#BlogTour Nighthawking by Russ Thomas

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Nighthawking by Russ Thomas.

About the Author

Russ Thomas was born in Essex, raised in Berkshire and now lives in Sheffield. After a few 'proper' jobs (among them: pot-washer, optician's receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-centre telephonist, and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of bookselling, where he could talk to people about books all day. His highly-acclaimed debut novel, Firewatching, is the first in the DS Adam Tyler series and published in February 2020. Nighthawking, the second book in the series, will publish in February 2021.

Follow @thevoiceofruss on Twitter, on Goodreads, Visit russthomasauthor.com,

About the book

After the gut-punch ending of Firewatching, DS Adam Tyler returns to another shocking cold case… A body has been discovered in Sheffield’s beautiful Botanical Gardens. A young woman, dead from a stab wound, buried in a quiet corner. Police quickly determine that the body has been there for months, and would have gone undiscovered for years – but someone has dug it up.

Who is the victim? Who killed her and buried the body, resting two ancient Roman coins over her eyes? And who dug her up?

DS Adam Tyler will find himself drawn into the secretive world of nighthawkers: treasure-hunters who operate under cover of darkness, seeking the lost and valuable, and willing to kill to keep what they find…

Review

One thing hasn't changed from the first book in the series, Adam Tyler still tends to think the universe and the general population are fixated on his problems or in this case obsession. The crimes in this book are all brought together, on a tenuous thread I might add, by the obsession he has with the death of his father - the alleged suicide.

His insistence on going through every detail to prove his suspicions correct doesn't often allow for deviations from the route, however the discovery of a body leads him into the odd world of nighttime searches and often theft of archaeological artifacts - nighthawking.

I didn't even know Nighthawking was a thing, but it seems like the perfect term for such an exciting and equally creepy activity. A bit like medieval treasure hunters who have the added bonus of modern equipment.

Following on from the success of Firewatching, this is the second book in the DS Adam Tyler series. Another riveting read by this author, who is a talented storyteller. I actually bought the audiobook after reading this just to listen to the atmospheric retelling of the story. The nighthawking scenes are an especially good listen.

Although this book has a lot more meandering than the first, I can't wait to see where Thomas takes this series next and indeed for any other any other stories he decides to tell. 

Buy Nighthawking at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Uk; pub date 29th April 2021 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Firewatching by Russ Thomas.

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Firewatching by Russ Thomas. It is an incredibly good debut novel.

About the Author
Russ Thomas was born in Essex, raised in Berkshire and  now lies in Sheffield. He grew up in the 80s reading anything he could get from the library, writing stories, watching large amounts of television, playing video games, and largely avoiding the great outdoors. He spent five years trying to master playing the electronic organ and another five trying to learn Spanish. It didn't take him too long to realise that he'd be better off sticking to the writing.

After a few 'proper' jobs ( among them: pot-washer, optician's receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-centre telephonist and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of book selling, where he could talk to people about books all day.

His debut novel Firewatching is the first book in the DS Adam Tyler series.

Follow @thevoiceofruss on Twitter, on Goodreads, Visit russthomasauthor.com, Buy Firewatching

About the book
One False Move - A body is found bricked into the walls of a house. From the state of the hands, it's clear they were buried alive and tried to claw their way out before they died. Soon, the victim is linked to a missing person's case and DS Adam Tyler is called.

Will Ignite - As the sole representative of South Yorkshire's Cold Case Review Unit, Tyler recognises his role as what it is - a means of keeping him out of the way following an 'incident.' When this case falls in his lap, he grabs the opportunity to fix his stagnating career.

The City - When he discovers he has a connection to the case that hopelessly compromises him, he makes the snap decision not to tell his superiors. With such a brutal and sadistic murder to unpick, Tyler must move carefully to find the truth, without destroying the case or himself.

Meanwhile, someone in the city knows exactly what happened to the body. Someone who is watching Adam closely. Someone with an unhealthy affinity with fire...

Review
Sometimes you get reads that demand attention. You are unable to focus on any other matter or book until you have devoted every aspect of yourself to this particular story - right until the very last page.

DS Adam Tyler is called to the scene of a crime as the representative of the Cold Case Unit. The body is of a person who went missing many years ago. Perhaps he can finally get some answers to the many questions the police and the family have.

Simultaneously someone has been setting fires - the question is whether there is any connection to a bizarre blog on the internet and real life or is it all just some strange coincidence. The insidious nature of the arsonist is balanced, in an oddly fascinating way, by the factual accounts of historical incidents of tragedies linked to fire.

In the midst of the more serious nature of this crime read the relationship between Doggett and Tyler brings a little humour to the story. Doggett has a very specific snarky charm, and he doesn't mind sharing it with everyone around him. Think Dalziel and his acidic tongue, but with much friendlier intentions.

I enjoyed the way the author stapled the truth of the insatiable hunger of social media intermittently into the story. It serves as a stark and frightening reminder that there are plenty of invisible people out there in the world, who feed off pain, drama and fear. What's worse is how many of them are willing to incite and fuel the flames - pun absolutely intended.

It's a superb crime read - an excellent combination of snark, mystery and murder.

I had to go back and check again that this was indeed a debut novel, because Thomas plots and writes like someone who has been writing for years. I hope this is the first of many more.

Buy Firewatching at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Shuster pub date 20 February 2020 - Hardback 12.99. Buy at Amazon com.