First of all I would like to wish James Carol and the folk at Faber & Faber a very happy publication day. The Quiet Man is released into the wild today and I can guarantee this is one that you don't want to miss!

The Quiet Man features one of my very favourite lead protagonists in the form of ex-FBI profiler Jefferson Winter. This is the fourth book in the series and I heartily recommend you check out the first three books if you haven't already done so as they are superb. No really, they are THAT good!




On one hand, I want to shout about the Jefferson Winter series from the rooftops. But on the other, I want to keep these books just for me. I don't want to share! Weird as that sounds, coming from a self confessed bookaholic who always wants to spread the book love. I discovered the first in the series several years ago when it was first published and I felt as though I had found something REALLY special. Something just for me. But then I heard others speak of James Carol's books and I felt a little...disappointed. I wanted to have a strop and shout, 'but they're my books' which of course I didn't (because they're not!). Great news for the author, not so good for me and my beloved stash of Jefferson Winter novels. These amazing thrillers weren't just my secret discovery anymore. Many other readers out there felt exactly the same about them as I did...(Obviously, with hindsight, I see the books popularity as something positive as it has resulted in a brand new book and that, my bookish friends is a very, very good thing! I also feel quite proud that I saw a good thing early on and I'm now able to introduce new readers to the wonder of Winter and James Carol's brilliant writing.)

Anyway, enough of my author/series stalking (I could give a few of my fellow bloggers a run for their money as they are well known and fairly vocal about their author stalking. But fear not Mr Carol. I am mostly harmless!). Let's crack on with my review...

So, what did I think of the fourth book in the series? Well they just keep getting better and better. James Carol is one of my very favourite authors and this latest release proves that (ha! Like proof was ACTUALLY needed!). For those new to this series, Jefferson Winter can be an acquired taste. He's an ex-FBI profiler who didn't quite 'fit' so has gone out to catch the bad guys on his own. Normally as a consultant, called in as and when needed by local police forces to get to the bottom of a particularly tricky case. Jefferson hunts the killers that no one else can catch. It helps that he himself is the son of a serial killer, maybe giving him a small insight into the minds of the most evil men and women out there. And he's smart. Really, really intelligent.

This time he is called to Vancouver to assist ex-police officer, Laura Anderton find a once-a-year killer. Always striking on 5th August and making one of his victims live, whilst the other dies. I was a little concerned to discover that Winter was hunting someone who killed only once a year. I was worried the story would lack the action and fast-pace of past novels but I shouldn't have fretted. This book is chock full of action from start to finish. Winter and Laura Anderton immediately build a strong working relationship, sharing ideas and bouncing old and new theories around. I found the process incredibly fascinating; that examining of the minutiae in the hunt for a sadistic killer.

I was hooked from page one and found it very difficult to put this book down. The author can do no wrong in my eyes and I can't wait for future instalments. It's a gripping read, full of tension and suspense. If you're a thriller fan and haven't read any of this series before then you are truly missing out. The Quiet Man can be read as a standalone but why would you do that when you can read the first three books in the series as well?! It just doesn't make sense!

Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would. Now stop me if I've mentioned this before but not only should you purchase The Quiet Man but you should also pop all of the other books in your basket at the same time! Oh, and there are novellas too. Don't forget the novellas! This is my 'go to' series, centering around one of my all time favourite characters. I will buy any thriller written by James Carol without reading the blurb. I am THAT confident that I will love it. Don't miss out thriller fans, buy this book!

Five out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Quiet Man. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Another cracking instalment in the Jefferson Winter series. Tasked with investigating a serial bomber case, Winter is up against the clock as the bomber strikes on the same day every year. Loved the sense of tension and urgency within the book! And I really liked the characters Winter works with in this one. Worth a read for die hard fans of the series!

