Simon Kernick really does know how to write a page turner. Most of his books are set within the British Police and often use a repeating set of characters. This is set in the Police but fans of his many great characters will not find any of them appearing. Instead we have a Detective Constable recruited to help source a mysterious bad guy who seems to be behind a lot of terrorist activity. Getting even close to him will take DC Sketty close to the edge and maybe into the dark side himself. As the book unravels you find yourself unsure of him and his motives and what the truth of the matter is. And that keeps you turning the pages.
Mr Kernick started off his thrillers with the excellent Business of Dying featuring a policeman who is also an assassin and this kind of hits that same spot, someone trying to cope with secrets and changing circumstances. It’s a violent and brutal read at times with a finish that will have you thinking.
Great stuff.

Thrill a minute blood soaked conspiracy thriller that never lets up in pace as the plot twists dizzyingly. A sinister figure in the background is the focus for a secret police investigation with an undercover cop trying to inveigle himself into the organisation via a bent cop in an intelligence unit. What follows is violent death after violent death from London gangland to a restaurant terrorist attack. Doubts are cast on virtually every individual in this rip roaring yarn all building to even more deaths in the final pages with an intriguing finish! Excellent!

I absolutely love all of Simon Kernick's books and this one did not dissapoint.
Chris Sketty is an undercover cop but this time his in to deep and soon everything becomes very dangerous.
He becomes a hero while almost dying himself trying to stop the most vicious and brutal attack the UK has ever known.
Suspects are either dead or missing and no-one knows what the motive was.
After 14 years the truth needs to be known but who's telling the truth.
Someone is convinced Sketty is a liar,a criminal mastermind and a murderer but is he a Good Cop or Bad Cop?
Had to just keep on reading could'nt put this book down both thrilling and dramatic.
Simon Kernick is one of Britain's top thriller writers.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline Publishing for the ARC

Good cop, bad cop is a pulse racing thriller that kept me up a few good hours last night.

The transitions between past and present were so smoothly done that I got so entrained and loved this book so much. I wanted to know the truth as well and more so after each chapter shows a new layer of lies and mischief, hidden secrets that come out when some people thought they were really deep buried and I couldn’t stop reading honestly.

I can’t say I got close to any of the characters but I did cheered up on both Cleverly and Sketty to show up and tell the truth of what happened 14 years ago and if there’s any relation with the present investigation.

Once again, the author has showed why his books are so great and high praised because this one is definitely a must read.

Full disclosure here: I’m a HUGE fan of Simon Kernick’s writing. Every single one of his books I’ve read in one sitting and of course, his latest, Good Cop, Bad Cop was no different.
There are phrases which are much overused for thrillers - “has you on the edge of your seat” and “unputdownable” are ones which spring to mind. Kernick’s books are the only ones I’ve read where those sayings are actually applicable.
This one is a standalone, written in first person, police unit crime thriller and all the way through, I said to myself “just one more chapter, just one more” all the way til the end. Very well plotted, drip feeding the reader nuggets of information and constantly moving the story forward. The only drawback in this one for me is that I guessed the ending quite early on, which is a first with this author.
Still, will always, always recommend him as an automatic buy!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Wow, what a enthralling read this was, one which drew me straight in and had my attention from beginning to end. Simon Kernick definitely knows how to weave a story that immediately grabs and holds my attention and just doesn’t let go. Everyday things took a back seat whilst I sat and devoured this book. I didn't particularly like the main character Chris Sketty although I did find myself rooting for him throughout as the underdog. Sketty meets a man affected by a terrorist event 14 years ago who wants the truth of what happened that night. I felt like I was unwrapping layer after layer of secrets that just kept coming and I loved how the story moved from past to present so effortlessly and that it was told through different characters. Overall this was a great read, it was full of tension and suspense, it had lots of action, was nicely paced and raced to a thrilling conclusion. I loved this, and can’t fault it in anyway at all.

Good Cop Bad Cop by Simon Kernick is a totally engrossing police thriller and even at the end of the book, I am still not sure who is the real villain and does it really matter? The storyline and characters were all very strong and well developed, not many of the characters were particularly likeable. The story was spread over a number of years and the main character always seemed to feel very sorry for himself.
It is a very clever, interesting and enthralling story.
Highly recommended

I have always enjoyed author Simon Kernick’s books so was really looking forward to this one. The novel started strongly but stalled a little in the middle for me. Good characters and an interesting plot made this a good read.

