Wildfire

5 stars

What a remarkable mystery/police procedural!

Henry Christie is a former Detective Superintendent who has retired and it loving it. He runs the Tawny Owl pub and guest house just outside of Blackpool. There is a raging forest fire threatening the town and the pub and Henry and his friends are doing their best to help out the firefighters.

When some of the residents don't respond to check-ins, Henry decides to go and check on them. The first thing he notices is that the couple's Great Dane is dead in the driveway – shot. He creeps through the house and discovers that the owners have been dismembered. He also discovers a cache of cash that may be as much as 2 million pounds.

Convinced to assist the police in the investigation, he is teamed up with DC Diane Daniels. She is a driven and spunky young woman. Henry likes her very much. Together, and with the other police officers, they tackle a gang of murderous ne'er-do wells.

This is an exciting and engaging read. I compulsively read it far past my bedtime. It is extremely well written and plotted. One event follows another in a perfectly logical progression. I liked Henry and Diane, as well as many of the other police officers. The explosion at the house makes a great subplot – and adds additional tension to the story, although the reader doesn't find out why until near the end of the novel. Very well done, Mr. Oldham!

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