This book was very well written, and I enjoyed it very much. The proglogue immediately puts you in the action with a powerful backstory, and I was hooked right away.
I appreciated small character details that are well integrated throughout the whole book - Zac's love of jazz, the family meals after a long day working on the case, Zac's saxophone etc. Merritt cleverly mentioned these details right up until the end, showing you the effect of the job on Boateng and even his family life.
I liked the mix of perspectives, the mix between Boateng - experienced cop, hardened by the job and Kat, who is new to the job. Later on more prespectives are included, such as Boateng's prime suspect, and another character (not involved with the police) also chasing their prime suspect.
The characters were great. I felt Etta's distress as her husband slipped away from her, Zac's distress as his suspect slipped away from him repeatedly, and I really enjoyed Spike's parts, almost emotionless, but willing to get his favoured ending by any means.
The authors descriptions were perfect too, I was able to imagine every scene without the writing being overly complex.
I could feel the frustration of almost every charcter everytime their prime suspect only just slipped away; Merritt's writing style was very effective and I think this book would translate well on-screen.
I finished this book happy, but still with questions, and in excited anticipation of book 2.
I also thought it interesting that the author happens to be an experienced psychologist himself, the element of the perpetrator's thought process came across well.

The Murder List by Chris Merritt
Series: Detective Zac Boateng #1
Publisher: Boookouture

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for the ebook ARC of The Murder List by Chris Merritt in exchange for an honest review.

Its been five years since Detective Zac Boateng’s daughter was murdered and her killer has never been found. Now Zac is back at working for the Metropolitan Police and is more determined to bring the city’s killer’s to justice.
When a man is found brutally murdered in a rundown south London shop, all fingers point to Darian Wallace who is highly intelligent and manipulative. The victim helped send him to prison two years ago. And now he has just been released.
Zac knows it will take everything he has to catch this dangerously clever killer, even though he is still grieving. Just as he feels that he is getting closer, he makes a devastating personal discovery.
Zac has a choice to make - risk letting the killer escape or watch his daughter’s murderer get away again…

I did not finish this book. I don’t know what it was but I just couldn’t get into it. It almost seemed confusing and almost too much was going on. I give it a rating of 1 star.

#TheMurderList(detectiveZacBoatengBook1) #NetGalley

Debut novel for real life clinical psychologist Chris Merritt and it was outstanding. When a police informant is found brutally murdered, MET D.I. Zac Boateng and his eclectic team catch the case and chase a killer who appears to be ticking names off a personal "murder list". A personal tragedy from Boateng's past also comes into play which adds a chilling layer of complexity to this innovative thriller. The Murder List is full of believable characters, including a macabre, yet fascinating look into the complex thought process of the killer himself, something that psychologist Merritt knows a lot about. A great debut, I look forward to #2 due out later in 2018. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Brilliant debut novel in what I hope will be a continuing series. Five years after the shooting that killed his young daughter, Zac ,a detective in the Met, has to investigate the case of the murder of a pawnbroker who was not just murdered but tourtued too. Can he give the case and his team the attention they deserve with his own grief still raw and where does he draw the line between what’s justice and what’s legal. Pulls no punches. Very enjoyable read.

The Murder List by Chris Merritt hopefully will be part of a long line of Detective Zac Boateng books, its a sensational opening to a series which I think will go far.
The opening scenes in The Murder List left me reeling, unable to close my mouth, a heart-breaking scenario which l hope no-one would ever have to suffer. Even as my heart was aching, my veins were pumping with adrenaline, looking forward with anticipation to what Chris had in store for me.
Five years later, Zac and his colleagues are summoned to a crime scene where a man is bludgeoned death, the evidence is pointing to a known criminal Darian Wallace, a man not long released from prison. As Wallace evades the police, I begin to wonder is the investigation being led to Wallace or are there other sources in play. The more I turn the pages, the deeper into the book I am led, not just the investigation Zac is involved in but also the cold case involving his daughter where no criminal has been brought to justice leaving Zac with an open wound which the plaster keeps getting ripped off.
Detective Boateng is a character who has several factors in his personality which impinge on his efficiency as a Detective, it comes to light in the investigation where he isn’t pulling his weight instead he is disregarding all the rules to follow leads in his daughters case, his need for answers penetrates his job and family. What the consequences will be only time will tell.
I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about Detective Zac Boateng, following his story, I’m looking forward to reading a lot more of Chris Merritt’s books, it will seriously interesting to see what he has up his sleeve for the next Boateng book.
Thank you to Bookouture, Chris Merritt and Noelle Holten for allowing me the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of The Murder List and help promote a fantastic new series. Roll on the next instalment of Detective Zac Boateng, I look forward to it will anticipation.

