This is the first DI Nick Dixon book I had read but apparently it is 11th in a series. Set in mainly in Somerset, it was refreshing to read a detective novel that wasn’t about a city force with all the resources they have at there disposal. I didn’t realise it was part of a series so I don’t feel I was missing any back-story that was covered in this story. A bit gruesome in parts it was in enjoyable read and the characters felt realistic. An interesting plot line too.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. A well written thriller from Damien Boyd . A killer on the loose with a crossbow, great character's well plotted.

Definitely more detail than I ever wanted to know about the wounds caused by crossbow bolts this book has all the indications of a psychopath serial killer escalating their behaviours from sheep slaughtering to murder.
Dixon is less sure about that and watches the investigation unfold and along with it a clear motive.
Dixon is a wonderful character and Boyd draws you into the investigation right alongside him as he battles internal politics within the force to find the killer before more bodies mount up.
It was also the first book of this type I have ever read where the crimes involved (other than the murders) are from a fraud and scamming point of view, very much white collar, rather than the more traditional crimes of passion, drug wars or psychopathy.
A great story line, great characters and a detective I look forward to meeting again.

Start with killing sheep using a crossbow then move on to your list of four victims. This is a complicated tale of revenge bolstered by extensive description of the availability of different types of crossbow. Add in the details of tax evasion schemes which sparked the revenge and the extensive number of detectives, it is easy to lose the theme of this book. I am no impressed.

This is the eleventh book in the author's Nick Dixon series but can easily be read as a stand alone novel, first hand experience tells me that it is not necessary to have read the previous ten in the series. The book slots nicely into the police procedural genre.

The plot revolves largely around a pension fraud, although there is a lot more to the story than that. Suffice to say that all the threads are wrapped up nicely with no loose endings.

Boyd has an unusual style of writing - very spare and trimmed to the bone. If a word can be cut, it is. It takes a bit of getting used to but is quite readable and gets the job done. The lack of fat in the writing allows for extra additions to the plot.

A very enjoyable story which will appeal to all readers of this genre, but in particular those who live in and around Bristol where large parts of the story are set. Highly recommended.

“Dying Inside” is the first of Damien Boyd’s novels that I have had the joy of reading and I have to admit this was a joy.

DCI Nick Dixon is a warmhearted likeable copper just like his namesake from “Dixon of Dock Green” for those of you old enough to remember the TV show from the early sixties. However the storyline is much more modern being about tax avoidance schemes and pension scams or rather the brutal murders of the perpetrators.

DCI Dixon is another great well rounded character who would transfer nicely to the screen. I look forward to reading Damien’s back catalogue.

What I love most about this Damien Boyd series: It shows us the kind of cops we all wish we had in our neighborhood precinct -- human beings who think and feel and keep their minds open while they check all the boxes involved in humdrum police procedures.

The writing is solid and unobtrusive. Boyd is very, very good at character development, and in this installment he producers a trickier-than-usual (but never dense or confusing) plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance readers copy.

This is the first book I have read by Damien Boyd, and I wasn't disappointed.

Nick Dixon has recently been promoted to DCI, which seems to mean more paperwork and administrative meetings, less time out on the street actually solving crime.

Nick's diplomacy skills are called for when a farmer comes to the station with dead sheep that he is threatening to leave on the steps of the police station unless someone investigates why his sheep are being killed by a crossbow, This becomes even more important when ex-accountant Godfrey Collins is found murdered in the same way.

Throw in a boat, presumed to be running drugs, and a financial scandal and you have a really interesting and engaging book.

Great characters, and not having any previous knowledge of people's back story is not a hindrance to the enjoyment of this book,

Highly recommended and I look forward to reading more by this author.

The characters are absolutely fantastic, the stories are believable and the author's sense of humor that threads throughout the story had me laughing out loud! Highly recommend!

Settle down with a glass of something, 'pipe and slippers' to enjoy another outing with DCI Nick Dixon who is back, in the west country, newly promoted. As usual Mr Boyd starts us off with something unusual - sheep being killed by crossbow..

I am fortunate to have read all the previous books in the series and Nick and his team. his girlfriend and dog are familiar characters. He wastes little time in not enjoying all the day to day policing, like performance reviews and boring non productive meetings meetings.

The story moves swiftly along with elements of financial scamming and plenty of dodgy characters - lovely!

Well written (during the pandemic) and I am already looking forward to book 12 in the series. Will Nick go to Portishead - one of my old stamping grounds?

Thanks to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing for the chance to read and review.

