What The Dying See - MJ Lee

Book Twelve in the DI Ridpath series by MJ Lee out 2nd July

I have read all the Ridpath books by the most esteemable MJ Lee. Each book is brisk, pacy and full of tension - he continually creates a pervading mood of doom amidst the Manchester gloom as Ridpath and his team strain to solve the cases. 

This one might well be one of his best - there is the mixture of personal struggle, corruption and politcking that Ridpath must overcome. Perhaps the ending is a little too neat, but it serves again as a reminder that this is one of the most consistent series of recent years and hardly anybody I know in my reading circles know about it. This remains a crime itself that this work has not garnered the wider audience it deserves.

Lee is a neat concise writer; he uses social history for context of the fictional crimes he creates, and yet he is also challenging the governmental structures in place that batter and marginalise the ageing and elderly population of our country. The notion or idea of a second Shipman imbues throughout the book, that fear of the vulnerable being attacked. At times, this reader got angry when reading and rightly so, the elderly should always have our respect and live with dignity.

Those who have given so much in their lives to live are getting forgotten by middle management. In this book, the criminal works for the Department of Work and Pensions, the DWP become this eerie complicit being in destroying people who through circumstance seek to continue working but either through ill will or bad luck they find themselves alone with no support structure, except the benefit cheque that someone behind a desk thinks they do not deserve. Lee has taken his agenda and made a constructive point of satirising or challenging the government to change the ways. 

As ever, the geography and painting of Manchester as this gothic and yet burgeoning metropolis is done effectively - set around late November/early December he evokes weather and mood, the harshness of the rain sheeting upon our characters. 

Lee balances Ridpath's bridging the dual roles he has between the Greater Manchester Polic (GMP) and reporting to the coroner. The coroner herself has her own problems, with people thinking she should step aside due to an injury sustained two books previously. Ridpath, a single parent following his wife's untimely passing, has a teenage daughter, Eve and while she is not as present as in previous books, Eve is paramount to Ridpath's stability and grounding. 

As mentioned previously, this is one of the better books in the series. Effective, gripping and written with such fluidity perhaps this may be the book to breakout for Lee in this instance. 

What The Dying See is published by Canelo on 2nd July on all formats.

When The Night Ends - MJ Lee

The Eighth book in the DI Ridpath series is out from Canelo Crime on 9th June

Ridpath is back and this time it's murder. Sorry, I was doing that silly voiceover you used to hear at the end of Columbo/Perry Mason episodes.

Yet those famous detectives are renowned for many things, one is their tenacity and never giving up - their desire for justice and truth amongst a world where every obstacle is put in front of you.

Author MJ Lee is a prolific novelist, one who has hit upon a star vehicle in the literary world, a returning hero who has an everyman quality, a stickler to uncover the truth in some plots that are brilliantly written all the while set amidst an ever changing world as government changes and pandemics take a grip of the world.

Ridpath is one of those characters that is a joy to journey with from investigation to investigation; in this tale he has to figure out how a prisoner died alone in his cell after seemingly falling over and hitting his head. The death occurred three years ago, a lot has happened before Ridpath in his role as working for the Coroner re-opens the case. Many have given statements and some have been moved sideways in their career as they deal with their role - from Saunders who has been stuck on desk duty due to being station agent when the death took place. Ridpath's intention to investigate a fellow police officer does not sit well with others in Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as anybody who watches Line of Duty can attest, internal affairs are not favoured in the police force; police should catch criminals not cops. But what if the criminals are cops?

This leads Ridpath to collide as always with his nemesis Turnbull, a man who detests Ridpath and his maverick streak. Yet Lee goes to great lengths to show that Ridpath does play well with others, respected by others especially when in partnership with Emily Parkinson and Sophie, they prefer Ridpath's candour and commitment to proving things right.

The case as always has its twists and turns, with bodies appearing from nowhere, witnesses being either unable to source or turning up cold; the spectre of organised crime looms over the case and that is where Lee is so good at bringing in factual information to his fictional storylines. While reading it you might think some of it is too good to be true and the fact as always is that truth is stranger than fiction.

This reader devoured the book in a few sittings, this is partly due to the knowing the rhythm established so effectively by the author yet this was an enjoyable read throughout - crisp, clean and intelligent crime writing with a real hero at the heart of the action.

When The Night Ends by MJ Lee is out from Canelo Crime from 9th June

My thanks to Canelo for the review opportunity via NetGalley.

When The Guilty Cry - MJ Lee

 

The Seventh book in the DI Ridpath series is out now on Canelo 

MJ Lee returns with another entry into the DI Ridpath series, another tale of crime and conspiracy in the Greater Manchester area while overcoming personal difficulties.

