“It is the middle of a long night shift for PC Sean Denton and his partner PC Gavin Wentworth when they are approached by a dishevelled-looking woman desperate that they follow her.

She leads them to the old Chasebridge High School where they find the dead body of a Syrian refugee.

The investigation which points to the neighbouring greyhound stadium finds Denton caught up in a world of immigration, drugs and sexual abuse, and one in which his private life becomes increasingly entwined.”

I am thrilled to welcome you to my stop on the Race to the Kill blog tour.  Race to the Kill is the third book in the PC Sean Denton series and was written by Helen Cadbury.  I was deeply saddened to hear of Helen Cadbury’s passing earlier this year. Helen first came to my attention in several of the bookish Facebook groups we were both members of.  The thing that stood out most to me was how valued and respected she was, and how much other members (readers, writers, publishers etc) cared for Helen.  I am honoured to be a part of this memorial blog tour for such a talented and well-thought of author.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first meeting with the incredibly likeable PC Sean Denton. What I loved most was that he was just a normal bobby on the beat, along with his partner PC ‘Gav’ Wentworth.  Not a Detective Inspector, not even a Detective Constable – just a fresh-faced Police Constable.  Being an avid police procedural fan I don’t normally tend to dip below the level of Detective Constable in my reads, so Sean being a normal PC was refreshing for me.

Most of the action in Race to the Kill takes place at what was once Chasebridge High School, and the newly renovated Greyhound Stadium next door.  Cadbury’s characters shine from the pages; the suspicious Sarah who resides in a caravan in the grounds of the dog stadium.  The brothers, Tommy and Joe who live in the caravan next door and sort out ‘any problems’ for their aunt and uncle, who own the track.  And Melissa, Tommy and Joe’s young sister – old before her time.  DC Tina Smales and DS Ivan Knowles also deserve a mention as I found both very memorable and well-written.

Would I recommend this book?  I would.  I read it as a standalone and it worked well for me.  Saying that I have downloaded and am looking forward to reading the first two books in the series.  The plot was interesting, twisty and had my full attention from start to finish.  If you love your crime dramas character driven then I heartily suggest you pick up a copy of Race to the Kill as it’s chock full of interesting, well-written people doing some pretty dark stuff.  What more could you want?

Four out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Race to the Kill.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Race to the Kill by Helen Cadbury was published in the UK by Allison & Busby on 21st September 2017 and is available in hardcover and eBook formats (with the paperback to follow next year) | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | Goodreads |

Helen Cadbury was a York based writer whose debut novel, To Catch a Rabbit, was joint winner of the Northern Crime Award.

Helen was born in the Midlands and brought up in Birmingham and Oldham, Lancashire.

Helen died in June 2017.