Thanks to Tracy for the invite and to the publisher for the review copy. It’s great to get the chance to review a debut novel and Fennell’s serial killer thriller certainly hits the mark. Please do keep scrolling for some bookish chat.

The Blurb

An underground artist leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square that contain a gruesome installation: the corpses of three homeless men.

With the artist promising more to follow, newly-promoted Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must race against time to follow what few clues have been left by a savvy killer.

As more bodies are exhibited at London landmarks and live streamed on social media, Archer and Quinn’s pursuit of the elusive killer becomes a desperate search.

But when Archer discovers that the killer might be closer than she originally thought – she realises that he has his sights set firmly on her . . .

He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.

My thoughts

Fennell introduces the reader to an absorbing protagonist in his debut thriller ‘The Art of Death’. It’s great when you become hooked into a new detective thriller and really connect with the lead characters. The opening investigation is led by DI Grace Archer and DS Harry Quinn, a confident ‘side-kick’ who’s smart and shows the capacity for great loyalty as the book, and hopefully series, progresses. It’s great we have some fully rounded characters to hook into, that are written with realism and have enough background depth to keep up the interest in their personal lives, despite the gruesome unfolding events of the murders they are investigating.

Set in London, we are introduced to a new killer on its streets. This predator really resonates with our modern society, using social networks to hunt for prey. The detached, cold feel of the murderer is really striking through the opening pages and builds throughout the book. The reader is aware from early events that DI Archer will have a bigger part to play in the crimes, and the tension builds through the pages as we await what will happen.

I really enjoyed the plotting and pace of this book; I must admit I guessed very early on who the guilty party was and where it was heading (I think reading crime novels for 30 years has helped, rather than a structural/plotting flaw by the author), so for me another plausible potential murderer would have been a useful red herring to get me off the scent. However, as all reading is a personal experience, this by no means deflates this novel. It’s an impressive debut and I hope will lead to a new and exciting series featuring Archer and Quinn.

A highly recommended debut crime thriller read. This creepy page-turner will pull you into a macabre world where the hunt for a killer consumes the pursers until the heart-stopping climax.

The Author

David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast before leaving for London at the age of eighteen with £50 in one pocket and a dog-eared copy of Stephen King’s The Stand in the other. He jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career in writing for the software industry. He has been working in Cyber Security for fourteen years and is a fierce advocate for information privacy. To find out more, visit his website: www.davidfennell.co.uk and follow him on Twitter: @davyfennell

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