Matt Brolly

The Replacement is the second book in the DS Liam Kilshaw series and I really enjoyed this one as it blended local myth with an interesting mystery. When DS Kilshaw is called down to a scene of crime, he discovers a gruesome sight when the body seems to mimic a local legend and the face of the victim is grossly misfigured leaving it difficult to identify the victim.

Liam is one of those characters that you just can't help feeling sympathetic towards as he suffers from PTSD from his work as show more a marine volunteer and former Special Boat Service Member. One one of his previous missions, he almost drowned and is suffering from the affects of that mission as he has developed a fear of water, something that he had previously loved. As a form of therapy, he volunteers for the local boat rescue team hoping to cope with his fears. I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel as I like it when an author shows the stress the job has on its people and how they cope with it on a daily basis. In some series, it just goes away and that devalues the experience while this author blends the difficulties of the job with the demands of the job. Despite all of this, Liam is relentless in his pursuit of the truth which sometimes puts his relationships with others at risk as he tends to keep others at a distance, one of the reasons why he is divorced.

The prologue in this book actually gave me the creeps, not because it was bloody or anything like that, but because it was chilling. When you catch a glimpse of how a local legend can be twisted for personal use to torment children as they are growing up, it simply sends chills down your back and you wonder what will happen in the future. Well, we got it in this book and the details are creepy. I really have to commend the author for blending the local folklore into this book and there were quite a few twists and turns, some predictable, some surprising. There are quite a few themes in this book that could be explored as well: isolation, loneliness, mental health, PTSD, abuse, legends and folklore, misplaced loyalty, friendship, and relationships. I really enjoyed the hunt for clues as I like the procedural aspect of these novels and this one did a bang up job.

Verdict
The Replacement had a lot of great things going for it and I enjoyed both the mystery and the character development of the main character. I would have liked to have seen a bit more from the secondary characters, but as this seems to be setting up to be longer running series, there should be room for those secondary characters to grow. The mystery was interesting and while some parts were a bit predictable, there was enough that was surprising that it kept me flying through the pages and interested in what was happening. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of this book and loved how the folklore blended into the mystery. Looking forward to the next one in this series. show less

The Solstice is the next book in the Detective Inspector Louise Blackwell mystery series, and this series is fast becoming one of my favourite series. I love how the author blends the difficulties of Louise's daily life, especially now that she is a new mother, with the demands of the job and the toll it takes on her mental and physical health. Having been off for several months, Louise is torn between her love for the job, the demands of motherhood, dealing with police officers with which show more she has not worked in the past, and mentoring new officers. Having written a thesis when my son was in diapers and pregnant with my second child, I can definitely empathize with the demands of parenthood and how difficult going back to work was for Louise.

Louise is a great character and I love how her character has developed throughout the novels. She is hard-working, dedicated, and tenacious, she now has to grapple with the demands and limits motherhood places on her job. She also is trying to deal with her new emotional state as this case involves the death of a young child (I am not spoiling anything as you learn this in the first chapter) and she is unprepared for the emotional toll this is putting on her mind so she is struggling to detach herself from her own emotions, something she has more difficulty doing now that she is a mother. It made her much more relatable and I enjoyed this new phase in her life.

There was a mix of old and new secondary characters, something I was expecting, and although it took me awhile to get used to the new ones, they did grow on me as the plot went along. It is sometimes hard to let go of old characters, especially when this is book seven, but I did take a liking to the new ones and look forward to learning more about them as the story progresses in further books. Although some of the other favourites took much more of a secondary role than I thought, I do think they will play more prominent roles in future books once the new characters are established.

The plot itself is quite thought-provoking and sent me into a deep dive into other books featuring cults when I was finished as I grappled with the idea that people would be willing to give up everything they owned for the thought of comfort and new-found family, not realizing the difficulties they would have when they tried to leave. For me, I had this feeling of tension and dread throughout the story wondering what was going to happen, and although it started off slowly, it built up to quite a tense-filled ending. There was also a sub-plot involving Louise that wasn't resolved in this book, something that will continue in the next one and I was a little annoyed about that only because I wanted to know what the decision was NOW.

Verdict
The Solstice had a great, multi-layered plot with characters that were relatable and sympathetic. I did find the concept quite chilling and I have difficulty grasping how people would be willing to give up everything they own to someone/something else. While I understand there are some good communes out there, we hear so many negative stories that this story tends to resonate with the difficulty of really knowing how to tell the difference. The plot was complex and downright eerie. And while the book could be read as a standalone, I do recommend reading the previous books in this series as there are some spoilers in this book for previous books. show less

This is the third installment of Matt Brolly’s latest series featuring DS Liam Kilshaw, set along the Cornish Coast. I’ve read all three of them, and while I believe this could be a standalone novel, reading the previous ones provides more context for the characters.

DS Kilshaw is a divorced former Marine grappling with PTSD stemming from a near-drowning incident during his service. The discovery of a teenage girl’s body, posed in a stone circle with her face covered in clay, sets the show more stage for a chilling investigation. Legend has it that the circle appeared when young females were turned to stone for dancing on the sabbath. As more dead youths are found in locations tied to local myths, Kilshaw collaborates with his boss, Maya, to unmask this cold-blooded killer.

Brolly once again weaves a captivating blend of myth and psychopathy in this gritty, fast-paced, and suspenseful read. Although there is a suspect in focus, there are enough red herrings to make the reader question who the perpetrator might be. The book is a fast paced, atmospheric mystery, thriller, police procedural.

Liam is an intriguing character, and I particularly enjoy the working dynamic between him and Maya. Additionally, I found the exploration of the local legends fascinating.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @AmazonPublishing #ThomasandMercer for the DRC. show less

This is the third book in Matt Brolly's DCI Michael Lambert series and my main problem is that I've run out of stars. Dead Eyed was a solid 4-star introduction to the series. Dead Lucky I devoured in one sitting and awarded 5 stars. Dead Embers has been the best one yet, but I'm stuck with 5 stars.
The first chapter grabbed me straight away and I wanted to get back to this as soon as possible when I was forced to put it down. The plot is complex, well crafted and clever. It involves arson, show more kidnapping, murder, explosions, corruption, and a whole lot of other stuff. I'm being intentionally vague here because there are several surprises along the way and it would be easy to include spoilers. I could not have guessed how the story developed. Very imaginative and intriguing.
You could get away with reading this as a standalone, but reading the series in order is preferable as there is a cast of recurring characters and their history and relationships are so well developed, it would be a shame to miss out on that.
We're into book 3 and I'm still not sure what to make of Lambert's superior, Chief Superintendent Glenn Tillman. The man is an enigma. I truly love DCI Michael Lambert although I couldn't actually say quite what it is that makes him so likable. He's certainly not the chattiest person ever and some of his actions are questionable, but he is so dedicated and struggling with his past, you can't help but feel for him.
Matt Brolly keeps the balance just right between delving into Lambert's private life and his investigative work and the crime thriller aspects. There were a couple of times when I felt Lambert's intuition or maybe his deduction skills were just a tad too convenient to be truly believable. However, the story was so fast-paced and gripping, I was far too involved to let it bother me too much. The ending left me with a huge grin on my face although that may not have been 100% appropriate.
More, please!
I received an ARC via NetGalley show less