Reviews

An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger

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rowingrabbit's review against another edition

4.0

So once again I'm asking myself....how have I missed this series?! Instead of being fashionably late to the party, apparently I've shown up after everyone ate, drank, danced, got arrested & made bail.

This is a wonderful read, a straight up procedural full of well developed characters that grow on you with each passing page. The MC is D.C. Smith, a seasoned detective in Kings Lake, Norfolk. He's a widower who can't imagine not being on the job despite some not so subtle hints to retire. After a recent department scandal, he's handed low level cases....like signing off on the accidental drowning of a local teen.

I won't get into the investigation. Obviously there's more there than meets the eye or we wouldn't have a story. 'Nuff to say it's well plotted with some interesting historical ties. What makes this so readable is the cast. Smith is an engaging character. He's deceptively low key, a smart mild mannered guy who misses nothing. Instead of the usual personal demons ubiquitous in the genre, his only baggage is a quiet grief following the recent loss of his beloved wife. But it's his dry sense of humour that elevates the story & makes dialogue sparkle. Other characters of note include Smith's superior officer DCI Reeve & DC Waters, a shiny new recruit with much to learn.

This is a good example of all you need for a compelling read. No flash, no OTT drama....just well developed characters & great story telling. There's already a squillion reviews for this little gem so I'll end by saying if you're a fan of police procedurals, don't be a Sandy-come-lately. Read it.

4.5 stars

glockers's review against another edition

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4.0

Enjoyed the characters and dialogue. The plot was solid enough and the backstory tantalising.

Have to admit that I was a bit taken aback when I realised that it was only available as a Kindle book. My local librarian was also surprised and then wondered out loud as to the future of libraries! I told her not to worry...

p010ne's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the first novel in a series of British police involvements in Kings Lake (Lynn) and involves and eastern European involved in a tragic accidental death

pcbdznr's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent.

readinit's review

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

crafalsk264's review

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is the first book in the series of 11 DC (initials not rank) Smith Mysteries (published in 2013) and my first book by this author. In a smaller English police jurisdiction, Detective Sargent DC Smith is returning to duty after an extended leave following a scandal in the Force for which he took the fall. On his first day back, he receives multiple comments on the enjoyments of retirement and is teamed up with a rookie Detective Constable Christopher Waters as a partner. Their first assignment is to review the case file on what is believed to be an accidental death. After reviewing the file, Smith has a feeling that something just doesn’t fit. So instead of signing off on the file, Smith takes Waters in tow and they take a field trip to re-interview some of the witnesses, inspect the crime scene, visit the morgue, get kidnapped by the bad guys, and discovered the accidental death was really murder.

The two main characters in this book are DC Smith and rookie Chris Waters, who turns out to be the son of a previous colleague, are developing a partnership. The Police Procedural form is a great fit for this book. The two main characters are well developed. The setting is large enough to support a police force and small enough that cozy is a part of most actions. This was an intelligent, well written series and since it is the first of the series. Later entries should get even better. I am a diehard fan of some similar series such as Louise Penny’s Three Pines. So I suspect I will follow the rest oh the series in the future. Reclusive to readers who enjoy mystery/thriller, contemporary literature,crime, murder and British Literature.