I loved this book and the character of Zac,the way he told the story and his determination, I was equally spooked by Darian the criminal and the way he told his side of the story,great contrast in narrative
The book was exciting and kept me hooked and I really look forward to the next installment with him and see what happens next
With so many books featuring police characters it was good to meet Zac and found the book fresh and different and very well written

The first in a series featuring Detective Zac Boateng, this one took me a little while to get into but I once I did I thoroughly enjoyed.

Zac is a Detective for the metropolitan police. We join him 5 years after his daughter was murdered in front of him. The perpetrator was never found and it has eaten away at Zach ever since. He works hard to put away as many criminals as possible but the anger has never left him that his daughters killer hasn’t been brought to justice.

A man is found brutally murdered in a shop. All the evidence points to a career criminal Darian Wallace. The deceased helped send Darian to prison two years previously and Darian has just been released and is the number 1 suspect. As Zach and his team investigate the case and Darian Wallace he soon discovers that all is not what it seems and the case leads him into a web of secrets, cover ups and crimes that may lead all the way into government. Can he unravel all the secrets while simultaneously running and investigating the murder case and will his family survive his ever increasing obsession with the case?

This one was a little bit of a slow burner for me. Reading it in short bursts didn’t help I’m sure but life managed to get in the way. Anyway once I felt comfortable with the tone and pacing of the book I began to really enjoy it. Zach is a decent enough main character as are the rest of his team and his home life added a nice dynamic to the storyline.

Darian is probably the most interesting of the characters and, although a psychopath, probably the most well rounded and written of the characters. Highly intelligent with the odd bit of self doubt and remorse but brutal and totally unforgiving in an instant.

The story has a few threads to it that tie altogether in the end, and half way through I thought it may be overreaching and trying to be a bit of everything with too much going on, but I’m glad to say that it all ties nicely together and is more straight forward than may originally appear.

The one character that I didn’t care for at all and I felt was badly written was an SAS guy, who for most of the book seemed to be the most incompetent soldier ever. He’s there for a purpose for sure and important to the story but his incompetence helped moved the story along more than once and felt a bit clunky.

Overall I really enjoyed this one though. A very promising start for the author and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for future Zac Boateng novels and look forward to reading them.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Chris Merritt for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Murder List my review is honest and unbiased in anyway.
The story revolves around Detective Zac Boateng who's daughter Daisy was shot in front of him 5 years previously and now that he is back on the force Zac is more determined than ever to find his daughter's killer and get justice for Daisy. Wow what a fantastic police procedural and totally drew me in and kept my interest the whole way through couldn't put it down. Highly recommend this book and can't wait for number 2!

From the off, this book reminded me of Luther. Not Lex Luthor, arch enemy of Superman; no, Luther, the BBC crime drama starring the delicious Idris Elba and I don’t know about you but I love Luther but that’s enough about me. Zac Boateng is a tenacious detective, like a dog with a bone, wanting to bring justice to his community. He’s driven, driven by grief. A grief that we find out about at the start of the book; I’ll warn you now, it’s a heart-breaking opener – even I shed a tear.

In The Murder List, we see a very dark side to our lead character. You might think this is not an unusual trait for a crime thriller. But Zac Boateng is running a double investigation; one above board with his team of detectives and one under the radar with his own personal agenda. Will he have to choose between the two?

The supporting cast are well crafted. Darian Wallace, our antagonist, is a horrible evil man. He uses fear to rule with an iron fist, he’s a bully and a dangerous one at that. I have to say I winced a few times when he was dishing out punishment – if you’re squeamish, you have been warned! Kate Jones, Boetang’s right hand woman, is brilliant – I really liked the way she joined the team and hit the ground running after being stuck behind a desk in the cyber crime department.

This fast paced debut left me wanting more, more Boetang, more Jones….Come on Dr Merritt you’ve written your debut now, you need to follow it up as you’ve whet my appetite.

THE MURDER LIST by Chris Merritt is the first book in this new crime fiction series and I cannot wait for the next instalment!

Detective Zac Boateng is back working after losing his beloved daughter when she was shot in front of him five years ago, by a killer who was never brought to justice. Trying to get back into some sort of life, he is determined to bring murderer's to justice in his city So when he finds himself on the case of a brutal killer, Boating throws himself fully into the case, but as he begins to piece it all together, the past will come hurtling into the present and choices will have to be made ...

THE MURDER LIST by Chris Merritt is fresh and compelling but it is the strength and flaws of its characters that really make it such a great read. Boateng is consumed by the loss of his daughter and is crippled with guilt for letting her down and this drives him relentlessly forward to bring justice to other families.

