Lesley Thomson

There are some good things in this: there is an interesting analogy drawn between the mindset of the professional cleaner and that of the SOCO, and the author can write excellently chilling horror when required. But yards of tedious minutiae do not characterisation make, and the studious avoidance of the obvious (good) was, in the end, I thought, counterproductive (bad).

In 1987, a man and a woman are seen making love in a water tower in Chiswick. When the woman leaves, she slams the door closed trapping the man inside. A group of children had been playing soldier in the tower and witnessed the couple. This fact will become important as the story moves between 1987 as we learn more about the children and their relationships to the couple and to each other and forward to the present where Stella Darnell and her friend Jack work together both in her cleaning show more business and in solving crimes. Jack is also a train driver in the London Underground. Recently a man fell under a train (called a One Under by the drivers). The police are satisfied that it was a suicide but the man’s brother is convinced it was murder and hires Stella and Jack to investigate. Meanwhile, Stella’s mom finally returns from a long trip to Australia with a man she introduces as Stella’s brother and Jack moves into the water tower that is in the process of being converted into flats.

The Detective’s Secret by author Lesley Thomson is the third in The Detective’s Daughter series but it is the first I’ve read. This is an odd story made odder by references (I assume) to the other books which are never explained like Jack’s talk of True Hosts(?) which tended to break my willing suspension of disbelief at times. However, once it became clear that these things really had no bearing on this novel and I could just ignore them, I really began to enjoy the story. The main characters are likable if a bit neurotic and there is a quirkiness to both the characters and the tale that made it a lot of fun to read. Much of the plot is taken up with Stella’s and Jack’s private lives and the solution to the mystery seems to rest on some rather unlikely coincidences and luck rather than any real skill by the two main protagonists - in most mystery novels, this would have been unforgiveable; somehow though, here, it not only fit, it seems right. Since this is not your usual mystery, all the usual tropes and rules need not apply. So if you’re looking for something a little different in the mystery genre, I highly recommend The Detective’s Secret. show less

Stella Darnell resented her dad, Terry, for leaving the family when she was young and for the time he devoted to his job as a detective both on the police force and after retirement as he tried to solve a 30 year old cold case, that of Kate Rokesmith. Her husband had been the main suspect but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict. In an attempt to protect him, he had sent their son, Justin, just four years old at the time of the murder to a boarding school where he was bullied.

Now Terry show more has died suddenly and Stella, who owns her own cleaning company, is determined to prove that even she is a better detective than he ever was. She decides to solve the case with the aid of Jack who she has just hired. However, Jack may not be as innocent as he seems and may have ulterior motives for keeping track of her progress in the Rokesmith case.

The Detective’s Daughter is the third book in the series by author Lesley Thomson but the second I read. This meant that it wasn’t quite as suspenseful as it might have been for me. But, even knowing some of the facts about the people involved ahead of time, I was completely taken in by the mystery. And, admittedly, it is more than a little implausible but somehow this didn’t interfere with my enjoyment. This is a fun mystery with some very quirky characters. Thomson does an excellent job of laying out suspects and red herrings only to knock them down one by one and it kept me guessing right until the big reveal at the end. show less

Set in my old stamping ground in Essex (UK) and with enough local scenery to make it authentic and relatable.

A police procedural that holds you, willing the female detective to succeed in her quest for justice.

Nothing great or deep here just a well written novel that has bite and substance. If you like crime novels don’t miss this one.