David Mark (4) (1977–)

Families, memories and mayhem!

Strap on your seatbelt and be prepared for a wild ride. Witchcraft and murder greet DS Aector McAvoy and his wife Roisin when they roll into Weardale Village, County Durham, for an all expenses paid time for his estranged mother’s 70th birthday
McCovey is recovering from injuries dealt to him in his last case. His partner DSU Trish Pharaoh is recovering in Taormina, Sicily. They’ve been off for three months
Aector’s gypsy wife Roisin is scared for him. Not on the physical level but the emotional level. Aector’s going to be going into enemy territory. His step/brother Felix bullied and abused him as a kid, boarding school with the upper eschelons finished him off.
Twists, turns, and family challenges dog McAvoy’s steps. Steps that become more intuition and gut feeling than anything else.
Aector is a caring, listening and compassionate soul, aptly demonstrated when he lies in the dirt with the seven year old child Delilah, who had been badly burned the night her father died. He lies on the opposite side of Ishmael’s grave that night talking to her. It’s raining. Delilah has gone to talk to her father. McAvoy doesn’t chastise her or startle her but lies with her and listens.
Complex and disturbing, the story explores old, hurtful and harsh memories for McCavoy. There’s a missing policewoman DI Kate Seville, and a crazed local, Leonard Nightingale. The big question becomes whether Ishmael’s death was suicide or murder.
An almost gothic, satisfying read!

A SeVern House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.… (more)

I have to admit...this book surprised me. I expected a flash-back style crimemurder mystery novel...but got something richer and much more interesting. This is a mystery novel with a touch of espionage, hidden war-time secrets, cover-ups, Nazis, POWs, traitors....and two old women still determined to learn The Truth. Great story!

It all starts when a storm damages a mausoleum in a cemetery in 1967 and Cordelia Hemlock sees a body that shouldn't be there -- the corpse of a man clad in a brown suit still clutching a satchel. The local Scottish police don't believe her story. They think she is just distraught over the recent death of her young son. Her new friend, Felicity Goose, believes her. And the two spend decades trying to find out the truth.

This is the first book by David Marks that I have read. The story caught my attention from the start and kept my attention clear to the end. Well-written and with a nice depth, The Mausoleum was a very enjoyable read. I will definitely be reading more by this author. The story progresses a bit slowly at first, but once the stage is set, the plot builds suspense and moves a bit more quickly. I wasn't quite sure what the women would find out in the end, but I just let the tale carry me along revealing facts in its own time.

The use of Nazis and World War II hidden secrets can be a bit tropey, but David Marks pulls it off with style. Enjoyable, well-written story!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Severn House. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**… (more)

I have to confess that the mystery at the heart of this novel is quite well done. But Sergeant McAvoy as a character is not growing on me. I don't need my heroes to always be stalwart and brave, but McAvoy is a case study in low self esteem and self-loathing. Please get over it, Sergeant.

This is especially true since he has interesting colleagues and a fascinating wife, who could easily be the center of the story.

All that being said, I am only giving this book 3 stars because of two factors:
1. It ends on a cliff-hanger, which I think is unfair.
2. It doesn't try to solve the other mystery in the book and insufficient time is spent on this second mystery.… (more)