Hollow's "Blitz Detective" provides the reader with a real sense of what it was like to live through the Blitz (particularly in West Ham where 38 bombs and 4 mines were dropped between 7th October 1940 to 6th June 1941)..

And I particularly liked the way he used aspects and scenarios from both the real and a personal history to add a touch of realism to the story-line. As Greg Buzwell wrote in his article - London During the Blitz: A Landscape of Fear and Shadows - "... novels set during the Blitz show people both at their very best .... and at their most flawed and human .."

Fans of Anthony Horowitz's "Foyle's War", Christianna Brand's "Inspector Cockerill" series and Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series will take to Hollow's DI John Jago and his new DC, Peter Craddock. I am looking forward to the next chapter in the Blitz Detective series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of The Blitz Detective, the first novel to feature wartime detective DI John Jago, set in 1940 in the East End of London.

A body is discovered in a parked van but before Jago and his assistant, DC Cradock, can get the investigative wheels moving both van and body are destroyed by a bomb. With all evidence destroyed it is fortunate that Jags recognises the man as local Justice of the Peace, Charles Villiers.

I enjoyed The Blitz Detective which has an interesting plot and strong historical detail. It Is told from various points of view and while this can be distracting in some novels, in this case it adds to the read with each character having a different take on events and thus adding to the picture of a country pushed to its limits.

This is a difficult novel to discuss without spoilers so all I will say is that the motive is rooted in both wars. I think it is easy for us modern types to forget that there was only 21 years between the end of one and the start of the next so Jago fought in the First World War as did many of the characters over 40. I think for most soldiers it was a traumatising event and the author does a brilliant and sensitive job of explaining both the horrors of it and the trauma it caused. He does an equally good job of describing the Blitz and its effects on everyday life. This is an extremely atmospheric novel.

I was less impressed with the dialogue which seems clunky in places and doesn’t quite capture the era in the same way as it seems a bit modern. I also couldn’t be doing with the philosophising and deep conversations between Jago and his potential love interest, American journalist Dorothy Appleton. Again, it seems out of context and too modern.

The Blitz Detective is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Mike Hollow's The Blitz Detective is an old-school police procedural set in East London during, of course, the blitz. It's people with inscrutable characters whose real selves emerge very gradually. The two police at the story's center are and interesting pair: an old-time bachelor detective with more than twenty years on the force and a young, new officer trying to please, sometimes with success, sometimes falling short. The blitz plays a key role in the story—obliterating a corpse at the start of an investigation. What I liked most about this novel was the effective way in which the author kept WWI present within the WWII setting. The England being bombed is an England still recovering from the violence and loss of live in the earlier war, and that fact shapes many characters' decisions. Reading The Blitz Detective is like watching a classic movie: deeply satisfying and engaging both intellectually and emotionally.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for forwarding me the copy.
I have read a very few historical fiction murder mysteries so it is almost kind of new experience for me. The question rose after finishing the book; do I like this one or not? Will I read more of t kind of stories? The Answer is probably yes! For the mystery part but this book fell short for me for various reason.
The first 8-9 chapters were very uninteresting for me. I know a start of a mystery is not always should be a page turner but for this book I was dragging myself one chapter to another mostly because of the dialogues and character developments. I feel like the writer is setting the premise slowly for the main characters for a series and I was right.
Surprisingly from chapter 10, the plot gets actually very interesting. I won’t say the mystery is very edge gripping, nail biting one but the author twines the strings very cleverly. Detective Jago often brought philosophical conversation which sometimes feel like out of place but later I think his previous experience from war was mentioned to highlight his character development which might be more understandable and needed for the later books in the series. On the other hand, Cradock was actually seems like a puppy not having his own way of thinking compared to Jago. I like how author brings an American female journalist and put her in very much clever conversation and situations. She was a delight for me to read and somehow I want more of her and her engagement with the main murder mystery.
The ending was a so so. But I like how the author keeps the idea of war and Blitz in the book and use it with a depth research.
It’s a 3 out of 5 stars for me.

The Blitz Detective is the first book in a new series by Mike Hollow

Set in 1940 in West Ham it captures the time well with the constant threat of German bombing raids a background to a murder investigation.

The main characters DI Jago, Sargeant Tomkins and DC Craddock are well formed and interact off each other to keep the story moving along and the reader entertained.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading future stories in this series

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book, liked the storyline and the characters. Not what I would normally choose but glad that I did.

