Book Description:
Introducing Detective DI Garibaldi, a country-music loving, self-educated detective, and the only cop in the Metropolitan Police who can’t drive a car. On the morning after Boat Race Day, a man’s body is found in a nature reserve beside the Thames. He has been viciously stabbed, his tongue cut out, and an Oxford college scarf stuffed in his mouth. The body is identified as that of Nick Bellamy, last seen at the charity quiz organised by his Oxford contemporary, the popular newsreader Melissa Matthews. Enter DI Garibaldi, whose first task is to look into Bellamy’s contemporaries from Balfour College. In particular, the surprise ‘final round’ of questions at this year’s charity quiz in which guests were invited to guess whether allegations about Melissa Matthews and her Oxford friends are true. These allegations range from plagiarism and shoplifting to sextortion and murder…
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this first book in a brand new series by a new author to me.
Garibaldi is your stereo typical detective whose personal life is a bit of a disaster zone. Whilst we do see a bit of what goes on outside of his career, I felt there is more to be discovered in that area. He certainly never seems to get a break with being called upon at ungodly hours but shows how much he is committed to his work. There isn’t much in the way of side kicks or team. Don’t get me wrong we do see some of them but Garibaldi felt like a lone ranger when it came to this particular case.
The story centres around a group of Oxford friends, although they don’t have too much to do with each other as adults but a recent murder has Garibaldi having a closer look into these people and to whether they are hiding any hidden secrets. I enjoyed finding out more about these people and their home lives. It goes to show we never really know what goes on behind closed doors as well as how well we really know the people we are close to. So many lies and secrets. I was in my element!
There were definitely some surprises in store which I hadn’t seen coming. Whilst things are all wrapped up as such towards the end. Garibaldi’s actions aren’t quite protocol but I found it didn’t bother me too much that the author bends the rules slightly as I found myself in the same mindset as the protagonist.
The Final Round has very much left me looking forward to more in the series and seeing more of Garibaldi. I could really see this being adapted for the screen as the setting and the leading man himself definitely holds a great deal of appeal. The storyline reeled me straight in and I found it that compelling that I read it over the course of one day. A gripping who dun it, that will keep you turning those pages!
My thanks to Muswell Press for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
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