I'm usually a big fan of Damien Boyd's creation, DI Nick Dixon, and he demonstrates his usual flair and 'outside the box' thinking in Dead Lock. But, for me, there was a big problem with some of the details in the book. Maybe I'm very stupid, but all the nuances of Adele's business just dragged me down. I didn't understand what actually happened, it was too technical for me. I ended up skim reading those passages, enough to get an idea of who the goodies and baddies were, everything else just washed over me. In addition there were so many people. It was a relief that I was reading on a Kindle, so I could go back to discover who was who and what their part in the whole sorry saga was. I suppose the intricate business details coupled with such an enormous cast was too much for this bear with very little brain. For me, not the best in an usually top class series. Sorry!

Sometimes you read a book and it just works. I think it really helped that I knew the area and period drama is one of my favorite because I could really picture the scenery. I spent so much of the book trying to figure out what the first bit about the boy and the canal was about, then coming together at the end as an "aha" full circle really made it. I loved the historical background to that as well. Overall the book is very entertaining. The plot is not predictable, I rarely find a book like that and this was a gem. I genuinely did not see anything coming and will be happy to read more by this author. Well worth at least 5 stars and a good summer read!

The eighth in the Nick Dixon series, and still getting better!

The scene is set in the Prologue with Nat, a young boy working on the Somersetshire Coal Canal, the venue for this latest DI Nick Dixon adventure.

A young girl, Alesha Daniels, goes missing and triggers a police search. With an alcoholic and violent father and a drug addict for a mother, the scene appears to be very bleak. This, in turn, leads to DS Jane Winter’s recall from holiday with DI Nick Dixon, as she had been dealing with Alesha’s case as part of her duties in the Safeguarding Unit.

However, the matter escalates when a second young girl is reported as missing. This is enough to bring Nick running back from holiday, as this time it is closer to home. The young girl is the granddaughter of Home Office Pathologist and friend, Roger Poland.

And so the scene is set. Dixon works on the periphery of the investigation but has beliefs and opinions which differ from the normal lines of enquiry. And so nothing has changed! Nick is still slightly maverick and continues to get under the skins of some of his colleagues whilst ploughing his own determined furrow.

He eventually ends up running his own ‘independent’ investigation with some of his old team and despite doubt and scorn from above and around, he continues on his set path.

In parallel with the main plot, we have the continuation of Jane’s new relationship with her long-estranged sister Lucy, and the long-running romance between Jane and Nick. Damien Boyd cleverly keeps his main character at arm’s length from actually ‘popping the question’. Maybe in the next book? Monty the dog is still with us but an old friend, the Range Rover, has been replaced by a newer model.

This is a cleverly-written book, full of twists and turns and packed with police procedure. Damien Boyd has again brought us the best and worst of human nature. Thank you, Damien and we again look forward to the next book in this great series.

Sméagol

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

First introduction to DI Nick Dixon, an enthralling story line that grabs the readers interest to the very end. Look forward to catching up with Damien Boyd and DI Nick Dixon in future books. An easy enjoyable read.

There is always a real sense of urgency in the DI Nick Dixon books, and that is certainly evident in "Dead Lock", the eighth entry in the hard hitting, Brit cop series by Damien Boyd. Right from the get-go we're thrust into the middle of a child abduction case, and Dixon’s girlfriend Jane Winter is called off holiday to deal with the investigation, leaving Dixon behind with Monty, his Staffordshire Terrier. So the clock is ticking, and dead ends abound. It isn’t long before Dixon is drawn in to assist.

Soon, there are two investigations, the second involving a personal connection for Dixon and the rest of his colleagues. What ties all of this together becomes a theme, and as clues and motives are sorted out, the breakneck pace of the book comes to the fore. Reader’s heads may spin as everybody tears along the English countryside, but that’s a small price to pay for the nonstop action of the final chapters of the book.

Twists and turns abound as Dixon and Winter and his higher-ups and lower-downs follow a sordid tale of greed, revenge and money mishandling to the finish. Readers will find out how the prologue fits in with it all, including the book’s title (the author has a little tale to tell as an author’s note at the very end). And lo and behold, there’s a bit of a cliffhanger, and I expect that we’ll see more about that in later books.

Dixon's personal life is handled in between the investigation; nothing over the top, just him dealing with his attraction to Jane. Our capable copper isn’t going to be single for very much longer, it would appear.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

Damien Boyd I have now added you to my favorite author list. NetGalley was kind enough to give me a free copy of Dead Lock in return for my unbiased review. Even better is that since I have never heard of you before I now have the seven previous books in the series to read. I love when that happens. It does not matter whatsoever that I never read the previous books in the series. This book easily stands on its own. The story line involves the abduction of two 10-year-old girls one from the wrong side of the tracks and one who is the granddaughter of the Home Office pathologist. There’s nonstop action, car chases and killings which all add up to a great book. I happily recommend this book to others and thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Easily a 5 star book!

Fast paced,enjoyable thriller. Great to revisit all the familiar characters and follow their lives.
Enjoyed the history of the coal canals too.

Loved this. This series just gets better and better. Nick & Jane doing what they do best. The sub plot continues to delight and develop. The main plot is gripping and keeps you turning the pages
Read in one day, I really didn’t want to put this one down

Another brilliant book in the Nick Dixon series. I always know when I start a Damien Boyd novel that I won’t be doing much else until it is finished. I was sure I knew who had done it but once again I was totally wrong. Excellent

There are a number of books around children going missing; often they seem to be young girls and the reason mainly appears to be around sex offences.
So this isn’t an original idea for a detective novel but the approach is fresh and the plot unique in my reading of this genre.
The motive for abduction of the young girl is not immediately obvious but it is more distressing because the family are known to social services and warning signs were present.
The book is really clever for a number of reasons. Firstly the stars of this series are away on holiday and the initial investigation begins without DI Nick Dixon which gives the rest of the team, the more behind the scenes detectives a chance to shine.
Jane Winters used to work on Dixon’s team; she is now his girlfriend and away with him on holiday. Furthermore, she has switched roles and now works in the safeguarding unit. She was working with the girl who has been snatched and so she is brought back from vacationing in the Lakes, leaving Dixon alone to walk the fells.
This is genius. That the leading light of these books continues to take a back seat while Jane is propelled into the centre of the investigation.
When a second girl goes missing, for reasons that the book makes clear, Nick is called back to join the team.
The pace of the investigation then moves up a gear as Dixon although not leading the team quickly becomes the most important player and we know that if the girls are still alive it will be because of him the case will be cracked.
There then follows a serious of devious stages of misdirection to slow the police down, spending hours chasing up dead ends and focusing elsewhere.
This is another great idea to bring into a crime thriller and I welcome such a refreshing approach to this type of story. You are left wondering what is happening, but happily, DI Dixon is equally imaginative in his thought processes and it is just possible he can make up for the wasted time. Trouble is, time is running out, and time is something that the girls do not have an unlimited amount of as the clock is ticking.
So for an original, captivating story this is a detective novel that sets new standards of how authors can take ideas and create new, innovative scenarios to keep reading this genre fresh and exciting.
In addition the book has Monty the dog, a non-speaking participant who steals most scenes. Jane finding her birth family having been adopted as a child. Nick, will he won’t he propose. Plus a delightful journey into the world of canals that will leave you wondering just how safe it is to operate a lock gate.
Damien Boyd grows before the reader’s eyes, as an author, which this latest book demonstrates, his wide skill set and creative writer. An author to follow who never disappoints and in Nick Dixon has a clever dick, who is brilliant and so much fun to read about.

Wow! Are we really at book 8 in this series? Obviously usual series rules apply with regard to character development and backstory. Although you can read as a stand alone as the story is self contained, to get the best from the series as a whole it's always better to read from the beginning, in order.
So, we start the book with a well earned and deserved holiday for Nick and his partner Jane. Until that is Jane is asked to cut it short and return home to assist with the search for missing child, Alesha, who is one of Jane's charges in her role of protection officer. Obviously she does and returns but then another child goes missing and this time, the connection is with Nick and so he returns to join in the investigation.
This is one of the series that I keep my beady eye close to with regard to the next release. It is not one that I fell in love with completely right from book one though. I did however see something in it and, putting any niggles I had aside, I carried on reading. This turned out to be a most excellent decision as I with every book I have fallen more and more for the series and now consider it to be one of my favourites, and Nick himself one of my favourite leads. Indeed, every early niggle has all but disappeared with each subsequent release. I was a little miffed with the lack of Nick in the early stages of this book but when he did make an appearance, he definitely hits the ground running and more than makes up for his absence as he reads between the lines and notices the little things that all add up together to expose the truth. In this book especially, his diplomacy skills are required and also, with his personal connection to one of the families, he has to go a bit against the grain at work. But neither of these things faze him at all and he just gets on with his job in the only way he knows how. And that's the way that gets results.
One thing that I do love about this author is his use of the setting as nearly a character. The way he describes the area where the action is happening is not at all distracting and actually really complements the scene being played out. There is also a good balance between work and personal lives for his main characters, something that is important to have in a series.
All in all, another cracking addition to an already great series, roll on book nine.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is an author I had never heard of before, but, had heard/read some good reviews so decided to give him a go. I was not disappointed! the twists and turns throughout the book kept me gripped to the bitter end, there was deceit, intrigue, drama, with a little love thrown in for good luck. The main character (Dixon) was a very deep and thoughtful character that made the story even more believable. Without giving too much away (as this is a must read) the rescue was a real heart in mouth moment for me. This is one author I will be following from now onwards, hoping that the rest of his books will be just a amazing.

Dead Lock is the eighth book in the DI Nick Dixon crime series by Damien Boyd.

It is the first book that I have read by this author but the non stop action kept me fully entertained and the pages clicking as the tension and excitement mounted.

If you like fast moving crime stories than this one is fully recommended either as part of the series or as a standalone. I'm now off the start reading the rest of the series .

It's always a bit heart in mouth when a child goes missing. A good Nick Dixon book. He never disappoints me. A classic English detective story

Dead Lock is book 8 in the DI Nick Dixon series.  I have been a huge fan of this series right from the start so was very excited to read this.  It didn’t disappoint. It was tense, full of drama and thrilling.

This book was excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed it, I read it in super quick time because I couldn’t put it down.  I had a couple of very early nights this week just so that I could go to bed and read it.  I just love the characters Nick, Jane and Monty and their relationship with each other.   I have a staffy like Monty so I love it when Staffords are in the books I read and are portrayed as they really are, kind, loyal and loving dogs and not some snarling, ferocious mad thing!

And oh man that ending!

I would definitely recommend Dead Lock it was a very entertaining read.  I recommend the whole series actually, it is an awesome series of books to read.  It would help if you read them in order as it helps with background and the relationship between Jane and Nick etc but saying that you could absolutely read this as a stand-alone and get the gist of the background story and enjoy it.

I have no hesitation in giving Dead Lock a very well deserved 5 stars, it was a bloody good read!

Thank you net Galley. An excellent read in the DI Dixon series. It was eagerly awaited and was worth the wait.

5 Stars

PC’s Cole and MacIntyre receive a call to respond to an angry man whose ten-year old daughter has gone missing. When they arrive, the father is drunk and very angry. He has a long history with the police of being drunk and violent. The little girl’s name is Alesha Daniels. She lives with her mother during the week, and often visits her father on the weekend.

The mother’s name is Tanya Stevens and she lives with a man named Kevin Sailes who has a history. When PC’s Cole and MacIntyre arrive at Tanya’s house, they find her passed out with a needle still stuck in her arm. She is alive.

The police start a search of the local woods, the nearby lake and so on. Alesha’s bike is found submerged in the water. They are still looking for Kevin Sailes. Later, MacIntyre reports that they’ve located Mr. Sailes. It’s now been over forty-eight hours since Alesha disappeared. Sailes has disappeared again; this time in a stolen car.

Another ten-year old girl has gone missing. Her name is Harriet “Hatty” Renner. When the second child goes missing, the team calls Nick Dixon in from his vacation.

Dixon wastes no time in finding the missing Saliles. He is dead in his stolen car, having gone off the road.

In a shocking turn of events, DI Nick Dixon and DS Jane Winter, who is his long-time girlfriend, search a caravan site. Damien Boyd was brilliant in putting in this twist in the story. I was totally surprised. Meanwhile, the search goes on for Hatty. While the search goes on, bodies start dropping. It seems as though everyone the police want to question about the case is getting murdered.

The Renners, Hatty’s parents (actually the grandmother Geraldine, who is a trip herself), ask for the assistance of a medium. He uncannily predicts the location of Alesha. But, on the surface, it offers no assistance. He also sees a vision of a dead boy and water. Will this also prove to be prophetic?

In a race against time to find Hatty, Dixon gets another idea. He and Jane race to the locks and attempt to find her. The ending of this book is a whirlwind of action.

I really like Damien Boyd’s Nick Dixon novels. They are interesting and usually packed full of action. They give a good picture of the workings of a police investigation, with a small bit of office politics thrown in. I like Nick and Jane’s relationship and the fact that the book contains a bit about their off-work activities. They’re both very good characters and work very well together as a team. Nick’s relationship with his team is very nice too, with the exception of Chard who has an obvious grudge against Nick. (There always seems to be one in the group.) This novel is very well written and plotted, and easy to read. It flows along beautifully.

I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
Another excellent book in the series. Full of twists. The beginning was unusual as the main character wasn't present and only arrived once the story had begun.
Good storyline and you never knew how it would end until the end

Thanks to NetGalley I got to read this book pre-publication. I have read all on his books and this one doesn't disappoint.....only problem is I read it too fast and now will have to wait even longer for the next installment ! Each story is set around a specific environment and this one is the canal system on the west of the UK. I love all the characters and each has a unique but equal part to play. Whilst an easy read and not much "shot-em up" action as there is with US novels I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend to all for a great summer read.

D.I. Nick Dixon has to abandon his vacation plans when a child disappears. Fears go through the roof when another child is taken and the police’s main suspects in both cases wind up dead. The only real connection the missing children have in common are their abusive and neglectful parents, the same people who are being murdered. Does Nixon have a vigilante on his hands? You may have a hard time deciding if you really want this killer to be caught