*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author, Muswell Press and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Clever, humane, affectionate and realistic crime writing at its best. Maxim Jakubowski.
Introducing a unique and unorthodox crime solving duo – ex Met DI Jim Domino, and his inquisitive six-year-old grandson, Danny. When a woman is found unconscious on a ping-pong table in Peckham’s Warwick Gardens, it looks like a case of mistaken identity. Why would anyone want to injure this popular local mum of six? But Jim Domino, retired CID detective turned private eye, keeps asking questions.
As the crime escalates to murder, Domino’s investigations take him to the leafy Thames Valley, and plunge him into a dark world of ruthless people-traffickers and drug dealers. How might these sinister activities be linked to the Peckham murder?
Assisted by sharp observations from his six-year-old grandson, Danny, Domino finds that important clues can come from unexpected sources.
The Lady in the Park is about the good in most people, and about love, grief and childhood. The first in an exciting new crime fiction series, it weaves a diverse cast of characters into a twisty immersive plot that will leave readers craving for more investigations featuring the inimitable Jim Domino and his young sidekick, Danny.
Review: The Lady in the Park is a first-person narrative detective story from the point of view of main character ex-policeman-turned-private-eye Jim Domino. We follow as he is inadvertently drawn to unofficially investigate the death of a local mum, with help and back-up from his very efficient PI team and the occasional perceptive observation from his young grandson, Dan.
The story contains lots of detail about Jim’s work as a PI – not just the exciting action bits, but all of the admin and staff management involved, which makes the story feel firmly rooted in reality. We also get to see a lot of his regular day-to-day routines in exercise, childcare, socialising and musical appreciation.
These slower, more thoughtful periods in the narrative are interspersed with quite dramatic bursts of action, as Jim dabbles in a bit of spying, breaking and entering, and getting bopped on the head by suspects on his rather renegade pursuit of justice.
There were a few surprises along the way too, as just when it seems clear that the death is tied to some truly nefarious criminal activity (including drug smuggling, people trafficking and animal cruelty), the author has a few twists and turns still in store.
I found the writing style and pacing of the story very different from most crime/mystery novels I have read and, once I got used to it and the characters, I really enjoyed it and would definitely read more of Domino’s (and Danny’s!) adventures in future.
I opened the door. And knew I had met her before: a girl from round the corner called… Ruby, maybe. She was out of breath. There was sweat on her lip and her forehead.
She spoke quietly, almost whispered, ‘Can you help me, Mr Domino? I don’t know who to ask.’ Then she was in tears – almost. ‘Please!’– David Reynolds, The Lady in the Park
Purchase Link: The Lady in the Park on Amazon
About the author
David Reynolds was one of the founders of Bloomsbury Publishing and is now a director of Old Street Publishing. Based in London, he is the author of Swan River: A Memoir of a Family Mystery, which was published by Picador to great critical acclaim and shortlisted forthe PEN/Acklerley Prize. Greystone Books published Slow Road to Brownsville which was reviewed in The Times, The Telegraph, The Financial Times and The Observer and praised by Robert Elms and the Reverend Richard Coles. His most recent book was Slow Road to San Francisco. This is his debut novel.
He has three adult children, six grandchildren and lives with his wife Penny in South West London. but still spends a lot of time with his grandchildren in Peckham!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidreynoldswriter/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@david_reynolds_writer
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