#Domevember #BookshelfSpotlight ‘Deady Focus’ by R.C Bridgestock

About the book…

The town of Harrowfield is shocked and unsettled at the disappearance of a young girl, just yards from her own front door. Detective Inspector Jack Dylan is tired and overworked and is hoping for a quiet Christmas with his partner, Jen. But the Yorkshire community’s worst fears are confirmed when the naked body of Daisy Hind is found on a bleak, windswept moor.

As the murder investigation gets underway, another child is abducted, and another small body is found.

With the press increasingly on his back, Dylan has to catch a serial killer who is preying on children and he needs to solve the case before a third child is snatched.

Fully revised and with a frankly perfect new cover, ‘Deadly Focus’ is out now from Dome Press in ebook and paperback formats.

This is a belter of a series opener-within pages not only have you been plunged deep into the community of Harrowfield as if you are one of their own, you immediately have a grasp of who protagonist, Jack Dyan, is a man and as detective, with his earstwhile partner, Dawn.

It takes a writer with confidence to create a first novel with such a horrific crime as a child murderer, you fully sense that the disappearance of Daisy has completely unseated the whole of the town. It’s northern sensibility is firmly pinned to its sleeve-surely this a character in and of itself as much as Dylan is. As such, Daisy’s quick walk home from her grandmother’s house should have been a straightforward one but when she does not return, the alarm is very quickly raised . It is unheard of for a 9 year old girl to vanish like that, and alarm bells ring loudly, and clearly as Dawn brings Dylan back to the station to be briefed on the missing girl.

Heartwrenchingly vivid, and extremely disturbing, this tight knit community draws together to firstly support, and then to condemn, blame and suspect. In the midst of this , Dylan has to balance public expectations with his professional role leading the investigation and the need to justice to be done. When it comes to children, there is nothing people will not do to when they feel aggrieved by due process. Ad this is wonderfully displayed in a town that is grieving first one, then two children. The race is on to find the perpetrator before a third goes missing…

I found this really hard to read as the mother of a 9 year old, this hit too close to home. Last Saturday, Halloween, I came home to find my 9 year old had been let out to trick or treat in our street,with one friend and no adults there. Throwing my shopping at the stairs I yelled at my other half ‘This is exactly the kind of headline which covers newspapers! 9 year olds vanish trick or treating on their own doorstep!’

It was dark, cold and everyone was wearing costumes as I ran up the street asking kids if they had seen mine-I found her, all was well and yes that was a complete overreaction but the sheer overwhelming panic to find her gone, even for minutes, was hideous. This book does not use a child disappearing as a plot device-it is neither gratuitous nor gory, it simply is. This is the catalyst for some truly shocking revelations and excellently illustrates the police procedural is a genre which has so much more life in it, and iterations than certain quarters give it credit for.

A huge fan of detective stories, I really enjoyed this novel which has the added kudos of being written by a couple whose combined experience shines through on every page. It has the weight of authenticity behind it and I am so glad to be playing catchup on the Dylan series-there are 4 books so far from Dome and hopefully more!

Highly recommended for fans of Angela Marsons and Caroline Mitchell

About the authors…

RC Bridgestock is the name that husband and wife co-authors Robert (Bob) and Carol Bridgestock write under. Between them they have nearly 50 years of police experience, offering an authentic edge to their stories. The writing duo created the character DI Jack Dylan, a down-to- earth detective, written with warmth and humour.

Bob was a highly commended career detective of 30 years, retiring at the rank of Detective Superintendent. As a police civilian supervisor Carol also received a Chief Constable’s commendation for outstanding work.

The couple are the storyline consultants on BAFTA winning BBC One police drama ‘Happy Valley’ and series 3 of ITV’s ‘Scott and Bailey’.

Links-http://www.rcbridgestock.com/

Twitter @RCBridgestock

@DomePress