Fans of my blog will know that I have followed the genesis, birth and growth of DI Ridpath ('just Ridpath') from the beginning under the penmanship of Mancunian author, MJ Lee. This series is a thrilling clash of thrills, spills and chills - combining the thumb turning efficiency of Lee Child with the prolific nature of James Patterson. Lee is able to weave a wonderful world of police work, the pressures they are under to get results whilst there being changes in the world as computer analysis and data seemingly attempts to alter the hunches a policeman would have had in the past.

This tale set amidst the still ongoing global pandemic makes the book feel current and now with its heart on the pulse of current affairs much like the work of pulp and dime novels would have been in a by-gone era; and there is a by-gone quality to our lead character. He seemingly is a maverick who works with the coroner but also has a foot in the police camp - this makes him a rogue in some people's eyes but also respected by others, and not adverse to putting some people's noses out of joint.

This case starts with the discovery of human hands in a backpack by a team of YouTube ghost hunters in an old abandoned children's home. The case then collides with that of an 11 year disappearance of a 16 year old in 2009 and the requirement for a death certificate to be approved to the family of that young girl. Ridpath uncovers the connection between the two cases thanks to a missing social worker who looked the other way when sexual abuse occurred at the children's home with shady callbacks to one Jimmy Saville.

The book does take a while to come together, but the timeline of one week for everything to unravel helps propel the second half of the book to something that is all consuming and impressive.

Lee writes again with such panache that it does surprise this reader that the book is not read by a larger more deserving audience. Go read this book and you shall not be disappointed.

WHEN THE GUILTY CRY is out now on all book formats

When The Evil Waits - MJ Lee

 

The sixth book in the DI Ridpath series is out now from Canelo Press

Writer MJ Lee is an author of some renown, prolific and intelligent in his depiction of a searing individual who has to combat many obstacles in his day-to-day life as an assistant to the lead coroner of the Manchester region.

Lee, who writes a book a year for Ridpath, seems to reflect the social context of work to his narrative needs. This is no different in When The Evil Waits, as the action takes place over the month of August 2020 so Ridpath and all his colleagues have had to combat the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic. This helps you appreciate that all the action takes place with the police force with face masks on for the protection of all. This relatability to proceedings helps with the visualisation of the action.

In this novel we find Ridpath dealing with the ramifications of the action that ended When The Past Kills, where one key character was left fighting for their life. Ridpath is in a period of grieving, his daughter Eve is not living with him at moment while he recuperates. He has been signed off for work but he still sees his wife Polly in his dreams. So the spectre and question of if he is fit for work has to be asked by his superiors and one definitely has it in for Ridpath throughout the book.

The unity of those who support Ridpath is there for all to see, he is well liked by his peers because he gets results albeit by unfamiliar methods and gut instincts. 

This is another fine entry into the catalogue however, for this reader the depiction of the villain in this instance was not totally well rounded and a bit of a stretch for reality, yet the action in apprehending him was well told and fittingly gripping to the high standard you expect.

Lee also has fun with the depiction of the journalist who is seeking to upend the police force and their reputation all to better her own career forsaking personal relationships at any cost seemingly; this dweller of bottom feeder journalism still exists in the gossip-mongering all lights on internet.

In conclusion, while it may not have reached the heights of previous Ridpath novels like Where The Silence Calls perhaps but it is still better than some television dramas of recent times and with the in vogue Line of Duty back on our screens, sometimes it is better to remove from escapist fare on the visual medium and rejoice in the assured hand of MJ Lee with DI Ridpath for comfort.

When The Evil Waits is out now on all formats from Canelo Press.

My thanks to Canelo for the review opportunity. 

When The Past Kills - MJ Lee

Book Five of the DI Ridpath series is out on September 24th from Canelo

MJ Lee has developed quite a niche in recent times, his creation Detective Ridpath first appeared in the latter part of 2018 and since then Lee has written with a breakneck pace of regularity providing the fifth tale of his cancer survivor Detective Inspector who has to overcome office politics, his own career aspirations and the criminals of the Manchester underworld.

From the second tale Where The Dead Fall, which was this reviewer's introduction to the series, Ridpath has this relatable everyman quality that comes across in the page; not once in the second book did this reader feel left out of a secret club with the first book narrative being relayed quickly and called back at times without leaving the reader none the wiser.

In this new book When The Past Kills, Ridpath is centre to an investigation where people who wrongly jailed an innocent man before getting the guilty coroner are being subjected to assaults, scare mongering, one by one a chain of command is being followed including online deaths to the dark web, hangings by live feed - Ridpath is in a race against time before he becomes the next victim of the serial attacker.

