Naked Flames

5 stars

DCI Harry Brock is relaxing on his day off with his girlfriend when he receives a call to the scene of a suspicious death – at a nudist camp called the Pretext Club. (Although the participants prefer them to be called “naturist” camps.) The man was burned to death in one of the camp's “chalets.”

The man's name was Robert “Bob” Sharp. He was at the camp with a young woman.

DCI Brock’s team discovers that Bob was a con man who was wanted in several districts for conning wealthy and not-so-wealthy women out of their savings and running up charges on the credit cards. Then he disappears. He has so many victims that I had some trouble keeping them all straight. And he was a bigamist. He was already married when he proposed and married many of the women he was conning. All in all a thoroughly unlikable guy.

The team then finds out that good old Bob was murdered. They obviously have too many suspects and the owners of the camp are no great shakes, either.

It turns out to be a complicated and somewhat intricate case. There are circles within circles in the investigation that lead the team down several false paths. Bob was a man who made many enemies and they police need to interview them all and sort out the alibis.

A surprise is in store for the reader as the book draws to a close. It is a delicious twist to the story.

This is perhaps the best DCI Brock story that I have read to date. Mr. Ison has really outdone himself on this one. The book is extremely well written and plotted. The transitions are seamless and smooth. The characters are engaging and likable. (Well the police team is...) The book is interesting and doesn't have gore. It is a very competent study of a police investigation. I really liked this book and recommend it to all who like police procedurals or just a darn good read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this very fine book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Naked Flames is the seventeenth book in the DCI Harry Brock and DS Dave Poole series, and it's a great addition to a superb series which surprisingly has not lost steam as of yet; in fact, this is the perfect starting point for new readers as it is the most compulsive and gripping to date. I love these mystery-thrillers as they are so different from everything else in the genre, and each instalment can be read independently without issue. They are also fitting for those who enjoy this genre but prefer it without graphic violence or profanity but none of the interest missing.

The story revolves around a wanted conman, Bob Sharp, who literally has so many innocent female victims and has destroyed the lives of many. He wines and dines them until they are sufficiently attached to him before taking them for all they have; he's even married a few of them despite already having a wife! Sadly, being handsome and charismatic means women are easily attracted to him and he uses this to maximum advantage. When he is found burned to a crisp in his chalet at the nudist camp known as the Pretext Club it is clear from the beginning that he was murdered. But by whom?

There are a plethora of possible suspects each with a strong motive for killing this vile creature and this makes it a very unpredictable read. From the first chapter, I was invested and compelled to keep turning the pages. It was great to catch up with Brock and Poole and once again their nonstop hard work in a challenging case pays off and they manage to collar the culprit. The writing flows beautifully from page to page. It's an intricate and proficiently plotted police procedural and an excellent, clean read. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Severn House Publishers for an ARC.