​Well-paced, energetic, and brimming with intense emotions, THE MURDER LIST by Chris Merritt is an excellent story and is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Detective Zac Boateng’s world is crushed when his daughter, Amelia is killed in a hit-and-run. Five years later and Zac is investigating the brutal murder of a man in South London. Their only suspect is a man who has just been released from prison, Darian Wallace. And he knows how to play the police. But Zac isn’t the only person who is after him. As he and his team try to track Wallace down, Zac’s own, private investigations into his daughter’s murder takes an unexpected turn. Is he about to uncover the identity of his daughter’s killer? But at what cost?

The Murder List is an exhilarating debut novel by Chris Merritt. From the emotional, opening scene, in which Zac witnesses the murder of his daughter, we follow the characters on a pacy and tense ride. This book has all the ingredients that make a good crime novel and I really enjoyed it. Zac’s personal life was one of the main focuses of the book as he is still grieving the loss of his daughter. The grief that Zac feels is portrayed very well in Chris’ writing and I really liked the relationship that he had with his wife and son which gave his character a very human and relatable touch. Zac was a fantastic protagonist and I’m interested to see how his character will develop in future books, especially as Chris does leave us on a cliff hanger.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the characterisation; I really connected with Zac’s character, especially as he attempts to find out who killed his daughter and I could feel his anger as he fights to get justice. We also step into the mind of the suspect, Darian Wallace, and in these scenes I really felt the tension rise.

The Murder List is a strong debut by Chris Merritt. The plot makes for a hugely gripping and exciting read; I was kept engaged all the way through. If you enjoy dark crime thrillers with plenty of suspense and intrigue then I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Bookouture and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read and to Noelle Holton for the invitation to join the blog tour.

I actually finished this book a few days ago and it’s only now that I can write the review. ‘The Murder List’ is a brilliant start to a brand new series and it blew me away. I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit.
I absolutely loved the character of DI Zac Boateng. He is a dedicated police officer and also a dedicated family man. The book opens with a prologue which sees him going to the shop with his little girl but all of a sudden, shots ring out and his daughter is sadly killed. I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel to lose a child and especially in such tragic circumstances. Boateng feels a tremendous amount of guilt because he was supposed to be caring for his daughter, because she ran ahead and because he couldn’t protect his baby girl. I so wanted to jump into the pages to give him and his wife a hug. Nobody should have to bury their child. The story then jumps ahead five years and sees Boateng faced with a challenging murder case, where the victim is a badly beaten and tortured man. Boateng is a dedicated police officer and is in charge of a small team. They all work well as a team and they have each others backs. Each member of the team brings a different skill set to the table and it isn’t too long until they have identified a chief suspect. They chase the suspect and Boateng has to pit his wits against a very clever killer. It isn’t long until Boateng realises that all is not as it seems. At the same time the murder of his daughter is also on his mind and he becomes determined to find out who killed her. I could totally understand his desperation and my heart did ache for him. If I could have jumped inside the pages to help with the investigation to find his daughter’s killer then I would have done. Zac works on both investigations and it isn’t long until he faces an agonising choice- does he run the risk of letting the recent killer escape or does he run the risk of watching his daughter’s killer escape justice again? That’s certainly one decision that I wouldn’t like to face. What does DI Zac Boateng decide to do? Well for the answer to that question and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
To say that ‘The Murder List’ is addictive reading has to be the understatement of the month, no make that the year. I had a real problem believing that ‘The Murder List’ was a debut novel as the story is so tight, cleverly plotted, well written and the story flows really well. In fact reading ‘The Murder List’ was the book equivalent of watching a crime drama on the television, in that you can’t tear your eyes away from the screen (book) because you don’t want to miss a single thing, you really do feel as though you are part of the story & part of the investigation and you invest so much in the realistic characters that you can’t help taking to some characters and rooting for them and that you can’t help but hate some. Once I picked the book up I couldn’t put it down and the page numbers flew past in a blur, as did the time I spent reading the book. I was totally gripped. Reading ‘The Murder List’ was like riding on a very unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride, with lots of twists, turns and moments where something so unexpected happens that you feel your heart rate increase, you hold your breath because you can’t believe what has just happened and you feel stunned. There were also moments where I almost had to read through my fingers because I genuinely feared what was going to happen next.
‘The Murder List’ absolutely blew me away and it has to be one of my top reads of 2018. Chris Merritt is right up there on my list of favourite and must read authors. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, this author and this series to anybody and everybody. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5* although that score seems too low. I so wish I could have awarded it a higher rating because I really did enjoy it that much.