This is one of my favourite series and I eager await and devour every new release - both novels and chronicles. As with all good series, the main story contained within this book is complete but to get the best from Jefferson Winter as a character, and he is a bit complex, it is best to read from book one, in order.
In this book, Winter has been called in to help an ex-cop with an ongoing case. Starting a few years back, a killer has struck every year, killing a single victim. Each person has been a wife and has died from a bomb being strapped onto their body, and placed in a kitchen. The bomb is triggered by their husband when they open the door after returning from work. Anderton, the ex-cop he is helping was the SIO in charge of the case until she was unceremoniously removed from the case, after media interference, and retired to become a PI. She in turn is under the instruction of one of the husbands. Winter brings a set of skills with him. He is a bit of an expert on serial killers, well, he has personal experience after all. He can get inside their, often, sick and twisted minds and see things that others don't. He can shake things up and turn things inside out. This is especially important in this case as the victims are not connected and the killer only strikes on one day a year. Winter utilises all his skills and wiles to get to the crux and try and build enough of a profile of the killer, identify his motives so that the authorities can catch him in time. But will they be in time, with the anniversary looming?
I do love Winter. He has that certain something that I love in a character. He's "freelance" now, ex-FBI, so he can go where he wants and do what he wants, often a bit of a maverick with, on the face of it, questionable methods but only questionable until you eventually get what he is up to. He is also a bit of a manipulator and I love that side of him. He's definitely not afraid to poke the bear!
Winter has developed nicely throughout this series and, in this book, we see a bit more of him, like he opens up a little more each book. Still a bit of an enigma but that's part of his charm, but he seems to play better with others in this book. I think he makes a good pairing with Anderton and maybe I'd like to see more of her in the future. He also plays a good game with the media in the shape of one Charlotte Delaney, incidentally, the journalist who got Anderton dropped form the case. Pure gold some of it!
The actual story and plot is brilliantly executed. I lost count of the number of times my jaw dropped as Winter explained something that, had I been on the same wavelength as him, I should have seen coming. Sadly, I am but a novice in these things and he is a serial killer genius and, at times, a bit smug, but delivered in a nice way. The way he takes the things the police have found and exhausted and, like a phoenix, raises them from their ashes and breathes life as he takes them to a whole other level of importance. He doesn't just think outside the box, there is no box in the first place.
It's a bit formulaic yes, it's a bit cliched in parts, but when you factor in the case under investigation and the characters, the whole thing just works brilliantly and it held my attention nicely as I read it straight through in a day. Only down side is that now it's over, I will have to wait for the next instalment!

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Quiet Man by James Carol- Hurrah! Jefferson Winters is back!
I've been waiting for ages for this one. The tantalising Winters novella, Open Your Eyes, released last year only served to whet my appetite for The Quiet Man. I love the fact that author James Carol explores Winters as a young man in his novellas and also shows how his character has developed in his 'adult' novels.
Winter's back story is intriguing and Carol, a UK writer, slips into the Americanisms in a seemingly effortless and totally convincing way.
What makes the 5th of August so special? Is it because it was the date Nelson Mandela was arrested? Maybe it's because icon Marilyn Monroe was discovered dead on that date or because it was the date... or, maybe, just maybe it's because that is the date that a serial bomber has chosen to kill his previous victims, by setting up their husbands to detonate the bomb.
It's now the 4th of August and ex- FBI profiler, Jefferson Winter, has been called to Vancouver to hopefully prevent the bomber striking again.
As a character Winter is intriguing and his quirky nature, in my mind, makes the book. As I've come to expect in James Carol's books, it is well plotted, fast paced and compelling. I think I feel decidedly maternal towards Winter, whose palpable emotional pain, follows him in his nomadic treks from city to city pursuing an never ending series of killers.
When's the next one due?

I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, its been a long time since I read a book with the main character Jefferson Winters and I had forgotten how annoyingly clever he can be, I can't make up my mind if I like him, I don't think I do and usually I need to like a main character, having said that once I had got over myself and got into the story I did enjoy the book.There was nasty murders, twists and plenty of action, lots to keep me interested .The pace of the book was good and while it is not the greatest book I have read recently, its perfectly fine and I think it is worth a read.Thanks to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I'm afraid I didn't get on with The Quiet Man at all. I tried this because the Vancouver setting sounded interesting and Faber have a well-deserved reputation for publishing quality books. Sadly, there was little sense of place and the book itself was a very run-of-the-mill affair.

