5 Stars from me
I absolutely adore the Barton series and so was delighted to hear that Barton’s back!
In The Village Killer, Barton is challenged with crimes that stem from a world he knows very little about – this could be a career ending situation for some, and others yet might even admit the flaw – yet as always he rises to the occasion and investigates enough to bring himself up to speed.
When links start to appear between seemingly unrelated cases, Barton and the team come into their own with their dogged and unrelenting pursuit of ‘whodunnit’ and The Village Killer offers a satisfyingly complex thriller to solve, with many an eye opening surprise along the way.
In keeping with the rest of the series, the chapters mostly follow Barton and the team but are interspersed with chapters written from the killers point of view which keeps the pace exciting and also gives insight into their perspective.
In addition to writing cracking thrillers with just the right amount of clever humour, Ross Greenwood‘s books also deliver on the more challenging social subjects in life. He achieves this without it feeling deliberate, artificial or like something edgy is being rammed down your throat, and I hugely admire this aspect of his books.
For me, the Barton series is like an old pair of comfy slippers and I pick them up knowing without a shadow of a doubt that I am in for a good read. My thanks to Boldwood Books, Ross Greenwood and Rachel’s Random Resources for letting me be a part of this blog tour.
Blurb: After three years behind a desk, Inspector John Barton wonders if he’s still got what it takes.
An opportunity arises to return to Major Crimes, so he jumps at it, after all he’s been around the block a few times. When he and his team are called in to investigate an attempted murder which seems to be linked to the case of a missing child, Barton is immediately thrust back into the life of a detective – early mornings, late nights and endless pressure to get to the truth.
Then a man dies.
Something deadly is going on behind the high walls and imposing gates of the mansions in the sleepy village of Castor. The locals are keeping each other’s secrets and if Barton doesn’t find out why soon, the bodies will start mounting up.
The Village Killer knows who’s next, and the clock is ticking…
Read and Rated 