WHAT I’M READING

The Friend

The latest gripping thriller from Kindle bestseller Charlie Gallagher is not your typical police procedural. From the beginning, the reader is aware of the crimes and we learn who committed them, ensuring the narrative is offers a different kind of suspense from the start.

When a headless body washes up on the beach, newly promoted DI Joel Morris is assigned to the case, his first after returning to work.

However, it soon becomes clear that this murder case is part of a much wider plot.

Meanwhile, Danny Evans is a former local footballer and minor celebrity who has been left reeling from the suicide attempt of his daughter Callie, who had been the victim of a sexual assault and is now in a coma.

Danny has moved away from his family and lives in a hotel, drinking himself into a stupor every evening, bemoaning the incompetence of the local police.

One night in the hotel bar, he is approached by a stranger who tells him he knows exactly who harmed his daughter and why the police failed to sufficiently investigate the case.

It seems Danny has finally found the solution to his problems and a means of taking revenge.

However, it soon becomes apparent that the stranger has a much darker motive for offering Danny his “assistance”.

This powerful novel offers an insight into grief and the corrosive anger it provokes in those left suffering, whilst highlighting how it can render even the strongest of characters vulnerable to manipulation.

With an absorbing plotline, DI Joel Morris is a refreshing detective protagonist. We are privy to his own struggles as he comes to terms with this difficult first case back on the job.

He has a measured and thoughtful approach to solving the case, and he is able to draw links that others have missed, revealing the truly disturbing truth behind the novel’s events.

Charlie Gallagher manages to touch on some emotive issues, including sexual abuse and grooming.

The author’s own background in the police serves him well to create a believable set of storylines which marry together as the novel progresses in a well written and cohesive tale.

A chilling page turner that had me hooked from the opening chapter.