Dead North by Joel Hames

I was lucky enough to be selected to read and review this book through the TBC Reviewers Request Group on Facebook. And I am so glad I was, cos I loved it!

The Blurb:

Once the brightest star in the legal firmament, Sam Williams has hit rock bottom, with barely a client to his name and a short-term cash problem that's looking longer by the minute. So when he's summoned to Manchester to help a friend crack a case involving the murder of two unarmed police officers and a suspect who won't say a word, he jumps at the chance to resurrect his career. In Manchester he'll struggle against resentful locals, an enigmatic defence lawyer who thinks he's stepping on her toes, beatings, corrupt cops and people who'll do anything to protect their secrets. On its streets, he’ll see people die. But it's in the hills and valleys further north that Sam will face the biggest challenge of all: learning who he really is and facing down the ghosts of his past. He’s working someone else’s case and he’s in way over his head. But sometimes you need the wrong man in the right place.

My Review:

This was my first book by Joel Hames, but it certainly won't be my last. I really enjoyed it. Sam Williams, a down in his luck lawyer from London, is summoned to Manchester by a cop friend, Gideon Roarkes, to help with a case. Two police officers have been gunned down, and what at first appears to be an open and shut case turns out to be anything but.

I loved Sam's wit, but also his tenacity, his determination to follow even the most obscure, flimsiest leads until they are completely exhausted. He is very negative about Manchester and the surrounding area, which I am sure isn't that bad, but maybe that's just because he's a Londoner through and through. But crisp butties! Yes please!

The pace keeps up all the way through, as the story twists this way and that way following leads, often provided via Sam's slightly murky contact, Maloney until the surprise (for me at least) at the end. I loved Sam (although I thought Claire deserved a medal for putting up with him!), Roarkes intrigued me and irritated me in equal measure. And Charlie Gaddeston broke my heart.

Can't say much else without giving away too much. But it's well worth a read. I can't wait for Sam's next adventure!

You can buy Dead North here:

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-North-Sam-Williams-Book-ebook/dp/B079RJC732/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521762043&sr=1-1&keywords=dead+north+joel+hames

US https://www.amazon.com/Dead-North-Williams-Joel-Hames/dp/1980269637/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521762095&sr=8-1&keywords=dead+north+joel+hames

And all good bookshops!