The new Aector McAvoy novel by David Mark begins with a bloodbath. A man is being literally ripped to pieces with the savagery torturers used to flay saints in medieval times. Just as it seems the victim is done for, someone comes to his rescue, in the shape of a small but fierce woman. We soon learn that the tortured man is Decland Parfitt who would, after he made an almost miraculous recovery, be jailed for child sexual abuse. His rescuer? Aector McAvoy’s long time boss, the formidable Chief Detective Superintendent Trish Pharaoh.

The story actually begins with a man driving in the pouring rain along a remote minor road in East Yorkshire. The driver, a man named Joe, is getting an ear-bashing from his ex-wife – who is on speaker phone – over the way he has let their daughter down. Distracted by her tirade and with the windscreen misting up, he feels a large bang, and knows he has hit something. When he gets out of the car he sees what appears to be a large black bag lying in the road. Rapidly calculating that there will be no cameras nearby, he gets back in the car and drives off. The bag is later found to contain a body – that of John Dennic, jailed for a savage assault on a police officer, and an acquaintance of Parfitt in prison. Dennic had been on day release when he went missing.

Parfitt was an arch-deceiver. He brought fun and laughter to countless youngsters across the region as a children’s entertainer. Dressed rather like Lofty in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, he was everyone’s favourite uncle, with his jokes, his performing animals and his sunny disposition. He was a single man, but that rang no alarm bells with the local authorities when he applied to be a foster parent to two damaged sisters. Incredibly, his request was granted. One of the girls, Gaynor, suffered such abuse at his hands, that she later committed suicide. Younger sister Ruby, however, adored her foster dad and swore on oath that Gaynor was in a state of drug induced delusion.

Trish Pharaoh has two major problems to deal with and, by definition, they become McAvoy’s too. It seems that the prison authorities are determined to release Parfitt from prison, and Pharaoh needs to stop this. Second, she needs to disturb Ruby’s deep conviction that her foster father is a decent man who was wrongly convicted. Pharaoh is also convinced that Parfitt was also responsible for the abduction and murder of at least two girls, whose bodies have never been found.

The cast of villains in many of David Mark’s novels resemble the creations of the great Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. Bosch was obsessed with the darker side of humanity, and if you take a magnifying glass to his paintings, you can see tormented individuals, scurrying this way and that in the hellish landscape in which the painter has placed them. Bosch painted a figurative mouth of Hell, a gaping maw into which humans are sucked. Mark’s villains, such as Parfitt and Dennic are consumed by a metaphorical hell created from their own misdeeds. This is dark stuff, and not for the cosy crime community. Past Redemption is, however a fierce and gripping tale of evil deeds committed against the grey and dreary background of a city once vibrant with the noise and smells of its fishing industry, but now reduced to a backwater trying to celebrate what it once was.

The novel plays out with dramatic revelations of people who have pretended to be one thing, but were something else entirely. It is no coincidence that the man who nearly killed Parfitt, and may have killed Dennic has the nickname Virgil. David Mark himself plays Dante’s Virgil, as he leads us through Purgatory and Hell, contrasting his monstrous villains with McAvoy who, although, a physical giant, is gentle, endearingly clumsy, but fiercely brave. Past Redemption is a magnificent reminder that the English Noir genre, pioneered by Ted Lewis and Derek Raymond, is alive and kicking. The novel is published by Severn House.

EXCERPT: For a moment, he sees Decland Parfitt in his mind's eye. Sees the ruination of his flesh; the deformities carved into and out of him. He thinks of Trish Pharaoh, silent in the dark catacombs beneath the building on the clifftop: the copper who saved a multiple murderer from an unknown vigilante. Thinks of the crime scene photos: empty beds and pulled-back bedclothes, the whiff of ether and blood. He wants to shake it all away. Wants to give the responsibility to somebody else. If they can't prove what he did . . . Parfitt could be free by his next parole hearing. Could be back out in the world - his flesh cruelly deformed but his hunger unsated. He could come back here. Could start again. Could be loose on the same streets where his daughter rides her bike; where Daisy sleeps in the cool air of a big sash window. He can't stand it. Can't face it. Can't allow it.

ABOUT 'PAST REDEMPTION': Decland Parfitt, one of Northumberland's most dangerous criminals, is about to be released after fourteen years in prison. It's up to DCS Trish Pharaoh and DI Aector McAvoy to prevent this from happening.

Parfitt's foster daughter Ruby doesn't believe her father is guilty of some of the worst crimes imaginable and is appealing to the parole board for him. McAvoy has to try and convince Ruby to see the real predator in Parfitt.

