panther publishing

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

When a bloody corpse is discovered in a North London park, Detective Inspector Daniel Graves is the man tasked with finding the killer. With no clues and no suspects it seems like a dead end. Then another body turns up and this time it looks like it could be his fault. Has his investigation caused the murderer to strike again? Is he dealing with a serial killer?
​
As case one gets ever more complicated, a report comes in of another suspicious death but this is nothing like any other Graves has dealt with. All involved are convinced that something supernatural is to blame. A demon. Daniel is no believer but could he be wrong?
​
With two cases on his shoulders and the truth behind each beyond his grasp, Graves must race against time before both killers, human or otherwise, strike again.

Thanks to Emma for my place on the blog tour and the author for a copy of the book.  All thoughts are my own. 

Wow wow wow.  This book was such a surprise.  Blew me literally off my feet.  It’s such an exhilarating ride when you come across an author you haven’t even heard of that is knocking it clean out of the park.  The writing, the storytelling, clever twists and turns, and an explosive ending.  Do you want to immerse yourself into a genuinely accurate but a rollercoaster ride of emotions and fear, buckle up this will leave you aching for more.  Good news, the author will be releasing more in the series…YAY!

Everyone needs to read this book.  Holy freaking shit! Cannot praise it enough.  I loved how the story was actually two combined.  Let’s face it, in real life policing D.I’s wouldn’t just be focussing on one case, but several.  This brought an element of realism that I didn’t know I was missing in crime fiction.  Both stories had me hooked, but I did find myself hugely immersed in the Demonic force element that had been intricately weaved into the plotline.  I love all things supernatural, so I was totally here for it.  The author completely nailed the genuine fear and human emotion that the family was succumbed to.  Jackson-Smart weaved a web of evil and good and showed to his readers that anyone will do anything when fear and wanting to protect your family are involved.  The other case was just as fascinating.  Multiple murders, an apparent serial killer, mystery of missing money and dead-end leads had me slurping up this story like a starving woman.  Immense. 

D.I. Graves was perfect.  A country bumpkin who has transferred to London, fearful of dead bodies, isn’t into gore and he feels completely out of place.  Come on, a D.I. on the homicide squad in London?  That isn’t usually a formula for success.  He’s a bit of a loner, opting to keep to himself rather than truly making London his home.  A traumatic event has shaped not only his career but how he deal with people and events as a whole.  He’s a wounded character and I hope that this gets addressed in further books.  Don’t count him out for second though, he’s pretty badass and I definitely wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him!  When he gets that bit between his teeth, nothing will stop him solving a crime.  His partner, Charlie, is the good looking one, the funny man but he keeps Graves going.  He is a pillar of strength and he won’t let Graves give up.  As a team they are unstoppable and the unscrupulous had better watch out!  They are definitely the ying and yang to each other.  Their interaction with each other is both hilarious and heart-warming.  By god does Jackson-Smart know how to write characters.  The end game for both cases were a mystery to me.  I just couldn’t figure them out!  On the one hand I thought I knew how the tattoo murders were going to swing, then it seemed ruled out and then it swung round to me thinking yeah that’s it.  No, my amateurish brain needed to sit the hell down.  Clever writing throughout.  The author help my raptured attention from the very first page until the last.  Just with this one book the author has become one of my “authors to watch.”  A vivid page turner, one you won’t be able to put down.  A story that will stay with you long past the last page.  I love my crime thrillers dark and depraved and this has it in spades.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

WD Jackson-Smart, 35, is a London-based horror and crime fiction author who has been writing crime and horror fiction since 2011. His novel Red Light was self published on Amazon and charted in the top twenty best selling Suspense / Thriller Kindle books on release. 

His horror short story, What’s Yours Is Mine, was shortlisted for the Horror For Good anthology.

His first crime thriller Slasher, about a serial killer targeting slasher movie actresses in Hollywood, is out now, and he has launched a brand new crime series set in London and starring D.I. Graves. The Demons Beneath is the first in the series, and the sequel From Inside The House was published on July 1st 2019.

As well as his passion for horror and crime thrillers in all forms, WD Jackson-Smart also loves art and design, having studied Fine Art and Art History in Leeds and Toronto and working as a graphic designer for the majority of his career.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wdejackson

Website: https://www.wdjacksonauthor.co.uk/