There is a serial killer who targets women (of course) and murders them – sorry, "brutally murders" them, of course – by strapping a home-made bomb to them which is triggered by a family member opening a door in their house. This happens every 5th August, and Jefferson Winter, former FBI profiler and son of a serial killer (!) meets up with unjustly forced-out ex-Vancouver cop Laura Anderton as private investigators in a Race Against Time (of course) to stop the killer striking again.

It's as cliché-ridden as it sounds. Winter and Anderton spend a lot of time telling each other things they already know in that brisk, Professional-ese which people only use in stories like this. Winter is so empathetic he's practically psychic. The characters are straight out of Crime Central Casting, including the vain, self-seeking and incompetent Police investigator, the unscrupulous, untrustworthy journalist…you get the idea. The plot moves slowly and rather predictably with lots of unconvincing padding and technical-sounding but rather vacuous detail. For example, if you strap a bomb to someone's chest with a hard case facing outwards but an open side toward the chest, it's blindingly obvious to the meanest intelligence that the blast will be directed toward the chest and kill them, isn't it? But Winter has to say – to experienced intelligent professionals who apparently take him seriously:
"It all comes down to physics. Something that has forward momentum, whether that's a river or a waveform or the blast wave from an explosion, will always seek out the path of least resistance. That's what happened here. The blast is directed toward the victims. Ultimately, that's what kills them."

Well, thanks for that, Jefferson; it's a good job you're here to tell us that. Not only is it absurd in context, as a physicist I can tell you that the "physics" is a load of meaningless waffle. And, "ultimately, that's what kills them."? Please! They've been blown to bits by a bomb and you have to point out that "ultimately" it kills them?

I became increasingly irritated and bored by all this stuff, I'm afraid. Stilted dialogue, tedious and clichéd plot, generic setting, by-numbers characters…maybe this would be OK for mindless distraction for half a day on the beach, but I really didn't enjoy it.

(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)

Three women have been abducted and murdered in Berlin. Physically they are unharmed but psychology it's a different story. There's a DVD showing the women being tortured, been left at each of the crime scenes. Is this the killer they nicknamed Warhol, who operated in Berlin 5 years ago?

This is a twist turning, gripping, edge of your seat read. I was hooked from the beginning. James Carol has a great style in writing these Jefferson Winter novels. I just love them.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd and the author James Carol for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the proof copy of this book.

This is the first novel I've read from this author. It's part of a series featuring the ex FBI profiler Jefferson Winter, now a freelance consultant. Winter is an interesting character, not least because his father was a serial killer and he has been deeply affected by this. The premise of him being freelance is great because it allows the books to be set in different parts of the world. This particular novel is set in Vancouver where an important anniversary is fast approaching. On the 5th August for the past three years, a woman has been murdered. In each case her husband is the instrument though not the instigator of the deed. These are particularly horrible murders because each woman has been tied up and left with a bomb on her chest which is detonated by her husband inadvertently when he opens the door. The husbands are then left in a terrible state both grieving and feeling guilty. The writing is very good and there is a real sense of menace throughout the book. I had to stop reading at one point because I was so disturbed by what was happening. My one criticism is that, as a psychologist, I wasn't convinced by the psychology of the murderer. The motive behind his killings was a little unbelievable. Otherwise, it was an excellent, exciting read and I'm now going back to the beginning of the series to find out more.

