#PublicationDay #BlogTour #Review Their Last Words by Steve Parker @JoffeBooks @mrparkerspen #TeamJoffeBooks

Title: Their Last Words by Steve Parker

Publisher: Joffe Books

Date Published: 22^nd June 2018

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

Discover a crime thriller full of shocking twists by one of the most exciting new authors you’ll read this year.
 
A VICTIM. A MUTILATED BODY. A SINGLE WORD.

A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.”
 
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is assigned to the case. Young, handsome, and from a well-off background, he’s tipped for the top. He joins a team based out of Bermondsey, South London. It’s meant to be a stepping stone to his next promotion, but this case will threaten to bring down his career and everything he thought he knew about policing.
 
Paterson is put in charge of the dead girl’s investigation and quickly discovers he must rely on his friend and mentor, Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan to guide him through.
 
THEN ANOTHER BODY IS DISCOVERED. ANOTHER WORD CUT INTO THE VICTIM’S CHEST.

The police realise they may have a depraved serial killer on their hands. The murderer is trying to send them a message carved in his victims’ bodies. But who’s the message for?
 
How many more must die? Detective Paterson may be the only man who can stop this vile killer . . . if he can survive long enough.
 
This is the first in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.
 
Perfect for fans of  Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Mark Billingham.
 
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A HEAVILY REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “THE SKY IS CRYING.”

TWO DETECTIVES WHO HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER MUST WORK TOGETHER

Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson, is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a ‘climber’.
 
Detective Sergeant Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains to become a first-class thief taker with the Met police. However, his childish attitude has short-circuited his career and he spends his days antagonising as many people as he can.
 
Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan is an old-school copper who trusts his instincts but relies on evidence. He is typical in that his marriage has broken down and he’s been unable to form a relationship since.
 
THE AUTHOR
Steve Parker is a retired police officer who served for 20 years in numerous high-profiles squads.
 
THE SETTING
Bermondsey is an area of London nestled on the banks of the River Thames. It once had a reputation for housing more armed robbers, murderers and career criminals than anywhere else in the country. Now one of the most upmarket places to live and work in London, it has all but severed itself from its working-class roots. Home to the iconic Tower Bridge and crammed with expensive apartments, art galleries, fancy restaurants and famous residents. But for the police, those who truly know, Bermondsey never lost its roots . . . or its reputation.

Review:

Happy publication day to Steve Parker! I’m very excited to be kicking off this blog tour, a thank to Jill Burkinshaw for inviting me!

Young women are being horribly mutilated and dumped on the streets of London, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is put in charge but out of his depth he turns to DS Dave Jordan and his team to help catch this ruthless killer.

It’s so difficult to write about this book as there is so much more to it than the synopsis gives away but then I don’t want to write any spoilers in this review! I’ll try my best anyway.

It’s nice to see Joffe books has a new author, well not exactly new, this book was previously published under the title, The Sky Is Crying, but he’s certainly a new to me.

Now the first half of the book really put the procedure into police procedural. Steve Parker really puts his experience of being a police officer into the pages which as a civilian I appreciate but it wasn’t until the second half of the book that I felt the story get really juicy with plenty of shocks and action packed moments.

This also has a little twist on the usual crime books, as the superintendent is one of the main characters investigating the murder. I can honestly say I haven’t seen before, usually they’re in the background making it harder for people to do their jobs. Also Ray Paterson is a bit flash, driving round in an Aston Martin wearing Gucci shoes and posh suits, coming from money he doesn’t really have to work either unlike your usual copper.

A character who I really didn’t like but eventually grew on me, a little anyway, was DS Clocks. He’s offensive, sexist and hates authority but as the story goes along really steps up and shows he is actually a good policeman under all of that.

A warning to those of you with a sensitive disposition, this may not be the book for you. There’s extreme violence and bad language, which even shocked me while I was reading it.

An exciting start to a new series that I’m interested to see where it goes next.

Rating: 3.5/5

Author Bio:

I was born and raised in South East London (Peckham to be precise – cushty, my son). At the ripe old age of twenty-one, I joined the Metropolitan Police where I served for twenty years before I was pensioned out with a serious back injury. I then went to work as an enforcement officer for a local authority before taking redundancy.

Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a complete lack of DIY skills so was legitimately able to get away with swanning around the house doing bugger all, all day long. Finding myself with plenty of spare time and a deep desire to never work for anyone again, I gave myself permission to go back to writing (I’d been writing on and off for years).

When I’m not writing, I’m out taking photographs, something I’ve done since I was a nipper and will do until the day I shuffle off this mortal coil.

I live down in the windier part of East Sussex near the sea with my long-suffering wife and my ‘off-her-nut’ cockerpoo. I have two sons of whom I am so proud, I cannot begin to tell you.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MrParkerspen/

Twitter: @mrparkerspen

Website:https://mrparkerspen.com/