Lee writes with such a whipcrack rhythm full of short chapters incorporating a range of character arcs, story development and dialogue which is both expositional but gripping; set amidst the gloom of Manchester - Lee is at pains to paint this city as much of a character as his protagonists.

Every Ridpath book is one to relish, as it serves up tales that are full of tension and enjoyment - a sense of satisfaction is apparent and this book also features one hell of a cliffhanger, leaving his reader eagerly anticipating Book 6 which will hopefully drop

When The Past Kills is out on 24th September from Canelo Publishing and all formats

Where The Innocent Die - MJ Lee

Book Four in the DI Ridpath series by MJ Lee out 23rd March from Canelo Press

Author Lee, is quickly becoming one of the most prolific crime writers these shores have seen in recent years in partnership with Canelo Press.

Featuring a different sort of hero in the form of DI Thomas Ridpath, Lee has created a new kind of everyman, a hero without a cape.

Ridpath, following his remission from cancer was placed in the Coroner's office to still have him active but not fully a police officer.  This new role allows him to investigate without fully being a copper, but you cannot teach an old dog new tricks with Ridpath's smell for justice never leaving him.

This book revolves around the supposed suicide of a Chinese woman who is awaiting deportation. One Saturday night she is found with her throat cut in her cell, which was unlocked. Ridpath suspects something is not quite right with the situation at the Deportation Centre; from the low staffing levels, CCTV cameras not working correctly and more evidence appearing in a second post-mortem, Ridpath feels the young woman deserves justice.

While exposition is sometimes repeated, you cannot fault the break neck pacing of the plot and RIP roaring finale would put Line of Duty to shame.

Lee continues to entertain and excite leaving this reader highly anticipated for Book 5 with Ridpath again at a crossroads career wise, whereas with Lee it is full steam ahead.

Where The Innocent Die is out from Canelo Press on 23rd March in all formats

M J Lee - Where The Silence Calls

M J Lee, is back with another DI Ridpath thriller the third in the series following the success of Where The Truth Lies and Where The Dead Fall, launched by Canelo on Monday 23rd September.

Ridpath, a detective who has overcome cancer and has re-established a stable home environment at the conclusion of the second novel, Where The Dead Fall, is settling into the new position of assistant coroner to Mrs. Challinor. In this role, he helps distinguish if certain deaths are natural or require further criminal investigation following a post-mortem autopsy.

Ridpath is still dealing with the politics of policing, his best friend Charlie Whitworth is retired following the car crash which broke his leg, ribs and left him with a drinking problem. Claire Trent is holding him to account for the fallout of the Connolly case, and is trying to negotiate budget restrictions on her force at all levels.

A new case presents itself when Joe Brennan is set alight in his home; initial investigation establishes perhaps it was suicide but the investigation by Challinor and Det. Schofield refutes that allegation and pronounces the death as homicide.

More deaths sparked by deliberate fires appear day upon day, soon Ridpath discovers that they may have a serial killer on the loose due to the modus operandi of the killer with the use of accelerants and killing them before setting the victim alight.

Ridpath has trouble negotiating the rigid class structure of the policing hierarchy; peers are threatened by his knowledge and hide behind their higher positions to throw weight around and deny others the chance to establish cases - Ridpath is accused of brown nosing yet the only way seemingly to get ahead in cases is by doing just that or convince the higher up's of what they are missing. The juxtaposition of Ridpath to Lorraine Caruso is startling.

Lee goes to great lengths to build this air of PC suffocation thrust upon the hierarchy, and like his other novels he cleverly uses Manchester itself as the second most important character in the story - utilising the industrial revolution architecture with its gothic forebodings amongst a large range of districts to his advantage in weaving a story of protagonists cast by their surroundings.

The author uses contemporary cultural touchstones to mark as this as a time capsule piece; this is brave as the writer is not afraid to age his work by naming such things as South Korean pop band BTS for instance, as the object of affection for Ridpath's daughter. By putting the story in the here and now, you give the story a great sense of current, this is utilised further by having a vital piece of evidence being linked to child abuse within youth football teams in the 1980s and 90s, something Manchester has had to deal with starkly following the arrest and imprisonment of Barry Bennell.

Again, Lee has a written a winning novel - full of fast paced narrative, quick dialogue that speeds along the story. Much like the king of vigilante narratives, Lee Child, Lee uses the landscape as a main character to his advantage. Whereas Reacher though is not restricted by his homeland, visiting different geo-political locations from novel to novel; Ridpath is restricted by the M6 ring road but as Lee has shown - there is a lot going on within that motorway with ventures out to Derbyshire and the Pennines available.

For those who liked the first two Ridpath novels, this will be a much read and a pleasant surprise to those new to this exhilarating everyman character.

Where The Silence Calls is released by Canelo Press on 23rd September