Release: April 7th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Black Thorn Books
Source: Random Things Tours
Find it at: Amazon, Kindle, B&N
__
__
What starts with the gruesome discovery of a severed head on the Tube soon becomes personal for former DI Cal Drake. After one betrayal too many, Drake has abandoned the police force to become a private detective. There, he’s teams with enigmatic forensic pathologist Dr Rayhana Crane and it’s not long before the case leads them to the darkest corners of the nation’s capital and in dangerously close contact with an international crime circuit, a brutal local rivalry and a very personal quest for retribution. With the murder victim tied to Drake’s past, his new future is about to come under threat.
About the Author:
Parker Bilal is the pseudonym of Jamal Mahjoub, the critically acclaimed literary novelist. He is the author of the Makana Investigations series, the third of which, The Ghost Runner, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.
The Divinities, the first in his Crane and Drake London crime series, was published in 2019. Born in London, he has lived in a number of places, including the UK, Denmark, Spain and, currently, the Netherlands.
The Heights Review:
This book is a gripping crime thriller with interesting characters, and I liked it!
Even though I have not read the first book “The Divinities”, I had no problems reading this as a standalone. The author provides snippets of history enough for the reader to pick up the pace. The author wrote the story in a gripping manner that immediately caught my interest. It focuses on two crimes, one revolving a severed head discovered in the Tube, and the other about a missing student from Saudi Arabia. Personally, I loved both the plots and thought the author did a great in merging them. At the same time, the author adds many twists and turns and highlights various forms of crimes like trafficking and gang wars.
Also, Drake and Crane were very interesting in the leads. They are somewhat unconventional, yet captivating in their roles. DI Cal Drake carries his burden with the case, as the severed head could be related to his past. Whereas Dr Rayhana Crane is also unpredictable, but is intelligent in her profession. Hence, both of them are dysfunctional and chaotic, yet it works well in their favor.
However, the story slows down its pace in the middle with respect to the two investigations. There are some twists and turns, but they don’t really add to the plot. But, it picks up speed and is full swing in the second half as Drake tries to figure out who is framing him. Additionally, the book leaves certain plots open-ended, which I would have preferred a resolution for. Perhaps the author would explain this in the following book of the series.
But, overall, this was a decent crime thriller that held my interest. I am interested to pick the next book in the series to see how it continues.
Book Tour Schedule
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the The Heights by Parker Bilal Blog Tour hosted by Random Things Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Thanks for the blog tour support x