No More Tears (SOCO Roger Conniston, #3)

fter the murder of his wife, Roger is in a very bad state. There’s a moment when Shelby catches him playing with a revolver, obviously contemplating either suicide or murder. He can think of little else than revenge. With Hades also already dead, Roger’s hate concentrates on Jess who knew about the bomb but did nothing about it. Things get even worse when he discovers that Yvonne had a secret. Roger has found a loyal friend in Shelby who’s been kicked out by his wife that’s fed up with the job-pressure and hours. So for the time being, he’s staying at Conniston’s who ‘s in dire emotional and psychological need. It’s extremely touching, even heartbreaking to see how they each react to and deal with their loss. The comfort of talking to someone who doesn’t judge and can relate to your situation and feelings is priceless and may be just what saves both men. While Graham still hopes that he and Lucy can resolve their differences, there’s a very beautiful part where he tells how they met and how life and perception changed as they grew older and he made a career. Of course, Roger can’t hope for such a happy ending and is riddled with guilt and regret for everything he didn’t do or see when his wife was still alive. He’s consumed by hatred and revenge. Deep down he knows that his plan is wrong and he tries to deceive his friend by saying that he’ll give Jess up to the cops.
But apart from the police and Roger’s own crusade, there’s also a mysterious ‘someone else’ looking for Jess.
Since Roger resigned as head of the department, there’s a new boss assigned to the crime scene team, Liz Archer. She goes out of her way to visit Roger during his sick leave and can’t help herself but gloat and make it clear that she’s going to make his job ‘unpleasant’ if/when he returns. After her very rude home visit to Roger where she showed some serious claws, Liz Archer, the new crime scene supervisor makes herself most unpopular on her first day at work. She insults and screams at two members of her team and she makes some serious procedural mistakes on her first crime scene. On top of that, she puts the investigation immediately on one single track, that it’s a domestic violence case and closes her eyes for all other possibilities. She is a real career woman but not in the right way, she’ll step on anyone to get what she wants, use and abuse her colleagues or other people, suck up to superiors and above all exploit every weakness or flaw from anyone. Not a nice person to have as your boss, I’d say.
Liz isn’t the only one who’s afraid of Roger (who she thinks will be after his old job as supervisor) though, DCI Chamberlain is dead scared that Roger might sue him over his wife’s death even after Roger told him that he won’t go to court.
When Jess finds his way back to Tartarus, Hades’ headquarters (he can’t go back home because the police were watching that even before “the job” took off), Troff also arrives there and forces him to split in half whatever Hades may have left behind. Hades left them indeed some money but also a parcel for his wife Rosie. Troff double-crosses Jeff (not for the first time, see the previous story!) and, thinking it must be money in the parcel, sends someone to take back the parcel after Jess delivers it. Unfortunately, Rosie just went outside to make a phone call (this are the 1990ies when home landlines still went out of order and public phone-boots were a common sight) when the bully comes to the house and her friend who answers the door and who knows nothing about Jess’ visit is beaten to death by the intruder.
At the start of this books, Jess looks a lot more humane and even slightly sympathetic compared to the previous story. His deep love for Charlotte, Hades’ daughter and his ex-girlfriend shines through and he genuinely mourns Hades and almost hates Troff when he shows nothing but disrespect for the gang leader. Well, Troff is the lowest of the lowlife and everything in his actions and speech makes me loathe him a bit more. Even criminals can be humans, but I doubt that Troff qualifies.
And then there’s a job that Hades set up before he went on the disastrous previous ‘last’ one. If Jess manages to execute it, there’s a nice retirement-fund waiting for him. Again what this job is, is kept a secret till it is time to act. But I had a good guess at what this might be and was right as well. A detrimental clue: the ‘contact’ will pay out when the newspapers will report about the execution of this job.
Barrett shows excellent penmanship, even the most tedious moments and actions he can describe in heart-warming prose. His has such a great way with words that involuntary, I have to smile in the midst of an argument, conversation or fight for the manner in which he tells us these things. The only reason he may hang on to his daytime job as a SOCO is for the inspiration he may find there and maybe a way to stay up-to-date and accurate in a quickly evolving field. That first-hand experience is something that very few can attribute to their stories. But I have a faint suspicion that he’s much alike Roger Conniston in this matter, that he just likes what he does.
It’s moving how meticulously and detailed Barrett describes the emotions of his characters, mainly Shelby and Conniston in this last story but also that of the other actors in this drama.

At the end of the book, there’s an extensive bonus part with very interesting items as the very first character outlays and biographies, the author’s own thoughts on the themes and main focus points of the individual stories and on top of that the very detailed synopsis’s of the stories as he wrote them down originally in 1997.
This book wraps up all the loose ends left over from the previous 2 volumes as well as bringing another sleepless nights thriller with edge of your seat tension. This last story is a bit more reflective than the earlier ones. They’re all 3 different subgenres, the first book is in the first place a police procedural, where the second one is full of action and the last one more of a psychological thriller but still full of action and unexpected twists. Together they stand as a complete and perfect blend of genres into something that’s better than the mere sum of its parts.

Roger Conniston, Scene of Crime Officer is still grieving the death of his beloved wife Yvonne. Roger sets out to make the people responsible for her death pay although the main guy is already dead there is still others that had a hand in her killing and he is determined to make them pay as well.

A hit has been put out on Roger’s life from the grave so not only is he now running from the police he is on the run and in hiding from the one person who is trying to kill him. Is Roger innocent? If so can he prove that he is? Will Roger find the ones responsible for his wife’s death? Will he make them pay for what they have done? Will Roger take matters into his own hands or will he turn him over the police?

As with the first two books in The Dead Trilogy No More Tears will grab your attention from the first page and never let up until the last page is turned. The suspense and action alone will keep you glued to the pages. Like its predecessors No More Tears is very descriptively written so much so that you can see everything you are reading in your head like watching a movie.

I highly recommend No More Tears to all thriller, suspense and mystery with lots of non-stop action.