Part of a well-established series at instalment 23 The Not Quite Perfect Murderer features husband and wife team, Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley. Despite it being a series initiation for me there was enough information given to understand characters' interrelations and the story itself was complete within the novel. Though not a typical mystery as the reader is aware from the beginning of the initial perpetrator's past criminal activities and future plans, the reader has the opportunity to follow along, knowing who and what is being sought as things begin to unravel.

Patrick is acting as a driver for his friend DCI James Carrick who has broken his leg. Patrick, who has retired from the National Crime Agency, can indulge his inclination to suss out law-breakers for justice. Patrick has been part of MI5 and Ingrid also worked for the NCA. Ingrid spends her time with her family, Justin, Vicky and Mark, her adopted son and daughter, Matthew and Katie, and writing mystery novels. She is noted for being alert to issues or potential problems. Some robberies in and around Bath, the death of a child as well as a corpse discovered at the bottom of a quarry all warrant some attention. A great, credible tale with some fascinating characters. There's enough to tempt me to want to read the earlier books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Canongate Books, Severn House Publishers via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A Worthy Addition….
The twenty third instalment in the Gillard & Langley Mystery series in which Bath is about to get its fair share of trouble when a gangster arrives in town. What he doesn’t anticipate is the presence of Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley. Another wholly enjoyable instalment packed with atmosphere, credible and well drawn characters, likeable protagonists and with a well crafted plot. A worthy addition to this long running series.

It's the second book i read in this series and i was happy to read it as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's a gripping and highly entertaining novel, full of twists and fast paced.
I was glad to catch up with the characters and appreciated the solid plot that kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It helps, I think, to have read at least a few (I've only read one) of the books in this series. The body of young Damian is in a quarry and retiree Patrick Gillard and his wife novelist Ingrid Langley are pressed into service by his friend DCI James Carrick. You will know the identity of the villain - this is about how the bad guys are caught. I liked the Bath setting (usually Bath mysteries are more cozy) for this procedural as well as the characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the series.

When I started this book, I wasn’t aware it was part of a series, and a well established series at that. It is book number 23 of the Gillard and Langley series, featuring husband and wife team Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley. It didn’t make a bit of difference in terms of enjoying the book. There was enough information given that I understood how the characters related to each other and the story itself was complete within the novel. However, I expect to rectify the situation by going back and reading the books preceding this one in the series as I found these characters to be ones I would enjoy spending more time with on a regular basis.

The “mystery” is not a classic one of trying to determine the identity of the murderer. The reader is fully versed from the beginning to the initial perpetrator, his past criminal activities and his future plans. Instead of trying to solve the mysteries along with the authorities, the reader has an opportunity to follow along, knowing who and what they are seeking, as they begin to unravel the crimes. It makes for a unique approach, and one I fully enjoyed, as I had the opportunity to watch the thought processes taking place instead of trying to “get there first”.

In this book. Patrick offers to drive his friend DCI James Carrick, an old friend who has broken his leg. It gives Patrick, who has retired from the National Crime Agency, to indulge in his natural inclination to find law-breakers and mete out justice. Patrick has unique skills, having been part of MI6 as well as the NCA, and even the DCI doesn’t know the full nature of his abilities.

Ingrid was also a member of the NCA, most likely an active member in earlier books, although I’m surmising that from what I read. She has now retired and spends her time divided between taking care of their two children and writing mystery novels. She is noted for having an extra sense, referred to as her “whiskers”, that often alert her to issues or potential problems.

As Patrick delves further into the initial issue, which seems to be an intersection of some robberies in and around Bath along with the unexplained death of a child as well as a corpse discovered at the bottom of a quarry. How could these events be connected? Of course, they are and it’s enjoyable to watch Patrick and the DCI as they put information together to determine who is at the center of the problems as well as who is pulling his strings.

Not to be outdone, Ingrid and the DCI’s wife Joanna, come in for some of the action and demonstrate skills of their own. In addition, there is what appears to be a new character, Roderick Morris, who is assigned to help Patrick and demonstrates some unique skills of his own. Suggestions at the end of the book indicate the readers may see him again in future books.

There is something for almost every reader of detective fiction, police procedurals, and stories of intrigue all wrapped up within this one book. Whether you have read all the books in the series prior to this one or this one is the first for you, this book is still recommended. Don’t be surprised if you are new to the series if you decide to go back and try earlier books in the series to satisfy interest you develop in Patrick, Ingrid and company. I received an advance copy of this novel from Cannongate Severn Publishers for review.

