Scorched Earth by David Mark – Book Review

Scorched Earth by David Mark – Book Review

Scorched Earth by David Mark

Scorched Earth
The 7th DS McAvoy Novel

Author – David Mark
Publisher – Mulholland Books
Pages – 304
Released – 25th January 2018
ISBN-13 – 978-1473643123
Format – ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio
Reviewer – Stacey
Rating – 5 Stars
I received a free copy of this book
Post contains affiliate links

 

Detective McAvoy investigates a murder and a missing person case in this dark and compelling thriller, for fans of Stuart MacBride and Peter May.

The police think Crystal Heathers isn’t missing.

The trainee detective assigned to the case isn’t so sure.

McAvoy thinks someone was being held at the derelict building where they just found a body pinned to the wall…and that all the signs point to it being a little girl.

But why would anyone not report a kidnapping?

And how far would someone go to get revenge?

The case will test McAvoy to breaking point – as the crimes of the present lead him to a final violent confrontation with an enemy from his own past.

New one review witch 2017

Having not read any of the other books in the series, I was unsure whether I was going to find this book an easy ride. Would there be too much information that I had missed? However, like with a lot of crime/thriller/detective books, because the detective is dealing with a new case I didn’t have that much trouble. Yes, there were a few backstories about DS McAvoy’s life that I had missed, but nothing to stop this book being enjoyable.

To be honest, I use the word enjoyable in a loose sense of the word, because whilst the book was brilliant, engaging, and certainly had me hooked, I’m not sure a book as gruesome as this one was at times, could be called enjoyable.

The prologue, which is set in ‘The Jungle’ refugee camp in France gives you an indication as to how gruesome this book is going to be, with the graphic murder of one of the refugees, committed by someone he thought was his friend.

The plot, now in the UK, moves onto the abduction of a young girl who was having a horse riding lesson. The abductor gives the girls injured trainer a message to pass on, ‘Tell him he is going to pay’. With two opening scenes like these you know that the plot is going to be fast paced and filled to the brim with action.

Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy is an absolutely amazing character. He’s a married father of two little children living in Hull. He’s very likeable and you get a sense of security radiating from him whilst reading, knowing that you can put your faith in him to solve the crimes.

There are numerous secondary plots interweaving with the main. Whilst I knew some were going to be connected, I was never quite sure how. There are also quite a lot of characters, all with their own unique personalities, so I never had trouble remembering them.

Scorched Earth was certainly suspenseful and totally exhilarating. David Mark’s writing is superb, totally addictive and very dark. I now have six other books to go back and read.

Reviewed by Stacey


Purchase online from:

Amazon.co.ukAmazon.com


About the Author

David Mark

David spent more than fifteen years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post – walking the Hull streets that would later become the setting for the Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy novels.

His writing is heavily influenced by the court cases he covered: the defeatist and jaded police officers; the competent and incompetent investigators; the inertia of the justice system and the sheer raw grief of those touched by savagery and tragedy.

He has written seven novels in the McAvoy series, as well as two McAvoy novellas. His first historical thriller, The Zealot’s Bones, is out now.

David’s Radio 4 drama, A Marriage of Inconvenience, aired last year. His first novel is currently being adapted for the stage. He has also written for the stage and has contributed articles and reviews to several national and international publications. He is a regular performer at literary festivals and is a sought-after public speaker. He also teaches creative writing.

David also starts to get all squirmy and self-conscious when he looks at stuff like this, so we’ll leave it there.

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13 Responses

  1. Jo Linsdell says:

    Another series to add to my TBR list.

  2. Ashleighjayne says:

    Great review

  3. Rachel Poli says:

    Sounds dark! I love crime and thriller, but this one may be too much for me, lol. Thanks for the review.

  4. Tin says:

    Amazing review! I’ll check this one out.

  5. Randi @ Kiss Like a Girl says:

    Not my usual sort of book, but your review has me thinking about reading it.

  6. Nikki says:

    Sounds twisty! Thank you for sharing this series with us!

  7. DJ Sakata says:

    This sounds intriguing, I’ve been reading more of these lately.

  8. This sounds REALLY GOOD! Great review! You’ve given me a new author to try!

  9. Heidi says:

    Always love a good thriller. Great review!

  10. Allie Bock says:

    Love the cover!

  11. Great, review this is actually the first time I heard about this book. And it looks and sounds absolutely amazing and very intriguing. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and putting this book on my radar.

  12. Terri A. Wilson says:

    This sounds like a good one. One that will make me think for sure.

  13. Megan @ Ginger Mom says:

    That’s good that you were able to pick this one up, having not read the others. Great review 🙂