Detective Inspector John Jago reminds me of some of the police characters in Agatha Christie’s novels - intelligent, shrewd and perceptive. I wasn’t sure how the story was going to be woven all together and I had an inkling of whodunnit, but it was nice to see the resolution.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Allison & Busby, in return for an honest review. As the first book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. If you like the show ‘Foyle’s War’ or are interested in WWII London, this is definitely a book for you. Detective Inspector John Jago survived his time in WWI and returned to his West Ham working class section of London as a changed man. As a result, he became a police officer to protect those around him. The book opens at the end of the ‘Phony War’ phase of WWII and the beginning of the London Blitz.
DI Jago and his new assistant, Detective Constable Cradock, are notified of a man’s body in a car. They find that he either stabbed himself and cut his own wrists or it was done to him. Unfortunately, all the evidence is blown up in a German bombing run. So, what do you do when there’s no body, no photos, no evidence? Luckily, they’d gotten his name from his identity card. They start tracking down his life and the hunt begins. In the meantime, DI Jago must also contend with a visiting American journalist who’s been assigned to him to learn about every-day-life in London.
The author fills the story with clear characterizations that give you several possibilities for villains as well as detailing the stories of people whose lives are upended by the bombings. He’s written a well-crafted tale and does an excellent job of setting the scene, the place and the time. Happily, the author has a second book in the series and I’m looking forward to reading it and future stories about DI Jago and company.

An uninspired murder mystery set in 1940 London during a German air attack. This fell flat for me. And I'm confused - this seems to be the same book as Direct Hit (Blitz Detective #1) by the same author. Is this just a re-branding of the same book? Has something been changed?

I was in the mood for a fun murder mystery, but this one did not do it for me. The dialogue was elementary, the characters would go on various philosophical lectures that seemed out of place for the rest of the book, and the murder itself wasn't that interesting. I really didn't care who killed the victim at all.

I was really interested in the daily life of Londoners during WWII facing frequent bombings. I haven't read many books like that, so it was cool to read about it. It was clear a lot of research was done.

Original Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3358669295

The Blitz Detective follows Detective Inspector John Jago as he tries to resolve a murder despite the interruptions and destruction of the blitz bombings.. The character development is good as are the relationships between characters. It's a really good murder mystery with a bit of a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. There were so many people who it could have been that I didn't guess. It was so good to read about those during WW2 who had a history of WW1, I've not read anything that's really covered that aspect before so found it interesting. This was a really good read.

This is the first Mike Hollow book I've read and I'm definitely going to seek out his earlier Blitz-inspired books. What a fun, smart, easy-to-read crime caper. I loved the detail of London and life during the war - and the plot was clever and engaging. I think the sensitivity with which Hollow writes about war, it's impact on people, and the First World War especially is really important. Jago is a great character and I've got to admit to loving the frisson of romance in the book too.

Can't wait for the next instalment!

352 pages

5 stars

Detective Inspector John Jago has a new partner. His old, reliable previous partner was recalled to the service when WWII broke out. This new guy is a DC named Pete Cradock. He seems bright but Jago likens him to a puppy. Cradock tries very hard is it is easy to like him.

A man has been murdered. Jago and Cradock respond to the scene and quickly examine the body and remove his identification. The air raid sirens go off and as they run to safety, the van in which the dead man was sitting tiik a direct hit by a bomb. The man's name was Villiers and he was a part-time magistrate who owned a printing company.

At the same time, Jago's boss calls him into his office and says he must make nice with a visiting American foreign correspondent named Dorothy Appleton. A complication Jago really doesn't need. He discovers to his surprise that he likes the woman.

The investigation barely gets underway when another man is murdered. His name was Cooper. He and Villiers knew one another. This ratchets up the tension in the case. Jago and Cradock interview the men's wives, employees and acquaintances. They discover that both men were up to no good. They make good progress in the cases, but something is still puzzling them.

The identity of the murderer is not a huge surprise, but all the fun was in getting there. The killer's motive was understandable. But, of course that does not excuse their behavior.

This book was very well written and plotted. The transitions were flawless and the primary characters were likable: Jago, Cradock, Tompkins and Rita. The new man Cradock acquits himself well during the search for the killer. Sergeant Tompkins is priceless, not only for his knowledge, but also for his odd sense of humor. To add additional tension to the story, Mr. Hollow has Jago and Cradock – and everyone else in London - dodging bombs during the blitz of London while investigating the cases. I have read all of Mr. Hollow's DI Jago novels and I have rarely enjoyed an historical mystery series as much as I do this one. I very much look forward to reading the next in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Allison & Busby for forwarding to me a copy of this very fine book for me to read, enjoy and review.