Down Among the Dead

I don’t know about you but police procedurals are my chosen form of escapism right now! I’ve already binged a pile of British crime series on TV and have now moved on to books in a similar vein. They’re just so compelling! Down Among the Dead follows DI Nixon, a police officer for Avon & Somerset who has an intriguing new case on his books. A body has been discovered during a local archaeological dig, one that’s a little more recent than the historical excavation was hoping for when it turns out to be a teenage boy who went missing more than a decade ago. What makes this case unique, however, is that the man who was believed to be his killer was convicted of two more murders many years ago - and the body was buried recently! I love a crime story that blends cold cases with a contemporary crime, and even better if they explore possible miscarriages of justice so this was PERFECT for me. And even though I enjoy a good mystery novel, I have to say that I haven’t read many British police procedurals so was so pleased to discover that my love of the on screen version translates into literature as well. All the better Damien Boyd already has nine other books following DI Nixon so there is tonnes for me to go back and get my teeth stuck into 🤩.

I really can’t believe this is the tenth in this police procedural series set in Somerset. The detective team is led by the dynamic and unconventional police officer DI Nick Dixon. He is a senior officer’s nightmare in that he is spontaneous, truth seeking and refuses to follow the party line especially if it gets in the way of solving a murder.

When cold case seems to be heating up with an appeal due; a victim’s body of the Scytheman is found on an archeological dig of the 1685 battle of Sedgemoor. DCI Lewis was a junior officer in the original investigation 15 years previously. He was never happy about the conviction and when political expediency is required he appoints Dixon to seek out the truth and hopefully ease his own conscience.

The juxtaposition of the historic battle and the site of the body being found in a modern case makes for an absorbing read. The mists and topography of the location which thwarted the rebellion makes the modern crime scene even more confusing. The drainage canals and rhynes act as both barriers and an alternative means of travel across this landscape.

I love history and this interweaving of the old and the new was as fascinating as it was revealing. I love it when a plot arising from such associations and the meticulous detail and faithfulness to this premise still enabled a deeper mystery to remain hidden until the final chapters.

Another fast paced thriller with touches of humour and grounded in normal identifiable relationships. Damien Boyd is in my opinion an under appreciated author of great talent and original story telling. It is always a delight to read these novels and I have now read all ten. It is a mark of his skill and ability that this series shows now sign of stalling or running out of fresh ideas. That he can keep Jane central to the plot as Nick’s partner and former colleague shows the originality and thought that goes into creating these books.

That Nick finds time to walk Monty also grounds these novels and allows the readers a brief interlude from the action and time to process everything.

A perfect set of books for anyone to dip into UK crime fiction and lose themselves in Somerset. Brilliantly written as engaging stories and intriguing plots these are novels everyone should be aware of to read and share with others.

I unreservedly recommend them to you.

I liked this cold-case mystery, and would definitely read Boyd again. It's fast-paced and has a good hook, DI Nixon felt a bit cliche from time to time but which detective isn't?
it all starts when a body is found in a historic site but it's not really an old corpse. Then when the investigation would take off another body is found... A page-turning, tense read.

Book number 10 in the DI Nick Dixon crime series, a badly decomposed body is discovered during an archaeological dig with a weapon linking the crime to a killer who has been in prison for 15 years! So this is quite the mystery thriller as we try and work out what on earth is going on! This is a gripping book that is hard to put down, which is just what you want from a good thriller! This book is clearly thoroughly researched too and will definitely make you want to read more around the subject!