“In Vancouver, the wife of a millionaire is dead following an explosion in her own home.

Everyone thinks her husband is responsible, but former FBI profiler Jefferson Winter isn’t so sure. The method is too perfect; the lack of mistakes, uncanny. He’s seen a series of carefully orchestrated murders – once a year, on exactly the same day, a woman dies in a situation just like this one.

That date is fast approaching and Winter knows another victim has been selected. Can he identify the quiet man before he strikes again?”

First of all I would like to wish James Carol and the folk at Faber & Faber a very happy publication day.  The Quiet Man is released into the wild today and I can guarantee this is one that you don’t want to miss!

The Quiet Man features one of my very favourite lead protagonists in the form of ex-FBI profiler Jefferson Winter.  This is the fourth book in the series and I heartily recommend you check out the first three books if you haven’t already done so as they are superb.  No really, they are THAT good!

On one hand, I want to shout about the Jefferson Winter series from the rooftops. But on the other, I want to keep these books just for me.  I don’t want to share!  Weird as that sounds, coming from a self confessed bookaholic who always wants to spread the book love.  I discovered the first in the series several years ago when it was first published and I felt as though I had found something REALLY special.  Something just for me.  But then I heard others speak of James Carol’s books and I felt a little…disappointed.  I wanted to have a strop and shout, ‘but they’re my books’ which of course I didn’t (because they’re not!).  Great news for the author, not so good for me and my beloved stash of Jefferson Winter novels. These amazing thrillers weren’t just my secret discovery anymore.  Many other readers out there felt exactly the same about them as I did…(Obviously, with hindsight, I see the books popularity as something  positive as it has resulted in a brand new book and that, my bookish friends is a very, very good thing!  I also feel quite proud that I saw a good thing early on and I’m now able to introduce new readers to the wonder of Winter and James Carol’s brilliant writing.)

Anyway, enough of my author/series stalking (I could give a few of my fellow bloggers a run for their money as they are well known and fairly vocal about their author stalking. But fear not Mr Carol. I am mostly harmless!).  Let’s crack on with my review…

So, what did I think of the fourth book in the series?  Well they just keep getting better and better.  James Carol is one of my very favourite authors and this latest release proves that (ha! Like proof was ACTUALLY needed!).  For those new to this series, Jefferson Winter can be an acquired taste.  He’s an ex-FBI profiler who didn’t quite ‘fit’ so has gone out to catch the bad guys on his own.  Normally as a consultant, called in as and when needed by local police forces to get to the bottom of a particularly tricky case. Jefferson hunts the killers that no one else can catch.  It helps that he himself is the son of a serial killer, maybe giving him a small insight into the minds of the most evil men and women out there.  And he’s smart.  Really, really intelligent.

This time he is called to Vancouver to assist ex-police officer, Laura Anderton find a once-a-year killer.  Always striking on 5th August and making one of his victims live, whilst the other dies.  I was a little concerned to discover that Winter was hunting someone who killed only once a year.  I was worried the story would lack the action and fast-pace of past novels but I shouldn’t have fretted.  This book is chock full of action from start to finish.  Winter and Laura Anderton immediately build a strong working relationship, sharing ideas and bouncing old and new theories around.  I found the process incredibly fascinating; that examining of the minutiae in the hunt for a sadistic killer.

I was hooked from page one and found it very difficult to put this book down.  The author can do no wrong in my eyes and I can’t wait for future instalments.  It’s a gripping read, full of tension and suspense.  If you’re a thriller fan and haven’t read any of this series before then you are truly missing out.  The Quiet Man can be read as a standalone but why would you do that when you can read the first three books in the series as well?! It just doesn’t make sense!

Would I recommend this book?  Yes, yes I would.  Now stop me if I’ve mentioned this before but not only should you purchase The Quiet Man but you should also pop all of the other books in your basket at the same time!  Oh, and there are novellas too.  Don’t forget the novellas!  This is my ‘go to’ series, centering around one of my all time favourite characters.  I will buy any thriller written by James Carol without reading the blurb.  I am THAT confident that I will love it.  Don’t miss out thriller fans, buy this book!

Five out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Quiet Man.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Quiet Man by James Carol was published in the UK by Faber Books on 4th May 2017 and is available in paperback and eBook formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | Goodreads |

James Carol was born in Scotland in 1969, where he spent his early years. He moved to England in the eighties and has lived there ever since. At various times he has worked as a guitarist, sound engineer, guitar tutor, journalist, and a horse riding instructor.

The character of Jefferson Winter came about because he wanted to write a series of books that gave him as much freedom as possible. He figured that the more interesting he kept things for himself, the more interesting it would be for the reader.

Although the novels are written as a series, James approaches each book as a stand-alone. Each story is set in a different location, and has a different cast of characters. The beauty of this approach is that the novels can be read out of order.

When he’s not writing, James spends his time training horses and riders. An accomplished guitarist, he relaxes by writing and recording music. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and two children.

Author Links: | Website | Facebook | Twitter |