Published by Joffe Books,
17 July 2019.
ISBN: 978-1-78931151-8 (PB)
17 July 2019.
ISBN: 978-1-78931151-8 (PB)
Charlie Gallagher is a serving UK police officer and,
as you might expect from a man who spends his days as a frontline police
detective, both his Langthorne Police Series and the Detective Maddie Ives
series are underpinned by his expert knowledge as are his three standalone
novels. But make no mistake – these are not cosy police procedurals, they are
gripping – sometimes gruesome – thrillers.
He Will Find You is the third book featuring DS Maddie Ives. In the
opening chapter the reader is introduced to a bewildered ten-year-old child
covered in blood who wanders into the road oblivious of the traffic. Maddie and
her team are called to the scene, but the boy is either unable or unwilling to
speak. Maddie eventually manages to make some sort of connection to him.
In a separate incident, the body of a man is discovered on a lonely road
on the outskirts of town. His trussed body had been dragged behind a vehicle
for some distance. Maddie Ives, her boss DI Harry Blaker and Rhiannon Davies recruited
from CID have a difficult job on their hands. The signs are that some kind of
strange occult practice is involved and that this is only the first in what
could become a series of similar killings.
Only when the team realise the connection between the two seemingly
unconnected incidents can they discover the identity of the killer. When
Rhiannon disappears minutes after Maddie leaves her to continue her early
morning run through the woods, the race is on. Will they be able to find where
the group have taken her before her body is roped and tied to the back of a
truck to be dragged to her death?
The story is told from multiple viewpoints including those of the
villains and their victims. In this way, the reader is ahead of the detectives
which adds to the impending sense of doom as for example when Maddie and
Rhiannon head into the woods.
This gripping novel has all the ingredients of a great thriller – a
complex and compelling plot, well-drawn believable characters, fast pace with
plenty of action. Although I’m fond of edgy suspenseful writing, I freely admit
that hard-bitten, stomach-churning fiction is not my usual choice, but I found
He Will Find You compulsive reading and plan to read more by Charlie
Gallagher. What appealed to me most was Gallaher’s ability to create characters
the reader wants to know more about. Take for example DI Harry Blaker – on the
surface, he may seem a morose ‘difficult colleague, but we soon learn the
reason for his reserve. The early release from jail of a petty criminal
responsible for the death of Harry’s wife tests all of the detective’s reserves
almost to breaking point. He is also burdened by a sense of guilt when he is
unable to stop his daughter self-harming. None of which stops him from throwing
himself wholeheartedly into the desperate search for Rhiannon.
A great read. I highly recommend it.
--------
Reviewer: Judith Cranswick
Charlie Gallagher has been a serving UK police officer for ten years.
During that time he has had many roles, starting as a front-line response
officer, then a member of a specialist tactical team and is currently a
detective investigating serious offences. Charlie is the author of four
Lanthorne police procedurals. His new series features DS Maddie Ives.
No comments:
Post a Comment