‘One By One’ by Sam Frances

Published by Headline Accent,
4 December 2025.
ISBN: 978-103541844-4 (PB)

When Detective Sergeant Alice Washington joins the team tasked with policing a rock festival in high summer, the last thing she needs is the lead band The Dolls receiving death threats as they plan their revival. Well, perhaps not quite the last; it would help if Roy, her DC, wasn't being so holier-than-thou about his new health kick. And keep his trousers hoisted instead of displaying more than she needs to see of his nether regions.

The death threats appear to be linked to the murder ten years ago of The Dolls' lead singer. It seemed to be an open-and-shut case, and the singer's erstwhile best friend is currently serving a life sentence, but to Alice something doesn't quite sit right about that. To Alice – but to nobody else, especially the top brass. Her one potential ally, DI Jane Josephs, is on leave, and the other senior officer on the team is a mysoginist who prides himself on his lack of political correctness, and dismisses her reservations. But Alice is convinced she's right, and that the cases are linked, and that's the line of enquiry she's determined to pursue. It doesn't help that recent events in the area have made the police appear untrustworthy. Or that her dad, a retired superintendent, was involved in the earlier investigation. But when she gets the bit between her teeth, she doesn't hold back. 

For me, and I'm sure for many other readers, a key factor in enjoying a crime novel is the characters. One By One is brimming with them: maverick smart-mouth Alice, over-keen PCSO Eddie, taciturn Bret her colleague and promotion rival, feckless Judith, mother of the singer's supposed killer ten years ago. Even Mr Logan, the primary school teacher who has nothing to do with the case, has a distinct personality. The Dolls themselves are very much individuals: fey Tabby the poor little rich girl; Geordie Nush whose background is very different, ambitious and acerbic Em. Sherrie the band's manager could double as a bouncer; Manu their actual bouncer is clearly hiding something behind a buttoned-up exterior; Ryan the band member who didn't come back is all about family these days. And then there's Kit, a journalist following the band's progress. There's something odd about Kit.  

There's a twisty plot too, of course: another staple of a successful crime novel. Just when you think you've got it sussed, another bend in road takes you off in a new direction. One by One is only Sam Frances's second novel; I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of her.
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Reviewer: Lynne Patrick 

Sam Frances is a British crime thriller author from Tyne and Wear. She writes stories that combine her love of sardonic characters with her background in policing and lives in London with her partner. When not writing (or daydreaming about writing or listening to writing podcasts), she can usually be found no more than 9-10 metres from a block of cheese, either in deep conversation with one of her cats, or playing a musical instrument poorly. Author of the DS Alice Washington books, All Eyes on You was her debut novel, followed by the second in the series, One by One. You can find her on Instagram and X @SamFranWriter. 

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.