Death on Demand

The newest Shaw and Valentine police procedural, Death on Demand has a thrilling and complex plot. It does require the reader have patience, as it takes time for the connections between various parts to become apparent. Revelations come slowly, through persistent police work. Little is revealed in advance to the reader. Patience is rewarded as the threads come together.

Ruby Bright is just turning 100, but on the eve of the celebration she is found in her wheelchair, cruelly suffocated. The inquiry into her death is assigned to Detective Inspector Shaw and Detective Sergeant Valentine. Why would anyone want to murder an elderly centurion? Why did she keep a copy of her friend's death certificate hidden behind a picture? The deeper they dig, the more it becomes clear that Ruby Bright was murdered to hide a larger conspiracy linking her care home and the decrepit Parkwood Springs estate.

In addition to the investigation, Shaw is in charge of ensuring the Walsingham pilgrimage occurs without incident. Numerous pilgrims and protestors are expected, and although most are peaceful someone has been making threats...

Death on Demand is a solid police procedural. The one weakness lies in that the writing doesn't immerse the reader in the story as well as it should. Rather than feeling part of the investigation, I was constantly reminded I was reading. The original, multilayered plot makes Death on Demand a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys police procedurals.

The writing justifies a 3/5 but the plot elevates Death on Demand to a 4/5.

4/5

Death on Demand is the 6th Shaw and Valentine police procedural. The books do not have to be read in order.

Death on Demand is available for preorder and will be released November 1, 2015

I received a copy of Death on Demand from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Jim Kelly serves a gourmet feast in his newest in the Shaw-Valentine series. He starts with the murder of a centenarian on her birthday. He throws in a pair of sneakers hanging from utility wires. Add a religious pilgrimage facing political protesters. Stir in a group of serious surfers. What could these ingredients produce? A perfect soufflé, like always.

Hi Karen,
My next review is as follows:-

"Death On Demand:A Shaw And Valentine Police Procedural", written by Jim Kelly and published in hardback by Creme de la Crime on 31 July 2015.224 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1780290775

When the newspapers turn up to cover Ruby Bright's 100th birthday, they find her seaside care home is a murder scene. Someone spirited Ruby away by wheelchair down to the water's edge on the idyllic north Norfolk coast, and strangled her. But why kill a harmless centurion? As Detective Inspector Shaw and Detective Sergeant Valentine investigate, it's clear Ruby wasn't the first victim, and nor is she the last. All trails seem to lead back to the old Parkwood Springs estate, close to the docklands. There's only one way in and one way out of the estate - through the derelict Lister Tunnel. But what is the secret within...?

DI Shaw is advised by very senior officer that DS Valentine, his partner of many years, will be advised that his heavy smoking habit has caused him to develop terminal lung cancer and he has a limited time left. Shaw is told this in confidence so that he may counsel Valentine, when he has been officially told by his doctor.

Thoughts and worries about Valentine weigh on Shaw's mind and are such that investigation of all the many clues regarding the serial murders is taken up more by Valentine than by Shaw.

The descriptions by the author of the Norfolk coast, Hunstanton and around there are very evocative for me and reminded me of the many happy times I had on camping holidays in years gone by in the vicinity and is something I look forward to reading when I have books by this author.

The high quality of the tight plotting of the story of this police procedural is much to be savoured and reading a book with characters that you have enjoyed in previous works is like putting on an old and well worn pair of gloves again and you pick up the previous enjoyment very quickly.

I read his outstanding first book Death Wore White privately but his second one Death Watch in Feb 2010 I read for review and really enjoyed it and although I had hoped to read his following books, Death On Demand is the first one that I've had the privilege of reviewing since.

This was a most enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more by this very gifted author. Recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry
(to be published on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

The book opens with a crowd of onlookers oohing & aahing at the appearance of a supermoon in the sky over West Norfolk. With what follows you may be forgiven for interpreting it as an omen. DI Peter Shaw & partner DS George Valentine are soon investigating the horrific murder of Ruby Bright at her care home. Who would kill a 100 year old? And that's not the only thing on their plate.
Chief Constable Joyce is on their case about security for the upcoming pilgrimage to a shrine at Walsingham. Left & right leaning groups are threatening to use the event to make a statement & Joyce doesn't want any negative publicity on his watch. Meanwhile, George may be at a crossroad. His relationship with PC Jan Clay is solid but results from his recent medical tests don't bode well for their future.
Then the wheels officially fall off. Before they know it, they're dealing with more bodies, crimes at the care home, Right to Life vs. Pro-euthanasia groups & the appearance of hundreds of sneakers hanging from power lines & trees. Oh, and George's judgemental cat Zebra? He's not looking so hot.

There are multiple story lines & it's only as the book progresses that we, like Peter & George, discover which are related. Lucky for us, there is a greater conspiracy here which makes for a taut & layered mystery full of surprises & suspense. Red herrings abound & it's tricky to tell the good guys from the bad.
This is a smart, well paced police procedural but it's the characters that drive the narrative. The complex relationship between Peter & George is the centre around which everything else revolves. George used to work with Peter's father & has known him since he was a kid. Now Peter is his boss. In a sense, they're family because of that shared history & with that come all the emotions & conflict you expect to find between family members. Those feelings are heightened in this outing due to George's health problems & cause both men to reflect on death in general. It's a subtle theme running beneath all the action. Is it possible to have a "good" death? Should we be able to pick the time & place without fear of reprisal for those around us at the end? Peripheral characters include Peter's wife & daughter & the various people associated with the crimes. They run the gamut from octogenarians to would be gang-bangers, all well defined with distinct personalities.
The combination of intricate murder mystery & personal drama pulls you in from the get-go. As the story moves into the final chapters, the pace picks up as pieces fall into place & truths are revealed. As in real life, sone issues are resolved, others...not so much.
This is book #6 in the series & it doesn't disappoint. I look forward to #7.

This is another very good police procedural by Jim Kelly featuring Detective Inspector Peter Shaw and Detective Sergeant George Valentine. This is the second book in the series I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Shaw and Valentine are partners and work in the West Norfolk Constabulary while sharing a long standing personal relationship which has not necessarily been cordial all the time. There are issues they need to sort out concerning Shaw's father and each story takes them a little further along in their journey of mutual understanding of the situations involved. This novel finds Norfolk gearing up for World Pilgrim Day on the August Bank Holiday. Thousands of religious pilgrims will be marching toward Walsingham and now there is a counter-pilgrimage element making its well organized presence felt. Chief Constable Joyce is extremely conscious of his desired route to bigger and greater postings than Norfolk so he wants assurances from Shaw that all will go well during the march. Unfortunately a resident of Marsh House, a private residential care home, has been found in her wheelchair out by the ocean, obviously murdered.

This story does not include as much of the personal life of Peter Shaw but definitely more for George Valentine. George is going to have to make some serious decisions and he isn't facing those prospects easily. I liked getting better acquainted with Valentine in this novel and I thought the problems he had to face were presented in a very realistic way. The book kept revealing more and more complications as it went along so there was never a period of let-down. By the time it's all over with all age ranges and socio-economic groups have been touched on with the ending tying the threads together in a very satisfactory manner. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of the writings of Jim Kelly.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

Death on Demand 4 stars Jim Kelly

It just feels right…..

The Shaw and Valentine series of crime/thriller books will be well known to many readers but new to me. The Inspector and Sergeant sidekick format is very common in this kind of story and the interest always lies as much in the relationship between the two cops as in the plot itself. On this occasion the plot and the relationship sit well side by side and as a new reader of this series it was like slipping on a favourite glove. It just felt right.

The story is a stand alone and whilst knowledge of the previous books might add something, it is unnecessary. There is obviously history between the two men but not knowing the full details did not detract from the enjoyment. It is based in Norfolk where a centenarian (well almost) is found dead in very suspicious circumstances. Her murder then leads the detectives to investigate other deaths which are also then found to be suspicious. Running alongside this is the Walsingham invasion of pilgrims with the threat from anti-pilgrim protesters and strange happenings with shoes all over town.

The plot does not therefore solely focus on the first murder but, much like real life, follows other story lines and apparently unrelated incidents plus chronicling the pressure from an unreasonable and uncaring, politically motivated boss; which I suspect will chime with many readers. There’s also a new man on the force who is the boss’s favourite and golfing partner so alpha male hackles rise. Conflict therefore abounds and there are well written moments when the stress bubbles to the surface, affecting decisions and relationships whilst also adding interest and a change of pace.

Even the secondary characters felt real and the dialogue throughout was genuine and not at all wooden or stilted. I particularly enjoyed the ending which pretty much sums up life in general.

So, 4 stars overall with one star being taken off for some far-fetched story lines which are unlikely to have happened in real life but were not important enough to spoil the overall enjoyment.

mr zorg

This is the 6th book in the Shaw/Valentine series, this is just one less than the author's original Philip Dryden series. Set in the Kings Lynn area of Norfolk. The new Chief Constable is determined that the forthcoming pilgramige to Walsingham is to go ahead without problems. He is concerned that there is an alternative walk organized. Peter Shaw is busy organizing the policing when a murder is reported at an expensive Care Home. A feisty lady who has just celebrated her 100th birthday has been cruelly murdered. Peter and George have problems enough when what seems to be a silly prank ( throwing trainer shoes up into trees etc ) turns sinister. George also has a health scare which test his relationship with Jan Clay, widow of a deceased colleague and now a probationer Constable. The novel keeps you guessing and as usual full of rich and varied characters. See my full review on Euro-Crime.

Death comes to the sands of Norfolk

Reviewed for Euro Crime by Terry Halligan.

When the newspapers turn up to cover Ruby Bright's 100th birthday, they find her seaside care home is a murder scene. Someone spirited Ruby away by wheelchair down to the water's edge on the idyllic north Norfolk coast, and strangled her. But why kill a harmless centurion? As Detective Inspector Shaw and Detective Sergeant Valentine investigate, it's clear Ruby wasn't the first victim, and nor is she the last. All trails seem to lead back to the old Parkwood Springs estate, close to the docklands. There's only one way in and one way out of the estate - through the derelict Lister Tunnel. But what is the secret within...?

DI Shaw is advised by a very senior officer, that DS Valentine, his partner of many years, will be told that his heavy smoking habit has caused him to develop terminal lung cancer and that he has limited time left. Shaw is told this in confidence so that he may counsel Valentine, when he has been officially told by his doctor.

Thoughts and worries about Valentine weigh on Shaw's mind and are such that investigation of all the many clues regarding the serial murders is taken up more by Valentine than by Shaw.

The descriptions by the author of the Norfolk coast, Hunstanton and around there are very evocative for me and remind me of the many happy times I had on camping holidays in years gone by in the vicinity; and is something I look forward to reading when I have books by this author.

The high quality of the tight plotting of the story of this police procedural is much to be savoured and reading a book with characters that you have enjoyed in previous works is like putting on an old and well worn pair of gloves again and you pick up the previous enjoyment very quickly.

I read his outstanding first book in the Shaw and Valentine series, DEATH WORE WHITE privately and the second one DEATH WATCH for review in 2010 and really enjoyed it and although I had hoped to read his following books, DEATH ON DEMAND is the first one that I've had the privilege of reviewing since.

This was a most enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more by this very gifted author.

Recommended.

Terry Halligan, September 2015.