The Business of Dying

Simon Kernick's debut novel introduces DS Dennis Milne, a tough, jaded, boozing cop with a sharp mind but flexible morals. Milne has a sideline to earn some extra cash. He's paid by criminals to kill other criminals. Things get a little complex when he has to investigate a triple murder he's just committed. He discovers the dead men he killed were two customs agents and an accountant, which doesn't jibe with what he was told when he accepted the contract. In his legitimate job, Dennis is also investigating the death of a young girl found by the side of a canal. Eventually these two cases will be connected and Dennis will be in the uncomfortable position of being the hunter and hunted at the same time. The result will turn into Dennis's show more worse nightmare as he becomes a man with no place to hide.

I loved the dark nature of this book. Dennis Milne is definitely not a “good guy”. He is an assassin with a simple code of conduct: kill the bad guys that the police can't get legitimately and pocket some cash for his trouble. As the story unfolds you find yourself rooting for him and then questioning whether you should be. He is a great character, considering he is a bad cop. This was my first Simon Kernick novel and I just loved his style. I rushed out and got four more. If you enjoy a good thriller I would highly recommend any of them. show less

Simon Kernick's debut novel introduces DS Dennis Milne, a tough, jaded, boozing cop with a sharp mind but flexible morals. Milne has a sideline to earn some extra cash. He's paid by criminals to kill other criminals. Things get a little complex when he has to investigate a triple murder he's just committed. He discovers the dead men he killed were two customs agents and an accountant, which doesn't jibe with what he was told when he accepted the contract. In his legitimate job, Dennis is also investigating the death of a young girl found by the side of a canal. Eventually these two cases will be connected and Dennis will be in the uncomfortable position of being the hunter and hunted at the same time. The result will turn into Dennis's show more worse nightmare as he becomes a man with no place to hide.

I loved the dark nature of this book. Dennis Milne is definitely not a “good guy”. He is an assassin with a simple code of conduct: kill the bad guys that the police can't get legitimately and pocket some cash for his trouble. As the story unfolds you find yourself rooting for him and then questioning whether you should be. He is a great character, considering he is a bad cop. This was my first Simon Kernick novel and I just loved his style. I rushed out and got four more. If you enjoy a good thriller I would highly recommend any of them. show less

Handel med döden är spännande från första sidan. Jag håller inte med Uffeman att man inte får sympati med huvudpersonen eftersom han både är polis och mördare, tvärt om så får han min sympati. Jag gillar böcker där allt inte är svart eller vit, där onda handlingar kan utgöras av goda och sympatiska människor, för just så är det i livet, inget är självklart. Jag är ingen kriminalroman älskare men är en bok bra så spelar det ingen roll vilket genre den tillhör.
Jag kan helt klart tänka mig att fortsätta läsa Simon Kernicks böcker efter denna.

This debut novel is a slick read which combines the intelligence of a good crime story with the elegance of the best of British writing. The first-person narrator, Detective Sergeant Dennis Milne, is not only a dedicated copper who is remorseless in his pursuit of justice, but also a ruthless contract killer — not your typical hero.

He smokes and drinks heavily, neglects his diet, sometimes abuses his position, is a loner, can’t maintain stable relationships with women, and is unpopular with the police hierarchy — but he is actually not the cliché he sounds. Milne accepts himself, and so does the reader. We are guided deftly through the frustrations of trying to solve the murder of a nasty young prostitute, and the unsettling show more world of underage vice where the victims seem as depraved as those who prey upon them. While the reader’s sensibilities might be manipulated along the way, the book is a polished and sophisticated page-turner, which I hope will be just the first of many by this thrilling new writer. show less

Simon Kernick has written a fast-paced novel about a good man doing ambiguous things for the right reasons. Sgt Milne is a detective with the Metropolitan Police, and he supplements his meager income carrying out hits on criminals (as requested and paid for by other criminals). His conscience isn't bothered, especially given some of the bums he's asked to eliminate. After a big hit described in the first chapter, however, our narrator discovers that the victims seem to be honest civil servants. His conscience does bother him about the three innocent deaths; he normally only kills the bad guys. Now, he has to watch his moves carefully as he works with the same police force that is investigating his crime.

All while this is going on, show more Milne investigates the death of a young prostitute uncovering not only a web of serial killing and child pornography, but links to his own case. Eventually, these two stories converge into a satisfying, action-packed conclusion. Kernick has a nice, wry, and fast-paced style that suits the storyline and the main character. There are even a few laughs! The plot is nicely devised, and a lot of bad people get what's coming to them - although Milne is enforcing a renegade justice, it's quite appealing to see the criminals in this novel pay for their injury to society. show less

This was Simon Kernick's first book as an author and was a good honest attempt, which was very enjoyable to read. He is one of my favourite suspense authors but do know that other books he wrote later on build on this early promise. This was a very unique take on a story with a Detective a Sergeant (Dennis Milne) being a hit man! Read and enjoy.

Excellent first novel by British writer. It is about a rogue cop who surprisingly gets my sympathy despite killing three innocent people in the first chapter. Highly recommended if you like your English detectives with their imperfections. DS Milne comes out of the Rebus and Inspector Banks school of detectives.