A Long Time Dead is a fascinating crime thriller that kept me hooked until the very end. The story has a perfect blend of mystery and suspense, and I found myself empathizing with the characters as the plot unfolded. DI Sheridan Holler’s unwavering pursuit of justice, despite numerous roadblocks, is impressive and draws readers into a tangled web of an unforgettable cold case full of dangerous secrets. The book is well-paced, and the author has done an excellent job of creating a full cast of characters. I was left on the edge of my seat unable to put it down, and I am excited to dive into more of this thrilling series.

This book is being voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and T.M. Payne.

Let me just say WOW! You know that feeling when you have just finished a book and you want to read everything the author has ever written? That is me at this moment; I just finished Long Time Dead, the first book in the DI Sheridan Holler Thriller series written by T. M. Payne. I so thoroughly enjoyed it that I hated to stop reading to sleep. DI Sheridan Holler is a single, feisty, respected detective of the Liverpool Police Department. Her life and her parents lives were devastated by the unsloved murder of her her 12 year old brother almost 30 years ago. That tragedy was the driving force in Sheridan's decision to join the force and her commitment to solving his murder has never wavered.
The story begins in December, 1997 when two women entering the supermarket are shot by a runaway driver on a motorcycle. One woman, Kate Armitage, a policewoman died. The other woman, Elle Sands, a local newspaper editor, suffered severe head injuries. After a long hospitalization Ellie was transferred to
a long term nursing home.
Fast forward seven years, and a gravedigger discovers the remains of a body burried on top of a woman who died seven years ago. When Kate and her team begin investigating unsolved missing persons the name John Lively comes up. He had been a local drug user and often appeared on the police radar, especially that of Kate Armitage. Could the body be John Lively? Oh there is so much more to share, but I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say Long Time Dead is a terrific thriller that will captivate your interest from the first page to the last. It is a fast-paced novel; the sub- plots and characters intriguing- its just a wonderful read. Oh and be sure and read the acknowledgements- they are a hoot. Long Time Dead is the first T.M. Payne work I have read; it will not be my last. Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion. 5 stars.

In this debut novel, the author does a clever thing- they put you in the middle of a detective already policing and in the middle of a crime spree. So that when the deaths occurs the cemetery, the police are already aware of who the victim is and you get to hear some of the backstory. By contrasting that with the detective search for where the killer of her brother, you get to see a cold case versus a new case. It's clever and that it keeps you reading for a very long time hoping that she's going to solve both cases. Or at least get closer to solving the cold case. This is one you'll be reading long into the night and it's a great new series, don't miss this one!

This is such a great story! A cold case that turns out to be the hottest case in town and nothing is as it seemed to be! Sheridan, a fierceless Detective Inspector, who leads a very close-knit team, is leading the investigation of who is the male found buried in somebody else's grave and discovers that he was accused of killing a Police Officer and injuring a journalist seven years prior. This will unravel a deep conspiracy to cover up theft and murder. Long Time Dead is well-written, with likeable and credible characters, and full of action. Highly recommended!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
I found this book a little bit slow to start with but once the separate threads started to knit together this Liverpool based crime drama started to gain a faqir old bit of momentum with a number of unseen twists along the way.
Extremely likeable main characters and note that this is hopefully the first of many publications featuring the main character.
Already looking forward to the next one in the series.

The first book I have read from this author. A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. I wouldI definitely would read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

DI Sheridan Holler is called to a crime scene in a cemetery where a body has been uncovered by the grave digger. Who is the murder victim? How did they end up here? How were they killed? This book is updownable and the only reason I stopped was I needed sleep and to recharge the Kindle, lol!! The story is told over several time periods. DI Sheridan Holler, when she was a child, her brother Matthew was killed. Fast forward to the present day, she wants to find the killer. It is a plot full of twists and turns!! It is well written and very descriptive and I could see the locations used in my mind! The characters are well written and I enjoyed their interactions with each other. All the threads from the sub plots were all tied together with a dramatic ending! I highly recommend this book.

Long Time Dead by T. M. Payne is an absolutely superb crime novel that grabs you from the very beginning and won't let go.
Payne expertly devises a story that is full of suspense, twists, surprises, and cryptic clues. The character of DI Sheridan Holler is wonderfully complex and relatable, as are the supporting characters. The setting of the police station is realistic and believable, and I even learned a bit about England along the way.
The twists in the story, which is told from various points of view over various time periods, are shocking and yet make sense, causing you to wonder how you didn't see them coming. And just when you think all of the twists have been revealed, a few more come along and shock you all over again.
The ending wraps up nicely, and leaves you wanting to read more by this phenomenal storyteller.
I sincerely hope that this gets picked up for a crime series. I'd definitely tune in!
I am so happy to have received an ARC of #LongTimeDead from #NetGalley and I look forward to book two in the series.

When a cold case resurfaces, DI Sheridan Holler and her team find themselves embroiled in a complex and shocking investigation. This is the first book in a new Liverpool-set police procedural series that features a determined, likeable lead detective whose overarching backstory is the unsolved murder of her young brother. Ideal for fans of no-nonsense crime fiction with straightforward storytelling. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

A highly recommended 5 star and more read !
What a fantastic start to a new series I can’t wait for the next one and I’m sure this is going to be one of my all time favourites going by the first book. From the very start I just fell in love with this read it kept me guessing all the way through and has one of the most satisfying end I have read. The characters are all superb and so well crafted , the humour is just spot on and had me laughing a lot especially the very lovely Maud !
The book is filled with unpredictable twists that I didn’t see coming and when you read a lot of mystery thrillers as I do that always a big bonus. I just can’t fault the read in any way and my only sadness is I have to wait for the next to find out what is going to be happening next.
My thanks to TM Payne…. well girl you did yourself proud this is an amazingly good read and one that’s not to be missed, please write the next one soon.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As I say often, I love a debut, and this doesn't disappoint. Very well structured it keeps you guessing, the characters are very well developed, you get to know them. Overall, excellent throughout, very well written.

