Simon Toyne

4.5⭐

Kate Miller is found brutally stabbed to death (presumably with a zombie knife) in her glass-walled mansion overlooking Highgate cemetery and her husband Mike is nowhere to be found. Her body is posed with four strategically placed objects surrounding her. A copy of "How to Process a Murder", a book written by criminologist Laughton Rees, is also found near the body. DCI Tannahill Khan of NoLMS (North London murder squad) is leading the investigation and the search for the missing show more husband who is the prime suspect. However, in the course of their investigation into the Millers’ lives the police are unable to find out much about them. It's almost as if they didn’t exist! DCI Khan reaches out to Laughton, a reputed forensics expert, who breaks her own rule to not get involved in active cases and agrees to assist. Laughton is the estranged daughter of the Police Commissioner,with whom she has not spoken in almost twenty years, ever since her mother was brutally murdered. Her mother’s murderer was a pedophile and serial killer who had been arrested but acquitted because the police botched up the investigation, for which Laughton has never forgiven her father. She is now a single mother raising her teenage daughter who is being bullied in school. Though she has a lot on her plate, Laughton agrees to help the police given the presence of her book at the crime scene and the symbolism in the objects discovered with the dead body, the significance of which does not escape her. Unbeknownst to the police or Laughton someone is watching their every move, presumably the killer, and is almost always one step ahead.

As the case garners media attention, an ambitious tabloid journalist, Brian Slade, hoping to get ahead of the competition and gain recognition for his efforts is busy conducting his own investigation based on not only tips from his sources within the police department but also the anonymous emails he is receiving with shockingly revealing details about the murder and much more.

The larger part of the narrative is shared from the perspectives of DCI Khan, Laughton Rees and Brian Slade, with snippets from messages exchanged within the Highgate Ladies’ Book Club WhatsApp group and excerpts from Laughton’s book. Short chapters, crisp writing and a fast-paced narrative make it easy to keep track of the multiple threads and the large cast of characters in the story.

Well-written, with an intriguing murder mystery at its core, lots of twists and turns and an ending that I did not see coming (after another reveal that I could partially predict), Dark Objects by Simon Toyne is an impressive procedural thriller. I would definitely be interested in picking up future books featuring DCI Khan and Laughton Rees. show less

From The Book Cover:

The first novel in the mesmerizing Solomon Creed series in which a man with no memory of his past must save a lost soul in a small Arizona town. On a hilltop in the town of Redemption, Arizona, the townspeople gather at an old cemetery for the first time in decades to bury a local man. The somber occasion is suddenly disrupted by a thunderous explosion in the distant desert. A plane has crashed, and it’s pouring a pillar of black smoke into the air. As Sheriff Garth show more Morgan speeds toward the crash, he nearly hits a tall, pale man running down the road, with no shoes on his feet and no memory of who he is or how he got there. The only clues to his identity are a label in his handmade suit jacket and a book that’s been inscribed to him: both giving the name Solomon Creed. When Morgan tells Solomon that he is in Redemption, Arizona, Solomon begins to believe he's here for a reason—to save a man he has never met . . . the man who was buried that morning.

My Thoughts:

It is mesmerizing from the beginning with a man running from a fire, with no shoes and no idea of who he is... only that he has a sense that he is there to save someone. That someone has just been buried. What follows is an intriguing mystery. Who is Solomon Creed and why is he at a town called Redemption? His questions will lead him to a town full of secrets, to people that have something to hide, where the lines between good and evil are drawn and some will have to decide which side to be on. It had some great twists and turns that I was not expecting with a touch of the supernatural thrown in for that extra kick. I really liked the character of Solomon Creed and the mystery of who or what he could be. The book follows 2 plot lines that merge... one of Solomon Creed and one from the point of view of the founder of the town in the form of a diary. 4.5 stars and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. show less

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

A body (minus its head and hands) is discovered in the Thames with Laughton's address written on its wrist. It is quickly determined that the victim is a criminal associate of Shelby, Laughton's former 'boyfriend' and the father of her daughter Gracie. (I write 'boyfriend' in inverted commas, because Shelby was an adult who groomed 15 year old Laughton and kept her hooked on drugs.) Shelby turns up on Laughton's doorstep show more fearing that he will be the next to be murdered.

This was a fast paced read and the ending in particular was very well done, but I spent most of the novel scratching my head over the things Laughton and Grace did. Laughton spent the novel keeping things from/not answering the phone to her romantic interest and (more importantly) police contact Tannahill, which resulted in him having to rescue her. Grace's decisions in relation to her father throughout the book made no sense to me, even based on the sanitized version of events Laughton had told her moments before Shelby turned up.

I applaud Tannahill's decision on the final page, although I'm not sure where that leaves this series. show less

Set in Cinderfield, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire the story begins when Adele Friar’s older sister Maddie disappears without a trace on Midsummer’s Eve. The next day Adele frantically searches for Maddie and reports her missing to local law enforcement who initially tries to brush her off citing Maddie’s record for minor offenses, but Adele persists and manages to file a report. Maddie was last seen headed for “The Clearing” in the forest, common land inhabited by settlers who show more live in a community of their own making, with their own set of laws, enforced by a domineering matriarchal figure. Adele and Maddie had a traumatic childhood and have a history with the forest community. They usually avoid the area on account of past experiences and Adele cannot fathom why Maddie would be headed for a party in that location.

The missing persons alert reaches the ears of London-based forensic scientist Dr. Laughton Rees, who has an open file on the Cinderfield disappearances. Maddie's disappearance is not an isolated incident. Laughton’s research points to a total of 58 missing persons cases dating back twenty years, that have neither been solved nor investigated further. Locals often attribute the disappearances to “The Cinderman” a mythical figure from local folklore - a “forest phantom who’s believed to prey on young women”- but Laughton correctly assumes there is more to these cases than meets the eye. The lack of urgency on the part of local law enforcement indicates negligence and/or obvious cover-up and corruption within local enforcement. But how deep does this go? Laughton leaves for Cinderfield, determined to help Adele locate Maddie and get to the truth behind the disappearances. She is aided (from a distance) by DCI Tannahill Khan who is away attending a conference. It soon becomes evident that multiple entities are actively trying to create obstacles in Laughton and Adele’s search for Maddie and the truth. What follows is a complicated web of lies, corruption, crime and cover-ups. Will Maddie be found? Who is behind the disappearances and how far will they go to prevent Laughton from discovering the truth?

I truly enjoyed Simon Toyne’s writing in Dark Objects and with The Clearing the author does not disappoint! Dark, complex and suspenseful, the intriguing plot, the characters and the even pacing made for a riveting read. I really liked the atmospheric setting, the incorporation of a folklore (fictional) element into the plot and how the plot is structured. The narrative is presented from multiple perspectives, seamlessly woven into a cohesive narrative. Though I could guess a few of the revelations along the way, I couldn’t wait for the final reveal and remained hooked till the very last page. On that note (I don’t want to give too much away), one thread of the story did leave me with a few questions but that did not detract from the overall reading experience. Additionally, I like how the author is portraying the evolving relationship between Tannahill and Laughton. I wish Tannahill Khan had a larger role to play in this installment and would love to see Laughton and Tannahill team up again in the future.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Clearing by Simon Toyne and look forward to future installments in this series. Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

My Rating: 3.75⭐️ show less