Lost Hours by Alex Walters
The Blurb:
A vicious murder is committed, but who has blood on their hands?
On a hot summer’s afternoon, Michelle Wentworth enjoys a rare few hours of relaxation. Sunning herself by her pool, she sends her lazy teenage son to fetch her a drink. But instead of a refreshment, Michelle is given a nasty shock when shortly after her child’s bludgeoned body is discovered on the doorstep.
DI Annie Delamere attends the scene, joined by DS Zoe Everett. There is nothing to suggest a motive or perpetrator. They dig into Michelle’s life and come to suspect she may have been the target. Her ruthless pursuit of profit has won her few friends, and relying on her lawyer’s questionable advice could mean she’s in over her head.
When another battered body is found, Annie realises that every clue leads back to a dispute at Michelle’s business. But with so many people with reason to seek revenge, will Annie and her team look in the right places – or will it be too late?
A tense and gripping crime thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page! Perfect for fans of Stephen Booth and Ann Cleeves.
Praise for Alex Walters
‘A talent to be reckoned with’ Daily Mail
‘Accomplished storytelling and perfectly meshed plot strands combine in this intriguing new series from Alex Walters’ Margaret Kirk, author of Shadow Man
About Alex Walters:
Alex has worked in the oil industry, broadcasting and banking and has run a consultancy working mainly in the criminal justice sector including police, prisons and probation. As Michael Walters, he published three crime thrillers set in modern-day Mongolia, which are now re-published as Alex Walters in completely new, re-edited versions. As Alex Walters he has written two thrillers set in and around Manchester and featuring the undercover officer, Marie Donovan, Trust No-One and Nowhere to Hide. Late Checkout was the first in a series of crime thrillers featuring, alongside Marie Donovan, the rather distinctive DCI Kenny Murrain, who has subsequently appeared in two more books, Dark Corners and Snow Fallen. Alex is also the author of the DI Alec McKay series set in and around Scotland's Black Isle, which currently comprises four books, Candles and Roses, Death Parts Us, Their Final Act and Expiry Date, published by Bloodhound Books. His latest book, a standalone thriller called Winterman, is also published by Bloodhound Books. His next book, Small Mercies, is the first in a new series set in the Peak District and featuring DI Annie Delamere, and will be published by Canelo in May. Alex lives in the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands where he runs the Solus Or Writing Retreat with his wife, occasional sons and frequent cats. He can be contacted at: mike@whitmuir.com Website:https://www.alexwaltersauthor.com/ Twitter: @mikewalters60 Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexwaltersauthor/ Details of the Solus Or Writing Retreat can be found at: www.solusorwritingretreat.co.uk
My Review:
This is my first encounter with DI Annie Delamere and her sergeant Zoe Everett. Despite this beong book two of the series, it reads very well as a standalone, with references to what I have missed in the first book. I found aspects of the detective inspector's character thought-provoking inasmuch as her partner is the local MP, and her mother is the retired Assistant Chief Constable, both of whom are high-profile in the local media spotlight. All of which somewhat compromises the DI's position as senior investigating officer in a murder enquiry, where the SIO is in danger of becoming the main feature of the news story, rather than the event itself. Michelle Wentworth, who has an appalling reputation, as a heartless ruthless business woman who has ruined countless lives to get what she wants, discovers that her son has been brutally murdered at her home, almost under her nose. Wentworth's legal advisor Peter Hardy in at the scene just as the police arrive after the murder has been called in, and hands the detectives a list of suspects, mainly thwarted business rivals and disgruntled ex-employees, which begs the question, is this a ploy to stop the police delving too deeply into what seems to be unscrupulous business dealings. It was a good police procedural although some of the chapters did come across as a little overworked when the investigation team were repeatedly reviewing their evidence. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story that could easily have been an episode of Frost, Morse or Vera.