Hooked right off the bat!
Jefferson Winter: former FBI, now crosses the globe hunting serial killers using all his highly-honed skills and expertise. A tragic past lent itself to his career in the FBI profiling serial killers. While I would like to explain that tragic event, I think it best to discover that for yourself. (I think you’ll appreciate that.)
Now he’s off to Vancouver to help track down a killer that murders one person on the same date every year. Assisting him on this latest search is former detective Laura Anderton, previously the lead detective through the first three murders, before being un-ceremoniously pushed into early retirement. It's up to Jefferson and Laura to find the links between these murders and hopefully the killer, before he can strike again.
When I requested this book I didn’t realize this was the 4th in the series. Having never read the first three, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to follow the story or understand the characters. Not true! This book absolutely stands on its own. I was immediately caught up in the storyline and easily identified with the main character and didn’t feel like I missed out on a thing.
Most serial Keller books I have read tend to be little on the gruesome side. Not the case here. This story took a completely different tack. There are details of the killings, but the big thrill is the chase and the characters that hold the focus. I am a new fan of this series and will be watching for the next release.
If serial killers are your thing (ooh that sounds diabolical!) Then you will love this book/series!
Thank you to NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd. and James Carol for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.



Per request, will hold post to Goodreads under Kaceey until closer to release day. (approx 4/23-4/28).

3.5 stars. Whilst I did enjoy this installment it just wasn't quite as gripping as the previous books. Well worth a read though.

I read this in one sitting. Somehow James Carol manages to drag me into the story, until it feels like I am actually in the interview room, the car, the killers lair. Fan flipping tastic!

I am a huge Jefferson Winter fan. This new book did not disappoint. A well structured plot that ( without giving too much away) had a particularly twisted premise for a serial killer. Jefferson worked his way through the twisty turny plot in partnership with a retired cop who worked the index murder in the series. The ending was particularly tangy with the killer getting their comeuppance , with a side order of getting even with the unpleasant journalist involved. Excellent !

This is part of a series about ex FBI profiler Jefferson Winter who caches notorious serial killers by getting inside their heads and working out what makes them tick leading them to commit such horrendous crimes.
However Jefferson posseses a unique insight as his own father was also a serial killer who was caught and executed without either Jefferson or his mother suspecting a thing.
On this occasion he is called to Vancouver to consult with Anderton, an ex cop who is pursuing a killer know as the August 5th murderer on behalf of one of the victim's husbands. Wolzek's wife Isobel was killed by a bomb strapped to her chest which was detonated when he opened his own front door.
Every year on the same day there is another victim and it is a race against time to catch him before he strikes again.
This thriller worked well as a procedural with lots of tension as Winter and Anderton work against the clock to catch the killer. The manner of death is unusual as serial killers normally strike with knives or guns so this led to some interesting deductions by Winter and Anderton. Why was this killer using this particular modus operandi?
I liked the way Winter used psychology to work out the killer's background and story in order to catch him. The glimpses into Winter's past were also helpful, particularly for readers who have followed the whole series. This book can also be read as a stand alone and is recommended to those who enjoy an exciting thriller that moves at a fast pace.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first I have read of the Jefferson Winter series, and I found it an excellent read. It works fine as a standalone. Winter is a serial killer specialist and he has personal experience of the phenomena. His father was a serial killer, neither he nor him mother had a clue although it changed both their lives forever. Having been a rising star with the FBI, he quit to become a consultant to local law enforcement agencies facing a serial killer. In this case, he arrives in Vancouver at the behest of prematurely retired cop and now PI, Laura Anderton, whose client is Nicholas Sobek. Sobek's wife, Isabella, was the first victim of a serial killer who ties women up and straps a homemade bomb on them which is triggered when the husband returns and opens the kitchen door. The only fatal casualty is the wife. The killer is a patient and quiet man who only kills once a year on the 5 August. Winter has been kept up to date by Anderton but due to other commitments has been unable to get involved until now when another murder is expected.

Winter clearly knows his stuff, and his methods focus on getting into the heads of killers and the victims to home in on motive, what drives the need to kill and the criteria for victim selection. Sobek is a odd client, with many features in common with psychopaths, he will not stop until the killer is apprehended and made to pay for the death of his wife. Winter and Anderton make a excellent team and utilise her past experience as the lead investigator on the case with the Vancouver police until Charlotte Delaney, a TV journalist, succeeded in getting her removed through her media influence. No trace of the killer has ever been found. Winter does whatever he needs to do to get his man, whether it is using the media for his own ends or deploying unorthodox means to access evidence, information or people. The newest victim and their circumstances has abnormalities that differ from the norm, Winter relentlessly chases down the reasons why. After some time, Winter and Anderton begin to close in on their murderer.

