Cover Image: The Death Chamber

The Death Chamber

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Member Reviews

The Death Chamber is the 6th book in The Detective's Daughter series. I have not read any of the previous books so far, but after reading this one, I plan to read the others now, as well. This one is well written, with a good storyline. The characters are also well defined and easy to identifiable with. I really liked the storyline and the way it was written. I am looking forward to the next one in the series, and I plan to read the ones that came before this one. I do recommend this book, too.

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So many secrets, so many lies.  When Stella Darnell is hired by Lisa Mercer, the daughter of the detective who failed to find Bryony Motson, but discovered the body of Cassie Baker who disappeared over 20 years before, she is initially reluctant to take the case.   Paul Mercer is set on blaming Charlie Brice for the death and disappearance, but there was never any evidence of him being involved in either. Stella accepts the case on the condition that she is taking it to discover the truth - whatever it may be.  What she doesn’t expect is a complicated mystery that involves some of the people she knows very well.


The Death Chamber is slow at points, and the prickly Stella can be difficult to empathize with.  The story, however is well plotted, even if the involvement of her friends in the case is almost too much of a coincidence, almost too improbable.  Lesley Thomson spends a lot of time developing the characters, a definite aide for newcomers to the series. While it isn’t perfect, The Death Chamber is a good mystery that has plenty of twists.  I will definitely try another of Lesley Thomson’s mysteries.


4 / 5


I received a copy of The Death Chamber from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


-- Crittermom

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This is a incredibly gripping page turner with truly fabulous characters ! This author is a remarkable storyteller and I will definitely read the other books in this series . Great book and highly recommend ! Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #HeadOfZeus #TheDeathChamber

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Having discovered Lesley Thompson through a certain online bookshop I'm thrilled that more people will pick up on her talent.

This latest instalment about the detective's daughter who runs a cleaning company and solves murders takes Stella out of her comfort zone.The countryside is alien to our intrepid investigator and her troubled confusing relationship with colleague Jack adds more spice to the adventure. The darkest Cotswolds hold the secret of two missing girls. Stella is called in to right a wrong when a retired policeman's daughter wants her father vindicated. This labyrinthine plot involves Stella's whole team and a full supporting cast. Part time cleaner, detective tube driver Jack has a past relationship playing I his mind and this complicates his ongoing increasing closeness to Stella. There's lots to enjoy alongside the mystery, the new landscapes and oh yes that moving scarecrow. Beware the countryside, it bites!

I ate this book up and want more along with a tv adaptation. Bring it on.

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Even though this is the sixth in the detective daughter series, you can read as a standalone.

The story begins with the circumstances surrounding the first murder in 1977. After the disappearance of another girl in 1999, the body of the first victim is found. Stella and Jack are offered the case by another detective's daughter whose father wants them to prove that the murderer is still at large. Other members of the team are not sure if they should take the case, but someone closer to home is keeping secrets that will need to be solved too.

The characters' stories are sketched out in the first part of the story, so even if you are new to the series, like me you get a feel for who they are. Quirky is the word that sums up both Jack and Stella, both are good people but are damaged by life and find it difficult to relate to others outside their immediate team. There is a good team dynamic both in the 'Clean Slate', cleaning company and the detective agency. Everyone has a role and it more of a family than a business.

The crime-solving takes place in the last two-thirds of the story. It is a detailed and lengthy book but is well-paced. The factual details seamlessly merge with clues, misinformation and the characters' internal and external conflicts. I liked the dynamic between Stella and Jack, they are vividly described and come across as believable.

The plot is intricate with numerous twists, even when you think you've solved it something alters to move the goal posts, and you discover you're only partly correct. Atmospheric and suspenseful twists make o ordinary events and settings menacing and chilling.

The ending leaves no loose ends and manages to retain its surprises.

