St Benet’s by David Blake @DavidDBlake

Book Description:

A girl thrown from a church tower, a man sacrificed to Satan, and a priest murdered at the hands of the Devil.

When the body of an old man is found lying in the ruins of St Benet’s Abbey, his throat cut, a knife resting in his open hand, DI John Tanner and DC Jenny Evans are given no choice but to accept a ruling of death by misadventure. 

But when the body goes missing from its tomb, after a priest is found nailed to a cross, and another impaled on a stake, everything begins to point back to the murder of a teenage girl, thrown from the top of a church tower, some forty-three years before.

Set within the mysterious beauty of the Norfolk Broads, this fast-paced British detective series is a dark cozy murder mystery with a slice of humour and a touch of romance, one that will have you guessing until the very end, when the last shocking twist is finally revealed.

St. Benet’s is a totally addictive gripping crime thriller, the second in a chilling series of serial killer books, ones which will rapidly convert followers of L J Ross, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Damien Boyd and Helen H. Durrant into David Blake devotees.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Detective Tanner Murder Mystery Series and so much more darker.

I loved being back in the setting of the broads. What made this even more enjoyable is that we were lucky enough to have visited St Benet’s when we had a holiday on the Norfolk Broads a couple of years ago so was great to be transported back there again.

The book easily reads as a standalone if you haven’t read the first but would recommend reading it solely as it’s a great start to the series. I have to admit I was slightly dubious about the relationship between Tanner and Jenny that was just starting in the first book but fast forward a couple of months and these two are a great pairing. Jenny is young, vibrant and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself, which is probably a good thing when you have Tanner who is quite set in his ways and doesn’t follow orders well. They work well together and actually really enjoyed not just their working partnership but their personal relationship also.

I absolutely loved the story line in this novel and it was so much darker than the first one. The murders are really gruesome and at times horrific but being a true crime fan, I couldn’t get enough even if I was hiding behind a cushion at times whilst reading!

St Benet’s has thrills and chills galore! It is dark, tense and packed full of mystery. I honestly don’t know how the author is going to top this one but can’t wait to se what he comes up with next. Brilliant read!

St Benet’s is available to purchase from Amazon.