A very descriptive, gripping writing style, full of anger and emotion. without ever getting boring anywhere, with great attention to detail, and well-developed, likable two main characters. Many thanks to @ReadingAgency and Riverrun Books for providing the library with free copies to read and review. That’s not to say it’s all style and no substance. The plot is satisfyingly complex too – you may well have guessed the ending by about three-quarters of the way through but you still want to keep reading to find out exactly how things resolve.

Move over Morse. Simon Mason Oxford crime novel breathes fresh life into the police procedural’ Val McDermid I found the subject matter disturbing and difficult but Mason handled it carefully and it didn’t ultimately put me off enjoying the novel” I haven’t read the first book in this series but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of The Broken Afternoon at all – it was an easy read, with relatable characters and an exciting conclusion and I was able to dive straight in without feeling I’d missed a step”When an old friend of his appears in an agitated state whilst he is on guard duty, Ryan decides to investigate. A four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area, The characters made this novel for me – I liked the chalk and cheese relationship between the two Wilkinses who are investigating the crime and how they are friends of a kind” I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Broken Afternoon, the second novel to feature DI Ray Wilkins and former DI Ryan Wilkins of Thames Valley Police.

Screen Shot 2022-12-27 at 19.53.09I am sorry, but that is not how I see this book. Yes, it is set in and around Oxford, but apart from The Broken Afternoon being every bit as good a read as, say, The Silence of Nicholas Quinn or The Remorseful Day, that’s where the resemblance ends. Mason’s book, while perhaps not being Noir in a Derek Raymond or Ted Lewis way, is full of dark undertones, bleak litter strewn public spaces, and the very real capacity for the police to get things badly, badly wrong. Simon Mason (right) has created coppers who certainly don’t spend melancholy evenings gazing into pints of real ale and then sit home alone listening to Mozart while sipping a decent single malt. I absolutely loved the first book in this detective series which is set in Oxford, featuring two detectives, Ray and Ryan who both have the surname Wilkins. The Broken Afternoon is the second instalment in the series that introduced the partnership of DIs Wilkins and Wilkins (no relation) of the Thames Valley police force in A Killing in November. I am sorry to not have read the first book, because The Broken Afternoon is the best contemporary police procedural I have read in a very long time. The story is pacy and exciting and I seemed to finish the book in no time! I was glued to my seat and stayed up late to finish it! I particularly liked the drip-feeding of clues before the race to find the culprit reaches its conclusion. I didn’t like that the two main characters have the same name though, I found this confusing and unnecessary” I really liked Ryan- he is an endearing character despite his difficult behaviour. His relationship with his young son is lovely and shows the redeeming and caring side of his nature.I really enjoyed the book, but not quite as much as the first one; this may be down to the sheer freshness of that first book, and also perhaps the replaying of familiar patterns. Could the two things be related? And can Ryan manage his anger for long enough to get himself reinstated as a detective? Despite their differences Ray and Ryan have an understanding and Ray let’s Ryan help him with the case, particularly as he keeps running into difficulties. The senior investigating officer (SIO) is DI Raymond Wilkins a stylish and personable officer who is going to be fully immersed in the case, his wife Dianne being pregnant and twins. As the case intensifies and takes a darker twist solving it becomes an obsession, one he ends up staking his career and reputation on. Determination comes at a cost though as he neglects Dianne by missing her prenatal appointments and not giving her the attention she needs, they start to drift apart. The plot digs into paedophilia and child abuse without getting too dark or disturbing. There is some examination of the reason for their actions and attempts to rehabilitate offenders but in the end, there is an acceptance that many can’t be. There is also the influence of money and power both to reform and to corrupt, often these gangs are protected by individuals of influence. We also see the problems of a failing care system, where individuals can be damaged from an early age with little chance of redemption in the eyes of some. Many of the faults with Ryan’s attitude being down to his time in the care system.

Ray begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray's investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.

A truly, phenomenal thriller, I stayed up late to finish the story. Really good writing, (I am familiar with his children’s books), this thriller comes highly recommended! I have two daughters, and became part of the parents' despair. And the terrible thing is, that feeling never goes away, even now that they are grown up, the worries remain, always. The author uses the storylines of two different, seemingly unlinked cases, which at times overlap, yet only come together at the end. Move over Morse. Simon Mason Oxford crime novel breathes fresh life into the police procedural' Val McDermid

Ray begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray’s investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force. A manhunt soon ensues, and when Poppy is finally found, the anger and the outrage in the country and the media is felt everywhere. Rising star on the Thames Valley force, DI Ray Wilkins has the unenviable task of directing the search for Poppy. The press conference he handles exudes confidence in the ability of the police to locate Poppy safely, but in reality there is very little to go on. Historic Oxford, on a sunny warm afternoon, a day when the lives of Poppy Clarke's parents will never be the same again, because their sweet, loveable little Poppy, dressed up as a pirate with ribbons in her hair, waiting for her mother, suddenly disappears.Meanwhile Ray is searching for a lost child who has been snatched from her nursery. However he is distracted as his wife is expecting twins and is in a terrible state with her pregnancy. The killer of Poppy Clark is eventually ‘unmasked’, but perhaps that cliche is inappropriate, as he has been hiding in plain sight all along. The more squeamish male readers may want to skip the section towards the end set in the hospital maternity unit. It is superbly written, but graphic: I went through that experience with three of my four sons, but on the fourth occasion the ‘phone call came too late – or perhaps I drove to the hospital too slowly.