Meanwhile, Trish has her own investigation which could lead to more answers: tracking down a mysterious, extremely violent vigilante.

But will the duo and their team be able to stop Parfitt's release and what does a body in the middle of a deserted road have to do with their investigation? Are there even darker forces at play that will make McAvoy question his own sanity?

MY THOUGHTS: Complex, and twisty. Grim and gritty. Please do not attempt to read this if you haven't read at least a few of the earlier books in this series. You will need the backstories contained in the earlier books to make sense of this one.

As I said, complex. Not a book to be read when you are tired or unable to concentrate. Not a book to be read if you are wanting something restful, or light and fluffy. Past Redemption is dark and gritty. It features pedophiles and vigilantes. Although there are graphic descriptions of violence and torture, there are none of the child abuse that is mentioned. It features a complex storyline where little is as it first seems.

A little more light and joy in the form of Roisin, Aector's wife, and their children would have been appreciated. We see and hear very little of them in Past Redemption, which is a pity.

Aector and Trish Pharoah are the perfect foil for one another. Although Trish isn't quite as hard as she likes to make out - there is a smidgeon of marshmallow buried deep within - Aector is almost pure marshmallow. He has a kind heart. He listens. He cares. For this reason, Trish keeps him in the dark about certain aspects of the investigation. Although I could follow her reasoning, and even grudgingly agreed with it, I didn't like it. I may not have quite forgiven her yet.

Past Redemption is not for the squeamish or fainthearted. But if, like me, you have devoured the other books in this series, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#PastRedemption #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: David spent more than 15 years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with The Yorkshire Post – walking the Hull streets that would later become the setting for the internationally bestselling Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy novels.

His writing is heavily influenced by the court cases he covered: the defeatist and jaded police officers; the inertia of the justice system and the sheer raw grief of those touched by savagery and tragedy.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Burning Time by David Mark for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Enjoyed this book. Adrenalin fuelled read with a storyline that left me open mouthed. Dynamic interaction between colleagues ,compelling and riveting another winner from this author

A convicted child abuser is looking to get parole and Aector McAvoy is headed up to cold case to stop Parfitt getting parole. A much more complex thriller from Mark David. Well crafted characters and plot twists. This is in my opinion Mark's best book yet. Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this review ARC.

2011 Hull Yorkshire. Decland Parfitt aged 49 years is jailed for fourteen years. The childrens entertainer is a convicted paedophile. He has abducted children. One of them eleven year old Carmel Barry her body has never been found.
He was a registered foster carer and had a mobile petting zoo with birds, spiders and reptiles. His nickname is the Lizard King. He had two foster daughters. One committed suicide because of the abuse, but the other praised him as kind and loving!
It was detective chief superintendent Patricia ( Trish ) Pharaoh who brought Parfitt to justice. Detective inspector Aector McAvoy is heading up a Cold Case department trying to prove Parfitt is responsible for more abductions and murders. Time is not on their side because Parfitt could be released from prison shortly.
Trish meets with Ruby the surviving foster daughter, but she is adamant she wants Parfitt released and he can stay with her and her husband Mem and their young son.
Detective sergeant Ben Neilson works with Aector on the Cold Cases but he's been seconded by detective chief inspector Jeremy Wolsingham. They have found a dead body wrapped in a plastic bag. There is a case of mistaken identity when Mem - Ruby's husband and three other men mistake Aector for a villain and attack him. Ben identifies the dead man as a John Dennic who until recently shared a cell with Parfitt. What was he doing in Hull? Can Trish prevent Parfitt's release and make sure no more girls go missing?
This is the thirteenth McAvoy/Pharoe book and up to the author's usual high standard. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the electronic advance copy of the newest book in the DS McAvoy series. I have read and enjoyed any books in this brilliant crime series and a couple of his stand-alones. I found this one to be more complex and multi-layered than the previous ones, and it should be read with attention, as not everything is what it seems. The characters are always intriguing, but some may be misleading. I always enjoyed the working relationship between Aector McAvoy and Trish Pharaoh but felt that McAvoy was absent too much. I recommend reading some of the previous books to become better acquainted with the recurring characters.

This was the story of a pedophile and vigilante justice. There were graphic, dark, disturbing passages containing torture and deaths. Thankfully, the child abuse was mentioned but never described or made explicit. There were groups formed to alter the predator's behaviour with heavy doses of legal and illegal drugs.

