Collett's A Good Death is an Exemplary Police Procedural
A Good Death
by Chris Collett
Severn House
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Feb 2017
Review
A Good Death exemplifies everything I look for in a police procedural - a well developed set of investigators who are believable on and off the job, one or more well plotted mysteries, an interesting variety of suspects/supporting characters. There are three cases in A Good Death: a death that takes place during a house fire, a man who goes missing on the eve of his wedding, and the death of a researcher. Superficially they are very different, but thematically they go well together. The results are quite surprising - Collett is good at providing readers with twists. I liked Constable Kevin "Brown", the new addition to DI Mariner's team. Despite being almost painfully clumsy, he is dedicated, smart and highly competent. I hope he has a place in the next DI Mariner novel.
A Good Death is a very human police procedural. Personal lives affect the professional lives of DI Mariner and his team, and impact how the cases are approached. It gives the novel a realistic, three dimensional feel. A Good Death is an appealing police procedural, refreshingly different. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern British police procedurals.
5/5
I received a copy of A Good Death from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
Detective Inspector Tom Mariner investigates a suspected arson attack and a missing bridegroom in this latest intriguing mystery.
When an elderly man dies in a house fire, the investigating officers are left baffled as to whether the blaze was accidental or started deliberately. If arson, was it a random attack – or part of a personal vendetta? It’s not the first time the Shah family has been targeted.
At the same time, DI Mariner is searching for a missing bridegroom who has vanished two weeks before his wedding. A case of cold feet? Or is there something more sinister behind his disappearance?
Two seemingly unrelated investigations – but there is more to each case than meets the eye. And when a second body is found, events take a decidedly darker turn.
