When the Evil Waits by M J Lee – Book Review
When the Evil Waits by M J Lee – Book Review
When the Evil Waits
DI Ridpath Crime Thriller Book Six
Author – M J Lee
Publisher – Canelo Crime
Pages – 384
Released – 25th March 2021
ISBN-13 – 978-1800322561
Format – ebook, paperback
Rating – 5 Stars
I received a free copy of this book.
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Synopsis
A child’s body in an unmarked grave. A killer waiting to strike again.
A young boy’s body is found in a meadow beside the River Mersey. No DNA. No witnesses. No clues. It brings back painful memories of the Moors Murderers.
After two weeks, the police have made no progress finding the killer. The one thing they do know; he will kill again. It is a race against time – and they are losing.
DI Thomas Ridpath has just returned to work. Diagnosed with PTSD and undergoing supervised psychological therapy, he is dragged into the case against his better judgement. When another murder in Liverpool ups the ante, Ridpath must confront his own demons to stop a child killer before he strikes again.
Review by Stacey
When the body of a missing seven-year-old child is discovered in woodland, Major Investigation Team (MIT) are hot on the case. The lead detective is known to be a bit of a hothead and when the team is no close to solving the case his boss asks DI Thomas Ridpath, who has just returned to duty working for the Coroner’s Office after six months off, to go over the case and make sure everything has been done thoroughly and to see if there has been anything missed, without the lead detective knowing.
Choosing two officers to help him, DI Ridpath sets out to meet with the child’s family, the person who discovered the body, and to follow up on similar investigations in the region. He is just putting his ideas together when MIT arrest and question a suspect that Ridpath knows is innocent. He now has just a matter of hours to find the real murderer or an innocent person could be put away for a crime he didn’t commit and a murderer left on the loose to kidnap and kill again.
When the Evil Waits is the sixth book in the DI Thomas Ridpath series by author M J Lee. The book begins six-months after the explosive end to ‘When the Past Kills‘. The plot is quite a tough one as this time Ridpath is investigating the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of a young boy, found naked in woodland. He has been placed there after death and cleaned so that no DNA evidence has been left. As is the norm for Ridpath he is meticulous in his investigation and comes up with ideas that MIT hasn’t thought of, but even he is starting to feel like they will never find the culprit until they get a sudden break.
The book is set in Covid-19 times and there are plenty of mentions of the virus, social distancing, masks, etc, keeping the book bang-on-trend and up-to-date.
The pace is fast and the writing perfect, especially as I never once suspected who the culprit turned out to be. I raced through it and read it in just two sittings. The investigation felt spot-on and you can tell that it has been written by someone who has done their research into criminal proceedings and police work.
If you love thrillers/police procedural novels then this is the series to read. All the books have been amazing, enjoyable, gripping, and have become my must-read series. They leave me wanting to hear and see more from Ridpath and I can’t wait for his next investigation.
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Martin (M J Lee) has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another. As a University researcher in history, he wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, tv commercials, short films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites.
He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, winning awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York and London Festivals, and the United Nations.
When he’s not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, researching his family history, practising downhill ironing, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.
I fear this one would ruin me as the crime breaks my heart
Excellent review! Police procedurals aren’t really my genre but I can see why this would appeal to fans.
I know what you mean. Putting the murder of a child in a book will have some people unable to read.
Thanks Kate, Glad you like the review.
Great review. This sounds like an interesting series.
Thank you Ed, Glad that you liked our review. The series is amazing.