You’ve got to hand it to Margaret Duffy … Her main characters have always oozed middle class angst, but there’s scum at all levels in The Not Quite Perfect Murderer from lords and ladies to nouveaux riches to bizarre gangsters to the bottom feeders.

The Not Quite Perfect Murderer is a very long way (23rd, to be precise) into a series that may well have passed you by. I don’t even remember how I came across Duffy, but the faintly eccentric saga of a crime-fighting married couple Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley – one a former soldier and the other a novelist – still intrigues me, mainly because of the unconventional lead characters.

In the past they’ve worked for a veritable alphabet soup of crime-fighting agencies. Patrick is now doing insurance investigation as a side-line and – reluctantly - occasional spooks work, as he thinks he’s too old for all the gallivanting. He’s moved back from the more active stuff because of his and Ingrid’s tribe of kids – there’s a stark line about the kids not wanting a father six feet under and the adopted ones (the offspring of his late brother) a second father six feet under. Ingrid, meanwhile, is trying to write alongside corralling the sprogs with the help of a nanny and Patrick’s thoroughly sane and sensible mother.

The book has a faintly shambolic air to it with multiple narrators (and a rather laissez faire attitude to point of view). It’s kind of appropriate, given the plot, which meanders around Bath and Somerset and features a small boy being killed after shinning up a tree to see what’s going on in a house, a range of cartoon strip gangsters distinctly lacking in morals, plus a violent raid on a jeweller’s in the city and burglaries at posh houses. Unusually for Duffy, there’s no haring off to London for nefarious investigations.

The stories have always worked better in Ingrid’s brisk, no-nonsense voice. This one is mostly relayed by Bath DCI James Carrick, a series character and the stereotypical dour Scotsman (note: having him say ‘I ken’ periodically isn’t a substitute for broader characterisation!) So having most of the book through his eyes is a bit dry. He breaks his leg playing rugby early on, so there’s lots of hobbling around on crutches, convenient visits to hospitals to help the plot along, and more angsting from a bloke of a certain age as to whether he’s too old to be chasing funny-shaped balls around.

Speaking of ages, we finely get a clue as to how old Patrick is – that’s been one element that I’ve wondered about all through the series. Somewhere in his 40s has always been my guess. Apparently he has got his army pension so must be at least 50, thinks Carrick – although you’d expect good friends who’ve know each other for years to have a more accurate idea how old the other is! Maybe you never ask a gentleman his age …

Duffy likes strong female characters, which makes it ironic that Carrick’s cop wife Joanna is underdrawn as well – although we’re told she has a good right hook! The highly capable and newly promoted DI Lynn Outhwaite and Ingrid spend rather too much time in the background this outing, although some riding in of the cavalry is required to rein in overzealous spouses and bosses.

The plot doesn’t bear too much poking and nor, I suspect, does the accuracy of the police side of things – I’m certain that police forces’ maternity leave rules mean Joanna would have been able to come back to her previous rank, although clearly that’s not so convenient for the series! Duffy has her usual leftfield cameo characters – I liked bemused university graduate cop PC Roderick Morris who finds himself roped in to some of Patrick’s madder stunts. I predict we’ll be seeing more of him!

The Not Quite Perfect Murderer is a perfectly enjoyable read if you’re a fan of this eccentric series – it will undoubtedly have newcomers wondering what sort of bizarre party they’ve joined late. But it’s all rather a mish-mash and in need of a tough edit to stop the rambling and straying points of view. As for the final few paragraphs, I spent about a minute trying to swipe on in the e-book, convinced there was more to come. There isn’t. But then Duffy has past form for ending on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger …

Mayhem in Bath.

DCI Carrick has the dead body of a young man, a jewellery robbery and a chronic staff shortage. And to make matters worse, he breaks his leg playing rugby.

When a strangling spree beaks out, Carrick relies on his old friends Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley (and their NCA credentials) to help bring things under control

Brilliant

Thank you Netgalley and Canongate Books/Severn House for the eARC.
DCI James Carrick of Bath CID and his wife/working partner Ingrid Langley are involved in a case of several murders and a gang of thieves (most of them belonging to the Baker family) who work on the behest of a wealthy sociopath. One of the dead is a young boy who loved climbing buildings and probably saw too much. All of the bodies were strangled and they are on the hunt for a man known as Giorgio. Carrick breaks his leg while playing rugby, but luckily a friend and ex-colleague helps him with driving and working on the case.
This is a good mystery/police procedural with lots of interesting characters, both good and bad. I enjoyed it a lot and intend to read more in the series. Love the setting of Bath and surroundings because I vacationed there! Definitely recommended!