Thrown under the bus by Steve Parker.
Detectives Paterson and Clocks Book 10.
I did love the cover and blurb of this book. My word what an opening. I was hooked from page one. I couldn't put it down. I read this book in two sittings. I did like Ray and Johnny. I did love how everyone was looking out to help each other. 51. Oh my days. What an ending. Why steve? Why?

It is not often one gets to read a book that grabs you from page one and does not let go until the very unexpected ending. The twists and turns in the story will have you dizzy and giddy. Four unconnected people step out into traffic during rush hour and are killed. The traffic cop in charge of the shift realizes too late that something very odd is going on. He has no idea just how odd and perverted it will be and how deeply entrenched in the plot he will be.

Two renegade cops whose unique brand of policing have caught the attention of a group of government operatives. The invitation they received will delight the reader and just at the same time, they catch the four suicides case. The way in which the two cases are connected will astound both Patterson and Chocks. These two guys are a wrecking squad and do not stop coming even when they are wounded. But they are up against an equally lethal opponent. It is a question with every confrontation whether either or both will survive the encounter. The duplicity is unfathomable and even they have no idea of where it will all end. It was breathlessly exciting right up to the final twist.

Our two heroes are not the only great characters and you never know what is going to happen next. Fast paced and thrilling, it earns five purrs and two paws up.

An explosive start and finish to an amazing book. The chemistry between Patterson and Clocks was fantastic, couldn’t stop laughing at some of the outrageous remarks that came out of Clocks mouth. I wish I had read the other books in this series, just hoping it’s not the end for this amazing duo.

Thrown Under The Bus by Steve Parker is the 10th book in the Paterson & Clocks series and my first book I have read from it. (Where have I been?) I really enjoyed it and I found it easy to get into this book and I had no problems following it, especially as Steve gives you enough information from his past books and this could be read as a standalone, which was great for me!
Thrown under the bus was full of great twists and turners that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and turning your pages of your kindle to find out what happens next. I loved the characters Detectives Paterson and Clocks, they worked really well together.

Monday morning. 8.30 a.m. Chris Striker has seen it all. But nothing like this. He’s in charge of London’s Traffic Management System. Now he stares at his screen in horror. A woman deliberately steps into the path of an oncoming lorry at Tower Bridge. Killed on impact.

At the same moment, a man steps in front of a bus on London Bridge. Two other people stare at their phones, then launch themselves into the rush hour traffic.

Just who or what is controlling them? WoW!

Something about Striker’s account doesn’t add up. Detectives Paterson and Clocks race to his flat — and find the place ransacked. A note is taped to the kitchen door. One word: Retribution.

Paterson and Clocks are about to encounter their most powerful enemy yet.

A sinister mastermind with a frighteningly long reach. But, are they about to be thrown under the proverbial bus?

WoW this book was excellent and I will be going back to read more from this author.

An early morning call to Commissioner Sam Morne’s office for Detective Supt Ray Paterson and DI Johnny Clocks involves the usual mayhem, a few shootings, plenty of injuries and a lot of foul language, and the boys are back in the latest story in one of my favourite series! Now if you like your police all pc and cuddly, this is probably not the best read for you, but for their legions of fans, this is another long-awaited episode in their very colourful careers. Morne makes them an interesting offer. In the meantime, operatives at London’s Traffic Management System cannot believe their eyes as four separate people dotted around Bermondsey are glued to their phones and then simultaneously step in front of moving vehicles to their deaths. Something or someone made them do this. The pair investigate the four apparent suicides as murders, assisted by the rest of their team, including Jackie Hartnett, “Monkey” Harris and “Dusty” Doneghan, joined by new additions office manager Georgie Stokes, DC Harmony Lee and DC Alan Watts, needed since DC Colin Yorkshire was murdered by a serial killer in the last story and Tommy Gunn has also met a sticky end. Something is very off here, including the behaviour of duty manager Chris Striker. After they find Striker’s flat trashed and him missing, the word “retribution” appears twice and bringing in some outside help, they uncover a shocking deadly plan, something much bigger than anyone could have expected. A master manipulator is at work and the team have maybe just met their match. Who will come out alive?
If you haven't, I urge you to read the series in order as there is a lot of history although the books can be enjoyed as standalones. Detective Supt Ray Paterson is young, good looking and extremely wealthy, and at the start of the series was on a fast track to the top until it all went wrong, whilst DI Johnny Clocks is the complete opposite - loud, foul-mouthed and brash having come up through the ranks. The pair have since been through so much together and are now inseparable, welded together by the damage inflicted on them over the past five years which is really starting to take its toll. The relationship and conversations between the two are funnier than ever, a glimmer of light in a story which is extremely fast paced and full of action, bloodshed and danger. Wol’s little gang of problem solvers – Clocks’ wife ex DI Lyndsey Kitchener, IT expert Alice and the White Ghost - also all make very welcome return appearances in this story. The author really puts the reader through it as lives hang in the balance and with an ending like no other, I can’t wait to see what can possibly happen next!