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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The Death Chamber is the sixth book in the Dectective’s Daughter series and this time it sees Clean Slate owner and part-time private detective Stella Darnell and trusty sidekick Jack Harmon head to the Cotswolds village of Winchcombe to solve two murders which have been troubling DCI Mercer for almost twenty years.
June 1977, while celebrating the Queen’s silver jubilee Cassandra Barker spots her boyfriend with another woman and storms off home, never to be seen again. December 1999, Bryony Motson disappears after a night out with two friends. Charlie Brice the man believed to have abducted Bryony leads DCI Mercer to the body of Cassandra Baker, linking him to both girls but sadly admissible evidence meant he couldn’t be charged for either murder.
Seventeen years later and DCI Mercer is on his death bed and he longs for Charlie Brice to serve justice for the crimes Mercer believes he committed and for the mistakes which cost Mercer his glowing career. Daughter Lisa summons detective duo Stella and Jack to help solve the case once and for all.
Stella and Jack head off to the country, Stella reluctantly as she is a city girl who prefers the perks of London life including public transport, wi-fi and electricity and not to mention the distinct lack of mud. Jack is more enthusiastic about their trip, been in love with Stella from afar for ever Jack jumps at the chance to play house with her alone in the country…plus it gives him time to think about the bombshell ex-girlfriend Bella has just dropped on him…he’s going to be a dad.
The Death chamber is a book which could be read as a standalone but after reading the previous novel The Dog Walker I think you will get much more enjoyment if you’ve read at one of the previous novels. The first third of this book was steady and centred more on the personal lives of Jack and Stella than the actual case. I enjoyed this as having read the previous book it was good to catch up with the characters, if you’ve not read the previous book then you may struggle.
Once the story heads off to the country it’s not long before Stella and Jack are fully immersed in the case and the pace picks up, with a growing number of suspects it turns out to be more complicated than they first thought. With the help of journalist Lucie can Stella and Jack solve the crimes? Who is behind the creepy activity with drones, crows and scarecrows? Will anything happen with Stella and Jack and what exactly is Stella’s secretary Jackie Makepeace got to do with everything?
I really enjoyed reading The Death Chamber, its one of those novels where you just keep reading a bit more and then discover something else so read a bit more and before you know it your husbands home and wondering where his tea is (true story). I love the way Lesley Thomson has added depth to the story with each of the main characters having their own dramas going on which all tie into and enhance the main storyline instead of detracting from it, very cleverly written. My favourite character in this book had to be Endora the budgerigar, just because of the witty one-liners she came out with which just made me smile.
I enjoyed everything about this book and really hope we have another instalment in this series soon. Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

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This is the sixth book in the series featuring Stella Darnell, who is part cleaner and part private detective. I admit that although I have read a couple of books in the series, I haven’t read them all. Big oops. Going by how much I enjoyed reading ‘The Death Chamber’, reading the rest of the series has to be one of my top priorities. I really enjoyed reading ‘The Death Chamber’ but more about that in a bit.
Stella Darnell really is one of those characters that I instantly warmed to. She has a cleaning company and she sees her main role as that of cleaner. However, Stella also has a part time business as a private detective. Stella successfully solved the murder of her father and since then she has taken on the occasional case. Stella has had help from her colleagues and in particular from Jack, who works as a train driver but also works for Stella’s cleaning company part time. Stella has a brilliant analytical mind and she manages to tease information out of people, who don’t realise what she is up to. Stella doesn’t jump to conclusions and instead follows the path that the clues take her on. I think that Stella would be a great person to work with and for. She doesn’t lose her temper, she is a great listener and she gives you an honest opinion without being nasty or cruel. Stella takes this latest case on after a former police officer, who is terminally ill, insists that she takes on an investigation into a case that has bothered him for a long time. Stella ums and ahs about taking on the case as she doesn’t want to stay away from home or the cleaning company for that long. Her colleagues convince her that they can cope so off to investigate she and Jack do go- not forgetting Stella’s little dog too. Will Stella get to the bottom of the case? Who is the murderer? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn into the story from the moment you open the front cover and begin to read. It’s true that this book is a bit of a slow starter but I didn’t mind that as it meant that I could get to know the characters better without being left behind so to speak. It wasn’t long until I became addicted to reading ‘The Death Chamber’ and I just had to read on to see how the book developed and to see who the murderer was. For me ‘The Death Chamber’ is a page turner and I certainly didn’t realise how quickly I was turning the pages until I looked up to see that I had cleared 35% of the book. The writing style and quality of writing are such that I became totally wrapped up in the case and I felt did feel as though I was a part of the story. This book certainly had me thinking and it also kept me guessing. I was rooting for Stella and Jack and I was silently cheering them on. There were definitely some twists and turns to the story and moments that I didn’t see coming.
In short, I really did enjoy reading ‘The Death Chamber’ and I would certainly recommend it to other readers. ‘The Death Chamber’ can be read as a standalone but because I am a bit OCD, I fully intend to read the series in order and from the beginning. There are certain references to past events in ‘The Death Chamber’ that make sense if you have read the other books. I can’t wait to read what comes next from Lesley Thomson. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

