Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A complex, fast faced and highly entertaining thriller that kept me on the edge till the end.
Excellent character development and storytelling, a tightly knitted plot full of twists and turns.
I read other books in this series but this one can be read as a standalone.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Another taut thriller for 'retired' Henry Christie! ( Book 27 )

'Bad Timing' is another high octane investigation for Henry Christie. He is persuaded to come out of retirement again. A dangerous killer is still on the loose in his locality in Lancashire. Although Henry runs the Tawny Owl pub, he is delighted to persuade Superintendent Rik Dean to work as a consultant with the police, using his past experience and expertise.

I always enjoy reading a novel by Nick Oldham, and this is no exception. It follows on from' Wildfire'. A young woman's body is discovered not far from the farmhouse where her parents were brutally murdered a month earlier.

Henry has a great working relationship with Diane Daniels so that yet again they become embroiled in another thrilling page-turning investigation involving money laundering, theft, grisly murders and really hard-nosed gangsters. The trail takes them around the country and down to London. There are twists and turns galore, with well-drawn characters, some of whom are chilling and grotesque, making it a must-have read for all lovers of this genre.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

Bad Timing is book 27 in the Henry Christie mystery series and, to the best of my recollection, the first one I've read. It's unlikely that I'll be reading any of the others.

It was probably a mistake on my part to jump into a series so far along (I hadn't realized it was such a long running series), although it more or less works as a standalone book the overall plot is choppy and inconsistent.

The villains are great (if a little over-the-top) - they're interesting, richly drawn, fully realized characters that really move their part of the story. The "good guys" are, quite frankly, dull as dishwater. The author seems to have counted on the reader having a certain amount of familiarity with the main character and his comrades, so they just never come alive in any significant way and the story suffers for it. The shifting perspective makes for a very uneven narrative that is ultimately unsatisfying.

I suspect it you are familiar with the series then you will appreciate this book more since you already have a connection to the characters. This is definitely not the one to start with.

***I received a free digital copy of this title through NetGalley

I received an ARC of the book “ “ Bad Timing” from Net Galley in return for my honest review.
The title of the book might be form the bad timing of a victim, the daughter of a couple of accountant/ financial counselors who have e a lucrative sideline in money laundering for shady entrepreneurs , meaning mobsters. . The two of the, are counting out and banding carry bags full of cash, amounting to millions of £s . He bad timing embarrasses her, her parents and causes another problem for the hit man who was sent to like them for scamming off the top.
Bad timing also for retired police detective Nick Christie, who goes fishing, only to spy the daughter’ s body lying at the foot of a cliff. He is dragged into the investigation because of he expertise. Well,, he was a bit bored anyway tending a pub, so goes full ahead into an tangled web of money laundering, human trafficking , drugs and hired killers.
Mr Oldham has written twenty- seven book in this series featuring Ex-cop Christie, so there are obviously many fans of his work, but, sadly I was not impressed. The main character , Christie, did not appeal to me. He lacked seriousness or depth and really did seem more suited to rummy game a pub. As for the novel, the stop-start story flow made difficult for me to stay committed . I regretted the lack of continuity. The author tries to make Christie affable- an older, laid- back duffer drafted to help a new girl in her first real murder command, but I thought that he was a bit too flippant, but,I admit to being unappreciative to the English sense of sit- com humor ( unless it is Fawlty Towers). I prefer harder edged, darker noir in my cop dramas.
Summing: I am sure that the novel will please Mr. Oldham’ s readers, especially those who have filled the Christie series, but I can rate it at about 2.5 stars.
But this is only one man’s opinion, so read it yourself and make up, your own mind.

