I enjoyed the combination of edgy, authentic, and hard-hitting but also easy to read. Based on this, I'd definitely read more from the author in the future.

A really good hard-hitting thriller/mystery. I found this to be a nice easy read and yet it still managed to be edgy. The characters were simple yet complex. The storyline read as smooth as butter. Really enjoyed this one.

Brighton, popular holiday destination since the Regency times. Known for its cafes, bars and the fabulous shopping, but beneath the surface is a criminal world that preys on the vulnerable.

Gareth Bell is a policeman with a mission, to bring to justice the man who almost killed his partner, but how far will he go and what is he prepared to risk to achieve his aim?

One event leads Gareth Bell, the protagonist on a path that blurs the line between right and wrong. Gareth’s actions and motivations are realistic. Violent scenes are common in this novel and a little repetitive, probably as it is all seen from Gareth’s point of view.

This is a fast-paced, authentic police procedural. It is full of action but there are also details of police procedurals, which are an intrinsic part of the job and often hamper the capture of criminals, in the main protagonist’s opinion.

If you enjoy police procedurals this has lots of it, which should appeal. The dilemma and its fallout makes for an interesting plot and provides insight into PC Gareth Bell’s character, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins - Killer Reads via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by this author. Overall, a decent read.

Thank you #netgalley and #HarperImpulse and KillerReads

The Follow, the first book in the PC Gareth Bell series, is the epitome of a gritty, authentic and scalpel-sharp British police procedural. It depicts life as a police officer and the juxtaposition between the excitement of chasing despicable criminals and the mundane nature of the paperwork they have to fill out. I loved that the characters were very realistic, and the Brighton setting was so vividly described that I could almost smell and hear the sea. This is thrilling, magnetic and thoroughly gripping crime fiction that I managed to read in a single high-octane sitting. What made this such an intensely riveting novel for me was the in-depth procedures that the police must go through to find out the truth of the situation.

If you enjoy action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thrillers, and let's face it who doesn't, then pick this up; you're highly unlikely to be disappointed. If there was any slight niggle for me it was that there was perhaps a little too much gratuitous violence throughout, but if you can get past the graphic descriptions then you'll find a lot to like here. I must admit, I'm overjoyed this is going to be series. I look forward to the second instalment and reacquainting myself with PC Bell.

Many thanks to Killer Reads for an ARC.

Realistic, gritty, authentic and a bit scary too. An excellent police procedural from an author new to me.

I enjoyed the racy way the book developed and it drew me in very quickly. Good characters and an excellent knowledge of Brighton made this a book to relish.

The Follow is the first book that I have read by Paul Grzegorzek and it is an enjoyable fast paced thriller.

Written in the first person it is clear that the author knows his patch as the action keeps coming thick and fast

Definitely a page turner

Recommended

I would like to thank Netgalley and Killer Reads for an advance copy of The Follow, the first novel to feature PC Gareth Bell of Brighton police.

When drug dealer Quentin Davy walks from from a charge of stabbing PC Jimmy Holdsworth PC Gareth Bell is determined to bring him to justice but a moment of madness puts him on the wrong side of the law and brings a storm of trouble.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Follow which is an action packed procedural with a real ring of authenticity. I liked the plot which is exciting and logical, if a psychopath like Davy can be regarded as logical, with each event having a natural cause and effect. I especially liked the root cause of all the ensuing events, Gareth having a moment of madness in his effort to get justice for Jimmy, as it seems natural and unforced.

I don’t think that I have read such a procedurally rigorous novel before and I found it fascinating. Gareth works in the Divisional Intelligence Unit (DIU) where he spends him time chasing drug dealers, thieves and assorted lowlifes. It is a strange world where the action is interspersed, often overwhelmed, by regulations and paperwork. It’s a wonder they make any arrests. I think Gareth’s first person narrative helps to make it seem normal and interesting. I’m not a big fan of first person novels but it works well here and I don’t think that any other format would have had the same immediacy or clear sightedness. He is an ordinary bloke who ends up in an extraordinary situation.

The one thing I didn’t like about the novel is the violence, not the violence per se but the blow by blow accounts of the many fights Gavin gets into. He makes it clear that he is using his training but it loses any novelty value it may have had when it is repeated in various ways in every chapter. It means that the big fights at the end are less impactful than they could have been.

With its clean, clear prose The Follow is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I enjoyed reading this book.It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.