Trish had arrested Decland Parfitt, a serial child abuser, years before. He was one of the most dangerous offenders. What did she do when she discovered him being tortured? Now, after fourteen years, he may be released from prison. Trish and McAvoy know he will continue to prey on young children and are determined to keep him locked up. Parfitt's foster daughter, Ruby, denies that he is guilty, although her older sister committed suicide due to his abuse. Ruby hopes Decland will live happily in the home she shares with her thug boyfriend and his small son after his release. There is the additional search for an extremely violent unknown offender handing out vigilante justice. How is a body found on a deserted road connected with the investigation?

Past Redemption will be released on December 03.

Another excellent read from the author in the DS Mc Avoy series, one of the best in the crime genre. I do love the relationship between Mc Avoy and Pharao, what an amazing bond they have within the team. The plotting is dark, with many layers and the descriptions are quite vivid but this is definitely a book worth the read. The whole series is brilliant, filled with interesting characters and one which I highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Yet again David Mark delivers a grim heartbreaking yet gripping novel , this time about the cruelty of men and child abuse. Not for the fainthearted . With Pharoah living alone and McAvoy devoted as as always to Roisin the story continues. Following Dantes circles of hell this is a dark novel to read but also has humour. I personally cannot get enough of McAvoy and Pharoah and am always disappointed when I've finished and have to wait. If you haven't tried this series I highly recommend you do.

Latest in Mark's very successful Aector MacAvoy series set in Scotland and after a bit of a slow start, this one revved up and really delivered. A multi layered early plot all came together as the book progressed just like it always does for this fine author. A paedophile jailed by MacAvoy's boss, Trish Pharaoh, years ago is set to be released but Pharoah will do anything in her power to prevent that. She enlists Aector to assist but he soon realizes that not everything is as it seems......even what his boss and friend, Pharoah, it telling him. Take you time with every page and every detail and you will be rewarded. Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Another dark and thrilling book featuring Aector McAvoy and Trish Pharao. This time they're trying to keep a paedophile in prison. The description of his crimes are quite graphic and may be upsetting to some. However, as dark as the book is, David Mark is a marvellous writer and the relationship between Aector and Trish is well depicted and makes me come back to this series again and again.

Couldn't get into this story. Characters are quite interesting but way too much self reflection. Dragged on far too long

Another tremendous installment in the hull based crime series.

The story harks back to previous books so it's best to start the series from the beginning otherwise the stage isn't set correctly.

Trish pharaoh features heavily in this book and she's such a well drawn character, the perfect wild foil to Aectors straightlaced gentleness

A highly recommended 5 star read

Aector McAvoy and Trish Pharoah in another dark twisting tale of gruesome deeds. A body in a bag on a remote road gets things started and echoes of a previous case investigation with Aector looking into the cold case which suddenly becomes current. Full of violent detail this is another brilliant yarn that never lets you go right up to its intriguing epilogue.

Aector McAvoy, one of the best crime fiction creations in recent history is back again in another dark, gritty and thoroughly twisted thriller from the outrageously gifted David Mark.

As ever the subject’s matter it’s as dark as can be as the past is dragged up for Trish Pharoah and Aector. Trish is her usual brash but brilliant self and she gels so well with gentle giant that is Aector.

Moody, hard hitting crime thrills from a author who is genuinely superb, David Mark has been around a while and written many books, this is certainly one at the top end,

If the publisher can get the price point correct, David Mark could sell very well.

This is a reliably good series. It is dark and gritty with the subject material not to everyone’s liking but Aector and Pharoah are teamed up to keep a pedophile from getting out of jail. Pharoah has a personal stake in keeping Declan Parfitt in prison.

There are gruesome scenes of torture that are a bit difficult to read with a vigilante feeling. And then there is his foster daughter. Is Ruby what she seems? The book is fast paced.

I also enjoy seeing Awctor and Roisin and how their family has grown and changed. This is a series I will continue to read and look forward to the next installment. Thank you to David Mark, the publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC to review.

I loved David mark’s earlier novels but felt he went a little off course in his more recent books. Thankfully this was a welcome return to form and a rollercoaster of a read!

There were lots of complex characters and interlinking stories. A few decent red herrings and enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning, with the usual engaging and vivid writing style.

Things did get a little convoluted towards the end, and there was a random chapter where the sudden introduction and laboured use of ‘they/them’ pronouns for a very minor character seemed incongruous and added nothing to the story - but overall it was an enjoyable read, despite the grim subject matter!

Knocked off one star as the last couple of chapters felt a little rushed and the building tension seemed to peter out a bit- slightly anti-climatic end, but I’d give it a solid 8/10.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book. A great twisty crime book. Couldn't put it down.
Thankyyou netgalley for the chance to read this