Firewatching
The Number One Bestseller
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4.0 • 60 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
'Clever and compulsive' LOUISE CANDLISH
'A fantastic read' JAMES DELARGY
'I loved it' LEE CHILD
‘It's everything you could want from a crime novel' SARAH WARD
'A bold and brilliant new voice in crime fiction' KATE RHODES
A WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH
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One wrong move will ignite the city . . .
A body is found bricked into a wall of the Old Vicarage. From the state of the hands, it’s clear the dead man was buried alive. When the man is connected to an old missing person’s case, Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler is called.
After an ‘incident’, Tyler needs this case to go well in order to prove himself and get his career back on track. But he soon discovers that he has a connection to the case that hopelessly compromises him. He makes the snap decision not to tell his superiors, certain that he is the only one that can solve the crime. Now Tyler must move carefully to find out the truth, without destroying the case or himself.
Meanwhile, someone in the city knows exactly what happened to the body. Someone who is watching Tyler closely. Someone with an unhealthy obsession with fire . . .
A taut investigative thriller bursting with character and tension, introducing an enigmatic, fresh lead detective unlike any you have met before. Perfect for fans of Adrian McKinty, Tana French, Steve Cavanagh and Sharon Bolton.
PRAISE FOR FIREWATCHING
‘Taut, intelligent and fast moving, Thomas tells his story with admirable skill' DAILY MAIL
‘An intriguing start to a new series, introducing a pleasingly misanthropic new hero with the requisite traumatic past' OBSERVER
‘A gripping new British gay crime thriller that kept us guessing right up to its incendiary climax . . . We couldn’t put it down' ATTITUDE
'Totally absorbed me’ CASS GREEN
'Intelligent, pacy and compelling’ SARAH WARD
'A fantastic read with a plot that left me guessing and a cast of very real and well imagined characters' JAMES DELARGY
‘A cracking read with a terrific new detective lead. Red hot debut for 2020’ SARAH HILARY
‘Russ Thomas is a bold and brilliant new voice in crime fiction, his talent blazes as fiercely as the flames that rage through his book. Really wonderful, imaginative writing’ KATE RHODES
‘DS Adam Tyler navigates a complex cast of villains and victims in a cold case that suddenly turns very, very hot' LOUISE CANDLISH
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Russ Thomas' debut, a cold-case procedural that unfolds under the scorching heat of a Sheffield summer, comes recommended by no less an authority than Lee Child. When a body is found bricked up in the cellar of the Old Vicarage, Detective Adam Tyler takes on the case—and soon discovers the lead suspect uncomfortably close to home. He is partnered with fellow detective Amina Rabbani, and the two reckon with their differences and find assurance in each other, even as the force repeatedly tells them they’re outsiders. This is a thrilling story that digs deep into the tense undercurrents of identity and discrimination, and allows the British author to showcase his talent for finely shaded action.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When the remains of Gerald Cartwright, a wealthy, reviled businessman in Sheffield, England, are found bricked up in a wall of the Old Vicarage, Cartwright's home until his disappearance six years earlier, ambitious Det. Sgt. Adam Tyler, the principal investigator in Thomas's excellent debut, is grateful to be assigned the high-profile cold case. The night of the discovery, Tyler is picked up in a gay bar by an attractive young man, Oscar, who happens to be Cartwright's son and only heir. Meanwhile, arson fires are set around Sheffield, disturbing residents and confounding police. They spark memories for Lilly and her companion, Edna, who were volunteer firewatchers in London during WWII. The pair played a big hand in raising Oscar, who soon becomes the lead suspect in his father's death, after his mother vanished when he was a child. Distinctive characters include feisty Det. Constable Amina Rabbani and fire captain Paul Enfield, who are often at odds with each other. Red herrings and uncovered family secrets abound. This stunning police procedural marks Thomas as an author to watch.