First 5 star in a long time. I wish I had checked out the other 9 in the series before I read this last one. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!!

Book 10 in this series, and for me, the first one I’ve read.

Monday morning rush hour and people are dying, throwing themselves into the paths of oncoming lorries and buses.

Enter detectives Paterson and Clocks. an unlikely pairing that works, with utter hilarity as they push boundaries and break rules to discover who or what is driving people to take their own lives.

When the duo discover the awful truth, someone is desperate to silence them. Who else is going to find themselves thrown under the bus?

Even though I haven’t read the rest of the series, I very quickly connected with these brilliant characters and enjoyed the story very much. That ending though! WOW!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Steve Parker and Joffe for an ARC in return for an honest review.

11-25 update: Added TikTok link
This is the tenth book in this series, and my first thriller from Steve Parker. The author gives enough context to mentions of past events that this episode worked as a standalone. While being brash and rollicking, this novel has so much depth to it that I increased my star rating the next morning because the themes are staying with me.

This novel caught my attention because of the author's career in the Metropolitan Police. Parker brings an eye for detail, a quick mind, and an ear for dialogue to his crime fiction. I finished the book in two days and had some good laughs. The chemistry between the lead characters is a lot of fun. Some of the attitudes toward women and frequent rudeness grated on me, but as the events gained momentum and the characters were revealed through intense situations and emotions, the novel captivated me.

I found it well worth reading. The dark undertow in this novel reaches a gratifying peak.

The book is written in British English and has a glossary at the end. I found the language highly entertaining. Alrhough I had mixed feelings about abrasive content, there is a trans character and strong women. I've been around a lot of guys who put on aggressive humor, so most of it doesn't get under my skin. I could appreciate it as a release valve in dealing with social change and the stresses of a job that involves danger, dealing with the worst things people do, and witnessing horrific acts and their aftermath. In this context, the old maxim rings true: Actions speak louder than words.

There are some implausibilities that probably won't bother the average reader. The same as with watching over-the-top spy thrillers, it works best to ride along with it and shrug off the unbelievable bits.

There are great fight and action scenes, moving moments–and a lot more heart and darkness than I expected.

Recommended for readers who are comfortable with detailed violence who enjoy thrillers, gritty crime fiction, and action and adventure. This would be a good series to read from the beginning. Enjoy.

Thank you, Joffe Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley for consideration. These opinions are solely my own.

Paterson and Clocks have been getting more and more outlandish as the series has gone on. Some good one liners, but a totally unbelievable story. I do believe that not all police people as straightlaced and work totally by the book -but Paterson and Clocks take not working that way to the extremes.

Good fun, some serious moments, not exactly a classic police procedural or murder mystery.

Thanks to Net Gally and Joffe Publishers, I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This was such an intense and thrilling read all the way through, it kept it exciting and had me invested and until the end!

This is book ten in the Patterson and Clocks series and while it is very readable as a standalone book, I am guessing that the character relationships make more sense if you have read the others. I really enjoyed this one but it definitely needs a trigger warning for the graphic violence if you are not into that sort of thing.

Patterson and Clocks are chalk and cheese. One with a taste for the finer things, good education and more what you would expect from a team leader in the Met. The other a sociopath with a heavy London accent, terribly in need of some sensitivity training (likely for the 100th time) and a quick temper. But somehow they work. You can tell the characters care about each other and are well written even if Clocks’ dialogue sometimes needs to be reread to understand him. Guessing that in person, some people would need him to repeat himself too.

There are a few minor things that didn’t seem to be explained but for several storylines involving threads with British Intelligence, people running their own missions outside of the police and obvious past traumas/issues between the characters, it comes together at the end. By the middle of the book, the suicides that they are investigating are the last thing on your mind.

