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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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Dark Memories is the third in Liz Mistry's DS Nikki Parekh series, and the title is perfect.
This is a book about memory; about a past that has haunted Nikki Parekh and her family for decades. In her afterword, Mistry says that she had wanted to write this book since starting the series, but waiting until the third book was a genius decision. I haven't read the previous entries, but when I picked this up, I felt right at home. There is a rich cast of supporting characters, all with their own history - hinted at but not spoiled for those of us who haven't read those stories - and Parekh is a complex, layered character. By penning two books before this, Mistry has been able to craft a world that she knows intimately, with players that she  - and the reader - really care about; including readers that are new to the series and have no prior emotional investment. That's a remarkable achievement.

The story starts with the discovery of a homeless person in Bradford, the Yorkshire town that Mistry sets all of her books in. The case is seemingly routine and progress frustratingly slow, until a newspaper clipping sent to Nikki Parekh makes her wonder if she has a personal connection to the case. A second murder appears unrelated - except for the arrival of another note. By the time the third body is discovered, her link to the murders becomes undeniable - this one is in the house across the street from where she spent her traumatic childhood.
Mistry's treatment of Parekh is brutal and uncompromising in this book, and she deals sensitively with some very upsetting issues. But there are also glimmers of light. Parekh's love for her family is at the centre of the novel, and at work, the unflinching loyalty of her partner DC Sajid Malik and their easy banter counterbalance the darkness.

I really enjoyed this, and it is definitely a #RecommendedRead.