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For today's #RecommendedRead, we return to the streets of Bradford and the world of Liz Mistry's brilliant Nikki Parekh.
I previously visited DS (now DI) Parekh when I reviewed Dark Memories, the third in the series. This is book six, and much has happened in the meantime. But that doesn't matter; as usual Mistry has slipped in the necessary backstory efficiently, with just enough detail to remind fans of the series how we've got here, whilst sowing tantalising details that will make new readers want to go back and fill in the gaps for themselves.

The premise is a really clever, good old-fashioned mystery, woven in with modern, contemporary subject matter. The wealthy Salinger family are found brutally slain over a game of Monopoly. All four family members are present: mum, dad, daughter and son. But Nikki immediately notices that there is a fifth place at the board …
Interspersed with DI Nikki Parekh's investigation into this heinous crime, is the first-person narrative of a young kidnap victim. We the reader know that these two stories must be linked, but how?
The investigation is expertly crafted, with carefully timed reveals and unforeseen twists and turns, leading to a very satisfying resolution. It's a cracking mystery.

Over the course of the series, Mistry has crafted a compelling world of politics and intrigue. Parekh and her team have fought against racism and prejudice throughout their careers and made powerful enemies. In this book, we see her blatantly set up for a fall; viewed as an expendable pawn to be sacrificed to vultures in the press to cover the failings of others. These experiences have shaped the flawed but tenacious Parekh especially, and over the years, we have seen her deal with tragedy and its emotional fallout - including mental health issues. The author, Liz Mistry, has been married to an Indian man for many years, and as such is uniquely qualified to write about the experiences and obstacles her characters face, and does so with compassion and authority.

Despite the darkness, I've always felt the overriding theme running through this series is one of love and family (in all senses of the word) and readers will find themselves invested in the fate of every one of her characters. Parekh is no saint, she certainly has her flaws, but she is likeable and the reader will find themselves cheering her on, even when she is at her lowest.
Likening Mistry's Yorkshire-based books to the magnificent Yorkshire-based Happy Valley TV series, might seem a lazy comparison. At first glance there seems to be little in common. But for many viewers, the emotional core of Happy Valley is Catherine Cawood and her loved ones. Flawed and often irascible, both Cawood and Parekh are intensely loyal and absolutely determined to do the right thing, no matter the cost, and will do anything to protect their family.

I heartily recommend this book to all fans of police procedurals.

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Neil Lancaster's Max Craigie series is fast becoming a regular treat. I've previously reviewed the first three books in the series, so there was no question that it went straight to the top of my To-Be-Read pile as soon as it dropped through the letter box.

Blood Runs Cold features the well-established team of DS Max Craigie, DC Janie Calder, the wonderfully foul-mouthed and irascible DI Ross Fraser, the ever-competent Norma and of course Barney, their tame ex-spook (with the obligatory cameos by Nutmeg the cockerpoo). Four books in and Lancaster is now really comfortable writing these old-friends, but I'm pleased to say that he has continued to grow and develop the characters. As ever, the dialogue and interactions between them are natural and realistic, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

​For those unfamiliar with Neil Lancaster, he has worked as a detective in London's Metropolitan Police, and before that was a Military Police Officer. He now lives in Scotland, and so his books are set there, with his investigative team part of Police Scotland. Consequently, his police procedure is spot-on, but he balances that authentic detail with a fast-paced story.
The theme this time is one that Lancaster cares deeply about, dealing with the trafficking of young victims for prostitution and county-lines drug running, and it shows in both the authenticity of the writing and the compassion he shows towards those involved.


Max Craigie's initial involvement in the case is personal; a fifteen-year-old former trafficking victim that his wife is working with disappears after going for a run. Max agrees to take a look into it and soon discovers that there are other disturbingly similar cases. With it becoming increasingly apparent that there is a leak somewhere within law enforcement, the case soon falls within the remit of Craigie's specialist anti-corruption team and they start to investigate.


Lancaster has chosen not only to follow Craigie and his team, but also tell the story from the perspectives of the trafficking victim, Affi, as well the bad guys. This really fleshes out the story and helps ratchet up the tension, giving a delicious sense of foreboding as we the reader sometimes know more about what is coming than the heroes. Spending time inside the head of young Affi not only evokes sympathy, it also ensures that we are really invested in her and genuinely fear for her safety. Similarly, we gain an insight into the bad guys, and whilst we may not sympathise with them, we can see why they do what they do and their motivations.


I've said in previous reviews that this is a series that gets better every time, and I still believe that. Neil Lancaster is not only a terrific writer, but also a brilliant story teller. I'll be elbowing my way to the front of the queue for the next one!