Who can you really trust?
Detective Inspector Denis Hamilton is dragged into a gruesome murder investigation, while on annual leave in Lake Windermere. A handwritten note, with a woman’s name, is found inside the corpse.
When a direct link to London is unidentified, Hamilton must race against the clock to make the connection before the body count rises.
Meanwhile, four friends with strained relationships, are reunited. What past event do they want to keep buried and is there something linking them to the murders?
Then, when a person from Hamilton’s past returns, he must ask himself: how well do we really know our friends?
London’s murder investigations team returns in this third novel from the bestselling author of In the Shadows and No Safe Home.
I am delighted to be closing down the Deadly Friendship blog tour today alongside Caroline over at Bits about Books. Deadly Friendship is the third book in the DI Denis Hamilton series, is written by talented author Tara Lyons and was published by Bloodhound Books on Sunday 23rd July 2017.
I have read and reviewed both of the previous books in this series and absolutely loved them. If you would like a quick refresher then please click here for my In the Shadows review (book #1) and here for my No Safe Home review (book #2). So there was a significant amount of expectation and pressure in starting the third book in the series. And I wasn’t disappointed.
I have a real soft spot for DI Denis Hamilton. The more we discover about this character, the more I like him. He is different to my usual damaged detectives but that doesn’t mean that tragedy hasn’t touched his life. There is a heartbreaking back story there but it is fully explained if you are new to this series. I also enjoyed the way in which DI Hamilton was immediately thrown into the investigation despite being on holiday in the Lake District with his wife and mother. Hamilton is a dedicated member of the force and a little bit of R&R won’t get in the way of an intriguing case.
The members of his team once again shone through, each one individual and with their own foibles. I was desperate to know more about DS Kerry Fraser after the last book and Lyons has given a sneak preview into her home life which I hope will be expanded on in the next book. DS Yasmine Dixon is a new addition to the team and I found myself feeling surprising cagey towards her. I can’t quite explain why that is but I hope to warm to her over time (although at one point I thought she was one of the poor red jersey wearing ensigns in Star Trek! If you’re a tragic nerd like me then you may get what I mean, lol).
I really enjoyed the plot of this book; it felt more ‘my thing’ than a number of other police procedurals I have read of late. By that I mean there is a rather twisted serial killer out to exact revenge on a tight-knit group of friends.
One thing I will say about this author’s books is that she knows how to write a cracking prologue. I can clearly remember the early scenes set by the author in No Safe Home and I must have read that book over six months ago now. Once again, Tara Lyons gave me chills with her dramatic opening scene and I flipping loved it!
Would I recommend this book? I would but, as always with a series, try to start with the first book. You won’t lose anything by diving straight in with book three (it works well as a standalone) but it really adds to the reading experience, and they’re brilliant books! Tara Lyons gets better with each book which makes Deadly Friendship my favourite of the series, so far.
Five out of five stars.
I chose to read and review an eARC of Deadly Friendship. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
Deadly Friendship by Tara Lyons was published in the UK by Bloodhound Books on 23rd July 2017 and is available in paperback and eBook format | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | Book Depository | Foyles | Goodreads |
Tara is a crime/psychological thriller author from London, UK. Turning 30 in 2015 propelled her to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. In the Shadows is Tara’s debut solo novel published in March 2016. She co-wrote The Caller and Web of Deceit: A DI Sally Parker novella with New York Times bestselling author, M.A Comley.
In August 2016 Tara signed a two-book contract with Bloodhound Books. The second book in the DI Hamilton series, No Safe Home, was published in January 2017.
When she’s not writing, Tara can be found at a local Wacky Warehouse stuck in the ball-pit with her young, energetic son.
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