Book blurb:
“Was it suicide… or murder? When teenager Nick Buckingham tumbles from the fifth floor of an apartment block, Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray answers the call with a sick feeling in his stomach. The victim was just a kid, sixteen years old. And the exact age the detective’s son, Tom, would’ve been, had he not gone missing at a funfair ten years ago. Each case involving children haunts Gray with the reminder that his son may still be out there – or worse, dead. The seemingly open and shut case of suicide twists into a darker discovery. Buckingham and Gray have never met, so why is Gray’s number on the dead teenager’s mobile phone?
With his boss, Detective Inspector Yvonne Hamson, Gray begins to unravel a murky world of abuse, lies, and corruption. An investigator from the Met is called in to assist, setting the local police on edge. And when the body of Reverend David Hill is found shot to death in the vestry of Gray’s old church, Gray wonders how far the depravity stretches and who might be next.
Nothing seems connected, and yet there is one common thread: Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray, himself. As the bodies pile up, Gray must face his own demons. Crippled by loss but determined to find the truth, Gray takes the first step on the long road of redemption.
Set in the once grand town of Margate in the south of England, the now broken and depressed seaside resort becomes its own character in this dark detective thriller. “Dig Two Graves” is the first book in a series featuring Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray. The crime series is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, and Peter James. “
My Thoughts:
Sorry this has taken so long everyone, but this was my first review not on Audible,but on mp3 format,so it took longer to get it to where i could listen to it.
But thankfully it was worth the wait, the story of an off the rails cop trying to solve the demons of the past while juggling the present.
I always enjoy a cop who’s humanity shines through the story no matter what is going on round about him, and Solomon Gray is the best I’ve heard so far.
I love a story set in Britain,specially somewhere I have never been,one day I want to visit Margate.
The grittyness seeps out this book from every pore, from a seeming suicide and the begging to the final notes trail off at the end, the tension tightens like a noise and refuses to let go.
Solomon Gray, a walking self destruction is a believable, rough edged character,shaped by his past while trying to navigate his present but not always getting there.
His boss DI Yvonne Hamson,I found half liking her ,half not the lines between boss and friendship regularly being blurred.
The teller of this fine tale was a new name to me, Ben Onwukwe his voice so gritty, gives an edge so sharp that if you get too close, you could cut yourself.
I really enjoyed the brief flashes back to the past which gave glimpses of what brought Gray to where he is today.
So if you are looking for a home grown Brittish crime then I point you towards this dear readers and listener’s, I really hope to hear more from Gray and the team.
You can buy it here:
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And His Website: http://www.keithnixon.co.uk
A Listener's Slant 