This is my first tour for Zooloo’s Book Tours, and I was excited to join the tour for this British mystery novel from Catherine Moloney.
The novel is a twisty police procedural with light, humorous moments to avoid the crimes being too dark and heavy, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read. Following the death of author Peter Lovesey, I’ve been missing my annual investigations with Peter Diamond, and Moloney’s series is a worthy substitute, feeling like a very similar style, covering dark subjects with a lightness of touch.
The novel opens in a local gym, with a Paralympian rugby player found dead in the weights room, and it’s clearly not an accident. The case is passed to CID, while they already have a number of assaults to investigate, and all the victims are members at the same gym. Are the cases linked?
While this is the 24th novel in the DI Markham series, it’s my first from this author, and it’s easy to read as a standalone. We’re given enough information about the characters and their backgrounds so as not to feel lost, but I’ll definitely be digging into DI Markham’s back story. He may become one of my new favourite detectives.
I loved the twists and red herrings, the case was fun to follow, and I really enjoyed meeting the team for the first time and seeing their banter and interactions. A fun way to spend an afternoon!
Many thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours and Joffe Books for the advance reader copy for review. I’m off to go buy the rest!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Catherine Moloney is a Liverpool writer of Irish-American heritage. After graduating in Jurisprudence from Jesus College (University of Oxford), she was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn. Despite qualifying as a barrister, her first love was English; this led to a PhD in English Literature at Birkbeck College (University of London).
In her academic career, she lectured and published widely on the subject of tuberculosis and nineteenth-century literature, but somehow managed to avoid contracting galloping hypochondria and turned her attention to crime fiction.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Bromgrove folk are dying to join Fitness for All. A friendly little gym where everyone’s welcome. And everyone’s a suspect.
Paralympian Jack Donahue has always been the gym’s devastatingly handsome poster boy. Until now.
Jack is found dead in the weights room. Bludgeoned with the same dumbbell that helped sculpt his world-class biceps!
Detective Gil Markham is called to investigate, with his loyal — and gloriously tactless — sidekick George Noakes never far behind.
But the deeper they dig into Jack’s secrets, the more suspects they find.
Behind his spotless public image, Jack wasn’t short of enemies. A spurned student with a grudge. A bitter ex-trainer. A girlfriend hiding secrets of her own.
Markham fears it all links back to a spate of attacks on the ladies of the Silver Swans barre group.
Before long, a second body falls. Then a third . . . both paid-up members of the gym.
Whoever’s behind these killings, they’re only just getting warmed up. Can Markham solve the case before they return to make it a personal best?
A wonderfully witty and twist-packed British crime mystery you won’t be able to put down. Perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, Faith Martin, Clare Chase, P.F. Ford and LJ Ross.
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