Simon Mason has written books that I very much enjoy. Now the fourth in this Oxford set mystery/police procedural is available.

Note that it is possible to read this one on its own, although I definitely recommend reading all of the novels, even if not in order. Those who have read the previous stories s will be eager to just jump in.

Ryan and Ray share a last name, live in Oxford, are dads and are in the police force. Despite these seeming similarities, the two are very different and often struggle to work with one another.

Ryan grew up in a trailer park. He is a single dad to a little boy who is one of the best characters in the series. Ryan dresses most casually, has a minimal education, is often being reprimanded at work, but…gets the job done.

Ray grew up with many expectations placed upon him. He is Oxford educated, has a “blue,” is the married father of twins, and has a father who is quite invested in his career and success. His marriage seems a bit shaky at times.

In this novel, Ray and Ryan have a new boss. She insists on being called “Sir” and has a lot of plans for reforming the station. She has been warned about these two Wilkins.

A professor and professed atheist has been found murdered soon after an appearance at an Oxford Union debate. What was he doing out in his pajamas? What was behind his murder? Does it connect to another case that the squad has been assigned?

No spoilers so readers will have to find out for themselves.

I highly recommend this title and the entire series. These books will be enjoyed by those who like a complex mystery with characters that are engaging.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

New DCS Wainwright has a problem with two officers whose only similarity in their last name - Wilkins. Ray is handsome, always well dressed, ambitious and too sure of himself. Ryan is an unlikely policeman. He’s street smart, insensitive and intuitive. Wainwright assigns them to a simple case. A professor has got missing in the middle of the night. They are to interview his wife, talk to neighbors and find the missing man. They do but he’s dead, semi dressed and miles from home. The Wilkins DIs are now in the middle of a complicated case that they are unprepared for. This detailed, excellent and sometimes laugh out loud funny police procedural is impossible to put down. As the investigation progresses, Simon Mason lets you see the vulnerabilities of the two men and their superintendent. A Voice in the Night is a character study as well as an outstanding police procedural. I hope to see the Wilkins men again. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Book Group and Simon Mason for this ARC.

A Voice in the Night by Simon Mason is a highly recommended procedural and investigative mystery. This is the fourth novel in the series featuring DI Ryan Wilkins but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

At St Aldates police station experienced incoming DCS Rebecca Wainwright is reading notes on her new team, specifically about partners DI Ryan Wilkins and DI Ray Wilkins. Dependable DI Hare is investigating the murder of a security guard at the Pelzer Institute of Egyptology, so when the call comes in concerning an elderly man found dead outside a hotel in Sandford, she assigns Ryan and Ray to the case. It becomes clear to Ryan quickly that this was no heart attack.

Then the pair learn that Greta Emmett was awaken by a call at 3:35 am alerting her that her husbands fall alarm had gone off. She can't find him anywhere in the house or yard and reported him missing. She arrives at the scene outside the hotel and identifies the dead man as her husband, Linguistics Professor Joe Emmett. Adding more concerns is the organized shoplifting at the Co-Op where Jade, Ryan's sister works. when Jade confronted the gang, they threatened Jade, her daughter, and Ryan's son, little Ryan.

A Voice in the Night is a well-written, expertly plotted, twisty, and sometimes humorous procedural. It keeps up a quick pace throughout as clues in the cases are logically followed and the investigations all become increasingly complicated. This is an excellent choice for those who enjoy procedurals and following the clues in the investigation.

Ryan and Ray are under pressure to prove themselves to their new DCS, a woman who expects excellence and rule following. Considering the complete opposites that they are, Ryan struggles with the expectations and Ray worries about following them. There is a nice integration of their personal lives into the plot and some earth-shattering disclosures.
Thanks to Mobius for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This fourth book in the DIs Ryan and Roy Wilkins series finds the two with a new DCS, the striking and ultra-cool Wainwright. She has big ambitions and isn’t about to have them derailed by the Wilkinses—who, she’s been warned by her outgoing predecessor are, respectively, not to be given responsibility under any circumstances, and a posh and self-satisfied fashion plate needing more experience “at the wet end.”

When, on DCS Wainwright’s first day, the incoming cases are a murder right in the center of Oxford, and an old man gone missing from his home, she chooses to give the latter to the Wilkinses. But when the old man, a retired linguistics professor is found dead, soaking wet, and splayed out in his pajamas and dressing gown on the lawn of a hotel miles from his home, it’s clear this is no simple case of a wandering elder.

One of the pleasures of this series is the mix of the police procedural and the personal and inner lives of Roy and Ryan. And in this new book, we find that all is not as it first appears with DCS Wainwright and some witnesses and suspects. The plot is deliciously twisty, as new clues are discovered that lead to shifts in perspectives.

This series is a real find that ought to be dramatized. I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to read the books in order, so just grab one and read!

*The Wilkinses* is a hilarious and unpredictable detective story with two very mismatched detectives. Ryan Wilkins, in his baggy trackies and neon puffa, is a mess of chaotic energy, while his partner Ray, looking all polished in a navy blazer, thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread—despite being kind of a hot mess too. When they’re handed the “simple” case of a missing professor, things take a wild turn with a body showing up in the weirdest place. Their investigations may be chaotic, but they somehow get results. It's a fun, quirky read that keeps you guessing—and laughing—at every turn!

Thames Valley has a new Superintendent - DCS Wainwright young, charismatic and ruthless, charged with pushing through big reforms. Her in tray is full of problems and at the top of the pile is the problem of Wilkins and Wilkins! Decent read! This book had a shocking who done it twist that I didn’t see coming! It also had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, and a shocking ending! The story was interesting, it wasn’t my favorite of the series but still worth reading! I would recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!