Review: Then She Was Gone by Luca Veste

Then She Was Gone by Luca Veste

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: 28 July 2016
Rating: ***** 
Back cover blurb: Tim Johnson took his baby daughter out for a walk and she never made it home. Johnson claims he was assaulted and the girl was snatched. The police see a different crime, with Johnson their only suspect. A year later, Sam Bryne is on course to be elected as one of the youngest MPs in Westminster. He's tipped for the very top ... until he vanishes. Detectives Murphy and Rossi are tasked with discovering what has happened to the popular politician - and in doing so, they unearth a trail that stretches into the past, and crimes that someone is hell-bent on avenging.

                

With every book Luca Veste writes I become more of a fan. His crime novels are realistic, gripping and at times witty - because we all need a bit of humour in our crime fiction - even if we didn't know it.

And, oh how I love Murphy and Rossi. Particularly Murphy...

I digress!

Tim Johnson has recently moved from the Wirral to Liverpool to escape his partner and keep his newborn daughter safe. But when he is brutally attacked and left for dead, his baby daughter no where to be found, the police question not only his story but also his sanity.

According to records, nosey neighbours and the like, there is no ex partner or baby, and Tim is suddenly the prime suspect in another crime entirely.

A year later and young Liverpool politician Sam Bryne is missing without a trace.

Murphy and Rossi are pulled into the investigation, Sam's parents keen on finding their son before details of his less than rosy past are leaked to the press. As they delve into Sam's private life, it seems there is much more to the politician than first meets the eye.

Sam Bryne also has some unsavoury friends from university who seem reluctant to help the police with their enquiries. It is clear they are hiding something. But it's not clear what or how important it is to the investigation.

When a body is found, Murphy and Rossi fear the worst. And not without good reason....

Murphy and Rossi are by far the most realistic crime fiction pairing in modern crime literature. They are not afraid to make mistakes, to trust their instincts and above all fight for justice. Roll on book number 5! 

  Then She Was Gone is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.  

Review: Bloodstream by Luca Veste

Bloodstream by Luca Veste

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release date: 22 October 2015

Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: A killer with a message to broadcast. Social Media stars Chloe Morrison and Joe Hooper seemed to have the perfect life. But someone took exception to it. Their violent deaths cause a media scrum to descend on Liverpool, with DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi assigned to the case. Three things soon become clear. This will not be the first murder. The media pressure will only intensify. And the enquiry leads straight to the heart of the police force.

Bloodstream is Luca Veste's third novel, his third in the DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi series, and in my opinion his best novel in the series so far.

It's opening, is brutal, Chloe Morrison watches her boyfriend Joe Hooper die at the hands of an unidentified killer before being murdered herself. The perpetrator we learn is all about exposing the secrets and lies that couples hide from and tell each other.

Although their lives played out on reality TV, away from the cameras Chloe and Joe we no different.

As Murphy and Rossi begin their investigation fears grow for a local missing girl, Amy Maguire. It seems unclear whether any potential suspect would have kidnapped her as they seem to be targeting couples, but the detectives fear for her life nonetheless.

A media frenzy soon surrounds the investigation, for Chloe and Joe were not the perpetrators first victims, and it seems unlikely that they will be his/her last.

As pressure mounts on the case, Murphy encourages Laura to spend some time away from work with her new boyfriend, whilst he remains and tries to think outside the box. What he discovers shocks him to the core and he begins to worry for his colleagues safety.

But should he be worrying for his own safety more? 

Murphy and Rossi must get to the killer before he strikes again, that much is clear, but what if they are already too late?

Bloodstream is a fast-paced thriller which you will not be able to put down!

Bloodstream is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

 

Review: Dead Gone by Luca Veste

Dead Gone by Luca Veste
Publlisher: Avon
Release Date: 5 December 2013
Rating: *****

Back Cover Blurb: "The young girl you have found isn’t the first experiment I’ve carried out. She won’t be the last". A tense, unpredictable crime debut that will not only have you gripped, but will chill you to the bone. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride and Mark Billingham. A serial killer is stalking the streets of Liverpool, gruesomely murdering victims as part of a series of infamous, unethical and deadly psychological experiments. When it becomes apparent that each victim has ties to the City of Liverpool University, DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi realise they're chasing a killer unlike any they've hunted before – one who doesn’t just want his victims’ bodies, but wants their minds too. With a series of psychological twists Dead Gone will keep you guessing until the very end.

 

"Throughout history, man has attempted to understand the complexities of life. Why are we here? What is our purpose? I am attempting to prove my answer to those questions. We are only here to die".

Dead Gone had me hooked right from the opening quote. A debut crime novel exploring the horrors created by the psychological experiments carried out by a serial killer, it is intense and gripping from the off.

We meet the main protagonist DI David Murphy and his colleague DS Laura Rossi in the first few chapters when the body of a young girl is discovered in mysterious circumstances in a local park. Almost immediately we realise that this is no ordinary murder, for it is accompanied by a letter from the killer explaining that the victim is an 'experiment', a murder of a very different kind from anything the detectives have encountered before.

As they investigate further, another body is discovered, with another note and it soon becomes apparent that there is a serial killer on the loose in Liverpool. The detectives work hard and fast to try and stop the killer before he strikes again, but DI Murphy has his own demons to battle with which threaten to hinder the investigation.

His colleagues are divided, some of them almost waiting for him to have a mental break down or screw the investigation up, whilst others like DS Rossi are consistently supportive. They are an unlikely but likeable pair, and I found myself drawn to them and willing them to succeed. That's not to say it will be easy for them.

Dead Gone had me second guessing right until the very end. Every time I thought I had worked out 'who dunnit' or what might happen next, I was proven wrong. I find that's a rare thing in crime novels these days, and I am glad that I have discovered a writer who can keep me hooked (and guessing) all the way through.

Dark, disturbing and extremely well written, Dead Gone is a debut novel that I won't be forgetting in a hurry.

You can purchase Dead Gone from Amazon and all good book shops.   Thank you to the Publishers who approved my request on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review