Everyone trusts Roger. He’s got an honest face… for a killer.Roger Conniston is a Scenes of Crime Officer, aiming to stay out of trouble but finding it anyway. The last thing he expected was to be arrested for a woman’s murder.Could it have anything to do with the arms dealer he’s tracking, the one who’s a police officer? Maybe his vindictive ex-lover is out to destroy him?But the real killer, … destroy him?
But the real killer, the one who knows Roger’s sordid secrets, is counting down the minutes until Roger appears in his sights.
Can forensic evidence save him or will the real killer get him first?
What people say about A Long Time Dead:
- This book is a revelation in forensic crime scenes in detail that is often missed in TV shows. Thoroughly enjoyed the book.
- Loved it, would make a great film plot.
- Andrew Barrett opens up a dark and bloody world behind the blue and white crime scene tape
- Completely surprised by the final plot twist
- Written by a SOCO about a SOCO so you know it is accurate
- I’ve read all the usual suspects – Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, Peter Robinson, Peter James, Stuart McBride, etc – and was looking for something similar. I wasn’t disappointed with Andrew Barrett.
- Just enough technical information to aid understanding but without it becoming a tedious lecture
- Absolutely brilliant
- Exciting right to the last chapter and what a last chapter, superb
- Humour, sadness, violence it has it all.
- Hooked from the beginning. A real whodunnit that keeps you guessing to the end.
- The sort of book that kept me saying, “I’ll just read one more chapter,” till way past my bedtime.
- Spent the whole night reading this thriller, a proper page turner.
Also available by Andrew Barrett:
The Third Rule – CSI Eddie Collins 1
Black by Rose – CSI Eddie Collins 2
Sword of Damocles – CSI Eddie Collins 3
Ledston Luck – CSI Eddie Collins 4
The Death of Jessica Ripley – CSI Eddie Collins 5
The Lift – An Eddie Collins Short Story
The Note – An Eddie Collins Novella
The Lock – An Eddie Collins Novella
A Long Time Dead – Roger Conniston 1
Stealing Elgar – Roger Conniston 2
No More Tears – Roger Conniston 3
The End of Lies – An intense psychological thriller
more
I enjoy books that take me into new worlds. In this case it’s forensic science through the eyes of a Scenes of Crime Officer, who seems to have upset too many people.
While the story started slowly, the forensic detail during crime scene investigation was fascinating, but never to the detriment of the story. The author’s skill, practice and knowledge shone in these scenes, adding credibility and authenticity to the story.
I just wanted it to shift up a gear.
When it did, the whole story came alive, leading to a fast-paced, thrilling climax that kept me turning the pages. Roger Conniston, was a flawed but likeable lead character with plenty of determination, guts and conviction. By the end, I was rooting for him.
I’m look forward to reading more of his adventures.
This first book in the Dead Trilogy or Roger Conniston series by Andrew Barrett had plenty of twists and turns as the author gave the reader multiple suspects to consider for the crimes that occurred. Roger Conniston, the main character, was not one of the most likeable men in the world, but he was good as a detective and was thought to be honest and trustworthy. Was he? Maybe. I am proud to admit that I am proud to say that I was able to figure out who was doing what to whom before the end of the book, but it was still a puzzler until near the ending of course. I have already started reading the second book in the series. This is a voluntary review of a copy of this book from Story Origin.
Having read the Eddie Collins series and really loved them I had a bit of a hard time getting used to Roger Conniston. And no this not the polished version like we watch in the CSI TV series but more closer to reality. Andrew Barrett is a practicing CSI and uses his experiences to write these thrillers that brings us right in the mid of things.
This first book shows Roger as an unfaithful husband while at the same time been a caring & loving husband. Yes a bit of contradiction but you have to read the book to understand. In the meanwhile a lot is going on within the police force and not all good. The biggest danger is coming from where he least expected it. The book has no cliffhanger but it makes you want more to see what is in store for Roger in the future.
