#BlogTour Occam’s Razor (DS Jason Smith 4) by Stewart Giles

Title: Occam’s Razor (DS Jason Smith #4) by Stewart Giles

Date Published: 6^th April 2015

Genre: Police Procedural, Mystery/Thriller

Description:

A football player is shot dead in front of a packed crowd of people.

DS Jason Smith is put in charge of the investigation. The murder weapon is found in a house across the road from the football ground. It is a rare Russian army issue sniper rifle. As the investigation hits dead end after dead end, two government agents arrive and take over, pushing Smith and his colleagues to the side. As more people die Smith quickly realises these agents are not who they claim to be. He is forced into the dark world of these phantoms and he finds himself at the mercy of his old nemesis; the man who kidnapped his sister years earlier.

This is a gripping thriller with twists and turns all the way to the stunning ending.

If you like Police Procedurals, then this is a series you won’t want to miss.

THE SETTING

York is a historic walled city in North Yorkshire, England.

At the confluence of the River Ouse and Foss, York is the traditional county town of the historic county of Yorkshire. York Minster and a variety of cultural and sporting activities make it a popular tourist destination.

THE DETECTIVES

DS Jason Smith is an Australian who was sent to York to live with his Grandmother when his sister disappeared from a beach. He has suffered many losses in his short life and is now a dedicated detective. He is a bit of a loose cannon he has his own way of doing things and that doesn’t always mean following orders and procedures.

DS Thompson is of the same rank as Jason, but he doesn’t have the same support or success. He and Jason have a love/hate relationship which brings a bit of humour to the series. Thompson is old school and thinks his age should give him respect and privileges, but life doesn’t work that way for him.

DC Erica Witton is Jason’s preferred partner they work well together and share a bond. She isn’t always appreciated by Jason, but they care about each other and that brings a different dimension to the series.

What readers are saying about Occam’s Razor:

‘This book was gripping from the first page to the last. The characters are all well written, believable and sympathetic.’ – Mrs Christine H Clark

‘Superb book left you guessing to the end. Sends you up so many alleys and you still can’t see the outcome.’ – Mike

‘A well paced story that will have you hooked very quickly and then drag you along for the ride in such a way as to not want to stop reading..’ – Hisboss

‘Another gripping book by this Author well written lots going on could not put this book down.’ – Kindle Customer

‘What a good book had you wandering all the time would read his books again I haven’t read his before.’ – Dora Gibbons

BOOKS BY STEWART GILES

DS JASON SMITH SERIES

0.5 – Phobia (5 early Jason Smith cases)

1….-.Smith

2….-.Boomerang

3….-.Ladybird

4….-.Occam’s Razor

5….-.Harlequin

6….-.Selene

7….-.Horseman

8….-.Unworthy

DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES

1….-.The Beekeeper

2….-.The Perfect Murder

3….-.The Backpacker

Review:

“With all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.” ~ William of Ockham.

From the outset, there seems to be nothing simple about Smith’s latest case! The novel opens with the death of Jimmy Fisher, the up and coming goal keeper of York City football team by a sniper.

Smith quickly finds the gunman’s hideout complete with the weapon, a standard issue rifle from the Russian army. But as he is about to investigate, the case is taken away from him by the shadowy SOCA (the serious crimes agency). More deaths of football players follow but at every turn the SOCA agents block his investigation. What are they trying to hide? Smith will stop at nothing to find out.

Nothing like a bit of DS Smith to get you out of a reading slump! This is the fourth in the Smith series, while I suppose it can be read as a stand alone, I would suggest to read a few of the previous books (You can read my review of the previous book Ladybird here) just because you may miss some of the recurring story lines from the other novels.

Smith certainly has a rollercoaster of a ride in this novel! His investigation is blocked at every turn. He doesn’t know who to trust. Then a he gets a blast from the past and the death of a close friend sends him on a downward spiral.

My only complaint, this is of course just my opinion, was the fact Smith suddenly takes up smoking, out of the blue which bugged me slightly. It’s a filthy habit and I hope he quits in the next book.

Occam’s Razor is a real thrill ride of a novel that honestly you cannot predict what will happen next.

Stewart Giles – Author Bio:

After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.

After Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later. 3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series.

The Beekeeper hit the shelves and hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well. The third in the series, The Backpacker I have self-published and is available now.

Links:

Website: www.stewartgiles.com

Twitter: @stewartgiles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33