After the flurry of activity on my blog with the release of Borderline, I’ve written nothing for over a month. Not here, anyway. There’s been some redrafting of Book Two in the series going on, but I’ll talk about that all in good time.
For now, though, I wanted to share a book review that’s long overdue, and that’s The Silent Killer by Trevor Wood. I’ve been hearing good things about Trevor for a while now. Not just as a writer, but as a human being. Earlier this year, to mark the launch of the paperback of this novel, he even did a sponsored walk to raise funds for Alzheimers UK. Shortly before that, I’d seen him at Stockport Noir, where he came across as likeable as his reputation suggested. I didn’t get to meet him then, but I did have the chance for a very brief chat when he put in an appearance at Newark Book Festival, only to keep bumping into him the following weekend at Harrogate. All in all, no disappointment.
By the time I met him, I had read The Silent Killer, but it was around that time that things were busy with my own book, so I apologise to Trevor (if he sees this) and any other readers for depriving you of this review until now.
Here’s the blurb:
THE CLOCK IS TICKING. THERE’S NO ESCAPE.
DCI Jack Parker has faced some tough cases, but with a serial killer stalking the streets of Newcastle and one of his closest colleagues lying in the mortuary following a hit and run he thinks things are about as tough as they’ve ever been. But he should know that trouble always comes in threes.
Jack is about to face the biggest challenge of his life, one that will end his career and destroy his family: Early Onset Dementia. As he does everything he can to hide his deteriorating condition from his family and colleagues, Jack believes that the serial killer is haunted by his childhood while his own memories are built on increasingly shifting sands.
The race against time to save lives, including his own, has begun.
I’m going to make a confession here. I’ve grown a little tired of police procedurals. They don’t excite me the way they would have done in the past. I can’t explain why that is, exactly, but it does mean that, for me to really enjoy one, there has to be something quite special about it. The Silent Killer is just that.
Of course, the fact that the protagonist has early onset dementia immediately gives this book an edge. Like most people, I knew very little about dementia. That changed a couple of years ago when a family member having it led to a steep learning curve. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to deal with it directly very often. Still, the effect of the illness on her and the people around her is enormous.
In Jack Parker’s case, the symptoms aren’t severe yet, but he has good reason to be wary of it, and those reasons add an extra dimension to the story. There’s definitely education through entertainment here. I thought I’d already learned a lot about dementia, but I realise now I’ve just scratched the surface.
As for the opening of the book, the first page or so lulled me into believing the story was going to meander a little – albeit in a pleasant enough way – but I was soon put right. The last line of that first chapter was so simple, but the impact so effective.
It should go without saying – but that’s not going to stop me – that the writing was brilliant. As a largely first person narrative, you got a sense of the character talking to you, the reader. It was almost conversational at times. In the wrong hands, that could be irritating. In Trevor’s it worked a treat. Whether it was dealing with the policing stuff, or the consequences of the diagnosis, the tone felt just right.
And then there was the policing stuff, which got the balance right between procedure, a great supporting cast of characters, and the crime itself – with enough red herrings to keep you guessing without being convoluted.
To be fair, when I say ‘the crime’, I’m talking about the headline serial killer stuff. Strangely enough, the more intriguing element for me was the hit and run at the beginning and whether that was going to connect with the primary investigation. I’ll let you find out the answer to that yourself.
In short, I’m looking forward to reading about Jack Parker again because this series shows serious promise. And I’ve been looking at Trevor’s previous series and thinking that sounds interesting. A homeless veteran? Of course I’m going to like it!
If I have piqued your interest in the book and you want to know more, click on the image below for the Amazon link.