First book about DI Zac Boateng investigating a murder by a man who just got out of prison and is probably looking for revenge against the people who got him locked up. Also Boateng is, without authorization, looking into his daughter's unsolved murder from several years earlier. I had trouble getting into this one, but eventually I did enjoy it. I would give this series another shot if the second book sounds good, plot wise. Three stars.

Wow. What a great start to a new upcoming series. What a brilliant debut. A fast paced, captivating thriller that will have you hooked throughout. What an opening to this story! Poor Zac! But it did its job and made me keep reading, kept me intrigued.

Zac has a lot going on, with his work life, home life and all while trying to catch his daughters killer without being caught! Phew. A determined character who doesn’t know when to stop. The Murder List does contain dark parts throughout and has a well written plot that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

I awarded a well deserved four stars and would highly recommend this story to you all! I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.

Detective Zac Boateng - Book 1.

The lifeless body sat, hands bound, silver tape over his mouth. Patches of blood has soaked into the cheap carpet around him. Zac had spent years gaining scientific insight into mind. And this wasn't right......its been five years since Detective Zac Boateng's daughter was murdered and her killer has never been found. Now Zac is back working for the Metropolitan Police and is more determined than ever to bring the city's killers to justice.

When Boateng is called to the scene of a violent crime at a local pawnbrokers, the owner has been bludgeoned with an axe which is still embedded in his skull. The trail for the killer seems to be heading back to the death of Amelia, Boateng's daughter. There is plenty of twists and turns in this gripping page turner. A fast paced, action packed book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Chris Merritt for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great start to a new series - I loved it!
Detective Zac Boateng is left reeling after his daughter is killed but somehow manages to move forward with his life, until he starts to look into what really happened and his work and home life then become tangled.
Zac and his team are investigating some murders which seem to be linked to a jewellery theft several years earlier and they are soon on the heels of the main suspect. However this guy is very clever and seems to always be one step ahead of the Police.
There’s also someone else looking for an item that was stolen in the theft and she asks a contact to get it back, by any means necessary.
There’s certainly lots going on in this book and it was a real page turner.
This is a gripping read and I can’t wait to read more of this series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed reading Chris Merritt’s “the murder list”. I thought that the story was interesting and kept my attention throughout. However, the book seemed way too predictive towards the end. I felt like things in story seemed to “too perfect” and almost took the mystery out of the novel. While there was a slight twist towards the end, I wish that the author decided to not make everything so connected. I know this is only book one in the series, but I feel that too much was relived and took away from my interest of reading more within the series.

Thanks to Bookouture and Chris Merritt’s for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher, Bookouture for this review copy. My review is honest and unbiased, and based on my own personal opinions. Also thank you to Noelle, from Bookouture for organising the Blog Tour.

This is book #1 in the Detective Zac Boateng series. It has been five years since Zac’s daughter, Amelia was killed in a shooting. Her killer was never found. Zac is now working for the Metropolitan Police and is working, unofficially, to find out who killed his daughter. Officially, Zac and his team are working on a brutal murder, and all fingers seem to point to recently released Darian Wallace. Darian is highly intelligent and dangerous and seems to always be one step ahead of the police. Soon, Zac has to make a choice – catch this dangerous killer or catch his daughter’s killer.

My first book by this author. The book is a promising start to an exciting new series. It opens with the brutal shooting of Zac’s young daughter, and you immediately get drawn to his character, if not purely for the overwhelming heartache that he must have gone through. Five years on and Zac is suffering from the consequences of his daughter’s death and decides to look into the case, unofficially. He is obviously and understandably still tormented by her death and the thought of whether he could have done anything to prevent it. As a second story running alongside, Zac and his team look into the murder of a local pawnbroker. The suspected killer is recently released Darian Wallace. He’s a very clever man – borderline genius – and you can see that Zac is finding it difficult to get ahead of him.

The story is told from Zac’s and Darian’s perspective. Darian, for me, is such a “creepy” character. Being so highly intelligent he obviously can outsmart most people and that is so unnerving! As the story moves on, I felt myself wanting to yell at Zac for going off and doing his own investigation. You know he’s not the kind of police officer to not follow the rules but he’s so desperate to find his daughter’s killer that he risks everything in doing just that!

A very cleverly written police procedural novel with lots of twists and turns to keep you gripped, reaching an explosive finale! I look forward to the next book of the series!

Detective Zac Boateng has really had it tough in the previous five years when his daughter Amelia was gunned down by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her killer was never caught and it is something that Zac must live with every day.

This was certainly a very gripping book indeed and there are a heap of twists and turns in this story. It also addresses issues such ethics and morals, which I found very interesting. I very much enjoyed the relationship that Zac had with his wife and I found myself wanting to try West African cooking as well. These were the light parts of the book to go with the shade, and there was a LOT of shade.

I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out and give this book a solid 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.