“Until we know otherwise, I don’t want any of you considering this an open and shut case. We need to throw everything at it. Let’s think about motive for a start. If you’re really convinced that Harvey killed Tia, bring me the reason why.”
“The Lonely Lake Killings”, by Wes Markin
I’m delighted to join the blog tour of “The Lonely Lake 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:
With barely a chance to draw breath after murder investigation Operation Eden, DCI Gardner, DI Riddick and their North Yorkshire team are thrown into a new case when the body of young woman Tia Meadows is found beside a lake. But this time an arrest is immediate, with loner Harvey Henfrey brought in for the crime.
But as the team investigate, they find there’s more to things than meet the eye, with DI Riddick even fearing a link to his tragic past and the possible involvement of DCI Gardner’s own brother. Will they be able to get to the bottom of events on the night of Tia’s death, and bring the killer to justice?
My thoughts:
Having enjoyed the first book in the Yorkshire Murders series “The Viaduct Killings” last year, I was looking forward to picking up the story of DCI Emma Gardner and team again; and I’m pleased to say, I wasn’t disappointed!
This book picks up immediately after the action of the previous book, and Gardner, along with the unpredictable DI Paul Riddick, are once again leading a murder inquiry. The case at first seems open and shut, with an immediate arrest of a local recluse, and things do look bad for him — the body is found near his isolated hut and the victim’s bag is found on his porch. But DCI Gardner’s instincts tell her Henfrey is telling the truth when he claims his innocence.
The case leads them in increasingly dark directions from a history of abuse in the pasts of some of the characters, to DI Riddick’s own tragedy that we learnt about in book one. DCI Gardner’s brother, who arrived back in her life recently with her young niece Rose in tow, is also in the picture, and she is forced to confront their difficult relationship — could he possibly be linked to the crime?
As with the first book, I really enjoyed the relationship between Gardner and Riddick. While Gardner is a by-the-book officer and Riddick is a maverick, they both seem to be better for working with each other.
With several feasible suspects in the case, the conclusion took me by surprise and kept me turning the pages until I knew what had happened! This is a great, fast-paced crime story, and I eagerly await the next installment of the Yorkshire Murders series to find out what happens to Gardner and Riddick next!
Pages: 373
Published: 15th February 2023
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈.5/5
Purchase link: https://amzn.to/3Xt9K80
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.
Books, Cats, Etc. 
Pingback: Book Review: The Crying Cave Killings – Books, Cats, Etc.
Pingback: Book Review: The Winter Killings, by Wes Markin – Books, Cats, Etc.