The Blurb:
Four murders
Four messages
One chance to catch a killer.
Renowned human rights lawyer Elizabeth Maurier lies dead, her body mutilated, her killer unknown. For DI Olivia Martins and her team, it’s a mystery. For the victim’s daughter Lizzy, a poet and academic with a shaky grasp on reality, it’s a tragedy. But for Sam Williams, the man Elizabeth fired a decade ago and hasn’t spoken to since, it’s a whole new world of pain.
Elizabeth’s death has stirred a sleeping past back to life. Former clients are darkening Sam’s door, old enemies returning, ancient cases reopening. It doesn't help that DI Martins is on his case, the press are dogging his every step, and his girlfriend’s behaviour is increasingly erratic.
But Elizabeth’s murder is just the start. As Sam reluctantly digs his way back into the past, more truths will crumble into lies.
More certainties will shade to doubt.
And more innocent people will die.
My Review:
This is the second book in the Sam Williams series, and begins almost straight after the end of the first book, Dead North (read my review here), but also works well as a standalone. So it would maybe be a good idea to read Dead North first, but if you haven't, don't be put off reading this one - you'll be fine.
In Dead North, I fell a little bit in love with Sam Williams, and I 'm happy to say that continued into this book. He's still down on his luck with just one client, things aren't great at home, and he's just discovered he has to help compile a memoir of a deceased employer he hadn't seen for 10 years. But there's something about Sam and I admire his doggedness and determination to get to the bottom of things. But in this case, will it come at a cost?
I was sorry not to see more Roarke in this story but very clearly he had his own thing going on, and I'm sure we'll hear more from Roarke in the future. In this book, Sam gets to spar with David Brooks-Powell, a man with whom he has a chequered past, and it was really interesting to see their relationship build throughout the book. I found myself quite cross and irritated with Claire in the early part of the book, but then, oh gosh, I felt really guilty about my negative thoughts. But I liked her having a bigger part in the story.
This tale starts as a bit of a slow burner, but the pace quickens as the story progresses. You need to stay focused, as there is a reasonable size cast of characters, but they all contribute to the story. All them are beautifully drawn and described, but the standouts for me, other than Sam, are Trawden because he's so complex, and Vicky Coleman, because she's feisty and brave, and not afraid to do the right thing. But DI Martins? She's got some issues, I think!
This is a fabulous story, beginning with a murder, but taking in so much more. It's hard to say too much more without giving away spoilers. But I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes an intelligent thriller with a great plot.
You can buy No One Will Hear on Amazon UK and US.
The Author:
Joel Hames lives in rural Lancashire, England, with his wife and two daughters, where he works hard at looking serious and pretending to be a proper novelist.
After a varied career in London which involved City law firms, a picture frame warehouse, an investment bank and a number of market stalls (he has been known to cry out "Belgian chocolates going cheap over 'ere" in his sleep), Joel relocated from the Big Smoke to be his own boss. As a result, he now writes what he wants, when he wants to (which by coincidence is when the rest of the family choose to let him).
Joel's first novel, Bankers Town, was published in 2014, and The Art of Staying Dead followed in 2015. The novellas Brexecution (written and published in the space of ten days following the UK's Brexit referendum, with half of the profits going to charity) and Victims were published in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Dead North, the first book in the Sam Williams series, was published in March of this year.
Joel's website can be found here, where you can find out more about the writer and the books, and sign up to his email newsletter. If you want to know what Joel has planned for the future, what he thinks right now, or just stalk him a little, you can find him on Facebook or Twitter
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