for the next twelve months, at a time when public spending had become a dirty phase. And this was a man with an established record of criticism of the police. A very challenging case, Tom then has to deal with her overbearing and wealthy father.

Elsewhere in the city Dominique is left alone, as her mother has not come home from work. When another young woman goes missing, the heat intensifies along with the suspense. Is a serial killer on their hands? Could these two cases be connected? A complex case, for a thrilling roller coaster ride.

This was my first book by Collett, and now so intrigued, want to go back and read some of the back story in the previous books in the series. I really enjoyed the author’s inspiration behind the story. Inspiration Behind the Book

I wish more authors would add this information at the ending of their books (if not included, I go searching the web), as I find it quite fascinating! You can read about Collett’s inspiration for the series (above link), and for DEAD OF NIGHT, in particular using multiple viewpoints, set in Birmingham, and how her characters began to emerge, with the central narrative linking them together and how it takes shape. In addition her expertise, working with children on the autistic spectrum.

I really enjoyed  detective Tom Mariner’s character, as he is sharp, with enough personal balance to make for an engaging read. I look forward to reading the previous books in the series and more from this British author.

One major disadvantage of picking up a new mystery author in the middle of their series is that the soap opera aspect of the detective's life, which rewards faithful readers who have read from the beginning, can seem obtrusive or tacked on. In this book, there's a great chunk of resolution from the case in the last book - a case that had large personal repercussions, including apparently the murder of Inspector Mariner's estranged father - that seems to be just dropped like a rather indigestible lump into the middle of the far less personal kidnapping-baby-factory-murder case that is the ostensible focus of this mystery. That notwithstanding, I quite liked Mariner and his team, including his sympathetic female superior. I may return to this series.