“Gardner thought about the other officers in her briefing. Some of them looked capable, but none of them had presented themselves with the same fire as Riddick had done so far. The man was clearly carrying demons around with him. Sacksful of them to be honest. But still… there was a sense that nothing would stop him until he had the truth. And with a brutal murder on their hands, this was a very welcome characteristic.”
“The Viaduct Killings”, by Wes Markin
I’m delighted to join the blog tour of “The Viaduct Killings” by Wes Markin. Many thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources, the publishers Boldwood Books, and of course the author for organising the tour and gifting me a copy of the eBook.
The story:
DCI Emma Gardner is reluctant to leave her Wiltshire life to take up a secondment in North Yorkshire, blaming herself for the loss of a colleague while on duty with her. But her superiors think it’s the best thing for her, to get her out of the slump she has fallen into.
DI Paul Riddick has his own demons to deal with, having suffered terrible personal tragedy and been vilified in the press and by his own colleagues over his handling of a previous case, a young girl’s suicide.
But when a body is found on DCI Gardner’s first day on the job, at Knaresborough Castle in sight of the picturesque local viaduct, the pair must work together to track down a killer.
With the trail leading back to past cases, and the press and public demanding answers, will Gardner and Riddick be able to find the culprit, before they kill again?
My thoughts:
I’m reading quite a lot of crime fiction at the moment — it feels like the right time of year! But “The Viaduct Killings” by Wes Markin really stood out. The partnership between Gardner and Riddick works brilliantly; starting with uncertainty and antagonism, they move towards appreciation of one another’s skills and a genuine rapport.
The plot is an intriguing one, with potential ties to a notorious local criminal, but also the more personal world of the victim and his time at school. The way the various strands of the story come together is well done, and I could imagine this book transferring well to the screen. It ends on a cliffhanger, and I look forward to reading the next instalment to learn more about the demons in DCI Gardner’s past.
A great read for crime fans, and the first in what I hope will be a long-running series!
Pages: 350
Published: 21st November 2022
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈.5/5
Purchase link: https://amzn.to/3KkkCig
About the author
Wes Markin is the bestselling author of the DCI Yorke crime novels, set in Salisbury. His new series for Boldwood stars the pragmatic detective DCI Emma Gardner who will be tackling the criminals of North Yorkshire. Wes lives in Harrogate and the first book in The Yorkshire Murders series, “The Viaduct Killings” was published in November 2022.
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