The Dead of Midwinter

 

The Dead of Mid-Winter by J.R Sinclair- Crime

I was asked to Beta read this book and wow- what an honour. From the very outset this debut novel comes across so well written I could have been reading a seasoned author.

We begin with a tragedy that changes the life of our main character Joseph- the death of his son in a car the family were travelling in. Present day and DI Joseph Stone now lives alone on a narrow boat- his marriage being another consequence of the tragedy. When his son died Joseph saw a man with a beheaded deer which he threw into the road. No coincidence that this was the midwinter solstice perhaps. In present day Ellie is helping on a farm and there have been a spate of burglaries. When she sees lights by the animal pens she goes to investigate. It appears that the midwinter butcher as the police have named him is back in action and this time humans are the target.

OMG! What a read, what a cracking plot line! I found myself ever turning the pages as I wanted to find out more- the skill of a wonderful author. Joseph and Megan are very likeable characters and bat off each other very well. Joseph has the experience and Megan adds the youth and a different insight which balances perfectly, I found myself liking them more and more as the book went on. A book where there’s a great tension between the pages and I’m already looking forward to more in the series. A fantastic read I can’t recommend highly enough. A huge 5*  Love this. Brilliant.

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