Kittling: Books: DI Declan Walsh

First Line from Prologue: The New Year's Eve party was in full swing as Michael Davies made his way through the ballroom, his face a mask of murderous fury.

Twenty years ago when Victoria Davies was pushed off the roof of her stately home, her husband, Michael, was tried and convicted of her murder. Now a letter has turned up that could change everything. Written by Victoria before her death and never delivered, this letter shines a spotlight on three new suspects: Members of Parliament Charles Baker, Shaun Donnal, and Andrew MacIntyre.

Twenty years have brought a lot of changes to these three men's lives. Charles Baker is now in the running to be the next Prime Minister. Andrew MacIntyre is now "Andy Mac," a popular Youtube evangelist, and Shaun Donnal is a paranoid alcoholic living on the streets.

Detective Inspector (DI) Declan Walsh, saved from permanent suspension and newly transferred to the Temple Inn Crime Unit (AKA the Last Chance Saloon), is put in charge of this investigation. In no time at all, he finds himself navigating a minefield as each suspect leads his team to yet another problem and causes a new skeleton to fall out of a closet.

I'm glad I followed the advice of a fellow blogger and read this book. Letter from the Dead has a very interesting lead character, excellent pacing, and a marvelous twisty plot.

Now known as "the Priest Puncher" (you'll have to find out about that for yourselves), DI Declan Walsh is a character I want to learn more about, so it's a foregone conclusion that I'll be coming back to this series. His father, Patrick, was the recently retired Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) of the Metropolitan Police, and Declan is convinced that he was murdered, so readers will have that subplot to follow in subsequent books. Walsh is a flawed character, but not the type that's become rather cliché in police procedurals. I enjoyed seeing how his mind worked as he led the investigation.

In many ways, I find myself enjoying cold case mysteries more than those involving current investigations. I guess there's just something about righting an old wrong. It's all about justice and closure. isn't it? DCI Moore, the quirky head of the Last Chance Saloon, has created an excellent team from those who have been rejected (for one reason or another-- like the Priest Puncher) by other squads.

With such interesting characters and excellent storylines, I'm looking forward to many visits to the Last Chance Saloon.

Letter from the Dead by Jack Gatland

ASIN: B08KPJVQN3

eBook, 338 pages

Police Procedural, #1 DI Declan Walsh mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon