I would like to thank Netgalley and Bastei Entertainment for an advance copy of Beg for Mercy, the third novel to feature DS Solomon Gray of Margate police.

Fifteen years ago Sol was a very junior DC but as first responder to the murder of Valerie Usher he became one of the team that arrested and convicted her husband, Duncan, a local crime boss. Now Duncan has been released and the Independent Police Complaints Commission is re-examining the original investigation. Sol has more to worry about but he's in the sights of both the IPCC and Duncan Usher who seems to know more about Sol's son Tom's disappearance than he should.

I thoroughly enjoyed Beg for Mercy which has a fascinating plot and a very readable style. I really like Mr Nixon's way with words which is crisp and economical and yet gets the point across in a way that the reader can visualise. The novel is told from Sol's point of view but with a dual timeline helpfully labelled "then" and "now". Normally I prefer a continuous timeline but the split works extremely well as both investigations had me hooked from start to finish. To be honest I don't think that the novel could have worked in any other way. Sol's current day investigation of what happened fifteen years ago matches the slow unfurling of what did happen. Both investigations have unexpected twists and a gradual revelation of the truth. With the "then" revelations slightly outpacing the "now" the reader is ahead of Sol but rather than making Sol's investigation seem redundant it adds a certain piquancy to his discoveries.

Running in the background is Sol's hunt for his missing son. It doesn't have a major role to play but it informs many of his decisions and ends the novel in a shocking cliffhanger.

Beg for Mercy is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I love good police procedural novels and this one certainly hit the spot.

Well written, a good and credible plot and well developed characters.

Chapters were set alternately in the pr3sent and past and this literary device worked well and added to the tension.

This is the third in the series and I would have benefitted from reading the first two books beforehand but it did not take away from my enjoyment of an excellent novel.

Recommended.

Solomon Gray #3 is without doubt, the best so far in this series, an easy 5 stars.

15 years ago mobster Duncan Usher was sent to prison for life for murdering his wife and brand new detective Solomon Gray was integral in the case. However, Usher did not kill his wife.....he was framed for it. Fast forward 15 years and Usher is released on a technicality and badly wants revenge on those who have stolen 15 years of his life, especially the cops from back then, including Gray. Ah yes, Solomon Gray......still searching for his missing son, trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter and now battling major health issues of his own is an engrossing, compassionate character that drives this series.

Told in 2 timelines, this was a well constructed, morally complex plot that grips all the way to an intense finish. With rich and compelling characters.....both good and bad......it unfolded at a great pace after pulling me in from the first page. I recommend reading these 3 books in order to get the full experience - you won't be sorry. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.