Firewatching

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From slightly odd Sally Ann and hard on the exterior DI Jim Doggett, to the apparently eccentric elderly pair of ladies Edna and Lily. The writing is excellent, the plot is tight and well crafted, the characters are terrific, and the double mystery (two murders and an arson case that may or may not be related) kept me guessing until the end (as usual, I didn’t see the end coming). The characterisation in ‘Firewatching‘ is absolutely perfect, with Thomas portraying Lily’s dementia accurately and sensitively. It would have gone undiscovered for years – but someone just sneaked into the Gardens and dug it up.

The evolving and complicated relationships amongst the team were a delight to read and I cannot wait to see how the personalities develop and coalesce in future books. Along with ambitious Constable Amina Rabbani and despite his link to the suspect, Adam manages to stay on the case, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. MC makes a decision so bad, so unprofessional and incompetent and just incredibly stupid, that I had to nope out of the entire book, and I read a LOT of romance novels where we roll around in bad decisions like Scrooge McDuck in dollar bills. Questioning of the neighbors reveals two older ladies who used to help take care of Oscar: Ex-schoolteacher Edna is dying of cancer and Lily is suffering from a dementia-like illness.Possibly my tolerance for British policemen making self-protecting vaguely corrupt decisions is low. A taut investigative thriller bursting with character and tension, introducing an enigmatic, fresh lead detective unlike any you have met before. Adam has a difficult family background and has gone through a rebellious teenager stage to end up following in his father's steps and joining the police force. We also have PC Mina Rabbani with her fiery temper, broad South Yorkshire accent, her cleverness and initiative.

So begins a story, of sexual deviancy, abuse, and murder, which somehow Tyler will have to work, sometimes in spite of himself, and maybe even to prove some of his colleagues wrong. The writing and flow are excellent and I especially liked the protagonist and hope this is the beginning of a series. The end is dramatic with the final few paragraphs being very tantalising and leaves me hoping there’s a sequel.Once one the case,Tyler blunders around from one place to another, without any loss of enthusiasm, trying to solve things. I found this book quite confusing as there were too many characters and I really didn’t like the racial comments throughout this book. I know I am not the only Boomer that wants to smack that obnoxious character, and so Tyler endears himself to me by not going there. Thomas really gets to grips with his dementia character and I really felt for her, having seen my own mu go through the various stages of dementia.