From No.1 Private Detective to No.1 SuspectA cryptic message from an old friend leads Joe Grabarz to an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of the South Downs. But Joe is too late, someone else has got there first: his friend is dead, and all the evidence points to him.Ten years ago the farmhouse was the scene of three infamous murders when a young boy killed his mother, father, and little sister. … father, and little sister. Now an adult, he was released from prison with a new identity. Could he be involved? The farmhouse also sits on valuable land, fought over in a struggle between building houses and drilling for shale gas. But could it really be worth killing for? Whatever is going on, Joe knows one thing for sure: his friend’s murder is just a tiny part of it.
To bring the killer to justice Joe must dig up the past, and reckon with his own, because no matter how hard you work, it never goes away.
Warning: this book contains adult language, sex, violence, and drug use (basically, all the good stuff).
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Favorite Quotes:
He had a strong nose with a bridge that could support haulage, a jaw that could grind stones, and a face that rested in a scowl.
He didn’t reply for a couple of minutes, going over the story in his head, different wrinkles twitching as though his face was being prickled with electricity.
That look could boil an egg.
We’re not all carnivores… not all the time. It’s the lifecycle of a lawyer, Mr Grabarz: you start out with morals, then pretty soon you have to pay your rent so you sell them, then before you know it you’ve got a Mercedes on the drive and you desperately try to buy them back.
She had a mass of curly red hair that spilled out in all directions, and wore a purple one of those fashionable but comfy Scandinavian jumpers under a blue Anorak. In the middle of it all sat the sort of face that instantly inspires friendly feelings. They should make her as a cuddly doll for children who can’t sleep.
My Review:
It Never Goes Away picked up three years after the end of the last book and Joe had been quite prosperous in between as he was enjoying a nicer apartment, better wardrobe with Italian leather shoes, a nice new office with associates, and was driving a Jag. He feared he had gotten soft, and too bad for him, this tale was none stop danger and high activity with car chases and crashes and running for his life from violent criminals while also dodging the police. The story has as many twists and turns as a nest of snakes and was as complicated as the highly compelling characters of Joe and his arch nemesis, Max. I will admit to falling into a fuzzy state of confusion more than once, but I’d follow the enigmatic Joe through a blizzard as he is like my mailman – he may occasionally be late but he always delivers.
New additions to my Brit word list include prang – which is British informal for a car crash; and near the knuckle – a risqué joke, typically about sex and likely to offend. Mr. Google was unable to help me with the idiom of a man being “far too wet” but I am assuming it means wimpy. But you know what usually happens when I ass/u/me…
I think It Never Goes Away is my favorite of the three books in the No.1 Private Detective to No.1 Suspect series!! I’m really impressed with Tom Trott’s writing. He brings you right into the story and keeps you wanting more.
We’ve been with Joe for three stories now and I really like him as a character. He feels real and relatable.
Overall, It Never Goes Away is a fantastic detective novel that keeps you drawn into the story. I recommend checking this one out!
*I read this as part of a blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
I’m worn out from the chasing that kept me on the edge of my seat. Not your typical ending.
I finished it but I wasn’t all that impressed. Didn’t really like any of the characters and some of the scenes of them either being chased by car or on foot dragged out while the author described every street and town they went thru. Found myself skipping a lot of those parts.
a real page turner.
This story is set in Brighton, If you’ve never been there the excessive details about every trip he takes all the streets and roads and roundabouts gets extremely tedious. It also appears to wrap-up a long standing mystery from his past.
An enjoyable and easy read even if it did get a little too far fetched at times. Why he didn’t do certain logical things early in the story annoyed me. I’ll look out for more Trott books though.
You really need to read the three books in order to get the full effect
I wish the author had written a book 4 ! Loved the main character.
Outstanding! Twists and turns so often you think you’re on Mr Toads Wild Ride. Gripping page turner.
This book was just not very interesting until the last few chapters. That is why I gave a 2 star rating.
Couldn’t put it down.
Just ok
The main characters were very strong and meshed well in the story line. Just when you thought it was over, a plot twist grabbed your attention. A fun read!
Too convoluted; too many characters; not even sure what the ending was about.
Very interesting mystery.
Joe Garbarz always seems to have a knack of getting into trouble. In the story, Joe comes out as a very well developed character and his wise cracks lighten up the mystery all through the way.
Despite being the third story of the series, the story does not go about with the backstory of the other two stories.
The plot of the story is very interesting and engaging till the very end. Enjoyed it.