Unforgiving

This is a really good read. It has several stories which all work well with one another and come together neatly at the end. The characters are drawn very convincingly. I found it hard to put down.

Beginning with a routine call out for special constable, Laura Marshall, it feels so ominous – you just know it will be anything but routine. PC Jake Niven is given a warning by his partner to stop his affair with another member of the team. Detective Chief Superintendent Henry Christie has several ongoing cases and his Acting CC is looking for results.
Nick Oldham has nailed it in this novel taking us to Henry Christie’s retirement. There is a lot going on but it’s never confusing and it all comes together as the novel unfolds. The second half moves at a galloping pace with the suspense building and building.
This is modern and punchy and some of the violence may be unsettling but after all Christie is dealing with cruel criminals.
There is excellent personal background information included particularly around Henry Christie, PC Niven and his family which brings them so alive and I could feel myself responding to their emotions and behaviours. This kept me guessing to the end with characters I cared about. Thank you to Severn House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read “Unforgiving”.

A policeman’s lot is certainly not all sunshine and roses!
Laura Marshall, a special constable, goes missing while on a 999 investigation of a pub brawl in the village of Thornwell, Lancashire. DS Henry Christie is almost certain that Spencer Bartle is responsible for this kidnapping, but thanks to the evidence of a taxi driver, he has a waterproof alibi.

In the meantime, other cases are piling up on Christie’s desk and this disappearance is almost pushed to the back burner.

PC Jake Niven is a member of the ARU (Armed Response Unit) attached to Lancaster Constabulary. He’s married to Anna and has two children, Emma and Danny, but marriage has become boring for him and he’s busy having a torrid affair with the only woman member of the ARU. A shoot-out with an armed robbery gang that goes horribly wrong changes all these characters’ lives. Henry Christie will have to fight for his future career as will Jake Niven. It will also affect Jake’s family and if DCI Ric Dean (Henry Christie’s deputy) thinks that he’s going to be able to dodge the flak, he’s very much mistaken.

Nick Oldham has written a brilliant fast-paced and electrifying tale with a cliff hanger like no other. I just regret that I haven’t read the previous books in the series. However, this didn’t matter too much reading this book, so they are stand-alone stories as well. This book follows police work through all its levels. The characters are all larger than life, even the villains! This book had me up ‘til ‘stupid-o’clock’ wondering how it was all going to end, only to be left with a heart-stopping ending!

Treebeard