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I always enjoy reading the next installment in this series, but this one seemed to be slightly slower and less dark. The story only really takes off later in the book and if it weren't for the familiar characters and the way they interact, this could have been a bit tedious in the beginning. If you really want to enjoy this, it would be best if you read the others in the series first. It could get a bit confusing otherwise.

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I tried and tried but I am now halfway through and I just can’t get into this book. It might be because this is not the first in a series but when you have Jack, Jackie, Bella and Stella it all just runs together. I could force myself to finish but I just don’t care. Thanks to #NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

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A lovely book, well written, slow to burst into life but then a humdinger. I have not read the previous books in this well established series but found no problem in catching up so it can be read as a standalone.

Excellent descriptions of rural life and the author is very strong on characterisation. I was captivated early on and will be reading the previous books in the series.

Recommended.

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This is the sixth in this series featuring reticent Stella Darnell, running a cleaning company, Clean Slate, who has established a part time career as a private detective since she solved the mystery of her father's, a policeman, death. Underground train driver Jack Harmon, offbeat and intuitive, the complete opposite of Stella, is her partner in this side of her business. The pair find themselves moving to Winchcombe in Gloucestershire to look into the death of 2 young women who disappeared in two different time periods. In 1977, Cassie Baker heads home after a village disco only to never be seen again, assumed to have escaped to London. In 1999, DCI Paul Mercer is led to Cassie's remains by Charlie Brice, a suspect behind the disappearance of Bryony Motson, a banker's daughter. Mercer has always been convinced that Charlie murdered both women, despite the conviction of another man for Cassie's murder. For the last 18 years, despite being forced out of the police force for not following procedures, Mercer has relentlessly pursued Brice, but without success, he is now dying.

Lisa Mercer is Paul Mercer's daughter, and whilst she is less than happy with her father, she persuades Stella to take the case. Jack is over the moon, he has the opportunity to spend time with Stella who he loves unconditionally, and he waxes lyrical about the romance behind having a client who is a detective's daughter, just like Stella. Jack's past relationship with illustrator Bella has repercussions in the present as Bella informs he is about to become a father to twins, but she is unwilling to let him get involved in their lives. Lonely journalist, Lucie May, is on the hunt for her exclusive and sees the advantages of working with Stella and Jack to achieve her aims. Stella and Jack are staying at The Crow's Nest, a ruin of a house, with no facilities such as electricity or wifi. Sinister events suggest that there are forces who want them to leave, such as the odd constant movements of a weird scarecrow, dead crows left in the house and drones observing their activities. Lucie joins them camping out in the house with her talkative bird, Endora. The case turns out to be a complex sprawling affair, with a brazen and confident Brice residing openly under the shadow of suspicions cast on his character. Is he guilty or is someone else behind the heinous acts? And what exactly is Jackie and Barry's involvement, if any?

This is a great addition to the series, streaked throughout with plenty of humour and comic touches, particularly with Endora repeating anything she hears. Stella's approach to her murder cases follows the lore of her cleaning manuel, to tackle them stain by stain. It is hardly a surprise that her expertise in her cleaning profession infuses the descriptions of places and the odours of cleaning products. Stella and Jack are an odd couple who happen to complement each other's characters and abilities, both covertly drawn to each other, but hesitant about breaking cover over their feelings for each other. What I like is how the author has built a host of characters that feel so familiar but who still have the capacity to surprise such as Jackie and Barry. An absorbing and entertaining crime series. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.

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