An abandoned church in a village set in time – the ideal setting for murder. Detective Inspector Tremayne and his sergeant, Clare Yarwood, are hard pushed to solve the crime and to stay alive. ‘Do you believe in spontaneous human combustion?’ Detective Inspector Keith Tremayne asked. ‘Not me. I’ve read about it. Who hasn’t?’ Sergeant Clare Yarwood answered. ‘I haven’t,’ Tremayne replied which … Yarwood answered.
‘I haven’t,’ Tremayne replied which did not surprise his young sergeant. In the months they had been together, she had come to realise that he was a man who had little interest in the world. A cigarette in his mouth, a beer in his hand and a murder to solve was about the happiest she ever saw him, and even then, he could hardly be regarded as one of life’s most sociable. And as for reading? The occasional police report, an early morning newspaper, the back pages for the racing results.
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At first I was concerned about the book as it seemed stilted in the writing. The characters relationships didn’t seem fleshed out. In the love interest between Clare and Harry was pretty much just stated not developed through dialogue and experiences. I don’t know if that is because the author is male or what. However, the plot was intriguing and complex. The story was scary as intended and the action got very tense in the last 2/3rds of the book. All in all it was a good read. I will continue with the series and I hope the next book will not seem as simplistic in the writing. I almost didn’t finish it, but am very glad I did. Not just because of the story but I finally really started caring about the characters. So don’t give up.
Phillip Strang – DI Tremayne Thriller Bk 1 – Death Unholy – Reviewed 10/6/17 5 Stars
Bodies, more bodies, and death but not your usual!
All that remained were the man’s two legs and a chair full of greasy and fetid ash. Little did DI Keith Tremayne know that it was the beginning of a trip into the murky world of paganism and its ancient rituals. And it was going to get extremely dangerous. ‘Do you believe in spontaneous human combustion?’ Detective Inspector Keith Tremayne asked. ‘Not me. I’ve read about it. Who hasn’t?’ Sergeant Clare Yarwood answered. ‘I haven’t,’ Tremayne replied which did not surprise his young sergeant. In the months they had been together, she had come to realize that he was a man who had little interest in the world. A cigarette in his mouth, a beer in his hand, and a murder to solve were about the happiest she ever saw him, and even then, he could hardly be regarded as one of life’s most sociable. And as for reading? The occasional police report, an early morning newspaper, the back pages of the racing results.
What did I like? I have read other books written by this author and I think I like this series the best. I like the older tough guy and the young apprentice. They just fit together, and it was fun reading the interaction between the two of them. This was an emotional book and with action and murder going on all over the place. I can understand the fears that Yarwood was going through. I remember when I was a kid, we were playing hide and seek in the graveyard that was across from our house and my brother set me up. I played right into the fears that he had laid out and I thought he had been taken by the Ghost/Goblins. I wanted to throttle him when I got home, and he had been there for over an hour while I hunted for him all alone and scared out of my wits. It is so easy to let our imagination to run wild when logic tells us that it is impossible to happen, but who am I to judge, right?
What will you like? A storyline that is filled with incredible people, lots of mystery and mayhem, frightful thoughts, romance, a little humor, and it will grow on you. I held my breath more times than I care to admit along with my motivation for Yarwood to get past the fear of the unknown and down to brass tacks. The characters develop right in front of you and as you go you see the experience that Yarwood is getting and the attachment that Tremayne is developing. Phillip is great with his research, descriptions and meticulous with his details. I have never been to England, but I felt like I was right there. I love that about his books. I received this from the author for an honest review with no other compensation.
@ddeegott
This is a great mystery. I love putting together puzzles. So this read that is fast paced and full of intrigue really pulled me in from start to finish. And lots of twists and turns, I enjoy reading and putting the puzzle together in my mind. I definitely recommend.
Shauna Joesten
Likable characters & weird plot involving pagan worship – kept my interest for the most part but started to drag – repetitive from time to time in the interchange between characters and in the crimes (total of 11 murders in 311 pages!) Will I get anymore of Phillip Strang’s books? Not for a while because I have several good authors to read!
I love British crime procedurals but this one I could just not get into.
Modern civilization meets the middle ages in this twisted tale of gods and monsters.
This was the first book I’d read by this author & thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like the English mystery genre this is a good one, along the lines of authors like Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, WJ Burley
too creepy for me. I like some tension and scariness, but this was better for people who aren’t as easily upset. Well written, and I got a ways into it when I realized it really wasn’t something I should be reading before going to sleep. Sorry. It truly is an interesting story.
I was enjoying the book in the beginning but it seemed to start dragging about 30% into it. I stopped reading at about 60% because I got to the point where I just wanted it to end . Sorry
A group of murders or possible murders begins with spontaneous human combustion and leads to a small village that has been keeping secrets since the 1300’s!
I did not like it
My eighth read from author Phillip Strang. Well-written with well-developed characters and a mystery that continually develops throughout the length of the book. A very good read, as always I look forward Strang’s next book.
Unrealistic
A great thriller with a paranormal twist
Excellent mystery! I hope to read more in this series because I liked the main characters. The plot had some interesting twists and kept my interest all the way to the end. Well written, with well fleshed out characters and definite tension to the story to make you keep reading.
A chilling, scary book. To me, it is a little sacrilegious, but for the theme running through the book, it almost has to be in there. As I know my own beliefs, I simply ignored it, or took it in stride.
A modern twist on Holmes and Watson with some other twists as well. Are they real?
This book is rather strange. It takes place in villages in England. It starts with an unusual and seemingly unexplainable death. It is said that the death is most probably human combustion. What?? Can’t be says detective inspector Tremayne. This death leads the police to a village that worships pagan gods. These villagers believe they are right and no one can tell them what to do. The characters is this story are awesome and the story very strong. The story leads to a lot of death and a lot of fear.
A good page turner and whodunnit with
a supernatural touch.