Head in the Sand

I'm officially a fan of this author/series. Have already purchased #3 in the series, Kickback, which will very soon be in my 'currently reading' list.

Set in Britain, DI Dixon and his partner are off and running when a severed head is found at a golf course. And the plot thickens quickly :)

The pace of this book never slows. Once I started reading it, all other activities in my life took a back seat. I like the characters, that the focus of the book is in solving the mystery, the subtle way of handling the relationship between Dixon & Jane without a second by second replay, and even the silly dog.

I *did* wonder at referring to their car speed in mph rather than kph, but that may just be me.

I better get some housework done before i start show more #3! Mr. Boyd - hurry up and write #4 please!!!

P.S. the first in this series, As the Crow Flies, is still FREE for Kindle. If you're a mystery fan, quick go get it. show less

I don't like DI Nixon very much. I have read three of these DI Nick Dixon books now and my reaction to them all is the same. The most common reading note I make is about Dixon's grandmother and sucking eggs. Mr. Dixon tells the highly skilled people around him how to do their jobs properly - here reminding the SOCO team to check the bushes around the crime scene for clues. He is patronizing and sometimes even nasty to his staff. DI Dixon is fond of telling civilians that laws go out the window in murder investigations. Well, no they do not.

Mr. Boyd is a careless writer. Jane most certainly would not know what "desanguination" is because the word is "exsanguination." DNA works fine for identifying a partially burned body. And knife show more fighters hold their knives with their palm upwards, making the side slash easier to control.

I received a review copy of "Head in the Sand: DI Nick Dixon Series Book 2" by Damien Boyd (Amazon Publishing/Thomas & Mercer) through NetGalley.com. show less

DI Nick Dixon investigates a gruesome head found in a golf course bunker and has to look back to 1979 to provide a motive for the killing. As always many real Somerset locations used as well some more familiar to me in Norfolk, which adds to the authenticity. Interesting characters with believable (and sympathetic) motivations.

Solid crime story.

I must admit, I'm biased by the locations, that, even if have been in the area only briefly, I love.

I found the story to be well structured, not overly complex, but with enough twists to keep the focus high. Not really a "page-turner", but still quite engaging.

The main character history is not as central as in the previous book, it remains a bit superficial, but still well balanced.

A nice solid police procedural with a enough mystery threads to keep you reading. An author that I first discovered earlier this year.

The main setting for this novel is Burnham-on-Sea, a large seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay.