This is a great addition to the police procedural genre. I couldn't quite believe I was reading the first book in this series due to the masterful plot and characterization. I really look forward to reading more of DCI Lambert and his team.

This book was a bit of a struggle, as it seemed to rely more on stereotypes than originality and was written by an author with an abundance of ideas who included every one of them. Yes, the police work on more than one case at a time but this is fiction and these detectives seemed to get gey more confused as the plot progressed!

Jack Lambert would have worked ok if he had been struggling with just one problem, for example his coming out as a newly declared gay man. He was however, difficult to like as the ubiquitous over-worked detective chief inspector who doesn't follow protocol, has a bitter ex-wife, a daughter he doesn't see enough of, an ailing, estranged father and a preferred sibling. He was, unfortunately, also joined by a failing profiler with the nowadays seemingly compulsory dementia suffering relative, and a junior detective who began as a stammering, nervous weakling before suddenly chatting up any female officer he encountered and drinking far more than necessary. Add to this a strong, silent type colleague, an ex-love interest he has to work with and the bitchy female who is obviously angling for his senior investigating officer gig and you have stereotype overload.

The main case would have stood better alone as it was the most successful part of the story with an unexpected ending. The two other threads only served to muddy the water and make the book over-long instead there could have been hints about his past as that storyline could have made a second book on its own, the third part regarding the celebrity stalker was, to my mind, totally unnecessary.

The author wasnt helped by weak editing and continuity problems throughout which were annoying and distracting.  Although others have given this book high praise I am afraid, for me it was a disappointing read when the murders themselves showed great promise.

While this new series doesn't rate as one of the best I've read this year, I did enjoy the mystery. At times, I felt that certain sections were too long, with repetitive information not really necessary to the plot. With that said, I would be interested in reading the next in the series to see the growth of the characters and the story line.

Thank you #netgalley and #bloodhound books for the eARC.

Truly one of the worst books I have ever read!

The storyline made absolutely so sense and was a mismatch of subplots that were forced to intermingle with no real resolution for any of them.

Add to that the writing style of the author and I was bordering on furious at the end of the book that I have wasted a day reading it.

Some of my irritations listed below:

1. DS Watkins is referred to as Steven and Stephen throughout (picky... I know...)

2. New PCC Nadine is referred to as Nadine Guthrie, Nadine Dorris and Nadine Doris throughout.

3. There’s only so many times that I can read about rain hitting windscreens with various intensity before I start loosing the will to live.

4. EVERY chapter ends with a one sentence paragraph as if the author is trying (but failing) to leave a cliff hanger after every chapter.

5. Watkins is linked to having “romantic” interest in several females in the book, and also enjoys the porno mags found in several searches for missing males. Sexual harassment anyone??

6. Near on every female is described in terms of having a trim/enviable figure and “striking” eyes. Women have more about them than that...

On the whole, this book reminded me of Fifty Shades of Grey in terms of the writing style and repetitive nature, only I doubt it will be as successful.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I can assure you that had I paid even 99p for this I would have been far more irritated!

Open grave - A.M peacock

Published by Bloodhound Books

This book is set in the South Shields area in the present day. There’s plenty of references to the landmarks around, which helps set the atmosphere nicely. It starts with torture and then moves to gang killings, the stalking of a reality TV star and a serial killer. The stories aren’t linked but they really gel to build the atmosphere of a busy police department. The serial killer is the main story though, and he is killing couples and while they don’t know each other, they are then buried together. After a few weeks he uncovers them so they will be found in a slightly intimate pose.

DCI Jack Lambert is a likeable rogue, troubled by his past and had come out as gay, when he left his girlfriend (plus an ex-wife) and is plagued with headaches. He sometimes bypasses the rules too when following the investigations. The tension builds gradually and I just couldn’t stop reading until I found out what happened, again and again.. It’s one of those books where you just lose track of time....brilliant.

There are great, rounded characters in DCI Jack Lambert, DS Watkins and DS Christensen....I’m hoping for more in a series....a gripping, arresting read.


I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

This is the first book in a new series and by an author I had not heard of.
Its set in and around Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of england.
The main character around whom the series will be based is DCI Jack Lambert. In this case he is on the trail of a killer who leaves his victims bodies in open graves. If this isn`t enough to keep Jack and his team occupied a known thugs body turms up on the banks of the Tyne and a local celebrity singer is being stalked.
As enquiries proceed Jack`s own criminal past as a youth comes back to haunt him.
The killer is taunting them, can they catch him before one of their own suffers at his hands?
The plot is well written and had me engrossed, plenty of twists to keep me guessing.
An interesting set of characters that I hope we will learn more about in the future.
I really enjoyed this one and look forward to many more. Thanks to Netgalley and Bloodhound books for tha opportunity to read this as an ARC.

Jack Lambert is a great detective and someone who I would love to get a drink with in the pub. Just to listen his stories.

The book itself flowed very naturally and I could not wait to read more!

For a debut novel, this was very good, albeit a bit slow at times and the police didn’t seem to get very far. They did seem to be chasing themselves, and Jack was a complex character with a dodgy past.

However it picked up and the ending was not what I expected.

My thanks to the author, the publishers and netgalley for the ARC.

Jack Lambert can't stay out of trouble, both at home and at work. Marriage & relationships gone south, and bodies start appearing in pairs. It doesn't help that professional standards haul him in yet again...

With almost nothing to go on, Tyneside's finest is up against it

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free advance copy.
Decent enough read. Interesting lead character with a backstory that you get to know over the course of the book. Looking forward to reading what the author does next with this character

This book Open Grave by A.M. Peacock took me by surprise. I was not familiar with this author and was very pleased when I started reading this book and could not put it down. DCI Jack Lambert is working a case. One that involves bodies placed in.... you guessed it, open graves. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. The writer does a superb job at keeping you engrossed to the point that you will forget what time it is and how long you have been reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the twists that will keep you guessing are a plus.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the publisher/author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I give this one a 5+++ ⭐️ out of 5

This is an entertaining and readable start to a new series from Adam Peacock featuring DCI Jack Lambert in the North East of England. As the title implies Jack is tasked with tracking down the killer of a number of pairs of victims who are left to be discovered in open graves. The story is interesting and I am interested to see how the series develops.