This book follows on literally from the author's previous book "Wildfire". Henry Christie ex Police Superintendent, now helping to run the Tawny Owl country house and pub near Lancaster, had found the butally murdered couple in their remote home in the Trough of Bowland.
This is still a crime scene as there was a considerable amount of unaccountable money and detective constable Diane Daniels is investigating. When another body, associated with the crime scene is found, Henry is asked by his Police successor Rik Dean to assist Diane with the continuing investigation.
Diane and Henry soon start to follow the money trail and coming up against a ruthless protaganist, London based gangsters and also encountering the travellers who were based in Blackpool and were arrested and jailed for the murder of the couple.
Lancaster and the surrounding area I know relatively well so was interested in the geographical descriptions. Very violent, similar to other Henry Christie books. This is the eighteenth book in the series. If you like fast action books this is ideal. This is only the second Henry Christie book I have read but thoroughly enjoyed it. A definite must read.recommendation.

Henry may have retired but he keeps being pulled back into bad situations. Along with DC Diane Daniels, he's done multiple investigation and this one is perhaps, one of the most gruesome. First he finds a body then he, along with Diane, are drawn into a web of death. This is a tautly written topical procedural of sorts with good characters and a fast moving plot. I've only read a couple of the books in this vey long running series but that didn't matter- it's fine as a standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Bad Timing, the twenty seventh novel to feature now retired Detective Superintendent Henry Christie.

The Yorks have been laundering money for gangsters for years, but they have been salting the money away for themselves. Of course the gangsters do not take kindly to this and the Yorks mutilated bodies are found in their cottage surrounded by millions of pounds of money by their daughter Beth.

Beth has gone missing until Henry Christie Diane Daniels once again when the body of a young woman is discovered close to the scene of the chilling murders that took place at Hawkshead Farm, of course it is Beth.
Henry is hired as a police special adviser and is on the trail of a psychopath killer.

There are many twists and turn with shootings and murders on the way putting Henry and his team in great danger. This is a typical Nick Oldham story that keeps you interested from the first page to the last.
This is a great read and Nick Oldham is one of our finest crime writers..

Nick Oldham is an author new to me but I enjoyed this book so much I can now look forward to savouring a backlist of about thirty novels.
This is thriller writing at its very best, a complex plot, jam-packed full of action and violence, with well-rounded characters one feels happy to love or hate.
The author has a very contemporary approach using crimes that are so often in the headlines today: people trafficking, drug barons, murder, money-laundering, fraud and kidnap.
A rollercoaster ride of action, violence and murder.

I hadn't read a Henry Christie policed procedural from Nick Oldham for some time; and this one really did keep me turning the pages. A particularly vicious series of murders in the north of England eventually lead Christie - brought back from retirement as a consultant to the police - down to London and to a major crime boss involved with money laundering, illegal immigration, and a multitude of offences, including links to other murders. But neither Christie nor his partner, in more senses than one, Diane Daniels escape unscathed in their search for a merciless gunman on the run. Very fast paced, I started this as bedtime reading and had to finish it by lunchtime the next day. (Sorry, Boss. Took a bit of time out!).

I never repeat the blurb. Second outing for me with Henry and co. It was just as good as the first. Great storyline, reflective in part of recent tragic news events. Excellent read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Bad Timing, the twenty seventh novel to feature now retired Detective Superintendent Henry Christie.

Henry is caught back up in his previous case when he finds the body of a murdered young woman. She is quickly identified as the daughter of parents who were murdered a month earlier. He teams up again with D.C. Diane Daniels to investigate the murder and they soon find themselves on the hunt for a merciless gunman.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bad Timing which is an exciting adventure that takes up a month after the events of the preceding novel, Wildfire. It is an eventful novel with a high body count and a fair amount of tension.

The novel is told from both Henry Christie’s and the killer’s points of view. I like the logical narrative from Henry as one discovery leads to another but the killer’s is something different. I found his callous indifference to human life and all other needs but his own bone chilling. The author does an excellent job in this respect, not by anything fancy but by making killing simply another task on his route to his end objective. There is plenty of action as Henry chases the killer and widens the scope of his enquiries as events develop. It kept me entertained from start to finish.

Bad Timing is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.