I look forward to catching up on some of the older books in the series when I have the time. Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.

Clocks is a fantastic character and I found myself heavily invested in his experiences and role in this book. With his partner, they make for a very human pair of officers - certainly not perfect, which made them very believable. I really hope the information on the traffic management system was factual as it was so interesting that I want to know more. This is a terrific police thriller, but it is also a bit different to what you usually get from this genre and I really recommend it.

Monday morning. 8.30am. Chris Striker has seen it all. But nothing like this. He’s in charge of London’s Traffic Management System. Now he stares at his screen in horror. A woman deliberately steps into the path of an oncoming lorry at Tower Bridge. Killed on impact.

At the same moment, a man steps in front of a bus on London Bridge. Two other people stare at their phones, then launch themselves into the rush hour traffic. Something about Striker’s account doesn’t add up. Detectives Paterson and Clocks race to his flat to interview him - and find the place ransacked. A note is taped to the kitchen door. One word: Retribution.

Fascinating. This is the first Steve Parker book I've read, and I will definitely be back for more. I loved the banter between Paterson and Clocks. I loved the thrill of everything coming together. Gripping page-turner from the very beginning. Highly recommend this! 4⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Wow! What a great book and an unputdownable read. I could not stop once I got started. This is an action packed read, plenty of tension and thrills. But one thing that I do need is to go back and read some of the other books in this series. This is an intriguing read and I enjoyed delving into it and going for the ride it took me one.

There is a lot of violence though which I think was a bit over the top but it was also balance out by the storyline and the intrigue and tension of the whole book and story. A great read.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

It started off as what I thought was going to be.a decent read, but quickly faded into something that became boring, when meant to be funny. Some might enjoy the read, but sadly, it wasn’t for me.

Paterson & Clocks #10

Several officers of the Traffic Management team are watching from their monitors when four mysterious suicides take place simultaneously in Central London. They all walk out in front of various vehicles. DS Ray Paterson and DI Johnny Clocks are investigating the case.

This story is action packed from the beginning. There are several threads running throughout this story, but they are all tied up neatly by the end. I really like Paterson and Clocks, they are completely different characters, like chalk and cheese, but work well together. There was quite a lot of violence, so I don't think it's a read for the faint hearted. There is some humour along the way. This is a twisted and addictive read.

Published 26th November 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #SteveParker for my ARC of #ThrownUnderTheBus in exchange for an honest review.

Captivating mystery from page one.
Very chilling beginning to this interesting tale of murder and mayhem within the upper
echelons of British intelligence.
When 4 people die within minutes of each other in central London, by stepping off curbs in front of oncoming traffic, it is anything but a tragic coincidence.
And ace investigators Clocks and Patterson are assigned the case.
What follows is a hunt for the culprits through a trail of red herrings.
The characters are well defined but having just read this particular book as a first of these, I
found the vernacular to be too off putting.
I did not realize how completely it was enveloped in the English way and found it a bit much
to follow at times.
The p!ot was intriguing but fighting the language lines was too often distracting.

.

Starting a series with book #10 isn't the best idea. But Thrown Under The Bus is an engaging, if incredibly violent and disturbing, read. The Met's Paterson and Clocks are unlike any detectives I've come across: they do what needs to be done to get the bad guys and hang the consequences. If you need to be as immoral and violent as they are, then do it, and do it hard.

The case revolves around four suicides that take place simultaneously in central London. Something obviously isn't right, but the duo couldn't begin to predict where the case would take them. It's impossible to say any more without spoilers.

Thrown Under The Bus is full of extreme violence, mixed with puerile humour. But somehow it works as a narrative and draws the reader into a world of extremes. Yet there are also moral dilemmas and moments of genuine bathos. It's definitely not one for the faint hearted ...

A rollercoaster of a book. It is the first book I have read in this series and I will be looking out for the others. Wonderful characters and storyline. The ending was masterly.

This book made me run through my emotions. At times it was funny with the ways the characters interacted, but other times there were tears in my eyes. I've read another book in this series and the interactions between the two lead characters are unlike those in many books I've read. There were a lot of deaths in this one, and, without wanting to spoil anything, I really hope the cliffhanger ending was just the end of the book and not the series!