I can see why this is a successful series, the lure of Jefferson Winter's character is completely understandable. This is an intelligent man who has charisma in spades with a compelling and traumatic backstory. His obsession with serial killers is his reason for living. He is his own man and he is not going to kowtow to the pressure that Nicholas Sobek puts him under for a specific outcome or conform to police or media demands. A well written thriller that easily ensnares the reader with plenty of suspense and tension. Thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

I can't tell you how excited I was when I was offered the chance to review an early ARC of The Quiet Man by James Carol, I'm a huge fan of the Jefferson Winter series so I was desperate to start reading and see if it met my expectations. I'm thrilled to report it certainly does it's a gripping read and despite it being the fourth book in the series James Carol certainly doesn't appear to be running out of steam or fresh ideas to make this series a unique read.

Jefferson Winter former FBI agent, son of a serial killer is a marvellously drawn and unique character, he's not particularly endearing, he's very much in control and shows little emotion, and in many ways has the qualities of the sociopaths he chases. In the Quiet Man we see a very different side to him which makes him all the more intriguing, as he shares more of his past I can't help hoping that at some point James Carol will write about his early years. In this book Jefferson partners up with PI Laura Anderton to track down a serial killer who strikes once a year, what follows is a tense and suspense fuelled read.

What I love about this series and fascinates me is James Carol's attention to the profiling of his killers, it's something that's always intrigued me. Jefferson Winter's is an expert in the subject and so convincing is James Carol's writing you exactly feel your there amid the investigation building a picture of the killer, and what makes them tick. Tightly plotted with enough twists and turns to cause me to have many a "heart in the mouth" The Quiet Man is a worthy edition to the Jefferson series and I shall certainly be looking forward to the next book in this highly addictive crime series.

Wow wow wow wow! I feel there is nothing more to be said, once again James Carol has proved to be a master of this genre!
Ever since discovering 'Broken Dolls' I have devoured everything Mr Carol has written and his books are never boring! They just get better and better!
The Quiet Man is no exception and I will be recommending it to everyone I know!

I feel like this series has taken a slight change of direction and I'm loving it. Jefferson Winter is on the hunt for a serial killer who only kills once a year on August 5th. Winter along with an ex detective from the task force seek to work out who the killer is and what the significance of the date is. This book twists and turns as we go along and it was an outstanding read. I'm really looking forward to the next instalment.

Another superb addition to this series of books. Fast paced, adrenalin filled story. Just fantastic!!!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber & Faber for an advance copy of The Quiet Man, the fourth full length novel to feature the peripatetic serial killer specialist Jefferson Winter.

Winter lands late in Vancouver having been held up in Detroit. Late isn't normally an issue when he joins the existing hunt for an active serial killer as a last desperate resort on the part of the hunters but this case is different. The killer only kills on the 5th of August and takes one victim a year by strapping a bomb to her body and linking the detonator to the kitchen door so that her husband kills her when he opens the door. Late means he has less time to save the next victim, if he knew who she is.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Quiet Man. The plotting is clever and convoluted with some great twists and turns. It had me desperately turning the pages to work out what was coming next. I did, however, guess one of the twists very early on, miles before the great Jefferson Winters, as it is fairly obvious so 4 instead of 5 stars. A minor blip in an otherwise great read.

I remember reading Broken Dolls and being quite annoyed by the perfect Mr Winters but as the series progresses he has grown on me - he even gets something wrong in this novel! He is charming, amazingly smart and not afraid to mix it up when required. I think his interactions with Charlotte Delaney, a serpent of a journalist, are clever and hilarious.

The Quiet Man should not be taken too seriously as it is rather tongue in cheek but it is a very entertaining read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

As always a brilliant storyline. Real page turner will keep you up all night to finish it .james carol just keeps on getting better
The storyline is fresh and exciting