Book Description:
Book 1 in the DS Royston Chase series.
When DS Royston Chase is called to the scene of a fatal road collision, his task is to identify the girl who died alongside the ex-Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police. Paired with the bold and strident DC Claire Laney, Chase is given the task of closing the case quickly and quietly.
But when the girl’s DNA provides a familial link to a child who vanished from her home twenty years earlier, Chase and Laney refuse to accept the coincidence. The pair start looking harder at the ex-cop’s life, at which point they encounter serious opposition. Perhaps deadly serious.
Because the establishment looks after its own, and soon it’s not only their bosses getting in the way of a thorough investigation. Chase and Laney find themselves seemingly at odds with everyone, fighting to save their own reputations as well as the case. But neither will rest until they identify their young victim, no matter what the cost…
My Thoughts:
First impressions can be so important and boy has the author made an impression with his first book in this series. When Royston and Claire meet for the first time in this novel, it has to be one of my absolute favourite parts in a detective crime series ever! I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud and I would love to see this played out on the screen, it would be brilliant! Let’s just say that both of these larger than life characters certainly made an impression on me and a very good one at that.
Whilst there is some humour between this unlikely pairing, the story itself is a very melancholy one. The start drew me straight in and the investigation itself takes a more sinister turn that made for a dark, unsettling and at times heart-breaking read. By the end I don’t mind admitting that I shed a few tears as that was how much this particular case and some of the characters had gotten to me.
The Huntsmen is very much a sinister read which took an unexpected turn that had me feeling a mix of emotions. The author’s storytelling was compelling and kept me engaged throughout. It does make for some uncomfortable reading in parts but the author lightens the mood by adding a bit of humour when it comes to our detectives so that the more darker parts don’t get too heavy and by the end, it makes for a wholly entertaining read that I loved. Very keen to see more of Royston and Claire as they are a brilliant pairing and are a breath of fresh air in the world of detective novels.
Tony J Forder is the author of the bestselling DI Bliss crime thriller series. The first seven books, Bad to the Bone, The Scent of Guilt, If Fear Wins, The Reach of Shadows, The Death of Justice, Endless Silent Scream, and Slow Slicing, were joined in December 2020 by a prequel novella, Bliss Uncovered. The series continued with The Autumn Tree in May 2021.
Tony’s other early series – two action-adventure novels featuring Mike Lynch – comprises both Scream Blue Murder and Cold Winter Sun. These books were republished in April 2021, and will be joined in 2022 by The Dark Division.
In addition, Tony has written two standalone novels: a dark, psychological crime thriller, Degrees of Darkness, and a suspense thriller set in California, called Fifteen Coffins.
The Huntsmen, released on 4 October 2022, is the first book in a new crime series, set in Wiltshire. It features DS Royston Chase, DC Claire Laney, and PCSO Alison May.
Tony lives with his wife in Peterborough, UK, and is now a full-time author. He is currently working on the first book of an intended new crime series, whose working title is The Huntsmen.
Links
All of Tony’s links can be found on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/TonyJForder
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