Firewatching

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He is a smart, self contained guy, with a reputation for being cold and definitely not a team player. 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.

Consequently, the twists and turns that do crop up in the narrative are all the more surprising because in hindsight they’re so blatantly obvious. A body is found bricked up in the cellar of a derelict house and the evidence seems to link the macabre find to a missing persons case from years before. He’s obviously a highly intelligent individual and I found it hugely enjoyable trying to work out who he was. The plot was intriguing and compelling, with plenty of suspense and unpredictability and interesting and enjoyable characters. There are two elderly women side characters, one of whom struggles with dementia, and Tyler is told that old women in small towns always love gossip; he refers to them often as “the old dears.Based in Sheffield and with the South Yorkshire Police Force, Tyler is unusual for anyone from SY Police, he actually finds criminals, maybe the real South Yorkshire Police might like to give that a go for a change? This is a fantastic debut from author Russ Thomas, with a structure that will be more than a little familiar to any seasoned crime reader. I don’t need to know what he is wearing, what he is thinking, what he is feeling, wearing, feeling some more, thinking….

I'm not sure I have ever stopped reading a book because of a character's bad decision before but here we are. The writing and flow are excellent and I especially liked the protagonist and hope this is the beginning of a series. She has a grudging respect for Tyler, especially when he remembers they are supposed to be working as a team.When growing up Oscar is looked after by two elderly ladies, Edna and Lily who are very interesting characters. 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.