Thank you Net Galley. I enjoyed this book very much. It is well plotted and well written. I also like the development of the characters. They are developing nicely. Highly recommended.

I had no idea that this was the third in a series featuring Detective Inspector Ridpath. We jump into a gruesome crime spree and Ridpath, an older no-nonsense investigator with the Coroners office in gritty Manchester. Seems his cancer is in remission and he starts out with a body from the charred remains of a fire in an apartment building. More burned bodies pile up and Ridpath suspects a serial killer on the loose when others don’t. Of course he’s right. Rather grim postmortem scenes so Ridpaths down to earth character moved the plot along and suddenly I couldn’t stop reading! Now on to the first two books!

Another great addition to what is a ‘must read’ series. I was very happy that Ridpath’s personal life was in much better state in this book as he was causing me some concern (Yes, I know he’s fictional, but still I care). I was a bit side tracked by the fire investigator having the same name as someone I once worked with and went off down memory lane each time he was named. With the focus on 1990s youth football clubs this felt all too familiar but dealt with sensitively. There were a few surprises along the way and it held my attention throughout. Here’s hoping there’s a lot more to come from Ridpath.

This is the third novel in the D I Ridpath series by this author and I have read the other two. They appear to be getting better and better. This is a storming read.

D I Ridpath is part of the Greater Manchester Major Incident Team (MIT) and has been seconded to the coroner’s office. He recently returned to work after fighting cancer, which is now in remission. He is back living with his wife and daughter.

Ridpath attends a fire in a block of flats where there is a middle-aged victim, dead but sitting upright in an armchair as if watching the television. There are strange aspects to this including ‘Play The Game’ spray painted on the wall in orange paint.

When another burn victim is found, a homeless man, Ridpath and the Coroner who he now reports to, Mrs Challinor, believe there are similarities between the two and Ridpath approaches the head of MIT to explain their belief that there is potentially a serial killer on the loose. This does not go down very well.

This is a well-crafted novel with a huge amount of information about burn victims, treating some difficult subjects such as homelessness and cancer with care and precision.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and M J Lee for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Brilliant read, highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
This is the third book in the series featuring DI Thomas Ridpath and I enjoyed reading them all. There are great characters and continuing back-stories but this is easily read as a standalone excellent police procedural/ murder-mystery.

Still in remission from his cancer, now reconciled with his wife and daughter, and still on secondment from Greater Manchester's MIT to the Coroner's Office, Ridpath is still an intuitive detective. Regardless of being forcefully discouraged by Detective Superintendent Claire Trent from interfering in her investigations, he cannot help but pursue his instincts and, finding evidence to back up his theories, sometimes means conducting his own investigation even if it means circumventing the hierarchy.

Invited to attend the scene of a flat fire where the burned body of a man has been found sitting in his armchair staring at his burned-out TV, Ridpath meets up with Terry Dolan, the fire investigator. Initially thought to be an accidental death, doubts are shared that all is not what it seems. Why had someone sprayed in orange paint the words "Play The Game" on the living room wall?
A homeless man is discovered burned on a building site.
Another burned body turns up in Derbyshire - again traces of orange paint are found near the scene.

Ridpath has a feeling about this and thus commences his own investigation because he believes they have a serial killer at large - but no-one is listening to him.

This is a fast-paced read, although very technically-detailed in the post-mortem passages. There are dramatic twists and a most surprising ending, brilliantly written.
I love the interactions between the main characters and the occasional humorous exchanges.
Looking forward to Ridpath's next adventure.

A detailed and complex police procedural with a twist. Well written with engaging characters and a solid storyline

I’d like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Where The Silence Calls’ by M J Lee in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Ridpath, on secondment from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team to the Coroner’s Office, is asked to attend a fire at a flat with the fire investigator. They find the dead body of a man who’s been posed sitting in front of his television and on the wall are the words ‘Play The Game’ sprayed in orange paint. When they find a number of identical deaths Mrs Challinor, the Coroner, says there are too many similarities for them to be coincidental and asks Ridpath to take a look. Despite his superior officers at MIT not wanting him to get involved, Ridpath is determined to find the connection between the men and to be the voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.

‘Where The Silence Calls’ is the third in the DI Ridpath series and is just as exciting as those previously. It gives an insight into how the Coroner’s office works, has characters who are believable, lots of drama and suspense, twists and turns, and a gripping conclusion. What I like about Ridpath is that he’s a fairly unremarkable policeman, dependable and trustworthy, with a supportive wife and normal family-life, which to my way of thinking makes for a credible story. As I progressed through the book I started to guess there could be a twist at the end, and there most definitely was, not at all what I was expecting. I’ve enjoyed getting engrossed in this book and hope there’ll be a fourth.

This is the third book in the DI Ridpath series .I love this brilliant series and each book gets better and better .Ridpath is still working in the Coroners Office ,his Cancer is in remission and he is now back living at home with his wife and daughter .The story is fast paced and starts off with the death of a person who has been set fire to in his own home .Soon there are other similar deaths and Ridpath believes there is a serial killer on the loose .His Superiors though are hard to convince .The final chapters had a real twist that I didn't see coming ,brilliant !! I can't wait for the next book in the series .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I really enjoyed this book about DI Ridpath, a detective who works for the coroner after his recovery from cancer. Great plot and believable characters. Don’t miss this series.

Really good read. I like how the series has built Ridpath's story. And how the story shows his challenges in dealing with some really difficult people. Interesting storyline with an interesting twist
Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy

Brilliant. I read this book in one sitting. I was glued to it the whole way through. There is a lot of suspense as Ridpath tries to work out the identity of the serial killer. This is a really good series and I hope there are more books to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Another fascinating Ridpath story. A series of rather gruesome murders, but all as it appears. Ridpath as usual despite his move to the coroners office still gets himself heavily involved in the investigation, ignoring his superiors finally brings the culprit to justice. A great story

I have read the other two books in this series and was eagerly awaiting the next instalment, it was brilliant. I loved it. Five stars from me!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and MJ Lee for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. It started off well and was thrilling and fast paced. Liked the main character and his family. This is the third book in the series and while there were references to previous cases in the book, I felt this could be read on it’s own. I had no idea who the murderer was and was very shocked at the reveal at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

Book 3 in the series and DI Thomas Ridpath is back living with his wife and daughter. He is still assigned to the coroner's office as liaison with the Greater Manchester Police. A fire is reported in a block of flats and a man is found burnt to death. "Play the game" is spray-painted in orange on the wall...

An excellent police procedural, even better than the last in the series. The characters in the book are well- drawn and Ridpath is a nicely flawed hero. Tension is maintained right through to the end. The themes of the book are very contemporary.

Though I'd recommend reading the series in order, this book could be enjoyed standalone.

I never repeat the blurb but I shall always be extolling these DI Ridpath books - great storytelling, always contemporary and not afraid of dealing with genuine people and problems. Brilliant.

Exceptional, thrilling and totally addictive.
So don’t you just love it when you start a new series and the books just get better and better and this is what we have here in book three of the DI Ridpath series a book I just can’t praise enough.
I just love the character of Ridpath he is so well written by the wonderful MJ Lee he is a person you care about and feels very real both with his humour and his struggle between being a policeman and on secondment to the coroner’s office. This makes the book much more than a police procedural and a series that is without doubt one of my favourites and I can’t say one bad thing about this novel and in fact the whole of the series so please M J Lee don’t make me wait to long for the next instalment and many thanks for a stupendous read.
So if you haven’t read any of this series then do yourself a favour and start right now, don’t miss out this is a brilliant book and very topical in its plot and deserves more than 5 stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.