Roger Conniston is a CSI specialist. Roger is following a police officer he suspects of being a weapons runner. Roger gets a promotion and then get arrested for murder. There is DNA evidence at the crime scene from Roger even though he says he was not at the address or know the murder victim. The novel is very well written and will surprise you at the conclusion.
A young woman is found dead in bed with her throat slashed and all evidence points to Officer Roger Conniston. Roger is about to lose his job and his wife. It appears that Roger is cheating on his wife with more than one woman. He has been thrown out of the house.
Did Roger kill this woman? Did he cheat on his wife? Is Roger being framed for a crime that he did not commit?
When all the clues start pointing to Roger as the murderer and he is accused of cheating on his wife the story became very confusing for me at this point because I was like how can the clues point to Roger when earlier in the book it told a different tale. Yeah I was scratching my head at this. And when his wife says he didn’t do something when earlier in the book I had read that he did. Am I right? I am not sure as I am very confused now.
Needless to say by this time I was like oh yeah the author is just trying to throw me off and it worked so very well as I did not have a clue at this point as to what was going on. But I was determined as Roger to find out what was happening. After this I was definitely hooked and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see how it all would turn out.
A Long Time Dead is a fast paced read. It pulled me in from the first chapter and never let go. It is filled with suspense and likes to hold on to its secrets in various ways. It will keep you guessing and the pages turning.
I highly recommend A Long Time Dead to all suspense, Thriller, Mystery and Crime novels. One click yourself a copy today!
I love Andrew Barrett’s Eddie Collins novel, so I had to read A Long Time Dead. Not as seen on television, this novel offers the best of crime scene investigation in quite a bit of detail. Delve into the pages of this fast-paced thrillers to discover how SOCO Roger Conniston catches the culprit. Looking forward to reading the next novel in this series.
*slight spoilers*
Book 1 in Andrew Barrett’s The Dead Trilogy, is A Long Time Dead. A gruesome murder starts the ‘slow burn’ start to the murder investigation SOCO Roger Conniston’s working on with his team. Roger’s life has become much more confusing and stressful as he looks after his wife Yvonne, who’s crippled with rheumatoid arthritis.In line for promotion at work, he must cope with the realisation that one of his superiors DI Weston, is up to his neck in a criminal gun-running cartel. Unable to prove it and reluctantly aware that his colleague Chris is in line for the same promotion and doesn’t care what he has to do to to get it – even if it means the end of his and Roger’s decade long friendship, leads to Roger’s needing therapy to assess if he’s the right man for the promotion. As if his personal life weren’t unhappy enough already, with the stress of a demanding career and being a full-time carer, Roger lets himself begin an affair with the counsellor.
When a second murdered young woman’s body is found, Roger is tainted by suspicion of complicity, due to evidence’ linking him to the victim. Who can he trust and how can he prove his innocence, when the team he’s known and worked with for ten years seems to believe in his guilt? Who stands by him? How does Roger catch the killer?
An edge-of-your-seat thriller that you won’t want to put down til the very end, A Long Time Dead by Andrew Barrett will whet your appetite for the next two books in this outstanding series, The Dead Trilogy. Get your copy today!
Really enjoyed this. Conniston, unfaithful to his wife and sleepwalking through his friendships, is not a wholly sympathetic main character but he certainly doesn’t deserve his predicament and it’s hard to see how he will escape. I loved the forensic detail which was lavish but didn’t overwhelm the plot or characters. Both this and Barrett’s Eddie Collins series are excellent.
Scenes of Crime Officer Roger Conniston has his hands full in this story. There are two murders that have very little to offer evidence wise but by sheer luck they find that one elusive piece of evidence. SOCO Conniston also is dealing with a fellow officer dealing firearms. If you like the TV shows CSI….any of them, you will like A Long Time Dead. I highly recommend this book!
Everything I have read by Barrett is definitely recommendation worthy, but as the 1st in the Roger Conniston SoCO trilogy, this is a great place to start with his writing. BTW, the Eddie Collins series is just as good.