Wes Markin

Absorbing police procedural.

Got to admit it took me a while to come to grips with this Yorkshire mystery. The past keeps intruding on the present (legitimately so) as the situation is set up, and for a while it’s chaos. DI Paul Riddick is a confused, complex character with the past bleeding into the now.
Twenty years ago a teenage boy is found dead at Mother Shipton’s Cave, beneath the Petrifying Well. A petrified bear is missing from the scene. The murderer is apprehended but Riddock always had doubts
Now another teenage boy is found dead in the same cave with a soft toy teddy bear in his backpack.
Riddick (now on leave) draws lines no one else does. He’s damaged, compulsive, intuitive and often out of control.
The conclusion is complicated, messy, unexpected, and I loved it!
Just how many lives does Riddick have? As many as a cat it seems, even if his landings are way past his ken.
I didn’t realize this is part of a series so obviously you can read it as a stand alone. Perhaps the earlier titles would give more background into the threads that weave throughout, but I was happy with the chaos.

A Boldwood Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.… (more)

We are taken on a dark and twisty journey has we follow Jake who is drawn into an investigation when a child disappears. I haven't read any this author's other books but from other reviews I see that some of the characters in this new series have been taken from some of the authors other books from other series. Be aware that this is a fast paced, terrifying story that will either have you on the edge of your seat or have you running away in terror. Markin has introduced an element of horror so thick you can almost taste it. If this is not your "thing" then I wouldn’t recommend this to you, but if you enjoy being scared...go for it. I gave the book 4- stars because it was almost too much for me who regularly reads this type of books.… (more)

The Lonely Lake Killings by Wes Markin
The Yorkshire Murders #2

Dark, gritty, murder with plenty of red herrings, surprises, and characters that I had trouble relating to. I wondered if I had read the first book I would have known, liked and/or understood the main characters better. I wasn’t sure why Emma was working in a different town than her husband and daughter lived in and wondered what her relationship with colleagues was really like. Her brother was a bit of a mystery and it was difficult to understand him as well as how he and his daughter would play into Emma’s future. I guess I ended up with more questions than answers about the characters though the police procedural aspects did determine who had killed a few people in the story. I never really warmed up to Emma or Paul and may or may not read another book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars… (more)