This is a great crime story, the latest in a series featuring Chief Inspector Nick Dixon and his team who are based on the South West coast of England. The hero is a detective whose nose for the truth leads him to persevere when others would be satisfied with a convenient ’result’. He can be reckless when it comes to his own safety, but this makes for a compelling read and a final twist, just as the case seems closed!

I enjoyed the developing story, the likeable characters and the location-all of which make for a brilliant narrative which draws you in and keeps you guessing till the end.

To be posted on Motherload Bookclub on FB

This is the first book in the series that I’ve read and has got me wanting to catch up on the rest of the series, however I still enjoyed it as a stand-alone.
DCI Nick Dixon has recently been promoted but is not enjoying the management duties, so grabs the opportunity to investigate, when a disgruntled farmer threatens to dump dead sheep that have been killed by a crossbow, on the steps of the police station, recognising this could escalate. He’s proved right when a dodgy accountant is found pinned to a tree by crossbow bolts and when another victim is found, he is able to take over the investigation.
I enjoyed this book, which is a good police procedural, finding the plot believable with fraud and pension scheme scams and I liked the main characters.

Another great book in the DCI Dixon series I couldn’t put it down. It builds up gradually with an unexpected twist . Love all the characters , I am pleased I had read the previous books in the series.

Although I haven't read any of the previous books in this series I was able to enjoy this new book as a standalone. Having said that, I am going to go back and try and read the previous books as I think the character of Nick Dixon is very interesting and would like to learn his backstory .This book however is excellent ,a great mystery ,first of sheep being killed with a crossbow and then people but what is the connection ?Dixon and his Team set out to solve the murders ,the story is fast paced and intriguing I thoroughly enjoyed it .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

This is an enjoyable police procedural, fast paced and well plotted, with likeable and relatable central characters. Senior detective Nick Dixon, whose rank fluctuates during the storyline, is simply a hard working honest policeman, without any of the usual character flaws/ broken marriage/ borderline alcoholic/maverick cop following his own agenda - type protagonist, which seems to have become the accepted norm for a police procedural novel in recent years. This is a refreshing change, in my view, and makes the book all the more enjoyable.
I have not read any of this author’s previous work, but I will look out for it now. Although this is one of a series, it works very well as a standalone novel. The somewhat narrow geographical area where the story is set, is explained by the author in the acknowledgements, by the fact that he wrote the novel during lockdown, so had to write about an area he is familiar with, being unable to travel to research other areas.
Excellent plotting, using an unusual but very plausible ‘reason’ for the murders. Although the killings are gruesome in their execution, this was not dwelt upon, or described in endless gory detail, which I find off putting in some murder mysteries. Altogether an excellent read, which I recommend.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Ah……the comfort of a new DCI Nick Dixon crime novel! It’s like sitting down with a glass of Butcombe bitter to hear the latest news from an old friend. In this latest instalment of the exploits of our favourite Avon and Somerset police detective Damien Boyd has made sure that most of the familiar cast of characters are present and correct, albeit happily leavened with some who are new to us, but likely to become firm favourites in (hopefully) the next offering from Damien Boyd. Lest these opening words suggest this book is simply an uninspiring ‘by the numbers’ police procedural let me immediately disabuse you of that thought. The skill of the author in bringing his characters to life is again deployed to good effect, as his clever use of locations that will certainly appeal to those of us in the south west but are equally accessible and evocative to those who haven’t experienced the delights of the Somerset countryside or the City of Bristol. For readers who like to pursue their parallel investigation by looking for the clues that the author artfully leaves for readers to spot there are clues aplenty, although there is an interesting surprise in the final denouement. Highly recommended.

A D I Nick Dixon thriller that’s a good addition to the series. A clever detective engaged to a colleague, a series of crossbow murders and he has a dog what’s not to love! The initial investigation by a specialist unit is going nowhere until our hero is put on the case after a second death. As the deaths mount it all becomes splendidly complicated just when you think it’s been solved it twists again. Excellent!

The latest offering in the Nick Dixon series does not disappoint. The plot involves topical themes of pension fraud and financial scams and the effects they can have on individuals. The story also covers the the events in Dixon's private life without dwelling on them long enough to affect the main storyline..I look forward to the next in the series'

DI Nick Dixon is back with murders and cross bows. His character is developing nicely and it is a pleasant change to see his detailed thought processes about the crimes rather than too many twists and turns or red herrings. A solid, but exciting read, and satisfying ending. Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have read all the books in this series, and Damien Boyd’s writing continues to go from strength to strength. Nick Dixon has developed into a brilliant detective, and this book does not disappoint.