Darker Days To Come by Tony J Forder

I'm really pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for Darker Days To Come after being introduced to DI Jimmy Bliss last year. Big thanks to Donna Morfett for inviting me and to the author for my review copy.

  

The Blurb

Darker Days to Come, by Tony J Forder, is the the ninth full-length novel in his widely acclaimed UK crime series, based in Peterborough and featuring DI Jimmy Bliss. 

DI Bliss and his team absorb two new cases which don’t initially present as major crimes.

But who is the man who stepped in front of an express train? Did he willingly commit suicide or was he coerced? And what, if any, connection is there to an abandoned vehicle whose owner cannot be traced?

As Bliss and his team dig deeper they soon realise there are three people now missing – a journalist, a mother, and her young daughter. But as the investigations continue, the team struggle with too many unanswered questions. What they do know is that lives are at risk, and the chances of finding all three still alive decrease with each passing hour...

Darker Days To Come was published on 14th March 2022.


Buy Link

Darker Days to Come: getbook.at/DDtC

My Review

This is only my second Jimmy Bliss novel after The Autumn Tree because I (still) haven't had chance to catch up with the earlier ones. But I loved The Huntsmen, the first in the new Chase and Laney series and standalone Fifteen Coffins was one of my favourite reads of 2020. But back with Bliss, although there is still some back story I want to catch up with, everything I needed to know was in this book meaning that, whilst it's part of an established series, it works well as a standalone. 

Darker Days To Come is a slow burner, and focuses more on the police procedural side of things. Which means we see more of Jimmy's team as each of them brings their own skills to the team and the investigation. Tony Forder has created a very real, varied, and for the most part likeable, bunch of characters and it was fun getting to know them all a bit better. 

At the outset, nobody is sure that the two crimes featured in the story are serious enough for the Major Crimes Team or if they are even crimes. An abandoned car with minute traces of blood on the floor and a man who committed suicide on a railway track. But Jimmy can't let them go, his gut tells him there is more to it. And when the team can't trace the owner of the car and it looks like the family of the dead man might be missing, it looks Jimmy's instincts were right. But still no one is sure. 

I really like Jimmy. He's a stand up guy, firm but fair, with a lot of respect from, and for, his team. He sometimes suffers from a health issue but takes that in his stride, as do his team. He's more mellow in this book than the last and there is a conversation Jimmy has with partner Penny that made me cry - you'll know The one when you read it. Talking about Penny, Jimmy's relationship with her is one of my favourite things about these books. Tony Forder has written a fabulous platonic relationship between a man and woman who clearly have a lot of love and respect for each other - don't tend to see that much in books so I find it really refreshing. And I adore their mickey taking of each other, they are vicious (in a fun way)! I met Molly for the first time in this book although I know she's featured in previous books. Her relationship with Jimmy is refreshing and helps us see a different side of him. One of their conversations fair warmed my heart. 

But, of course, Darker Days To Come is a crime novel and things do get complicated, dark and threatening. Two seemingly unrelated stories slowly weave together until we reach a tense conclusion but there is plenty of jeopardy along the way. This is a slow burn of a story which allows us to focus on the team, on the characters within it, and above it, and Jimmy himself. And I think characterisation is one of Tony Forder's biggest strengths - he has created a protagonist and team of supporting players that the reader cares about, is invested in. The addition of a good storyline is the cherry on the cake. Really enjoyable.

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, were joined in December 2020 by a prequel novella, Bliss Uncovered. The series continued with The Autumn Tree in May 2021.

Tony’s other early series – two action-adventure novels featuring Mike Lynch – comprises both Scream Blue Murder and Cold Winter Sun. These books were republished in April 2021, and will be joined in 2022 by The Dark Division.

In addition, Tony has written two standalone novels: a dark, psychological crime thriller, Degrees of Darkness, and a suspense thriller set in California, Fifteen Coffins.

The Huntsmen, released on 4 October 2022, was the first book in a new crime series, set in Wiltshire. It featured DS Royston Chase, DC Claire Laney, and PCSO Alison May.

Tony is in the process of moving to Sussex with his wife and is a full-time author. He is currently working on DI Bliss #10 and the second DS Chase novel.

All of Tony’s links can be found on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/TonyJForder