I couldn’t put this book down it down, Well written and excellent development of the characters. I was kept on tenterhooks to the very end. Well done on your first novel, hopefully not the last!

From the prologue to the very last page I was engrossed in this novel.
The prologue begins with a shooting in a supermarket car park, fast forward seven years and DI Sheridan Holler is still trying to discover who killed her brother Matthew twenty seven years previously. But when a decomposed body is discovered and later revealed as John Lively, the man suspected of supermarket crime, her time and effort moves to that case.
With lots of characters you could be forgiven for wondering how they are all linked together but by the end of the novel all the threads come together to a satisfactory conclusion. I look forward to more in the series

DI Sheridan Holler is used to solving crimes on Liverpool’s streets, but after a decayed corpse turns up in a cemetery, she finds herself reopening not one but two cold cases. Seven years earlier, two women were gunned down and the only suspect, small-time drug dealer John Lively, was never seen again. Case closed. Until the body in the cemetery is identified as his.

This is a great, well-written, and paced story. The characters are three-dimensional and believable and the book is an easy read. I like the short chapters and it flows well and is easy to follow. Plus, it’s a terrific ending that twists and turns until the very last page.

. This book was brilliant I couldn’t put it down, I just needed to know who had done it! I kept suspecting different people but in the end it was not who I thought it was. The writing style is easy to read and keeps you guessing.

Long Time Dead is the first in what will hopefully be an ongoing series featuring DI Sheridan Holler.
When the long dead corpse of a small time local drug dealer John Lively is found in a Liverpool cemetery this leads to the reopening of a murder case.

I really enjoyed this police procedural, the plot moves along at a good pace, the characterisation is good and I felt involved with DI Holler and her team. There's a good cast of supporting characters, especially Holler's colleague Anna and enough of her back story to leave room to develop this further. Holler's own personal life is explored including the murder of her brother when they were teenagers which was the motivation for her to join the police force. There were a few twists which I enjoyed and I sped through this over the course of 24 hours. I would recommend this and really look forward to meeting Sheridan and her team again. The novel is set in Liverpool which is a city that I know and I felt that apart from name checking a few places I didn't get a sense of the city which was a shame. Hopefully this can be developed more in future novels.
Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

When the body of John Lively is found in a graveyard, DI Sheridan Holler has to find his killer. As Lively was chief suspect in the shooting of two women. one a police officer, seven years earlier there will be no shortage of suspects. However, new evidence confirms that Lively could not have shot the women. Sheridan suddenly finds herself investigating both cases and having to go back to the start. With her team backing her up they uncover evidence that could lead Sheridan into more danger than she could ever expect.
This is a twisty thriller, with a great plotline and strong characters that will grip you from the start. With moments of natural humour amidst the darkness. Sheridan Holler is a brilliant addition to the female detective genre. She is strong, intelligent, and kind and I can’t wait to read more featuring her.

I need to stop thinking I’m going to start a new series. I rarely like recurring characters and find the books focus too much on creating buy-in for them rather than a plot.

This is the first book I have read by TM Payne. It captured my attention from the very start and had me hooked.

DI Sheridan Holler joined the police force as her brother had gone missing when he was 13 and his body was found in the woods near their home- Sheridan was determined to find out who had murdered her brother but she kept drawing blanks.

Sheridan loved her job and her team. They got a new case when a body was found in another persons grave. The body was identified as John Lively who had disappeared after the murder of a police officer and the serious injury of another woman. John Lively was thought to be the one who had committed these crimes but further investigation cast some doubt on this.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

3* Decent tale, but very much told, not shown. Flashbacks weren't organic and slowed down the story towards the crescendo.

This is my first book by this author, that reads like her first book. Pacing is off, the tale is veey much told, not shown, and at 70% gone, it should have been ending. But, at that point the author started delving into Sheridan's brother going missing, into the baddie's past and thoughts and machinations, and feelings, and everything slowed right down. It took me out of the take at this point, and a couple of times before.

What I didn't get was how there wasn't a hint of Scouse in anyone's speech. This tale is set right bang in the middle of Liverpool and there's no way that at least one character wouldn't have been speaking that way. Even without the accent, there'd have been local expressions, but the only thing there was, was 'butty'. I know the author's a Brit, but I'm not sure she wrote an authentically Scouse-set tale. I mean, EFC and LFC barely featured!!

It is readable but it needs weeding out, details need to be sharper and less round the houses, and sorry, but it needs a good editing and the pace needs picking up. I'm not sure if the care home owner grabbing something mysterious and going to London on a train will lead to events in book 2, or if the author's totally forgot about her and her Xmas visit to family, as by the time the tale ended, it was April, I think, or at least, March. This author has potential but where detail about people was needed, she skipped it, and where things needed to be galloping towards the finale, she slowed things down and introduced things that jarred, from 72% onwards.

ARC courtesy of Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley, for my reading pleasure.



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