Stuart Pawson (1940–2016)

I've been spending some time this summer picking up where I left off with several mystery series that I've enjoyed in the past. After reading The Mushroom Man, the second book in Pawson's Charlie Priest series set in Yorkshire, I tried to remember how long it had been since I'd read the first, The Picasso Scam. Five years, that's how long. I can't believe it, especially since I clearly remember enjoying that first book so much. After falling under Charlie's spell every bit as deeply as I did show more the first time, I'm going to have to make sure another five years does not go by before I read the third. Stuart Pawson writes excellent mysteries!

The two separate investigations are both very strong. Many writers would have chosen to separate them into two books, but Pawson knows what he's doing. Oh boy, does he know. In some ways it almost feels as if he's teasing readers because clear clues are provided all along the way. All we have to do is see them for what they are. Both cases do not focus on the actual crimes, and I was grateful for that, especially in the case of the missing child. No, the focus in both is on the investigation itself and in showing how patient, dogged footwork-- and a tiny dash of intuition-- can bring a murderer to justice.

Charlie Priest himself is a marvelous character, and one of my favorites. He went to art school, wears artsy fartsy ties, and doesn't particularly care for high brow music. He has a great relationship with his team, partly because he's always out there working with them and partly because they know exactly what he expects from each and every one of them. With two such engrossing cases for readers to attempt to solve, his bumbling efforts to show Annabelle Wilberforce how much he is growing to care for her are a welcome-- and endearing-- respite.

How did I fare in deducing the killers? One out of two. I was laser-sharp at spotting the very first clue Pawson planted for the missing child, but I was a dismal failure in the second investigation. In fact, when I learned why the clergymen had been targeted, the answer was so blindingly obvious that I could have slapped myself upside the head. Having this much fun reading a mystery should be illegal. Since it's not-- and before anyone in authority changes that-- I'd better move on to the next Charlie Priest novel! show less

I loved the first two Charlie Priest police procedurals by Stuart Pawson so much that it came as a shock to realize how long it had been since I'd read them. I quickly picked up this third book in the series to rectify the matter. The Judas Sheep brought me right back into the story of one of my favorite coppers.

Stuart Pawson knows how to create multi-layered mysteries with excellent pacing, and his writing style draws me right into the story, but-- as is the case with any character-driven show more reader-- it's Charlie Priest himself who's the shining beacon in this series. He's a good investigator with an excellent team around him, and they are all familiar with his little quirks. (Like to be called by your title? You can count on Charlie to make a point of calling you by name. Several times.) His irreverent sense of humor is a thing of beauty, and I adore Charlie's similes.

In The Judas Sheep, it's good to see Charlie taking his health scare seriously. Of course, it helps that there's a new woman in his life, so learning that there are actually perks to not living for his job comes as a pleasant surprise to him. But if there's one sure thing about Charlie, it's that he's passionate about justice, and he wants justice not only for the dead but for the living, too. Most police in search of results would not treat a dead woman's sister the way Charlie does, and I love the character all the more for it.

If you enjoy police procedurals with engrossing mysteries, a sense of humor, and a wonderful main character, you can't go wrong with Stuart Pawson's Charlie Priest series. If you want to give the series a try-- and I hope you will-- start at the beginning with The Picasso Scam. You're in for some fun. show less

Last Reminder by Stuart Pawson is the fourth book featuring D.I. Charlie Priest in a British Police Procedural series. I have enjoyed every book in this series as the author is able to deliver imaginative stories that give the reader a nice balance between the mystery, the police business and Charlie’s own personal life. Peppered with humor and inventive dialogue, Charlie and his crew are likeable and intelligent.

This particular entry opens with Charlie being called to a suspicious death. show more The deceased was a financial advisor and very quickly it becomes known that this advisor caused many of his clients to lose their life savings in a poor investment scheme involving diamonds. The trail leads the police to a father and son duo of drug dealers and an unsolved gold bullion heist.

Last Reminder flows evenly and the story is interesting. The characters are well drawn, the author supplies sub-plots that feature both other police business as well as Charlies’ on-going struggles with his romantic relationship with Annabelle Wilberforce. All in all, Last Reminder was solidly entertaining and I look forward to continuing on with this series in the future. show less

This is the first book in the DI Charlie Priest series. It's an English Police Procedural, but quite a bit different than most of the books that I read in this genre. For one thing it is wickedly funny. I love the humour in the book, and I really like Charlie. I cannot wait to read more about him. In this book he is off on temporary disability, but he can't stay away from police work, so agrees to a surveillance job that turns out to be anything but simple. It appears on the surface to be a show more simple drugs running operation that takes Charlie over to Rotterdam on the ferry, but the group he's observing has its fingers in a lot more pies than that, and they are extremely dangerous. This book has a reality feel to it. Pawson gets British police work just right!! show less