#BlogTour Broken Silence by Liz Mistry

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Broken Silence, the second part in the DS Nikki Parekh series, by Liz Mistry.

About the Author
Liz Mistry has signed a three book deal for a new series with HQ Digital, a Harper Collins imprint. The first in the series was Last Request, which was released in October 2019. Broken Silence is the second book and will be released April 2020. The series features a feisty mixed-race DS called Nikki Parekh and is set in Bradford.

Follow @LizMistryAuthor on Twitter,  on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit lizmistrycrimewriter.wordpress.com, Buy Broken Silence

About the book
When DS Felicity Springer is reported missing after a police training conference, the countdown to find her begins…

On her way home after an exhausting weekend, with colleagues she can’t wait to escape, Felicity notices something odd about the white van in front of her. A hand has punched through the car’s rear light and is frantically waving, trying to catch her attention.

Desperate to help, Felicity dials 999 and calls it in. But whilst on the phone, she loses control of the car on the icy road, crashing straight into the vehicle ahead. Pinned in the seat and unable to move, Felicity feels a sudden whoosh of cold air across her face. Someone has opened the passenger door… and they have a gun.

With Felicity missing and no knowledge of whether she is dead or alive, DS Nikki Parekh and DC Sajid Malik race to find their friend and colleague.

But Felicity was harbouring a terrible secret, and with her life now hanging in the balance, Nikki can only hope that someone will come forward and break the silence…

Review
The tables are turned in this second part of the DS Nikki Parekh series, both of which can be read as standalone crime reads. Where DS Springer was very much the enemy in Last Request and almost obsessively determined to bring Parekh to heel and perhaps even destroy her career - this time it is up to Parekh to find and if possible save Springer.

It's almost ironic how Springer starts to make choices based on what she thinks Parekh might do in a similar situation. The other woman, the colleague she has treated with disdain becomes the person to emulate. Strength, determination and an incalculable will to survive the ordeal are what keep Stringer fighting. If she survives, will it change the way she perceives and interacts with Parekh?

It's an urban crime read with a fresh gritty feel. The main characters says what she feels and sometimes she feels like she doesn't give two monkeys about a woman who tried to destroy her, but now needs her help.

Mistry mixes modern crime with the challenges of gender inequality in the police force. The treatment of those who don't fit into the men's club idea of what a cop should be, and the women who help to perpetuate the problem. Acting like one of the boys doesn't mean you are one.

I have to say kudos to the sub-plot that flows subtly along with the main one. The indifference, the shame, the audacity of the event and the way each individual responds to it was an interesting way to solidify certain points.

Buy Broken Silence at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for an other retailer. Publisher: HQ Digital; pub date 24 April 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Last Request (DS Nikki Parekh #2) by Liz Mistry.

#BlogTour Last Request by Liz Mistry

Today it's my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Last Request by Liz Mistry.

About the Author
Liz Mistry has signed a three book deal for a new series with HQ Digital, a Harper Collins imprint. The first in the series is Last Request, which will be released in October 2019. It features a feisty mixed-race DS called Nikki Parekh and is set in Bradford.

Follow @LizMistryAuthor on Twitter, on Goodreads, Visit lizmistrycrimewriter.wordpress.com, Buy Last Request

About the book
When human remains are discovered under Bradford’s derelict Odeon car park, DS Nikita Parekh and her team are immediately called to the scene.

Distracted by keeping her young nephew out of trouble, Nikki is relieved to learn the investigation has been transferred to the Cold Case Unit, and she can finally focus on her family.

But when the identity of the victim is revealed, she’s soon drawn back into the case. The dead man is a direct link to her painful past.

As the body count begins to rise, Nikki must do everything she can to stop the killer in their tracks before anyone else gets hurt – even if it means digging up secrets she had long kept hidden…

Review
This is the first in a new crime series by Mistry. Her main character DS Nikita Parekh pulls no punches and is a determined fighter for her family, herself and for the victims she encounters. She is torn between family loyalty and problems, and her career. At times she is like a demented ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth from one thing to the other.

Kudos to Mistry for bringing an important point to the table about the lack of awareness the wealthy or any social class above the working class, especially those living in poverty, have when it comes to living a daily struggle. If you have never lived from payday to payday, struggled to feed yourself and loved ones or as in this case, had to face the miscreants of society on a daily basis - then you have no business judging those people or have the right to a sanctimonious opinion.

DS Nikita Parekh and her family have to deal with these kind of situations on a daily basis. It's a dog eat dog world and she struggles to keep her loved ones out of the clutches of the type of criminals who think nothing of maiming and disfiguring kids and young people.

To make matters worse her the majority of her colleagues treat her with disdain, especially when she becomes the main suspect in a murder case.

It's a fast-paced urban crime series with a strong female lead. Mistry doesn't shy away from uncomfortable truths our society has to deal with. The way she melds fact, fiction and realism results in a gripping read.

Buy Last Request at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Digital; pub date 16 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.