One Eye Open by Paul Finch

⭐⭐⭐ published 20 August 2020 ⭐⭐⭐

Description from Goodreads:

"YOU CAN RUN

A high-speed crash leaves

a man and woman clinging to life.

Neither of them carries ID. Their car has fake number plates.

In their luggage: a huge amount of cash.

Who are they? What are they hiding?

And what were they running from?

YOU CAN HIDE

DS Lynda Hagen, once a brilliant detective, gave it all up to raise her family.

But something about this case reignites a spark in her...

BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS SLEEP WITH ...

What begins as an investigation soon becomes an obsession.

And it will lead her to a secret so dangerous

that soon there will be nowhere left to hide.

ONE EYE OPEN"

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I have made it no secret that I am a fan of Paul Finch ... how could you not be with characters from his previous books like DS Mark "Heck" Heckenburg and PC Lucy Clayborn?  Well here we have another memorable character ... DS Lynda Hagan.

This is a stand-alone book which follows the investigation into a seemingly straight forward car crash involving an ex-Formula 1 driver (Wade) and his wife Harriet (Harri) but it is anything but and we are soon taken on a non-stop ride full of action, suspense and intrigue involving gangs, grasses/snitches and one relentless and determined copper.

Told from Lynda's perspective in the present and Wade's timeline from the weeks leading up to the crash, with a great plot and a break-neck pace with twists and breath-holding moments, this is a great crime thriller.  I wonder if there are going to more books featuring DS Hagan, I would quite like to get to know her a bit more because I think we only scratched the surface in this and I think there is more to her than meets the eye!  If so, I will be the first in the queue.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Mr Finch that I have read and reviewed and would encourage you to do the same:

   

Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker

🌟🌟🌟 Out in ebook 17th July 2020, in paperback 14th October 2020 🌟🌟🌟

Description from Goodreads:

"There it is: fear. It’s crawling all over her face and in her eyes, like a swarm of insects, and it’s all because of him.

A serial killer has been terrorising Lancaster for decades, longer than should ever have been possible. The police are baffled, eluded at every turn by the killer whose victims span generations. Speculation is rife among the true crime forums; is someone passing on their gruesome trade?

Every local mother's worst nightmare has become Helen Summerton's reality; he’s taken her daughter, Zoe. As the clock runs down so do her chances of survival. Can Helen unearth the secrets of the killer before it’s too late?"

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This is the chilling, creepy and unnerving story of a serial killer, his victim, her mother and 2 young children out for a bit of an adventure amongst the ruins of an old mental hospital in the north west UK city of Lancaster.

Told from multiple points of view, this is a pretty fast moving book, once the usual introductions to the various characters has been completed, and what a great cast of characters the author has created here.  The author is also clearly adept at describing the eerie setting and at creating atmosphere ... I was transported to the old hospital, the derelict caravan and the woods surrounding them.  The tension and fear in each of the characters is really well told and builds and builds throughout until the gripping and nail-biting conclusion.

Although I enjoyed this book, I do have a few issues that prevent this from being a 5 star read - there was next to nothing regarding the Police input or investigation and they came across as being inept and pretty useless, particularly at the end but I won't go into it here as it would be a spoiler but you will see what I mean when you read it.  Also, the blog posts inserted at various points didn't really do anything for me or add to the story that much and I wonder if they were put there as a red-herring?

Despite the niggling issues, this is a creditable and decent debut and even though there are a few unanswered questions, in addition to the cliff-hanger, they are either left to the imagination of the reader or are going to be resolved in another instalment?  If so, I would definitely read it.

My thanks go to HarperCollinsUK and One More Chapter via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

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