‘A Voice in the Night’ by Simon Mason

Published by Quercus,
16 January 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-52942-590-1 (HB)

It must be a source of continual wonder to colleagues in St Aldates police station in central Oxford that, despite having a chaotic and seemingly dysfunctional approach to his work, and being suspended on more than one occasion, the inarticulate, scruffy and totally politically incorrect DI Ryan Wilkins still has a job. His ambitious, articulate and clever partner, DI Ray Wilkins, could hardly be more different. Tension bubbling between the two Wilkins is heightened by the arrival of Chief Superintendent Rebecca Wainwright who intends to raise standards. She warns the Wilkins duo that she regards them as a problem and then sends them to investigate the death of an elderly man found in wet pajamas on the lawn of a local hotel.

The dead man is identified as Joe Emmett, an expert in ancient languages. Joe uses his skills both to authenticate old documents and to expose forgeries that can be sold for vast sums of money. He had not been a guest at the hotel, but Sebastian Franks, a friendly rival with whom Joe had been debating earlier that evening was staying there.  Ray and Ryan conclude that Joe’s death was suspicious. It looked as though he had drowned in the nearby river. But who had got him out of the river and deposited him on the hotel’s lawn?

The highest profile crime under investigation in Oxford is the murder of a security guard at the Pelzer Institute of Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies. It was linked to a robbery at the Institute, but the thieves had been disturbed and were thought to have left empty-handed. DI Hare’s remarkably quick progress with reporting results from this investigation contrasts sharply with the lack of the Wilkins’s progress in finding Joe’s killer. Numerous twists and turns later, investigations into Joe’s death and the security guard’s murder begin to overlap.

In the meantime, other crimes, particularly shoplifting and threatening behaviour, impinge on DI Ryan Wilkins’ life. His younger sister, Jade, works in the Co-op in Kennington and looks after her daughter Mylee and DI Ryan’s son, also called Ryan.  After Jade reports Michael McNulty for shoplifting, his thuggish brothers threaten the safety of her two young charges. When DI Ryan tries to protect his family, the McNultys reciprocate maliciously by revealing details about Ryan’s personal life that threaten to destroy him.

This book is peopled with a range of characters who do not necessarily behave as one might expect. It keeps you guessing to the end.  DI Ray Wilkins’ ambitions and his desire to please Superintendent Wainwright raise the tension between the two Wilkins. However, when the chips are down, much to Ray’s surprise, loyalty and care for his colleague finally make an appearance. The relationship between DI Ryan and his little son Ryan - one of the most lovable characters in the series - is a joy to read. DI Ryan’s incredibly awkward interviews with Joe’s widow Greta also make for memorable reading. Overall, A Voice in The Night makes another excellent and entertaining addition to the three previous books in the series.
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Reviewer: Angela Crowther 

Simon Mason is an author of children's and adult books. His first adult novel, a black comedy entitled The Great English Nude, won the Betty Trask first novel award and Moon Pie was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize. Running Girl is his first story starring Garvie Smith. Simon lives in Oxford with his wife and their two children. His most recent series’ are the Finder mysteries and the DI Wilkins Mysteries.  

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.