Fifteen Coffins by Tony J Forder

So thrilled to be taking part in the tour for Fifteen Coffins. It was my first book by Tony J Forder but damn sure it won't be my last! Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book on the Bright Side for the invitation and to Tony for my review copy.

The Blurb:

From the bestselling author of the DI Bliss series comes an enthralling mystery thriller.

The truth can set you free – or bury you.

When FBI Agent Sydney Merlot returns to her home town in northern California to wind down her late father’s PI business, she soon finds herself on the wrong side of the aftermath of a high school shooting.

Sydney’s childhood friend – who is now county sheriff – plus the local PD, the mayor’s office, and most of the town’s inhabitants, are convinced the horror ended when the gunman was killed. Now they just want to be left alone to mourn. But Sydney has other ideas – and she is not alone.

While having to work through her own personal grief, Sydney is openly intimidated and receives anonymous threats. After discovering she is under surveillance, she begins to fear for her life. During her investigation she gains several allies, but as the days pass, Sydney doesn’t know who to trust, and which new friends might actually turn out to be foes...

Fifteen Coffins was published yesterday and you can buy it here. 

My Review:

As I mentioned above this is my first read by Forder and I totally loved it. If it had been possible to read it in one sitting I would have done but unfortunately life and work got in the way. This is a fantastic story from beginning to end. 

The fabulously named Sydney Merlot (but imagine my disappointment when I discovered she drinks white wine?!) is on a leave of absence from the FBI to close up her late father's PI business in her home town of Moon Falls - finish any outstanding cases, chase invoices, tidy up the accounts and hopefully sell it as a going concern. She also intends to sell the house she grew up in as her life is now in San Diego. 

As she is sorting through things in her father's office she is visited by Dexter Muller, a sad, broken man, who came looking to hire the late Mr Merlot to investigate a local school shooting some months earlier. Fourteen students were killed and the perpetrator shot dead by the police. However, Mr Muller does not believe it was so clear cut. Sydney has no plans to take on any cases, just close existing ones. However, once she hears what Muller has to say, she believes his claims should, at the very least, be investigated and agrees to take on his case. By doing so she knows she will be opening a can of worms but she has no idea just how big that can is. Because Muller is the father of the fifteenth student to die that day - the young man that law enforcement believe carried out the attack. 

I adored Sydney. She's determined to give a grieving man a fair hearing and willing to lose friends over it, if that's what it takes. She's feisty and fierce but also vulnerable. She is so well written, completely authentic. There's a tiny moment early on with a bra which made me smile and shows that Forder knows his women! But not long after that, there is a scene where Sydney is thinking about her father and how there were times she pushed him away before coming 'back to where he waited with his arms, mind and heart wide open' (loved that line) before breaking down in tears of grief. So we see her at her worst as well as in happier moments - completely rounded. Dexter Muller really touched me. Although we don't see too much of him, he's a key character. And I could see the grief etched in his face, the fire which has gone from his eyes. Forder paints this broken man very well. There is a large, diverse cast of supporting characters who are all equally well drawn. 

The scene setting is detailed and beautiful. Small town America, the woods, the mountains, Sydney's father's cabin, the tiny Sheriff's office at the back of the library and Bob's Diner. Very atmospheric. I could picture all of them in my mind and want to go to Bob's for coffee and pie. In fact, I'd like to go with Sydney!

The story itself is twisty and never simple, and there is a sub plot about the car accident in which Sydney's father dies. This is not an action packed, all guns blazing kind of novel, it's more character driven than that, but it is tense throughout. Sydney's enquiries put the wind up pretty much everybody so there is a threatening undertone throughout. So many times I realised I was holding my breath. The hairs on my arms were up as Sydney felt as if her every move is being watched. The denouement is exciting, scary and, ultimately, heartbreaking. 

Fifteen Coffins tackles a difficult topic from a fresh point of view. It's never sensationalist and is respectful of its subject. I was totally absorbed from beginning to end. It's a beautifully written crime mystery with exquisite characterisation, striking descriptions and a detailed, intelligent and original storyline. It's easily one of my books of this year. I know it was written as a standalone but I have already petitioned Tony for more Sydney, and will continue to do so! 

The Author: 

Tony J Forder is the author of the bestselling DI Bliss crime thriller series. The first seven books, Bad to the Bone, The Scent of Guilt, If Fear Wins, The Reach of Shadows, The Death of Justice, Endless Silent Scream, and Slow Slicing, will be joined in December 2020 by a prequel novella, Bliss Uncovered. Tony’s other series – two action-adventure novels featuring Mike Lynch – comprises both Scream Blue Murder, and Cold Winter Sun. In addition, Tony has written two standalone novels: a dark, psychological crime thriller, Degrees of Darkness, and a suspense thriller set in California, called Fifteen Coffins which is released this month.

Tony lives with his wife in Peterborough, UK, and is now a full-time author. He is currently working on Bliss #8, The Autumn Tree.


Author Social Media Links:

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Tony can also be found on Instagram.