Undercover cop Chris Sketty became a hero when he almost died trying to stop the most brutal terror attack in UK history. With the suspects either dead or missing, the real motive remains a mystery. But Dr Ralph Teller, a wealthy industrialist who lost his wife in the attack, never gave up hope of justice. He thinks he knows the real identity of the mastermind responsible.

Only one person can help him put together the final pieces of the puzzle – retired police officer Chris Sketty, who infiltrated the terrorist group and was wounded trying to prevent the attack. But Cleverly thinks Sketty is a liar and possibly far worse He has a dossier on all the former cop’s dark secrets and will make them public unless Sketty tells the truth. Is Sketty a brave hero, crippled in the line of duty, or the most ruthless mass murderer the country has ever seen?

Like I say it started very strongly and was instantly into the novel. Good plot and an exciting finale made this a good read.

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Headline for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4-5 stars.

Ex-DC Chris Sketty is meeting Dr Ralph Teller who whilst describing as a hero following the terrible events at Villa Amalfi, he is also regarding him with malevolence. However, the reason for the meeting predates this by fifteen years when Chris is sent undercover by SO15 (Counter Terrorism) to try to get information on a shadowy faceless figure known as Kalian Roman. He’s placed in DI Devon Andrews Gang Intelligence Unit, his target is DS Barry Cleaver - does he have a connection to Roman? Only time will tell. Chris tells most of his story with illuminating interjections by Teller, all we have to do is work out, is Chris a good cop or a bad cop??

Wowza, it sure is a conundrum as by his own admission Chris is often ‘Bonkers Chris’. One thing is for certain he’s a complex character who seems to have his own brand of moral code but does the at times clever smooth operator mask dark depths which lurk beneath? I thoroughly enjoy the way this is written, it’s very engaging, the storytelling is lively and visual with scenes springing to life before your eyes so you are immediately immersed in the fast paced plot. Initially there’s humour albeit of the dark kind but as things develop and events evolve that unsurprisingly drains away. There’s a sense of threat right from the start but where’s its source?? There is menace, danger and violence which Chris does not back down from despite the growing warning signs of being trapped between a rock and a hard place. He sure comes up against some scary people who always seem to be one jump ahead and some scenes are breathtaking, shocking adrenaline fuelled horrors of a whatsit show. I really like the puzzle we are presented with by Teller and your thoughts go every which way to match the rollercoaster twists and turns. One minute you think it’s all unravelling with the mountain of lies and the next you think Chris is on the right side despite the very fine line of the law he treads. The ending is excellent- is there a follow up I wonder, I can but hope!

Overall, this is a cracking read with a gritty storyline, excellent dialogue, believable characters and a plot that keeps you gripped to the end.

With thanks to Netgalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was an absolute nail biter by Simon Kernick and I couldn't wait for it to finish - in a good way, not a bad way.

Chris Sketty is a former police officer summoned to the house of a mysterious man. Sketty previously foiled a terrorist attack and was considered a hero for doing so. However not everyone believes Sketty is a hero...some believe he was involved in the attack.

Blackmailed by the mysterious man, Sketty spends the night telling the story of what really happened during the course of the events leading up to the attack, the role he played and how the events really transpired.....belt up for a hell of a ride and you can finally find out whether Sketty is a good cop or a bad cop.

I really enjoyed this one and loved the structure of the story. Set in the present day Sketty is forced to relive past events which are revealed through flashbacks. I did think there could have been more of the story set in the present day between Sketty and the mysterious man and that was the only thing that prevented me giving this 5 stars.

However if you like a thrilling story with a dramatic and satisfying ending then this is the book for you.

Thanks to Headline and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A thrilling, twisting, tale of intrigue and murder.

Chris Sketty is in a pickle. His aggressive ways have led him to the brink of dismissal from the force, so when he is offered a lifeline, to spy on a supposed right wing terrorist group, he is keen to take it on.

However, he is soon out of his depth and implicated in a murder. Can he clear his name before it is too late?

A dramatic and subtle story, which is highly recommended for fans of murder mystery and police drama.