Dead to Me

I'm a big fan of the show Scott & Bailey so I devoured this prequel novel to the show. First in a series, I thought it was a good introduction to the main women we follow (Janet, Rachel & Gill) & there was great expansion on background of these ladies that is only mentioned in passing on the show (season 1) or alluded to. It was all fantastic & just fit so well with what is already known on screen. I laughed & rolled my eyes & enjoyed watching Rachel getting her bearings with the team. Janet is steady as always but that whole thing with Andy was good to get the low down on. I learnt the most about Gill & that was really cool because on the show, so much of her past hadn't been mentioned. The main case the MIT worked on was pretty show more interesting & it never got boring following the procedural stuff. I was pretty sure I'd figured out the killer's identity but there were still twists & turns that I hadn't seen coming along the way. The tension was built & held taut & true throughout. The supporting characters were well drawn & not just stock or flat. I was so eager to read this that I bought my copy on Amazon's UK site (it's not available on Kindle in the US) & likely will very soon buy the next in the series as well. Love this series. show less

Better than I expected. I believe this is a novalization of the Scott and Bailey TV show, not the novel the show was based on. I've enjoyed the show for both the interesting characters and the well-done police procedurals and the book was in the same vein. It gave more background on the three main detectives but didn't loose sight of solving the case. An enjoyable read though I don't know if I'd seek out more of them. The show Scott and Bailey also started well but was sliding into melodrama the last I saw of it.

The author has done an excellent job of transferring the larger than life Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey from screen to page. This story tells the inauspicious start of their professional relationship as they investigate the murder of a young female drug addict and Bailey dives in feet-first at the first likely suspect, much to Scott's dismay. Having watched all the tv series I could hear the characters' words written by Cath Staincliffe being spoken by the excellent tv cast. More please!

I enjoyed the Manchester setting of this prolice procedural, but the actual crime (and its victim) seemed overshadowed by the extremely thorough depiction of how the police do their jobs in the UK and the career aspirations of the characters. Reading the book was a bit like going to work and studying for a promotion in my free time. Once I reconciled myself to the focus being more on the series characters' lives than on the crime, I more or less enjoyed it. Doubt I'd read more in the series.

Well-written prequel to Scott and Bailey TV series, which uses authenticity and blends with domestic drama and strong characters to produce an enjoyable introduction. Staincliffe dispays strong knowledge of the locale and of police procedure.

Stilted.